^Z^iif^^^it;- %^W-3i:. '.5*>X*:'w^ CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY Cornell University Library F 868S7 H67 olin 3 1924 028 882 771 # Cornell University Library The original of this book is in the Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924028882771 H I STORY H I STORY \N ONOMA COUNTY] — INCLUDING ITS — Geoloii, TopErapliy, Moitains, Valleys and Streanis; — TOGSTHEB. WTTH- A Full and Particular Record of the Spanish Grants; It? Early History and Settlement, Compiled from the Most Authentic Sources; the Names of Original Spanish and American Pioneers; a full Political His- tory, Comprising the Tabular Statements of Elections and OfBce-holders since the Formation of the County; Separate Histories of each Township, Show- ing the Advancement of Grape and Grain Growing Interests, and Pisciculture ; Also, Incidents of Pioneer Liee ; The Raising of the Bear Flag ; and Biographical Sketches of Early and Prominent Settlers and Eepbesentative Men ; -and of rrs- Cities, Towns, Churches, Schools, Seeref Societies, Etc., Etc. ILLUSTRATED. SAlsr FRANCISCO: ALLKY, BOWEN & CO., PUBLISHERS. 1880. Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1879, by Alley, Bowen & Co., in the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C. PACIFIC PRESS, Oakland, Cal. Printers, Stereotypers and Binders. PREFACE. In presenting this ■work to our patrons we disclaim all literary merit. We offer no apology for the want of those elaborate dissertations, thrilling incidents, or poetic descriptions to be found in the pages of Macaulay, Prescott or Irving. From the outset of our labors we have given the public to understaad that our volume should contain naught but a pure and unvarnished record, as far as it was within our power to obtain, of the chief doings in Sonoma, which have been instrumental in placing her in that proud position among the other counties of California which she holds to-day. To do even this has been no easy task, yet, if the task has been laborious, it stUl has been a toil in which we have received much kind assistance. To the old settler, to the pioneer citizen, the events recorded in these pages, many of them in which he has figured, and which have been gradually and surely fading from the mind, will be as a revival of by-gone associations. The emulation of the sire will b.e revived, in the son. The ground that he rescued from the wilderness will be made hnly, while the infant will be taught to look with reverence upon the book which holds the annals of his parents' wanderings, and the rise and progress of his native Sonoma. In a county of magnificent distances, every inch of which is replete with interest, and every township of which teems with historic lore, it may be said that more should have been accomplished. Should remarks of such a nature be made, we grant them, but reply, not in the limited space to bo found in a volume of a little over seven hundred pages. More, much more, could have been effected had the county records from the beginning been extant; they were not, therefore it is no fault of ours if this particular portion of our work would appear to have received less attention than others. Still, what we have effected we are not ashamed to give to our readers; our pride is that what is told in the History of VI PREFACE. Sonoma County wiU be found correct, and above all valuable, not only a3 a matter of interest to the general public, but also as a work of reference. It may happen that some may cavil at what might appear to them the excessive use of quotations. To our thuiking it is no evU, in a volume which purports to be a history, to seek the aid of those minds that have already given mature thought to an especial subject. In conclusion, we would here tender our best thanks to those ladies and gentlemen of Sonoma county who aided us with appropriate suggestions and valuable information, while our acknowledgments are more especially due to the veteran General Vallejo and to R. A. Thompson, County Clerk of Sonoma, from whose admirable work on the county we have received much excellent assistance. To Messrs. Weston & Cassiday, of the Petaluma Argus ; Frank W. Shattuck, of the Petaluma Courier; Thomas L. Thomp- son and Will Acton, of the Sonoma Democrat;. Ragsdale Brothers, of the Santa Rosa Times; L. A. Jordan and F. C. S. Bagge, of the Russian River Flag; Mulgrew Brothers, of the Healdsburg Enterprise; W. S. Walker, of the Cloverdale Reveille, and Ben Frank, of the Sonoma Index, are our thanks due for many kind notices and other courtesies; while we owe our gratitude to L. L. Palmer, A. M., of Suisun, Solano county, for his very valuable chronicles of Analy, Bodega, Ocean and Salt Point townships. We are also deeply indebted to Doctor W. W. Carpenter, of Petaluma, for his interesting and instructive contribution on the Geology of the county; while lastly we must not forget our own staff, W. A. Slocum, and L. L. Bowen, who have given much zealous labor in our behalf. ALLEY, BOWEN & CO. J. P. Muneo-Feaser, Historian. San Francisco, January 1, 1880. INDEX. GENERAL HISTORY. Geographical Situation and Area. .. Derivation of "Name Topograpliy Valleys Alexander Valley _ Bennet Valley Big Valley Dry Creek Valley Green Valley Guilicos Valley Knight's Valley Geology and Mineralogy Climatography Water Courses Timber _ '. . Springs and Mines _. The Geysers.. _ Skagg's Springs Litton Springs _ _ Mark West Springs White Sulphur Springs. _ Alder Glen Springs The Mines _ Oakland Mine __ Cloverdale Mine Great Eastern Mine Mount Jackson Mine Early History and Settlement. Puhlie Schools Churches Agriculture _ _ Viniculture _ Squatting Troubles Railroads. San Francisco and N. P. E. E. . . . North Pacific Coast E. E _ . Sonoma Valley E. E The Bear Flag War 17 18 18 19 19 19 20 20 20 20 20 21 23 26 27 29 29 34 35 35 35 705 35 36 36 37 38 39 70 71 72 74 82 85 85 85 88 90 Legislative History... 119 Organization of the County 119 Analy 122 Bodega 123 Cloverdale 123 Mendocino 123 Santa Eosa 124 Sonoma 124 Petaluma 125 Vallejo 125 Eussian Eiver 126 Washington __ 126 St. Helena 126 Salt Point 127 Hall of Eecords __ 129 County Hospital _ _ . 130 Post Offices _ 131 Political History _ . _ 131 Mexican Grants 146 Musalacon 146 Cotate 147 Guilicos ...".: 147 Canada de Pogolome , 148 Llano de Santa Eosa 149-156 El Molino 150 Huichica 151 Yulupa _ 152 Guenoc 153 Sotoyome 153-158 Bodega 153 Blucher 153 Callayome 153 Muniz 153 Laguna de'San Antonio 164 Arroyo de San Antonio 154 Seno de Malacomes 154 Malacomes. 154-157 Eoblar de la Miseria 154 Best Image Available vm - INDEX. Canada de la Jonive. 154 Estero Americano 155 German 155 , Pueblo,, de Sonoma - -4 ^^^ .P.^talu'taa 155-15i^ _^a)n Miguel. •. .%. .155" ; /Tzabaco ._ '..__> 155 • •'La Laguna de los Gentifes . . . '156 La^ -..:,. A. l^i^r^jlJAl.,. :-.-„... 156 Cabeia d^ SaRta Eosa .... 156-167 Agua'Calieftte i. ... ..;: . . . 157-158 ■ Stis^ion- Grants. . - .'>! . 158-159 Homicides ,..;...'.. i ...... i, l. . 160 ■. People vs. Christian Brunner . . .„^- 160 I Pedplei-s-AViiisio-w Hall... .*...:".. 160 ! Ped^ip i;s. Thds.' Stewart jf60 I^iSiiig of Sirs. Charlersi Aldrich. . . Igl Stajbbing of Hjigb Mct,auglflin . . . l§i^ StqDtjng of David C^Apbell ^ ' . . . 162' Pec^lfe m. Jos^ ^orano J ^.:. 162 Pfitfple vs. John ®haron*,: 162 People.ra.' fhojs. B;' Berger 163 People *. Wm. N. Thompson 163 People vs. Jonathan Davis 164 People vs. Russell J. Smither. . . .„. , 164 People rs. Bird Brnmfield .- 164 'Shooting of Cameron. - - -. 164 People vs. C. Sweitzer 164 People «s. Michael Ryan. ,. 1^ People vi. 'Pepi*o . ' ... . j; 165 I Paople OTrlapdif Brojvij,e< al. j, ^*^eopile vs. JamesT. peijfrp.^.. Killing of -Werilfen'i- -1 . 1'l . .^'- - People vs. B^i^j. "Edniards;.' . |.-..'. Beople vs. Peclro'Soto ^l .;. . i :t . People «3'.. Joseph R: GJiJjbonsJ. . ^f XlOawjgi- of "Mrs. Lee ...',...., . i' "^Silling o^ George Andrado. ...... 167 ■k'"<^fbple m.*jame^ K. Brownlee i67 ' "People «s; T.' A. Heflii^ - . . - -^ , - -. -- 167 People vs. H. S. Epper^i..,^ .167 People , lis. .O.sman Pairfcanks... ... 167 People ^^s, TlioS;;, Reed.-, isj Peopje vsi Jose Marii Ploria 167 People w.' Jacl5;sDn.L. Eppersoli '. .,. 168 Killing 9f J. G.Hill . .'; . 1 . . t .;.; . . -168 165i ife 166 * ^ 16,6 166 166 166 Analy . ,i ■ ,!rO'WNSHIP ..' 170' .,'<(.. BLOOfcrlELI) . -. ' i^3 Bi6oMel& Flour Mill. . .173 . YaUey'-Foid.Iiodge, No. 191, I. O. .0. F...;;;»t.|. .-.-...,., 174 Bloomfield i Encampment, No. 61, : I.b.d.'F. .>:...,■...,..... 174 Vitruvious Lo^^e, No. 145, F. & " ' A.M. :.."....^'?''.^,......i'174 BloorafleldLodge^No.256,I.O.G.T. 174 Bloomfield Self ool' *..:....'■....... . 175 Churcbes" . _ . ■. . -'.--Iv^ c . .". .i. J 175 SEBASTOPbL '.'.-l'. ,!^.. . . ..'.,. ,'.,;. 175 LaFayette Lpdge,-'No.-:li26,' ¥..& . '■' A.M, ,^i....,.,4,.J..:...^.A5L76 Evergreen L^d'gei.Nos 161^-l!o.O.F.*l77 Sebastoj^l Rebecca Degree Lodge,' , No.- !44|a ..;,.,.....:.;,... ^1 . ....._177* Cumberland Presbyterian Ghurct. 177 Methodist Episcopal Church 177 Sebastopol Lodge, No. 167, I. O. G. T 178 FOEEESTVILLB 178 Carp Ponds of Levi Davis . , 178 HISTORIES. ;:^V »■■ Carp Ptinds of J. R. H, Oliver. . . . 1T9 Bodega . , 180 Bodega^ Poet .,. ..^. .';.,;....:. ^-j : ^ ii8|,' Bodega Coe-u'ees i-^ .' ' 190 Bodega War ..'..... .'. . .-196 . ^Bpdega Lodg?^ N©. 213, i^.^A-A. M"._. A97;' * B^ena \V'ista' Lodge, Nd. ^3, I. O&t >' G.T..-...L'.. :...:;!'. .-:... ...'.^98 No Surrender Lodge, Nd[, 37QJT.' O. ;. hG; T.: '-iC'--:*'-^--.'-^^.. 19^' Githollc ChUrchL ............. 19J|^ ' tanneries. --. th-"- ■ -^.'-'! . 198 FfiBESTftNE'. '. '■. : |... .. . . . .,, . J. . : . ' . . J J' \Q8 VALI/EY^FOSDr ,'. .,. . . : . ,.*. 1^9/ V3,]ley.rbrd Lod^e, Np.'l5e,.L O... ' ; ^-:G. T.l*\^..L.:..':.^- ..■.;:.., .'sfpc^ ^, Piiesbyjietitgi" Church . . . ....,.; 260 ''^dfci'tJEJ^i'A'L '.':.'. 201 Methodist Episcopal Church 202 Salmon Creek Lodge, No. 234, 1. O. O. F ." 202 Altamont Lodge, No. 374, 1. 0. G. T. 202 Saw Mills 203 INDEX. Cloveedale 205 I First .Congregational Church 206 Catholic ChuTC^:'y:'.%ri. "■■:'....., 207 Cu¥tiS-Lodg6» liTo. 160, F. & A. M: . . £07 ~ Cloverdale Lodge, No. 193, l.O.Q.F. .'207, i Cloverdafe IiO^ge.-iNo. 32,' A-. O." ,. .u.w..i...!j:--;^;.. ;.:■.-./-:-...; 208 . S(9i«ors;-,-iL-.?. ....._... -41-!.-.-- 2oa , OloVtrdaie Wa|ter WoAs. :i.i ?^...-. 298- • i Clo-verdafe 5lQtea.^_ .^. . |..^, : h'^.^, ^08 'Diilt^d.. gtat^s'Hotel .'J. .^, Jj .|c;. . 208' r the Cloverdale Rev^Jle . -'A -.Ui . ?09 KnIGKT'S yA'LI/EY.. .:-^.^; -'I ' -^-'*'' i^|.V;2i2 , iE-AiteSBTpt(j'-.J..'.--j.--'._. :_...';.'t=-.-it-217 I'l^ First frantist CSwrchlf. ... .l;i .;^- _ ; : 238 , , First Pi|el^ytifiaii,Chin;ch . , .f . ... . . 239 ' f ;Chi*cJr^f 'CBri^ : . .J. :..'.. .'.'- -. 240 • r Ad,vent..■.'.'. :. .1'. . . :''!. -■. .■ %, Sotoyome Lodge, j^o.l2S,^F.& A.M. 242 ,;'• Beal(|sbiirg Encainpm'ent-, Na.'Sd,;, ;{[:, L b. p. :&.|....-.i::;.,^>.,./^n.^.'-' -242 " '>'• Sealdsburg.liodge, No. 64, I. O. !<-. ■ O. ;iF;. .'. . J. 1 . ..L ; . . . : . . . 1' . 243- j*^ Stai- of Ho^ Lodge, No. 32,- L 0. < '!'„ ^G. Tl,..-.uV--'-l;''-----.- ,243 I^e.'Cepart.feien't- ,.„;:...-:.*•....;. 243 The Bant; of Healifsburg. i.-.,. : . . . 244 I Farmers' arid lleclfenreffB^t 244 tiealdsburg FloiiVing Mill.'.^i.;.-. ^. 344 ejr/fr Flouring-Mll . . .': - ;?.,- -L: 245 '" ' Wat^J^yorks. ^■■. >^''".,'::^ - 5^^'= - V ' 245 |t.;;;Qla^ Company . .:Vi'i&..'.^||^.^,:j45 1;.' BesalU^ucg Br?wffl'y:^.-.wl$x:j. 2i^ |/;'R4^iaS:,jtiver Flag...^^;:. t^.. . . . 246 r5'JIeaTdsburg,Ehterpri^ji,t^i. . _ .' . ,246 '. Dc^n: ^/. I .K^Vi^J^.. X "V^^" .^.; 247 • ^Bffinc#'8i|VtJlli. . - - ; , .^. ... . . -T}:. : : .' 249 » &(>tlierhood Lodged -No. 2Si,f'.r;&'' :\ ^■■'"a./M..,w^*^., --■-■-. -L'h::^-Hv 250 Presbyterian Church 261 Schools 251 Mills - - , ,^_.. - 251 Petaluma \25^ Methodist Episcopal Church 311 1 First Baptist Church 312 J Methodist Church South . 316 St. John's Episcopal Church 316 Public S(^oolsf;... ...... :.^ -. 317 , St. Vince Jit's '^caSemy .._',.., 322 ' Petallipa Chpp,ter,.NQ. 22, R. A. T^.. 323 x ) Arcturus Lodge, N9. 180, F. & A. M. 323 Itelief 'Eilcamipment, No.' 29, I. O. 'o.F. .. _...:'..; 323 Petalutaia Lodge, No; 30,1 p. O. F. 323 Petajiiina, Lodge, Nd:ieis.LO.G.T, 324 BissiEFi%ji.h Associations^*!,.-..: 324 ' Miitiii :Selief Associatiofa"!.. 324 ■ Saionfa .^nd.^arin Mutual Bene- ^ flcisft Association-.. . Ij.^. . ._^.|i .327 Library :Asso<^tiOii .,• j.?. -- -^ ^ 328 }' jteniperance Jleform Club -'-,..-- -'1 - 3^8 * Washin^on HalL Association.L. 1 . 330 i Py pr^ss 'Sill Cemetery ., J 1 ...'.. 1 . 330 .-. Banoma andj Marin* j^gricultufal ■" '■' ,' Society. -,'.'. .i.''.*....l. .--.*..(.. 331 \ Petaluma Fire Depjfrtment 336 'First National GFold Bank: . 337 ' '^Bank of Sonbma County 337 Petaluma Savings'Ba'nk... 340 Newspapers .'. . . 1 . '-;. ■-■'..- :■- .j'. . 341 Weekly Ar|us.a ";-.;'.;. j.. v.:,341 ' Weekly Courier. ....'. ,. . ..... .342 Watee Companies.- 342 Sonoma County .'WaterCeriipany...* 343 McNear & Bro.'s Warekobse. . *. . . 344 ; ;, McNear & Bro.'s TVIiir..,'....i...:,. 344' '' CatWornia' Mills:... ..'.--.•1;„- 345 I Centennial .Plaining Millg .^i. -i. 345 6aeih'age' a:^d Wa^on • pifej^ES 345 AViliiam Zartm^n '& Co. . .^. : . , . , 345 , Hopes &, Camerbn . . . ^. . . ■ 346 , D.. W. C. Putnajn & Co. ---£,-C- -V 346 B. Harter......i.l. ...... .:f..:.^. 346 Gwin & Braihard's Sad^e Manu- 1 factory -rl........,.:..!*".'..:'... 347 I Stair Building and Wood Turning r Manufactory ... .*...,." t j.". ...' 347 ■ Soap M'anufactory .,..,.,,'. 347 ; Steam 'Mafljle Works ..!....' 5.- .^ . 1 347 Tannery . .'. ^ 347 Petaluma Foundry 348 Petaluma Brewery 348 J." Cavanagh's Lumber Yard 348 Hotels 349 Washington 349 INDEX. Cosmopolitan _ 349 Union 349 Revere 349 City 350 Two Bock .__. 351 Presbyterian Church - 351 Stony Point 351 Eedwood 352 Gtjeeneville 352 Methodist Episcopal Church 352 Christian Church 352 Redwood Lodge, No. 281, 1. 0. 0. F. 353 Saw and Planing Mill 363 Chair Factory 353 Russian River 354 Windsor 360 Salt Point 362 Fort Ross 377 Timber Cove 378 Stillwater Cove 379 Salt Point 379 Fisk's Mill 379 FlSHERMANS' BaY 379 Black Point 380 Plantation Lodge, No. 32, U. A. O. D. 380 Wayside Inns. _ _ . . 381 Schools 381 Santa Rosa 382 Santa Rosa 386 Christian; Church 420 Presbyterian Church 421 Church of the Incarnation 425 Methodist Episcopal Church South 706 Brotherhood of New Life 427 Pacific'Methodist College 430 Santa Rosa Command ery of Knigli is Templar _ 433 Santa Rosa Encampment, No. 53, I. O. O. F 434 Santa Rosa Lodge, No. 53, 1.O.O.F. 434 Purity Lodge, No. 33, I. 0. G. T.. . 434 Santa ^Rosa Lodge, No. 370, I. O. G. T ------ 435 Union Aid Society 435 Sonoma Democrat 436 Daily Democrat '^^^ Santa Rosa Times *37 Santa Rosa Bank *38 Savings Bank ^38 Gas Light Company - - - 438 Water Works - 438 Street-car Railroad 439 Woolen Mills 439 Foundry and Machine Shops 440 Empire Mills 440 Santa Rosa Marble Works 440 City Marble Works 441 Brewery 441 Santa Rosa Winery 441 Mark West 442 Fulton 442 Sonoma - 443 Sonoma - 444 Temple Lodge, No. 14, F. & A. M. 456 Sonoma Lodge, No. 28, 1. 0. 0. F., , 466 Locust Grove School 457 Sonoma Valley Bank _ 457 Newspapers . - _ 457 Sonoma Bulletin 467 Sonoma Index 468 Vineyards op Sonoma ...-. 468 Buena Vista 469 Col. Geo. F. Hooper 460 Nicholas Carriger 460 Kohler & Frohling 461 W. McPherson Hill 461 Pisciculture 461 Carp Ponds of J. A. Poppe 462 Lenni Fish Propagating Company. 463 St. Louis 464 Glen Ellen 465 Vallejo 466 Donahue _ - _ . . 466 Lakeville 466 Washington _ _ 467 Geyserville 467 Addenda _ 704 BilOGRAPHICAL SKE.TOHIES. • ANALY. Baker, Bloomer _ - - 470 Canfield, William D 470 Cockrlll, L.D 473 Davis, Levi _ 474 INDEX. XI ANALY. Gregson,' James 474 Hall, Henry .._ 476 Hall, Henry M 477 Hall, Wm. P 477 Hinshaw,E. C 477 Hudspeth, James M 478 LeFebvre, O. M 480 Rosa, Losson 481 Sharon, John 481 Watson, James 481 Walker, John 482 BODEGA. Blume,F.G 484 Doran, Wm. M 486 Douglass, Eobert 487 Fowler, Stephen C 488 Fowler, James E 489 Fowler, John H 491 Howard, William 491 McCaughey, James .. 704 McCrea, JohnW 494 Meeker, Melvin C 494 Murray, Thomas 704 Purrine, A. S I 497 Hoadley, James F. CLOVERDALE. ..498 I Kleiser, J. A. 498 KNIGHT'S VALLEY. Holmes, Calvin H 499 MENDOCINO, Allen, |W.T 500 Bice, Cornelius 600 Biddle, Edwin W 501 Bishop, T.C 501 Bledsoe, Hon. A. C 502 Board, William 503 Cummings, William 504 De Wiederhold, A. E. S 504 Ely, Doctor Elisha 504 Ferguson, Henry O 505 Ferguson, John N 506 Gallaway, Andrew J 507 Gillespie, Henry 507 Grater, John F. Gum, Isaac Haigh, John B... Hassett, J. D Laughlin, M. N.. 507 507 608 508 508 Laymance, Isaac C. 509 McClish, James L 509 McClish, JohnN 509 McCliah, Thomas 510 Miller, George 510 Miller, James 510 Moifet, John 6I1 Moreland, W. W 512 Mulligan, William 705 Norton, L. A 512 Phillips, D. D _ 527 Proctor, Ira _ 528 Samuels, Hon. James 528 Skaggs, Alexander 528 Truitt, Eoland K 529 Van Alen, John J 629 Willson, H. M 530 OCEAN. Duncan, Alexander 530 Mayer, August 531 Queen, Christopher 633 Eule, John 531 Wood, William B 532 Xll INDEX. PETALUMA. Allen, Olliver 606 Allen, Charles D --- 608 Andrews, Robert - 334 Armstrong, James 535 Atwater, Henry H - 536 Barnes, Alfred N 537 Barlow, Solomon Q. 537 Bernhard, Isaac ^ 538 Brackett, Joshua S - - - 538 Brooks, Sylvester 539 Brown, Ealph 539 Buckius, William L 539 Camron, O. P 540 Canepa, Luigi 540 Carothers, James H 540 Carothers, William O - - 540 Carpenter, T. L 541 Carpenter, W. W., M.D 541 Case, A. B 542 Cassiday, Samuel 543 Cavanagb, John 644 Christie, Doctor John Boyd 545 Codding, G. E 545 Congdon," Joseph W. 547 Denraan, Ezekiel - 347 Doyle, Manville -- 547 Ellsworth, LeGrand 706 Falkner, M. H 549 Fairbanks, Hiram T. 549 Fine, Joff - --- 550 Freeman, John M. . _ 550 Fritsch, John 551 Fritsch, John E. 552 Gale, D - 552 Gaston, Hamilton 553 Gaston, Hugh _ - - - 553 Gaston, Martin 553 Gerckens, J. H. L 553 Gibbs, Henry 554 Gregory, Henry 554 Hale, E.W 555 Hale.P. C 555 Harter, Bloomfield 555 Harris, John W 555 Harris, Eichard 556 Hasbrouck, H. B 556 Haskell, William B 557' Haskins, Thomas J 557 Hatch, Chester P 557 Hill, William ^ ^^^ Holly, S. B. 559 Howell.David -' 559 Hynes, Hon. James 560 Jacobi, John 560 Lamoreaux, G. W 561 Lawrence, Henry E ; 561 Lippitt, Edwards 561 Lodge, JohnD 564 Lovejoy, Dr. A. P 664 McClymonds, John W 565 McLaughlin, Michael 565 McLaughlin, Patrick - 566 McNear, John A 566 Magoon, William H 567 Matzenbach, William B 668 Maynard, Frank T 568 Mecham, Harrison 568 Merritt, John... . 572 Mitchener, Jonathan ^ 572 Moore, Edwin 573 Morison, S, M _ 573 Morse, A 573 Munday, B. B 574 Nay, L.G _ 575 Nay, Samuel A 676 Naughton, Hubert 576 Needham, Festus 576 Newburgh, Edward _ 577 Oman, George W 577 Palmer, James M 578 Parker, Freeman _ 579 Pepper, W, H 579 Pearce, Hon. George 580 Pfau, Louis 585 Pimm,; Henry _ 585 Poehlmann, Conrad _ 585 Poehlman, Martin 585 Polk, Charles E 586 Eoss, George 587 Sales, John 587 Schlosser, T. C 587 Scudder, Noah W 588 Shepherd, James S., M. D., F.E.C.S.L. 689 Singley, Hon. James 590 Sloper, Willard , 590 Snow, J 591 Staedler, John G 591 Stanley, John -P 592 INDEX. XIU PETALUMA. Stafke, t>. Frederick 592 Sweeny, Jeremiah 593 Thompson, James D, • 593 Tighe, Kelly 594 Tapper, John B... 594 Tuttle, Hon. B.F - 595 Van Doren, John S 597 Van Doren, William L 588 Vestal, Lewis 599 Washington, Neil 599 Wells, Thomas H 600 Weston, Henry L - 600 Whitney, Hon. Alhion P 602 Wickersham, Isaac G 603 Wigand, Theodore 604 Williams, George B 604 Winans, David M - . . 605 Zartman, William - 606 REDWOOD. Bell, Bradford 609 Johnson, Sanborn 610 Florence, Marshall 609 Heald, Thomas T 609 Manning, John 611 Manning, Nathaniel E 612 RUSSIAN RIVER. Barnes, E. H ---. 613 Bed well, Franklin 614 Bell, Henry .- 617 Davis, L. T.,M.D 617 Faught, Willis 617 Graham, J. W - 618 Hotchkiss, Benoni 619 Jeffress, J. T 620 Kennedy, A. E 620 Kruse, James 621 Laughlin, James H 621 Laughlin, Lee 621 Lindsay, J. J _ 622 McCullough, Michael 623 McCutchan.J. B.- 628 McCutchan, William C. _ _ _ 623 Matson, Capt. Jacob 623 Mitchell, E.T 624 Van Winkle, Thomas 625 SALT POINT. Call, G. W --- 625 I Haigh, Robert 627 Fisk, John C 626 Schroyer, Aaron 627 SANTA Acton, William - 628 Aikin, Matt 628 Austin, James 629 Ballou, Isaac A 630 Ballou, Volney James 630 Barnes, William P 631 Baum, John 631 Bloomington, Louis J 632 Brown, Major John 632 Campbell, John Tyler 634 Chapman, La Fayette 636 Clark, David 636 Clark, D. Curtis 637 Clark, Samuel B 637 Cook, Isaac F - 708 Cralle, L. J 637 ROSA. Crane, Robert 638 Curry, J. L 638 Dimmick, Rev. F. M 639 Downs, Vernon 640 Farmer, C. C 641 Farmer, E. T 641 Farmer, William 642 Ferguson, Russell 642 Fox, Charles M 643 Frehe, Louis 643 Frost, C. W 643 Fulton, James 644 Gregg, George T , 644 Grosse, Guy E.... 645 Harris, Jacob 645 Heisel, Paul 646 INDEX. SANTA Holmes, Henderson P 646 Hood, George 647 Hudson, Martin 647 Johnson, Hon. G. A 647 Kerr,E. A 648 Ke3sing,',Clemena 648 Lewis, Martin 648 McConnell, William E 649 McGee, James H 649 McMinn, John 650 McMinn, Joseph 660 Miller, Thomas B 651 Mizer, Henry C 652 Neblett, Edward 652 Nickels, Thomas A 652 Peterson, Augustus _ 653 Peterson, 'William 653 Pfister, Conrad 653 Proctor, Thomas J 654 Quackenbush, Uriah P 654 Eagsdale, J.W _ 655 Band, William J 655 Eange, Charles _ _ _ 655 ROSA. Roney,J.M ^56 Boss, H.J 656 Rue, James B:..- 656 Shepherd, Rev. J. Avery, S. T. D... 657 Shively,D.O - 658 Smith, Robert Press, M. D 658 Stanley, W.B 658 Taft, Rev. S. A., D. D - 659 Taft,H. D 661 Talbot, Coleman 661 Temple, Judge Jackson 663 Thompson, T. L 665 Tripp, H. L 666 Tupper, George A 708 Underbill, J. G 666 Wall, E. T 667 Wall, Thomas H 667 Warner, James J. 667 Weeks, Parker E 667 Wendt, Frederick 668 Whitaker, G. W 668 Wood, Ben. S, 669 SONOMA. Biggins, James 669 Burris, David 670 Burris,' William - . 673 Carriger, Nicholas 673 Craig, O.iW 676 Cutter, Capt. E. P 676 Domeniconi, A 677 Haubert, Jacob 677 Hooper, George F 677 Johnson, Orrick 678 Justi, [Charles 679 Leiding, C. F 679 Mayer, Lewis W _ 679 Morse, E. E _ 680 Pau]i,G.T.... ..." 680 Schetter, Otto. 681 Sears, Franklin 681 Shattuck, David O 682 Snyder, Jacob E 683 Thompson, Peter H 685 Tivnen, John 685 Watt, Richard L 686 Watt, John _ 686 Weiae, Christian _ 686 Winkle, Henry 686 VALLEJO. Adamson, Jacob - 687 Barnes, Jehu - 687 Benson, Josiah H _ 688 Bihler, William 688 Bodwell,C.A 689 Campbell, George 689 Chapman, T. M 690 Clark, A 690 Gregory, John 691 Hopper, Thomas 691 Jackson, Lorenzo 692 Kelsey, Richard 693 Mock, William 693 Ormsby, J. H 694 INDEX. XV VALLEJO. Patton, Robert 694 Peoples, Nathan 694 Peters, A.N 695 Pierce, H. L 696 Eose, James E 696 Smalley, William H 697 Todd, JohnW 698 Wharff, David 698 WASHrNGTON. Armstrong, Porter M 699 Bedwell, Ira 700 Bosworth, Calvin M 700 Bouton, Andrew _ 701 Cummings, J. M _ 701 Long, Isaac 702 McDonnell, William .' 702 Stites, A. H 702 Wisecarver, J. E _ 703 PORT Vallejo, M. G Frontispiece Temple, Judge Jackson _ 32 Pearce, Hon. George 48 Shattuck, D. O _ 64 Bledsoe, Hon. A. C 80 Bedwell, Franklin 96 Kleiser, J. A 112 Holmes, Calvin H 128 Fowler, James E 144 Hudspeth, James M 160 Call,G. W _-_ .._ 176 Eose, James E _ . 192 HilJ, William ._. 208 Farmer, E. T 216 Hooper,_George F 224 McNear, John A 232 Burria, D 240 Samuels, Hon. James 248 Wickersham, I. G.. 256 Eule, John... 264 Mecham, Harrison. _ 272 Blume, F. G 280 Pauli, G. T _ 288 Howard, William... __ 296 Carpenter, W. W., M. D 304 Carriger, Nicholas 312 Crane, Eobert. . . , 320 Fulton, James 328 Fairbanks, H. T 336 Walker, John 344 Tuttle,'Hon.«B. F 352 Whitney ,'Hon. A. P 360 Austin, James 368 Hall, Henry 376 RAITS. Hopper, Thomas 384 Meeker, M. C _ 392 Walker, Capt. Joseph 400 Fritsch, John 408 Cralle; J. S 416 Doyle, M 424- McMinn, Joseph 432 Duncan, A 440 Canfield, W. D 448 MoMinn, John 456 Hoadley, J F 464 Talbot, Coleman 472 Clark, A 480 Benson, J. H 488 Grosse, Guy E 496 Gregson, James... __ 504 Norton, L. A 512 Whitaker, G. N _ 520 Watson. James 528 Ballou, V. J 536 Eoss, Lesson _ _ 544 Lawrence, H. C 552 Board, William 560 Stites, A. H _ 576 Taft, S. A., D. D 592 Brackett, J. S 608 Kruse, James 624 Gaston, Hugh 640 Allen, OUiver 656 Hasbrouck, H. B 672 Barnes, J 688 Mitchell, E.T 704 Weeks, P. E 720 HISTOf[Y OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOflA. OEOGRAPHIOAL SIT0ATION AND AREA— DERIYATION OF NAME — TOPOGEAPHT — VALLEYS — GEOLOGY CLIMATOGRAPHY — WATER COURSES — TIMBER, ETC., ETC. Sonoma County is bounded on the south by the bays of San Pablo, San Francisco, and Marin county; on the west by the Pacific ocean; on the north by Mendocino county ; on the east by Lake and Napa counties, and lies twenty-five mUes north of the city of San Francisco. Its sea coast line, fol- lowing the indentations of the shore, is about sixty miles ; its average length from north to south, some fifty miles; its width, about twenty-five miles, and its area in round numbers, eight hundred and fifty thousand acres. The district of Sonoma originally comprised all that vast tract of territory lying west of the Sacramento river, and north to the Oregon line; at the first session of the Legislature, however, the State was divided into counties for greater facility in the transaction of business, and the northern line of Sonoma county was established along the fortieth parallel of latitude to the summit of the Mayacmas range of mountains, and thence south to the San Pablo bay, including all of the present Mendocino, and a portion of Napa. In 1859, Napa county having been already formed, Mendocino was set apart, and the limits of Sonoma contracted to its present boundaries. The immense advantages of location, which the county possesses, may be at once observed on reference to a map of the State. It fronts on the San Francisco bay, called at its most northerly end San Pablo, and at one time known as the bay of Sonoma. The creeks, or estuaries, of Petaluma and Sonoma lead from the bay a considerable distance inland, and are navigable at high water for steam and sailing craft of considerable tonnage and carry- ing capacity, while along the coast there are numbers of shipping points with well protected harbors, all offering great advantages for the transmis- sion of produce to the markets of San Francisco. Sonoma county is less known than other portions of the State that have fewer advantages in the way of climate, soil, and productions. The reason for this is to be found in the fact that it lies off from the great central line of travel which follows the Sacramento valley to tide-water, thence to San Francisco, and from there turns southward. Mr. R. A. Thompson says : " It has been hidden, as it were, behind the Coast Range of mountains, which 2 18 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. separates it from the great Sacramento valley. From San Francisco through the Sacramento valley, you pass along the east foothills of the Coast Kange; from the same place to Sonoma county you pass along the west face ol tne same rano-e The trend of the coast is northwesterly, and the county of Sonoma ifes almost entirely west of the city of San Francisco. Lymg west of the greater part of the State, may account for the fact that about one- third more rain falls here than in San Francisco, and fully one-half more than in the counties south and east of the bay of San Francisco. There has never been a season in the history of the county when there was not enough rain to make a crop. There have been years of drouth in other parts of the State, but in this section, in those seasons, the crops were better than an average." The Derivation of the Name.— The origin of the name which this county bears is described by General M. G. Vallejo, then a Senator, in a report made to the Legislature of California in the year 1850, on the deriva- tion and definitions of the names of the various counties in the State. In that report, which was unequalled in its style and in the amount of interest- ing information crowded into small compass, the first explanation of the Indian word Sonoma, signifying " Valley of the Moon," appeared. The Gen- eral adds : " The tribe occupying Sonoma valley was called the Chocuyens, but in 1824, on the arrival of the first expedition to establish a mission, the name Sonoma having been given the chief by Father Jose Altimira, the Chocuyens then adopted the name, which they still retain. This tribe waa subject to a great chief, named Marin de Licatiut, who made his headquar- ters near Petaluma." Topography. — The main Coast Range, of which Mount Diablo is the best, known and most prominent peak, continues from the Carquiriez straits in a northwesterly direction, and forms the water-shed between the Sacramento valley and the coast country. This chain of mountaias traverses Napa county, which is one of the eastern boundaries of Sonoma, and passing iato and through the northeastern corner of the latter, there attains an altitude of three thousand six hundred feet above the level of the ocean, the highest mountain actually within the county limits being the Geyser peak — so called from its propinquity to the famous springs — ^which is three thou- sand four hundred and seventy feet high, and is a conspicuous landmark, being- visible from nearly every part of the county, while from its summit the whole of Sonoma, and the Pacific ocean as well, is brought within view. There are located in this part of the county, the Geyser Springs, a wonder of California, and a number of quicksilver mines. From the Coast Range above described, many valleys extend south- westerly from the main chain, and gradually expanding, front on the shores HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 19- of the San Pablo bay ; these are divided from each other by spurs from the main range that run parallel with the valleys. On the east there is the Napa valley, vsrhich bounds the county on that side; running parallel to the west of it the beautiful Sonoma valley, which gives its name to the county;; west of Sonoma valley, and separated from it by lofty hills is that most pop-^ ulous vale which extends from the northern part of the county to the shore of San Pablo bay, a distance of sixty miles, and has an average breadth of from ten to twelve miles. The lower end of this vast plain is known as the Petaluma, the central portion is called Santa Rosa, and the northern section the Russian River valleys. Through this immense district, which may be classed as one great strath, the San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad runs, from its terminus at Donahue to Cloverdale, without a cut more than ten feet deep on the entire line. We may, therefore, consider the valleys which have just been named, as the chief topographical features of Sonoma county. Those hills which divide Sonoma valley from that which may be termed the great Central valley, terminate at Santa Rosa. Twenty -five miles from its frontage on the bay, the Sonoma valley, having gradually contracted, merges into the great Central valley, while west of the latter lies the immediate coast coun- try. " The southern section of the coast country lying just north of Marin county, is celebrated for its dairy products. The huls are rolling, destitute entirely of trees or brush, and covered with a rich sward of grass, kept green most of the year by its proximity to the ocean. This dairy section extends nearly to Russian river ; along that river, and north of it, to the county line the country is densely timbered." Other Valleys. — Besides the four great valleys which we have just mentioned — the Sonoma, Petaluma, Santa Rosa, and Russian River — there are others smaller in size, but equally as beautiful and fruitful. Chief among them are : — Alexander Valley. — This is located east of Healdsburg, and is an arm of the great Russian River valley, extending to the eastward, and borders on the great bend made by that stream before turning towards the ocean. It was once a portion of the Sotoyome grant, and was acquired and settled in 1845 by Cyrus Alexander, from whom it takes its name. The land is of unsurpassed fertility. Ben/net Valley. — Here we have another of the small valleys of Sonoma. It lies south of the town of Santa Rosa, and east of the Santa Rosa valley, has a length of eight miles, and an average width of four mUes, while it pos- sesses all the features pecuhar to other parts of the county, its soil and climate being peculiarly adapted for the cultivation of fruits and grapes. 20 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. Big Valley. — Otherwise known as the valley of the Estero Americano, an estuary leading from the sea about seven miles, lies along a small stream falling into it. The prosperous towns of Bloomfield and Valley Ford are situated in the valley, while it is crossed by the narrow-guage line of the Korth Pacific Coast Railroad. The principal products are potatoes, butter, and cheese, but cereals are also grown in considerable quantities. One hundred thousand sacks of potatoes are raised annually in the valley, and in the country north and south of it there are at least eight thousand milch, cows, producing during the season, a daily average of one pound of butter each. Dry Creek Valley. — Lies to the north of Healdsburg and west of the Russian River, is about sixteen miles long, and two broad, and is without a peer in the production of wheat, corn, and staple products, while the hill land on its border produces all kinds of fruit, being especially adapted to grape culture. Oreen Valley. — This beautiful valley is on a creek of the same name which flows north into the Russian river, and lies west of the Santa Rosa plain. It is twelve miles long by three wide, and is adapted to the growth of fruit, and all the staple crops ; the speciality in fruit culture being apples, pears, plums, prunes, peaches, cherries, table and raisin grapes. The finest orchards of the county are situated in Green valley. Guilicos Valley. — This is in fact the upper part of Sonoma valley, proper, and is one of the most picturesque places in the whole State of California. It was originally granted to the wife of Don Juan Wilson, a famous sea« captain on this coast during the Mexican regime. He married into one of the native Californian families, and though an Englishman by birth, became a Mexican citizen, and was granted the Guilicos valley. In 1850 it became the property of William Hood, a Scotchman, who subdivided it and sold the greater part. Mr. Hood, however, retains his charming homestead at the foot of the Guilicos mountain, one of the most favored farms on the coast. Knight's Valley.~B.a.s a position on the extreme eastern boundary of Sonoma county, lying at the foot of St. Helena mountain, and includes about thirteen thousand acres. It. is characterized by the most beautiful scenery, and though sparcely settled, still it contains much valuable agri- cultural land and hill-pasture for sheep, wheat culture and stock raisin^ being its principal enterprise. Besides these there are the still smaller valleys of Rincon, near Santa Rosa Rural and Alpine, on Mark West creek, and Blucher valley, west of the Santa Rosa plain, all of which possess the most splendid soil and are capable of producing in extreme plenty all of the staple crops. HISTOEY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 21 The following able remarks on the geology of Sonoma county have heen most courteously supplied us by Doctor Carpenter of Petaluma, an accomplished scientist and eminent physician of that city. Geology and Minerology. — The county of Sonoma has never been honored with a geological survey. It is pretty evenly divided between valley and mountain. The valleys having formerly been submerged with the waters of the ocean, were left upon their subsidence with a soil of adobe, but have since received a coat of sedimentary deposit of alluvium. The soil of the eastern part of Sonoma valley rests upon a bard pan of secondary formation. The sandy loam comprising the country lying between Petaluma and the coast is modern alluvium. The redwood forests adjacent to the coast, belong to the second epoch of the tertiary period — the miocene of Mr. Lyell. The soil of the Russian River valley largely formed through glacial influence, belongs to the secondary period. The mountains are volcanic. Trap, or basalt is the leading rock, although porphyry, sienite, granite, slate, and especially carbonate, oi magnesian limestone are found. The mountain range of basalt dividing the Petaluma and Sonoma valleys was poured out of the crater of St. Helena and rolling onward, a mighty river of molten lava, cooled and hardened where we now find it. The streets of San Francisco are largely paved with this rock. In quarrying it small caverns are revealed most beautifully lined, and crystalized with carbonate of lime. Notwith- standing that Sonoma is classed as an agricultural county, its minei al resources are varied, and in the near future will be a source of great profit. Goal, qf not by any means a superior quality, has been found near the surface on Sonoma mountain not more than five miles from Petaluma. Practical experience has upset many scientific theories. Science taught that the native deposit of gold was exclusively in quartz. The miner reveals some of the richest leads in slate rock. Science formerly taught that the coal deposit was exclusively in the carboniferous formation. The same authority now teaches that it may be found in any geological strata. It is true that all the coal thus far found belongs to the tertiary, or secondary formation — lignite or brown coal — yet competent observers are sanguine in the belief that when sufficient depth shall have been reached coal of good quality and in reasonable abundance will be found. Petroleum, a sister product, is also known to exist in this county. It is a question whether oil wells will ever prove as productive in California as they are in Pennsylvania, for the reason that the horizontal wheels of the palaeo- zoic age confines the oil beneath the surface in the latter State^, while the tertiary rocks of California, turned up on edge, allow it to be forced to the surface by dydrostatic pressure, and capillary attraction, and thus wasted. Hence large quantities of oil on the surface is an unfavorable indication for well-boring. 22 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. It is for this reason, and not because oil in quantities does not exist, that the oil business has not a promising out-look on the Pacific coast. Quicksilver. — Quicksilver, principally in the form of cinnabar, exists in this county in large quantities. During the quicksilver excitement of four or five years ago many rich deposits were developed, and worked until the im- mense quantities of the article found in every section of the State reduced - its price below the cost of extraction, which necessarily compelled a discon- tinuance of operations. The composition of cinnabar being 81| grains of quicksilver and 19J grains of sulphur to the hundred, implies the existence of an abundance of the latter article also in the county. When quicksilver exists where there is no sulphur it must needs be in its native form. In the Rattlesnake mine, above Cloverdale, is the only place that it is found in this county, other- wise than in the form of cinnabar. In that mine the pure globules are in- terspersed through soft tulcose rock. Borax. — Borate of soda has been found, but not in paying quantities. Kaolin. — This article is found in this county, but kaolin being decomposed feldspar, and the pure atmosphere of California not possessing the power of decomposing and disintegrating that article from its native rocks like the murky air of England, the quantity is correspondingly small. So rapidly does the atmosphere of England decompose feldspar, that granite, or sienite, exposed to the air, becomes honey-combed in a few years. The reader is aware that fine porcelain ware is made of finely pulverized quartz crystals, kaolin, and the ashes of ferns — the fern ashes containing enough alkali, in the form of bicarbonate of potassa — to produce the requisite effervescent action, in union with the silisic acid of the quartz, to develope the beautiful finish of that elegant ware. The kaolin for the immense quantity of porcelain ware manufactured in England is gathered in Cornwall, where it is decomposed and disintegrated from the granite quarries. Bed and Yellow Umber (terra de sienna), as well as other ochreous color- ing earths of a superior quality, and in great abundance, are found in this county. No better material for paints exist upon the earth. FetHfactions are found in this county— and, in fact, everywhere on the coast— under circumstances which upset the accepted theory that petrifac- tion can only occur by saturating the wood in thermal waters. Petrifaction takes place on the surface of the earth— necessarily beyond the reach or in- fluence of thermal waters. The large amount of silex in the soil may ac- count for this in some instances, as there are many cases in which an excess of that element causes wood to petrify instead of carbonize, even in the car- HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 23 boniferous formation. Still the proposition holds that petrifactions are found under circumstances which would seem to imply that atmospheric con- ditions must have something to do with their transformation. Argentiferous galena exists in the northern part of the county, and in the near future will become a paying industry. Copper. — Some rich deposits of copper — principally in the form of red oxide — have also been discovered in the northern section of the county. Iron. — Iron is found nearly everywhere, but the most valuable yet unearthed are the chromic iron ores in the mountains near Cloverdale, where the rock formation is mainly serpentine. Some of these ores have been in the process of extraction for several years with profit to the owners. A small amount of hematite iron was found near Santa Rosa. Magnetic and Titanic iron is found in more or less abundance as is usual in all volcanic rocks. Pisolites, Oolites, and Obsidian are among the products found in attest- ation of the volcanic period. Boiling springs exist in several localities, the most noted, and remarkable of which are the Geysers. These springs are among the most wonderful and magnificent displays of nature in the world. Notwithstanding that the springs are located within close proximity of each other, the chemical proper- ties differ much. We have not at hand a chemical analysis of these waters, but chloride of sodium (table salt), borate of sodium (borax), carbonate of sodium, sulphur, iron, and sulphate of sodium predominate. There is a trace of silica in all of them we believe. Litton springs and Mark West are well known places of resort for pleasure-seekers and invalids. Imperfect skeletons of several mastodons have been found protruding from the banks of Petaluma creek ; a short distance above the town of Petaluma, where the floods had exposed them to view ; and one tusk found — and now in a cabinet in the latter city — is ten inches in length. They were perhaps mired down whUe seeking water. Their discovery was merely accidental, paleontological research never having received any more attention in the county than its kindred sciences. Bloodstone and agate are the only valuable varieties of the quartz family, so far as we know, that have been found in this county. Sulphate of lime (gypsum) is found, but in comparatively small quantities to that of the carbonate, or magnesian lime. The annexed remarks on the climate and rainfall of Sonoma county are reproduced from Mr. R. A. Thompson's valuable work already alluded to : — - Climatography — " The climate of the county of Sonoma differs in many 24 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. respects from that of other portions of the State. First, in this : the average rainfall is about one-quarter more than at San Francisco, fifty miles south. We have never, since the American settlement of the county, lost a crop from drouth, though other parts of the State have suffered severely. This is particularly due to the fact that our coast line is thirty-five miles west of a due north line from San Francisco. As the coast trends to the northward and westward, the annual rainfall increases. South of San Francisco the coast trends to the south and east, and the reverse rule holds good— the rain- fall is lighter until, as in Lower California, it rarely rains at all. " The season of rain in this section may be said to commence in October and end in May, though it sometimes rains in June. It is rare that it rains longer than two or three days at a time, and the intervals between rains varies from a few days to a month or six weeks. Old Calif ornians consider the Winter the most pleasant part of the year. As soon as the rain com- mences in October, the grass grows,- and by the middle of November the hills and pastures are green. So soon as the ground is in condition to plough, after the first rains, the farmers sow their grain. December is usually a stormy month, with now and then a fall of snow in the surrounding hills, but it is rare that the snow falls in the valleys, and never lies on the ground. The thermometer seldom goes as low as thirty-seven degrees above zero ; occasionally there is a thin coat of ice over the pools of standing water. December is usually the month of heaviest raiafall. In January we begin to recognize an indescribable feeling of Spring in the air ; the almond trees blos- som and the robins come. During this month grass and early-sown grain grow rapidly. If the early season has not been favorable for seeding, grain may be sown in January, February or March, and it will produce well. In this county it is often sown as late as the middle of April, producing a fair crop. As a rule, the bulk of the planting is done either in the Fall, or in January, February, and the first haK of March. "February is a growing month, and is one of the most pleasant in the year. It is like the month of May in the Eastern States. The peach and cherry trees bloom this month. March is a stormy month ; we are liable to have either heavy southeast storms or a dry north wind. " April, as in the East^ is often all smiles and tears, sunshine altei-nating Avith showers. Nature pushes her work in April, and vegetation grows aston- ishingly. The turning-point of the crop comes in the long, warm days of this month ; the rainy season is about over, and from that time until it matures the crop is sustained by the sea fogs, which set in about the first of May. In June the grain matures, and by the middle of July is ready for the harvest. " The season in Sonoma county begins a month sooner, and ends six weeks later than in Southern California. This is one of the greatest of its advantages over the other parts of the State, and has given the farmers of this section HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOENIA. 25 a good crop every year, while disastrous failures have elsewhere occurred. Corn is planted in April, after the rains have ceased, and a good crop is oftfen raised without a drop of rain having fallen upon it; by good crop, we mean, on the best bottom lands, from eighty to a hundred bushels to the acre. " "We have mentioned the fog which sets in about the first of May. This phenomenon, of almost daily occurrence, from May to the middle of August, is an important factor in the growth of the crops along the sea-coast and on the bay of San Francisco. About the first of May the trade winds set in from the northwest. The Spanish galleons, bound from Manilla to Aca- pulco — three hundred years ago — steered for Cape Mendocino, where they would encounter the northwest trade, and run before it, with swelling sails, to their beautiful harbor Acapulco. To these winds the farmers of Sonoma, of our own time, are indebted for their never-failing crop. After a drying north wind in the Spring, which has parched the earth and twisted the blades of the growing grain, the trade sets in, and, as if by magic, the scene changes, the shriveled blades unfold, and absorb life at every pore from the moisture-laden breeze. " When the trade winds set in, a fog-bank forms every day off the land, caused, perhaps, by the meeting of a cold and warm strata of air. In the afternoon this fog comes inland with the breeze, which commences about noon every day. It is not an unhealthful fog; on the contrary, the most healthful season of the year is when the trade winds prevail. The fog spreads through the county late in the afternoon, continues through the night, and disappears about sun-rise. This mild process of irrigation is repeated nearly every day during the season. The farmer estimates that three heavy fogs are equal to a light rain. " The growing season is from six weeks to two months longer on the coast than in the interior ; the grass keeps green, and this accounts for the pro- ductiveness of the dairy cows on the coast, and also for the fact that the wool of this section is very superior in length of staple, strength of fibre and in color, to that grown in the interior of the State. " Our crops have been more often injured by too much than by too little rain. In the dry years, 1863-4 and 1864-5, enormous crops were raised in this county, while in the greater part of the State there was an absolute failure of crops and grass. " Sonoma county is exempt from malarial disorders. There are no extremes of heat and cold, and nothing like Winter. It is probable that more roses and flowers bloom in the Santa Eosa valley, in December, than in all the hot- houses of New England. The climate is all that the most fastidious could ask. There are no troublesome insects that prey upon vegetation or human- ity. As an evidence of the evenness of the temperature, we wiU state, in con- clusion of this subject, that the same clothing may be worn here all the year round, and is not too light for Winter nor too heavy for Summer." 26 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. The Thermal Belt. — There is a warm strata of air in the hills, a few hun- dred feet above the valleys. This semi-tropical belt varies; in some locations it is very marked, and in others it is much less so. At night, during the frosty seasons, the cold air settles in the valleys and the warm air rises. At day-light a severe frost may be seen in the valleys, heaviest along the water courses, while in the warm belt, a few hundred feet~above, — in some cases not more than sixty — the most delicate flowers and shrubs are untouched. The soil on the hills has often great depth, and is admirably adapted to fruit culture. Like the valleys, the lands are covered only by scattered groves of trees, little of it too steep for easy cultivation. It is exactly suited for semi- tropical fruit culture ; here oranges, lemons, limes,' English walnuts, almond and pomegranate trees grow well, and yield a certain crop. There are thousands of acres of this kind of land in Sonoma county, which can be bought at from fifteen to twenty dollars per acre. We know orchards where the fruits most [sensitive to frost have never yet been injured; where the geranium, the fuchsia and heliotrope will grow out of doors, and blossom in the Winter months. Semi-tropical fruits are grown in the valleys, but excepting the almond and English walnut, not with as much certainty as in the warm belt. The value of the hill lands of Sonoma county is not yet appreciated — least of all by those who have been longest here. Watee Coueses. — The valleys having their front on San Pablo bay have each an estuary leading inland and navigable for craft of considerable size, the one leading into the Sonoma valley is called Sonoma creek, and that into the great central valley is known by the name of Petaluma creek, the latter being navigable for eighteen miles inland. Of the other streams there are: — Russian River.— This, is the largest stream in Sonoma, but is not navi- gable. It enters the county on the north, and after taking a southeasterly course for about thirty miles, turns sharply to the west and flows into the Pacific ocean. Mark West Creek. — This rivulet rises in a lofty spur of the Mayacmas range between Napa and Sonoma valleys, and after flowing west across the plains, empties itself into Eussian River. Santa Rosa Creek. — Has its source in the same mountain, flows across the Santa Rosa valley, and having run parallel with Mark West creek for four miles falls into a series of lakes, which, in high water, overflow into the Russian River. Sonoma Creek. — Rises in the same range of mountains, and flows southerly through Sonoma valley into San Pablo bay. Sulphur Creek. — Has its birth in the Mayacmas range and passing the HISTOET OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOENIA. 27 Geysers, flows in a northerly direction until it joins the Russian River above Cloverdale. Valhalla River — Spelt on the map Chialala, has its origin in the western border of the county, flows due north, parallel with the coast just inside a range of hills which rise up from the shore of the ocean, and after a straight north course for nearly twehty-five miles, it turns, and forming the line on the coast between Mendocino and Sonoma counties, falls iato the great Pacific. Mr. Thompson says: "There was never a stream so well named; great red-wood trees shade its limpid waters, the favorite haunt of the salmon and the trout; the hills are full of game — deer, elk, and bear — and if ever there was a place where the ' bear roasted every morning became whole at night,' it was true, figuratively speaking, of our Sonoma Valhalla,- — ^for the camp on its margin was never without its haunch of venison or creel of trout. May the fellow who tortured the name by trying to Peruvianize it, never taste the joys of the real ValhaUa ! " Timber — Redwood. — Over most of the agricultural counties of the State Sonoma has one marked advantage, that is the immense source of wealth in its timber. Commencing at Humboldt the great redwood timber-belt reaches down the coast for one hundred and fifty mUes, terminating within the limits of Sonoma; from' the Valhalla to the mouth of the Russian River is one continuous liue of timber going back from the ocean for eight mUes. The reader wUl observe by reference to the county chart that Russian river turns around the town of Healdsburg, and flowing west, after leaving the valley, enters the timber region. Fed as it is by the rich alluvial soil, on either bank of the stream, and watered by the annual overflow of its waters, the trees grow to a prodigious size, and are not to be surpassed anywhere on the Pacific Coast. They grow, in some cases, to a height of over three hundred and fifty feet, have a diameter of fifteen feet ; a single tree has been known to produce sixty-five thousand feet of lumber worth at least one thousand dollars ; the wood in the standing tree is valued at two dollars per thousand feet; one hundred and fifty thousand feet to the acre; six million feet on a forty-acre tract, is an average of good land. On the margin of the streams the finest timber would produce in the vicinity of eight hundred thousand feet to the acre, and the yield runs downward from that figure to twenty-five thousand feet to the acre. The redwood is a creature of the fog. As has been said above, during the Summer months the trade winds set in along the northern shore of this county and dense fog banks arise some mUes from the coast; this is driven inland later in the day; the great mass becomes sundered, and detached flakes, each chasing the other, are driven into the hollows, and among the trees, where they all accumulate, leaving the vaUey enveloped in dripping mist. The foliage of the redwood possesses the peculiar power of condensing 28 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. this mist and converting it into rain; the roots which sustain the mighty bole — often one hundred and fifty feet in height without lateral branches — are in this wise nourished during the long summer months when no rain falls. The fog wraps these forests in its fleecy mantle during the night; in the morning with the rising of the sun it disappears. It will thus be seen that the redwood belongs essentially to the foggy coast regions. South of San Francisco the supply has been cut out, and as it grows nowhere else,neither north nor south, Sonoma,Mendocino,and Humboldt coun- ties may be said to have a monopoly of this wood, the first in commercial importance on the Pacific Coast. Oregon has it not; in Puget Sound with her endless forests, it is wanting ; while, it is not to be found on either slope of the Sierra Nevada. Redwood is a close grained timber, splits true, and is like Eastern cedar in the lightness of its color. It works beautifully, and has the merit of retaining its shape without warp or shrinkage, while its durability is unquestioned. Hardwoods. — To be found among the redwoods, are the California laurel, a beautiful evergreen, the timber of which takes a high polish, and is exten- sively used as veneer ; leaves and wood have a strong aromatic odor. The madrona is another striking tree of the California forests. The bark, which is of a bright red color, peels off at regular intervals, and exposes underneath the new growth of a bright pea-green tint; its wood is hard and employed principally for the manufacture of shoe-lasts, wooden stirrups and other articles. The Oaks. — Thr. Chestnut oak is abundant in the redwood forests of Sonoma. The bark is rich in tannin; the trees are stripped and large quan- tities of the bark are shipped for tanning purposes. The Live oak also grows in large quantities in Sonoma but has little value except for fuel. The Black oak is found on all the hill lands in the county, and is the best wood obtainable for fuel. The Burr oak is the largest and most common of the oaks. It is this tree with its long, drooping, wide-spread branches that gives such a charm to Californian scenery. They grow in clusters and are especially graceful. HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOENIA. 29 THE SPRINGS AND MINES OF SONOMA COUNTY. The Springs. — The Geysers. — Of all the noted places in Sonoma county, indeed on the Pacific coast, the most famous is The Geysers, which are loca- ted in the Mayacmas range of mountains which separate this from Lake and Napa. They are one thousand seven hundred feet above the level of the sea, placed among scenery which absolutely defies description. It is positively a most " uncanny " place. These springs and their healing properties were long known to the Indi- ans, there being a jet still known as the Indian sweat-bath, where the rheu- matic patient was wont to be brought and laid upon a scafibld, or temporary grating, immediately over the spring, and steamed until cured or relieved by death from his suSerings. On one occasion, in the month of April, 1847, Wfiliam B. Elliott, men- tioned elsewhere as having a ranch on Mark West creek, was, in company with a son, on a hunting expedition. Tracking a bear to the summit of the opposite mountains, where they lost him, they observed smoke arising in such volumes that they mistook it for a large Indian rancherie. After con- ning it for a space and seeing no signs of human life, they descended the mountain, and found on arriving on a flat plot of ground their further prog- ress barred by a huge grizzley, which the fearless hunters soon dispatched. On this level clearing the first house at the Geysers was erected by M. Levy, and was long known as the Old Homestead, and was remarkable for having on its site a wild grapevine measuring twelve inches in diameter. In the year 1854, Major Ewing built a cloth house on the position now occupied by the present hotel, where he was joined by Levy, who found the situation more eligible than his own, and shortly after a saw-mill was constructed, a portion of the hotel now in use being built from lumber sawed by it. Colonel A. C Godwin, now deceased, but then a merchant in Geyserville, a small town situated in Washington township, obtained an interest in the property shortly after its settlement, and from his genial manners and per- sonal magnetism, was the means of attracting many visitors to the spot. We are indebted to Mr. Robert A. Thompson's interesting work on Sonoma county for the following information : — " The first route to the springs was through Knight's valley to the foot of the mountain, in stages, then on horseback by a narrow trail over the moun- tain. William McDonald, still a resident of Knight's valley, acted as guide. Levy kept the hotel during Colonel Godwin's ownership ; he was succeeded by Major Ewing, and Major Ewing by H. Utting. After Mr. Utting the 30 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. place changed hands nearly every year, and the hotel was kept successively by Coe & Baxter, Clark Foss, and F. H. Coe. In 1866 it was rented by Major Shafer, who kept it until 1870 ; he was succeeded by J. C. Susenbeth, who remained there three years. B. S. Hollingsworth was the lessee for the years 1874-5-6 and 7 ; he was succeeded in April of that year by W. For- syth, the present proprietor. The first register kept at the springs was in the year 1854, and there are but twenty names upon it. From that time on the number increased every year until 1875, when three thousand five hun- dred names were enrolled. " The first wagon-road made to the Geysers was from Healdsburg, over what is called the Hog's Back ridge. On the loth of May, 1801, R. C Flournoy drove a double team and buggy over the new road, and to him belongs the credit of taking the first wheeled vehicle of any kind to the Geyser springs. He was accompanied by a lady, and reached the hotel at eleven o'clock, P. M., without breaking a bolt. The main trail to the Gey- sers was over this road until 1869, when a toll-road was built from Knight's valley, and a stage line put on that route. In 1874, the toll-road from Cloverdale up Sulphur creek, was buUt, and opened the following, season. Of all the roads to the Geysers, that from Healdsburg, over the Hog's Back, is the most interesting and beautiful. It follows the crest of the high ridge separating the waters of Big and Little Sulphur creeks, passing close under the shadow of Geyser peak, afibrding a view of the great Russian River val- ley and the sea beyond, unsurpassed anywhere in its breadth, variety, and beauty. There are other roads in to the springs from Lake county, and there is also a good trail from Geyserville." As has been said above, in former days the route used to be by way of Foss' station, situated in a small, secluded valley — the heau-ideal of seques- tered loveliness. Thence it lay principally up hill for four miles, whence a descent was made to Little Pluton river, which was forded, and the ascent continued until the " upper station " was reached, six miles from Foss' and the same distance from the Geysers. From the Little Pluton to this point, the road lay through timber of various varieties, — oak, madrona, manzanita, and much undergrowth. The timber, however, was soon left, and in a few minutes longer the highest point on the road was reached, about three thou- sand feet above the ocean (Healdsburg is one hundred and twenty feet above the sea level). The most thrilling portion of the journey was then com- menced. Down the road went upon the Hog's Back, a narrow ridge, wind- ing hither and thither, up hill and down, for two miles, appearing almost impossible for horses to stand on the side of the hill, but still they would creep up with a slow and hardly perceptible motion. The summit of one hill gained, they would madly dash down another ; to the right, and within a foot, the brink of a precipice fearful to behold; to the left, a high rock, reaching up hundreds of feet. Now they dash around the hill, the leaders HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 31 trotting to the extreme outer edge of the road and apparently going over the brink, to whirl around just in the nick of time. Anon, there is a hUl on the right and a steep gorge on the left, and then again a yawning gulf on either side, the ridge on which the road runs being in places not seven feet wide. What a gorgeous panorama is there to be seen from the highest point of the road. In the immediate foreground are the steep mountain sides covered with a dense foliage of varied hues. From the depth of the gulches sturdy pines rear their lofty pinnacles until they seem almost within reach. South- ward bpreads out the Russian River valley, interspersed with gardens and grain fields, and through its center, sparkling in the sun's rays, the river winds its tortuous way, concealed at times by the luxuriant growth of oaks and clinging vines upon its banks. Far beyond the valley the hills and mountains rise in graceful succession ; and farther, on the verge of the hori- zon, the coast range hems in the view, and is dimly visible in the soft, hazy atmosphere so peculiarly Californian. A writer many years ago speaks of the famous " whip " of this route in these words: — "A trip to the Geysers without Foss, the accommodating and world- renowned driver, who originated and owns the line between Calistoga and the Geysers is like the play of Hamlet with that melancholy young gentle- man left out. Not only is he an unequalled driver, but he is a man of genius and a philosopher. In person he stands over six feet two inches in his stockings, is as strong as a giant, has the voice of a tragedian, weighs two hundred and thirty pounds, and is as fine a specimen of muscular develop- ment and vigor as ever went forth from the hills of the Granite State. " With a fresh team of six horses, and a load of appreciative passengers, Foss is in his glory. Alternately coaxing and encouraging his horses up the steepest acclivities, his eye sparkles at the top as he gathers the reins, care- fully places his foot on the brake, turns half round and looks over the coach to see that the passengers are all there, when 'crack ' goes the whip, a shout to the horses, and away we go down the steep mountain side. Trees fly past like the wind; bushes dash angrily against the wheels; the ladies shut their eyes and grasp the arm of some male passenger ; and speed down the declivity with lightning rapidity, the horses on a live jump, and General Foss, whip in hand, cracking it about their heads to urge them on. The effect at first is anything but pleasant. At every lurch of the coach one feels an instinctive dread of being tossed high in air and landed far below in a gorge, or, perchance, spitted upon the top of a sharp pine. If a horse should stumble or misstep, or the tackle snap, away we should all go down the precipice. The angle of descent is exceedingly sharp, and down this dechvity the horses are run at break-neck speed for two and a half miles, making thirty-five turns and some of them extra short ones." 32 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOBNIA. The Geysers is a name given to springs scattered along the Pluton river for six miles above the hotel and two and a half below, but the principal ones of interest lie within half a mUe of the hotel, across the river and up a narrow gorge, called the " Devil's Canon," which leads into Pluton river, perhaps fifty yards below the hotel. A guide being procured, and each being armed with a stout walking stick, we pass over the river and visit an iron spring, fifty yards in front of the hotel. Then the river Pluton is crossed by means of a narrow foot-bridge. The stream is here about thirty feet in width and full of large boulders. Passing the bath-house we see the "Eye spring," with its dark-colored water; next "Proserpine's Grotto," in the Devil's Canon, where we find Epsom salts on the walls in crystals. We are now in the " Devil's machine shop," surrounded by infernal springs, bubbling and boiling with their alum and iron solutions, among which is the " Devil's Ink." The ground is unbearably hot ; the steam rushes out from the vent holes in the hill-sides and under foot. A feeling of awe and possibly of insecurity takes hold of the stranger. But on we must go, for the hot ground burns our feet. Alum springs abound, and here is nitre and putty. On the sides of the bank are carbonates of magnesia and various salts of iron. A few yards further up the canon is the greatest wonder of all — the " Witches' Caldron," a large cavity, six feet by eight, and four feet deep. It is full of a black, boUing liquid, containing iron, sulphur, and alum. Although continually boiling and foaming, very little of the fluid escapes. The "Devils Canopy" appears to the right, a projection from the bank, composed of stalactites of sulphur and iron. We are near the head of the canon and the " Steamboat Springs." These are not in the bottom of the gorge, but are elevated some twenty feet. Steam is continually escaping in jets, and on favorable occasions it ascends three hundred feet. We have now reached the head of the gorge with scorching feet, with a bottle of the Devil's ink, with putty and various specimens, but the end is not yet. From the hotel we have come north-northeast, and now we are directed by the guide to the east, leaving the Devil's Canon and going over the ridge to a pure stream of cold water, to " Lovers' Eetreat," among the laurels, and still going east to the " White Sulphur Spring." Turning towards the hotel we soon find ourselves on " General Hooker's Lookout," opposite the Steam- boat Springs, and on the eastern bank of the canon. The view from this point, above, around, and below, is grand beyond description. Perhaps seventj^-five yards east of the Lookout is the Crater, and close to it is the " Devil's Oven," which is simply a hole in a small side-hill, out of which comes steam with a hissing noise. The "Devil's Teakettle " is a short distance east of the Oven. We go to it and find a terrible whistlmg noise and see an aperture similar to that of the Oven. In fact, they are both tea- kettles, but for the sake of giving a variety of kitchen utensils to His Satanic Majesty, the first steam-pot was called an oven. Within six feet of the HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 33 Teakettle is an alum spring, and within six feet of that is an iron spi-ing. The Crater is a kind of wash-bowl for His Majesty, and is doubtless an old witches' caldron, boiled dry. The ground under it is hollow and vibrating. The round of wonders, within half a mile of the hotel, has now been com- pleted, except the Steam Bath, a quarter of a mile up Pluton Canon. There are many other places of interest down the river, among them the Acid Bath, half a mile distant, and the Indian Bath, a mile below. There is a dry canon near the Devil's Canon and adjoining it, whose walls are com- posed of alum. The odors throughout the region of the Geysers are in some cases very unpleasant, but to the chemical student who has experimented with sulphuretted hydrogen they will appear less disagreeable than to others. Thus the circuit of a mile has been made, and we have seen the most won- derful laboratory in the universe. Phenoraena. — The causes which produce the phenomena of the Geysers are, of course, a subject of frequent discussion with visitors. A majority of scientists consider it "the chemical laboratory of the Almighty." They maintain that the steam and internal heat are produced by the antagonism of mineral substances in the earth, which, with the springs of water flowing through them, produce an eflfect similar to that of the wetting of unslacked lime. This theory is generally accepted by chemiists; but it will be very diflicult to convince " outsiders " that all this ebullition and intense heat have not a common origin with that of volcanoes, diflTering only in degree. It seems to add strength to this theory that the adjacent mountain ranges show abund- ant evidence of ancient volcanic action. For would-be visitors we once more retrace our steps : Spacious veran- dahs surround the hotel, which is replete with every comfort, and as a place of resort, it is equally adapted to the sick, the sad, the gay, the philosophic. From its windows we see to the north the wonderful canon already described, which, as a natural cariosity, can in no part of the world be excelled, and is only equalled in the volcanic development of Hecla in Iceland. The Witches' Caldron, the Steamboat Springs, and the entire infernal appear- ance of the region, exceed all language to portray. The metallic hiUs, the brimstone, the hot river, and volcanic rocks, are draped, in many instances, in exquisite green ; grass, shrubs and trees grow and overhang seething caldrons. The roar, the steam, the groans, are unearthly. Scientific and hydrographical accounts have been written by abler pens, but to see is to be convinced that not a tithe of the wealth and power of these mystical Geysers and their surrounding metallic hills have yet been developed. " The compli- cated sublimity o^ this spot, and its uses, are attracting the attention of the world, and the rapid progress of material development linked with the matchless achievements of the past, attest that by the application of scien- 34 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOENIA. tific principles to great speculative ideas, they in time become practical facts, elevating our race into the knowledge of useful philosophy, and inspiring the loftiest conceptions of God's purpose toward man, teaching that even nature can be chained as a titanic servant under His Imperial dominion." Slcaggs' Springs. — These springs are situated at the head of Dry Oreek valley, about eight miles west of the depot of the San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad at Geyserville, a.nd are next in importance and popularity to the Geysers. The land upon which they are located was entered by Wil- liam Skaggs, A. Skaggs, and William and John Knight, as a grazing ranch, in 1856, but in the following Spring, A. Skaggs purchased the interest of his partners and became the sole proprietor. Here there are a number of hot sulphur springs of pleasant temperature for bathing, while there is also a cold soda and iron spring, which proves an excellent tonic for iavalids; the principal attractions of the place, however, are its positively luxurious baths. Another and pleasant manner of reaching the springs is from Healdsburg, only fourteen miles distant. The road runs for eleven miles along the vaUey of Dry Creek, a tributary of Russian river, and may be considered a part of that justly celebrated valley ; thence three miles into the Coast Range of mountains, winding along the valley of Hot Springs creek, a rapid, rock- fretted stream, whose dark waters nestle closely under the tall cliffs, which shut out the sunlight, except for a few hours at mid-day, without possible chance of exit, except at this celebrated watering place. Realizing that the usy wcild is left behind, you are awe-inspired, and the feeling creeps over you that, perhaps, this is " the bourne from whence no traveller returns." "There are here a few acres of tolerable level, fertile land; the rest of the country is pretty slanting; in fact up edge-ways, and they pasture goats on both sides of it. There are plenty of deer in the viciaity, but it is very dan- gerous hunting them ; if you should kill one it would be liable to fall on your head," is the account one writer gives of its charms. In the year 1860 Skaggs' first became a regular resort, and from that date it gained in popularity, and the number of its visitors increased until 1864,. when its extending repute caused the proprietors to expend a considerable sum of money in making improvements so as to increase its attractiveness. Building was at once commenced, and the new house was opened in 1864 by A. Skaggs ; in 1867 he leased the springs, but in the following year, resumed the reigns of office. Durmg the next two years the establishment was rented by John Leonard, and in 1871 by B. F. Tucker; in 1872-73 it was kept by Perry Emmerson, siace when they have been jinder the control of the proprietor himself, who has expended a large sum of money upon the grounds and buildings. In the hotel and cozy cottages which surround it. HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOENIA. S5 there is accommodation for at least three hundred guests, while for their delectation there are elegant drives and walks throughout the surrouading grounds and conterminous country. Litton Springs. — This resort is lo&ated four miles from Healdsburg, on the line of the San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad, and is the prop- erty of Captain Litton, who improved the place in 1875 at an expense of eighty thousand dollars. There is a handsome hotel and a number of conven- ient and comfortable cottages. The water is an agreeable seltzer, which is bottled and sold in considerable quantities. In late years Litton Springs has become a fashionable place of summer resort, The Mark West Springs. — These springs are beautifully located in a bend of the Mark West creek, which forms a romantic dell surrounded by hills densely covered with chapparal. These hills during the season are exceptionally beautiful. The chief attraction of these springs is its sulphur bath. They are owned by Judge A. P. Overton, of Santa Eosa,. their prox- imity to which place making them a favorite and fashionable watering place. White Sulphur Springs. — These springs are situated two miles and a half from Santa Rosa, under the Cotate peak, which overlooks the city. They are owned by John Taylor. The place is well improved ; the water holds in solution, sulphur, soda, magnesia, and iron, and is considered very healing for many of the ills that flesh is heir to. There are also a number of well-fitted bath-rooms supplied with hot and cold mineral water. It is a favorite drive from Santa Rosa to the springs, while they are largely patron- ized by many from abroad. The Mines. — We reproduce in this place from Mr. Thompson's work the following record of the mining interests in Sonoma county : — As early as 1852 there were reported discoveries of gold on Russian river. One of the Kelseys led a prospecting party as far as Eel river. This party discovered and named Eden valley, and Round valley, in Mendocino county, then a part of Sonoma. They, too, first crossed and gave the name Sanhe- drin to the grand mountain which overlooks all the beautiful valleys of Mendocino. They met with no great success, and returned, but some mem- bers of the party still live in that part of Mendocino county, then first seen by white men. In 1854 reports of gold discoveries on Russian river were revived, but soon died out. After the discovery and occupation of Geyser springs, the abundant indi- cations of cinnabar in the neighborhood attracted attention. The price of quicksilver at the time was low, — fifty cents per pound; the cost of reduction was great, and the Almaden mine was producing a supply adequate to the demand. For these reasons no special attention was paid to the indications of mercury everywhere visible on the surface near the Geysers. S6 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. In 1859 Colonel A. C. Godwin, then the owner of the Geyser springs, organized a mining district, located a number of claims himself, and a num- ber of others were also taken up. These claims were afterward consolidated into one or two companies, and some work was done upon them. The low price of quicksilver, the scarcity of labor, and lack of skill in manipulating the ore, led to loss, and finally put a stop to all work on the mines. In 1861 Colonel Godwin, who had given the enterprise most of its life, sold his interest in the springs and mines, and returned to the East. The stock of the consol- idated companies went to zero, and the mines were sold at sheriif 's sale to satisfy the demand of creditors. Professor Whitney, with a corps of scien- tists, came along ,soon afterwards, and, with his " no vein theory" in the coast range, extinguished the last spark of life in mining enterprises in Sonoma for the time. From 1861 to 1872 no work was done on the quicksilver mines. In the latter part of 1871, and early in 1872, a lively interest in the mines revived, quicksilver having advanced to one dollar a pound. Claims in the old dis- trict were re-located, roads were built, a mining town sprang up, and at least five hundred men were at work in the district. A lawsuit was commenced between the old and new locators, which brought to the county -seat of Santa Rosa a number of the most distinguished mining lawyers of the Pacific coast, and learned and eloquent arguments were made which engaged the court for a prolonged session, creating for the time more excitement than was ever before witnessed in any case in the courts of Sonoma. Just after the case was settled, quicksilver again fell in the market to fifty cents a pound. This at once cheeked the work of development, as most of the claimants were prospectors, hoping to pay their way from the products of the mine, and it cost them as much to get the metal out as it would bring m the market. Of the number of claims taken up, two have proved very valuable, — the Oakland and the Cloverdale. The Oakland Mine is situated near Geyser peak, which we have elsewhere mentioned. It is at the head of a deep gorge, on the north side of the moun- tam, known from its wild and sombre depths as the " Devil's Canon." The Oakland, from the opening of the mfiie, has had good ore, and more than paid Its way. The furnace at the mine is a small one.— the product, about two hundred flasks a month, is up to its full capacity, and metal for at least one hundred and fifty flasks more per month is left upon the dump for a time when a larger furnace will be built. The ore is cinnabar, sulphate of mercury, and specimens are found which will retort seventy-five per cent of metal. The average of the ore worked is about four per cent; lower grade ore IS laid aside for reduction at some future time. The Cloverdale Mine.— AhoMi seven mUes from the Geysers, on Sulphur HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOENIA. 37 creek, four miles northwest of the Oakland, the Cloverdale mine is situated. The hill in which this mine is located has all the appearance of an extinct geyser. The metal is difl'used through the hill, and is found in the country- rock, and in fine dust. There is a furnace at this mine, made with the view of working the latter kind of ore, which is rarely found. The Cloverdale is regarded as one of the most promising mines on the coast. In a different part of the county two other valuable mines are located ' one is known as the Great Eastern, and the other as the Mount Jackson" They are four miles north of Guerneville. The Great Eastern Mine.- — The Great Eastern mine, situated twelve miles southwest of Healdsburg, was located in 1873, and in September, 1874, leased to Tiburcio Parrott, of San Francisco. The following figures are by Mr. Isaac Gum, President of the company owning the mine : — Expense, $4,346.11 ; applied towards part payment on the furnaces, by the stockholders of the Great Eastern Company, $2^660.67 ; dividends paid, $14,051 ; cash on hand, $289.50. Total, $21,347.28. The terms of the lease are that Mr. Parrott puts on all improvements, pays expenses, etc., and receives therefor seven- eighths of the production. The largest portion of the above expense item ($4,346.11) was incurred after Mr. Parrott took the mine, and includes cost of patent, lawsuit, etc. There have been $160,000 taken out of the mine in five years. The company has given Mr. Parrott a new lease for five years^ although his present lease will not expire till a year hence. There is now due Mr. Parrott from the mine $38,000, (in other words he has put in $38,000 more than he has received from the mine), and according to the provisions of the lease the stockholders are to i eceive one-eighth of the product till that amount is paid, above working expenses ; when, if quicksilver rises to fifty cents per pound, they get one-sixth; if it rises to fifty -five cents or over, they get one- fifth. At the expiration of Mr. Parrott's lease, providing the stockholders take the mine, they are to pay him a fair valuation for all the improvements he has made. An important improvement now being made at the mine is the addition of hoisting works, capable of working six or seven hundred feet levels ; there wUI be an ore cage and a double-stroke pump, the latter being needed to free the lower levels of water. A kiln of 60,000 bricks has recently been burned at the mine, and the little Eames furnace is to be taken down ; another one will be built upon' its foundation, with Haskins & Hall's patent ore chamber attached. There is now in use at the mine a twenty-ton Maxwell furnace, almost new, and in fine condition. The improvements in the way of build- ings, roads, etc., are numerous and substantial. At present the hoisting works are being adjusted, and it is expected that the mine will soon be in 38 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. full operation. D. H. Haskins is the superintendent. This mine was located by Messrs. Gum, Zane, and Lewis, of Healdsburg. The Mount Jackson Mine. — This is also a very promising mine. Work was commenced in it in 1873, and has not stopped for a single day. It will one day fully equal the expectations of its owners. The Mount Jackson was also located by Messrs. Gum, Zane, and Lewis, of Healdsburg, and they sold it to a company of gentlemen of that city. Mention has been made only of the four leading mines — there are a num- ber of others which can be worked to advantage whenever the owners are ready to develop them. If the demand would justify it, the quicksilver mines of Sonoma could be made to produce from three to five thousand flasks of mercury per month. HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 39 EARLY HISTORY AND SETTLEMENT OF SONOMA COUNTY. THE RUSSIAN, SPANISH AND AMEEICAN OCCUPATION. In those old days, when Spain was all powerful on land and sea ; when her fleets and subjects were to be found penetrating territories and oceans which existed merely in legends almost too fabulous to be credited, one of her navigators, in the month of October, 1775, Lieutenant Juan Francisco de la Bodega y Quadra, in His Majesty's ship the Sonora, touched at a bay on the coast, which he carefully explored, and called after himself — this is the Bodega bay of to-day. We are told by historians that the English Admiral, Sir Francis Drake, landed j ust below the coast line of Sonoma, in the year 1579, while, thirty-seven years prior to this date. Cape Mendocino had been discovered by Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, who named it in honor of the " illus- trious Senor Antonio de Mendoza," a Viceroy, and patron of the voyageur. On September 17, 1776, the Presidio and Mission of San Francisco were founded, on what was then the extreme border of California, the former in a manner being a frontier command having a jurisdiction which extended to the farthest limits northwards of Spanish discovery. How the arts and sciences have bridged time ! What do these comparatively few years in a nation's life show ? • They speak for themselves ! San Francisco to-day is a marvel! Short though her life has been she has worked wonders; to-day she is the centre of civilization as regards the western portion of this vast Contiaent ; she is the heart which sends pulsations through the different com- mercial arteries of the coast ; the throbbings of her veins are felt from Behr- ing's Straits to those of Magellan; across the oceans the influence of her sys- tem is known, while at home she is looked up to as the youth is whose care in the future will be the old, the sick, and the maimed. Bodega bay having been already visited, a voyage of discovery was under- taken by Captain Quiros, to ascertain if there was water communication connecting it with the bay of San Francisco, being led to this, presumably, on the idea that the peninsula which juts into the Pacific and forms one side of the Golden Gate, now comprising Marin county, was an island. Captain Quiros left San Francisco in September, 1776, and gaining the entrance of the Petaluma creek, followed its many sinuosities as far as he could, but ulti- mately returned without finding, the watercourse which he sought. Thus was the first trip into what is now known as Sonoma county made. This undertaking was one requiring no doubt a vast amount of time, labor, and endurance, as well as caution, for even at the present time, the mouths of the 40 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. creeks which flow into the San Pablo bay are difficult to detect, what then must it have been to those explorers who had to find the landmarks and fix them for all time ! As we fly along the bays, rivers, creeks, and railroads of our State, we are prone to gaze on either hand and view with charmed eye and contented mind the miles upon miles of cultivated fields and the thousands of happy homes we pass, taking all as an accepted fact, at the same time totally forgetful of those intrepid men who first had the hardihood to pene- trate into them when unknown wilds, thus paving the way for generations yet unborn, and by their labor assuring both peace and plenty. In the year 1793 the British Government was still in the habit of keeping a fleet of observation cruising along the Pacific shores, and on an occasion a party of Indians reported that thej' had actually anchored in Bodega bay. Upon receipt of this intelligence, instructions were sent to Governor Arril- laga, by the Viceroy of Mexico, to take prompt and energetic steps for the assertion and protection of Spanish rights, one of the measures consequently adopted being the construction of a redoubt mounted with four guns at Bodega, and the making a road to facilitate the transportation of supplies inland, a task of no mean engineering difficulty. It was found, however, that the English had taken no positive steps toward the permanent occupa- tion which had caused the alarm, therefore the battery was dismantled after a time, and the guns removed to Monterey. A new era now commenced on the Pacific Coast. The Russians, to whom then belonged all that territorj'- now known as Alaska, had found their country of almost perpetual cold, without facilities for the cultivation of those fruits and cereals which ai'e necessary to the maintenance of life; of game there was an inexhaustible supply; still, a variety was wanted. Thus, ships were despatched along the coast in quest of a spot where a station might be estabhshed and those wants supplied, at the same time bearing in mind the necessity of choosing a location easy of access to the head-quarters of their fur-hunters in Russian America. In a voyage of this nature, Bodega was visited in January, 1811, by Alexander Koskofl", who took possession of the place on the fragile pleas that he had been refused a supply of water at Yerba Buena (San Francisco), and that he had obtained by right of purchase from the Indians a small tract of land along the margin of the bay. Here he remained for a while, and to Bodega gave the name of Romanzoff", callmg the stream, now known as Russian river, Slavianka. Koskofl", on account of having a wooden leg, received from the Spaniards the sobriquet of " Pie de Palo." General Vallejo, in a remarkably elaborate address on the early history of Sonoma, delivered at Santa Rosa on July 4, 1876, on the occasion of the Centennial celebration,, remarks: "As the new-comers came without permission from the Spanish Government, they may be termed the pioneer 'squatters ' of California." The King of Spain, it should be remembered, claimed all territory north HISTOKT OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOKNIA. 41 to the Fuca Straits. Therefore, on Governor Arguello receiving the intelli- gence of the Russian occupation of Bodega, he reported the circumstance, as in duty bound, to the Viceroy, Revilla-Gigedo, who returned despatches ordering the Muscovite intruder to depart. The only answer received to this communication was a verbal message, saying that the orders of the Viceroy of Spain had been received and transmitted to St. Petersburg for the action of the Czar. Here, however, the matter did not rest. There arrived in the hai'bor of San Francisco, in 1816, in the Russian brig "Rurick," a scientific expedition, under the command of Otto von Kotzebue. In accordance with instructions received fi'om the Spanish authorities. Governor Sola proceeded to San Francisco, visited Kotzebue, and, as directed by the Government, offered his aid in furtherance of the endeavors to advance scientific research on the coast. At the same time he complained of Koskoff; informed him of the action taken on either side, and laid particular emphasis on the fact that the Russians had been occupants of Spanish territory for five years. Upon this complaint, Don Gervasio Arguello was despatched to Bodega as the bearer of a message from Kotzebue to KoskofF, requiring his presence in San Francisco. This messenger was the first to bring a definite report of the Russian settlement there, which then consisted of twenty-five Russians and eighty Kodiac Indians. On the 28th day of October, a conference was held on board the " Rurick," in the harbor of San Francisco, between Arguello, Kotzebue and Koskoff; there being also present Jose Maria Estudillo, grand- father of that worthy official who was State Treasurer in 1876, and Luis Antonio Arguello, afterwards Governor of California; a naturalist, named Chamisso, acting as interpreter. It may here be mentioned that the Russian chief made the somewhat perilous voyage from Fort Ross to San Francisco in the frail baidarka, or skin boat, then much in vogue for lengthy journeys by water. No new development was made at this interview ; for Kos'voff claimed he was acting in strict conformity with instructions from the Governor of Sitka, therefore Kotzebue declined to take any action in the matter, contenting himself simply with the promise that the entire affair should be submitted to St. Petersburg, to await the instructions of the Emperor of Russia. Thus the. matter then rested. Communications sub«!e- quently made produced a like unsatisfactory result, and the Russians were permitted to remain for a lengthened period possessors of the land they had so arbitrarily appropriated. So far indeed was it from the intention of the unwelcome Muscovite to move, that we find them extending their trapping expeditions along the coast, to the north and south, and for a considerble distance in]iind. At Fort Ross they constructed a quadrilateral stockade, which was deemed strong enough to resist the possible attacks of Spaniards or Indians. It had within its walls quarters for the commandant, officers, and men, an arsenal, store-houses, a Greek church surmounted with a cross and provided with a chime of bells, 42 HISTORY OF .SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. besides several other erections for the use of mechanics, of which there were a number, the remains of whose trades were in existence at the time of the first American settlement. The stockade was about ten feet high, pierced with embrasures and furnished with carronades ; in addition to these, there were situated at opposite corners two bastions of two stories high, armed with six pieces of artillery. There was no lack of vegetables and fruits, for the gardens were of considerable proportions, and the orchard vast in extent and well filled with trees, some of which, now more than half a century old, are still flourishing and bear abundant crops. At this time, too, they made considerable annual shipments of grain to Sitka from Fort Eoss and Bodega. Thus we may safely assert, without much fear of contradiction, that to Sonoma county belongs the honor of erecting the first church in California, north of the bay of San Francisco ; but this is not all ; to her belongs the credit of first planting fruit, raising grain, and working in leather, wood, and iron, within the limits of the same territory. With these industries in hand, there is not the remotest doubt that the Russians looked to a future permanent possession of Northern California ; the doctrine propounded in 1823 by Pres- ident Monroe, that " the American continents were henceforth not to be considered as subjects for foreign colonization by any European power," put an end to Russian land grabs on this part of the coast. Captain John Hall visited Bodega and other parts of this coast in 1822. On June 8th, when at Bodega, he was visited by the Russian Governor, who brought with him. Captain Hall tells us, " two fine fat sheep, a large tub of butter, and some milk, which was very acceptable after a long voyage, and gave us proof at once of the Governor's hospitality, and of the abundance and cheapness of provisions. The price of a bullock at that time was twelve dollars, and of a sheep two dollars; vegetables were also plentiful and in . their proper season.'' Let us for a moment return to the earlier Russian tunes. As soon as their presence at Bodega was made known to the Spanish authorities, by the Indians, two non-commissioned officers. Sergeant Jose Sanchez and Corporal Heirara, undertook the rather hazardous task of reconnoitering the Russian establishment. This duty they succeeded in accomplishing, disguised as Indians. On their way back they captured a band of horses, which were swam across the bay of San Francisco behind canoes, at Playita de los Caballos, named so from this circumstance — now Lime Point. It was appre- hended at this juncture, that an attempt would be made by the Russians to get a foothold on San Francisco bay ; therefore the time-honored Fiery Gross was called into requisition. In such an event, immense piles of brushwood fired on the prominent mountain tops would inform the soldiery of a demon- stration, which, however, was never made. In the year 1822, Mexico having won her independence, the regime of old Spam and her dashing cavaliers ceased, California giving in her adherence to HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, GALIFOKNIA. 43 the new state of things. The federal constitution of 1824 was afterwards adopted, and the government of California vested in a Political Chief, aided by a Council known as the Territorial Deputation. With an armed escort under Ensign Jose Sanchez, mounted on the horses mentioned above. Padre Jose Altimira and Don Francisco Castro started on an expedition to select a suitable and convenient site whereon to establish a new mission, whither it was proposed to transfer the Mission of San Fran- cisco de Asis. The Padre and his party left San Raphael, where a mission had been already founded, on the 25th of June, 1823, and during the day passed the position now occupied by the city of Petaluma, then called by the Span- iards " Punta de los Esteros," and known to the Indians as " Chocuali," that night encamping on the " Arroyo Lema,'' where the large adobe on the Peta- luma Rancho was afterwards constructed by General M. G- Vallejo. Here a day's halt would appear to have been called, in order to take a glance at the beautiful country and devise means of further progress.. On the 27th they reached the famous " Laguna de Tolly," now, alas, nothing but a place, it having fallen into the hands of a German gentleman of marked utilitarian principles, who has drained and reclaimed it, and planted it with potatoes- Here the expedition took a northeasterly route, and entering the Sonoma valley, which Father Altimira states was then so called by former Indian residents ; the party encamped on the arroyo of " Pulpula," where J. A. Poppe, a merchant cf Sonoma, has a large fish-breeding establishment, stocked with carp brought from Rhinefelt, in Germany, in August, 1871. The Holy father's narrative of the beauties of Sonoma valley, fis seen by the new-comers, are so graphically portrayed by himself that we cannot refrain from quoting his own words : " At about 3 P. M.," (June 28, 1823) " leaving our camp and our boat on the slough near by, we started to explore, direct- ing our course northwestward across the plain of Sonoma, until we reached a stream (Sonoma river) of about five hundred plumas of water, crystalline, and most pleasing to the taste, flowing through a grove of beautiful and useful trees. The stream flows from some hills which inclose the plain, and terminate it on the north. We went on, penetrating a broad grove of oaks ; the trees were lofty and robust, ofiering an external source of utility, both for flrewood and carriage material. This forest was about three leagues long from east to west and a league and a half wide from north to south. The plain is watered by another arroyo still more copious and pleasant than the former, flowing from west to east, but traveling northward from the centre of the plain. We explored this evening as far as the daylight permitted. The permanent springs, according to the statement of those who have seen them in the extreme dry season, are almost innumerable. No one can doubt the benignity of the Sonoma climate after noting the plants, the lofty and shady trees — alders, poplars, ash, laurel, and others — and especially the abundance and luxuriance of the wild grapes. We observed also that the 44 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. launch may come up the creek to where a settlement can be founded, truly a most convenient circumstance. We saw from these and other facts that Sonoma is a most desirable site for a mission." Let us here note who are now located on the places brought prominently forward by Padre Altimira. The hills which inclose the valley and out of whose bosom the Sonoma river springs, is now occupied by the residence and vineyards of Mr. Edwards. The forest mentioned, covered the present site of the Leavenworth vineyards, the Hayes' estate, and the farms of Wratten, Carriger, Harrison, Craig, Herman, Wohler, Hill, Stewart, Warfield, Krous & Williams, La Motte, Hood, Kohler, Morris, and others. The second stream mentioned as flowing northward from the centre of the plains, is the " Olema," or flour-mill stream, on which Colonel George F. Hooper resides, while the locality in which he states are innumerable springs, is that tract of country where now are located the hacienda of Lachryma Montis, the resi- dence of General M. G. Vallejo, and the dwellings and vineyards of Haraszthy, Gillen, Tichner, Dressel, Winchel, Gundlach, Ruf us, Snyder, Nathanson, and the ground of the Buena Vista Vinicultural Society. The head of naviga- tion noted is the place since called St. Louis, but usually known as the Embarcadero. Padre Altimira continued his survey to " Huichica," at present the property of Streeter and Borel, and after most carefully exploring the Napa Valley, climbed the Suisun range of mountains, and there found stone of excellent quality and in such large quantities that of it " a new Rome might be buUt." The party having extended their explorations to the eastward for ten leagues, returned to the Sonoma valley on the evening of the 1st of July. We once more take up the Father's diary : " We descended into the plain, and in less than one-fourth of a league we found six hundred and seven springs of water; some among willows, others covered with tules, the water being fresh, sweet and of agreeable taste." Further explorations were made in different directions, but no site was found so suitable as that of Sonoma. Therefore, on July 4, 1823, a cross was planted by Father Altimira very near the spot where the Catholic church now stands. Rites according to the Church of Rome were performed for the first time in Sonoma county, the place was named New San Francisco, and the third settlement in the county founded. The first two settlements, however arbitrary the proceedings may have been, it will be remembered were made at Bodega and Ross by the Russians, at which latter place they had also built a church. The construction of the mission buildings was commenced at once, Altimira writing to Governor Arguello under date " New San Francisco, August 31, 1823: We chose a site and began work. In four days we have cut one hundred redwood beams with which to build a granary. A ditch has been dug and running water brought to the place where we are living." (Note. — Now Mr. Pickett's vineyard.) " We are making a corral, to which, by the HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. . 45 g^ace of God, our cattle will be brought to-morrow. We are all highly pleased with the site, and all agree that it offers more advantages than any other place between here and San Diego." On completion of the mission San Francisco Solano was chosen its patron saint. We will hereafter show how the original name of Sonoma was revived, on the establishment of this point as a " comandancia." Three years after the events above recorded, in the year 1826, the new mission was destroyed by the Indians, Padre Altimira barely escaping with his life. He soon after left this portion of the country for Santa Barbara, in company with Father Antonio Ripoll, on board of an American vessel commanded by Captain Joseph Steele. Under Padre Fortuni, the successor of Altimira, the mission once more was built, the protection aiForded by the Presidio at the Golden Gate keeping the hostile natives in check, he remaining in charge until building in a more permanent shape commenced in 1830. The last-named Father was relieved by Padre Gutierrez, who remained at, San Francisco Solano until the promulgation by the Mexican Government, in 1834, of the decree of secularization, consequent on which was the over- throw of the authority of the Fathers, the liberation and dispersion of the Indians, and the partition of the mission lands and cattle, with a result disastrous in the extreme to the aboriginals, whatever it may have been to the Mexican population. It is stated, and with every semblance of historical correctness, that of some of the missions, which in the year 1834 numbered fifteen hundred souls, in 1842 counted only a few hundreds. In these short eight years the numbers of the mission at San Raphael decreased from thirteen hundred to seventy. There are those, the favorers of the secularization scheme, who contend that the diminution in numbers was the result of a decimating scourge of small-pox, said to have been contracted from a subordinate Mexican officer who had caught the disease at Eoss, in the year 1837. Be this as it may, the officer recovered, and sixty thousand Indians are said to have perished in what is now known as the counties of Sonoma, Solano and Napa. So rapidly did they die, that it was found necessary to entomb the victims in huge pits, while others of them abandoned the land, which to them had become accursed by the presence of the foreign intruders. Thus have the aboriginal Californians passed away, and now live only in the memory of the few pioneers who were their contemporaries. In June, 1834, it had been decided that certain colonists known as the " Cosmopolitan Company " should be despatched from Mexico, under the direction of Jose Maria Hij as, and one Padres, to settle in California. Gover- nor Figueroa therefore personally conducted exploring expeditions which extended to the Russian establishment at Ross, in search of a suitable site whereon to found a settlement. A proper location, answering all desired wants, was selected on Mark West creek, then called " Potiquiyomi," on land 46 ». HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. now owned by Mrs. Henry Mizer, near to a well-known redwood tree, which is still standing. The site was quickly divided off into lots, a plaza laid out, and the place given the name of Santa Ana y Farias, in honor of the then President and Vice-President of Mexico; the Governor himself, on completion of these duties, returning to Monterey. The month of March, 1835, witnessed the arrival at San Francisco Solano of the colonists, who as a temporary measure were quartered in the mis.sion buildings, until more definite arrangements should be completed. On leaving Mexico, strong inducements had been held out to these emigrants. They had been told of the glories of the country, the richness of its soil and the certain accumulation of wealth, in but a few years, at best. On arrival on the scene of action, they found their prospects less flattering than they had been led to expect, therefore a rancorous feeling commenced to manifest itself. Hijas and Padres, the chiefs of the colony, supported by Berduzco, Lara and Torres, bore ' an itching palm ' for power, and soon evinced signs of discon- tent and rebellion, which were with difficulty suppressed by General M. G. Vallejo, who had been left with some soldiers in command of the new settle- ment. The mutinous designs of Hijas and Padres, being made known to Governor Figueroa, they were suspended from the office of Directors, and their persons ordered, under date March 16th, to be seized, and the arms and other property of the colony to be taken possession of^ by the military. On the following day the malcontents were apprehended and sent to San Fran- cisco under escort. " The weapons," General Vallejo says, " served later to arm a company of Suisun Indians, who did duty as a body-guard of my faithful ally, Prince Solano, head of the powerful tribe of Suisunes. This guard of honor was put under the command of Sergeant Sabas Fernandez.'' Vallejo, finding himself isolated in the Santa Rosa valley, and hard pressed by hostile Indian tribes, wjth direct communication between himself and the headquarters at San Francisco cut off, reported this condition to the author- ities, and was thereupon directed to establish himself in some position nearer the bay. It was then .that the town of Santa Ana y Farias was abandoned and the site of the mission of San Francisco Solano chosen ; here he estab- lished the military command of the northern frontier of California, laid out the Pueblo as it now exists, and resuscitated the almost forgotten but still harmonious name of Sonoma, which that city, the prolific valley, and mag- nificent county stiU bears. Between the years 1835 and 1840, we have it on the indisputable authority of General Vallejo, there came and established themselves in the new settle- ment and the surrounding Sonoma valley, the following persons with their families: Mariano G. Vallejo, Salvador Vallejo, Julio Carrillo, Rafael Garcia, Cayetano Juraez, Fernando Felix, Ignacio Pacheco, Nazario Berreyesa, Francisco Berreyesa, Manuel Vaca, Felipe Pena, Lazaro Pena, Juan Miranda, Gregorio Briones, Joaquin Carrillo, Ramon Carrillo, Domingo Suenz, Pablo HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 47 Pacheco, Bartolo Bohorques, Francisco Duarte, Juan Padilla, Marcos Juarez and Rosaline Olivera. To these were added a few years later, the following foreigners, who settled in different parts of the county and whose locale we will hereafter attempt to lay before the reader : Victor Prudon, French ; George Yount, American ; John Wilson, James Scott, Mark West, Scotch ; J. B. R. Cooper, English; Edward Manuel Mcintosh, Irish; James Black, James Dawson, Edward Bale, English; Tim. Murphy, Irish; Henry D. Fitch and Jacob P. Leese, American. All th&se, with the single exception of Mc- Intosh,"were married to daughters of the soil — " Hijas del Pais." Frequent expeditions were conducted against the Indians during this period, more especially toward the northeast, on the Sacramento river, in the north ia the Clear Lake region, and in the northwest on Russian river. In spite of these troubles, the extension of agricultural industries and the raising of cattle, sheep, and horses, was beiag gradually accomplished ; the people had to live, however, in a perpetual state of preparation, keeping themselves constantly under arms and subject to the call of the commandant, for they were surrounded by thousands of hostile natives, who took advant- age of every opportunity to attack a people whom they deemed their natural enemies, and the ruthless destroyers of their homes. At that time the entire country abounded with game, such as deer, bears, mountain sheep, hares, rabbits, geese, quail, etc., and the streams were well stocked with many kinds of fish. Besides these, the fertile valleys and hillsides grew an abundance of edible seeds and wild fruits, which were garnered by the Indians and, by them, held in great store. Such means of existence being so easily obtained, is perhaps a reason for the wonderful disincluiation of Indians to perform any kind of labor. Indeed, what need was there that they should toil, when beneficent Nature had, with a generosity which knew no stint, placed at their feet an unlimited supply of health-giving food ! We would now ask the reader to return with us for a short time to record the further doings of the Muscovite settlers. For upwards of thirty years they remained in undisputed pcssession of Ross and Bodega, under the suc- cessive gubernatorial regimes of Koskoff, KlebnikofF, Kostromitinoff, and Rotscheff", the latter of whom, with a party of Russians, visited Mount Mayacmas, on the summit of which they affixed a copper-plate with an inscrip- tion. In the year 1853 this plate was discovered by Dr. T. A. Hylton, and a copy of it preserved by Mrs. H. L. Weston, of Petaluma,by whose courtesy we are enabled to reproduce it. The metal slab is octagonal in shape, and bears the following words in Russian : " Russians, 1841 June. E. L. Voznisenski iii, E. l. Chernich." This legend we referred to Mr. Charles Mitchell Grant, of Oakland, a o o-entleman long resident in Siberia, and eminently capable in matters connected with the Russian language and people, and from him received the following notes: "iii, means that Voznisenski is the third 48 HISTOEY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. of the same name in his family, the other two being still living, or, at any rate, alive when he was born. Evidently two Russian sailors; the first is a Polish name, the second a name common in Little Russia." To this mountain RotschefF gave the name of St. Helena, calling it so after his wife, the Princess de Gagarin, who was then at Fort Ross. General Vallejo relates the following romantic episode in connection with the fair Princess : " The beauty of this lady excited so ardent a passion in the breast of Prince Solano, Chief of all the Indians about Sonoma, that he formed a plan to capture, by force or stratagem, the object of his love; and he might very likely have succeeded had I not heard of his intention in time to prevent its execution." On his return from Mount St. Helena, Rotscheff dispatched herds of cattle and sheep from Ross and occupied a cer- tain tract of land to which they gave the name of " Muny " or " Muniz "; this is what is known as Russian Gulch, and now occupied by the Rule and Myers' ranches. We now wind up the Russian occupation, in the lucid words of the veteran General: " Since my appointment to the command of the frontier, in 1835, 1 had been directed by my Government to advance our colony northwestward, and by virtue of the powers with which I was invested I made grants of land to Messrs. Mcintosh, Black, and Dawson, who had other foreigners in their service. After the advance of the Russians continual disputes arose between our colonists and theirs, and as my settlers were ready for a quarrel and were not sparing of those ' energetic words ' well known in the English idiom, our neighbors gradually retired towards Ross, and left the country in possession of their rivals, who, like good Anglo-Saxons, knew how to main- tain their rights. Matters constantly became more complicated, until 1840, when Colonel Kupreanoff, Governor of Sitka, came to San Francisco, and many official communications passed between him and myself as Military Commander of California. The result was that the Russians prepared to abandon their California territory, and proposed to sell me their property. I was obliged to decline, because they insisted on selling also the land which was already the property of my Government. Finding that I would not yield on the point, they applied to Governor Alvarado, at Monterey, and received from him a similar reply. Then they applied to John A. Sutter, who, in 1840, made the purchase. (For particulars of this transaction we refer the reader to the history of Bodega Township). California was at last freed from guests who had always been regarded by us as intruders. Yet it is but just to say that in all mercantile transactions the Russians were notable for strict honesty, as, in social intercourse, for hospitality and affa- bility of manners towards our people- They took immense numbers of beaver and seal skms during then- stay, and left the country almost without fur-bearing animals." The tract of land granted by General Vallejo to Mcintosh, Black and HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOENIA. 49 » Dawson, who had come to the country with Captain John Cooper as sailors somewhere about 1830, was that now known as the Estero Americano, and Canada de Jonive. Black afterwards disposed of his interest to the other two, and removed to Marin county, where he permanently located. In 1833, Dawson and Mcintosh applied for citizenship to the Mexican Govern- ment, and in November of that year the latter went to Monterey for the purpose of getting the grant confirmed. He got the papers made out in his ■own name, leaving that of Dawson out entirely. At this ungenerous con- duct, Dawson became mueh incensed. He first inflicted personal chastisement upon his quondam partner, and next sawed the house, which they had conjointly constructed, in two, and removed what he considered as his share entirely off the rancho and planted it beyond the boundary, and to day it is still used as a portion of the dwelling of F. G. Blume at Freestone. On the establishing of his residence, Dawson applied for and received that tract known as the Pogolome grtet, and to him is the honor of having first attempted the manufacture of lumber; for we learn that as early as the year 1834 he had enough on hand, sawed in a pit with a long rip-saw, to build a house. The pits are still to be seen near the residence of the late Jasper O'Farrell. We have already shown that the Russians had taken their departure. This had scarcely been satisfactorily efliected than a new element, more for- midable in its probable results, presented itself. In the first five years of the decade commencing with 1840, there began to settle in the vast Californian valleys that intrepid band of pioneers, who, having scaled the Sierra Nevadas with their wagons, trains and cattle, began the civilizing influences of progress on the Pacific Coast. Many of them had left their homes in the Atlantic and Southern States with the avowed intention of proceeding direct to Ore- gon. On arrival at Fort Hall, however, they heard glowing accounts of the salubrity of the Californian climate and the fertility of its soU; they therefore turned their heads southward and steered for the wished-for haven. At length, after weary days of toil and anxiety, fatigued and foot-sore, the promised land was gained. And what was it like? The country in what valley soever we wot was an interminable grain field; mile upon mile, and acre after acre wild oats grew in marvellous profusion, in many places to a prodigious height — one great glorious green of wild waving corn — high over head of the wayfarer on foot, and shoulder-high with the equestrian ; wild flowers of every prismatic shade charmed the eye, while they vied with each other in the gorgeousness of their colors, and blended into dazzling splendor. One breath of wind and the wide emerald expanse rippled itself into space, while with a heavier breeze came a swell whose rolling waves beat against the mountain sides, and, being hurled back, were lost in the far-away hori- zon; shadow pursued shadow in a long merry chase. The air was filled with the hum of bees, the chirrup of birds, and .an overpowering fragrance from 4 50 HISTORY OF SONOMA COPNTY, CALIFORNIA. the various plants weighted the air. The hill sides, overrun as they were ■with a dense mass of tangled jungle, were hard to penetrate, while in some portions the deep dark gloom of the forest trees lent relief to the eye. The almost boundless range was intersected throughout with divergent trails, whereby the traveller moved from point to point, progress being as it were in darkness on account of the height of the oats on either side, and rendered dangerous in the valleys by the bands of untamed cattle, sprung from the stock introduced by the missions and early Spanish settlers. These found food and shelter on the plains during the night; at dawn they repaired to the higher grounds to chew the cud and bask in the sunshine. At every yard cayotes sprang from beneath the feet of the voyager. The hissing of snakes, the frightened rush of lizards, all tended to heighten the sense of danger, whUe the flight of quail and other birds, the nimble run of the rabbit, and the stampede of elk and antelope, which abounded in thousands, added to the charm, causing him, be he whosoever he may, pedestrian or equestrian, to feel the utter insignificance of man, the " noblest work of God." In the year, 1840, there arrived in the Kussian River valley, from San Diego, Cyrus Alexander, to take charge of the Sotoyome grant, the estate of Captain H. D. Fitch, the terms of his contract with Fitch being that he was to superintend the property and its stock, and at the end of four years receive two leagues of the ranch in payment. His first duty was to define the boundaries of the grant with the aid of the Mexican authorities. Sur- veying by the Mexicans at this early date was very different from the scientific knowledge which is found necessary now. In the first place, the lariat was substituted for the chain, while the pins used were long enough to be handled and placed in position from on horseback. The manner of efiecting a survey was in this wise: The Surveyor would set his compass and take the bearings of a high hill or large tree at the extreme range of his vision; the word would then be given to his satellites, who would urge their horses to a fast trot, or sometimes to a hand-gallop, in the direction indicated, and without stopping they would draw the pins here, and set them there, thus continuing until the line had been run. Under these circumstances, it is not wonderful that such surveys lacked anything like mathematical precision, and have been the primary cause of the many bitter feuds that have since obtained, some of which are still unsettled. Mention has hitherto been frequently made of the aboriginal Indians, without any attempt at a description of their appearance, manners, and cus- toms. Place aux davnes! The toilet of the women was more pretentious than that of the males, consisting only of a scanty apron of fancy skins or feathers, extending as far as the knees. Those of them who stUl remained in single blessedness wore a bracelet around the ankle or arm near the shoulder, an ornament usually made of bone or fancy wood. Polygamy was a recog- nized institution, chiefs generally j)ossessing eleven wives, sub-chiefs nine, HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 51- and ordinary -warriors two, or more, according to* their wealth or property. Indian-like they would fight among themselves' long before the Spaniards came, and bloody fights they often were. Their weapons were bows and arrows, clubs, and spears, with which they were very adroit; they also had a kind of helmet made Qf skins. In times of peace they kept up the martial spirit by sham fights or tournaments. In these battles the women partici- pated, not as actual belligerents, but as a sanitary brigade; they followed their warriors, supplied them with provisions, and attended to them when wounded, carrying their pappooses on their backs at the asftne time. These Indians believed in a future existence and an all-powerful Great Spirit ; but they likewise had faith in a Cucusuy or Mischief-maker, who, it was thought, took delight in their annoyance, while to him, and his agency, they attributed all their sickness and other misfortunes. Thay dwelt in miserable camps or rancheries. A rancheria, or small Indian town consists of certain " wick- eup " or wigwams for living in, and one sweat-house. These lapt are usually constructed near a running stream. The Digger Indians, who occupied a considerable portion of this country, adopted the plan of digging into the earth some distance, and when attaining the desired depth would construct, around the excavation, a house of adobe clay, fashioned like a bee-hive, peifectly air-tight and taperiag to a cone. As a means of entrance and exit, an aperture of sufficient size to permit of the occupant's crawling through, was made, and so arranged that it could be easily closed. Within these ovens a fire would be lit, the Indian would strip, roll himself in his blanket and sleep, asphyxia being prevented by a small hole in the apex of the cone, which drew off' the smoke and noxious gases. While on the subject of Indians it may not be out of place here to relate the following legend, which bears upon one of the prominent landmarks in this section of California : When the Spaniards were crossing the moun- tain called Bolgones, where an Indian spirit was supposed to dwell, having a cave for his haunt, he was disturbed by the approach of some soldiers, then on their way to Sonoma, and, emerging from the gloom, arrayed in all his feathers and war paint, with very little else by way of costume, motioned them to depart, threatening by gesticulations to weave a speU around them, but the sturdy warriors were not to be thus easily awed. They beckoned him to approach; this invitation the wizard declined; then one of the men secured him with his lasso to see if he were " goblin damn'd " or ordinary mortal. Even now he would not speak but continued his mumblings, when an extra tug caused him to shout and pray to be released. On relating this experience, the Indians pointed to Bolgones, calling it the mountain of the Cucusuy, which the Spaniards translated into Monte Diablo — ^hence the name of the mountain which is the meridian of scientific exploration in California. In the early days, probably in 1840, certainly not later than 1841, a man 52 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. by the name of Stephen Smith, master of a bark called the " George and Henry," came to this coast on a trading expedition. He hailed from Massa- chusetts, of which State he was a native, and brought with him a cargo of sugar, syrup, tobacco, cotton and other cloths, besides whatever else could be disposed of readily in the California market at that time, receiving in return for these a cargo of hides, horns and tallow. While lying in the bay of San Francisco, he doubtless saw the Russians as they came there for the pur- pose of sailing to Sitka, and of course heard all about the country and the improvements which they had left behind. It is also more than likely that he took a cruise up that way for the purpose of spying out the land, and doubtless cast his anchor and furled his sails in the quiet and secure harbor of Bodega bay. He then evidently went ashore and visited the entire section of country immediately adjacent thereto. Here he saw the giant red- woods, and recognized the fact that in them was the lumber which generations yet unborn would use in the construction of homes. Nearly all the lumber then consumed on this coast was imported from the Sandwich Islands, and the establishment of a sawmill here, within five miles of a splendid shipping point, which was within twenty-four hours sail of San Francisco bay, would certainly be laying the foundation for a princely fortune. He also conceived the idea of constructing a grist-mill in connection with his sawmill. He then hied himself away to the Atlantic seaboard with his head full of his great project. At least two years were consumed in this trip. While in Baltimore, having disposed of his cargo of hides, tallow, etc., he purchased a complete outfit for a steam grist and sawmill, also a cargo of assorted merchandise. He then set sail for California. On his way out he stopped at Pieta, Peru, where he was united in marriage with Donna Manuella Torres, a lady of remarkable refinement and intellect, and at that time sixteen years of age. It is apropos to remark here that Captain Smith was sixty-one years of age at the time of his marriage with Donna Manuella. This was his second marriage, his first wife having died some years previous. In Baltimore, he engaged one Henry Hagler as ship's carpenter. While at Pieta he engaged the services of William A. Streeter as engineer in his new mill. At Valpa- raiso he secured the services of David D. Dutton, now of Vacaville, Solano county, for the purpose of constructing his mill. He also somewhere on the trip obtained the services of Philip Crawley and a man named Bridges. On the 27th of March, 1843, Captain Smith weighed anchor in the hai-bor of Pieta, setting sail for California. He brought also with him from Pieta his wife's mother, Mrs. Minunga Torres, and her brother, Manuel Torres., now a resident of Martinez, Contra Costa county. They reached Monterey about the middle of. April following. Here the vessel was entered at the custom house. He then sailed for Santa Cruz, at which place lumber was purchased and taken on board for the construction of the mill building' He then came to San Francisco bay and anchored ofi" Clark's Point. While here he engaged HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 53- the the services of James Hudspeth, now of Green valley, Analy township" Sonoma county, Alexander Copeland, now in the southern part of the State, Nathaniel Coombs, lately of Napa county, but now deceased, and John Dau- binbiss, now of Santa Cruz county. These men went on board of the ship, and all set sail for Bodega bay, where he arrived sometime in the month of September, 1843. Upon his arrival here a new difficulty arose. Bidwell, Sutter's agent, refused Smith the privilege of landing and of establishing his mill on any part of the land which had been previously occupied by the Russians, and over which, as Sutter's agent, he supposed he had dominion. But the hardy old tar was not to be thwarted in his enterprise after waiting two long years for its fulfillment. Therefore he took his men and began at once to get out timber for his mill buildings. When Bid well protested, the captain informed him that he proposed to proceed with his enterprise, and warned him not to interfere. Bidwell at once returned to New Helvetia, and reported to Sutter what had occurred. E. V. Sutter, son of Captain John A. Sutter, is our authori-ty for the above statements; but injustice to Captain Smith we will say, that the Mexican government did not ' at that time, nor has it at any time since, recognized the Russian claim, nor that of Sutter, to the tract in question ; and knowing this. Captain Smith was not doing an unrighteous deed when he took semi-forcible possession of the land. That the Mexican government approved of his course is certainly substan- tiated by the fact that it granted him eight leagues of the same territory a few years later. Captain Smith, in all his dealings with men, was characterized as the soul of - honor, hence was incapable of committing any high-handed crimes. We wfil now take a glance at this pioneer steam grist and saw mill during its course of construction, that we may get a clear idea of its machinery and capacities. It was situated at the foot of a hill, on the brow of which grew the very initial trees of the great redwood belt, and was nearly one mile, in a northwesterly direction from the present site of the town of Badega Corners. An excavation about five feet deep and thirty by fifty feet was made. In the bottom of this a well was dug, for the purpose of furnishing the water supply to the boilers, which were of the most simple pattern known. They were three in number, each being thirty -six feet in length, and two and one-half feet in. diameter. They were single-fiue boilers, hav- ing three openings, all in one end, one through which the water entered the boiler, near the bottom, one through which the steam passed to the engine, near the top, and the large " man hole " in the centre of the end which was fastened down with bolts, nuts and packing. These three boilers were arranged in a row, with a furnace of masonry around them, the fire being built under, not in them, and the heat passed around and not through them, as at the present time. We know nothing of the style of the engine used, but it was doubtless one of the low-pressure stationary 54 HISTOEY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALtFOENlA. class, SO common thirty years ago. The mill contained one run of burs, ■with a probable capacity of ten barrels of flour per day. These burs Were very peculiar in their composition, being made of small pieces of granite, united with a very tenacious and enduring cement; were about four feet in diameter and one and one-half feet in thickness, and encircled by two strong bands of iron. The saw was what is known among mill-men as a " sash " saw, i. e., one which is operated in a perpendicular position, similar to what they now call a " Mully " saw. It did not do the work nearly as fast as a circular saw, but it was far ahead of the old methods, either in a pit or with water or wind power. All this machinery which we have just described was nicely housed in a building erected of the lumber purchased by the Captain at Santa Cruz. Of course there were several other appliances which we have not thought necessary to describe in detaiL such as flour bolts, log carriages, etc., but as far as it went, and for its capacity, the mill was complete in every respect. As stated above it was located at the foot of a bald hill, on the brow of which huge redwoods grew. As soon as ' Captain Smith landed he set men to work at cutting logs at this point, and as fast as chopped they were rolled down to the mill, This style of conveying logs from the woods to the mill was adhered to as long as Capt. Smith had the establishment. Upon the completion of the mill, and when it was found that all of its machinery worked to a charm, invitations were issued to the people of the surrounding country. Men of every nation- ality were there to see the marvelous machine put into operation. It was probably the first steam engine that quite a large portion of those present had ever witnessed in operation. Let us contemplate that throng for a moment. Here we see the " ranchero," with his broad " sombrero " over- shadowing him completely, his red bandana kerchief tied loosely about his neck, his bosom and arms bared to the sun, his broad-checked pantaloons showing out in bold relief, mounted on a fiery, half-tamed " caballo de silla." By his side, mounted also on just as wild a steed, is the " vaguero," with " sombrero " for his head, kerchief for his neck, " serrapa " thrown loosely about his shoulders, his horse caparisoned as befitting a man in his position, his long " lariata " hanging in graceful coils from his saddle-horn, with mammoth spurs dangling from his heels, the bells of which chimed harmoni- ously with the mellifluous hum of the conversation, and the rowels of which served to designate the standing of the wearer in the community. Then there was the old-time soldier, with a dress-parade air about his every look and action; and the grant-holders were there, and the Alcaldes, and all the the dignitaries within reach of the invitation. It was a grand holiday occa- sion for all, a day of sight-seeing not soon to be forgotten. Everything being in readiness, the hopper was filled with wheat brought from a neighboring ranch. The steam is turned on slowly, and the ponderous fly-wheel commences to revolve. The entire mass of machinery begins to vibrate with the power HISTORY OF SONOMA COimTT, CALIFOENIA. 55 imparted to it by the mighty agent curbed and bound in the iron boilers. All is motion, and the hum and whir of machinery is added to the babel of tongues, while amid exclamations of surprise and delight the grain is sent through the swirling burs into the bolts, and at length is reproduced before their wondering gaze as "flor de harina" — ^fine, white flour. Then a monster redwood log is placed upon the carriage, and the saw put in motion ; slowly but surely it whips its way through it, and the outside slab is thrown aside. The log is passed back, and again approaches the saw. This time a beautiful plank is produced. Agaia and again is the operation repeated until, in a marvelously short period of time, the whole log is reduced to boards of different widths and thicknesses. While this is being done and admired by all, the first bags of flour have been sent to the house near by and converted into most excellent and nutritious bread. A beeve has been slaughtered, abundance of venison is at hand, and a sumptuous repast has been prepared, to which all are now invited to betake themselves. Afterthe feast comes the toasts. The health and prosperity of the enterprizing Yankee host is drank in many an overflowing bumper. After dinner speeches were indulged in, and General M. G. Vallejo being there, and being the head and front of the native Cali- foi'nians present, was called upon to make some observations. In this speech he remarked that there were those present who would see more steam engines in the beautiful and fertile valleys of California than there would be soldiers. Surely was he endowed with prophetic power! He now has the satisfaction and pleasure of knowing how truly this remark has been verified. The repast and the sequent festivities over the company of sight-seers dis- perse, either to their homes or to some neighboring rancho, where a grand fandango is indulged in till the gray dawn steals upward over the far-away Sierras. The sketch of the pioneer mill of Sonoma county would be incomplete without following it through the devious windings of the road it has traveled to the present time. Capt. Smith continued to operate it untO. the year 1850. During this time he sawed a vast amount of lumber, drawing it a distance of five or six miles to Bodega bay for shipment, some of which he exported to the Sandwich Islands, while he exchanged lumber for the tract of land known as the " Blucher " rancho. In Nov. 1849 he laid aside the sash saw and placed in its stead a circular saw. In 1850 Capt. Smith leased the entire tract of timber land on the Bodega rancho to Messrs. Hanks & Mudge for the term of ninety-nine years, for the sum of fifty thousand dollars. They took the saw out of the old building, and with new engines to run it, put it in a mill situated further up in the heart of the redwoods. After loca- ting at difierent points most convenient to the timber, the mill was eventu- ally taken to Mendocino county. In 1854 the Smith mill building was destroyed by fire, and it was never rebuilt, its projector and sustainer soon after being called to pass the dark river. One of the boilers does duty at the 56 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. present time as a "heater " at Duncan's mill. The visitor of to-day at the old mill site finds the excavation and the well of water in it; two of the old boilers lie mouldering and rusting on the ground in the excavation, while wUlow trees have grown up beside them to the height of twenty-five feet. At the end of the boilers one of the burs lies slowly but. surely crumbling back to mother earth; time and weather have eaten great holes in it, and the surface that once was able to withstand the steeled edge of the mill- wright's pick is now as soft as sandstone. One of the iron bands which sur- rounded it in its day of strength and glory has rusted until it has parted and dropped away from the stone, while the other is fast going to decay. Cuii- osity-seekers are ever and anon taking pieces of the granite and cement, and soon nothing will be left to tell of it. On the bank lies the smoke-stack, while here and there stands a post used in the foundation. A few logs which were brought to the mill thirty years ago, but which were never sawed, still lie where they were placed in that long ago time, mute reminders of what was, and what is, links uniting the strange historical past with the living present. To Sonoma county, therefore, is the honor due of the introduction of this great element of wealth and progress. General Vallejo thus describes that memorable visit: "I distinctly remem- ber having predicted on that occasion that before many years there would be more steam-engines than soldiers in California. The successors of Smith have not only proved the truth of my words, but have almost verified the remark of my compatriot, General Jose Castro, at Monterey, that ' the North Americans were so enterprising a people that if it were proposed, they were quite capable of changing the color of the stars.' Castro's discourse was made with no sympathy for the North American, since it was well known that he was no friend to either Government or citizens; yet I believe that if General Castro had lived untU to-day, he would unite with me in praise of that intelligent nation which opens her doors to the industrious citizens of the whole world, under the standard of true liberty." Up to this time there had been twenty-three grants of land confirmed to their original owners inside the boundaries of Sonoma county. Of these the largest was the Petaluma grant, situated mostly in what is now known as Vallejo and Sonoma townships. It included all that vast tract, comprising, at least seventy -five thousand acres, which lay between Sonoma creek on the east, San Pablo bay on the south, and Petaluma creek on the west, possessing the most fertile soil in the county, if not in the entire State. Every acre of it was tillable, and might have been nK)st easily enclosed. The tract is now assessed for not less than three millions of dollars. It was orig- inally granted to General M. G. Vallejo. Of the foreigners who had acquired land up to the period now under treatment, among the most notable were Jacob P. Leese, Henry D. Fitch, Juan P. Cooper, John Wilson and Mark West. Leese, Fitch and Cooper were brothers-in-law of General Vallejo. The site HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOENIA. 57 whereon now stands the county seat — the flourishing town of Santa Rosa — was granted to Mrs. Carrillo, the mother of the well-known Julio CarrUlo, who is still a resident of that city; while the country lying between Santa Rosa and Sebastopol, in Analy township, was the property of Joaquin Carrillo, a brother of Mrs. Vallejo. The Bodega ranch, which_ contained thirty-five thousand four hundred and eighty-seven acres, was granted to Captain Stephen Smith, who is described as " a remarkable man, and was a fine type of the pioneer — honest, hospitable and generous to a fault." Cap- tain Juan B. Cooper, another sailor, received the "El MoHno," or Mill ranch, so named from a mill which he had erected on it in 1834, but which was washed away by a freshet in 1840-41; Manuel Torres got the Munez ranch; and the Rancho de Herman, in the northwest of the county, was granted to a number of Teutons, where they appropriately named the stream running through their property the Valhalla. Jasper O'Farrel exchanged a ranch in Marin county for the Canada de Jonive, .situated in Analy township ; and acquired, by purchase or otherwise, from Mcintosh, the tract in Bodega township known as the Estero Americano. Mark West received six thousand six hundred and sixty -three acres, between the two streams now called Mark West creek and Santa Rosa creek. In another portion of our work will be found a fuller record of these Span- ish grants. The above named are sufficient to note in this place. Says Mr. Robert Thompson "The total number of acres included in all the grants in the county was four hundred thousand, one hundred and forty-three, just less than one-half its whole area as now bounded, which is estimated at eight hundred and fifty thousand acres. All the valleys we have elsewhere described were covered by grants without an exception. The public land aU lay in the low hilh, on the border of the valleys, and in the mountains. Fortunately for the future welfare of the county, these grants were sub- divided and sold in. small tracts at a very early day. The titles to most of them were settled without much dispute or delay; and the subdivided lands were purchased by industrious and enterprising farmers, who have since lived upon and improved them. They have converted the long-horned worthless Spanish cattle into the short-horn, and the mustang horse into the thorough-bred, and the pastures of this worthless stock into homes of beauty and teeming abundance. With one exception all the grants have been sold in smaU tracts, and that is the Cotate ranch, on the plain between Petaluma and Santa Rosa. This tract belongs to' an estate, and under the will can not be divided until the youngest child comes of age. This is the largest farm in the county, the railroad passing through it for six miles. The dairy is supplied with the milk of two hundred and fifty cows; there are five hundred head of cattle on the place, and ten thousand head of sheep ; each cow averages daUy one pound and a quarter of butter during the season, and the sheep shear an average of six pounds of wool each." 58 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. We have already in the commencement of our annals of Mendocino and Russian River townships, entered upon the subject of the primitive dwellings in vogue among the pioneers of 1840 and after; we would noW call atten- tion to a few of their earlier implements and conveniences as well as one of these antique dwellings of another style, and in describing those adopted and made by Cyrus Alexander we but tell the story of the rest, for the experiences of each were almost identical. Mention has been made of the adobe houses of the early Californians. Let us consider one of these primi- tive habitations : Its construction was beautiful in its extreme simplicity. The walls were fashioned of large sun-dried bricks, made of that black loam known to settlers in the Golden State as adobe soil, mixed with straw, with no particularity as to species, measurrug about eighteen inches square and three in thickness; these were cemented with mud, plastered within with the same substance, and white-washed when finished. The rafters and joists were of rough timber, with the bark simply peeled off and placed in the requisite position, while the residence of the wealthier classes were roofed with tiles of a convex shape, placed so that the one should overlap the other and thus make a watershed; or, later, with shingles, the poor contenting themselves with a thatch of tule, fastened down with thongs of bullocks' hide. The former modes of covering were expensive, and none but the opulent could afford the luxury of tiles. When completed, however, these mud dwellings will stand the brunt, and wear and tear of many decades, as can he evi- denced by the number which are still occupied in out-of- the- way corners of the county. In order to facilitate transportation it was found necessary to construct some kind of a vehicle, which was done in this manner : The two wheels were sections of a log with a hole drilled or bored through the center, the axle being a pole sharpened at each extremity for spindles, with a hole and pin at either end so as to prevent the wheels from slipping off. Another pole fastened to the middle of the axle, serve(i the purpose of a tongue. Upon this framework was set, or fastened, a species of wicker-work, framed of sticks bound together with strips of hide. The beasts of burden in use were oxen, of which there were a vast number. These were yoked with a stick across the forehead, notched and crooked, so as to fit the head closely, and the whole tied with rawhide. Such was the primitive cart of the time- The plow was a still more peculiar affair. It consisted of a long piece of timber which served the purpose of a beam, to the end of which a handle was fastened ; a mortise was next chiseled so as to admit the plow, which was a short stick with a natural crook, having a small piece of iron fastened on one end of it. With this crude implement was the ground upturned, while the branch of a convenient tree served the purposes of a harrow. Fences there were none so that crops might be protected; ditches were there- fore dug, and the crests of the god covered with the branches of trees to warn HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOENIA. 59 away the numerous bands of cattle and horses, and prevent their intrusion upon the newly sown grain. When the crops were ripe they were cut with a sickle, or any other convenient weapon, and then it became neeessary to thresh it. Now for the modus operandi. The floor of the corral iato which it was customary to drive the horses and cattle in order to lasso them, from constant use had become hardened. Into this inclosure the grain would be piled, and upon it the inanatha, or band of mares, would be turned loose to tramp out the grain. The wildest horses, or mayhap the colts which had only been driven but once, and then to be branded, would be turned adrift upon the pile of straw, when would ensue a scene of the wildest confusion, the excited animals being driven, amidst the yelling of the vaqueros and the cracking of whips, here, there and everywhere, around, across and lengthwise, until the whole was trampled, leaviug naught but the grain and chaff. The most difiicult part of the operation, however, was the separating of the grain from the chaff. Owing to the length of the dry season, there was no urgent haste to effect this ; therefore when the wind was high enough, the Indians, who soon fell into the ways of the white pioneers, more especially where they were paid in kind and kindness, would toss the trampled mass into the air with large wooden forks, cut from the adjacent oaks, and the wind carry away the lighter chaff leaving the heavier grain. With a favorable wind several bushels of wheat could thus be winnowed in the course of one day. Strange as it may appear, it is declared to be the fact, that grain thus win- nowed was much cleaner than it is to-day. Mention has elsewhere been made of the necessity which compelled the tanning of hides from which clothes might be made. Let us now relate the following inL;enious device whereby Mrs. Alexander was wont to 'make yarn ; a novel spinniug-wheel truly. A large bowl was procured with its inner surface polished to a great degree of smoothness ; when ready for operation, it would rest in the lap of the manipulator, she occupying a low seat. In the bowl was twirled or spun a spindle whittled into such a shape as to perform its movements easily, its form being that of a peg-top. While this was kept in motion with one hand, the wool would be payed out with the other, thus spinning the yarn, enough of which could be prepared in one day to knit a pair of socks. We have more than once referred to the vast bands of cattle that roamed about at will over the plains and among the mountains. Once a year these had to be driven in and rodeod, i. e. branded, a work of considerable danger, and one requiring much nerve. The occasion of rodeoing, however, was the signal for a feast ; a large beeve would be slaughtered, and all would make merry until it was consumed. The rule or law concerning branded cattle in those early days was very strict. If any one was known to have branded his neighbor's cattle with his own mark, common usage called upon him to return in kind fourfold. Not only did this apply to cattle alone, but to all other kinds of live stock. 60 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. The early settlers in Sonoma county, but more especially those in the hilly districts, had always been more or less molested by wild animals, chief among them being the grizzly bear. Up in the hills about Healdsburg Cyrus Alexander had his share of these annoyances ; let us record one of his experi- ences: He was then the proud possessor of a number of hogs, and hogs were but few in the county, one being worth about seventy-five dollars. It is well known that the grizzly has a most unjudaic partiality for pork, and one especially had evinced this taste among Mr. Alexander's pigs. He was a huge monster, and many plans had been laid to effect his capture, but without success. One night the " old fellow " had dispatched a fat hog, but for some unknown reason he left an uneaten half of his supper under the shade of a live oak. A war, offensive and defensive, was now deflared against Bruin; it was premised that he would return on the following night to finish his repast, or, to lay in another supply. Alexander and his men therefore drove all the porkers that could be found into a pen, and gave them time to quiet down, which being attained, a gap was left in the gate-way to the pen so that stragglers could find ready ingress. The watchers next stationed themselves, gun in hand, in such positions, that they could keep within view both the half eaten pig and the pen. The night was dark and rainy — just such an one as Bruin would select for a foraging expedition. Nearly three hours after the sentinels had taken their posts, the hogs in the pen commenced to squeal and give signs of being disturbed, the watchers swiftly ran in that direction and sure enough there was Mr. Grizzly at work among the pigs; he had stationed himself at the entrance bars, and as each unsuspecting porker would approach so sure would he up paw and slap him over the back; two he had killed outright while several more had been much lacerated and mangled. The wily rascal had found out that by frightening the hogs they would attempt to escape, therefore he stationed himseK at the only means of exit. Unluckily, as he was neared by the party, he took to the mountains without giving the chance for a shot; however, future plans were arranged for his reception. Alexander determined to build a "log cabin bear trap." This construction was eight by ten feet in size and took several hard days' work to complete. A hole was next dug and laid with a log floor upon which the trap should rest, the corners being notched and pinned in such a manner that the bear could not force his paws through. A large and strong trap-door was next made, but before it was completed a tempting bait was set so as to lure Bruin to the spot — the ruse was success- ful — he came, took possession of the meat and returned to his lair. The door being now finished, the trap was put into working order and once more baited, this time with an entire pig, "the door was hung upon a double trig- ger, after the manner of the "box skunk traps" of to-day, and was found to work admirably. Patience did the rest. In the morning, the door was down and the trap occupied by a monster weighing nine hundred pounds. HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOENIA. 61 In the early part of 1839 a company was made up in St. Louis, Missouri, to cross the plains to California, consisting of D.G.Johnson, Charles Klein, David D. Dutton, mentioned earlier as having coming to the country with Captain Smith, and William Wiggins. Fearing the treachery of the Indians this little band determined to await the departure of a party of traders in the employ of the American Fur Company, on their annual tour to the Eocky Mountains. At Westport they were joined by Messrs. Wright, Gegger, a Doctor Wiselzenius and his German companion, and Peter Lassen, as also two missionaires with their wives and hired man, en route for Oregon, as well as a lot of what were termed fur trappers, bound for the mountains, the entire company consisting of twenty-seven men and two women. The party proceeded on their journey and in due time arrived at the Platte river, but here their groceries and breadstuff gave out; happily the country was well stocked with food, the bill of fare consisting henceforward of buffalo, venison, cat-fish, suckers, trout, salmon, duck, pheasant, sage-fowl, beaver, hare, horse, grizzly bear, badger and dog. The historian of this expedition thus describes this latter portion of the menu. "As much misun- derstanding seems to prevail in regard to the last animal alluded to, a particu- lar description of it may not be uninteresting. It is, perhaps, somewhat larger than the ground squirrel of California, is subterranean and gregarious in its habits, living in 'villages;' and from a supposed resemblance in the feet, as well as in the spinal termination, to that of the canine family, it is in popular language known ,as the prairie dog. But in the imposing technology of the mountain graduate it is styled the canus prairie cuss, because its cussed holes so often cause the hunter to be unhorsed when engao-ed in the chase.'' After enduring a weary journey, accompanied by the necessary annoy- ances from treacherous and pilfering Sioux, hail-storms, sand-storms, rain and thunder-storms, our voyagers arrived at Fort Hall, where they were disappointed at not being able to procure a guide to take them to California. This was almost a death-blow to the hopes of the intrepid travelers ; but hav- ing learned of a settlement on the Willamette river, they concluded to proceed thither in the following spring, after passing the winter at this fort. Here Klein and Doctor Wiselzenius determined to retrace their steps; thus the party was now reduced to five in number — Johnson going ahead and leaving for the Sandwich Islands. In September, 1839, the company reached Oreo-on and sojourned there during the winter of that year; but in May, 1840 a vessel arrived with Missionaries from England, designing to touch at Califor- nia on her return, Mr. William Wiggans, now of Monterey, the narrator of this expedition, and his three companions from Missouri, among whom was David D. Dutton, at present a resident of Vacaville township, in Solano county, got on board; but Mr. W., not having a dollar, saw no hope to get away ; as a last resort, he sent to one of the passengers, a comparative stranger, for the loan of sixty dollars, the passage-money, when, to his great 62 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOKNIA. joy and surprise, the money was furnished — a true example of the spontane- ous generosity of those early days. There were three passengers from Oregon, and many others who were "too poor to leave." In June, they took passage in the " Lausenne," and were three weeks in reaching Baker's bay, a distance of only ninety mUes. On July 3d, they left the mouth of the Columbia, and, after being out thirteen days, arrived at Bodega, ia Sonoma county) then a harbor in possession of the B,ussians. Here a dilemma arose of quite a threateniag character. The Mexican Commandant sent a squad of soldiers to prevent the party from landing, as they wished to do, for the cap- tain of the vessel had refused to take them farther on account of want of money. At this crisis, the Russian Governor arrived, and ordered the soldiers to leave, be shot down, or go to prison ; they, therefore, beat a retreat. Here were our travelers at a stand-still, with no means of proceedino- on their journey, or of finding their way out of the inhospitable country ; they, there- fore, penned the following communication to the American Consul, then at Monterey : — " Port Bodega, July 25, 1840. " To the American Consul of California — " Dear Sir : — We, the undersigned citizens of the United States, being desir- ous to land in the country, and having been refused a passport, and been opposed by the Government, we write to you, sir, for advice, and claim your protection. Being short of funds, we are not able to proceed further on the ship. We have concluded to land under the protection of the Russians; we will remain there fifteen days, or until we receive an answer from you, which we hope will be as soon as the circumstances of the case will permit. We have been refused a passport from General Vallejo. Our object is to get to the settlements, or to obtain a pass to return to our own country. Should we receive no relief, we will take up our arms and travel, consider ourselves in an enemy's country, and defend ourselves with our guns. " We subscribe ourselves, " Most respectfully, ' ' David Dutton, "John Stevens, " Peter Lassen, " Wm. Wiggins, "J. Wright." We have above mentioned the names of those intrepid pioneers who came to Sonoma and settled— a list of the earhest of these has been given in its proper place. In our histories of the townships such matters have received the most marked treatment, and leave but little to be dealt with, in the general history. Prior to the discovery of gold but comparatively few arrived, and anterior to the "Bear Flag" times their number could be counted by tens. There were these trusty pioneers, Cyrus Alexander (1840) ; Frank Bidwell (1843), and Mose Carson (1845,) in Mendociuo township. In HISTORY OK SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 63 Analy, there were John Walker, and the hale, hearty and most genial host, James M. Hudspeth (1843). In Sonoma there was General Vallejo (1835), now one of America's most loyal citizens. William Benitz, and Ernest Rufus (1845), had been in Salt Point. Frederick Starke (1845) had settled in Vallejo township, while throughout the county there are many names we have been unable to trace. With the year 1846 more emigrants mounted the Sierras, and descended into the California valleys, some to remain ; but there were those who never arrived, as the following interesting relation of the sufferings of the ill-fated Donner party will exemplify : — Tuthills's History of California tells us : " Of the overland emigration to California, in 1846, about eighty wagons took a new route, from fort Bridger, around the south end of Great Salt Lake. The pioneers of the party arrived in good season over the mountains ; but Mr. Reed's and Mr. Conner's com- panies opened a new route through- the desert, lost a month's time by their explorations, and reached the foot of the Truckee pass, in the Sierra Nevada,, on the 31st of October, instead of the 1st, as they had intended. The snow began to fall on the mountains two or three weeks earlier than usual that year, and was alread}' piled up in the Pass that they could not proceed. They attempted it repeatedly, but were as often forced to return. One party built their cabins near the Truckee Lake, killed their cattle, and went into winter quarters. The other ( Donner's ) party, stiU believed that they could thread the pass, and so failed to build their cabins before more snow came and buried their cattle alive. Of course these were soon utterly destitute of food, for they could not tell where the cattle were buried, and there was no hope of game on a desert so piled with snow that nothing without wings could move. The number of those who were thus storm-stayed, at the very threshold of the land whose winters are one long spring, was eighty, of whom thirty were females, and several children. The Mr. Donner who had charge of one com- pany, was an lUinoisian, sixty years of age, a man of high respectability and abundant means. His wife was a woman of education and refinement, and much younger than he. During November it snowed thirteen days ; during December and January, eight days in each. Much of the time the tops of the cabins were below the snow level. It was six weeks after the halt was made that a party of fifteen, including five women and two Indians who acted as guides, set out on snow-shoes to cross the mountains, and give notice to the people of the California settle- ments of the condition of their friends. At first the snow was so light and feathery that even in snow-shoes they sank nearly a foot at every step. On the second day they crossed the ' divide,' finding the snow at the summit twelve feet deep. Pushing forward with the courage of despair, they made from four to eight miles a day. 64 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. Within a week they got entirely out of provisions; and three of them, suc- cumbing to cold, weariness, and starvation, had died. Then a heavy snow- storm came on, which compelled them to lie still, buried between their blankets under the snow, for thirty-six hours. By the evening of the tenth day three more had died, and the living had been four days without food. The horrid alternative was accepted — they took the flesh from the bones of their dead, remained in camp two days to dry it, and then pushed on- On New Years, the sixteenth day since leaving Truckee Lake, they were toiling up a steep mountain. Their feet were frozen. Every step was marked with blood. On the second of January, their food again gave out. On the third, they had nothing to eat but the strings of their snow-shoes. On the fourth, the Indians eloped, justly suspicious that they might be sacrificed for food. On the fifth, they shot a deer, and that day one of their number died. Soon after three others died, and every death now eked out the existence of the survivors. On the seventeenth, all gave out, and concluded their wan- derings useless, except one: He, guided by two stray friendly Indians, drag, ged himself on till he reached a settlement on Bear river. By midnight the settlers had found and were treating with all Christian kindness what remained of the little company that, after more than a month of the most terrible sufferings, had that morning halted to die. , The story that there were emigrants perishing on the other side of the snowy barrier ran swiftly down the Sacramento valley to New Helvetia, and (Captain Sutter, at his own expense, fitted out an expedition of men and of mules laden with provisions, to cross the mountains and relieve them. It ran on to San Francisco, and the people, rallying in public meeting, raised fifteen hundred dollars, and with it fitted out another expedition. The naval commandant of the port fitted out still others. The first of the relief parties reached Truckee lake on the nineteenth of February. Ten of the people in the nearest camp were dead. For four weeks those who were still alive had fed only on bullocks' hides. At Donner's camp they had but one hide reuiainiug. The visitors left a small supply of provi- sioiis with the twenty-nine whom they could not take with them, and started back with the remainder. Four of the children they carried on their backs- Another of the relief parties reached Truckee lake on the first of March. They immediately started back with seventeen of the sufferers; but, a heavy snow storm overtaking them, they left all, except three of the children," on the road. Another party went after those who were left on the way ; found three of them dead, and the rest sustaining life by feeding on the flesh of the dead. The last relief party reached Donner's camp late in April, when the snows had melted so much that the earth appeared in spots. The main cabin was empty, but some miles distant they found the last survivor of all lying on the cabin floor smoking his pipe. He was ferocious in aspect, savage and repulsive in manner. His camp-kettle was over the fire and in it his meal HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 65 of human flesh preparing. The stripped bones of his fellow-sufferers lay- around him, He refused to return with the party, and only consented when he saw there was no escape. Mrs. Donner was the last to die. Her husband's body, carefully laid out and wrapped in a sheet, was found at his tent. Circumstances led to the suspicion that the survivor had killed Mrs. Donner for her flesh and her money, and when he was threatened with hanging, and the rope tightened around his neck, he produced over five hundred dollars in gold, which, pro- bably, he had appropiated from her store." In relation to this dreary story of suffering, this portion of our history will be concluded by the narration of the prophetic dream of George Yount, attended, as it was, with such marvelous results. At this time, ( the winter of 1846 ) while residing in Napa county, of which, as has been already remarked, he was the pioneer settler, he dreamt that a party of emigrants were snow-bound in the Sierra Nevadas, high up in the mountains, where they were suffering the most distressLag privations from cold and want of food. The locality where his dream had placed these unhappy mortals, he had never visited, yet so clear was his vision that he described the sheet of water surrounded by lofty peaks, deep-covered with snow, while on every hand towering pine trees reared their heads far above the limitless waste. In his sleep he saw the hungry human beings ravenously tear the flesh from the bones of their fellow creatures, slain to satisfy their craving appetites, in the midst of a gloomy desolation. He dreamed his dream on three successive nights, after which he related it to others, among whom were a few who had been on hunting expeditions in the Sierras. These wished for a precise description of the scene foreshadowed to him. They recognized the Truckee, now the Donner lake. On the strength of this recognition Mr. Yount fitted out a search expedition, and, with these men as guides, went to the place indicated, and, prodigious to relate, was one of the successful relieving parties to reach the ill-fated Donner party. Of those who were fortunate to press the wished-for peaceful glades with their weary feet were the Gordons, W.J. Morrow of Mendocino, (1848;) Louis. Adler of Sonoma, (1848 ;) and some others whose names will be found elsewhere Who does not think of 1848 with feelings almost akin to inspiration? The year 1848 is one wherein reached the nearest attainment of the. dis- covery of the Philosopher's stone, which it has been the lot of Christendom to witness: On January 19th gold was discovered, at Coloma, on the American River, and the most unbelieving and coldblooded were, by the middle of spring, irretrievably bound in its facinatiag meshes. The wonder is that the discovery was not made earlier. Emigrants, settlers, hunters, practical miners, scientific exploring parties, had camped on, settled in, hunted through, dug in and ransacked the region, yet never found it ; the discovery was entirely accidental: Franklin Tuthill, in his History of Cal- 5 66 HISTOKY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. ifornia, tells the story in these words: " Captain Sutter had contracted with James W. Marshall, in September, 1847, for the construction of a sawmill, in Coloma. In the course of the winter a dam and race were made, but, when the water was let on, the tail-race was too narrow. To widen and deepen it, Marshall let in a strong current of water directly to the race, which bore a large body of mud and gravel to the foot. On the 19th of January, 1848, Marshall observed some glittering particles in the race, which he was curious enough to examine. He called five car- penters on the mill to see them ; but though they talked over the possibility of its being gold, the vision did not inflame them. Peter L. ^eimar claims that he was with Marshall when the first piece of " yellow stuff" was picked up. It was a pebble, weighing six pennyweights and eleven grains. Marshall gave it to Mrs. Weimar, and asked her to boil it in saleratus water and see what came of it. As she was making soap at the time, she pitched it into the soap kettle. About twenty -four hours afterwards it was fished out and found all the brighter for its boiling. Marshall, two or three weeks later, took the specimens below, and gave them to Sutter, to have them tested. Before Sutter had quite satisfied himself as to their nature, he went up to the mill, and, with Marshall, made a treaty with the Indians, buying of them their titles to the region round about, for a certain amount of goods. There was an effort made to keep the secret inside the little circle that knew it, but it soon leaked out. They had many misgivings and much discussion whether they were not making themselves ridiculous; yet by common consent all began to hunt, though with no great spirit, for the "yellow stuff" that might prove such a prize. In February, one of the party went to Yerba Buena, taking some of the dust with him. Fortunately he stumbled upon Isaac Humphrey, an old Georgian gold-miner, who at the first look at the specimens, said they were gold, and that the diggings must be rich. Humphrey tried to induce some of his friends to go up with him to the mUl, but they thought it a crazy expedition, and left him to go alone. He reached there on the 7th of March. A few were hunting for gold, but rather lazily, and the work on the mill went on as usual. Next day he began " prospecting " and soon satisfied himself that he had struck a rich placer. He made a rocker, and then com- menced work in earnest. A few days later, a Frenchman, Baptiste, formerly a miner in Mexico, left the lumber he was sawing for Sutter at Weber's, ten miles east of Coloma. and came to the mill. He agreed with Humphrey that the region was rich, and, like him, took to the pan and the rocker. These two men were the com- petent practical teachers of the crowd that flocked in to see how they did it. The lesson was easy, the process simple. An hour's observation fitted the least experienced for working to advantage. Slowly and surely, however, did these discoveries creep into the minds of HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 67 those at home and abroad ; the whole civilized world was set agog: with the startling news from the shores of the Pacific. Young and old were seized with the California fever ; high and low, rich and poor, were infected fey it ; the prospect was altogether too gorgeous to contemplate. Why, they could actually pick up a fortune for the seeking it ! Positive affluence was within*^ the grasp of the weakest ; the very coast was shining with the bright metal,, which could be obtained by picking it out with a knife. Says Tuthill : Before such considerations as these, the conservatism of the most stable bent. Men of small means, whose tastes inclined them to keep out of all hazardous schemes and uncertain enterprises, thought they saw duty beckoning them around the Horn, or across the plains. In many a family circle, where nothing but the strictest economy could make the two ends of the year meet, there were long and anxious consultations, which resulted in selling off a piece of the homestead or the woodland, or the choicest of the stock, to tit out one sturdy representative to make a fortune for the family. Hundreds of farms were mortgaged to buy tickets for the land of gold. Some insured their lives and pledged their policies for an outfit. The wild boy was packed off hopefully. The black sheep of the flock was dismissed with a blessing, and the forlorn hope that, with a change of skies there might be a change of manners. The stay of the happy household said, " Good-bye, but only for a year or two," to his charge. Unhappy husbands availed themselves cheerfully of this cheap and reputable method of divorce trussting Time to mend or mar matters in their absence. Here was a chance to begin life anew. Whoever had begun it badly, or made slow headway on the right course, might start again in a region where Fortune had not learned to coquette with and dupe her wooers. The adventurers generally formed companies, expecting to go overland or by sea to the mines, and to dissolve partnership only after a first trial pi luck together in the " diggings." In the Eastern and Middle States they would buy up an old whaling ship, just ready to be condemned to the wreckers, put in a cargo of such stuff as they must need themselves, and provisions, tools, or goods, that rriust be sure to bring returns enough to make the venture profit- able. Of course, the whole fleet rushing together through the Golden Gate made most of these ventures profitless, even when the guess was happy as to the kind, of supplies needed by the Californians. It can hardly be believed what sieves of ships started, and how many of them actually made the voy- age. Little river-steamers, that had scarcely tasted salt water before, were fitted out to thread the Straits of Magellan, and these were welcomed to the bays and rivers of Cahfornia, whose waters some of them ploughed and vexed busily for years afterwards. Then steamers, as well as all manner of sailing vessels, began to be adver- tised to run to the Isthmus; and they generally went crowded to excess with passengers, some of whom were fortunate enough, after the toilsome ascent 68 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. of the Chagres river, and the descent either on mules or on foot to Panama, not to be detained more than a month waiting for the craft that had rounded the Horn, and by which they were ticketed to proceed to San Francisco. But hundreds broke down under the horrors of the voyage in the steerage; contracted on the Isthmus the low typhoid fevers incident to tropical marshy regions, and died. The overland emigrants, unless they came too late in the season to the Sierras, seldom' suffered as much, as they had no great variation of climate on their route. They had this advantage, too, that the mines lay at the end of their long road ; while the sea-faring, when they landed, had still a weary journey before them. Few tarried longer at San Francisco than was neces- sary to learn how utterly useless were the curious patent mining contrivances they had brought, and to replace them with the pick, shovel, pan, and cradle. If any one found himself destitute of funds to go farther, there was work enough to raise them by. Labor was honorable; and the daintiest dandy, if he were honest, could not resist the temptation to work where wages were so high, pay so prompt, and employers so flush. There were not lacking in San Francisco, grumblers who had tried the mines and satisfied themselves that it cost a dollar's worth of sweat and time, and living exclusively on bacon, beans, and " slap-jacks," to pick a dollar's worth of gold out of rock, or river bed, or dry ground ; but they confessed that the good luck which they never enjoyed abode with others. Then the display of dust, slugs, and bars of gold in the public gambling places; the sight of men arriving every day freighted with belts full, which they parted with so freely as men only can when they have got it easily ; the testimony of the miniature rocks; the solid nuggets brought down from above every few days, whose size and value rumor multiplied according to the number of her tongues. The talk, day and night, unceasingly and exclusively o'f " gold, easy to get and hard to hold," inflamed all new comers with the desire to hurry on and share the chances. They chafed at the necessary deten- tions. They nervously feared that all would be gone before they should arrive. The prevalent impression was that the placers would give out in a year or two. Then it behoved him who expected to gain much to be among the earliest on the ground. When experiment was so fresh in the field, one theory was about as good as another. An hypothesis that lured men perpet- ually farther up the gorges of the foot-hills, and to explore the canons of the mountains, was this :— that the gold which had been found in the beds of rivers, or in gulches, through which streams once ran, must have been washed down from the places of original deposit farther up the mountains. The higher up the gold-hunter went, then, the nearer he approached the source of supply. To reach the mines from San Francisco, the course lay up San Pablo and HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 69' Suisun bays, and the Sacramento — not then, as now, a yellow, muddy stream, but a river pellucid and deep — to the landing for Sutter's Fort; and they who made the voyage in sailing vessels, thought Mount Diablo significantly named, so long it kept them company and swung its shadow over their path. From Sutter's the most common route was across the broad, fertile valley to the foot-hills, and up the American or some one of its tributaries; or, ascend- ing the Sacramento to the Feather and the Yuba, the company staked off a claim, pitched its tent or constructed a cabin, and set up its rocker, or began to oust the river from a portion of its bed. Good luck might hold the impa- tient adventurers for a whole season on one bar ; bad luck scattered them always farther up. Koads sought the mining camps, which did not stop to study roads. Traders came in to supply the camps, and, not very fast, but still to some extent; mechanics and farmers to supply both traders and miners. So, as if by magic, within a year or two after the rush began, the map of the country was written thick with the names of settlements. Some of these were the nuclei of towns that now flourish and promise to continue as long as the State is peopled. Others, in districts where the placers were soon exhausted, were deserted almost as hastily as they were begun, and now no traces remain of them except the short chimney-stack, the broken surface of the ground, heaps of cobble-stones, rotting, half-buried sluice boxes, empty whisky bottles, scattered playing cards and rusty cans. The " Fall of '49 and Spring of '50 " is the era of California history which the pioneer always speaks of with warmth. It was the free-and-easy age when every body was flush, and fortune, if not in the palm, was only just beyond the grasp of all. Men lived chiefly in tents, or in cabins scarcely more durable, and behaved themselves like a generation of bachelors. The family was beyond the mountains ; the restraints of society had not yet arrived. Men threw oflf the masks they had lived behind and appeared out in their true character. A few did not discharge the consciences and con- victions they had brought with them. More rollicked in a perfect freedom from those bonds which good men cheerfully assume in settled society for the good of the greater number. Some afterwards resumed their temperate and steady habits, but hosts were wrecked before the period of their license expired. Verv rarely did men, on their arrival in the country, begin to work at their old trade or profession. To the mines first. If fortune favored, they soon quit for more congenial employments. If she frowned, they might depart disgusted, if they were able ; but oftener, from sheer inability to leave the business, they kept on, drifting from bar to bar, living fast, reckless, improvi- dent, half-civilized lives ; comparatively rich to-day, poor to-morrow ; tor- mented with rheumatisms and agues , remembering dimly the joys of the old 70 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. homestead; nearly weaned from the friends at home, who, because they were never heard from, soon became like dead men in their memory ; seeing little of women'and nothing of churches ; self-reliant, yet satisfied that there was nowhere any "show" for them ; full of enterprise in the direct line of their business,^and utterly lost in the threshhold of any other; genial companions, morbidly craving after newspapers ; good fellows, but short-lived." Such was the maelstrom which dragged all into its vortex thirty years ago ' Now, almost the entire generation of pioneer miners, who remained in that business, has passed away, and the survivors feel like men who are lost and old before their time, among the new comers, who may be just as old, but lack their long, strange chapter of adventures. No history of a county in California would be complete without a record of the rush to this coast at the time of what is so aptly named the " gold fever ;" hence use has been made of the graphic pen-picture quoted above. Where there were so many homeless, houseless wanderers, the marvel is not so much that thousands should have succumbed to sickness, as that there was no epidemic to sweep ofi" the entire reckless population. After the gold excitement, 'twas then that the State became settled. In the year 1849 there came and located near Occidental, in Bodego township, M'^illiam Howard, whose" name is given to the railroad station at that_ town ; and to Mendocino there came William T. Allen and Hiram W. Smith. In the following year immigration was still on the iacrease. Charlie Hudspeth arrived in Bodega ; George Miller to Mendocino ; to Russian River, J. W. Calhoon, Henry J. Paul, and Henry L. Runyon, to Cloverdale, John Dixon ; and to Santa Rosa, W. B. Roberts. In the year 1851 towns commenced to make a start. In Analy township there arrived W. D. Canfield, William Abels, Wniiam Jones, Edward Thurbur, G. Wolff; to Sonoma came Frank- lin Sears, Coleman Talbot, and many others ; to Cloverdale, J. G. Heald ; to Santa Rosa, John Adams and Joseph Wright ; while to Petaluma, which had then sprung iato existence, there came Robert Douglas, J. H. Lewis, James SiQgley, Lemarcus Wiatt, Tom Lockwood, George B. Williams. In the fol- lowing years settlers still poured in; they found the cultivable portions of the soil up to their highest expectations, and so they built habitations, and to-day no more flourishing people are to he found in any part of California. In the year 1852, as the settlers formed the centers of communities, it was found imperative to erect churches and provide schools for the instruction of the comparatively few children that had in their tender youth crossed the plains with their adventurous parents, or faced the dangers of the deep around "the Horn," or arrived scatheless from the effects of a Panama fever. Let as note what was done. Public Schools. — John G. Marvin, the first State Superintendent of Public Schools, was enabled to report in 1852 to the Legislature certain HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. , 71 information which he had gleaned the previous year in the matter of public instruction. With respect to Sonoma county, he stated that the number of children was two hundred and fifty ; that there was one school at each of the following places, Sonoma, Santa Rosa, Analy, Bodega, and Mark West ; the three former being English and the rest Spanish, which were entirely supported by contributions and tuition money. To-day, there are one hun- dred and four school districts within the limits of the county, which receive an apportionment from the State of nearly eight thousand dollars, and more than four thousand from the county. Churches. — The Methodist Church. — In the fall of 1849, A. J. Heustis, A. M., a local preacher from Wisconsin, came to Sonoma with his family, and organized a class, preaching occasionally in the town during the greater portion of the following year, when, removing to Humboldt Bay, the people were without the ministration of the Word until February, 18.51, excepting one occasion, when Rev. J. Owen, then Presiding Elder for the entire State, organized a Quarterly Conference, and promised to send a minister as soon as possible. This promise was fulfilled a few weeks after, when Rev. S. D. Simonds, then but partially recovered from a severe attack of the Panama fever, was placed in charge of the work, with instructions to look after all our inter- ests north of the bay. A few weeks previous to this the Rev. Matthew Lassetter, an English local preacher, settled in Napa valley, and preached regularly until the fol- lowing autumn at the house of Mr. Harbia. Bro. Simonds hired a house at Benicia, and with his estimable wife, engaged with commendable zeal in the labors assigned him, making appoint- ments at the following places: Martinez, Benicia, Suisun, 7aUejo, Napa City, Harbin's, Kellogg's (in Napa valley), Sonoma, Bodega, and Russian River, each to be filled every two weeks, which he generally did. To go once around the curcuit required 180 mUes of travel. At five of the appointments, Suisun, Harbins', Kellogg's, Sonoma and Bodega, Bro. S. organized Sunday Schools, which it is believed were well attended during the summer months. Sister S. also gathered around her a few young children each Sabbath at Benicia giving them faithful instruction. On Friday 2nd May, 1851, \h& first camp meeting ever held in California was commenced almost one mile from Sonoma near Kelsey's garden. Bro. J. W. Brier preached the first sermon. At this meeting a number of per- sons professed religion and Bro. Owen baptized one adult by pouring. In the following September another camp meeting was held in Napa valley on the east side of the creek below Yount's mills. The Rev. William Roberts of Oregon was present, having come to attend to his duties as Superintendent of the Mission Conference held at San Francisco immediately after the close of the camp-meeting. 72 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. Revs. James Carwine and Alexander McLean were appointed at this con- ference to the work, the latter remaining but a few months when he was put in charge of Plumas circuit. In the following May, Rev. J. A. Swaney, one of seven missionaries just arrived, was sent by Mr. Owen to assist Mr. Carwine. They labored very acceptably and usefully during the conference year. During this year the work was divided into the Benicia, Napa, and Sonoma counties, and at the Annual Conference following, Bodega circuit was set off from the Sonoma work, including Petaluma and the Bodega country, Russian River, Anderson valley, and Big River, Rev. A. L. S. Bate- man in charge. In Feburary, 1854, the Bodega Circuit ceased to exist and of it were formed Petaluma and Russian River Circuits, Bro. Bateman being appointed to the latter. The Annual Conference held at San Jose commencing August 27, 1856, divided the Russian River Circuit and formed the Santa Rosa Circuit as recommended, placing R. W. Williamson in charge and Colin Anderson, Assistant. There seems to be a loss of minute business, from the time of the second quarterly Conference for the year 1857-8 held at Healdsburg February 22, 1858, until the first quarterly meeting of the next Conference year held at Healdsburg December 4, 1858. Rev. E. Bannister beinsr elder. Rev. M. C. Briggs was elder the previous year. At the Annual Conference held at Sacramento September, 1858, the Santa Rosa Circuit was divided, and the northern part, including the Russian River country -below tiie canon. Dry Creek, Windsor, and Alexander's, was constituted the Russian River Circuit. At the Conference held at Santa Clara September 12, 1860, the name of the circuit was changed to Healdsburg, Rev. J. W. Stump, preacher in charge, who had j ust arrived on the Coast, transferred from the Ohio Con- ference. The circuit then consisted of four appointments, Healdsburg, Windsor, Geyserville, and Alexander's. We have been unable to gather a general history of the other churches as complete as the foregoing, full chronicles of the special congregations will, however, be found in other places, for most of these annals have been pro- vided by the ministers and clergymen themselves, each of whom naturally takes a special interest in his own church. We will now pass on to other matters which have tended to bring Sonoma county to its present state of perfection. Agriculture.— That it was not for some time after the settlement of the county that its soil was thought to be prolific there is no reason to doubt. The priests who first penetrated into these unknown regions were unaware HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 73 of the immense resources which yet remained unrevealed in the bosom of mother earth ; they imagined that if aught could be done, it should be so attained by means of irrigation, for we find Father Altimira entering in his Journal, these remarks : — " We started from Lema on the morning of the 27th, about six o'clock, and explored the plain running east, which is exten- sive enough for a Mission, the land being fertile and covered with grass, but of httle use for plants, requiring irrigation in the summer season, for in that season the springs are dried up, as is also the brook running on said plat, or plain, called Chocaimoi. " This would appear to have been penned in regard to lands, near the old adobe. The first agriculturists in the county were indisputably the Russians, and though they did. not cultivate what is now considered the best wheat soU, still, they made large shipments of grain to their fur hunters in Russian America, quantities being despatched from Bodega to Sitka. At Ross they planted orchards, the trees of which to-day bear heavy crops of fruit, while the remains of their rude implements of husbandry have been found at both these places. In succession to the Muscovite were the Spanish Priests who further devel- oped the wonderful fertility of Sonoma. Ten years after the founding of San Francisco Solano, an official report is made by them that the mission owns three thousand horned cattle, seven hundred horses, four thousand sheep, and the harvest that year had yielded three thousand bushels of grain, and this was the product of the small tract which they occupied in Sonoma Valley. In the present day the vast resources of Sonoma is a matter of notoriety; the country around Bodega, Bloomfield, and down to Petaluma, is the renowned potato district, the northwestern part is principally devoted to stock raising, the coast line is the home of the dairy producer, while in all the level alluvial plains, grain of every kind grows to a marvellous perfection. The wheat yield for this year has exceeded that of any other since 1874, whUe the surplus is expected to amount to upwards of one million and a half of bushels. The splendid prices realized this year for wool and hops have been a god- send to the producers of those staples. For several years past prices have ranged low, and a poor market this year would undoubtedly have worked the severest hardships with many. Not only are prices high now, but they promise to remain so for another season at least. The products this year will be all needed for immediate consumption, and hence no surplus will possibly remain over to drug the market next season. The best commercial authorities state that the production of wool at the East and elsewhere than the Pacific Coast, is this year many millions short of actual wants by the factories. This, coupled with the fact that a general revival of business is putting in operation many factories for years idle, would even indicate that the price of wool wUl remain high, for several years to come. Hops are almost certain to be high 74 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. next year, but the prospects for their remaining so for a longer time than that, is not so encouraging as is the case with wool. Viniculture. — Next to the cultivation of cereals, the vine engrosses the minds of the residents of Sonoma more than any other agricultural produc- tion. On account of the adaptability of the soil, Sonoma valley is the center of the grape-growing interest, although there are several other localities where it flourishes. Here it was that the vine was first planted, and here were first taken those measures which made the grape and wine interest one of the chiofest importance to Sonoma county. If there be any credit or any blame attached to the inauguration of this industry, the onus must be borne by the Mission Fathers, for to them is due the introduction of the grape, which was that now ordinarily known as the Mission, then popularly supposed to be a seedling from seed sent out from Spain, and from which, in a rude way, they manufactured wine ; adding spirits thereto to keep them sweet. The early American settlers in their cultivation of the grape followed in the beaten track of the Holy Fathers, both in regard to the quality and quantity of vines planted, as well as in their location. At that time it was believed to be impossible to raise any crop without irrigation, therefore vines were only planted where the convea- ience of water could be readily obtained and rich soil was always chosen. The first person to doubt the correctness of this theory, and who was willing to put these doubts to the proof was Colonel Agoston Haraszthy, of Sonoma. This gentleman was a Hungarian Noble, of a Court lineage, who was expa- triated on account of the part he played, in a political crisis, in his native land. After residing for some time in Wisconsin he removed to California in 1849, and in 1856 came to Sonoma, and devoted his whole attention to vini- culture. His biographer tells us : " He founded a Horticultural Society, and began importing vines from abroad. He was the first to advocate the raising of vines without irrigation — planted the most extensive vineyards, and at once put himself at the head of the wine interest. He may with pro- priety be called the Father of Viniculture in California. In 1858 he wrote a treatise on the cuHure of the vine and. the manufacture of wine, which was published by the State for gratuitous distribution. This publication gave the first impulse to this interest, and from that time California became the Wine State of the Western Continent. He was the first to adapt the red- wood timber to the making of casks for wine. In 1861 he was appointed by the Governor of California as a Commissioner to visit the wine countries of Europe, which resulted in the importation of three hundred different named varieties of grapevines, which have now been planted quite extensively in most of the vineyards of the State, from which are made the most valuable wines we now produce. The book written by Col. Haraszthy, entitled ' Grape Culture, Wines and Wine-Making,' is conceded to be one of the best yet HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 75 written. Upon his return from Europe in 1862 .he was chosen President of the State Agricultural Society, having been Vice-President for three terms prior thereto. In 1 863 he organized the Buena Vista Vinicultural Society, to which he conveyed his four hundred acres of vines in Sonoma." In 1868 Col. Haraszthy transferred his domicile to Nicaragua, where he became actively engaged in diiFerent pursuits. On July 6, 1869, he mysteriously disappeared. On that day he left his house to go where he was having a saw-mill erected. His footsteps were traced to the river. It is supposed that he endeavored to cross the stream by climbins' the branch of a tree, which breaking, he fell into the water and was devoured by an aligator. But to return to our, subject: In the Winter of 1858 Col.- Haraszthy put into a high tract of land, east of the town of Sonoma, eighty thousand vines, the progress and growth of which was keenly watched by all interested in viniculture. The experiment succeeded beyond the most sanguine expecta- tions, and marked a new era in the cultivation of the grape in CaUfornia; henceforward the rich and heavy bottom lands were abandoned for the hillsides. About this period the securing of a wine finer in flavor, by means of the introduction of foreign grapes, commenced to be much canvassed. Connois- seurs had given as their dictum that the native wines had not the excellence of the article produced abroad; it was either too earthy or too fiery, or too sweet and insipid. This was unquestionably owing, partially to the quality of the soil and the irrigation of the vine, and in a great measure attributable to the want of experience on the part of the grower, for, with fjrther expe- rience and more suitable soil, the original mission grape has been made to produce wine of excellent quality. In- 1861 the Legislature appointed Col. Haraszthy, Mr. Sehell, and Col. Warren, as a Committee, to inquire into, and report upon, the best means of promoting and improving the growth of the vine in this State. The former visited Europe, as has been stated above, and made selections of different varieties of grapes, which he imported ; the latter reported upon the condition of viniculture as then existed in California, and Mr. Sehell upon the culture of the grape in the South American States. Col. Haraszthy, on his tour, selected three hundred and fifteen different vari- eties of grapes, and brought to this country two hundred thousand rooted vines and cuttings. These were distributed to various parts of the State, and each variety matured its own peculiar kind of grape; some proved to be much superior to others, these were selected, but none have been found that in this soil do not maintain their distinctive European qualities; and the modes and conditions of wine-making being equal, produces a wine identical with what it does in Europe. Arpad Haraszthy, son of the Colonel, in the Overland Monthly (January, 1872), an able magazine, now, alas, among the things that were, contributes an article, portions of which we quote, on the advantages possessed by Cali- fornia as a wine-growing country: — 76 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOENIA. California has one advantage over any wine producing country on the globe, and that is the certainty, constancy, and duration of her dry season. The grape is a fruit that needs, above all others, a warm sunshine, without interruption, from the time that the blossoms set forth their tender flowers, until they gradually develop into its rich, luscious fruit in October. Thi& advantage has always existed here, as far back as our record extends, and no rain or hail ever destroyed the tender fruit. The sure and uninterrupted duration of this dry weather secures a crop without a chance of failure, and ripens the grape to perfection. One of the most serious drawbacks in all other parts of the world is the uncertainty of the seasons and entire variance from preceding ■ ones, thus creating a great difference in the quality of the wine produced in successive vintages. This difference in quality is so great that it is quite common to find the prices vary from one to two hun- dred per cent, in the same district. The products of the renowned vineyards are known to have fluctuated even to- a greater extent. In Europe, they only reckon to secure in ten years one good crop of fine quality, but small quantity ; while seven vintages are reckoned as being of poor quality, small quantity, and total failures. In our State, the variation in quality seldom amounts to five per cent, while the naost disastrous years have not lessened the crop below the ordinary yield more than twenty -five per cent in quan- tity. This very variation in quantity can be fully known three months pre- vious to the vintage, thus allowing the producer ample time to secure his casks, and furnishing him positive knowledge as to the number required. In other countries, even fourteen days before the vintage, there is no certainty of a crop, a wind, a rain, or a hail-storm is apt to occur at any moment and devastate the entire vintage. All is uncertainty there ; nor has the vintner any possible means of positively ascertaining how many casks he must pro- vide. In abundant years in the old countries, the exchange has often been made of so many gallons of wine for an equal number of gallons' capacity of casks. The disadvantages of being forced to secure such immense quantities of casks in so limited a period are two easily perceived, and we certainly can not appreciate our own advantage too much in being very differently sit- uated. Another great benefit derived from the long continuance of the dry weather, is the exemption from weeds in our vineyards after the final plow- ing. Thus all the nourishment and strength of the soil go wholly to their destination, the vine, and hence the vigorous appearance that even the moat delicate imported varieties acquire even in our poorest soils. They neces- sarily bear much more. This circumstance will also explain, in a measure, why our cultivation does not cost as much per acre as that in European coun- tries, though our labor is so much higher. The advantage of our dry weather does not end here : it precludes the possibility of continued mildew, and allows the vintner to leave his vines unstaked, the bunches of grapes actually Ijdng, and securely ripening, upon the very ground, without fear of frost or HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 77 rotting. In this condition, the graphs mature sooner, are sweeter, and, it is believed, possess more flavor. Above and beyond the ability and advantage we have of producing all kinds of grapes to perfection, of making from them wines that are pleasant, inviting to the taste, and which will keep, with but little skill and care, for years, whose limit has not yet been found, we still have a greater advan- tage over European vintners in the cheapness of our cultivation. Labor, material, and interest are all very high with us ; but, nevertheless, the setting out and cultivation of an acre of vineyard costs less in California than it does in France. For this we are as much indebted to our improved means of cultivation as to the nature of our climate. All labor, in the majority of the wine districts of Europe, is done by hand. We use the horse and plow, while they use the prong-hoe and spade, and they actually dig and hoe up their entire vineyards, with few exceptions. After our spring cultivation is over, we need not go into our vineyards, and, having no summer rains, weeding is not necessary, and still their freeness from weeds and clean appearance strike the stranger with surpri.'se. Owing on the contrary, to the wet season of Europe, the vine-dressers are constantly kept among the vines, trying to give them a clean appearance, but in spite of all their efforts, they but imperfectly succeed, and their vineyards never possess that appearance of high and perfect cultivation that is so apparent in our own. California Wines. — -The following article is produced from the San Fran- cisco Chronicle: — It is obvious that in the nature of things the Comstock Lode which now absorbs all our superfluous coin, cannot last forever. There is one argument against it as an investment which ought to be fatal to it, and that is the amount of silver which has already been drawn from its bowels. All scien- tific men- believe that fresh developments may be made, but the chances against their being general are simply enormous. Many holders of stock believe that any discovery in any mine must advance the price of others, and it has hitherto done so without a doubt. But the fatal argument of ' the amount of silver that has been realized must weigh upon men's minds and must tend to prevent any general rise. The discovery of silver in one mine is in reality an argument against other discoveries in other parts of the lode, upon general principles of logic, and aside from any pseudo scientific theories of silver-mining. There.is this certainty in all investments in mining stock — that such a placing of money cannot be permanent. The odds are against success ; but even should success come, the investor must watch his invest- ment, or, after beina: raised to the seventh heaven, he will be lowered to the uttermost depths. The merchant cannot be watching his stock, he has his own affairs to look after. The mechanic has his bench, the servant his duties, and they are all in the hands of men who naturally desire to make 78 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOBNIA. money whatever happens. Hence the situation is unreal. Even if success- ful, the beginning is big and the end small. It is an investment that grows back-wards, a man tKat dwarfs into an embryo. And there is a wide-spread general belief that fair play is seldom shown upon the Comstock, though this may be only the excuse and shift of dealers to account for failures for which they are themselves responsible. They get up accounts of success before it comes, and profit alike by the inflation and the collapse. Then when the success does arrive tardily some eight months afterwards, they have a story of foul play at the mine which, perhaps, is entirely fictitious. But this much is certain, that if all were honest, if all were fair on the Com- stock and exchange, the investment would be a lottery and not an invest- ment. And every man owes it to his family to make such investments as shall be perpetual and grow with the growth of the State. Now this is the exact condition of California wine culture. All those who have examined the subject are satisfied that the wine is superior on the average to any other wine of any other country, not even excepting France. This industry has fought its way from small beginnings, until it commences to push its way into the front rank. It was once a little cloud not bigger than a man's hand, and now it looms large, and is destined, in the opinion of many, to cover all California. And it has numberless advantages • over other industries, which men begin to realize. Everything which is connected with it receives a permanent benefit, for instead of being compelled to dimin- ish and disappear, like mining, it constantly increases and enlarges and waxes strong. The more men are engaged in growing grapes the more mouths have to be fed by California farmers, and they know full well that the great profit of growing wheat is in the market on the other side of the hill, and not the other side of Cape Horn. Commercially speaking, there . is no possibility of over production in wine, for immediately that a nation embra- ces wine-making it becomes wine-consuming also. France that has by its system of almost infinite subdivision of lands compelled the peasant pro- prietor to raise grapes whether the soil be suitable or not, is not able to supply the home demand, although vines are planted to the injurious exclu- sion of other products because they pay far better than anything else. And the time will certainly come when all America will be wine-consuming, and whisky drinking be a thing of the past. To-day in the restaurants of San Francisco native wine can be had at an almost nominal charge, and with our rapidity of progress it cannot be doubted that the style of our restaurants will spread to Chicago and St. Louis, thence to Cincinnati and Indiana, thence to New York, Philadelphia and Boston. The whole of the United States will be covered as by a golden net with establishments where the good cheap wine of California can be drunk. At present California drinks about three million gallons of her own wine annually, and will this year export more than two millions and a half to New York.' . But, unfor- tunately, in New York the wine is bottled and sold as French. HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 79 If the capital which is absorbed by the ever-thirsty Comstock, that gapes like, a dusty sponge, could be turned toward the wine interest, this condition of our export business would be materially changed. Had our wine-handlers the capital, our best wines would be bottled and kept for several years, until mature, and would be sold by Californian agents ia all the large cities of the East in open competition with the French; and our average grade wines would be sold even cheaper than they are now, so as to place them within the reach of all Eastern restaurants. At present this is the course pursued on a very limited scale in California; but with our restricted capital, we cannot extend the sphere of our operations beyond our own State. Hence California wine is under a great disadvantage, and her dealers suffer a loss of prestige and profit. The New York dealers buy a cheap average of our wines — that is to say, fair wines about a year old — and pass them off upon the public for French superior wine?. So immense and wholesale is the swindling perpetrated in the French wine ports, Cette, Marseilles and Bor- deaux, that the public is actually benefitted by the New York trickery. For though these wines which masquerade as superior French wines are in reality inferior California wines, yet they are far better than the French vins de cargaisons or export wines. There is no attempt on the part of the friends of California wine to claim equality with the French chateau wines but it has been demonstrated by analysis, based upon the invoices of wine in the United States Consular offices of the ports named, that these fine wines do not come to America. If any American wants them he must go to the vineyards and buy the vintage over the heads of other buyers, but these fine wines are not exported from France on commission, as nineteen-twentieths of the French wine that comes to America actually is. The wine is notori- ously fabricated from bad wines, both white and red, flavored in imitation sweetened with brown sugar, strengthened with alcohol distilled at Hamburg from potatoes, and colored with fuchsine, one of the petroleum colors. This delectable compound is brought down to the correct claret pitch with water, and the whole comes in cask to New York, accompanied by cases filled with emptj' bottles, assorted packets of grand labels, straw, corks and everything necessary to give the wine the air of having been bottled in France. The known price of this vin de cargaison is from six to seven cents a gallon. Now, our California wines that take the place of this villainous stuff are pure and good, but they have not been given the time to mature, and are conse- quently often crude and acrid. A peach is delicious, but an unripe peach is by no means a delicate morsel. So it is with wine. The better it is in quality, the longer it takes to ripen. Wines that have a low level of quality soon reach it, for they have not far to go ; wines that are very superior have far to go, and it takes them a corresponding length of time. It is hard that one of the worst enemies of California wine is an enemy within the gates — a household foe. Our wealthy men in general affect to dis- no HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. dain California wine, and speak with rapture of French. It is really a mat- ter for just complaint that the leading California industry — for such it truly is — should be slandered by the very men who are in honor bound to main- tain and assist it. California patriotism is notorious ; yet it is a fact that the very men who claim that whatever is done or made in California is bet- ter than anything made or done elsewhere, make an exception against our wine. Singular anomaly ! They brag of things that are doubtful, and they deny that which is certain ! If this sentiment is based upon the cheapness of California wine, then there is a depth of snobbishness exhibited which the mind recoils from and refuses to fathom. Can anything more revoltingly purse-proud be imagined than a man who insists upon buying a bad foreign article because it is dear, and who despises and refuses a good home article because it is cheap ? If these men had been born in the purJDle, if they had drunk French claret all their lives, one would condone their offense against patriotism, and explain their prejudices by the supposition that their palates were so depraved by the constant use of what was bad, that they had lost the power of discriminating what was good. But this apology will not hold, because we know well enough that these millionaires strengthened their tis- sues in the old days of their struggles against poverty with corn whisky, and the use of claret is only a device born of millions, and a pretense of habitSj aristocratic, and luxurious, to which they are in reality strangers. These men drink claret and sigh for lager, they degustate Burgundy and wish to heaven that cider was a fashionable beverage. It would be a sign of true nobility to drink what they liked without the assumption of tastes which are foreign to them. But if they must drink wine, let them drink California wine, and then they will at least have the consolation of patriotism. They would, howevei:, be conferring a real benefit on the community if they would do what the aristocrats of Europe set them the example by doing. Wealthy men all over the world are exceedingly choice in the wines they drink, and have found by experience that the only way to have a good article is to make a cellar. The\' first construct underneath their palatial mansions proper receptacles for the wine, and then they devote themselves to the grand task of stocking them. This cannot be done by rushing into the market and offering any price for, let us say, claret of 1858. For, by the system pursued for the last hundred and fifty years, almost all the 1858 wine went to these private cellars the year it was made. In fact, it was bought before it was made, and then was laid down in the bins to ripen until thoroughly mature. Nor was it broached until all the wine of 1846, the preceding grand vintage, was all consumed. Then 1858 was attacked, and when that was gone 1867 was brought to light. By this method the wealthy have wine that is absolutely perfect, and the first cost is not great. The expense of a properly constructed cellar, of competent butlers and cellar-men, is no doubt large, but the result is perfect wine, and this is not 1^2^^^^^-^^^-=$,--^ HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 81 to be had in the market. There are speculators who, at the death of wine connoisseurs who have no near heirs, or at the failure and bankruptcy of sporting nobles, buy up such fragments of wine stocks as may be for sale, but the amount is infinitesimal. Formerly the wealthy of our Eastern cities did have cellars of Madeira, and American Madeira was notoriously superior to any other, but since the failure of that wine American cellars have almost ceased to exist. To the California millionaire fortune now gives the high privilege of reinstituting the cellar system, stocked not with a single foreign w^ine, but with aU the generous resources of our magnificent vineyards. We ■do not yet know of what California is capable. We have not fairly tried the quality of Zinfindel, but there is a shrewd belief among the initiated that the rival of the Chateau wines of the Gironde does exist ui this vine. It is thought that Zinfindel, planted on the moat precipitous slopes and fairly matured, will be the equal, perhaps more than the equal, of Chateau Lafitte, ■Chateau Margaux, or Braun Moutoun. No dealer has time or capital to make this attempt. The wine handlers of San Francisco, with their smalL capital, have done marvels, but they cannot do this, for their cellars are occupied with wines that come and go. This thing is for the rich. Here is their opportunity to be patriotic. It must be understood that the fortunes and profits of the wine business are to be found rather in the general consumption than in the elevation of special brands. But what is wanted is to attract to our enormous stretches of foot- Mlls, so admirably calculated for the culture of the vine, olive, and fig, con- tinuous streams of intelligent, well-to-do immigrants. At first the vine- grower had also to make wine, and this necessity was a bar to his migration, because sensible men understand how expensive and how difiicult is the busi- ness. But at this juncture the wine trade has so developed in this State that grape-growing and wine-making are distinct pursuits. He who grows grapes only is as certain of a sale for them as is the wheat cultivator. One may, therefore, boldly say to the teeming millions of the East, " Come to •California and we will make you rich. Here in the golden grape is the true El Dorado. Here is a heavenly climate, a delightful land, abundance of all meats, profusion of all fruits, no public debt of any amount, no crushing taxes and a superb future." For the grape-grower has the certainty of com- petence and the possibility of collossal wealth. His vineyard may turn out one of the favored' spots which produce the nectar wme. The Chateau -yv^ines •of France are only such favored spots. The grapes which grow there are the same as those which produce the ordinary wine. But Nature, in her whim- sical prodigality, gives to a place here and a place there certain facilities and advantages which we caimot discover by any analysis, though we may know their results. As these spots exist in France, so we know that they exist Tiere, and any one of these is a silver mine that is never exhausted, but be- comes more valuable as time goes on. If the wealthy men of California 6 82 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOENIA. would become interested in our wine, and would, instead of decrying it, form cellars and assist in finding out by fully maturing the different wines the advantages of the different localities, then the reputation of our vintages would become so great that immigrants would come by hundreds of thou- sands. We have now such a mass of knowledge with regard to grape culture that no one need go astray. Information and brotherly assistance await every man who will help to build up California's grand industry. But we must repeat that we ought to have no enemies within our gates. Squatting Troubles. — For the benefit of our readers we quote the following lucid statement of facts in regard to the squatting disturbances near Healds- burg which appeared in the Sonoma County Democrat of June 19, 1862 : — " The rancho Sotoyome, upon which the lands in dispute are situate, was granted by the Mexican Government to Henry D. Fitch in 1844. We are told by attorneys now in attendance upon the District Court that a title more perfect in all respects was never presented to the courts for adjudi- cation. Mr. Fitch died in 1849, leaving several children, the plaintiff Mrs. Bailhache among the number. The rancho was confirmed by the courts, and in April, 1858, a patent issued therefor from the United States Govern- ment. Previous to this, and while the title to the rancho was pending before the United States Courts, the rancho was divided into small tracts, and sold under an order of the Probate Court of this county. At that sale Mrs. Bail- hache became the purchaser of the lands in dispute ( some fourteen hundred acres ) as her interest in the estate of her father. After the issuance of the patent for the rancho to the heirs of H. D. Fitch, Mrs. Bailhache brought a suit in ejectment against the parties in possession of the premises claimed by her, and after long and patient litigation, she finally, in October, 1859, obtained judgment for the restitution of the premises, against three of the parties in possession. In June, 1860, a judgment by confession in open court was entered against the balance of the occupants, with a stipulation that it should not be enforced until the first of December following. In July, 1860, a writ of restitution was issued out of the District Court against Messrs. Bice, Miller and Neely, the parties against whom the judgment was obtained in October, 1859, when they, for a mere nominal sum, entered into a lease, by the terms of which they agreed to deliver up the quiet and peaceable pos- session of the premises occupied by them on the first of December following. " On the first of December, 1860, demand was made for the premises in accordance with the terms of the stipulation, and leases, and proposals made to sell or lease the premises. No arrangement seems to have been made,, and in January, 1861, a writ of restitution was placed in the hands of the Sheriff against one G. C. Clark. It appears Clark was put out, the plaintiff put in possession, and on the same night the plaintiff was ousted by an armed force, and Clark returned. About this time suit was brought on the leases. HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 83 upon which the plaintiff again recovered judgment and small damages. It was upon the execution issued in this last case that the farce of selling some stock for ten cents was enacted by Deputy Sheriff Campbell, last winter. At the February term of the District Court the plaintiff recovered judgment against the defendants Bice, Miller, and Neely, for some eleven hundred dollars, the value of rents and profits of the lands held by them. To the execution in this last judgment, the resistance was made last week. And to the execu- tion of the writ of restitution the resistance is now made. " From the foregoing facts it appears that the defendants in this matter have chosen to resort to law for the settlement of their rights — that they have had no standing in court — and have had repeated judgments against them. It appears further, that they, by their own terms, should have delivered up the possession of the property long ago. That they have had opportunity to buy or to lease, and have had the use and occupation of the land at least four years, against the title of the plaintiff. On their part, we are informed, they say that the title of the plaintiff is invalid in consequence of some irregu- larity in the probate sale. Admit that it is imperfect, the courts have deter- mined that it is good against them, and resistance to that decree will not give them a title. " Many hardships have no doubt been worked upon settlers in this State ; but we can find no apology for the action of the defendants in this matter. They litigated themselves out of court, have enjoyed the use of the land for years free of taxation, and now that the plaintiff asks simply what the court says is hers, if they cannot buy the lands at prices which they can afford to pay, like true men and law-abiding citizens, they should leave the premises, without compelling the officer of the court to resort to force to remove them, as he is certain to do, if they persist. Have not these men some one among their number capable of weighing the great responsibility they assume in armed resistance to the law ? It is more serious than the settlement of any disputed rights between the parties. The whole community, county and State, become interested in the result, and looking beyond any grievances the parties them- selves may think they have suffered, must come to the support of the law as the only safety we have as a people, in determining and protecting our rights in person and property. Though these men may be successful for a day, they cannot derive any permanent rights or benefits, and finally must yield with greater loss to themselves." On the 15th July, the Sheriff, with two hundred and thirty of a posse comitatus, proceeded to the spot, but were unable to gain any end, as is shown in the subjoined affidavit made by prominent citizens, who were pres- ent on the occasion : " State of California, County of Sonoma. — The under- signed, citizens of Sonoma county, being each duly sworn, depose and say — that they were of the posse comitatus summoned by J. M. Bowles, Sheriff of said county, to assist him (the Sheriff) in the execution of certain writs of 84 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. restitution or possession in favor of Josephine Bailhache, and against J. N. Stapp, Alexander Skaggs, Thomas L. Forsee, Cornelius Bice, Robert Neely, James Miller, and A. M. Green, and were present with said Sheriff and posse on the 15th day of July, 1862, when an attempt was made to execute said writs. That upon the approach of said Sheriff and posse to the premises of the said Cornelius Bice, they found drawn up in line in front of the house situated upon the premises, of which possession was to be given, a body of men, numbering aljout forty, armed with guns. That upon the Sheriff and his posse coming up to them and informing them that he was there for the purpose of executing said writs, the said body of armed men declared that they were there for the purpose of resisting, and would, with all their force, resist and prevent, if they had the force to do so, the execution of any and all of said writs, and forbade the Sheriff or his posse to enter the gate to the yard in which they were standing, with their guns presented towards the Sheriff and posse. That the Sheriff more than once commanded them to disperse and permit him peaceably to perform his duty and execute the writs, and that they refused to do so, and reiterated their determination to forcibly prevent their execution. That the posse of the Sheriff was unarmed, and from actual observation and intercourse with them then and there, deponents know that most of them were unwilling, and a great many of them absolutely refused to risk an encounter with the said body of armed men. Deponents further say that, from their information, they believe that the said body of armed men in front of said house was not more than one-sixth of the whole body of armed men that had assembled in that immediate vicinity for the purpose of resisting the execution of these writs, and that the remainder of said body were within such convenient distance to those in front of the house as to render them assistance upon the occurrence of any conflict. Deponents further say that it would have been rash and danger- ous to life, and, in their opinion, a useless sacrifice of unarmed citizens, to have made any further attempt than was made to execute the said writs then and there, and they believe that they cannot be executed by such a posse of citizens as the Sheriff can summon in the county, and believe they can be executed only by the assistance of military power." In order to carry out the law the Emmet Rifles and Petaluma Guards, under the command of Captains Baylis and Hewlett, respectively, were detailed for this duty, and proceeded to Healdsburg, where they, with a posse of civilians, proved them- selves able to cope with the rebellious squatters. Skaggs, Stapp, Miller, and others were tried before the District Court for contempt, on October 24th, and each fined five hundred dollars, and sentenced to five days' imprison- ment in the county jail. But here the question did not end. On February 9, 1862, Deputy-Sheriff J. D. Binns, with a posse, served a writ of restitution upon Cornelius Bice, who had still remained in occupation, when he, with his family, were removed and J. N. Bailhache put in possession. That night the HISTOEY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOENIA. 85 premises were burned, by parties unknown. On the following evening Robert Ferguson was wounded by a gun-shot, while moving some rails from the premises of one of the defendants, from the effects of which he died on the loth. E.AILKOADS. — Of all the means which tend to cause the rapid settlement of a country, perhaps there are none which produce such quick results as the railroad. So soon as it is learned that the fiery horse is snorting through a hitherto unknown territory, so sure are travelers to make their appearance, and as the numbers of these increase, more certain is it that permanent occupiers will follow, trading posts be opened, and around their nucleus be:^re the lapse of many weeks will a town spring up. As the transportation of freights is facilitated, so will prdduce increase, and as crops multiply, still , more certain it is that peace and plenty will reign. The want of a rapid means of transportation had long been felt in Sonoma county, and though many lines of railroads from all parts of the sur- rounding districts had been mooted, it was not until the first year of this decade that a line of cars became un fait accompli. We will now consider the San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad — This line which traverses the entire length of the Petaluma, Santa Rosa, and Russian River valleys, was commenced in the year 1869, and was completed to its present terminus at Cloverdale in 1872. As a road, not one in the entire State is more com- plete in its appointments, while from its incipience to the present time it has progressed with the county, and reflects much credit upon its builders and upon its management. The builder of the line, and the President of the company is Colonel Peter Donahue. His attention was first called to the work by the Hon. A. P. Overton, now a prominent citizen of Santa Rosa and formerly of Petaluma. Colonel Donahue, with that keen business foresight for which he is so eminent among his compeers, at once saw the necessity which existed for such a road, took in hand, and pushed it to its completion with that iron will which knows not let nor hindrance. Of Colonel Donahue's labors, Mr. R. A. Thompson says : " To that enterprise, which has placed Colonel Donahue in the fore- most rank of the business men of the great metropolis of the Pacific coast, we owe our excellent facilities for communication with San Francisco. When others faltered or drew back, he pressed to the front. His business sagacity and capital proved the " open sesame " which smoothed and made straight our highway to the sea, over which the varied products of Sonoma county are transported ( a rich tribute ) to his adopted city, San Francisco." Colonel A. A. Bean, a most accomplished gentleman, is the manager of the line. North Pacific Coast Railroad. — The following is from Mr. Thompson's remarkably interesting and correct work above quoted: — 86 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. " The North Pacific Coast Railroad extends from a point in Marin county, opposite San Francisco, through that county into Sonoma, and terminates at Duncan's mill, on Russian river. Milton S. Latham is President of the company. W. F. Russell is Secretary and general agent, John .W. Dougherty is general manager, W. B. Price is Auditor and general passenger agent, C. B. Mansfield is assistant superintendent, and J. W. Fillmore, train despatcher, " The road was first opened January 1875. Freight cars cross the bay of San Francisco on barges to the opposite shore at Saucelito, the land terminus of the road, a distance of six miles ; or, reversing the order, they carry the freight laden cars from the terminus to the city. Each barge has a capacity fof twelve loaded cars, making a great saving in transporting freight." " The road has a second terminus on the bay of San Francisco, at San Quentin, by a branch road, which leaves the main line two miles north of San Rafael. The Saucelito terminus is used for freight business, while the San Quentin terminus is used principally for the passenger business. This latter terminus is connected with San Francisco, a distance of about nine miles, by two elegant ferry boats, built in New York exclusively for this line, and for travel between the city of San Francisco and San Rafael. " The road is a narrow-gauge, being three feet between the rails ; leaving San Rafael, the road runs through Marin county, passing Ross valley, by Fairfax and Paeheco, to the summit, known as White Hill, at the head of Ross valley. The grade in this ascent is one hundred and twenty-one feet to the mile, and so doubles back upon itself that in one instance the tracks are not one hundred yards apart after traversing a distance of three-fourths of a mile. "At the summit the road passes through a tunnel thirteen hundred feet long, and descends into the valley of San Geromino creek to Nicasio, and from there to Tomales. The route to this point is through a splendid dairy country, and, for all those rare beauties of scenery peculiar to California, it can nowhere be surpassed. "For a year and a half the northern terminus of the road was at Tomales, fifty-four miles from Saucelito. The entrance to Sonoma county was barred as it were, by a wall of solid rock, through which it was necessary to cut a tunnel seventeen hundred feet in length. The men who formed this company were not to be deterred by obstacles even as formidable as this rocky barrier ; they pierced it, and soon the hiUs which enclosed the fertile valleys of southwestern Sonoma echoed the steam-whistle of the approaching locomotive. " The road was finished to its destined terminus on Russian river in the winter of 1876-7. Just before reaching Valley Ford the road crosses the Estero Americano, and enters Sonoma county, passing Valley Ford, a pretty village; but just why its church should have been built across the line in Marin county, is beyond our ken. Steaming north, we pass Bodega Corners HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 87 depot, and next Freestone. Just beyond Freestone the road enters the redwood timber belt, ascends Salmon creek by a steep grade to Howard's Station, crossing there the summit of the divide between the waters which fall, on the south, into Bodega bay, and on the north, into Russian river. Just before reaching Howard's the road passes over one of the highest bridges west of the Mississippi river. The bridge is one hundred and thirty-seven feet high. At Howard's we have fairly entered the redwood timber fields, and begin to realize the ultimate aims of the projectors of this enterprise, and the business it is destined to develop. Up to the fall of 1876 there were only three small saw-mUls on or near the line of the road, and the great expense of hauling made them available only for the local trade. It has been but nine months since the road was completed, and there are now (1877) on the line of the road six large saw-miUs, sending to market daily one hundred and seventy-five thousand feet of lumber, besides great quantities of shingles, laths, pickets, cord-wood, tan-bark, and charcoal. "Streeten's mill is owned by Latham & Streeten; has a capacity of fifteen thousand feet per day ; has about one thousand acres of land ; employs forty men. The Russian River Land and Lumber Company is owned by Governor M. S. Latham, the largest owner of timber-land in this section, having ten thousand acres in one body. From Streeten's mill to Duncan's, with the exception of two mUes, the road passes thi'ough its land. It owns all the timber-land on the old Bodega Rancho that lies in Ocean township. Its two mills — the Tyrone mill and the Moscow mill (at Moscow) — have each a capacity of forty thousand feet per day. Each mill employs from eighty to ninety men, and in the logging for both mills about sixty cattle are employed. The logs are hauled to mUl on small locomotives, or tramways laid with railroad iron. The lumber, as at all the six saw-mills, is loaded directly on the cars, and not rehandled until delivered at the wharf in San Francisco. The saving of labor, expense, and breakage, from this fact alone, will at once be appreciated by any one familiar with the lumber business. " The next mill below is one of the mills of the Madrona Land and Lumber Company, near the intersection of Howard creek with Russian river. This company has about one thousand acres of land, and the mill has a capacity of twenty thousand feet per day, employing fifty men. A branch tract runs three-fourths of a mile up the Russian river to another mill of this company, having a capacity of twenty-five thousand feet per day, and employing sixty men. "Following down the Russian river we pass the Moscow mill (already mentioned)', and cross the river on the four-hundred-foot bridge to Duncan's mill. Mr. A. Duncan, the senior proprietor, is the oldest lumberman on this river. He owns four thousand acres of land, principally on Austin creek, which empties into Russian' river opposite Moscow. Duncan's mill has a capacity of thirty-five thousand feet per day, and employs seventy-five men. 88 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. " It is estimated that the lands owned by these parties will produce six hundred million feet of lumber. " Immediately upon the completion of the road, the southern terminus of the northern coast stages for Stewart's Point, Valhalla, Mendocino City, Point Arena, and Navarra Ridge, was changed to Duncan's mill, making a great saving in time for all the northwest coast. " A description of this road would be incomplete without referring to the great inducements it offers to pleasure-seekers and sportsmen. It is not a sufficiently strong assertion to say that no route of eighty miles out of San Francisco offers such a variety of beautiful scenery. Moscow and Duncan's Mill, (opposite the river,) are two charming spots, and as picturesque as any in the State. The ocean winds, tempered by the distance of seven miles up the Eussian river, prevail all through the summer. Here are to be found the finest fishing and shooting. Austin creek is one of the notable trout streams in the State ; quail abound ; deer are still in the forests and glades. Salmon can be caught in large numbers in the river." Sonovia Valley Railroad. — Several attempts have been made to overcome the disadvantages to which Sonoma is subjected, yet, though the obstacles in the way are not only not insuperable, but also not great, the schemes have invariably come to naught. Now, however, there is a prospect of better things. A shorter route has been devised, embracing a railroad to overcome the sinuosities and shallows of Sonoma creek (which in its course resembles the Mississippi river) and a shorter line by vessel. The most favorable thing to be said of the present project is that it is not only devised, but that the execution of the project has actually begun. The scheme is this: A narrow- gauge railroad is to be constructed from Sonoma to Sears' Point, some four- teen miles. At that point a wharf is to be extended out to a depth of four- teen feet at low-water mark. Between there and the city a fast steamer is to ply. The entire distance between Sonoma and San Francisco, it is promised, will be made inside of two hours and a half, and two round trips will be made daily. Instead of, as now, three trips a week, fourteen will be made each way ; and instead of each trip requiring from four to seven hours, but two and a half will be necessary. Stage-coaching will be done away with, teaming of frt'ight will be greatly lessened, loss of time on sand-bars will be greatly saved, communication will be increased, and Sonoma will no longer be isolated. The construction of the railway has been begun at Norfolk, a point on the creek between McGill's and Embarcadero, and extended some four miles to the village boundary. Thence it will be continued as fast as practicable to the heart of the village.* The right of way has been obtained on the plan that the Sonomans shall raise funds sufficient to recoup individuals for what- ever damage shall be done to their property. Only one property-holder * Since writing the above, we have to announce the arrival o( the iron-horse into the town of Sonoma. HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 89 stands out, and, if necessary, his opposition will be overcome by the purchase of his small holding. Simultaneously with the extension of the road into the village, the road will be pushed from Norfolk — a draw-bridge will here be necessary — across the reclaimed lands to the base of the foothills, and thence some six miles to Sears' Point. The construction of this road requires no great obstacles to be overcome. The greatest has already been sur- mounted, the building of the track over some three miles of unreclaimed tule land. There are no cuts of any consequence to be made, there is virtually no grade, and there is an abundance of gravel for ballastjpg easily accessible. The proposed road, in fact, presents few difficulties, and they will be easily mastered. The Sonoma Valley Railroad will certainly soon he a fact. Then all that will remain to give the country through which it passes the vitality which it lacks and needs, is that the promise of frequent and quick ti-ips across the bay shall be kept. This, there is scarcely a doubt, will be done. This much accomplished, it is next proposed to place Sonoma and Santa Rosa in railroad communication. The effect of this will be to throw open the whole of Sonoma valley to further settlement, to increase the value of the lands and to stimulate the already great wine, brandy, and raisin production. We will now draw this portion of our work to a close, and for any matter which may not be found on the foregoing pages we would refer the reader to the histories of the townships which will be found farther on. We have en- deavored not to rob county history for the benefit qf township history ; in many cases, however, it has been impossible to follow this rule, therefore the annals of some of the latter are much fuller than others; this may or may not be a fault ; at any rate when certain portions have been omitted in one place they will be found in the other. In conclusion, we append the follow- ing beautiful lines by Bayard Taylor, as fully portraying the past, present, and future of Sonoma county: — FAiK young land, the youngest, fairest far Thy human children shall restore the grace Of which our world can boast, — Gone with thy fallen pines : Whose guardian planet. Evening's silver star, The wild, barbaric beauty of thy face Illumes thy golden coast, — Shall round to classic lines. How art thou conquered, tamed in all the pride And Order, Justice, Social Law shall curb Of savage beauty still! Thy untamed energies; How brought, panther of the splendid hide. And Art, and Science, with their dreams superb, To know thy master's will! Replace thine ancient ease. No more thou sittest on thy tawny hills ^.j^^ ^„y e, sleeping in thy mountains now. In mdolent repose; gh^U li^^ i^ sculptures rare; Or pour St the crystal of a thousand nils ^hy native oak shall crown the sage's brow,- Down from thy house of snows. rphy bay, the poet's hair. Butwherethewild-oatswrapp'dthykneeaingold,„„ , ,.,,,„,,,.,. The ploughman drives his share, ^ ^iJ'^^'f^ ^^^^^. ^}f^\ ^l^*^. ,*''*••' P^'^P^" '^"'*' And where, through canyons deep, thy streamg. Thy valleys yield their oil; are rolled And Music, with her eloquence divine. The miner's arm is bare. Persuade thy sons to toil. Yet in thy lap, thus rudely rent and torn. Till Hesper, as he trims his silver beam, A nobler seed shall be: No happier land shall see. Mother of mighty men, thou shalt not mourn And Earth shall find her old Arcadian dream Thy lost virginity! Restored again in thee ! 90 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. THE BEAR FLAG WAR. ITS CAUSE — ITS PROGKESS — ITS CONCLITSION. Sonoma being the spot whereon were enacted most of the deeds of the intrepid band of Republicans known to fame as the Bear Flag party, no work, purporting to be a history of that county, would be complete without a sketch of the causes which led to the taking up of arms by the "Independ- ents," and the further measures adopted by them. To do this, it will be necessary to tread upon ground already traveled over, and although the tale may be fresh in the minds of a few of our readers, the legends attached thereto be green in the hearts of the successors to some of the active participants in those events, yet there are many who have not read a succinct and con- nected account of the doings of those times, and to them is this especial chapter dedicated. In the early part of this 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 actually gained a foothold at Bodega and Fort Ross, in this county. In the year 1818 Gov- ernor Sola received a communication from Friar Marquinez, of Guadalajara, in Old Spain, wherein he informs His Excellency of the rumors of war between the United States and Spain, while, in February of the following year. Father Jose Sanchez, writes to the same official that there is a report abroad of the fitting out of an American expedition in 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 Californias. — 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 sea-coast on the Pacific, stretching more than a 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 1842 and 1846, necessitated the maintenance of % large and powerful fleet by both the Americans and British on the Pacific Ocean, each closely observing the other. The first HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 91 move in the deep game was made by the United States in September, 1842, by Commodore Ap Catesby Jones. He became possessed of two newspapers which would appear to have caused him to take immediate 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 publication, caused him to believe that war had been declared between the two countries. The sudden departure of two of the British vessels strengthened him in this belief, and, that they were en route for Panama to embark soldiers from the West Indies for the occupa- tion of California. To forestall this move of " perfidious Albion," Commo- dore Jones left Callao, Peru, on September 7, 1842, and crowded all sail ostensibly for the port of Monterey ; but when two days out his squadron hove to, a council of the Captains of the Flag-ship, " Cyane" and " 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 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 mast of Mexico, where it is surmised that a British settlement (station) is to be located in accordance with a secret convention between tlw 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 possible 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, 18-t2, by General Micheltorena, to assist the English, it was apprehended, to carry out the secret treatj^ whereby California was to be handed over to Great Britain. Of these troops, who were mostly convicts, Micheltorena lost a great number by deser- tion; 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 2.5th. Between Los Angeles and Santa Barbara, with his army reduced to but three hundred from desertion, at 11 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 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 92 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. occurrences took place on October 19, 1842. On the 28th, the Commodore 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 withdrew to the Mission of San Fernando, and there remained for some time, when he finally, on the horizon being cleared, transferred his staff to Los Angeles, and there entertained Commodore Jones on January 19, 1843. The recall of Jones was demanded by the Mexican Minister at Washing- ton, which was complied with, and Captain Alexander J. Dallas instructed to relieve him of the command of the Pacific squadron. Dallas at once pro- ceeded 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 intelligence of the turn affairs had taken, and kept steering from port to port, and finally touching at Valparaiso) Chili, 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. In this time the revolution which drove General Michel torena and his army from California, had broken out and been quelled; while the Oregon boundary and the annexation of Texas were questions which kept the naval authorities at fever heat. Let us now leave these American and British sailors with their mighty 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 Fremont departed from Washington for the purpose of organizing a third expedition for the topographical survey of Oregon and California, which having done, 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 Fremont, Kit Carson, Theodore Talbot, and others of that band, whose wanderings have formed the theme of many a ravishing tale ; our duty will only permit of defining the part taken by them in regard to our especial subject. About June 1, 1846, General Jose Castro, with Lieutenant Francisco de Arci, his Secretary, left the Santa Clara Mission, where they had ensconced themselves after pursuing Fremont from that district, and passing through Yerba Buena (San Francisco) crossed the bay to the Mission of San Rafael, HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 93 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 Land- ing and Sutter's Fort. These horses were intended to be used against Fre- mont 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 intelli- gence that Lieutenant Arci had been surprised and taken prisoner on the 10th by a band of adventurers, who had also 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 turned back to Monterey, and on June 12th dictated a letter, through ex-Governor Don Juan B. Alvarado, tu the Prefect Manuel Castro, saying that the time had come when their differences should be laid aside, and conjoint action taken for the defence and protection of their common country, at the same time asking that he should collect all the men and horses possible and send them to Santa Clara. He then returned to his head- quarters, and on the I7th 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 valley to Knight's Landing, on the left bank of the Sacramento river, about fifteen miles north of the present city of Sacramento. [This ferry was kept by William Knight, who had left Missouri May 6, 1841, arrived in California November 10, 1841, received a grant of land and settled at Knight's Land- ing, Yolo county of to-dayC He died at the mines on the Stanislaus river, in Nov. 1849.] 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 therefore thought to be trustworthy, he confided the secret of the expedition. Such knowledge was too much for any ordinary feminine bosom to contain. She told her husband, who, in assisting the officer to cross his horses, gave him fair words so that suspicion might be lulled, and then bestriding his fleetest horse, he made direct for Captain Fremont'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 matters, communicated to Captain Fremont and the settlers that Lieutenant Arci had, the evening before, the 8th, crossed at his landing, bound to Santa Clara via the Gosumne river; that Arci had told Mrs. Knight, in confidence, that the animals were intended to be used by Castro in expelling the American settlers from the country, and that it was also the intention to fortify the Bear river pass above the rancho of W^illiam Johnson, thereby putting a stop to all emigration; a 94 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOKNIA. move of Castro's which 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 threatened to burn the settlers' crops, incited thereto, presumably, by Castro. Fremont, 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. Among these were, that the greater proportion of foreign- ers in the country had become Mexican citizens, and married ladies of the country, for the sake of procuring land, and through them had become pos- sessed of deep secrets supposed to be known only to the prominent Calffor- nians. Another was that a convention had been held at the San Juan Mis- sion to decide which one of the two nations, America or Great Britain, should guarantee protection to California against all others for certain privileges and considerations. Lieutenant Kevere says: "I have been favored by an intelligent member of the Junta with the following authentic report of the substance of Pico's speech to that illustrious body of statesmen : — "Excellent Sirs : To what a deplorable condition is our country reduced! Mexico, professing to be our mother and our protectress, has given us neither arms nor money, nor the material of war for our defense. She is not likely to do anything in our behalf, although she is quite willing to afflict us with her extortionate minions, who come hither in the guise of soldiers and civil officers, to harass and oppress our people. We possess a glorious country, capable of attaining a physical and moral greatness corresponding with the grandeur and beauty which an Almighty hand has stamped on the face of our beloved California. But although nature has been prodigal, it cannot be denied that we are not in a position to avail ourselves of her bounty. Our population is not large, and it is sparsely scattered over valley and moun- tain, covering an immense area of virgin soil, destitute of roads and traversed with difficulty ; hence it is hardly possible to collect an army of any consider- able force. Our people are poor, as well as few, and cannot well govern themselves and maintain a decent show of sovereign power. Although we live in the midst of plenty, we lay up nothing ; but, tilling the earth in an imperfect manner, all our time is required to provide subsistence for ourselves and our families. Thus circumstanced, we find ourselves suddenly threatened by hordes of Yankee emigrants, who have already begun to flock into our country, and whose progress we cannot arrest. Already have the wagons of that perfidious people scaled the almost inaccessible summits of the Sierra Nevada, crossed the entire continent, and penetrated the fruitful valley of the Sacramento. What that astonishing people will next undertake I cannot say ; but in what ever enterprise they embark they will be sure to prove successful. Already are these adventurous land-voyagers spreading them- selves far and wide over a country which seems suited to their tastes. They HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 95 are cultivating fai"ms, establishing vineyards, erecting mills, sawing up lum- ber, building workshops, and doing a thousand other things which seem natural to them, but which Californians neglect or despise. What then are we to do ? Shall we remain supine while these daring strangers are over- running our fertile plains and gradually outnumbering and displacing us ? Shall these incursions go on unchecked, untU we shall become strangers in our own land ? We cannot successfully oppose them by our own unaided power ; and the swelling tide of emigration renders the odds against us more formidable every day. We cannot stand alone against them, nor can we creditably maintain our independence even against Mexico ; but there is something we can do which will elevate our country, strengthen her at all points, and yet enable us to preserve our identity and remain masters of our own soU. Perhaps what I am about to suggest may seem to some, faint- hearted and dishonorable. But to me it does not seem so. It is the last hope of a feeble people, struggling against a tyrannical government which claims their submission at home, and threatened by bands of avaricious strangers from without, voluntarily to connect themselves with a power able and willing to defend and preserve them. It is the right and the duty of the weak to demand support from the strong, provided the demand be made upon terms just to both parties. I see no dishonor in this last refuge of the oppressed and powerless, and I boldly avow that such is the step that I would have California take. There are two great powers in Europe, which seem destined to divide between them the unappropriated countries of the world. They have large fleets and armies not unpractised in the art of war. Is it not better to connect ourselves with one of those powerful nations, than to struggle on without hope, as we are doing now ? Is it not better that one of them should be invited to send a fleet and an army, to defend and pro- tect Cahfornia, rather than we should fall an easy prey to the lawless adven- turers who are overrunning our beautiful country ? I pronounce for annexa- tion to France or England, and the people of California will never reoret having taken my advice. They wiJl no longer bo subjected to the trouble and grievous expense of governing themselves; and their beef and their graiu, which they produce, in such abundance, would find a ready market among the new comers. But I hear some one say : ' No monarchy ! ' But is not monarchy better than anarchy ? Is not existence in some shape, better than annihilation ? No monarch I and what is there so terrible in a monarchy ? Have we not all lived under a monarchy far more despotic than that of France or England, and were not our people happy under it ? Have not the leading men among our agriculturists been bred beneath the royal rule of Spain, and have they been happier since the mock republic of Mexico has supplied its place ? Nay, does not every man abhor the miserable abortion christened the republic of Mexico, and look back with regret to the golden days of the Spanish monarchy ! Let us restore that glorious era. Then may 96 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. our people go quietly to their ranchos, and live there as of yore, leading a thoughtless and merry life, untroubled by politics or cares of State, sure of what is their own, and safe from the incursions of the Yankees, who would soon be forced to retreat into their own country. " It was a happy thing for California, and, as the sequel proved, for the views of the government of the United States, a man was found at this juncture whose ideas were more enlightened and consonant with the times than those of the rulers of his country, both civil and military. Patriotism was half his soul ; he therefore could not silently witness the land of his birth sold to any monarchy however old ; and he rightly j udged that although foreign pro- tection might postpone, it could not avert that assumption of power which was beginning to make itself felt. Possessed at the time of no political power, and having had few early advantages, still his position was so exalted, and his character so highly respected by both the foreign and native population, that he had been invited to participate in the deliberations of the Junta. This man was Don Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo. Born in California, he com- menced his career in the army as an alferes, or ensign, and in this humble grade, he volunteered, at the suggestion of the Mexican government, with a command of fifty soldiers, to establish a colony on the north side of the bay of San Francisco, for the protection of the frontier. He effectually subdued the hostile Indians inhabiting that then remote region, and laid the founda- tion of a reputation for integrity, judgment, and ability, unequalled by any of his countrymen. Although quite a young man, he had alreaay filled the highest offices in the province, and had at this time retired to private life near his estates in the vicinity of the town of Sonoma. He did not hesitate to oppose with all his strength the views advanced by Pico and Castro. He spoke nearly as follows : — "I cannot, gentlemen, coincide in opinion with the military and civil functionaries who have advocated the cession of our country to France or England. It is most true, that to rely any longer upon Mexico to govern and defend us, would be idle and absurd. To this extent I fully agree with my distinguished colleagues. It is also true that we possess a noble country, every way calculated from position and resources, to become great and powerful. For that ver}^ reason I would not have her a mere dependency upon a foreign monarchy, naturally alien, or at least indifferent, to our interests and our welfare. It is not to be denied that feeble nations have in former times thrown themselves upon the protection of their powerful neigh- bors. The Britons invoked the aid of the warlike Saxons, and fell an easy prey to their protectors, who seized their lands, and treated them like slaves. Long before that time, feeble and distracted provinces had appealed for aid to the all-conquering arms of imperial Rome; and they were at the same time protected and subjugated by their grasping ally. Even could we tolerate the idea of dependence, ought we to go to distant Europe for a master? HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 97 What possible sympathy could exist between us and a nation separated from us by two vast oceans? But waiving this insuperable objection, how could w^e endure to come under the dominion of a monarchy? For, although others speak lightly of a form of Government, as a freeman, I cannot do so. We are republicans — badly governed and badly situated as we are — still we are all, in sentiment, republicans. So far as we are governed at all, we at least profess to be self-governed. Who, then, that possesses true patriotism will consent to subject himself and his children to the caprices of a foreign King and his official minions? But it is asked, if we do not throw ourselves upon the protection of France or England, what shall we do? I do not come here to support the existing order of things, but I come prepared to propose instant and effective action to extricate our country from her present forlorn condition. My opinion is made up that we must persevere in throwing off the galling yoke of Mexico, and proclaim our independence of her forever. We have endured her official cormorants and her villainous soldiery until we •can endure no longer. All will probably agree with me that we ought at once to rid ourselves of what may remain of Mexican domination. But some profess to doubt our ability to maintain our position. To my mind there ■comes no doubt. Look at Texas, and see how long she withstood the power of united Mexico. The resources of Texas were not to be compared with ours, and she was much nearer to her enemy than we are. Our position is so remote, either by land or sea, that we are in no danger from Mexican inva- .sion. Why, then, should we hesitate still to assTt our independence? We have indeed taken the first step, by electing our own Governor, but another remains to be taken. I will mention it plainly and distinctly — it is annex- a,tion to the United States. In contemplating this consummation of our destiny, I feel nothing but pleasure, and I ask you to share it. Discard old prejudices, disregard old customs, and prepare for the glorious change which awaits our country. Why should we shrink from incorporating ourselves with the happiest and freest nation in the world, destined soon to be the most wealthy and powerful? Why should we go abroad for protection when this great nation is our adjoining neighbor? When we join our fortunes to hers, we shall not become subjects, but fellow citizens, possessing all the rights of the people of the United States, and choosing our own federal and local rulers. We shall have a stable government and just laws. California wUl grow strong and flourish, and her people will be prosperous, happy, and free. Look not, therefore, with jealousy upon the hardy pioneers, who scale our mountains and cultivate our unoccupied plains; but rather welcome them as brothers, who come to share with us a common destiny." Such was the substance of General Vallej o's observations ; those who listened to him, however, were far behind in general knowledge and intelli- gence His arguments failed to carry conviction to the greater number of his auditors, but the bold position taken by him was the cause of an imme- 7 98 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. diate adjournmeiit of the Junta, no result having been arrived at concerning the weighty affairs on which they had met to deliberate. On his retiring from the Junta he embodied the views he_ had expressed in a letter to Don Pio Pico, and reiterated his refusal to participate in any action having for its end the adoption of any protection other than that of the United States. In this communication he also declared that he would never serve under any Gov- ernment which, was prepared to surrender California to an European power • he then returned to his estates, there to await the issue of events. We left William Knight at Fremont's camp, where he had arrived on the morning of June 9, 1846, imparting his information to that officer and the twenty settlers who had there assembled. At 10 A. M., of that day, a party of eleven men, under the oldest member, Ezekiel Merritt, started in pursuit of Lieutenant Arci and his horses. On arrival at Hock farm they were joined by two more, and having crossed the American river at Sinclair's, reached the rancho of Allen Montgomery, sixty miles from Fremont's camp, at the Buttes, towards evening, and there supped. Here they received the intelligence that Lieutenant Arci had reached Sutter's Fort on the 8th, and had that morning resumed his march, intending to camp that night at the rancho of Martin Murphy, twenty miles south, on the Cosumne river. Supper finished and a short rest indulged in, the party were once more in the saddle, being strengthened by the addition of Montgomery and another man, making the total force fifteen. They proceeded to within about five juiles of Murphy's, and there lay concealed till daylight, when they were again on the move, and proceeded to within haK a mile of the camp. Unperceived, they cautiously advanced to within a short distance, and then suddenly charging, secured the Lieutenant and his party, as well as the horses. Lieutenant Arci was permitted to retain his sword, each of his party was given a horse wherewith to reach Santa Clara, and a person traveling with him was permitted to take six of the animals which he claimed as private property; the Lieutenant was then instructed to depart, and say to his chief, General Castro, that the remainder of the horses were at his disposal when- ever he should wish to come and take them. The Americans at once returned to Montgomery's, with the horses, and there breakfasted; that night, the 10th, they camped twenty-seven miles above Sutter's, on the rancho of Nicolas Allgier, a German, not far from the mouth of Bear river, and, in the morning, ascertaining that Fremont had moved his camp thither from the Buttes, they joined him on the 11th, at 10 A. M., having traveled about one liundred and fifty miles in forty-eight hours. On arriving at Fremont's camp it was found that the garrison had been considerably augmented by the arrival of more settlers, who were all ardently discussing the events of the last two days, and its probable results. After a full hearing it was determined by them that, having gone so far, their only chance of safety was in a rapid march to the town of Sonoma to HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 99 effect its capture, and to accomplish this before the news of the stoppage of Lieutenant Arci and his horses could have time to reach that garrison. It was felt that should this design prove successful all further obstacles to the eventual capture of the country would have vanished. The daring band then reorganized, stiU retaining in his position of captain, Ezekiel Merritt. At 3 P. M , June 12th, under their leader, they left Fremont's camp for Sonoma, one hundred and twenty miles distant, and traveling all that night, passed the rancho of William Gordon, about ten miles from the present town of Woodland, Yolo county, whom they desired to inform all Americans that could be trusted, of their intention. At 9 A. M., on the 13th, they reached Captain John Grigsby's, at the head of Napa valley, and were joined by William L. Todd, William Scott and others. Here the company, which now mustered thirty-three men, was reorganized, and addressed by Doctor Kobert Semple. Not desiring, however, to reach Sonoma till daylight, they halted here till midnight, when they once more resumed their march, and before it was yet the dawn of June 14, 1846, surprised and captured the garrison of Sonoma, consisting of six soldiers, nine pieces of artillery, and some small arms, etc., " all private property being religiously respected ; and in generations yet to come their children's children may look back with pride and pleasure upon the commencement of a revolution which was carried on by their fathers' fathers upon principles as high and holy as the laws of eternal justice." Their distinguished prisoners were General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, Lieutenant-Colonel Victor Prudon, Captain Don Salvador Mundo Vallejo, brother to the General, and Mr. Jacob Primer Leese, brother-in-law to the General. We would now lay before the reader the account of this episode, as described by General Vallejo, at the Centennial exercises, held at Santa Rosa, July 4, 1876 :— " I have now to say something of the epoch which inaugurated a new era for this country. A little before dawn on June 14, 1846, a party of hunters and trappers, with some foreign settlers, under command of Captain Merritt, Doctor Semple, and William B. Ide, surrounded my residence at Sonoma, and without firing a shot, made prisoners of myself, then Commander of the northern frontier ; of Lieutenant-Colonel Victor Prudon, Captain Salvador Vallejo, and Jacob P. Leese. I should here state that down to October, 1845, I had maintained at my own expense a respectable garrison at Sonoma, which often, in union with the settlers, did good service in campaigns against the Indians ; but at last, tired of spending money which the Mexican Govern- ment never refunded, I disbanded the force, and most of the soldiers who had constituted it left Sonoma. Thus in June, 1846, the Plaza was entirely unprotected, although there were ten pieces of artdlery, with other arms and munitions of war. The parties who unfurled the Bear Flag were 100 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. well aware that. Sonoma was without defense, and lost no time in taking advantage of this fact, and carrying out their plans. Years before I had urgently represented to the Government of Mexico the necessity of stationing a sufficient force on the frontier, else Sonoma would be lost, which would be equivalent to leaving the rest of the country an easy prey to the invader. What think you, my friends, were the instructions sent me in reply to my repeated demands for means to fortify the country ? These instructions were that I should at once force the immigrants to recross the Sierra Nevada, and depart from the territory of the Republic. To say nothing of the inhuman- ity of these orders, their execution was physically impossible — first, because the immigrants came in Autumn, when snow covered the Sierra so quickly as to make a return impracticable. Under the circumstances, not only I, but Comandante General Castro, resolved to provide the immigrants with letters of security, that they might remain temporarily in the country. We always made a show of authority, but well convinced all the time that we had no power to resist the invasion which was coming upon us. With the frankness of a soldier I can assure you that the American immigrants never had cause to complain of the treatment they received at the hands of either authorities or citizens. They carried us as prisoners to Sacramento, and kept us in a calaboose for sixty days or more, until the authority of the United States made itself respected, and the honorable and humane Commodjre Stockton returned us to our hearths." On the seizure of their prisoners the revolutionists at once took steps to appoint a captain who was found in the person of John Grigsby, for Ezekiel Merritt wished not to retain the permanent command ; a meeting was then called at the barracks, situated at the north-east corner of the Plaza, under the presidency of William, B. Ide, Doctor Robert Semple being secretary. At this conference Semple urged- the independence of the country, stating that having once commenced they must proceed, for to turn back was certain death. Before the dissolution of the convention, however, rumors were rife that secret emissaries were being dispatched to the Mexican rancheros, to inform them of the recent occurrences, therefore to prevent any attempt at a rescue it was deemed best to transfer their prisoners to Sutter's Fort, where the danger of such would be less. Before transferring their prisoners, however, a treaty, or agreement was entered into between the captives and captors, which will appear in the annexed documents kindly furnished to us by General Vallejo and which have never before been given to the public. The first is in English, signed bv the principal actors in the revolution and reads: — " We, the undersigned, having resolved to establish a government upon Republican principles in connection with others of our fellow-citizens, and having taken up arms to support it, we have taken three Mexican officers as prisoners ; General M. G. Vallejo, Lieut. Col. Victor Prudon, and Captain D. HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTy, CALIFOENIA. 101 Salvador Vallejo, having formed and publisLed to the world no regular plan of government, feel it our duty to say that it is not our intention to take or injure any person who is not found in opposition to the cause, nor will we take or destroy the property of private individuals further than is necessary for our immediate support. Ezekiel Meeeitt, R. Semple, William Fallon, Samuel Kelsey." The second is in the Spanish language and reads as follows : — " Conste pr. la preste. qe. habiendo sido sorprendido pr. una numeros a fuerza armada qe. me toin6 prisionero y £ los gefes y ofEciales que. estaban de guarnicion en esta plaza de la qe. se apoder6 la espiesada fuerza, habiendola encontrado absolutamte. indefensa, tauto yo, como los S. S. Officiales qe. suscribero comprometemos nue stra palabra de honor, de qe. estando bajo las garantias de prisionero da guerra, no tomaremos las armas ni a favor ni contra repetida fuerza armada de quien hemos recibiro la intimacion del momto. y un escrito fuinado qe. garantiza nuestras vidas, familias d6 intereses, y los de toto el vecindario de esta jurisdn. mienti-as no hagamos oposicion. Sonoma, Junio, 14 de 1846, M. G. Vallejo. " VcE. Pecdon. Salvadoe Vallejo. But tu proceed with our narrative of the removal of the general, his brother and Prudon to Sutter's Fort. A guard consisting of William B. Ide, as captain. Captain Grigsby, Captain Merritt, Kit Carson, William Ha: grave, and five others left Sonoma for Sutter's Fort with their prisoners upon horses actually supplied by General Vallejo himself. We are told that on the first night after leaving Sonoma with their prisoners, the revolutionists, with sin- gular inconsistency, encamped and went to sleep without setting sentinel or guard ; that during the night they were surrounded by a party under the command of Juan de Padilla, who crept up stealthily and awoke one of the prisoners, telling him that there was with him close at hand a strong and well-armed force of rancheros, who, if need be, could surpris ■ and slay the Americans before there was time for them to fly to arms, but that he, Padilla before giving such instructions awaited the orders of General Vallejo, whose rank entitled him to the command of any such demonstration. The general was cautiously aroused and the scheme divulged to him, but with a self-sac- rifice which cannot be too highly commended, answered that he should go voluntarily with his guardians, that he anticipated a speedy and satis'actory settlement of the whole matter, advised Padilla to return to his rancho and disperse his band, and positively refused to permit any violence to the guard, as he was convinced that such would lead to disastrous consequencas, and probably involve the rancheros and their families in ruin, without accom- plishing any good rasult. Lieutenant Revere says of this episode: — " This was not told to me by Vallejo, but by a person who was pre.sent, 102 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. and it tallies well with the account given by the revolutionists themselves, several of whom informed me that no guard was kept by them that night, and that the prisoners might have easily escaped had they felt so inclined. The same person also told me that when Vallejo was called out of bed and made a prisoner in his own' house, he requested to be informed as to the. plans and objects of the revolutionists, signifying his readiness to collect and take command of a force of his countrymen in the cause of independence." Having traveled about two-thirds of the way from Sutter's Fort, Captain Merritt and Kit Carson rode on ahead with the news of the capture of Sonoma, desiring that arrangements be made for the reception of the prisoners. They entered the fort early in the morning of June 16th. That evening the rest of the party, with their prisoners came and were handed over to the safe-keeping of Captain Sutter, who, it is said, was severely censured by Captain Fremont for his indulgence to them. Mr. Thomas C. Lancey, the author of several interesting letters on this subject, which appeared in The Pioneer during the year 1878, remarks: — "There have been so many questions raised during this year (1878) ia relation to the date of the hoisting of the ' Bear Flag,' who made it and what material it was manufactured from, as well as the date of the capture of Sonoma, and the number of men who marched that morning, that I shall give the statements of several who are entitled to a hearing, as they were actors in that drama. " The writer of this (Mr. Lancey) was here in 1846, and served during the war, and has never left the country since, but was not one of the ' Bear Flag party,' but claims, from his acquaintance with those who were, to be able to form a correct opinion as to the correctness of these dates. Dr. Robert Semple, who was one of that party from the first, says, in his diary, that they entered Sonoma at early dawn on the 14th of June, 1846, thirty-three men, rank and file. Wm. B. Jde, who was chosen their commander, says in his diary the same. Capt. Henry L. Ford, another of this number, says, or rather his historian, S. H. W., of Santa Cruz, who I take to be the Rev. S. H. Willey, makes him say they captured Sonoma on the 12th. of June, with thirty-three men. Lieut. Wm. Baldridge, one of the party, makes the date the 14th of June, and number of men twenty-three. Lieut. Joseph Warren Revere, of the U. S. ship ' Portsmouth,' who hauled down the ' Bear flag ' and hoisted the American flag, on the 9th of July, and at a later date commanded the garrison, says, the place was captured on the 14th of June." To this list is now added the documentary evidence produced above, fixing the date of the capture of General Vallejo and his ofiicers, and therefore the taking of Sonoma, as June 14, 1646. On the seizure of the citadel of Sonoma, the Independents found floating from the flagstaff-head the flag of Mexico, a fact which had escaped notice during the bustle of the morning. It was at once lowered, and they set to HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOENIA. 103 work to devise a banner which they should claim as their own. They were as one on the subject of there being a star on the groundwork, but they tax their ingenuity to have some other device, for the "lone star" had been already appropriated by Texas. So many accounts of the manufacture of this insignia have been pub- lished that we give the reader those quoted by the writer in The Pioneer : — " A piece of cotton cloth," says Mr. Lancey, " was obtained, and a man by the name of Todd proceeded to paint from a pot of red paint a star in the corner. Before he was finished Henry L. Ford, one of the party, proposes to paint on the center, facing the star, a grizzly bear. This was unanimously agreed to, and the grizzly bear was painted accordingly. When it was done the flag was taken to the flag-staff, and hoisted amid the hurrahs of the little , party, who swore to defend it with their lives." Of this matter Lieutenant Eevere says ; " A flag was also hoisted bearing a grizzly bear rampant, with one stripe below, and the words ' Republic of California,' above the bear, and a single star in the union." This is the evidence of the officer who hauled down the Bear flag and replaced it with the Stars and Stripes on July 9, 1846. The Western Shore Gazetteer has the following version: "On the 14th of June, 1846, this little handful of men proclaimed California a free and inde- pendent republic, and on that day hoisted their flag, known as the ' Bear flag;' this consisted of a strip of worn-out cotton domestic, furnished by Mrs. Kelley, bordered with red flannel, furnished by Mrs. John Sears, who had fled from some distant part to Sonoma for safety upon hearing that war had been thus commenced. In the center of the flag was a representation of a bear, en passant, painted with Venetian red, and in one corner was painted a star of the same color. Under the bear were inscribed the words ' Republic of California," put on with common writing ink. This flag is preserved by the California Pioneer Association, and may be seen at their rooms in San Francisco. It was designed and executed by W L. Todd." The Sonoma Democrat under the caption, A True History of the Bear Flag, tells its storj : " The rest of the revolutionary party remained in possession of the town. Among them were three young men, Todd, Benjamin Duell and Thomas Cowie. A few days after the capture, in a casual conver- sation between these young men, the matter of a flag came up. They had no authority to raise the American flag, and they determined to make one. Their general idea was to imitate, without following too closely their national ensign. Mrs. W. B. Elliott had been brought to the town of Sonoma by her husband from his ranch on Mark West creek for safety. The old Elliott cabin may be seen to this day on Mark West creek, about a mile above the Springs. From Mrs. Elliott, Ben Duell got a piece of new red flannel, some white domestic, needles, and thread. A piece of blue drilling was obtained 104 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. elsewhere. From this material, without consultation with any one else, these three young men made the Bear Flag. Cowie had been a saddler. Duell had also served a short time at the same trade. To form the flag Duell and Cowie sewed together alternate strips of red, white, and blue. Todd drew in the upper corner a star and painted on the lower a rude picture of a grizzly bear, which was not standing as has been sometimes represented, but was drawn with head down. The bear was afterwards adopted as the design of the great seal of the State of California. On the original flag it was so rudely executed that two of those who saw it raised have told us that it looked more like a hog than a bear. Be that as it may, its meaning was plain — that the revolutionary party would, if necessary, fight their way through at all hazzards. In the language of our informant, it meant that there was no back out; they intended to fight it out. There were no halyards on the flag-staff which stood in front of the barracks. It was. again reared, and the flag which was soon to be replaced by that of the Republic for the first time floated on the breeze." Besides the above quoted authorities, John S. Hittell, historian of the Society of California Pioneers, San Francisco, and H. H. Bancroft, the Pacific Coast historian, fixed the dates of the raising of the Bear flag as June 12tb and June 15th, respectively. William Winter, secretary of the Association of Territorial Pioneers of California, and Mr. Lancey questioned the correct- ness of these dates, and entered into correspondence with all the men known to be alive who were of that party, and others who were likely to throw any light on the subject. Among many answers received, we quote the following portion of a letter from James G. Bleak : — " St. George, Utah, 16th of April, 1878. " To William, Winter, Esq., Secretary of Association ' Territorial Pioneers of California' — " Dear Sir : — Your communication of 3d instant is placed in my hands by the widow of a departed friend — James M. Ide, son of WilUam B. — as I have at present in my charge some of his papers. In reply to your question ask- ing for ' the correct date ' raising the ' Bear flag ' at Sonoma, in 1846, I will quote from the writing of William B. Ide, deceased : ' The said Bear flag (was) made of plane (plain) cotton cloth, and ornamented with the red flannel of a shiit from the back of one of the men, and christened by the ' California Republic,' in red paint letters on both sides; (it) was raised upon the standard where had floated on the breezes the Mexican flag aforetime; it was the 14th June, '46. Our whole number was twenty-four, all told. The mechanism of the flag was performed by William L. Todd, of Illinois. The grizzly bear was chosen as an emblem of strength and unyielding resistance." " The following testimony conveyed to the Los Angeles Express from the artist of the flag, we now produce as possibly the best that can be found : — " Los Angeles, January 11th, 1878. " Your letter of the 9th inst. came duly to hand, and in answer I have to say HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 105 in regard to the making of the original Bear flag of California, at Sonoma, in 1846, that when the Americans, who had taken up arms against the Spanish regime, had determined what kind of a flag should be adopted, the following persons performed the work : Granville P. Swift, Peter Storm, Henry L. Ford and myself ; we procured in the house where we made our head-quarters, a piece of new unbleached cotton domestic, not quite a yard wide, with strips of red flannel about four inches wide, furnished by Mrs. John Sears, on the lower side of the canvas. On the upper left hand corner was a star, and in the center was the image made to represent a grizzly bear passant, so common in this country at the time. The bear and star werepainted with paint made of linseed oil and Venetian red or Spanish brown. Underneath the bear were the words ' California Republic' The other persons engaged with me got the materials together, while I acted as artist. The forms of the bear and star and the letters were first lined out with pen and ink by myself, and the two forms were filled in with the red paint, but the letters with ink. The flag mentioned by Mr. Hittell with the bear rampant, was made, as I always understood, at Santa Barbara, and was painted black. Allow me to say, that at that time there was not a wheelwright shop in California. The flag I painted I saw in the rooms of the California Pioneers in San Francisco, in 1870, and the secretary will show it to any person who will call on him at any time. If'it is the one that I painted, it will be known by a mistake in tinting out the words ' California Republic' The letters were first lined out with a pen, and I left out the letter ' I,' and lined out the letter ' C ' in its place. But afterwards I lined out the letter ' I ' over the ' C,' so that the last syllable of ' Republic ' looks as if the two last letters were blended. " Yours respectfully, Wm. L. Todd." The San Francisco ^wmngi Posi of April 20, 1874, has the following: ' General Sherman has just forwarded to the Society of California Pioneers the guidon which the Bear Company bore at the time of the conquest of California. The relic is of white silk, with a two-inch wide red stripe at the bottom, and a bear in the center, over which is the inscription: "Republic of California." It is accompanied by the following letter from the donor : — "Society of California Pioneers, San Francisco, California — Gentle- men : At the suggestion of General Sherman I beg leave to send to your Society herewith a guidon formerly belonging to the Sonoma troop of the California Battalion of 1846 for preservation. This guidon I found among the efiects of that troop when I hauled down the Bear Flag and substituted the flag of the United States at Sonoma, on the 9th of July, 1846, and have preserved it ever since. Very respectfully, etc. "Jos. W. Revere, Brigadier-General. "Morristown, N. J., February 20, 1874." The garrison being now in possession, it was necessary to elect officers, therefore, Henry L. Ford was elected First Lieutenant ; Granville P. Swift, 106 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. First Sergeant ; and Samuel Gibson, Second Sergeant. Sentries were posted, and a system of military routine inaugurated. In the forenoon, while on parade, Lieutenant Ford addressed the company in these words : " My coun- trymen ! We have taken upon ourselves a very responsible duty. We have entered into a war with the Mexican nation. We are bound to defend each other or be shot ! There's no half-way place about it. To defend ourselves, we must have discipline. Each of you has had a voice in choosing your officers. Now they are chosen they must be obeyed ! " To which the entire band re'-.ponded thatjthe authority of the officers should be supported. The words of WUliam B. Ide, in continuation of the letter quoted above, throw further light upon the machinery of the civil-military force: "The men were divided into two companies of ten men each. The First Artillery were busily engaged in putting the cannons in order, which were charged doubly with grape and canister. The First Rifle Company were busied in cleaning, repairing and loading the small arms. The Commander, after setting a guard and posting a sentinel on one of the highest buildings to watch the approach of any persons who might feel a curiosity to inspect our operations, directed his leisure to the establishment of some system of finance, whereby all the defenders' families might be brought within the lines of our garrison and supported. Ten thousand pounds of flour were purchased'on the credit of the government, and deposited with the garrison. And an account was opened, on terms agreed upon, for a supply of beef, and a few barrels of salt, constituted our main supplies. Whisky was contrabanded altogether. After the first round of duties was performed, as many as could be spared ofl" guard were called together and our situation fully explaine'i to the men by the commanders of the garrison. " It was fully represented that our success — nay, our very life, depended on the magnanimity and justice of our course of conduct, coupled with sleepless vigilance and care. (But ere this we had gathered as many of the surrounding citizens as was possible, and placed them out of harm's way, between four strong walls. They were more than twice our number.) The commander chose from these strangers the most intelligent, and by the use of an interpreter went on to explain the cause of our coming together. Our determination to ofier equal protection and equal justice to all good and virtuous citizens; that we had not called them there to rob them of any portion of their property, or to disturb them in their social relations one with another; nor yet to desecrate their religion." As will be learned from the foregoing the number of those who were under the protection of the Bear flag within Sonoma had been considerably increased. A messenger had been dispatched to San Francisco to inform Captain Mont- gomery, of the U. S. ship " Portsmouth," of the action taken by them, he further stating, that it was the intention of the insurgents never to lay down their arms until the independence of their adopted country had been estab- HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 107 lished. Another message was dispatched about this time, but in a different direction. Lieutenant Ford, finding that the magazine was short of powder, sent two men, named Cowie and Fowler, to the Sotoyome rancho, owned by H. D. Fitch, for a bag of rifle powder. The former messenger returned, the latter, never. Before starting they were cautioned against [proceeding by traveled ways; good advice, which, however, they only followed for the first ten miles of their journey, when they struck into the main thoroughfare to Santa Rosa. At about two miles from that place they were attacked and slaughtered by a party of Californians. Two others were dispatched on special duty, they, too, were captured, but were treated better. Receiving no intelligence from either of the parties, foul plaj' was suspected, therefore, on the morning of the 20th of June, Sergeant Gibson was ordered, with four men, to proceed to the Sotoyome rancho, learn, if possible, the whereabouts of the missing men, and procure the powder. They went as directed, secured the ammunition, but got no news of the missing men. As they were passing Santa Rosa, on their return, they were attacked at daylight by a few Californians, and turning upon their assailants, captured two of them. Bias Angelina, and Barnadino Garcia alias Three-fingered Jack, and took them to Sonoma. They told of the taking and slaying of Cowie and Fowler, and that their captors were Ramon Mesa Domingo, Mesa Juan Padilla, Ramon Carrillo, Barnardino Garcia Bias Angelina, Francisco Tibran, Ygnacio Balensuella, Juan Peralta, Juan Soleto, Inaguan Carrello, Marieno Merando, Francisco Garcia, Ygnacio Stig- ger. The story of their death is a sad one. After Cowie an I Fowler had been seized by the Californians, they encamped for the night, and the follow- ing morning determined in council what should be the fate of their captives. A swarthy New Mexican, named Mesa Juan Padilla, and Three-fingered Jack, the Californian, were loudest in their denunciation of the prisoners as deserving of death, and unhappily their counsels prevailed. The unfortu- nate young men were then led out, stripped naked, bound to a tree with a lariat, while, for a time, the inhuman monsters practised knife-throwing at their naked bodies, the victims the while praying to be shot. They then commenced throwing stones at them, one of which broke the jaw of Fowler. The fiend. Three-fingered Jack, then advancing, thrust the end of his riata (a rawhide ro]je) through the mouth, cut an incision in the throat, and then made a tie, by which the jaw was dragged out. They next pro- ceeded to kill them slowly with their knives. Cowie, who had fainted, had the flesh stripped from his arms and shoulders, and pieces of flesh were cut from their bodies and crammed into their mouths, they being finally dis- emboweled. Their mutilated remains were afterwards found and buried where they fell, upon the farm now owned by George Moore, two miles north of Santa Rosa. No stone marks the grave of these pioneers, one of whom took so conspicuous a part in the event which gave to the Union the great State of California. 108 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. Three-fingered Jack was killed by Captain Harry Love's Rangers, July 27, 1853, at Pinola Pass, near the Merced river, with the bandit, Joaquin Murietta ; while Ramon Carrillo met his 'death at the hands of the Vigi- lantes, between Los Angeles and San Diego, May 21, 1864. At the time of his death, the above murder, in which it was said he was implicated, became the subject of newspaper comment, indeed, so bitter were the remarks made, that on June 4. 1864, the Sonoma Democrat published a letter from Julio Carrillo, a respected citizen of Santa Rosa, an extract from which we reproduce : — " But I wish more particularly to call attention to an old charge, which I presume owes its revival to the same source, to-wit : That my brother, Ramon Carrillo, was connected with the murder of two Americans who had been taken prisoners by a company commanded by Juan Padilla in 1846. " I presume this charge first originated from the fact that my brother had been active in raising the company which was commanded by Padilla, and from the further fact that the murder occurred near the Santa Rosa farm, then occupied by my mother's family. " Notwithstanding these appearances, I have proof which is incontestible, that my brother was not connected with this affair, and was not even aware that these men had been taken prisoners until after they had been killed. The act was disapproved of by all the native Californians at the time, except- ing those implicated in the killing, and caused a difference which was never entirely healed. " There are, as I believe, many Americans now living in this vicinity, who were here at the time, and who know the facts I have mentioned. I am ready to furnish proof of what I have said to any who may desire it. " The messenger despatched to the U. S. ship " Portsmouth" returned on the I7th in company with the First Lieutenant of that ship, John Storny Miss- room and John E. Montgomery, son and clerk of Captain Montgomery, who despatched by express letters from that officer to Fremont and Sutter. These arrived the following day, the 18th, and the day after, the 19th, Fremont came to Sutter's with twenty-two men and Jose Noriega of San Jose and Vicente Peralta as prisoners. At Sonoma on this day, June 18th, Captain William B. Ide, with the con- sent of the garrison, issued the following: — " A proclamation to all persons and citizens of the District of Sonoma, requesting them to remain at peace and follow their rightful occupations without fear of molestation. " The comander-in-chief of the troops assembled at the fortress of Sonoma gives his inviolable pledge to all persons in Calilbrnia, not found under arms, that they shall not be disturbed in their persons, their property, or social rela- tion ;, one with another, by men under his command. " He also solemnly declares his object to be : — first, to defend himself and HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOKNIA. 109 companions in arms, who were invited to this country by a promise of lands on which to settle themselves and families; who were also promised a Repub- lican Government ; when, having arrived in California, they were denied the privilege of buying or renting lands of their friends, who, instead of being allowed to participate in or being protected by a Republican Government, were oppressed by a military despotism ; who were even threatened by pro- clamation by the chief officers of the aforesaid despotism with extermination if they should not depart out of the country, leaving all their property, arms and beasts of burden; and thus deprived of their means of flight or defense, were to be driven through deserts inhabited by hostile Indians, to certain destruction. " To overthrow a government which has seized upon the property of the missions for its individual aggrandizement ; which has ruined and shamefully oppressed the laboring people of California by enormous exactions on goods imported into the country, is the determined purpose of the brave men who are associated under my command. " I also solemnly declare my object, in the second place, to be to invite all peaceable and good citizens of California who are friendly to the maintenance of good order and equal rights, and I do hereby invite them to repair to my camp at Sonoma without delay to assist us in establishing and perpetuating a Republican Government, which shall secure to all civil and religious lib- erty; which shall encourage virtue and literature; which shall leave unshack- led by fetters agriculture commerce and manufactures. "I further declare that I rely upon the rectitude of our intentions, the favor of heaven and the bravery of those who are bound and associated with me by the principles of self preservation, by the love of truth and the hatred of tyranny, for my hopes of success. "I furthermore declare that I believe that a government to be prosperous and happy must originate with the people who^are friendly to its existence ; that the citizens are its guardians, the officers its servants, its glory its reward. "William B. Ide. "Headquarters, Sonoma, June, 18, 1846. " The Pioneer says captain William B. Ide was born in Ohio, came over- land, reaching Sutter's Fort in October 1845. June 7, 1847, Governor Mason appointed him land surveyor for the northern district of California, and same month was Justice of the Peace at Cache Creek. A.t an early day he got a grant of land which was called the rancho Barranca Colorado, just below Red Creek in Colusa county, as it was then organized. In 1851 he was elected county treasurer, with an assessment roll of three hundred and seventy-three thousand two hundred and six dollars. Moved with the county seat to Mon- roeville, at the mouth of Stoney Creek, September 3, 1851, he was elected County Jijidge of Colusa county, and practised law, having a license. Judge 110 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. Ide died of small-pox at Monroeville on Saturday, December 18, 1852, aged fifty years. Let us for a moment turn to the doings of Castro. On June I7th, he issued two proclamations, one to the new, the other to the old citizens and foreigners. Appended are translations : — • " The citizen Jose Castro, Lieutenant-Colonel of Cavalry in the Mexican Army, and acting General Commandant of the Department of California. " Fello^I' Citizens : — The contemptible policy of the agents of the United States of North America in this Department has induced a number of adventurers, who, regardless of the rights of men, have designedly com- menced an invasion, possessing themselves of the town of Sonoma, taking by surprise all the place, the military commander of that border. Col. Don Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, Lieutenant-Colonel Don Victor Prudon, Captain Don Salvador Vallejo and Mr. Jacob P. Leese. " Fellow countrymen, the defense of our liberty, the true religion which our fathers possessed, and our independence calls upon us to sacrifice our- selves rather than lose those inestimable blessings. Banish from your hearts all petty resentments. Turn you and behold yourselves, these families, these innocent little ones, which have unfortunately fallen into the hands of our enemies, dragged from the bosoms of their fathers, who are prisoners among foreigners and are calling upon us to succor them. There is still time for us to rise en masse, as irresistible as retribution. You need not doubt but that Divine Providence will direct us in the way to glory. You should not vacillate because of the smallness of the garrison of the general head- quarters, for he who will first sacrifice himself will be your friend and fellow citizen., "Jose Castro. " Headquarters, Santa Clara, June 17, 1846." " The citizen Jose Castro, Lieutenant-Colonel of Cavalry in the Mexican Army and Acting Commandant of the Department of California. " All foreigners residing among us, occupied with their business, may rest assured of the protection of all the authorities of the Department while they refrain entirely from all revolutionary movements. " The general comandancia under my charge wiU never proceed with vigor against any persons; neither will its authority result in mere words, wanting proof to support it. Declarations shall be taken, proofs executed, and the liberty and rights of the laborious, which is ever commendable, shall be pro- tected. " Let the fortunes of war take its chance with those ungrateful men, who, with arms in their hands, have attacked the country, without recollecting that they were treated by the undersigned with all the indulgence of which he is so characteristic. The imperative inhabitants .of the departmentare witness to the truth of this. I have nothing to fear; my duty leads ^ to HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. Ill death or victory. I am a Mexican soldier, and I will be free and independ- ent, or I will gladly die for those inestimable 'blessings. "Jose Castro. " Headquarters, Santa Clara, June 17, 1846." On June 20th, a body of about seventy Californians, under Captain Jose Joaquin de la Torre, crossed the bay of San Francisco, and being joined by Correo and Padea, marched to the vicinity of San Raphael, while General Castro had, by the utmost pressure, raised his forces to two hundred and fifty men, most of them being forced volunteers. Of this system of recruit- ing Lieutenant Revere says : " I heard that on a feast day, when the rancheros came to the mission in their ' go-to-meeting' clothes, with their wives and children, Castro seized their horses, and forced the men to volun- teer in defense of their homes, against los salvages Americanos. Castro, at the head of his army, on the evening of the 27th of June, marched out of Santa Clara, and proceeding around the head of the Bay of San Francisco, as far as the San Leandro creek, halted on the rancho of EstudUlo, where we shall leave them for the present. Captain J. C. Fremont ha%'ing concluded that it had become his duty to take a personal part in the revolution which he had fostered, on June 21st transferred his impedimenta to the safe keeping of Captain Sutter at the fort, and recrossing the American river, encamped on the Sinclair rancho, where he was joined by Pearson B. Redding and all the trappers about Sutter's Fort, and there awaited orders. On the afternoon of the 23d, Harrison Pierce, who had settled in the Napa valley in 1843, came into their camp, having ridden the eighty miles with but one change of horses, which he procured from John R. Wolfskill, on Putah creek, now Solano county, and conveyed to Fremont the intelligence that the little garrison at Sonoma was greatly excited, consequent on news received that General Castro, with a considerable force, was advancing on the town and hurling threats of recap- ture and hanging of the rebels. On receiving the promise of Fremont to come to their rescue as soon as he could put ninety men into the saddle. Pierce obtained a fresh mount, and returned without drawing rein to the anxious garrison, who received him and his message with every demonstra- tion of joy. Fremont having found horses for his ninety mounted rifles left the Sinclair rancho on June 23d — a curious-looking cavalcade, truly. One of the party writes of them : — " There were Americans, French, English, Swiss, Poles, Russians, Prussians, Chileans, Germans, Greeks, Austrians, Pawnees, native Indians, etc., all riding side by side and talking a polyglot lingual hash never exceeded in diversibility since the confusion of tongues at the tower of Babel. " Some wore the relics of their home-spun garments, some relied upon the $,ntelope and the bear for their wardrobe, some lightly habited in buck- skin leggings and a coat of war-paint, and their weapons were equally various.'"%-',V - 112 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. " There was the grim old hunter with his long heavy rifle, the farmer with his double-barreled shot-gun, theilndian with his bow and arrows; and others with horse-pistols, revolvers, sabres, ships' cutlasses, bowie-knives and 'pepper- boxes' (Allen's revolvers).'' Though the Bear Flag army was incongruous in personnel, as a body it was composed of the best fighting material. Each of them was inured to hardship and privation, self-reliant, fertile in resources, versed in woodcraft and Indian fighting, accustomed to handle firearms, and full of energy and daring. It was a band of hardy adventurers, such as in an earlier age wrested this land from the feebler aborigines. With this band Fremont arrived at Sonoma, at two o'clock on the morning of June 25, 1846, having made forced marches. The reader may not have forgotten the capture and horrible butchery of Cowie and Fowler by the Padilla party. A few days thereafter, while William L. Todd (the artist of the Bear flag) was trying to catch a horse at a little distance from the barracks at Sonoma, he was captured by the same gang, and afterwards falling in with another man, he too was taken prisoner. The party several times signified their intention of slaying Todd, but he fortunately knowing something of the Spanish tongue was enabled to make them understand that his death would seal General Vallejo's doom, which saved him. He and his companion in misfiirtune, with whom he had no opportunity to converse, but who appeared like an Englishman — a half fool and common loafer — were conveyed to the Indian rancherie called Olimpcli, some eight miles from Petaluma. For the purpose of liberating the prisoners and keeping the enemy in check until the arrival of Captain Fremont, Lieutenant Ford mustered a squad, variously stated at from twenty to twenty-three men, among whom were Granville P. Swift, Samuel Kelsey, William Baldridge, and Frank Bedwell, and on June 23d, taking with them the two prisoners Bias Angelina and Three-fingered Jack from Sonoma, marched for where it was thought the Calit'ornians had established their headquarters. Here they learned irom some Indians, under considerable military pressure, that [the Californian troops had left three hours before. They now partook of a hasty meal, and, with one of the Indians as guide, proceeded towards the Laguna de San Antonio, and that night halted within half a mile of the enemy's camp. At dawn they charged the place, took the only men they found there prisoners, their number was four, the remainder having left for San Rafael. Leaving four men here to guard their prisoners and horses, Ford, with fourteen men, started in pursuit of the enemy. Leaving the lagoon of San Antonio, and having struck into the road leading into San Rafael, after a quick ride of four miles, they came in sight of the house where the Californians had passed the night with their two prisoners, Todd and his companion, and were then within its walls enjoying themselves. Ford's men were as ignor-;; HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 113 ant of their proximity, as the Californians were of theirs. However, when the advance guard arrived in sight of the corral, and perceiving it to be full of horses, witl^ a number of Indian vaqueros around it, they made a brilliant dash to prevent the animals from being turned loose. While exulting over their good fortune at this unlooked for addition to their cavalry arm, they were surprised to see the Californians rush out of the house and mount their already saddled quadrupeds. It should be said that the house was situated on the edge of a plain, some sixty yards from a grove of brushwood. In a moment Ford formed his men into two half companies and charged the •enemy, who, perceiving the movement, retreated behind the grove of trees. From his position Ford counted them and found that there were eighty-five. Notwithstanding he had but fourteen in his ranks, nothing daunted he dismounted his men, and taking advantage of the protection offered by the brushwood prepared for action. The Californians observing this evolution became emboldened and prepared for a charge ; on this. Ford calmly awaited the attack, giving stringent orders that his rear rank should hold their fire until the enemy were well up. On they came with shouts, the brandishing of swords, and the flash of pistols, until within thirty yards of the Ameri- cans, whose front rank then opened a withering fire and emptied the saddles of eight of the Mexican soldiery. On receiving this volley the enemy wheeled to the right-about, and made a break for the hills, while Ford's rear rank played upon them at long range, causing three more to bite the earth, and wounding two others. The remainder retreated helter-skelter to a hill in the direction of San Rafael, leaving the two prisoners in the house. Ford's little force having now attained the object of their expedition, secured their prisoners-of-war, and going to the corral where the enemy had a large drove of horses, changed their jaded nags for fresh ones, took the balance, some four hundred, and retraced their victorious steps to Sonoma, where they were heartily welcomed by their anxious countrymen, who had feared for their safety. We last left Captain Fremont at Sonoma where he had arrived at 2 A. M. of the 25th. June. After giving his men and horses a short rest, and receiv- ing a small addition to his force, he was once more in the saddle and started for San Rafael, where it was said Castro had joined de la Torre with two hundred and fifty men. At four o'clock in the afternoon they came in sight of the position thought to be occupied by the enemy. This they approached cautiouslj' until quite close, then charged, the three first to enter being Fre- mont, Kit Carson, and J. W. Marshall, (the future discoverer of gold,) but they found the lines occupied by only four men. Captain Torre having left some three hours previously. Fremont camped on the ground that night, and on the following morning, the 26th, despatched scouting parties, while the main body remained at San Rafael for three days. Captain Torre had departed, no one knew whither, he left not a trace, but General Castro 114) HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. was seen, from the commailding hills behind, approaching on the other side of the bay. One evening a scout brought in an Indian on whom was found a letter from Torre to Castro, purporting to inform the latter t^at he should, that night, concentrate his forces and march upon Sonoma and attack it in the morning. Captain Gillespie and Lieutenant Ford held that the letter was a ruse designed for the purpose of drawing the American forces back to Sonoma, and thus leave an avenue of escape open for the Californians. Opinions on the subject were divided ; however, by midnight every man of them was in Sonoma. It was afterwards known that they had passed the night within a mile of Cap- tain de la Torre's camp, who, on ascertaining the departure of the revolu- tionists effected his escape to Santa Clara via Saucelito. On or about the 26th, of June, Lieutenant Joseph W. Revere, of the sloop of- war " Portsmouth, " in company with Dr. Andrew A. Henderson and a boat load of supplies, arrived at Sutter's Fort ; there arriving also on the same day a party of men from Oregon who at once cast their lot with the " Bear Flag " party, while on the 28 th, another boat with Lieutenants Wash- ington and Bartlett put in an appearance. Of this visit of Lieutenant Revere to what afterwards became Sacramento city, he says: — '■ On arriving at the ' Embarcadero ' (landing) we were not surprised to find a mounted guard of ' patriots,' who had long been apprised by the Indians that a boat was ascending the river. These Indians were indeed important auxiliaries to the Revolutionists, during the short period of strife between the parties contending for the sovereignty of California. Having been most cruelly treated by the Spanish race, murdered even, on the slightest provocation, when their oppressors made marauding expeditions for servants, and when captured compelled to labor for their unsparing task- masters, the Indians throughout the country hailed the day when the hardy strangers from beyond the Sierra Nevada rose up in arms against the hijos del pais (sons of the country). Entertaining an exalted opinion of the skill and prowess of the Americans, and knowing from experience that they were of a milder and less sanguinary character than the rancheros, they antici- pated a complete deliverance from their burdens, and assisted the revolution- ists to the full extent of their humble abilities. " Emerging from the woods lining the river, we stood upon a plain of immense extent, bounded on the west by the heavy timber which marks the course of the Sacramento, the dim outline of the Sierra Nevada appearing in the distance. We now came to some extensive fields of wheat in full bearing, waving gracefully in the gentle breeze, like the billows of the sea, and saw the white-washed walls of the fort, situated on a small eminence commanding the approaches on aU sides. " We were met and welcomed by Captain Sutter and the officer in com- HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 115 mand of the garrison ; but the appearance of things indicated that our recep- tion would have been very different had we come on a hostile errand. " The appearance of the fprt, with its erenated walla, fortified gate- way and bastioned angles ; the heavily-bearded, fierce-looking hunters and trappers, armed with rifles, bowie-knives and pistols; their ornamented hunting-shirts and gartered leggings ; their long hair, turbaned with colored handkerchiefs ; their wild and almost savage looks and dauntless and independent bearing ; the wagons filled with golden grain ; the arid, yet fertile plains ; the caballados driven across it by wild, shouting Indians, enveloped in clouds of dust, and the dashing horsemen scouring the fields in every direction; all these accessories conspired to carry me back to the romantic East,'and I could almost fancy again that I was once more the guest of some powerful Arab chieftain, in his desert stronghold. Everything bore the impress of vigilance and preparation for defense, and not without reason, for Castro, then at the Pueblo de San Jose, with a force of several hundred men, well provided with horses and artillery, had threatened to march upon the valley of the Sacra- mento. " The fort consists of a parallelogram, enclosed by adobe walls fifteen feet high and two thick, with bastions or towers at the angles, the walls of which are four feet thick, and their embrasures so arranged as to flank the curtain on all sides. A good house occupies the center of the interior area, serving for oflicers' quarters, armories, guard and state rooms, and also for a kind of citadel. There is a second wall on the inner face, the space between it and the outer wall being roofed and divided into workshops, quarters, etc., and the usual offices are provided, and also a well of good water. Corrals for the cattle and horses of the garrison are conveniently placed where they can be under the eye of the guard. Cannon frown from the various em- brasures, and the ensemble presents the very ideal of a border fortress. It must have ' astonished the natives ' when this monument of the whiteman's skill arose from the plain and showed its dreadful teeth in the midst of those peaceful solitudes. " I found during this visit that General Vallejo and his companions were rigorously guarded by the ' patriots, ' but I saw him and had some conver- sation with him, which it was easy to see excited a very ridiculous amount of suspicion on the part of his vigilant jailors, whose position, however, as revo- lutionists was a little ticklish and excited in them that distrust which in. dangerous times is inseparable from low and ignorant minds. Indeed they carried their doubts so far as to threaten to shoot Sutter for being polite to his captives. " Fremont having with his men partaken of the early meal, on the morning of the 27th June returned to San Rafael, having been absent only twenty- four hours. Castro, who had been for three days watching the movements of Fremont 116 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOENIA. from the other side of the bay, sent three men, Don Jose Eeyes Berreysa, (a retired Sergeant of the Presidio Company of San Francisco,) and Ramon and Francisco de Haro (twin sons of Don Francisco de Haro, Alcalde of San Francisco in 1838-39), to reeonnoiter, who landed on what is now known as Point San Quentin. On landing they were seized, with their arms, and on them were found written orders from Castro to Captain de la Torre, (who it was not known had made his escape to Santa Clara,) to kill every foreign man, woman, and child. These men were shot on the spot; first as spies, second in retaliation for the Americans so cruelly butchered by the Californians. Gen. Castro, fearing that he might, if caught, share the fate of his spies, left the rancho of the Estudillos, and after a hasty march arrived at the Santa Clara Mission on June 29, 1846. Captain William D. Phelps, of Lexington, Mass., who was lying at Sauce- hto with his bark, the " Moscow," remarks, says Mr. Lancey : — " When Fremont passed San Rafael in pursuit of Captain de la Torre's party, I had just left them, and he sent me word that he would drive them to Saueelito that night, when they could not escape unless they got my boats. I hastened back to the ship and made all safe. There was a large launch lying near the beach ; this was anchored further off, and I put provisions on board to be ready for Fremont should he need her. At night there was not a boat on the shore. Torre's party must shortly arrive and show fight or surrender. Towards morning we heard them arrive, and to our surprise they were seen passing with a small boat from the shore to the launch ; (a small boat had arrived from Yerba Buena during the night which had proved their salvation.) I dispatched a note to the commander of the ' Portsmouth,' sloop-of-war, then lying at Yerba Buena, a cove (now San Francisco), inform- ing him of their movements, and intimating that a couple of his boats could easily intercept and capture them. Captain Montgomery replied that not having received any official notice of war existing he could not act in the matter. "It was thus the poor scamps escaped. They pulled clear of the ship and thus escaped supping on grape and canister which we had prepared for them. " Fremont arrived and camped opposite my vessel, the bark ' Moscow,' the following night. They were early astir the next morning when I landed to visit Captain Fremont, and were all variously employed in taking care of their horses, mending saddles, cleaning their arms, etc. I had not up to this time seen Fremont, but from reports of his character and exploits my imag- ination had painted him as a large sized, martial looking man or personage, towering above his companions, whiskered and ferocious looking. " I took a survey of the party, but could not discover any one who looked, as I thought, the captain to look. Seeing a tall, lank, Kentucky-looking chap (Doctor R. Semple), dressed in a greasy deer-skin hunting shirt, with trowsers to match, and which terminated just below the knees, his head HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. Il7 surmounted by a eoon-skin cap, tail in front, who, I supposed, was an officer, ashe was giving orders to the men. I approached and asked if the captain was in camp. He loolced, and pointed out a slender-made, well-prop rtioned man sitting; in front of a tent. His dress was a blue woolen shirt of ,some- what novel style, open at the neck, trimmed with white, and with a star on each point of the collar (a rpan-of- war's man's shirt), over this a deer-skin hunting shirt, trimmed and fringed, which had evidently seen hard times or service, his head unincumbered by hat or cap, but had a light cotton hand- kerchief bound around it, and deer-skin moccasins completed the suit, which if not fashionable for Broadway, or for a presentation dress at court, struck me as being an excellent rig to scud under or fight in. A few minutes' con- versation convinced me that I stood in the presence of the King of the Rocky Mountains." Captain Fremont and his men remained at Saueelito until July 2d, when they left for Sonoma, and there prepared for a more perfect organization, their plan being to keep the Californians to the southern part of the State until the emigrants then oB their way had time to cross the Sierra Nevada into California. On the 4th the National Holiday was celebrated with due pomp; while on the 5th, the California Battalion of Mounted Riflemen, tvpo hundred and fifty strong, was organized. Brevet-Captain John C. Fremont, Second Lieutenant of Topographical Engineers, was chosen Commandant ; First Lieutenant of Marines, Archibald H. Gillespie, Adjutant and Insr-ector, with the rank of Captain. Says Fremont : — " In concert and in co-operation with the American settlers, and in the brief space of thirty days, all was accomplished north of the bay of San Francisco, and independence declared on the Sth of July. This was done at Sonoma where the American settlers had assembled. I was called by my position and by the general voice to the chief direction of affairs, and on the 6th of July, at the head of the mounted riflemen, set out to find Castro. " We had to make the curcuit of the head of the bay, crossing the Sacra- mento river (at Knight's Landing). On the 10th of July, when within ten miles of Sutter's Fort, we received ( by the hands of William Scott ) the joy- ful intelligence that Commodore John Drake Sloat was at Monterey and had taken it on the 7th of Juty, and that war existed between the United States and Mexico. Instantly we pull down the flag of Independence ( Bear Flag ) and ran up that of the United States amid general rejoicing and a national salute of twenfcy-one guns on the morning of the 11th, from Sut- ter's Fort with a brass four pounder, called, "Sutter. " We find that at two o'clock on the morning of July 9th, Lieutenant Joseph Warren Revere, of the "Portsmouth, " left that ship in one of her boats, and reaching the garrison at Sonoma, did at noon of that day haul down the Bear Flag and raise in its place the stars and stripes; and at the same time forwarded one to Sutter's Fort by the hands of William Scott an 1 aiis) her 118 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. to Captain Stephen Smith at Bodega. Thus ended what was called the Bear Flag War. The following is the Mexican account of the Bear Flag war : — • " About a year before the commencement of the war a band of adventurers, proceeding from the United States, and scattering over the vast territory of California, awaited only the signal of their Government to take the first step in the contest for usurpation. Various acts committed by these adventurers in violation of the laws of the country indicated their intentions. But unfor- tunately the authorities then existing, divided among themselves, neither desired nor knew how to arrest the tempest. In the month of July, 1846, Captain Fremont, an engineer of the U. S. A., entered the Mexican territory with a few mounted riflemen under the pretext of a scientific commission, and solicited and obtained from the Commandant-General, D. Jose Castro, per- mission to traverse the country. Three months afterwards, on the 19th of May (June 14th), that same force and their commander took possession by armed force, and surprised the important town of Sonoma, seizing all the artillery, ammunition, armaments, etc.; which it Contained. "The adventurers scattered along the Sacramento river, amounting to about 400, 160 men having joined their force. They proclaimed for them- selves and on their own authority the independence of California, raising a rose- colored fiag with a bear and a star. The result of this scandalous proceeding was the plundering of the property of some Mexicans and the assassination of others — three men shot as spies by Fremont, who, faithful to their duty to the country, wished to make resistance. The Commandant-General demanded explanations on the subject of the Commander of an American ship-of-war, the Portsmouth, anchored in the Bay of San Francisco; and although it was positively known that munitions of war, arms and clothing were sent on shore to the adventurers, the Commander, J. B- Montgomery, replied that ' neither the Government of the United States nor the subalterns had any part in the insurrection, and that the Mexican authorities ought, therefore, to punish its authors in conformity with the laws.' " Note. — We find that it is still a moot question as to who actually broujiht the first news of the war to Fremont- The honor is claimed hy Harry Eee and John Daubenbis^, who arc stated to have g-one by Livermore and there met the gallant colonel; but the above quoted observations purport to he Colonel Fremont's own. HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 119 THE LEGISLATIYE HISTORr OF SONOMA COUNTY. ITS OEGANIZATION AND POLITICAI, HISTOET. The Organization of the County. — The first organization of counties in the United States originated in Virginia, her early settlers becoming pro- prietors of vast amounts of land, living apart in patrician splendor, imperious in demeanor, aristocratic in feeliag, and being in a measure dictators to the laboring portion of the population. It will thus be remarked that the mate- rials for the creation of towns were not at hand, voters being but sparsely distributed over a great area. The county organization was, moreover, in perfect accord with the traditions aod memories of the judicial and social dignities of Great Britain, in descent from whom they felt so much glory. In 1634 eight counties were established in Virginia, a lead which was fol- lowed by the Southern and several of the Northern States, save in those of South Carolina and Louisiana, where districts were outlined in the former, and jjarishes, after the manner of the French, in the latter. In New England, towns were formed before counties, while counties were organized before States. Originally, the towns, or townships, exercised all the powers of government swayed by a State. The powers afterward assumed by the State governmeats were from surrender or delegation on the part of towns. Counties were created to define the jurisdiction of Courts of Justice. The formation of States was a union of towns, wherein arose the representative system ; each town being represented in the State Legislature, or General Court, by delegates chosen by the freemen of the towns at their stated meetings. The fii'st town meeting of which we can find any direct evidence, was held by the congregation of the Plymouth Colony, on March 23, 1621, for the purpose of perfecting military arrangements. At that meeting a Governor was elected for the ensuing year ; and it is noticed as a coincidence, whether from that source or otherwise, that the annual town meetings in New England, and nearly all the other States, have ever since been held in the Spring of the year. It was not, however, until 1635, that the township system was adopted as a quasi corporation in Massachusetts. The first legal enactment concerning this system provided that whereas : " Particular towns have many things which concern only themselves, and the ordering of their own affairs, and disposing of business in their own towns ; therefore the freemen of every town, or the major part of them, shall only have power to dispose of their own lands and woods, with all the appurten- ances of said towns ; to grant lots and to make such orders as may concern the well ordering of their own towns, not repugnant to the laws and orders 120 HISTOBY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. established by the General Court. They might also impose fines of not more than twenty shillings, and choose their own particular officers, as constables, surveyors for the highways, and the like." Evidently this enactment relieved the General Coui't of a mass of municipal details, without any danger to the powers of that body in controlling general measures of public policy. Prob- ably, also, a demand from the freemen of the toWns was felt, for the control of their own home concerns. The New England colonies were first governed by a "General Court," or Legislature, composed of a Governor and small council, which court con- sisted of the most influential inhabitants, and possessed and exercised, both legislative and judicial powers, which were limited only by the wisdom of the holders. They made laws, ordered their execution, elected their own officers, tried and decided civil and criminal causes, enacted all manner of municipal regulations ; and, in fact, transacted all the business of the colony. This system which was found to be eminently successful, became generaU as territory was added to the Republic, and States formed. Smaller divisions were in turn inaugurated and placed under the jurisdiction of special officers, whose numbers were increased as time developed a demand, until the sys- tem of Township organization in the United States is a matter of just pride to her people. Let us now consider this topic in regard to the especial subject under review: On the acquisition of California Dy the government of the Unitjd States, under a treaty of peace, friendship, limits, and settlement with the Mexican Republic, dated Guadalupe Hidalgo, February 2, 1848, the boundaries of the State were defined. This treaty was ratified by the President of the United States, on March 16, 1848; exchanged at Queretaro, May 30th, and finally promulgated July 4th, of the same year, by President Polk, and attested by Secretary of State, James Buchanan. In 1849 a Constitutional Convention was assembled in Monterey, and at the close of the session, on October 12th> a proclamation calling upon the people to form a government was issued "to designate such officers as they desire to make and execute the laws ; that their choice may be wisely made, and that the government so organized may secure the permanent welfare and happiness of the people of the new State, is the sincere and earnest wish of the present executive, who, if the Consti- tution be ratified, will with pleasure, surrender his powers to whomsoever the people may designate as his successor." This historical document bore the signatures of "B. Riley, Bvt. Brig. General U. S. A., and Governor of Cali- fornia, and official^H. W. Halleck, Bvt. Capt. and Secretary of State." In accordance with Section fourteen of Article twelve of the Constitution^ it was provided that the State be divided into counties, and Senatorial and Assembly districts, while the first session of the Legislature, which began at San Jose, on December 15, 1849, passed, on February 18, 1850, "An Act HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 121 subdividing the State into counties and establishing seats of justice therein." This act was finally confirmed, April 25, 1851, and directed the boundaries of Sonoma county to be as follows : — " Beginning on the sea-coast, at the mouth of Russian river, and fcjllowing up the middle of said river to its source in the range of mountains called Mayacmas ; thence in a direct line to the northwestern corner of Napa county; thence down and along the western boundary of Napa county to its termina- tion in Carnero mountains ; thence in a direct line to the nearest point of Carnero creek ; thence down said creek to its entrance into Napa river ; thence down the middle of Napa river to its mouth, excluding the island called Signor, or Mare Island; thence due south to the north line of Contra Costa county ; thence down the middle of said bay to the corner of Marin county l thence following the boundary of said county to Petaluma creek; thence up said creek, following the boundary of Marin county, to the ocean, and three miles therein ; thence in a northerly direction parallel with the coast to a point opposite the mouth of Russian river, and thence to said river which was the place of beginning." It was ordered that Sonoma should be the seat of justice. Prior to this time the coanty had been included in the District of Sonoma, a division which had originated with the Mexican authorities during their power, and that included all the counties now between the bay of San Fran- cisco and the Oregon line, west of the Sacramento river ; it had not been interfered with on the accession of American rule, but retained the official designation given to it by the Spaniards. On April 11, 1850, An Act of the Legislature was passed organizing a Court of Sessions, which defined its composition as follows : — The Court consisted of the County Judge, who- should preside at its ses- sions, assisted by two Justices of the Peace of the county as Associate Jus- tices, they being chosen by their brother justices from out of the whole number elected for the county. The duties imposed upon this organization were multifarious. They made such orders respecting the property of the county as they deemed expedient, in conformity with any law of the State, and in them were vested the care and preservation of said property. They examined, settled, and allowed all accounts chargeable against the county ; directed the raising of such sums for the defraying of all expenses and charges against the county, by means of taxation on property, real and personal, such not to exceed, however, the one-half of the tax levied by the State on such property; to examine and audit the accounts of all officers having the care, management, collection, and disbursement of any money belonging to the county, or appropriated by law, or otherwise, for its use and benefit. In them was the power of control and management of public roads, turnpikes, fences, canals, roads and bridges within the county, where the law did not prohibit such jurisdiction, and make such orders as should be 122 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. requisite and necessary to carry such control and management into effect; to divide the county into townships, and to create new townships, and change the division of the same as the convenience of the county should require. They established and changed election precincts; controlled and managed the property, real and personal, belonging to the county, and purchased and received donations of property for the use of the county, with this proviso, that they should not have the power to purchase any real or personal property, except such as should be absoluteily necessary for the use of the county. To sell and cause to be conveyed, any. real estate, goods, or chattels belonging to the county, appropriating the funds of such sale to the use of the same. To cause to be erected and furnished, a Court-house, jail, and other buildings, and to see that the same are kept in repair, and otherwise to perform all such other duties as should be necessary to the full discharge of the powers conferred on such court. Terms were ordered to be held on the second Monday of February, April, June, August, October, and December, with quarterly sessions on the third Monday of February, May, August, and November of each year. No records are to be found of how the county was partitioned at this date ; but it is presumed that it had been divided into four townships, viz : Petaluma, Sonoma, Russian River, and Bodega. At any rate, we know that, in 18.56, the county was apportioned into the townships of Sonoma, Vallejo, Petaluma, AnaJy, Santa Rosa, Russian River, Mendocino, Washington, Bodega, withia the piosent boundaries, and Ukiah and Big River, in what is now Mendocino county. B_y the Act of April 25, 18.51, Mendocino was ordered to be attached, for judicial and revenue purposes, to Sonoma county, until a county government should be organized; but it was not until March 11, 1859, that an Act was passed by the Legislature defining its boundaries and fixing its duties, the same enactment defining its southern boundary, and consequently the north- ern limit of Sonoma as the Valhalla river. Though a thorough search of the archives of Sonoma has been made, no trace of the boundary lines of townships can be found until the year 1867, when the county was partitioned as follows : — • Amilij. — Commencing at the junction of the Laguna with Mark West creek ; thence down Mark West creek to Russian river ; thence down Russian river to the mouth of " Dutch Bill's creek;" thence up said creek to its inter- section with the quarter-section line dividing Section 27, T. 7 N., R. 10 W.; thence east on said quarter-section line to the range line between townships nine and ten west; thence south to the south line of the Jonive rancho; thence east one half mile ; thence south on quarter-section line to the north line of the Rancho Canada de Pocolome ; thence westerly on the north line of said rancho to the range line aforesaid ; thence due south on saidline to the Estero Americano or county line ; thence southeasterly along the county line HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 123 to the Rancho Laguna de San Antonio ; thence northeasterly on the northerly line of said rancho to the easterly line of the Blucher Rancho; thence north along the east line of Blucher Rancho, to the southwest corner of Lot No. 28 of the Rancho Roblas de la Miseria ; thence due east to the Cotate line ; thence on the Cotate line to its most westerly corner ; thence northeasterly on the Cotate line to the middle of Section twenty-two ; thence west one-half mile to the Petaluma and Santa Rosa road ; thence north to the Laguna ; thence down said Laguna to the place of beginning. Bodega. — Commencing at the mouth of " Dutch Bill's creek " on Russian River ; thence up said creek to its intersection with the quarter-section line dividing Section 27, T. 7 N., R. 10 W.; thence east on said quarter-sec- tion line to the range line between Townships nine and ten west ; thence south on said range line to the south line of the Jonive Rancho ; thence east one half mile ; thence south, on quarter-section line to the north line of the Rancho Canada de Pocolome ; thence westerly along the north line of said Rancho to the range line aforesaid ; thence due south along said range line to the Estero Americano, or county line ; thence down said Estero Americano to the Pacific Ocean ; thence up the coast northerly to the mouth of Russian river ; thence up said river to the place of beginning. Cloverdale. — Commencing at the north-easterly corner of Sonoma county; thence south-westerly on a straight line to the most nortlerlj^ corner of the Tzabaco Rancho ; thence along the line of the Tzabaco Ranclio across Rus- sian river to the most southerly corner of the Rancho Musalar-i;n ; thence in a wester lydirection following the line of the Tzabaco Rancho to the top of the divide between Russian river and Dry creek ; thence in a north-westerly direc- tion following the top of said divide to the Prichett mountain; thence nearly west to the junction of Smith creek with Dry creek ; thence north-easterly fol- lowing the divide between said creeks to a point due south of the junction of Peter's creek vsath Dry creek ; thence due north to the said junction ; thence northerly following Peter's creek to the county line; thence following the county line easterly to the place of beginning. Mendocino. — Commencing on the north-easterly line of the Sotoyome Rancho, at or neir the mill of Lamphier and Alexander; thence south-west- erly along the road leading from said mill to Russian river; thence up said river to the north line of Township nine north, Range nine west, being at or near the north-east corner of Section three west, along said township line to the Tzabaco Rancho line ; thence north-easterly along said rancho line to the north-east corner of the Conolly Tract ; thence north-westerly along the line separating the sold from the unsold portion of the Tzabaco Rancho ( said line being at or near the summit of the divide separating Russian river and Dry creek ) to the northerly line of said Rancho ; thence following the top of divide between Dry creek and Rus.sian river north-westerly to the top of 124 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. Pritchett mountain ; thence nearly west to the junction of Smith creek with the main Dry creek; thence north-westerly following the divide between said creeks to a point due south of the junction of Peter's creek with Dry creek; thence north to the said junction ; thence northerly following Peter's creek to the county line ; thence on the county line westerly to the head waters of the Valhalla, nearly north of Kichardson's Rancho ; thence following said stream down to its junction with the first tributary west of Flat Ridge; thence following said tributary in a south-easterly direction to its source nearest Mount Tom ; thence to the top of Mount Tom ; thence due south to a branch of the middle fork of the Valhalla south of Reagan's or Hawk Ridge ; thence up said branch to the top of the ridge dividing the waters of Dry creek from the waters of the middle Valhalla; thence along said divide in a southerly direction to the head waters of the middle Valhalla; thence along said divide in a southerly direction to the head waters of the east branch of Austin's creek ; thence down said creek to Russian river; thence up said river to Bedwell's upper line, excluding him ; thence east- erly on said Bedwell's upper line to the Sotoyome Rancho line ; thence northerly and westerly along the rancho line to the place of beginning. Santa Rosa. — Commencing at the junction of the Laguna with Mark West creek; thence up said creek to its intersection with the county Una about two miles south of Porter's; thence south-easterly on the county line to its intersection with main Sonoma creek; thence down Sonoma creek to its intersection with the south-easterly line of Los Guilicos Rancho about one and one-half miles south-easterly from Adler's house; thence following said line north sixty degrees west to the range line between six and seven west about half a mile west of Adler's house; thence south on said range line to the south-east corner of the north-east quarter of Section 24, T. 6 N., R. 7 W.; thence due west on quarter-section lines dividing sections 24, 23, 22, 21, 20, 19 of T. 6 N., R. 7 W., and sections 24, 23, 22 of T. 6 N., R. 8 W., to the Santa Rosa and Petaluma road via Gossages; thence north on said road to Laguna bridge; thence down. the Laguna to its junction with Mark West creek. Sonoma. — Commencing on the county line where the main Sonoma creek crosses the line ; thence down said creek to its intersection of the south- easterly line of the Los Guilicos Rancho, about one and one-half miles south- easterly from Adler's house; thence following said line north, sixty degrees west, to the range line between Townships six and seven, about one-half mile west of Adler's house south on said range line to its intersection with the base line of Rowe's survey of the Petaluma Rancho near J. W. McKamy's; thence southerly along said base line to Dennis Murray's north line; thence easterly and southerly along Murray's boundary lines excluding Murray to Mrs. Nancy Hinkston's lands; thence easterly and southerly along HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 125 said Mrs. Hinkston's northerly and easterly lines to J. McDevitt's land; thence easterly to J. McDevitt's most northerly corner; thence southerly along the easterly lines of J. McDevitt and P. H. Pharris to the north- westerly line of Lot No. 50 of the Bihler purchase; thence southerly about one-third" of a mile to the most westerly corner of said Lot; thence southerly on the south-westerly line of Lots Nos. 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58 of the Bihler purchase; thence in the same direction to the mouth of Sonoma creek; thence up said Sonoma creek to the mouth of the Huichica creelc; thence up Huichica creek to the county line; thence along the county line to the place of beginning. Petaluma. — Commencing at the niost southerly corner of the Cotate Rancho ; thence north-westerly on the south-westerly line of said Eancho to the most easterly corner of Lot No. 30 of the Rancho Roblar de la Miseria; thence west, on the southerly line of Lots Nos. 30 and 38 to the west line of said rancho, near the south-east corner of G. E. Bartlett's land; thence south on the west line of the Roblar Rancho to the Rancho Laguna de San Anto- nio; thence south-westerly on the northerly line of the Rancho Laguna de San Antonio to the county line; thence following the county line south- easterly to the Petaluma creek; thence up Petaluma creek to the most west- erly corner of Lot No. 312 of the Petaluma Rancho, being the most westerly corner of said Rancho ; thence north-easterly along the line of said Rancho to the place of beginning. Vallejo. — Commencing at the north-east corner of the south-east quarter of section 24, T. 6 N., R. 7 W. ; thence south on said range to its intersec- tion with the base line of Rowe's survey of the Petaluma Rancho, near J. W. McKamy's ; thence southerly along said base line to Dermis Murray's north line ; thence easterly and southerly along Murray's lines, including Murray's, to Mrs. Nancy Hinkston's land; thence easterly and southerly along said Hinkston's northerly and easterly line to J. McDevitt's land ; thence east erly to McDevitt's most northerly corner ; thence southerly along the east- erly lines of McDevitt's and P. H. Pharris' to the north-westerly line of Lot No. 50 of the Bihler purchase ; thence south-westerly about one-third of a mile to the most westerly corner of said lot ; thence southerly on the south- easterly line of lots Nos. 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58 of the Bihler pur- chase ; thence in the same direction to the mouth of Sonoma creek ; thence following San Pablo bay around to the mouth of Petaluma creek; thence up said creek to the north-westerly corner of lot No. 312 of Petaluma Rancho ; thence northerly on the Petaluma Rancho line to the most southerly corner of the Cotate Rancho ; thence north-westerly on said rancho line to its inter- section with the quarter-section line dividing Section 22, T. 6 N., R..8 W; thence east on quarter-section line dividing Sections 22, 23, 24 of said township, and 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24 of T. 6 N., R. 7 W., to place of begin- ning. 126 HISTOEY OK SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. Russian River. — Commencing at the junction of Mark West creek and Kussian River ; thence up Mark West creek to its intersection with the range line between Townships seven and eight, about one mile south of Tar- water's house ; thence north along said range line to the north-east corner of the south-east quarter of Section one ; thence due west one and one-half ; miles to the center of Section two ; thence north to the line of the Malcomes Rancho ; thence on said rancho line north to its intersection with main Bed- well's creek ; thence down said creek to the Sotoyome Rancho line ; thence westerly on said line to the northerly line of F. Bed well's land ; thence on said Bedwell's line, including him to Russian river ; thence down said river to the place of beginning. • Washington. — Commencing at the northerly corner of Sonoma county; thence south-westerly on a straight line to the most northerly corner of Tza- baco rancho, thence with said rancho line south-westerly across Russian river to the most southerly corner of the Rancho de Musalacon ; thence westerly along the line of said Tzabaco Rancho to its intersection on or near the top of the divide between the waters of Russian river and Dry creek, with the line separating the unsold portion of said Tzabaco rancho from the farms on Dry creek ; thence along said separating lines in a south-easterly direction nearly on the summit of said divide to the line between Tzabaco and Sotoyome Ran- chos at the north-east corner of the Conolly tract; thence south-westerly along the dividing line between said ranches to the township line, between town- ships nine and ten, north ; thence along said township line due east to Russian river; thence down said river to the ford at the most western corner of X Wood's land; thence along the road leading from said ford in a north-easterly direction to the line of the Sotoyome rancho where it crosses Sausal creek near what was formerly Jordan's mill, thence up the main and eastern branch of said Sausal creek to its source a short distance east from the house of Young, thence due east to the county line ; thence north-westerly along the county line to the place of beginning. St. Helena. — Commencing on the north-easterly line of the Sotoyome rancho where Sausal creek crosses the same, thence up the main and eastern branch of Sausal creek to its source a short distance east of the house of Young, thence due east to the county line ; thence south-easterly along said county line about fifteen miles to its intersection with Mark West creek, about two miles south of Porter's, thence following down Mark West creek, westerly to the eastern line of Township 8 N., R. 8 W. ; thence north on said township line to the north-east corner of the south-east quarter of Section one, near Tarwater's ; thence due west one and one-half miles to the centre of Section two; thence north to the line of Malacomes Rancho; thence on said Rancho line north to its intersection with the Sotoyome Rancho line; thence northerly and westerly along said rancho line to the place of beginning. HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 127 Salt Point. — Commencing on the coast of the Pacific Ocean at the mouth of the V^alhalla river ; thence north-easterly on the county line to its inter- section with one of the tributaries of the north fork of the south Valhalla, being the north-west corner of Mendociuo township ; thence following said stream down to its junction with its first tributary west of Flat Ridge; thence up said tributary in a south-easterly direction to its source nearest Mount Tom ; thence to the top of Mount Tom ; thence due south to a branch of the middle fork of the south Valhalla, south of Reagan's or Hawk Ridge ; thence up said branch to the top of the ridge dividing the waters of Dry creek from the waters of the middle Valhalla ; thence along said divide in a south- erly direction to the head waters of the east branch of Austin's creek to Rus- sian river ; thence down to -the mouth of the Valhalla, or place of begirining. Some years later a further change in townships took place, and those of Ocean and Redwood established, while portions of St. Helena were absorbed by Mendocino and Santa Rosa, and the balance given the name of Knight's Valley, making the townships of the present day to be fourteen in number, viz. : — Analy, Bodega, Cloverdale, Knight's Valley, Mendocino, Ocean, Peta- luma. Redwood, Russian River, Washington, Salt Point, Santa Rosa, Sonoma, Vallejo. In the year 1855 a change had come o'er the spirit of the governmental dream, of the county. The Court of Sessions was abolished and an act passed on March 20th, entitled " An Act to create a Board of Supervisors in the counties in this State, and to define their duties aud powers." For better reference the ninth section of th& above act is qilCted in full : — " The Board of Supervisors shall have power and jurisdiction in their respective counties ; First, To make orders respecting the property of the county, in conformity with any law of this State, and to take care of and preserve such property. Second, To examine, settle, and allow all accounts legally chargeable against the county, and to levy, for the purposes prescribed by law, such amount of taxes on the assessed value of real and personal property in the county, as may be authorized by law: provided the salary of the County Judge need not be audited by the Board ; but the County Aud- itor shall, on the first j udicial day of each month, draw his warrant on the County Treasurer in favor of the County Judge for the amount due such Judge as salary, for the month proceeding. Third, To examine and audit the accounts of all officers having th^ care, management, collection or dis- bursement of any money belonging to xhe county, or appropriated by law, or otherwise, for its use and benefit. Fourth, To lay out, control and manage public roads, turnpikes, ferries, and bridges within the county, in all cases where the law does not prohibit such jurisdiction, and to make such orders as may be requisite and necessary to carry its control and management into eflfeet. Fifth, To take care of and provide for the indigent sick of the county. Sixth, To divide the county into townships, and to change the 128 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. divisions of the same, and to create new townships, as the convenience of the county may require. Seventh, To estabUsh and change election precincts, and to appoint inspectors and judges of elections. Eighth, To control and manage, the property, real and personal, belonging to the county, and to receive by donation any property for the use and benefit of the county. Ninth, To lease or to purchase any real or personal property necessary for the use of the county; provided no purchase of real property shall be made unless the value of the same be previously estimated by three disinterested persons, to be appointed for that purpose by the County Judge. Tenth, To sell at public auction, at the Court House of the county, after at least thirty days previous public notice, and cause to be conveyed, any property belong- ing to the county, appropriating the proceeds of such sale to the use of the same. Eleventh, To cause to be erected and furnished, a court house, jail, and such other public buildings as may be necessary, and to keep the same in repair; provided that the contract for building the court house, jail, and such other public buildings, be let out at least after thirty days' previous public notice, in each case, of a readiness to receive proposals therefor, to the lowest bidder, who will give good and sufficient security for the comple- tion of any contract which he may make respecting the same; but no bid shall be accepted which the Board may deem too high. Twelfth, To control the prosecution and defense of all suits to which the county is a party. Thirteenth, To do any and perform all such other acts and things as may be strictly necessary to the full discharge of the powers and jurisdiction confer- red on the Board." * To these various duties, in themselves of a most difficult nature, were added the onerous responsibilities of canvassers of election returns, the investigation of bonds required to be given by newly-elected officers, and a general superintendence of all monetary transactions in which the county, through her officers, has any interest. In the year 1851, on the organization of the county, the county seat was located at the town of Sonoma, then the most prosperous city north of the bay of San Francisco, but in 1854, a bill was passed in the Legislature authorizing its removal to Santa Rosa, which was done without delay and before the Sonomans could fairly realize the effects of the contemplated change. The Sonoma Bulletin of April 8, 1854, says : " The first intimation we had of the people's desire to move^the county seat from Sonoma to Santa Rosa was through the legislative proceedings of March 28th, which informs us that a bill had been introduced and passed for that purpose." The bill provided that a vote of the people should be taken on the question of removal, and the election took place on September 6th. The issue of the above-named periodical, printed on the 14th of that month, thus touchingly alludes to the result : " The county seat — that's a gone or going ease ! The up-country people worked furiously against us, and have come out victori- ■ft if '•*J:."^*'v i-^'i'f-2^'^' I-"' ^^r^^^^Ar-K^^ HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 129 ous. What majority the new seat got we are not aware ; but whatever it is, why it is as it is, which incontestible truth consoles us !" The archives were removed on the 22d September, and steps immediately taken for the permanent location of the county seat at Santa Rosa, a full record of which will be found in our history of that city. As soon as the organization of Santa Rosa as the capital of Sonoma county was complete, the erection of public buildings was forthwith commenced. The Court House was built in the year 1859; while in 1871-2 the neat and substantial Hall of Records was constructed, a description of which we here produce : The Hall of Records. — The outside size of the building is about thirty feet by sixty feet, and the interior is in one room of good proportions, twenty- six feet by fifty-six feet, or thereabouts in size on the floor. The principal entrance at one side, facing the public square, leads through a small vesti- bule. Thence entering the main room we find on the right hand a space railed off, ample in size for the Recorder and Auditor's private office. This space contains a Recorder's receiving desk, close by the rail, protected by glass and walnut framing. Adjoining this is the Auditor's desk, similarly fitted up. To the rear of them and against the wall are the racks, with pigeon holes and book spaces for the two departments of the office, having glazed paneled doors in front, each with drawers underneath for miscellane- ous papers. There is also close by a small standing desk on pivots, useful for the pur- pose of receiving the signatures of persons on the outside of the rail. At the other extreme end of the building, on the same side, is a similar space, appropriated to the use of the copying department, fitted up with a standing desk and a private desk, similarly railed off. Between the two compartments named is a large map table, with two ■drawers, moving through from side to side, opening both sides of the table, .giving an opportunity to examine the contents of both drawers at one and the same time. The desk containing the racks for holding the books of public record for Teal estate and mortgage transactions stands a little to the left or opposite side of the building. It is about thirty-four feet long, with a row of racks ■on each side of this piece of furniture running the full length of it. Every apace for a book is divided by ornamental divisions from the one adjacent. The front edge of each at the bottom has a roller of manzanita wood, thus facilitating the handling of the heavy books, at the same time protecting their edges from undue wear. This is an invention of Mr. A. P. Petit, the Architect, and though simple answers its purpose admirably. The whole of the furniture is exceedingly appropriate to its purpose, making one of the best fitted-up halls for public records of the State. The furniture is of black walnut, solid and elegant. The panels of the 9 130 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOENTA. doors and desks of plate glass. All receptacles have the best tumbler locks, and the whole a credit to all parties concerned. The cabinet-makers were Johnson & Best, of San Francisco. In addition to these buildings, Sonoma county possesses two institutions of which she may well be proud; these are the hospital and county farm. Both are under the direct control of Dr. J. B. Gordon, are well managed, and reflect much credit upon himself and his assistants. Below we produce a sketch of the county hospital : — County Hospital. — This building was completed and handed over to the Board of Supervisors in the month of December, 1866. It is situated in that portion of the city of Santa Rosa known as Green's addition, and is fully equal to any pubhc building of its kind, outside of San Francisco, to be found in the State. The foundation is composed of cement; lime and gravel manipulated and rammed into trenches, two feet wide and eighteen inches deep; on the east side is a cellar, ten by fourteen feet, eight feet deep, walled with brick, stairs leading to pantry. The size of the building is forty-six feet, front and rear, by forty-two feet deep, with building in rear twenty by twenty-five feet, used as wash and wood house. The first floor is set up four feet above grade of lot. The first story is twelve feet high, the second eleven feet all clear. First story contains a hall, eight feet wide, through the center of the building ; on the east side is a ward for females, with bath room adjoining, supplied with warm and cold water ; on the west side is a dining room, and three rooms for the use of the managers of the institution ; a flight of stairs, with moulded handrail, and balustrade of mahogany, leads from below to the second story, which contains also a hall corresponding with that below; on the east of this a ward, extending the whole length of the building, and affording accommodation for seventeen patients, and divided in center by folding doors ; on the west of the hall is the physician's office, a dark ward for the blind, wash room, laundry and bath-room ; in the center of hall, over the stairs, is a dome and skylight for ventilation. Every window is supplied with inside blinds. On the south front is a porch, eight feet wide, from base; each story, with neat cornice, supported by open antirs, with neat cap and on rear end of building six patent water-closets, three for each story, supplied \vrith water from a tank containing two thousand gallons, conveyed by means of patent windmill. The building is covered with tin, standing groove, well painted ; cornice of building has projection of three and a half feet, supported by brackets, while the whole is of the villa order of architecture. The size of the lot is one hundred and eighty feet east and west, four hundred and sixty feet north and south in clear. It is inclosed by picket and board fence on all sides, in a most substantial manner. The total cost of the structure was eight thousand eight hundred dollars, while that of the lot was four HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 131 hundred and fifty, a considerable portion of the latter sum being donated by- citizens of Santa Rosa. Postoffices. — One of the first signs of a thorough county organization is the establishment throughout its length and breadth of a system to facili- tate the transmission of correspondence from point to point; to attain this object is the caus^ of postoffices. To set at rest any doubt which may remain in the minds of the residents of Sonoma as to who were the first postmasters at the different stations in the county, the accompaning iuformation has been most courteously furnished us by the Postoffice Department at Washington. " Postoffice Department, Office of the First A.ssistant P. M. General, Wash- ington, D. C, Oct. 3, 1879. — Alley Bowen & Co. Santa Rosa, Gal. — Your communication of Sept. 3, 1879 — in which you ask for the date of the estab- lishment of the postoffices and postmasters to present datj, in Sonoma Go., Gal. — has been received at this department. In answer to your inquiry, please find the following, as shown by the records of this department. James H. Man, Actiag 1st'. Asst. P. M. Gen'l. Sonoma, established November 8, 1879, Lilburn W. Boggs, postmaster; Pet- aluma, February 9, 1852, Garrett W. Keller; Bodega, February 20, 1852, Joseph M. Miller; Santa Rosa, April 23, 1852, Donald McDonald; Smith's Ranch, September 29, 1854, Stephen Smith; Russian River, November 1, 1854, Harmon J. Heald, changed to Healdsburg April 14, 1875; Windsor, August 31, 1855, Seiver Lewis; Bloomfield, July 12, 1856, Horace Lamb; Stony Point, April 13, 1857, Parmenas N. Wood worth; Two Rocks, July 17, 1857, Clark A. Hough; Cloverdale, August 15, 1857, John A. Hartman; Pacific Home, June 15, 1858, William W. Fergusson, discontinued April 19, 1860; Lakeville, January 31, 1859, Joshua Chadbourne; Aaaly, August 7, 1860, Lewis M. Miller ; Albany, February 25, 1862, Elijah Brookhire, dis- continued, April 13, 1864; Duncan's Mills, December 20, 1862, Thomas Beacon; Timber Cove, February, 24, 1863, Fred'k Helmke; Fisherman's Bay, July 10, 1863, Andrew J. Fisk; Glairville, January 5, 1865, David Odell; Mark West, October 25, 1865, Henry G. Giamini; Sebastopol, October 2, 1867 John Dougherty ; Ocean View, March 25, 1870, Hugh Marshall; Occidental, December 7, 1876, Andrew J.Blaney ; Fort Ross, May 23, 1877, George W. Call; Tyrone, July 18, 1877, Hiram C. Smith. The Political History of Sonoma County. — Owing to the absence of the archives the early history of Sonoma county is enveloped in consider- able darkness. Prior to the acquisition of California by the Government of the United States, the large District of Sonoma, which included all the territory between the Sacramento river and the ocean, and Oregon and the Bay of San Francisco, was under the rule of the Mexican Government, and was divided into Pre- 132 HISTOEY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOENIA. fectures, amenable to a Grand Council at Sonoma, the holders of office being designated by the Spanish name of Alcalde. The first civil officer, we are told by Mr. R. A. Thompson, was John Nash, who was commissioned by General Kearny as Alcalde of Sonoma. He. had a must exalted idea of the dignity of his office; assumed ministerial as well as judicial powers; signed himself " Chief Justice of California," and having been removed by the Military Governor, he refused to recognize the authority and held on to the office. Lieutenant Sherman — now General Sherman — captured him and took him before Governor Mason, at Monterey, who repri- manded and released him. This first civil officer of Sonoma — " Chief Justice Nash" as he called himself, and "Squire Nash" as his neighbors called hitn — was a good natured, illiterate but honest man. When the rumors of gold reached Sonoma, Squire Nash was employed by a number of persons to go to the mines, take observations and report. This was in 1848 ; he returned with gold dust to the value of eight hundred and thirty seven dollars. He then went to Mormon Island with a party of Sonoma miners, and died there that winter. He was succeeded in his office by Lilburn W. Boggs, Ex-Governor of Missouri, a man eminently capable of exercising the func- tions belonging to that position. Between the years 1846 and 1849 the county remained under the control of the military. Let us see what was the state of the political horizon during that time. According to Tathill — as to civil law, the country was utterly at sea. It had a governor in the person of the commandant of the military district it belonged to, but no government. While the war lasted California, as a conquered province, expected to be governed by military officers who, by virtue of their command of the Department, bore sway over all the territory that their Department embraced. But after peace had come and the succession of military governors was not abated, a people who had been in the habit of governing themselves, under the same flag and the same constitution, chafed that a simple change of longitude should deprive them of their inalienable rights. General Persefer F. Smith, who assumed command on arriving by the California, the first steamship that reached San Francisco (February 28, 1849), and General Riley, who succeeded him (April 13, 1849), would have been acceptable governors enough, if the people could have discovered any where in the Constitution that the President had power to govern a territory by a simple order to the commandant of a military department. The power was obvious in time of war, but in peace it was unprecedented. Left entirely to themselves, the people could have organized a squatter sovereignty, as Oregon had done, and the way into the sisterhood of States was clear. They felt that they had cause for complaint, but in truth they were too busy to nurse their grievance and make much of it. To some extent they formed local governments, and had unimportant collisions with the military. HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 133 But, busy as they were, and expecting to return home soon, they humored their contempt for politics, and left public matters to be shaped at Washing- ton. Nor was this so unwise a course under the circumstances, for the thing that had hindered Congress from giving them a legitimate constitutional government was the ever-present snag in the current of American political history, the author of most of our woes, the great motVier of mischief on the western continent — slavery. When it was found that Congress had adjourned without doing anything for California, Brigadier General Riley, by the advice, he said, of the Presi- dent and Secretaries of State and of War, issued a proclamation, which was at once a call for a Convention, and an official exposition of the Administra- tion's theory of the anomalous relations of California and the Union. He strove to rectify the impression that California was governed by the military arm of the service; that had ceased with the termination of hostilities. What remained was the civil government, recognized by the existing laws of California. These were vested in a Governor, who received his appoint- ment from the supreme government, or, in default of such appointment, the ofBce was vested in the commanding military officer of the department, a Secretary, a departmental or Territorial Legislature, a Superior Court with four judges, a Prefect and Sub-prefect and a Judge of the first instance for each district, Alcaldes, local Justices of the Peace, ayuntamiento,?, or Town Councils. He moreover recommended the election, at the same time, of delegates to a Convention to adopt either a State or Territorial Constitutiou, which, if acquiesced in by the people, would be submitted to Congress for approval. In June 1849 a proclamation was issued announcing an election to be held on the 1st of August, to appoint delegates to a general convention to form a State Constitution, and for filling the offices of Judge of the Superior Court, prefects, sub-prefects, and First Alcalde or Judge of the first iastance, such appointments to be made by General Riley after being voted for. The dele- gates elected to the Convention from Sonoma were General Vallejo, Joel Walker, R. Semple. L. W. Boggs was elected but did not attend. The manifesto calling the Constitutional Convention divided the electoral divisions of the State into ten districts; each male inhabitant of the county, of twenty-one years of age, could vote in the district of his residence, and the delegates so elected were called upon to meet at Monterey, on September 1, 1849. The number of delegates was fixed at thirty-seven, five of which were appointed to San Francisco. As was resolved, the Convention met at Monterey on the date above named, Robert Semple of Benicia, one of the delegates from the district of Sonoma, being chosen president. The session lasted six weeks; and, not- withstanding an awkward scarcity of books of reference and other necessary aids, much labor was performed, while the debates exhibited a marked degree 134 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. of ability. In framing the original Constitution of California, slavery waa forever prohibited within the jurisdiction of the State; the boundary ques- tion between Mexico and the United States was set at rest; provision for the morals and education of the people was made; a Seal of State was adopted with the motto Eureka, and many other matters discussed. In August General Eiley issued commissions to Stephen Cooper, appointing him Judge of First District, and C. P. Wilkins Prefect of the district of Sonoma, while one of General Eiley's last appointments before the adoption of the Constitution, was that of Richard A. Maupin, well remembered among Sonoma's old residents, to be Judge of the Superior Tribunal, in place of Lewis Dent, resigned. Another well known pioneer who was at the Con- vention from Sacramento county was Major Jacob R. Snyder, a resident of Sonoma till his death. We find that the " Superior Tribunal of California " existed at Monterey in 1849; for, in September of that year' a "Tariff of fees for Judiciary Offi- cers " was published, with the following order of the Court: "That the several oflBcers mentioned in this order shall be entitled to receive for their services, in addition to their regular salary, if any, the following fees, and none others, until the further order of this Court." Here is added a list of the fees to be appropriated by Judges of the First Instance, Alcaldes and Justices of the Peace, clerks of the several courts. Sheriff or Comisario, District Attorney, and Notaries Public. We have already said that Stephen Cooper was appointed Judge of First Instance for the District of Sonoma. He commenced his labors in that office in October, 1849, as appears in the early record of the proceedings of that Court extant in the office of the County Clerk of Solano county. The record of one of the cases tried before Judge Cooper is reproduced as an instance of the quick justice that obtained in 1849: — "The people of California Territory vs. George Palmer — And now comes the said people by right their attorney, and the said defendant by Semple and O'Melveny, and the prisoner having been arraigned on the indictment in this cause, plead not guilty. Thereupon a jury was chosen, selected and sworn, when, after hearing the evidence and arguments of counsel, returned into Court the following verdict, to wit: "The jury, in the case of Palmer, defendent, and the State of California, plaintiff, have found a verdict of guilty on both counts of the indictment, and sentenced him to receive the following punishment, to wit: " On Saturday, the 24th day of November, to be conducted by the Sheriff to some public place, and there receive on his bare back seventy-five lashes, with .such a weapon as the Sheriff may deem fit, on each count respectively, _ and to be banished from the district of Sonoma within twelve hours after whipping, under the penalty of receiving the same number of lashes for each and every day he remains in the district after the first whipping. "(Signed) Alexander Riddell, Foreman. HISTOKT OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 135 " It is therefore ordered by the Court, in accordance with the above verdict, that the foregoing sentence be carried into effect." The Constitution was duly framed, submitted to the people, and at the election held on the 13th November, ratified by them, and adopted by a vote of twelve thousand and sixty -four for it and eleven against it ; there being, besides, over twelve hundred ballots that were treated as blanks, because of an informality in. the printing. We here reproduce two of the tickets which were voted at the time, and were distributed in and around Sacramento and the upper portion of the State : — people's ticket. people's ticket. FOR THE CONSTITUTION. FOR GOVERNOR. John A. Sutter. FOR LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR, John McDougal. POK BEPKESENTATIVES IN CONGRESS, William E. Shannon, Pet. Halsted. FOR STATE SENATORS, John Bidwell, Upper Sacramento, Murray Morrison, Sacramento City, Harding Bigelow, Sacramento City, Gilbert A. Grant, Vernon. FOR ASSEMBLY, H. C. Card well, Sacramento City, P. B. Cornwall, Sacramento City, John S. Fowler, Sacramento City, J. Sherwood, Elisha W. McKmstry, Madison Waltham, Coloma, W. B. Dickenson, Yuba, James Queen, South Fork, W. L. Jenkin, Weaverville. FOR THE CONSTITUTION. FOB GOVERNOR, Peter H. Burnett. FOR LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR, John McDougal. FOR REPRESENTATIVES IN CONGRESS, Edward Gilbert, George W. Wright. FOR STATE SENATORS, John Bidwell, Upper Sacramento, Murray Morrison, Sacramento City, Harding Bigelow, Sacramento City, Gilbert A. Grant, Vernon. FOR ASSEMBLY, H. C. Cardwell, Sacramento City, P. B. Cornwall, Sacramento City, John S. Fowler, Sacramento City, H. S. Lord, Upper Sacramento, Madison Waltham, Coloma, W. B. Dickenson, Yuba, James Queen, South Fork, Arba K. Berry, Weaverville. The result of the election was : Peter H. Burnett, Governor ; John McDougal, Lieutenant-Governor; and Edward Gilbert and George W. Wright sent to Congress. The district of Sonoma polled at this election but five hundred and fifty-two votes, four hundred and twenty-four of which were for Burnett. Of the representatives sent from Sonoma, General Vallejo went to the Senate, and J. S. Bradford and J. E. Brackett to the Assembly. Some difficulty would appear to have arisen at this election, for Mr. R. A. Thompson says : " General Vallejo's seat was first given to James 136 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOENIA. Spect, but on the 22d December, the committee reported that the official return from Larkin's Ranch gave Spect but two votes instead of twenty- eight, a total of but one hundred and eighty -one votes against General Vallejo's one hundred and ninety-nine." Mr. Spect then gave up his seat to General Vallejo. We now produce the following interesting record of some of those who formed the first California Legislature, not because it bears specially on our subject, but as a matter of curiosity, interest and reference : The following is from the Colusa Sun of April 26th : — Hon. John S. Bradford, of Springfield, lU., who was a member of the first California Legislature, procured from some of his colleagues a short biograph- ical sketch. Thinking it might be a matter of interest to the people of Califor- nia at the present time, he sends it to us. We have the original document, with the sketches in the handwriting of each member. Most of these gentle- men have figured conspicuously in the history of the State since, but we believe there are but few now living. Thiee of the sketches, Jose M. Covarrubias, M. G. Vallejo, and Pablo de la Guerra, are written in Spanish, but we have had them translated. Senators. — David F. Douglass — Born in Sumner county, Tennessee, the 8th of January, 1821. Went to Arkansas with Fulton, in 18o6.- On 17th March 1839, had a fight with Dr. Wm. Howell, in which H. was killed j imprisoned 14 months ; returned home in 1842; immigrated to Mississippi; engaged in the Choctaw speculation; moved with the Choctaws west as a clerk; left there for Texas in winter of 1845-46. War broke out; joined Hay's regiment; from Mexico immigrated to California, and arrived here as wag- oner in December, 1848. M. G. Vallejo — Born in Monterey, Upper Cal- ifornia, July 7tli, 1807. On the first of January, 1825, he commenced his military career in the capacity of cadet. He served successfully in the capacity of Lieutenant, Captain of Cavalry, Lieutenant-Colonel, and General Commandant of Upper California. In 1835 he went to Sonoma county and founded the town of Sonoma, giving land for the same. He was a member of Convention in 1849 and Senator in 1850. Elcan Heydenfelt — Born in Charleston, South Carolina, September 15, 1821; immigrated to Alabama in 1841; from thence to Louisiana in 1844; to California in 1849. Lawyer by profession. Pablo de la Guerra — Born in Santa Barbara, Upper California, November 29, 1819. At the age of nineteen he entered the public service. He was appointed Administrator-General " de la rentas," which position he held when California was taken by the American forces. From that time he lived a private life until he was named a member of the Convention which framed the Constitution of the State. Represents the District of Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo in the Senate. S. E. Woodworth — Born in the city of New York, November 15, 1815 ; com- menced career as a sailor, A. D. 1832. Sailed from New York March 9, HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 137 1834. Entered the navy of the United States June 14, 1838. Immigrated to California, via Rocky Mountains and Oregon, April 1, 1846. Resignation accepted by Navy Department, October 29, 1849. Elected to rejuesent the district of Monterey in the first Senate of the First Legislature of Orilifornia for the term of two years. Thomas L. Vermeule — Born in New Jersey on the 11th of June, 1814; immigrated to California November 12, 1846- Did represent San Joaquin District in the Senate. Resigned. W. D. Fair — Senator from the San Joaquin District, California ; native of Virginia; immigrated to California from Mississippi in February, 1849, as " Pre.sident of the Mississippi Rangers ;" settled in Stockton, San Joaquin District, as an attorney at law. ElishaO. Crosby — Senator from Sacramento District; native of New York State ; immigrated from New York December 2o, 1848 ; aged 34. D. C. Broderiek — Senator from San Francisco ; born in Washington City, D. C, February 4, 1818 ; immigrated from Washing- ton to New York Citj^ March, 1824 ; left New York for California, April 17, 1849. E. Kirby Chamberlin, M- D. — President |9ro tern, of the Sen- ate, from the District of San Diego ; born in Litchfield county, Connecticut, April 24, 1805; immigrated from Connecticut to Onondaga county. New York, in 1815; thence to Beaver, Penn., in 1829; thence to Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1842 ; served as Surgeon in the TJ. S. A. during the war with Mexico ; appointed Surgeon to the Boundary Line Commission, February 10, 1840 ; embarked from Cincinnati, Ohio, February 15 ; arrived in San Diego, June 1, 1849, and in San Jose, December 12, 1849. J. Bidwell — Born in Chautauque county, N. Y., 5th of August, 1819 ; immigrated to Pennsyl- vania; thence to Ohio; thence to Missouri; thence in 1841 to California; term in Senate one year. H. C. Robinson — Senator from Sacramento ; elected November 15, 1849 ; born in the State of Connecticut; immigrated at an early age to Louisiana; educated as a lawyer, but engaged in commer- cial pursuits ; arrived at SanTraneisco, February, 1849, per steamer " Califor- nia," the first that ever entered said port. Benjamin S. Lippincott — Senator from San Joaquin ; born in New York ; immigrated February, 1846, from New Jersey; by pursuit a merchant, and elected for two years. AsseinhlyTnen. — Elam Brown — Born in the State of New York, in 1797; emigrated from Mas.sachusetts in 1805 ; to Illinois in 1818 ; to Missouri ; 1837 ; and from Platte county, in Missouri, 1846, to California. J. S. K. Ogier — Born in Charleston, South Carolina; immigrated to New Orleans, 1845, and from there to California, December 18, 1848. E. B. Bateman M. D. — Emigrated from Missouri, April, 1847; residence, Stockton, Alta California. Edmund Randolph — Born in Richmond, Virginia; immi- grated to New Orleans, 1843 ; thence to California, 1849 ; residence, San Francisco. E. P. Baldwin — Born in Alabama; emigrated from thence in January, 1849; arrived in California, May 1, 1850; represents San Joa- quin District ; resides in Sonora, Tuolumne county. A. P. Crittenden — 138 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. Born in Lexington, Ky.; educated in Ohio, Alabama, New York and Penn- sylvania ; settled in Texas in 1839 ; came to California in 1849 ; represents the county of Los Angeles. Alfred Wheeler — Born in the city of New York, the 30th day of April, 1820; resided in New York City until the 21st of May, 1849, when he left for California. Citizen and resident of San Francisco, which district he represents. James A. Gray, Philadelphia — Monterey, California; immigrated in 1846 in the first New York Regiment of Volunteers. Joseph Aram — Native of State of New York ; immigrated to California, 1846 ; present residence, San Jose, Santa Clara county. Joseph C. Morehead — Born in Kentucky ; immi- grated to California in 1846 ; resides at present in the county of Calaveras, San Joaquin District. Benjamin Cory, M. D.- — Born November 12, 1822; immigrated to the Golden State in 1847; residence in the valley of San Jose. Thos. J. Henley — Born in Indiana ; family now reside in Charlestown, in that State ; immigrated to Califormia in 1849, through the South Pass; residence at Sacramento. Jose M. Covarrubias — Native of France; came to California in 1834; residence in Santa Barbara, and Representative for that district. Elisha W. McKinstry — Born in Detroit, Michigan; immigrated to California in March, 1849; residence in Sacramento District, city of Sutter. George B. Tingley — Born August 15, 1815, Clermont county, Ohio; immigrated to RushviLle, Indiana, Novcml er 4, 1834; started to California April 4, 1849 ; reached there Octo- ber ICth ; was elected to the Assembly November 13th, from Sacramento district, and is now in Pueblo de San Jose. Mr. Bradford, himself, represented our (Sonoma) district in the Assembly. On Saturday, December 15, 1849, the first State Legislature met at San Jose, E. Kirby Chamberlin being elected President pro tern, of the Senate, and Thomas J. White, Speaker of the Assembly. In t .e year 1850, Senator M. G. Vallejo became convinced that the capital of California should be established at a place which he desired to name Eureka, but which his colleagues, out of compliment to himself, suggested should be named Vallejo." To this end the General addressed a memorial to the Stnate, dated April 3, 1850, -wherein he graphically pointed out the advantages possessed by the proposed site over other places which claimed the honor. In this remarkable document, remarkable alike for its generosity of purpose as for its marvelous foresight, he proposed to grant twenty acres to the State, free of cost, for a State Capital and grounds, and one hundred and thirty-six acres more for other State buildings, to be apportioned in the following manner: Ten acres for the Governer's house and grounds; five acres for the offices of Treasurer, Comptroller, Secretary of State, Surveyor General, and Attorney-General, should the Commissioners determine that their offices should not be in the Capitol building; one acre to State Library and Tranislator's office, should it be determined to separate them from the HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 139 State House building; twenty acres for an Orphan Asylujn; ten acres for a Male Charity Hospital; ten acres for a Female Charity Hospital; four acres for an Asylum for the Blind; four acres for a Deaf and Dumb Asylum twenty acres for a Lunatic Asylum ; eight acres for four Common Schools twenty acres for a State University ; four acres for a State Botanical Garden and twenty acres for a State Penitentiary. But with a munificence casting this already long list of grants into the shade, he further proposed to donate and pay ovei' to the State, within two years after the acceptance of these propositions, the gigantic sum of three hundred and seventy thousand dollars, to be apportioned in the following manner: For the buUding of a State Capitol, one hundred and twenty- five thousand dollars; for furnishing the same, ten thousand dollars; for building of the Governor's house, ten thousand dollars ; for furnishing the same, five thousand dollars; for the building of State Library, and Translator's office, five thousand dollars; for a State Library five thousand dollars; for the building of the ofiices of the Secretary of State, Comptroller, Attorney- General, Surveyor-General and Treasurer, should the Commissioners deem it proper to separate them from the State House, twenty thousand dollars; for the building of an Orphan Asylum, twenty thousand dollars; for the building of a Female Charity Hospital, twenty thousand dollars; for the building of a Male Charity Hospital, twenty thousand dollars; for the building of an Asylum for the Blind, twenty thousand dollars; for the building of a Deaf and Dumb Asylum, twenty thousand dollars; for the building of a State University, twenty thousand dollars; for University Library, five thousand dollars; for scientific apparatus therefor, five thousand dollars; for chemical laboratory therefor, tliiee thousand dollars; for a min- eral cabinet therefor, three thousand dollars; for the building of four com- mon school edifices, ten thousand dollars; for purchasiag books for same, one thousand dollars; for the building of a Limatic Asylum, twenty thousand dollars; for a State Penitentiary, twenty thousand dollars; for a State botanical collection, three thousand dollars. In his memorial, the General states with much lucidity his reasons for claiming the proud position for the place suggested as the proper site for the State Capital. Mark the singleness of purpose with which he bases these claims: — " Your memorialist, with this simple proposition (namely, that in the event of the government declining to accept his terms it should be put to the popular vote at the general election held in November of that year — 1850), might stop here, did he not believe that his duty as a citizen of Cali- fornia required him to say thus much in addition — that he believes the location indicated is the most suitable for a permanent seat of government for the great State of California, for the following reasons: That it is the true center of the State, the true center of commerce, the true center of pop- 142 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. grace ask for its removal back thither ; but she, working with Benicia, the capital was once more on wheels and literally carted off to the latter town for the remaining portion of the session, when a bill was passed to fix the capital of the State at Sacramento, and thereafter clinched by large appro- priations for building the present magnificent capitol there. The last sitting of the Legislature was held on February 4, 18-53, when it was resolved to meet at Benicia on the 11th of the month, the vote then taken being as follows: Ayes — Messrs. Baird, Denver, Estill, Hager, Hubbs, Hudspeth, Keene, Lind, Lott, Lyons, McKibben, Roach, Smith, Snyder, Sprague, Wade, Wom- bough — 17. Nays — Crabb, Cofibrth, Foster, Gruwell, Kalston, Walkup — 6. But to return to our particular subject. During the first session at San Jose, but little was done beyond dividing the State into counties, and organ- izing their governments. At this time, Robert Hopkins was elected District Judge and Assemblyman, J. E. Brackett, Major-General of the second divis- ion of militia. Mr. Hopkins, who . with the Hon. George Pearce had been appointed a committee to visit the capital in order to prevent, if possible, the establishment of a boundary line which would include the Sonoma valley in Napa county, was a resident lawyer of Sonoma. On arrival at San Jose, the question of appointing a Judge for the Sonoma district was attracting attention, and the only candidate was W. R. Turnei-, who though a gentle- man of capabilities, did not reside there, and probably had never visited the spot. Pearce proposed to Hopkins to run for the office ; he allowed himself to be put in nomination, and he beat Turner, who knew not of opposition, just as he was putting forth 'his hand to seize the prize. The vote was unanimous for Hopkins, and Turner received some other district. Thus we see how narrow was the escape which Sonoma had at the outset of receiving a District Judge, who was utterly unknown to her residents. Pearce went' to San Jose for one purpose and accomplished another, while Hopkins came back a full-fledged Judge of a most important district. The State of California was admitted into the Union on September 9, 1850, and on January 6, 18.51, the second Legislature met at San Jose. Martin E. Cook, at this session, represented the Eleventh Senatorial district, which was composed of the counties of Sonoma, Solano, Napa, Marin, Colusa, Yolo, and- Trinity — in short all that territory west of the Sacramento river, while in the lower house, this county in conjunction with Napa, Marin, and Solano, were represented by John A. Bradford and A. Stearns. The census agent to the Legislature at this period reports the population of Sonoma county to be five hundred and sixty-one souls. We have elsewhere mentioned the establishment of the Court of Sessions; they held their first meeting in the county in 1850, the court being composed of A. A. Green, who was County Judge, and Charles Hudspeth and Peter Campbell, Associates. In 1851 Judge Green died, when Martin E. Cook was appointed, but he declining to serve, W. O. King was chosen to fl^ll the office, and he held one term of court. HISTOKY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 143 On September 3, 1851, the first gubernatorial election was held under the new order of things. In this contest, John Bigler, who received twenty -three thousand seven hundred and seventy-four votes in the State, agamst twenty- two thousand seven hundred and thirty-three, got by P. B. Redding, his Whig opponent, had the assi'stance of that new power which had commenced to creep into the State, in the shape of the squatting element. He was demo- cratic in his manners, being "hale-fellow" with all. Not so his oppo- nent, who was a gentleman of more genteel bearing than the kind-hearted, unambitious, landless Governor, who was always mindful of his friends. Bigler, in all his messages, urged economy, but found it difficult to prevent an office being made for a friend. Tuthill remarks : " It was his pet project to unite the Southern and Western men of his party, and let the free-soilers shift for themselves; but it is not in that direction that party cleavage runs. The Southerners scorned the alliance. They were ' high-toned,' and looked down upon a Missourian, as little better than a man from Massachusetts. The Governor's project would not work. He carried water on both shoulders and spilt very little on either side.'' In November, 1851, the Hon. C. P. Wilkins succeeded Judge Green in the position of County Judge ; Israel Brockman was Sheriff, and Dr. John Hendley, County Clerk and Recorder. In 1852, on July 8th, we find the first record of proceediugs of the Court of Session extant among the county archives, when the Judge, C. P. Wilkins, and his associates, Peter Campbell and J. M. Miller, were present, with J. Hendley, Clerk, and J. A. Reynolds, Under Sheriff) assembled to impanel a Grand Jury. These w^re : W. D. Kent, J. D. George, Alexander Spect, Samuel Havens, H. N. Ryder, Josiah Wilkins, James Crenshaw, J. P. Thrasher, A. C. Hollingshead, J. W. Davis, George Smith, Arnold Hutton, Edward Beasley, George Edgerton, John Smith, Benjamin Mitchell, H. L. Kamp, J. M. Gilliland, Robert Anderson, George B. Farrar, Hosea Norris, and Leonard Dodge. On October 3d, Phil. R. Thompson and A. C. Godwin were appointed Associate Justices, in place of the two gentlemen mentioned above, whose terms had expired. The first Board of Supervisors for the county met at Sonoma on July 5, 1852, and took charge of those affairs not coming within the immediate duties of the Court of Sessions. The members were D. O. Shattuck, who was called upon to. fill the distinguished position of Chairman, William A. Hereford of Santa Rosa district, Leonard P. Hanson, and James Singley. At the Presiden- tial election in the Fall of this year, E. W. McKinstry was elected District Judge; J. M. Hudspeth, Senator; H. S. Ewing and James McKamy, Assemblymen. In the year 1853, we find that the late General Joe Hooker, then a resident of Sonoma, was elected to the post of Road Overseer, and that Washington township was created and a polling precinct established at the store of A. C. Goodwin, which occupied a position on the site of the present town of Gey- 144 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. servJlle. Tlie Democratic Convention met this year at Santa Rosa, and nom- inated Joo Hooker and Lindsay Carson for the Assembly, and a full county ticket. The Settlers' Convention, met on August 6th and nominated a full county ticket, headed by James N. Bennett and Judge Robert Hopkins for the Assembly. When the election day arrived, September 7th, — Carson was elected to the Legislature and Bennett and Hooker were equal. The remo- val of the county seat from Sonoma to Santa Rosa did not enter largely into the first contest though such a change was openly discussed; in the second heat the election of either Bennett or Hooker hinged directly on the issue. The election came off on October 29th, and Bennett, who lived in and was sponser for Bennett valley, beat Hooker, a resident of Sonoma, by thirteen votes. Lind.say Carson resigned before the meeting of the Legislature, therefore another special election was had which resulted in the return, on the 23d, December of W. B. Hagans, who was opposed by James Singley and Joseph W. Belden. The story of the removal of the county seat, will be found fully set forth in the history of Santa Rosa township. From that date onwards the county progressed in every branch of public interest. The first full record of election which we have been able to find in the county archives was that held in the month of November, 1856, and is as follows : — For Presidential Electors, A. C.Bradford, 1519 votes; For member of Con- gress, Charles L. Scott, 1456 votes; For Clerk of Supreme Court, C. S. Fair- fax, 1481 votes; For State Superintendent of Public Instruction, J. J. Hol- der, 1481 votes; For Prison Director, Moses Arms, 330 votes; For Senator, A. W. Talieferro, 1088 votes; For members of Assembly, Uriah Edwards^ 1357 votes, and Richard Harrison, 1152 votes: For County Superintendent of Public Instruction, Edward Fisher, 1134 votes; For County Assessor, S. D. Towne, 1106 votes; Amendments to Constitution — Yes, 169; No; 0. While on the subject of votes, let us here produce, as a matter of curiosity the vote taken in regard to the proposed railroad on May 9, 1868: Clover- dale to Marin county, 2092; Cloverdale to Vallejo, Solano county, 1589: Donahue, Yes, 3166; Donahue, No, 429; Cloverdale to Petaluma, 3. In conclusion of this portion of our work we now come to the greatest political act of late years, namely, the order for a new Constitution and its passage by an immense majority throughout the State. It was found that the provisions in regard to taxation and property were of too vague a nature to be allowed to hold at this period of progress. At the time when the old constitution was framed in Monterey, it was never con- templated that the State would be ever anything but a purely mining coun- try; and as each mining section had its own local laws, more distinct terms in regard to what was legally meant by property and taxable property, were not thought to be necessary. At last the day came when a decision of the HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOENIA. 145 Supreme Court ruled that credits are not property in the sense in which the word property is used in Section 13 of Article XI of the Constitution, and, cannot be assessed for taxes, or taxed as property, even if secured by mort- gage. (The People vs. Hibernian Bank, Cal. Reports, 51). The popular voice became clamorous on this decision for a change of rule ; and though having been before mooted, and successfully balked by former sessions of the Legislature, an Act to provide for a convention to frame a new Constitution for the State of California was approved March 30, 1878; and by a proclamation of the Governor an election throughout the county of Sonoma was ordered to be held on June 19, 1878, for the purpose of electing delegates to a Constitutional Convention, to meet at Sacramento on September 28th. Thirty-two delegates were to be elected by the State at large, of whom not more than eight should be residents of any one Congressional district. The Conven- tion duly met at the State capital, and after much labor framed the new Constitution. The election for the adoption or rejection caused a deep- seated feeling throughout the length and breadth of our land, and for months the country was in a perfect ferment; at last the 7th of May arrived; the following morning the news was flashed from west to east and north to south of the adoption of California's new organic law. Under its provisions the new order of officers were elected on September 4, 1879, and now nothing but time can solve the riddle as to its working. 10 146 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. THE MEXICAN LAND GRANTS OF SONOMA COUNTY. EaNCHOS MUSAliACON — COTATE — GUILICOS — CANADA DE POGOLOME — LLANO DE SANTA R03A — BL MOLINO — HUIOHICA — YTTLUPA — GUENOC — SOTOYOME — BODEGA — BLUCHER — CALLATOMI — MUNIZ— LAGUNA DE SAN ANTONIO — AKROYO DE SAN ANTONIO — SEND DE MALACOMES — ^EOBLAR DE LA MISERIA — CANADA DE LA JONIVE — ESTBKO AMERICANO — GERMAN — PBTALtTMA — ^SAN UnanEL TZABACO — OASLAMAYOME — CABEZA Dfi SANTA EOSA — AGUA CALIENTE — ^FOUNDING GIT SPANISH MISSIONS. In glancing at the heading of this chapter we mugt ask the reader not tO' indulge in the vain hope that a full history of the grants comprised within the limits of what is now known as Sonoma county will be found ; such,, indeed, would he beyond the limits of this work even had we at hand the- infinity of resourses to be found in the hundreds of cases which have arisen out of them. Our compilation must of necessity be accepted in its crude state. We have striven to our utmost capability to produce some informa- tion which would combine both usefulness and correctness, and to this end have relied chiefly on the information contained in a legal work on whose title- page is the legend: " Reports of Land Cases determined in the United Statea District Court for the Northern District of California. June Term 1853 ta June Term 1858 inclusive, by Ogden Hoffman, District Judge; San Fran- cisco; Numa Hubert, Publisher, 1862." This valuable work has been "most kindly and considerately placed at our disposal by Judge Jackson Temple of the Twenty-second Judicial District of California. The first case we find on page 78 of Vol. 1 :— The United States, Apelkmts, vs. Johnson Horrell, claiming the Ran- cho Musalacon. — This was a claim for two leagues of land in Sonoma county, situated in Cloverdale township, confirmed by the Board of Commissioners, and appealed by the United States. The claimants in this case produced the original grant made by Governor Pio Pico to Francisco Berryesa on May 2, 1846. The record of the approval of the concession by the Departmental Assembly was dated June 3, 1846. No doubt is suggested as to the genuine- . ness of any of these documents. The grantee appears within the year pre- scribed by the grant to have entered into possession of his land and to have resided in a wooden house built by him upon it. He also placed upon it cattle, and commenced its cultivation. There is no difliculty in identifying and locating the land by means of the description in the grant and the map to which it refers, and which is contained in the expediente. The Commis- sioners in their opinion on this case observe " that although the title was executed but a short time before the American occupation, it appears to have HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 147 been made in good faith and with due regard to the requirements of the law. " The decision of the Board was affirmed and a decree entered accord- ingly. On page 80 of the Appendix we find: " Johnson Horrell et al., claimants for Rincon de Musalacon, two square leagues, in Mendocino and Sonoma counties, granted May 2, 1846, by Pio Pico to Francisco Berryesa; claim iiled February 11, 1853, confirmed by the Commission December 12,, 1854, by the District Court, January 14, 1856, and appeal dismissed April 2, 1857; containing 8,866.88 acres. • The United States, Apellants, vs Thomas S. Page, claiming the Rancho Cotate. — This claim which was for four leagues of land in Sonoma county situated partly in Vallejo and partly in Santa Rosa townships, was confirmed by the Board, and appealed by the United States. In this case the oi-iginal grant was not produced, but its existence and loss are proved beyond all reasonable doubt by the depositions of the witnesses and the production of the expediente from the archives containing the usual documents, and also a certificate of approval by the departmental assembly. The grant is also mentioned in the index of grants by the former government. No doubt was entertained by the commissioners as to the sufficiency of the proofs on these points, nor is any objection raised in the district court in regard to them. The evidence discloses a full compliance with the conditions, and the descrip- tion in the grant and map determines its locality. No objection is raised on the part of the appellants to the confirmation of this claim, and on look- iag over the transcript the court did not perceive any reason to doubt its entire validity. Page 48 of the Appendix tells us : " Thomas S. Page, claim- ant for Cotate, four square leagues in Sonoma county, granted July 7, 1844, by Manuel Micheltorena to Juan Castaneda; claim filed September 21, 1852, confirmed by the Commission August 27, 1854, by the District Court Jan- uary 14, 1856, and appeal dismissed March 21, 1857, containing ; 17,238.60 acres. Patented. " The United States, Appellants, vs. Juan Wilson, claiming the Rancho Guilicos. — ^" Claim for a tract of land, supposed to contain four leagues, in Sonoma county, situated in Santa Rosa and Sonoma Townships, confirmed by the Board, and appealed by the United States. The claim in this case was confirmed by the Board. No doubt is suggested as to the authenticity of the documentary evidence submitted, and the only point upon which a question was made was whether the grant and map accompanying it suffi- ciently indicate the granted land^there being no designation of the quantity or number of leagues in the original grant. The granb bears date Novem- ber 13, 1839, but was not issued until the 20th. The signature of the Gov- enor to the original grant is fully proved, and the expediente produced from the archives containing the proceedings upon the petition, the various orders of the Governor, and the decree of approval by the Departmental Asfsembly. 148 HISTORY OK SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. The requirements of the regulations of 1828 seem to have been substantially- complied with, and the land caltivated and inhabited within reasonable time. With regard to locating the tract, there seems to be no difficulty. The grant describes it as the parcel of land kn jwn by the name of " Guilicos, " within the boundaries shown in the map which accompanies the petition. On inspecting the map, those boundaries appear to be indicated with tolerable certainty, and it is presumed that by means of it no practical difficulty will be found by the surveyor in laying off to the claimant his land. A decree of cjnfirmation must therefore be entered." Page 5, of the Appendix says: " Juan Wilson, claimant for Guilicos, four square leagues, in Sonoma county, granted November 13, 1839, by Juan B. Alvara lo to John Wilson; claim filed February 10, 1852, confirmed by the Commission December 27, 1853; by the District Court March 3, 1856, and appeal dismissed December 8, 1856; containing, 18,833.86 acres." Patented. The United States, Appellants, vs. Antonia Cazares, claiming the Rancko Canada de Ppgolome. — " Claim for two leagues of land situated in Marin (and Sonoma) county, in Bodega and Analy townships, confirmed by the Board, and appealed by the United States." It appears (rom the document- ary evidence in this case that James Dawson, the deceased husband of the present claimant, on December 27, 1837, presented a petition to the com- manding General, setting forth that he, together with Mcintosh and one Jamc'H Black, had obtained a grant for the place called "La Punta del Estero del Americano ;" that he had built a house upon it, and planted a large vine- yard and an orchard with more than two hundred fruit trees, and had placed upon it cattle, horses, etc. He further represented that the grant had been obtained in partnership with the two persons mentioned, but that Mcintosh was attempting to eject him. Ee therefore prayed that he might be pro- tected in his rights. The petitioner, though he had long resided in the country, does not appear to have been naturalized at the time of making this petition, but the docu- ments show that letters of naturalization were obtained by him on December 29, 1841. On September 18, 1843, he renewed his application to be put in possession of the land, and the Governor, to whom this second petition was addressed, referred it to the Secretary for information. By the reports of that officer it appears, that although the petition for the land had been in the name of the three applicants, yet the grant had been made to Mcintosh solely, as he alone possessed the essential requisite of being a naturalized Mexican citizen. The Secretary therefore suggests that, although the request of Dawson cannot be granted, yet inasmuch as he had since been naturalized, and had married a Mexican woman, his application for another piece of land should be favorably considered. HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 149 The Governor, in accordance with this suggestion, on October 21, 1843, ordered the proceedings to be returned to the party interested for his infor- mation. It is presumed that it was in this way that these documents came into the parties' possession, and are not now found among the archives. It does not appear that Dawson petitioned for a grant before his death, which occurred very soon after; but a grant is produced in which it is recited that his widow, the present claimant, has sufficiently proved the right of her deceased husband to petition for the land which she then occupied, and in consideration of the great losses sustained by her husband on sepai'ating himself from Mcintosh, and the favorable reports, etc., the Governor grants to her the land solicited, known by the name of the " Canada de Pogolome," to the extent of two square leagues, a little more or less. It is this land which is now claimed by the appellee. This grant was issued on February 12, 1844, and it appears to have been approved by the Departmental Assembly, on September 26, 184-5. The genuineness of the above documents is fully proved, and it is also shown that the land was long occupied by Dawson before his decease, and since then by the present claim- ant. Although the expediente for this grant is not among the archives, yet, as observed by the Commissioners, " its notoriety, the long possession, and the circumstances surrounding it, relieve it from any suspicion of fraud or forgery." The boundaries, as well as the extent of the land, are specified in the grant, and indicated with evident precision on the map to which it refers. We think, therefore, that the claim is valid and ought to be confirmed." Of this case, page 3, of the Appendix says : " Antonia Cazares, claimant for Canada de Pogolome, two square leagues, in Marin and Sonoma counties, granted February 12, 1844, by Manuel Micheltorena to Antonia Cazares; claim filed Februarj'' 3, 1852, confirmed by the Commission April 11, 1853. by the District Court, March 24, 1856, and appeal dismissed December 8, 1856, containing 8,780.81 acres." The United States, Appellants^ vs. Joaquin Careillo, claiming the Rancho Llano de ^anta Rosa — Claim for three leagues of land in Sonoma county (situated in Santa Rosa and Analy townships), confirmed by the Board, and appealed by the United States. " It appears from the expediente in this case that the claimant, on June 22, 1843, petitioned Governor Micheltorena for a grant of land on the plain adjoining the rancho of his mother. The Governor, however, suspended action on the subject, as no judicial measurement had been made of the adjoining ranchos, and the extent of the sobrante or surplus reserved was not ascertained. " On March 12, 1844, the claimant applied to the Alcalde of the district 150 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOENIA. for permission to sow, and build a house upon the land, during the pendency of his application to the Governor for a grant. The Alcalde granted him leave to sow the land, holding himself responsible to the owners of the lands if there should be any damage, but he refused him permission to build the house. " On March 26, 1844, the claimant renewed his application to the Gov- ernor, stating that his petition still remained unacted upon on account of the neglect of the colindantes or adjoining proprietors to have their lands measured according to law. " The Secretary, to whom this second petition was referred, reported favor- ably to it, and advised a grant of not more than three square leagues, sub- ject to the measurements of the adjoining proprietors. " In accordance with this report the grant now produced was made ; and it appears in evidence that he built, first, a small house, and afterwards a very large one on the land, on which he has continued ever since to reside. He has also cultivated from one to three- hundred acres of it with corn, barley, wheat, etc. " The handwriting of the grant in the possession of the party is fully proved, and there seems no reason to doubt the entire validity of this claim. '■ The map and the designation in the grant of the colindantes or con- terminous owners abundantly show the locality of the tract granted; and the claimants title to the land solicited must be confirmed to the extent of three leagues, subject to the measurement of the land previously granted to the colindantes. The decision of the Board must, therefore, be affirmed." In reference to this case we find on page 35 of the appendix, " Joaquin Carrillo, claimant for Llano de Santa Rosa, three square leagues, in Sonoma county, granted March 29, 1844, by Manuel Micheltorena to Marcus West; claim filed May 31, 18.52, confirmed by the commmission October 21, 1853, by the District Court, March 24, 1856, and appeal dismissed January 13, 1857, containing 13,336.55 acres." The United States, Appellants, vs. John B. R. Cooper, claiming the Ranclio El Molino. — Claim four leagues of land in Sonoma county (situated in Santa Rosa, Analy and Russian River townships), confirmed by the Board, and appealed by the United States. " The claimant in this case, a naturalized Mexican citizen, obtained in December, 1833, a grant from the Governor for the place called Rio Ayoska. This grant was approved by the Departmental Assembly, and a certificate of its confirmation delivered to the grantee, as appears from the testimony, and the expediente filed in this case. "He subsequently appealed to the Governor for an exchange of the land granted for that now claimed by him. Proceedings on this application were commenced by Governor Figueroa, and the new grant was made, as desired by the petitioner, by Governor Gutierrez, on February 24, 1836. HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 151 "These facts are proved by the testimony of Hartnell and Vallejo, whose evidence is corroborated by the expediente on file in the archives. " The genuineness of the grant is fully established. " Previously to obtaining the last grant, the claimant had gone into possess ion of the tract solicited, and had built a house upon it. He also had, as early as 1834, placed a considerable number of cattle upon it, and had com- menced the erection of a mill, upon which he expended more than ten thousand dollars. He also erected a blacksmith shop, and for two years had employed upon his rancho men to the average number of sixteen, and sometimes thirty or forty Indians. " It is clear that the grantee fulfilled the conditions and carried out the objects of the colonization laws to an extent very unusual in the then condi- tion of the country. "With regard to the location of the land, it appears from the testimony of O'Farrell and other witnesses, who are acquainted with the adjacent coun- try, that there is no difficulty in ascertaining its locality by means of the diseno which accompanies the grant. O'FarrelJ, who had long been a sur- veyor under the Mexicans, testifies that he has, by means of the grant and the diseno, made a survey of the land, and that it contains, as surveyed by him, only the quantity specified in the grant. "The claim was held to be valid by the Board. No objections to it are sug- gested on the part of the United States, and we are of opinion that the deci- sion of the Board should be affirmed." Page 27 of the Appendix, in regard to this grant, remarks: "John B. R. Cooper claimant for El Molino or Rio Ayoska, ten-and-one-half square leagues, in Sonoma county, granted December 31, 1833 by Jos^ Figueroa, February 24, 1836, by Nicholas Gutierrez, to J. B. R. Cooper; claimed filed April 20, 1852, confirmed by the Commission November 14, 1854, by the District Court March 24, 1856, and appeal dissmissed December 15, 1856; containing 17,892, 42 acres. Patented." The United States, Appellants, vs. Jacob P. Leesf,, claiming the Rancho Hwichica. — Claim for five leagues of land in Sonoma county, ( situated in Sonoma Township:) confirmed by the Board and appealed by the United States. "The claimant in this case obtained on October 21, 1841, a grant from Manuel Jimeno, acting Governor of California, for two square leagues of land, as designated on the map which accompanied his petition. Juridical possession was given of the tract as delineated on the map, but the extent of land measured to him largely exceeded the quantity mentioned in the grant. He thereupon petitioned for an augmentation, and on July 6, 1844, he obtained from Governor Micheltorena an additional grant for three and one-half leagues, making in all five leagues and a half. The proofs show that 152 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. as early as 1839, the land was occupied, and a house built upon it. The grantee also placed there cattle and horses, and cultivated about two hundred acres of land. He has ever since continued to occupy it. "The authenticity of the grant is shown by proof of the genuineness of the signatures, and the production of the expediente from the archives of the former government. The claim was confirmed by the Board, and no objec- tions to it are suggested in this Court. A decree of confirmation must there- fore be entered. " We find on page 23 of the Appendix the following: "Jacob P. Leese, claimant for Huichaca, two square leagues, in Sonoma county, granted Octo- ber 26, 1841, by Manuel Jimeno, and July 6, 1844, by Manuel Micheltorena, to J P. Leese; claim filed April 6, 1852, confirmed by the Commission April 18, 1853, by the District Court, April 22, 1856,. and appeal dismissed December 24, 1856; containing 18,704,04 acres. Patented." Mariano G. Vallejo, claiming the Rancho Yulupa, vs. the United States. — Claim for three leagues of land in Sonoma county, rejected by the Board, and appealed by the claimant. " The claimant in this case has produced the original grant by Governor Micheltorena to Miguel Alvarado, dated November 23, 1844. "This grant was approved by the Departmental Assembly on February 18, 1845. "The genuineness of the grant is fully proved, and the occupation of and the cultivation of a portion of the land established by testimony. The claim was rejected by the Board for the reason that the tract granted was not segre- gated from the public domain. The land is described in the grant as known by the name of Yulupa, and bounded by the ranches of Petaluma, Cotate, Santa Rosa and Los Guilicos. Jasper O'Farrell, who was a government surveyor in 1847, and 1848, and as such surveyed several ranchos in the vicinity, states that he knows the latter well, and that the Rancho Yulupa is situated between them ; that it is near the town of Sonoma, and can easily be segregated from the adjoining ranchos. Julio Carrillo testifies that he has known the lands of Yulupa since 1838; and that it lies between the ranchos of "Petaluma," "Cotate," "Santa Rosa," and "Guilicos;" that it contains about three leagues and is well known. The witness further states that Alvarado built a house on the land, and occu- pied it with cattle and horses in 1843 or 1844. The evidence of these and other witnesses whose testimony has been taken in this Court on appeal, sufficiently, in my opinion, establishes the identity of the land, granted to Alvarado, and removes the only objection urged to a confirmation of the claim. A decree of confirmation must therefore be entered." On page 35 of the Appendix it is recorded : " Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 153 claimant for Yulupa, three square leagues, in Sonoma county, granted November 23, 1844, by Manuel Micheltorena to Miguel Alvarado; claim filed May 31, 1852, rejected by the Commission May 10, 1854; confirmed by the District Court January 21, 1857; decree reversed by the United States Supreme Court and cause remanded for further evidence. So far unfortunately do these cases go, we are, therefore, constrained to proceed to what information can be gleaned out of the Appendix, from which the following quotations are taken : — Archibald A. Ritchie, claimant for Guenoc, six square leagues, in Sonoma county, granted May 8, 1845, by Pio Pico to George Rock; claim filed Janu- ary 27, 1852 ; confirmed by the Commission December 18, 1852, and appeal dismissed December 15, 1856 ; containing 21,220.03 acres. Vide page 3, Appendix Hoffman's Reports, Vol. 1. Josefa Carrillo Fitch et al., claimants for Sotoyom^, eight square leagues, in Sonoma and Mendociao counties (situated in Mendocino and Russian River townships), granted September 28, 1841, by Manuel Micheltorena to Henry D. Fitch; claim filed February 2, 1852, confirmed by the Commission April 18, 1853, and appeal dismissed November 17, 1857; containing 48,836.51 acres. Patented. Vide page 3, App. Hoffman's Reports, Vol. 1. Stephen Smith and Manuela T. Curtis, claimants for Bodega, eight square leagues, in Sonoma county (situated in Bodega and Ocean townships), granted September 14, 1844, by Manuel Micheltorena to Stephen Smith; claim filed February 9, 1852, confirmed by the Commission February 21, 1853, by the District Court July 5, 1855, and appeal dismissed April 2, 1857; containing 35,487.53 acres. Patented. Vide page 4, App. Hoffman's Reports, Vol. 1. Stephen Smith, claimant for Blucher, six square leagues in Sonoma county (situated in Analy township), granted October 14, 1844, by Manuel Michel- torena to Juan Vioget; claim filed February 9, 1852; confirmed by the Commission October 31, 1854, by the District Court January 26, 1857, and appeal dismissed November 24, 1856; containing 22,976.66 acres. Vide page 4, Appendix Hoffman's Reports, Vol. 1. Archibald A. Ritchie and Paul S. Forbes, claimants for Callayome, three square leagues in Sonoma county granted January 17, 1845, by Manuel Micheltorena to Robert F. Ridley ; claim filed February 12, 1852 ; confirmed by the Commission December 22, 1852, and appeal dismissed December 8, 1856 ; containing 8,241.74 acres. Vide page 6, Appendix Hoffman's Reports Vol. 1. Manuel Torres, claimant for Muniz, four square leagues in Mendocino county (now Sonoma, situated in Ocean and Salt Point townships), granted December 4, 1845, by Pio Pico to Manuel Torres; claim filed February 17, 1852 ; confirmed by the Commission December 27, 1853, by the District Court, October 17, 1855, and appeal dismissed May 7, 1857; containing 154 HISTOEY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 17,760.75 acres. Patented. Vide page 7, Appendix Hoffman's Reports, Vol. 1. Bartolomd Bojorquez, claimant for Laguna de San Antonio, six square leagues in Marin county (a great part in Sonoma county, Petaluma town- ship), granted November 5, 1845, by Pio Pico to B. Bojorquez; claim filed February 17, 1852 ; confirmed by the Commission October 12, 1853, by the District Court September 10, 1855, and appeal dismissed November 24, 1856 ; containing 24,903.42 acres. Vide page 7, Appendix Hoffman's Reports, Vol. 1. Thomas B. Valentine, claimant for Arroyo de San Antonio, three square leagues in Marin county (partly in Sonoma county, Petaluma township), granted October 8, 1844, by Manuel Micheltorena to Juan Miranda ; claim filed February 17, 1852, and discontinued February 6, 1855. Not confirmed. Vide page 7, Appendix Hoffman's Reports, Vol. 1 ; and History of Petaluma township in this work. Josd de los Santos Berryesa, claimant for Seno de Malacomes or Moristal y Plan de Agua Caliente, four leagues in Sonoma county (situated ia Knight's Valley township), granted October 14, 1843, by Manuel Michel- torena to J. de los Santos Berryesa; claim filed February 20, 1852; con- firmed by the Commission June 27, 1854, by the District Court December 24, 1856, and appeal dismissed November 24, 1856; containing 12,540.22 acres. Vide page 9, Appendix Hoffman's Reports, Vol. 1. Lovett P. Rockwell and Thomas P. Knight, claimants for portion of Mala- comes or Moristal, No. 58, two square leagues in Sonoma county (situated in Knight's Valley township), granted October 14, 1843, by Manuel Michel- torena to Jos^ de los Santos Berryesa; claim filed February 20, 1852; con- firmed by the Commission, August 29, 1854, and appeal dismissed November 24, 1856; containing 8,328.85 acres. Vide page 9, Appendix Hoffman's Reports, Vol. 1. David Wright et al., claimant for Roblar de la Miseria, four square leagues in Sonoma county (situated in Petaluma township), granted November 21, 1845, by Pio Pico to Juan Nepomasena PadUlo ; claim filed February 24, 1852 ; confirmed by the Commission February 14, 1853, by the District Court September 10, 1855, and appeal dismissed December 8, 1856; con- taining 16,887.45 acres. Patented. Vide page 10, Appendix Hoffman's Reports, Vol. 1. Jasper O'Farrell, claimant for Canada de la Jonive, two square leagues in Sonoma county (situated in Analy and Bodega townships), granted February 5, 1845, by Pio Pico to James Black; claim filed March 2, 1852; confirmed by the Commission April 18, 1853, by the District Court, July 16, 1855, and appeal dismissed December 22, 1856; containing 10,786.51 acres. Patented. Vide page 12, Appendix Hoffman's Reports, Vol. 1. HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 155 M. G. Vallejo, claimant for lot 150 by 130 varas, in Sonoma city, granted July 5, 1835, by Jos^ Figueroa to M. G. Vallejo; claim filed March 30, 1852; confirmed by the Commission January 17, 1854, by the District Court Feb- ruary 18, 1856, and appeal dismissed February 23, 1857 ; containing 3.81 acres. Vide page 19, Appendix Hofiman's Reports, Vol. 1. The patent for this propert3' is on record. Jasper O'Farrell, claimant for Estero Americano^ two square leagues in Sonoma county (situated in Bodega township), granted September 4, 1839 by Manuel Jimeno to Edward Manuel Mcintosh; claim filed March 30, 1852; confirmed by the Commission April 11, 1853, and appeal dismissed February 2, 1857 ; containing 8,849.13 acres. Patented. Vide page 19, Appendix Hoffman's Reports, Vol. 1. Charles Mayer et al., claimants for German, five square leagues in Mendo- cino county (now Sonoma county, and situated in Salt Point township), granted April 8, 1846, by Pio Pico to Ernest Rufus; claim filed April 27, 1852, confirmed by the commission December 22, 1852, by the District Court, September 10, 1855, and by the United States Supreme Court; con- taining 17,580.01 acres. Vide page 28, App. Hoff'man's Reports, Vol. 1. Mayor and Common Council of Sonoma, claimants for Pueblo of Sonoma, four square leagues, granted June 24, 1835, by M. G. Vallejo to Pueblo of Sonoma; claim filed May 21, 1852, and confirmed by the Commission Jan- uary 22, 1856. Vide page 33, App. Hofihian's Reports, Vol. 1. Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, claimant for Petaluma, ten square leagues, in Sonoma county (situated in Vallejo and Sonoma townships), granted Octo- ber 22, 1843, by Manuel Micheltorena to 11 G. Vallejo, (grant) and five square leagues, June 22, 1844, by Manuel Micheltorena to M. G. Vallejo (sale by Government); claim filed May 31, 1852, confirmed by the Com- mission, May 22, 1855, by the District Court, March 16, 1857, and appeal dismissed July 3, 1857; containing 66,022.17 acres. Vide page 35, App. Hoffman's Reports, Vol. 1. Patented. Guadalupe Vasquez de West et al., claimants for San Miguel, six square leagues, in Sonoma .county (situated in Santa Rosa township), granted Nov- vember 2, 1840, by Juan B. Alvarado, and October 14, 1844, by Manuel Micheltorena to Marcus West; claim filed May 31, 1852, rejected by the Commission April 24, 1855, confirmed by the District Court, June 2, 1857 and decree confirmed by the United States Supreme Court for one league and a half. Vide page 35, App. Hoffman's Reports, Vol. 1. J. Jesus Pcna ft al., heirs of J. G. Pena, claimants for Tzabaco, four square leagues, in Sonoma county (situated in Mendocino and Washington townships), granted October 14, 1843, by Manuel Micheltorena to Jos^ Ger- man Pena; claim filed August 5, 1852, confirmed by the Commission June 26, 1855, by the District Court, March 9, 1857, and appeal dismissed Apr 156 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 2, 1857; containing 15,439.32 acres. Patented. Vide page 41, Appendix Hoffman's Reports, Vol. 1 William Forbes, claimant for La Laguna de los Gentiles or Caslamayome, eight square leagues in Sonoma county (situated in Cloverdale and Wash- ington townships), granted March 20, 1844, by Manuel Micheltorena to Eugenio Montenegro; claim filed September 7, 1852, and rejected by the Commission, September 26, 1854. Vide page 45, App. Hoffman's Reports Vol. 1. John Hendley et al., claimants for Llano de Santa Rosa, one square league, in Sonoma county (situated in Santa Rosa township), granted March 20, 1844, by Manuel Micheltorena to Joaquin Carrillo ; claim filed December 24, 1852, rejected by the Commission Januai-y 23, 1855, and appeal dismissed for failure of prosecution April 21, 1856. Vide page 68, App. Hofiman's Reports, Vol. 1. Jacob P. Leese, claimant for Lac, 1,000 varas square, in Sonoma county, granteji July 25, 1844, by Manuel Micheltorena to Damaso Rodriguez ; claim filed February 21, 1853, confirmed by the Commission December 12, 1854, and by the District Court December 28, 1857, and appeal dismissed Decem- ber 28, 1857. Vide page 84, App. Hoffman's Reports, Vol. 1. Patented. Julio Carrillo, claimant for part of Cabeza de Santa Rosa, in Sonoma county (situated in Santa Rosa township), granted September 30, 1841, by Manuel Jimeno,to Maria Ygnacia Lopez; claim filed February 28, 1853; con- firmed by the Commission April 4, 1854; by the District Court, March 2, 1857, and appeal dismissed March 27» 1857; containing 4,500.42 acres. Vide page 88, App. Hoffman's Reports, Vol. 1. Patented. Jacob R. Mayer et al., claimants for part of Cabeza de Santa Rosa, in Sonoma county (situated in Santa Rosa township), granted September 30, 1841, by Manuel Jimeno, to Maria Ygnacia Lopez ; claim filed February 28, 1853 ; confirmed by the Commission April 4, 1854, by the District Court March 2, 1857, and appeal dismissed March 27, 1857; containing 1,484.82 acres. Vide page 88, App. Hoffman's Reports, Vol. 1. James Eldridge, claimant for part of Cabeza de Santa Rosa, in Sonoma county (situated in Santa Rosa township); granted September 30, 1841, by Manuel Jimeno, to Maria Ygnacia Lopez; claim filed February 28,1853; confirmed by the Commission April 4, 1854 ; by the District Court March 2, . 1857, and appeal dismissed March 27, 1857 ; containing 1,667.68 acres. Vide page 88, App. Hoffman's Reports, Vol. 1. Felicidad Carrillo, claimant for part of Cabeza de Santa Rosa, in Sonoma county (situated in Santa Rosa township) ; granted September 30, 1841, by Manuel Jimeno to Maria Ygnacia Lopez ; claim filed February 28, 1853 ; confirmed by the Commission, April 4, 1854, and by the District "Court, March 2. 1857. Vide page 88, App. Hoffman's Reports, Vol. 1. HISTOEY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 157 Juan de Jesus Mallagh, claimant for part of Cabeza de Santa Rosa, in Sonoma county, (situated in Santa Rosa township) ; granted September 30, 1841, by Manuel Jimeno to Maria Ygnacia Lopez; claim filed February 28 1853; confirmed by the Commission April 4, 1854, and by the District Court March 2, 1857, and appeal dismissed March 27, 1857 ; containing 256.16 acres. Vide page 88, App. Hoffman's Reports, Vol. 1. Martin E. Cook et al., claimants for part of Malacomes or Moristal, two miles square, in Sonoma county, (situated in Knight's valley township) ; granted October, 1843, by Manuel Michtltorena to Jose de los Santos Ber- ryesa ; claim filed February 28, 1853 ; confirmed by the Commission August 7,1855, and appeal dismissed April 16,1857; containing 2,559.94 acres. Patented. Vide page 90, App. Hoffman's Reports, Vol. 1. John Hendley, claimant for part of Cabeza de Santa Rosa, one mile square, in Sonoma county (situated in Santa Rosa township) ; granted September 30, 1841, by Manuel Jimeno to Maria Ygnacia Lopez; claim filed February 28, 1853 ; confirmed by the Commission December 19, 1854; by the District Court March 2, 1857, and appeal dismissed March 27, 1857 ; containing 640.19 acres. Vide page 90, App. Hoffman's Reports, Vol. 1. Joseph Hooker, claimant for part of A.gua Caliente, in Sonoma county, (situated in Sonoma township) ; granted July 13, 1840, by Juan B. Alvarado to Lazaro Pena ; claim filed March 2, 1853 ; confirmed by the Commission April 24, 1855 ; by the District Court March 2, 1857, and appeal dismissed March 27, 1857, containing 550.86 acres. Vide page 100, Hoffman's Reports, Vol. 1. Patented. Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, claimant for Agua Caliente, in Sonoma county, (situated in Sonoma township) ; granted July 13, 1840, by Juan B. Alvarado to Lazaro Peiia ; claim filed March 2, 1853 ; rejected by the Com- mission December, 1855, and by the District Court, July 13, 1859. Vide page 100, App. Hoffman's Reports, Vol. 1. Thaddeus M. Leavenworth, claimant for part of Ague Caliente, in Sonoma county (situated in Sonoma township), granted July 13, 1840, by Juan B. Alvardo to Lazaro Pena; claim filed March 2, 1853, confirmed by the Com- mission April 24, 1855, by the District Court March 2, 1857, and appeal dismissed April 3, 1857; containing 320.33 acres. Vide page 102, App. Hoffman's Reports, Vol. 1 . Oliver Boulio, claimant for part of Cabeza de Santa Rosa, 640 acres in Sonoma county ( situated in Santa Rosa township ), granted September 30, 1841, by Manuel Jimeno to Maria Ygnacia Lopez; claim filed March 2, 1853, rejected by the commission January 30, 1855, and appeal dismissed for fail- ure of prosecution April 21, 1856. Vide page 102, App. Hoffman's Reports, Vol. 1. 158 HISTOEY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. C. P. Stone, claimant for part of Agua Caliente, 300 acres, in Sonoma county (situated in Sonoma township), granted July 13, 1840, by JuanB. Alvarado to Lazaro Pena; claim filed March 2, 1853, confirmed by the Commission April 24, 1855, by the District Court March 2, 1857, and appeal dismissed March 31, 1857. Vide page 104, App. Hofiman's Reports, Vol. 1. Cyrus Alexander, claimant part of Sotoyome, two square leagues ( situated in Mendocino township), granted September 28, 1841, by Juan B. Alvarado to Henry D. Fitch; claim filed March 3, 1853, rejected by the Commission February 8, 1855, and appeal dismissed for failure of prosecution April 21, 1856. Vide page 106, App. Hoffman's Reports, Vol. 1. James A. Watmough, claimant for part of Petaluma grant, one square mile, in Sonoma county, granted October 22, 1843, by Manuel Micheltorena to M. G. Vallejo; claim filed March 3, 1853, rejected by the Commission Jan- uary 30, 1855, and appeal dismissed for failure of prosecution April 21, 1856. Vide page 107, App. Hoffman's Reports, Vol. 1. Jose Santos Berryesa, claimant for 200 by 300 varas, in Sonoma county, granted May 30, 1846, by Joaquin Carrillo to J. S. Berryesa; claim filed March 3, 1853, rejected by the Commission October 17, 1854, and appeal dismissed for failure of prosecution April 21, 1856; Vide page 108, App. Hoffman's Reports, Vol. 1. In conclusion we produce, more as a matter of reference, than having any special claim upon our subject, the following dates of the founding of the different Missions in California: — Archbishop Joseph Sadoc Alemany, claimant for the following Missions and lands; claim filed February 19, 185.ifc, confirmed by the Commission December 18, 1855, appeal dismissed in Northern District March 16, 1857, and in Southern District March 15, 1858. [The dates of the foundations of the Missions were furnished by the Reverend Father Jose Maria de Jesus Gonzalez, of the Mission of Santa Barbara.] Mission San Diego, in San Diego county, founded under Carlos IH, July 16, 1769; containing 22.24 acres. Mission San Luis Rey, in San Diego county, founded under Carlos IV, June 13, 1798; containing 53.39 acres. Mission San Juan Capistrano, in Los Angeles county, founded under Carlos III, November 10, 1776; containing 44.40 acres. Mission San Gabriel Arcangel, in Los Angeles county, founded under Carlos III, September S, 1771; containing 190.69 acres. Patented. Mission San Buenaventura, in Santa Barbara county, founded under Carlos III, March 31, 1782; containing 36.27 acres. Mission San Fernando, in Los Angeles county, founded under Carlos IV, September 8, 1797; containing 76.94 acres. Mission Santa Barbara, in Santa Barbara county, founded under Carlos III, December 4, 1786; containing 37.83 acres. HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 159 Mission Santa Inez, in Santa Barbara county, founded under Carlos IV, September 17, 1804; containing 17.35 acres. Mission La Purisima Concepcion, in Santa Barbara county, founded under Carlos III, December 8, 1787. Mission San Luis Obispo, in San Luis Obispo county, founded under Carlos III, September 1, 1772, containing 52.72 acres. Patented. Mission San Miguel Arcangel, in San Luis Obispo county, founded under Carlos IV, July 25, 1797; containing 33.97 acres. Patented- Mission San Antonio de Padua, in San Luis Obispo county , founded under Carlos III, July 14, 1771; containing 33.19 acres. Patented. Mission La Soledad, in Monterey county, founded under Carlos IV, October 9, 1791 ; containing 34.47 acres. Patented. Mission El Carme or San Carlos de Monterey, in Monterey county, founded un ler Carlos III ; June 3, 1770 ; containing 9 acres. Patented. Mission San Juan Bautista, in Monterey county, founded under Carlos IV, June 24,1797; containing 55.33 acres. Patented. Mission Santa Cruz, in Santa Cruz countj"^, founded under Carlos IV, August 28, 1791; containing 16.94 acres. Patented. Mission Santa Clara, in Santa Clara county, founded under Carlos III, Jan- uary 18, 1777; containing 13.13 acres. Patented. Mission San Jose, in Alameda county, founded under Carlos IV, June 11, 1797; containing 28.33 acres. Patented. Mission Dolores or San Francisco de Asis, in San Francisco county, founded under Carlos III, October 9, 1776; two lots, one containing 4.3 acres, and the other 4.51 acres. Patented. Mission San Eafael Arcangel, in Marin county, founded under Fernando VII, December 18, 1817; eontauiing 6.48 acres. Patented. Mission San Francisco Solano, in Sonoma county, founded under Fernando VII, August 25, 1823; containing 14.20 acres. 160 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. THE HOMICIDES OP SONOMA COUNTY. THE PEOPLE VS. C. BEUNEK — ^WINSLOW HALL — THOMAS STEWART — JOSE SORANO — MICHAEL ETAN — JOHN SHARON — ^T. B. BERGER — W. N. THOMPSON — JONATHAN DAVIS — K. J. SMTTHEE — BIRD BRtTMFIELD C. SWEITZEE — PENn'O — LODIE BEOWN, JOHN L. HOUX, W. B. ANDREWS — ^JAMES F. EENT'EO — EENJ. EDWARDS — PEDRO SOTO — J. E. GIBBONS — ^JAMBS K. BEOWNLEE F. A. HEFLIN — H. S. BPPEELE — OSMAN EAIEBANKS — THOMAS REED — JOSE MARIA FLORES J. L. EPPEESON— HOMICIDE OF MRS. CHARLES ALDRICH — HUGH m'lAUGHLIN — DEPUTY SHERIFF DAVID CAMPBELL — CAMERON, alias J. M. SCOTT — WENTON MES. LEE GEORGE ANDRADO — J. G. HILL. Mention has been made in another portion of this volume of the estab- lishment of Prefectures, and a Judge of First Instance ; while the judg- ment decreed in a suit heard in the latter Court at Benicia, as appertaining to the district of Sonoma, has been copied verbatim. With the acquisition of California by the Government of the United States, and the increase of population, better provision was deemed neces- sary for the carrying out of the law. County Courts were established, and among others, the Seventh Judicial District Court ; however, this division was altered afterwards, and Sonoma, with Marin county, formed into one Judicial District. We have been unable to trace any trials which took place anterior to the year 1858 ; our record, of necessity, therefore, commences with that period. The People vs. Christian Bruner. — This was a case wherein the accused was indicted for the shooting of one Antone Bruner with a pistol. The offense occurred in the town of Sonoma on September 9, 1858, and arose out of a quarrel in respect to the renting of a bar-room by the two men. On the 9th October following, an individual named Peter Peterson was included in the indictment, and a warrant issued for his arrest, but what further proceedings were had, or what decision was arrived at, the records do not show. The People vs. Winslow Hall. — The defendant was arrested and tried for the killing of Frederick Bischoff, by shooting him in the neck, on Sep- tember 1, 1857. On arraignment, on October 13, 1858, he was decreed " Not guilty," and discharged. The People vs. Thomas Stewart.— The circumstances connected with thb case are briefly these: On November 24, 1860, while L. D. Helms waa sitting in front of his house, situated in Salt Point township, in company with two persons, he was suddenly shot dead by some unknown party. Mr. George Curran, one of the party, was with Helms when shot, gave infor- i\, ^v^ \\sxUv;xV) HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 161 mation that the weapon used was a rifle, and that he saw the smoke rise from the bushes, about fifty yards from the house, immediately after the unfor- tunate man fell. The ball struck the right arm above the elbow and lodged in the breast. Helms exclaimed, "lam shot!" and fell dead. Six parties were arrested, viz. : J. Stewart, Sr., Mrs. Stewart, and Russell Stevens. Thomas Stewart, who is supposed to have perpetrated the deed, was arrested at Point Arenas, and brought back to Salt Point, but while there, during the night, feigned sickness, was granted permission to go out of door.s, and tak- ing advantage of this leniency, effected his escape. On December 11th the fi.ve parties mentioned above were examined before Justice of the Peace Myers, and two of them, James and Samuel Stewart, were held to answer in the sum of one thousand dollars bail. Killing of Mrs. Charles Aldrich. — The dead body of Mrs. Aldrich was found near the residence of her husband, in the vicinity of Cloverdale, on May 7, I860. Charles Aldrich, her husband, left home on the morning of that day, for Cloverdale, and did not return till night. Upon going into his house and finding his wife absent, he searched for her, and finally dis- covered the body about one hundred and fifty yards from the house, with such marks of violence upon it as plainly to intimate the cause of death. The face and head were bruised and disfigured, while a piece of linen duck was tightly wrapped around the neck, leaving no doubt that she was strang- led. Her child, an infant of six months old, was found unhurt lying near the body, though stripped of its clothing. Several parties were arrested as implicated in this case, but we do not find that any one was tried or con- victed. Stabbing of Hugh McLaughlin. — Hugh McLaughlin, keeper of a livery stable at Heald.sburg, was fatally stabbed by James B. Boggs, on July 6, 1861. Both of the parties, who are reported to have been under the influ- ence of liquor, met at Foss' livery stable at about 6:30 P. M, when Bjxj-gs remarked, upon seeing a horse groomed, that the animal was "not of much .account." McLaughlin agreed with him, and rejoined that it came from " Pike, and nothing from there is of any account." Boggs thereupon made the pleasant retort — "Oh yes, I came from 'Pike,' and j^ou know that I am ■a good fellow." To which McLaughlin replied, calling him a liar, at the same time knocking him down. He was at once taken off, but soon knoci Win. H. White, and a great many others came into Big valley; in fact, all the land was taken up during that year. Robert Gordon, Wm. Jones and Wm. H.White, however, are the only ones who are at present residing in the valley who came in that year. During that year, A. T. Davidson, S. J. Smith, and D. Woodworth settled near Sebastopol. During this and the next year or two the settlement of the township was very rapid. The settlers of those early days were very migratory in their habits, and but few of them remained more than a year or two. The title to the land was not very good, and many of them were merely squatters, so that when ordered off they had to go. In Blucher valley the only original settler there now is W. D. Canfield. He and his wife have remained there almo3t thirty years. They were pioneers in the fullest extent of the word, and they had seen the rough side of that kind of life for many years, enduring all manner of hardships, even to passing through an Indian massacre, he barely escaping to the woods with his life, having an Indian bullet in his body, which he carries there to this day, and she and her children being captives among a hostile tribe of savages. A full and thrillingly interesting sketch of Mr. Canfield's pioneer experiences will be found in his biography on another page of this work. In 1852 a postoffice was established at Miller & Walker's store, then located about one mile south of where Sebastopol now stands. The commission was issued February 20th, and James M. Miller was the Postmaster. The name Ol the office was Bodega, and it supplied all the sec- tion of the county lying west and north-west as far as the Valhalla river. Schools. — The educational interests are well maintained in this township. There are in all ten school districts in it, as follows : Redwood, Green Valley, Oak Grove, Canfield, Mt. Vernon, Spring Hill, American Valley, Bloomfield, and Pleasant Hill. All the school buildings are neat, well furnished, and kept in excellent repair. A splendid corps of teachers are constantly employed, and the prospect is certainly bright for the educational advantages of the on-coming generations. HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 173 Bloomfield. — -Bloorafield is situated at the head of Big valley, or the valley of the Estero Americano, on the Rancho Canada de Pogolome, and was named in honor of the owner of that grant, F. G. Blume. The first house was built in the town by Wm. Zellhardt, in 1853. He soon afterwards built a blacksmith shop. L. D. Cockrill built the next house here, ako in 1853. In 1854 a man by the name of Horace Lamb opened a store, using a part of Mr. Cockrill's house for the purpose. During the year, however, he erected a building of his own and occupied it- Two years later, July 12, 1856, a postoffice was established at this point, with Horace Lamb as post- master. During this year also the town was laid out, G. and J. Hoag owinng the western part of the site and Isaac Kuffel the eastern portion. From this time on the town flourished as well as could be expected under the cir- cumstances. It was an inland trading point, with no direct communication with San Francisco for a number of years. Stores, hotels, blacksmith shops, churches, schools, etc., were established. The cemetery, which is situated to the westward of the town, aud on an eminence commanding a beautiful view of the town and adjacent country, was laid out in 1860. The first person buried in it was Mrs. Stephen C. Fowler, daughter of L. D. Cockrill. The business interests of the town are represented as follows : One flour mill, two hotels, three blacksmith shops, two wagon shops, one paint shop, two general stores, one saloon, one meat market, one livery stable, one harness shop, one .shoe shop, one millinery store, one tin shop, one lawyer, and no doctor. The official dii'ectory is at present as follows: Justice of the Peace, L. D. Cockrill ; Notary Public, C. C. Farnsworth, who is also Postmaster ; Telegraph and Wells, Fargo & Co.'s Agent, C Stewart. Communication is had with the outside world by the North Pacific Coast telegraph, also by United States and Wells, Fargo & Co.'s mails. A stage passes each way daily, connecting with the North Pacific Railroad at Petaluma, and with the North Pacific Coast Railroad at Valley B'ord. The population of the town Ls about two hundred and fifty, and is situated in the heart of as fine and productive a section of farming land as there is in California, The town will never be much larger than it is now, however, as communication with the city is too remote. A full history of the lodges, churches, schools, and industries of the town will be given beJow, to which we refer the reader. Bloomfield Flour Mill. — This mill is at present owned by W. G. Purcival, who came into possession of it in May, 1873. The gentleman who erected it had the misfortune to meet with an accident during its construction by which he lost his life. The building is eighty by one hundred feet, and two stories high. It has three run of burrs, and a capacity of thirty-five barrels of flour and twenty-five tons of barley a day. It is run with steam, and new boilers and machinery have lately been put in, so that it is now a first class mill in every respect. The flour made here is very good indeed, com- manding a ready sale at the best market prices. The mill is run about nine 174 HISTOBY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. months in a year, and affords a ready market for all the grain grown in that section. Valley Ford Lodge, I. 0. 0. i^.— Valley Ford Lodge No. 191, 1. O. O. F., ■was organized September 7, 1869, at Valley Ford ; hence the name. Its charter members were "William Hamilton, A. S. Perrine, A. C. Wood, S. N. Hudson, Edward Hare, and William Withrow. The first officers were: — "William Hamilton, N. G.; "William Withrow, V. G.; S. N. Hudson, Secretary, and Edward Hare, Treasurer. The following gentlemen have had the honor of being N. Gs.: "William Hamilton, "William "Withrow, Edward Hare, T. M. Johnson, J. T. Mitchell, John Appleton, O. H. Hoag, W. N. "Wakefield, B. F. Hickleman, Bruce T. Cockrill, O. M. Le Febvre, Peter Eastman, G. W. Knapp, H. C. Crowder, and C. H. Knapp. The Lodge was moved to Bloom- field March 9, 1875. Its present membership is fifty -six, and it is in a most flourishing condition. During the past year it has erected a building at a cost of three thousand dollars, the lower story of which is used for mercantile purposes, while in the upper one there is an elegantly furnished lodge-room Bloomfield Encampment. — Bloomfield Encampment No. 61, I. O. 0. F., was organized Jan. 10, 1877, with the following charter members: H. C Crowder, B. F. Hickleman, Bruce T. Cockrill, S. H. Manzy, Valentine "Wil- son, 0. M. LeFebvre, A. H. Knapp, G. "W. Knapp and Chas. Hoag. The fol- lowing gentlemen have held the position of C. P.: H. C. Crowder, Bruce T. Cockrill, G. "W. Knapp, Valentine "Wilson and A. Little. The present membership is twenty-four. Vitruvious Lodge, F. and A. M. — Vitruvious Lodge No. 145, F. and A. M. was instituted under dispensation May 31, 1860. The charter members were as follows : T. G. Cockrill, R. Dickens, J. M. Hinman, S. Honisgsberger, I. Kuffel, D. Markel, J. R. Ross, J. W. Zuver. The officers U. D. were J. M. Hinman, "W. M.; D. Markel, S. "W.; I. Kuffel, J. W.; and T. G. Cockrill, Sec'y. The charter was granted June 7, 1861, and the first officers under charter were: D. Markel, "W. M.; I. Kuffel, S. W. ; C. R. Arthur, J. W. ; R. Dickens, Treas, and T. G. Cockrill, Sec'y. The following named gentlemen have filled the W. M's. chair: J. M. Hinman, ( U. D. ); D. Markel, C. R. Arthur, T. G. Cockrill, N. R. Shaw, W. G. Lee, C. "White, J. S. Oliver W. C. Purcival, and "W. W. White. The present membership is fifty, and the lodge is in a very flourishing condition. 'They have a nicely furnished lodge-room, and the stranger entering their cosily furnished hall cannot but exclaim, *' Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together. " Bloomfield Lodge, I. 0. G. T.— Bloomfield Lodge No. 256, 1. O. G. T., was organized August 19, 1878. Following is the list of charter members: W. H. Haskins, James Hoag, C. C. Farnsworth, D. L. Knapp, Ada Haskins, Louis McReynolds, Albert Crose, Horace Lamb, Edward McReynolds, Liz- HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 175 zie Gregory, Ida M. Haskins, Chas. McReynolds, Carrol Jones, Jolm McAllister Emil Baker, A. E. Kellogg, W. W. Parks, Sarah Stone, Ernestine Walker' Anna Grose, E. M. Sharon, Maggie Sharon, Clara Farnsworth, Mary Jones, Alice Pharis, Clarence Wilson, Frank Lamb, Thomas Gregory, E. L. McRey- nolds. The following have filled the position of W. C. T: W. H. Haskins A. E. Kellogg, Thomas Gregory, P. C. Smith and William Talbot. The present membership is forty-one, and the Lodge is in a very flourishing condition. Bloomfield School. — The first school in this section was taught in what was known as the Big Valley school district. The school-house was situated about one mile east of the present site of Bloomfield. The first school ever taught in the town was under the charge of James Harlow, and was in the M. E. church building. The present large and commodious building was erectedin 1866. It is two-stories high, and is amply large for all the require- ments of the town. There are two teachers employed, and, of course, two grades in the school. There is a good library of over two hundred volumes attached to the school. Among those who have taught there in days gone by may be mentioned : A. H. Hall, James Radcliffe, T. H. Hopkins, A. H. Pratt, J. H. Wilmer, T. C. Powers, E. D. Roberts, and others. Ghurches.—We are sorry to say that we were able to gather but little his- torical information concerning the churches in this place. In the first place, some years ago the records of the M. E. church were stolen, and the Advent church has moved to Stony Point, while the headquarters of the Presby- terian church are at Valley Ford. However, we will say that all these organizations have very comfortable churches at this place, and that they are all well supplied with services. A gentleman known as Father Walker organized the M. E. church at this place in 1857. He was the pioneer minis- ter of this county. Sebastopol. — This is a beautiful little hamlet lying near the foothills, on the west side of the Santa Rosa valley. As has been stated aoove, to Joa- quin CarrUlo belongs the honor of being the first settler in this section of the township, coming here as early as 1846. It seems that James M. Miller and John Walker followed him, coming as early as 1850. They erected a build- ing and opened a store about one mile south of the site of the present town. In this store was a postoffice, and it seemed that if a town ever sprang up in that section it would be near it. But in 1855, J. H. P. Morris, a man of enterprise and energy, entered a tract of Government land, consisting of one hundred and twenty acres, north of the store site. Mr. Morris came to Sonoma in 1853, and was in business for a while at the Miller & Walker store. After locating his claim upon this tract of land, he moved a building, which he procured of Miller & Walker, to his claim, in which he opened out a grocery store and saloon combined. That same year he deeded to John 17G HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. Dougherty a lot, upon the conditions that he should put a store upon it. This was complied with. Mr. Morris called the embryotic town Pine Grove, a very appropriate name indeed, as it is surrounded with a perfect nursery of young pine trees. We are informed by Mr. R. A. Thompson that its present formidable name of Sebastopol originated in this way: A man named Jeff. Stevens and a man named Hibbs had a fight; Hibbs made a quick retreat to Dougherty's store, with Stevens in hot pursuit. Dougherty stopped Ste- vens, and forbade him to come upon his premises. The Crimean war was raging at that time, and the Allies were besieging Sebastopol, which it was thought they would not be able to capture. The Pine Grove bo3's, who were always keen to see a fight — chagrined at the result — cried out that Dough- erty's store was Hibbs' Sebastopol, and from this incident the town event- ually took its name. As stated above, Dougherty opened the second busiaess place in the town. George H. Jacobs began the business of blacksmithing and wagon-making next. Marion Howe was his wagon-maker. Captain Auser then erected a hotel building on the present site of the Wilson Exchange. Other business and dwelling-places followed in rapid succession, until the town has now probably three hundred inhabitants. It has a daily stage connecting with the railroad at Santa Rosa, which carries both the United States and Wells, Fargo & Co.'s mail. The business interests of the town are distributed as follows : Three stores, one hotel, one blacksmith shop, one shoe shop, one saloon, one livery stable, one meat market, three physicians, of whom one is a lady. There is a fine graded school here, employing two teachers. The official directory is as follows : Justice of the Peace, B. B. Berry; Constables, W. J.Hunt and D. M. Kelly; Postmaster, J. Dougherty ; Wells, Fargo & Co.'s Agents, Milton & Andrews. Sketches of its lodges, churches, etc., will be found below. Lafayette Lodge, F. & A. M. — Lafayette Lodge No. 126, F. & A. M., was organized under dispensation January 8, 1858. At the time of its organiza- tion and until August 25, 1860, the lodge convened at a place known as Pleasant Hill, some two and one-half miles south of Sebastopol. Since the last named date its communications have been held in Sebastopol, where they have a very nice lodge-room over the Presbyterian church. The charter members were Wm. G. Lee, Jacob Fouts, Losson Ross, Benj. S. Burns, Wm. Henry, John Ryan, R. Dickens, Andrew Fife, Wm. Ely, J. H. P. Morris, and Wm. L. Taber. The charter was granted May 13, 1858. The first oflicers were: Wm. G. Lee, W. M.; Jacob Fouts, S. W.; Losson Ross, J. W.; Wm. Henry, Treasurer; and R. Dickens, Secretary. The present officers are T. G. Wilton, W. M.; W R. Elliott, S. W.; L. Ross, J. W.; B. B. Allen, Treasurer; J. H. P. Morris, Secretary. The W M's. of the lodge have been as follows: W G. Lee, Wm. L. Taber, E. D. Harris, J. M. McGuire, James Gannon, Smithfield Ballord, B. F. Branscom, and Thos. G. Wilton. The present membership is fifty-five, and on the increase. !^ HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 177 Evergreen Lodge, I. 0. 0. F. — Evergr^n Lodge No. 161, I. O. O. F., was instituted July 12, 1869, with the following charter members : B. B. Berry, W. P. Berry, Wm. Wilson, John K. Smith, M. Edwards, Mathew A. Wil- liams, and James Burnett. The first officers were W. P. Berry, N. G. ; Wm. Wilson, V. G.; M. Edwards, Treasurer; and B. B. Berry, Secretary. The following named members have tilled the N. G's. chair: W. P. Berry, Wm. Wilson, J. K. Smith, H. J. Smith, A. Crawford, M. Getz, Kobt. Ross, J. Fix. A. J. Peterson, L. W. Olmstead, A. S. Nickols, H. E. Manefee, T. G. WUton, W. W. Peatross, R. G. Meeks, D. Seeley. Chas. Solomon, M. V. Morin, L. B. Berry and J. S. Jones. The present officers are J. S. Jones, N. G. ; Victor Piezzi, V. G. ; A. Crawford, Treas. ; and B. B. Berry, Secretary. The present membership is fifty-five. The lodge is in a very flourishing condition, and its meetiogs are well attended. They have a very cosy and well furnished lodge-room. Sebastopol Rebecca Degree Lodge. — This Lodge, No. 44, was organized June 20, 1878. The charter members were as follows: B. B. Berry, G. H. Stowell, Chas. Solomon. S. B. Berry, W. F. Elliott, M. V. Morm, M. H. Chen- oworth, J. H. Berry, A. Crawford, V. Piezzi, T. G. Wilton, J. M. Dockham, D. Seeley, and J. S. Jones. Mesdam.es Elizabeth Berry, E. A. Stowell, Sarah A. Solomon, L. J. Berry, Jane M. Elliott, M. Donner, Emma G. Wilson, Minerva A. Berry, Mary L. Crawford, Luella Piezzi and Harmonia Jones. The first officers were T. G. Wilton, N. G.; Jane M. Elliott, V. G.; Mary L. Crawford, Treas., and B. B. Berry, Sec'y. The N. Gs. have been: T. G. Wilton, B. B. Berry, and Mrs. Harmonia Jones. The present officers are: Mrs. Harmonia Jones, N. G. ; Mrs. Emma G. Wilson, V. G. ; Mrs. Mary L. Craw- ford, Treas., and V. Piezzi, Secretary. Cumberland Presbyterian Church.— The Sebastopol Cumberland Presby- terian church was organized October 2, 1851. It was known until Septem her, 1876, by the name of the Bodega Cumberland Presbyterian church, at which time the name was changed to Sebastopol. • The organizing members were Rev. J. M. Cameron, Mrs. Mary Cameron, C. Kavanagh, ^William M. Reed, L. Clyman, Mrs. Harriet Morin, Mrs. Nancy Hudspeth, J. C. Thomp- son and J. M. Reed. The following pastors have served this charge: Revs. J. M. Cameron, J. M. Small, J. J. May, E. C. Latty, J. G. Johnson, and others from time to time but not as a stated supply. The present membership is thirty-five. The first church building erected by this society was buUt in 1860, and was situated about two miles west of Sebastopol. The pr^ent building located in Sebastopol was erected in 1871; it is a fine large building and afibrds ample rooto for its congregation. There is a good Sabbath School connected with it. Methodist Episcopal Church. — This body has a neat building at this place; services are held semi-monthly; we are unable to give any particular facts 12 178 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. concerning it. It is more difficult to gather statistical information concerning churches than any other society, for their records are generally kept with lei« care. Sebastopol Lodge, I. 0. G T. — This Lodge, No. 167, was organized January 21, 1879. The following names appear upon the charter: J. H. P. Morris, Fannie Wadsworth, Emma Berry, Marj'^ Hulbert, Ira Manville, C. S. Berry, Lizzie Berry, W. T. Cromwell, Rebecca Cromwell, Hannah Thompson, Lou Berry, E. Ewing, C.Bonham, H. Hulbert, Geo. S. Briggs, B. B. Berry, Elizabeth Berry, Julia Hulbert, Grace Wadsworth, L. B. Bonham, J. T. Bonham Jas. B. Bonham, H. M. Grayson, H. P. Hulbert, MaryB. Hulbert, Wm. Marshall, D.M. Kelly, Bertha Greyland, George L. Allen, Thomas Hale, Hattie Ross, Emma Lee, Alice Crawford, Emma Hensley, and Clara Hensley. The lodge has a degree temple connected with it, and an increasing interest in the cause is manifest on all sides. FoRRESTYiLLE. — This is a little village situated near the extreme north end of this township, in what is known as Green valley. It is on the border of the redwood belt, and its inhabitants are mostly wood-choppers and lumbermen. The Guerneville branch of the North Pacific Railroad passes near by, afibrding ready communication with San Francisco. It is said that the town derived its name from its founder, and first settler, A. J. Forrester. There is a good public school in the town, an M. E. church, and an Advent church near by. The busi- ness interests are represented by one general store, one blacksmith shop, one saloon, one hotel, one meat market, etc. etc. The Rustic-chair Factory is located here. In Mr. Thompson's history we find the following concern- ing this industry : " Over twenty-four years ago Major Isaac Sullivan, in Green valley, made the first rustic chairs and sold them at five dollars a piece; some of these chairs are in use to this day. The factory for the manufacture of these chairs as a specialty was started by S. Faudre, on Russian river, three miles from Forrestville. Here he continued business for five or six years, selling the chairs from two to three dollars each. He then moved the factory to Forrestville, where it has remained ever since. Faudre made here about thirty thousand chairs. He sold out to S. P. Nowlin, who ran it at a lively rate for the next six years, making and selling over sixty thousand chairs during that time. He then disposed of the business to John Hamlett, who is making and selling about twelve thousand chairs per annum. Carp Ponds of Levi Davis. — These are situated three-quarters of a mile north of Forrestville, and were commenced in January, 1876. At this time the venture was made with but five fish ; and at the end of the first year they had increased to two thousand and forty-four; the next, to two thousand six hundred and seventy-one; all of them being from the original five fish. The ponds cover an area of about one acre, diifering in size, the smallest being about six square rods, the second ten square rods, the third twenty square HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOENLi. 179 rods, and the fourth forty square rods. Mr. Davis has so far found fish- culture a paymg business; since starting he has cleared about four hundred dollars, and has about seven thousand carp on hand. Carp Ponds of J. R. H. Oliver. — Mr. Oliver made his first essay in the culture of fish at the same time as did Mr. Davis, but in the first venture was unfortunate enough to lose his fish. In January, 1877, he purchased three from that gentleman wherewith to make a fresh start. These pros- peredj and increased to three hundred and thirty-one in the first year; in the second, to two thousand; and now their number is three thoiisand five hundred. Mr. Oliver's ponds are situated near Freestone, and are three in number, being in size forty-eight feet square, sixty feet square, and seventy-five five feet square respectively. He has not yet commenced to put his carp on the market. Grants. — The Mexican grants included partly or wholly in this township are the El Molino, Canada de Jonive, Llano de Santa Bosa, Blucher and Canada de Pogolome. Almost the entire township is covered with them which is a suflBcient guarantee for the quality of the land, as grants always covered the cream of the country. 180 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. BODEGA. Geography .-^Bodega township is situated on the western side of Sonoma county, its western boundary being the Pacific ocean. It is bounded as fol- lows: On the north by Ocean and Redwood townships, on the east by Analy township, on the south by Marin county, and on the west by the Pacific ocean. Like all the townships in the county, the boundary lines are very irregular, following as they do the sinuosities of stream and ocean shore. There are no navigable streams in the township, but on the south boundary of it is the stream known as the "Estero Americano," which is deep enough to float small vessels for some distance up at high tide. Topography. — The general surface of this township is very uneven, but there are no mountains in it. It is composed of rolling, broad-sweeping hills, with wide and fertile valleys lying between. But few of the hills are so steep that they cannot be cultivated with ease, while the most of them are grand, long-reaching undulations. The valleys are not so extensive as in some of the other townships, but are more numerous. Soil. — The soil in this township is mostly of a sandy loam ; in fact, there is scarcely any clay in it at all, except on now and then a hill-top. This soil is very fertile, and produces cereals and vegetables in the greatest abund- ance. Fruits and vines aLso thrive well, and yield their full share of wealth to the industrious husbandman. In the valleys of course the soil is much more productive than on the hill-sides, still there is nothing to complain of on them. The soil is by far the most evenly dispersed in all sections of this township than in any other in the county. Climate. — The climate of this township is very similar to all the sections immediately adjacent to the coast. During the Summer months the sea- breeze sweeps over it ad lib., as there are no mountains to break its force. In the valleys leading directly up from the coast this wind .sometimes assumes the magnitude of a small tornado. The result of this is that the climate in these valleys is temperate and cool. This wind is sometimes heavily laden with fogs which bank up in the heads of the valleys and overshadow everything, from the later hours of the afternoon till it is dispelled by the rays of the mid-day sun upon its near approach to the zenith. Although these fogs are oftentimes very dank and disagreeable, yet they are wonderful agents for good, acting almost as effectually upon all growing vegetation as a shower of rain or an irrigating. The result of this is seen most potently upon the redwood trees. It Ls in this township that the redwood belt begins; and HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 181 it is also observable that those trees at the beginning of the belt, do not grow on the south sides of the hills, but rather on the north sides, and in those ravines which pierce a ridge upon its north side, in the heads of which ravines the fogs bank up the most dense. However, we do not wish to con- vey the idea that there are no bright and beautiful days in this most charm- ing and fertile section of the county. On the other hand, there are days and days the most bright and beautiful, such days as only a California climate can produce, with their azure skies and fleecy clouds. In the later Autumn, when the fierce blast of the trade winds is heard shrieking no more amid the swaying boughs of the towering redwoods ; when the sunlight is filtered down upon the world through a radiant film of amber haze; then, indeed, is it a lovely place, and its climate such to be remembered to the end of one's days. In the Winter season it is mild and temperate. The winds do not blow so stroncrly, and come from another direction. It is really the most excellent time of the year as far as climate is concerned. Products. — This township is decidedly agricultural in its products, yet they are varied, ranging through all the grades of rich semi-tropical country. Vegetables, and especially potatoes, seem to bs the best adapted to the soU. In the warm sandy loam of this section this tube grows in the most profuse luxuriance, thriving even to the very hill-tops with no other irrigation than the natural moisture of the earth, sequent upon the Winter's rains, and the dense fogs which come up from the near ocean. On every hill-top, hill-side and valley may be seen great fields of potatoes. Wheat, oats, barley and corn thrive moderately well here, though the fogs are so heavy that the grain does not ripen very readily. The business of dairying is carried on somewhat extensively in some parts of the township. The pasture is very fine at all seasons of the year, being kept fresh and green by the fogs. As the soil is becoming somewhat worn in the prolonged seige of potato raising, and a change is becoming absolutely necessary, the most of the farmers drift into the dairy business. Lumber is also one of the chief products of the township ; as stated above, the redwood belt has its begining in this township. It was in this township that the first steam saw-mill on the Pacific Coast was put in operation in 1843, and since that time the making of lumber has been mor6 or less vigorously prosecuted as an industry. Even in the early days when all the products of the township had to be brought to the port, often os'er rough roads, for shipment to San Francisco, the lumber industry throve, and some of those early mills are standing and doing some good work to-day, on the same sites they occupied a quarter of a century ago. These woods also yield a goodly supply of fence-posts, railroad ties, cord-wood, etc. Now that the metropolitan market is reached in a few hours by rail, the industries of this character have increased many fold, and are fast becoming the promi- nent features of the business enterprises of this section of the country. Early Settlement. — To Bodega belongs the honor of having the first 182 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. permanent settlement of Europeans north of the bay of San Francisco, and within the limits of the State of California; while the entrance of the beau- tiful little bay bearing that name was made by Europeans at least one year previous to the location of the mission at Yerba Buena, now San Francisco. It is stated that in the year 1775, a distinguished Spanish navigator by the name of Lieutenant Juan Francisco de la Bodega y Quadra, in a naval vessel called the "Sonora," entered this bay, and after carefully exploring it gave it the name of Bodega, in honor of himself. From that time, however, until the year 1811, a period of thirty-six years, we do not find the bay was ever visited at all, but, however, it is to be presumed that it was visited occasionally by the vessels which chanced to pass that way. In January, 1811, there arrived in the quiet waters of the lovely little bay a strange looking craft bearing a burden of human freight. They were men with unkempt hair and shaggy beards, and with frames of iron, well inured to a life of excessive toil and exposure to the rigors of an inclement climate. To them, as they entered this beautiful cove on that mid-winter's day, the surrounding country must have seemed to be a veritable Paradise. Accustomed as they had been all their lives to see naught but the deep snow lying over all the face of the earth at this season of the year, the sight of the vernal hills basking in the bright sunshine must have been the most lovely view which ever greeted their gaze. These brawny strangers were Russians, who had come from_ Sitka for the purpose of establishing a military post, and a headquarters for a band of iur hunters; they also proposed to farm quite extensively, using their products for supplying their fur-hunting colonies in Sitka. At this time there were twenty Russians and fifty Kodiac Indians, under the leadership of Alexander '^uskoflT, a man with a wooden leg, and to whom, on this account, the native Californians applied the soubriquet of "Pie de Palo." To Bodega bay the new comers gave the name of "Romanzofl"," and the stream now known as Russian river they called "Slavianka." Knowing full well that they had no just title or claim to the land, they framed a pretext for landing there, by stating that they had been refused a supply of fresh water at Yerba Buena. To strengthen this claim they asserted that they had purchased all the land lying adjacent to the bay from the Aborigines, and this claim was ultimately extended untU it covered all the land lying between Point Reyes and Point Arena, and for a distance of three leagues inland. We will hear more of this Russian claim to the Spanish domain farther on. As a matter of fact the Russians could not purchase any of this land from the Indians, for at that time the entire country of the Alta Calif or nias belonged to Spain, and General M. G. Vallejo has truly remarked of them that as they "came without invitation, and occu- pied the land without the permission of the owners, they may well be called the first ' squatters ' of California.'' The Russians, however, went to work with a will, whether they had any right to the soil or not. They proceeded into the interior of the country, about six miles from the bay, and there established HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 18 3 a settlement. Houses were built, fields fenced and agricultural pursuits vigorously engaged in by them. It was not long however before they found that there was a strong opposition to them, and that it would be necessary to build a fort for their protection it they would keep possession of their newly acquired domain. With this object in view they started in search of a place most suitable for thelocation of their stockade. About thirty miles to the northward, on the coast, they found the desired location. This point was within the present limits of Salt Point township. As soon as the first crop had matured, and was ready for shipment, it became necessary for them to have a warehouse at the bay where their vessels could be loaded. Accordingly a building for this purpose was erected on the south side of the point of land extending into the sea and forming the northern shore of the bay, near the extreme westerly end of the headland. This building was eighty by one hundred feet in dimensions. It was probably used extensively at the same time for the storage of furs and peltry, for it must be borne in mind that one great object of the establishment of a settle- ment at this point was to make it a headquarters for their hunters. This building was very strong and durable, and would probably be standing at the present writing but for the fact that a land slide swept the most of it into the bay some years ago. They also had another house at the bay near this warehouse, but what it was used for is not now known, it was used by the American settlers in later years as a sort of a dwelling house and hotel, and it is from a mention of this fact that we know of its existence at all. We will now speak more extensively of the Russian settlement in the interior. This was situated just north of the present town of Bodega Corners, and the Capt. Smith adobe ranch house stands directly upon the site of the Russian buildings. It is impossible now to give the exact original number of these houses, owing to the fact that they are all demolished, not a vestige remaining of them to tell the story of their existence. There were, however, certainly quite a number of them at one time, if the statements of the very earliest settlers in that section are to be credited. These houses were small and rough, the boards being hewn from redwood logs. They were each strong enough for a bastion, and were doubtless built with the double purpose of shelter from the storms, and protection from the enemy in view. They were nearly square, and about twelve feet in dimensions. Some of them, presumably those earliest constructed, were made of hewn logs, well mortised together at the corners. It does not appear that they ever farmed so extensively here as at Fort Ross. It is quite probable that this part of the country, being most excellently adapted to grazing and dairying purposes, was devoted almost exclusively to this business. An extract from the journal of Captain John Hall, who visited Bodega bay in June, 1822, would seem to sustain this idea. He says that the Russian Commander paid him a visit while he was in Bodega 184 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. bay, and brought on board with him two fine fat sheep, a large tub of but- ter, and some milk. He also says that vegetables were plentiful in their season. We now pass on to the year 1841. During all this time the Kussians had been able to hold possession of all the country they claimed, and had used it pretty much to suit their own wants and conveniences. In the sketch of Salt Point township will be found a full and complete detailed narration of the Russian occupancy of that section, which, owing to the fact that Fort Ross was their head-quarters, is recorded there. Hence, we refer the reader to that sketch for further detailed information on this most interesting his- torical topic. We will now take up the settlement of this township by the Americans, as distinguished from the Russians. The first settlers of this kind of which there are any records were : James Dawson, James Black, and Edward Manuel Mcintosh. These three men came to California probably as early as 1830 with Captain Juan B. R. Cooper, brother-in-law of General M. G. Vallejo, as sailors on board of his vessel. Once here, and getting into the free and careless habits of the natives, they preferred to remain on shore. We find that Dawson and Mcintosh applied for citizenship under the Mexican Gov- ernment as early as the j^ear 1833. General Vallejo says, that upon assuming the position of commandant of the military of California in 183-5; he was ordered to extend his settlements as far in the direction of Fort Ross as pos- sible, and to thus encroach upon the Russian territory and usurp their claims. For this purpose he chose the three hard}^ pioneers mentioned above, and promised to give them each a large grant of land provided they would go and settle right upon the border limits of the Russian claim. The gentlemen readily consented, as they were sure they could live on amicable terms with the Russians. Black settled upon what is now known as the Canada do la JoniveRancho, while Dawson and Mcintosh settled upon the Estero Americano Rancho. In due course of time it became necessary to have proper papers made out by the higher authorities confirming this title which General Vallejo had given these men to their land. Black and Mcintosh went together to Monterey for this purpose, Dawson remaining at home to look after the property interests of both ranches. Black got his papers made out to the Jonive Rancho all right, there being no occasion for any crookedness in them, but not so with Mcintosh. In having his papers made out he purposely left out the name of his partner, James Dawson. Lest some should say that it is rather unjust to charge him thus boldlv with fraud, we would say that we have the best of evidence to substantiate the assertion. Some may say that grants were not made to partners, but that was only true upon the sea shore. All grants fronting on the sea were given to one man only, and he was charged with certaiu special duties, espe- cially in time of war. But more of this when we come to consider the Ran- HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 185 cho de Herman. When Dawson discovered the rascally trick which had been perpetrated by his partner, Mcintosh, he naturally enough flew into a rage and at once proceeded to administer an appropriate chastisement to the offender. Having appeased his wrath to his entire satisfaction, he took a saw, and severing their common house in twain moved his half of it entirely off the rancho. This part of that remarkable house is still standing and in use, forming a part of the residence of F. G. Blume at Freestone. It was strongly and roughly constructed, and has certainly proved very durable. The joists are round, and about five inches in diameter. The outside boards were truly rustic, being riven or split from redwood logs. We will follow the fortunes of these pioneers to the end now, as in the settlement of other sections of the township they do not appear as prominent figures. Jas. Black, a few years later, exchanged the Jonive rancho with Hon. Jasper O'Farrell for a rancho in Marin county, where he lived honored and respected by all who knew him. Mcintosh remained on his rancho, the Estero Amer- icano, for some years, but finally entered into an agreement with Jasper O'Farrell which was as follows: Mcintosh granted, sold and transferred all his right, title and claim to the said rancho, and to all the stock, improve- ments and whatever else there might be appertaining to the said rancho, for and in consideration of an annual rental of eight hundred dollars, during the natural life of Mcintosh. O'Farrell failed to pay this annual rental, and a lawsuit grew out of the matter. It was eventually compromised byO'Farrell paying Mcintosh the sum of five thousand dollars, and Mcintosh relinquish- ing all claims to the rancho and to the annual rental. Mcintosh then went to Marin county and made his home with his old ship-mate, James Black, till his death, which occurred some ten years since. As soon as Dawson had moved his half of the house off the Estero Americano Rancho he made appli- cation for a grant to the tract of land on which he had located his house. The application for this grant was made December 27, 1837. It was called the Caiiada de Pogolome, from an Indian village which was located upon the same tract. In June, 1840, James Dawson was united in marriage with Donna Maria Antonia Cazares, who was the daughter of a dragoon officer under the old Spanish regime. Senorita Cazares was only fourteen years of age at the time of this union. He continued to reside on his rancho with his wife until his death, which occurred in October, 1843. He died without any issue, and his wife became the sole heir to the vast and fertile rancho. It is probable that to Dawson belongs the honor of the first attempt to make lumber with a saw of any kind in Sonoma county. He dug a pit, and placing the log over it, he stood upon it and used a long rip saw. As early as 1834 he had enough lumber on hand, sawed in this manner, to build a house. This lumber was disposed of to General Vallejo, and he used it in the construction of a house in Sonoma. The pits used by Dawson are still to be seen. And thus is closed the parts which these three pioneers performed 186 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. in the settlement of this township. They have long since passed from the scenes with which their names have been the most intimately connected, and even now tradition is getting somewhat cloudy concerning many important facts. All honor to whom honor is due, and to them certainly a meed of praise should be vouchsafed 'by the pen of the historian who records and pre- serves their memories and their deeds. We will now turn our attention to the incidents which occurred on the old Russian claim from the year 1841 to 1843. General John A. Sutter purchased the entire Russian claims for the sum of thirty thousand dollars in the year 1840. He sent agents — major domos — from New Helvetia, now Sacramento, to take possession of this property as soon as it was relinquished by the Russians. The stock and many of the personal effects were moved from the Russian settlements to New Helvetia, still a major domo was maintained by Sutter at Bodega during all the time mentioned above. The last man who held this position at Bodega was at that time known as Don Juan Bidwell, now General John Bidwell of Ghico. Bidwell was Sutter's private Secre- ary and book-keeper, and a man in whom Sutter had the utmost confidence- Bodega Port. — This was a shipping place at the head of the bay of that name. It was here that the first faint attempt at founding a town in this township occurred. As was stated above, the Russians had erected two build- ings on this bay, but they were near to the mouth of the bay, and hard of access to those who came to the port from the interior, hence settlers naturally built their stone houses at a point the most accessible. * Captain Smith owned a small schooner called the "Fayaway," which plied regularly between the port and San Francisco, in the early days. We do not now know how long this was continued by him, or what became of the vessel. He used it prin- cipally in shipping his lumber to market. In the year 18.50, two men named John Keyes and Noble, put in a crop of potatoes. This was the first crop of the kind which had ever been grown in that section. They were merely squatters, not having leased the land of Captain Smith. They raised the crop on the headland known as Bodega Point. After the crop was matured they had to get a vessel to take it to market. A small schooner of about fifteen tons burden was purchased and run by John Keyes. It was called the " Spray." Keyes continued to run this vessel until the spring of 1857. The fare on this schooner was eight dollars to San Francisco and fiftten dollars for return. Sometime during this year one Captain Tibbey began to run a schooner which he called the " Mary " in this trade. This schooner was built in Australia. The principal exports from the port at this time were lumber, shingles and potatoes. Cattle and sheep were sometimes shipped also. A schooner called the " Sheriff," in 1853, Captain Tibbey, master, went ashore near Cape Mendocino, and all on board perished. In the Fall of 1850, or Spring of 1851, a large schooner called the "Caroline," with a valuable *For Captain Smith's arrival and location at B^dft^^a, see pa^e 51. an J foUowinij, oi thi3 wark. HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 187 cargo on board, bound for Trinidad, went ashore on the sand-spit which projects into Bodega bay. The vessel and cargo were lost, but the officers and sailors escaped. Captain Andrew Rutherford ran a propeller between the port and San Francisco a few trips about 1858, but could not make it pay, and hence discontinued the trips. From 1852 to 1860 there were sev- eral vessels plying in this trade, there being often as many as six at one time making weekly trips to the city and return. The first man to rent and of Captain Smith was Edward Cheeney. He leased two hundred acres from him during the winter of 1850-51, on the Point. This land had been culti- vated previously, first by the Russians, and during the previous season by Keyes and Noble. The terms of this lease were that Cheeney was to pay two dollars per acre for rent, payable when the crop was sold ; Smith would allow five cents a rail for fencing the land. Smith sometimes rented land on shares, furnishing everything to the renter and taking half the crop. This was really the better way for him to rent his land, as the half of the crop would net from fifty to one hundred dollars per acre. If a man were poor and appeared to be honest, Captain Smith would advance him the necssary amount of money to put in his crop, without interest. It is said that many of his renters took advantage of his liberal terms, and rewarded his kindness by disposing of the crop and leaving the Captain's claims unsettled. This land in that early day was very productive. Mr. Cheenej^ raised sixty bushels of wheat and one hundred bushels of oats to the acre, and one renter had an acre of potatoes which brought him five hundred dollars. February 20, 1851, Stephen L. and James E. Fowler, two brothers, an J Messrs. Loper and Hedges arrived at Bodega. We have at hand a diary which was kept by Stephen L. Fowler at that time. To it we are indebted for a number of facts contained in this sketch, and we will here, once for all, give him the credit for all the extracts we may use from his diary. The four men men- tioned above formed a company, and styled themselves the " Suffolk Com- pany," for the purpose of farming. They located about two and a half miles from the port, across a creek (from Captain Smith's house), and on a tract which would not need to be fenced. This was quite an object. This com- pany planted quite an extensive crop this year, and the j'ield was very good both in quantity and price. The seed they used for their garden came from the Colonies (Australia). A box for which they paid fifteen dollars, contained six quarts of peas, two of beans, four ounces of onion seed, five ounces of cabbage seed of different kinds, celery, raddish, broccoli, mustard, spinage, cucumber, beets, carrots, capsicum, pepper-grass, lettuce, all in small parcels; also one-half pound each of three difierent kinds of turnip seeds. All these seeds were planted, and all throve well in the rich soil of that section. As high as eight cents a pound was paid by them for seed potatoes that spring. It rained until very late into the season that year. They mowed wild oats for hay. This hay was easily cured, and served 188 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. the purpose well. They raised quite a crop of barley. It was harvested and threshed in the month of July. The following description of the modus operandi of threshing the grain is copied from the diary mentioned above: " A corral is constructed of poles driven in the ground in a circle. Several cart-loads of barley are then drawn in and placed within the corral. Forty or fifty horses are then turned into the corral, and driven around at a furious rate of speed. As soon as the grain is tramped out of the upper layer the straw is thrown out, and the process repeated until the bottom is reached. The grain is then removed, and carefully cleaned by hand-" During the year 1851 several new-comers put in an appearance, and the opening of the Spring of 1852 saw the greater portion of the land near the Port taken up by renters. Of these but few remain in that section now, and their names have passed into oblivion. In fact, no name but a nick-name was known for many of them. Of those mentioned above, Mr. Gheeney still resides near this Port, a genial old gentleman, with whom it is a pleasure to meet and talk of the early days. James E. Fowler is now a retired merchant, living a life of leisure upon a handsome competence gained in this township. His beautiful home is located at Valley Ford. He, too, is a most estimable and pleasant gentleman. The first warehouse at the Port, at the head of the bay, was built by Capt. Smith, in 1848. This was a small building, and was erected rather for the purposes of a freight-house than a store-house. It was only sixteen by twenty. The next warehouse was built 'm October, 1851, by the Suffolk Company. It was twenty-four by eighteen, with ten feet studding. This company also constructed a boat at this time in which to ferry their potatoes over the creek mentioned above. This creek has its debouchure just north of the point where the landing was at the head of the bay. This boat was a sort of a lighter, thirty-six feet long by ten feet wide, and one foot deep. In 1852, Samuel Potter built a warehouse thirty by sixty feet in dimensions. During the same year Stephen Smith, a nephew of the captain, and Mr. Cheeney erected a warehouse forty by twenty-five. This building is still standing. The first store was built at this point in 1853 by Donald McDon- ald. It was a small affair, with its foundation extending into the bay causing the whole building to stand over water at high tide. It was reached by a platform extending from the main land. The building is still standing, but in a most dilapidated condition. In the same year or the next, Jasper O'Farrell built a warehouse fifty by one hundred. In 1858, James Stumpf erected a warehouse which was sixty by eighty; and during the same year Tyler Curtis constructed one which was 'forty by one hundred and fifty. In 1852, Captain Smith erected the buildings for a hotel and bowling alley. In 1860, Tyler Curtis erected the last building ever put up there. It was a warehouse, thirty by eighty. After this the glory of Bodega port departed forever. It began to go into decay, and at the present time there is no more HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 189 forlorn and dilapidated-looking place ia the State. Nearly all the buildings are gone, one warehouse and a part of another remain of all the ware- houses which have been buUt there. The hotel and bowling alley still stand, but where, on a Sunday, at least, one hundred men were wont to congregate and pitch fifty dollar slugs at a peg in front of the bar-room door, scarcely a stranger's face is seen once in a fortnight. The few old buildings are all going to ruin, where was once the bustle and jostle of the great shipping Business which loaded a large schooner every day, now the sight of a ves- sel is something to be wondered at. Bodega bay is a small harbor, perhaps five miles in diameter. On the north side of it there extends into the ocean a point of land containing, perhaps, one thousand acres. An old Indian legend is extant to the effect that this point or headland was at one time an island. This idea is substantiated by the fact that that portion of the point next the main land is composed of great sand dunes, while the body of it is fine arable soil. The Indians also say, that at one time there was a powerful tribe who made their headquarters on that island, numbering two thousand and six hun- dred. The old Indian graveyard is still to be seen. It is said by many that the name of Bodega came to be applied to this bay in this wise: Bodega is a Spanish word, and signifies storehouse or warehouse, and after the Russians had constructed their large warehouse on the bay the expression used to designate that locality was, " la bodega de los Russos," which was soon reduced to La Bodega, and, finally, by the Americans into Bodega. There is certainly an air of probability about this version of the naming the place, and we are rather inclined to believe in this as the origin of the name. Of course this derivation of the term is not quite so '" grandioso" as the one usually given. On the south side of the bay, and dividing it from the ocean is a sand spit extending nearly across the mouth of the bay. This makes it a completely land-locked harbor. The point of egress is quite narrow, but there is, or was in the early times always a good stage of water there. The water used to be very deep in the entire bay, but now the greater portion of it is bare at low tide. Vessels were in the habit of coming up to the shore at high water by the side of the warehouses and taking on one-half of the load. Then they hauled out inio deep water, and the remainder of the cargo was taken out to them in lighters. Keel vessels of seventy tons, and scow-built vessels of one hundred tons could then come into the bay and load with ease, and get away without any trouble. Some of these old-time lighters, with the wind- lass by which, and ways on which they were drawn out of the water for repairs, are still to be seen, but all vestiges of the pristine glory of the place are fast decaying, and soon nothing will be known of it more than what is preserved in legend or story. Bodega was made a port of entry in 1852. It appears that General Estey had one Michael Doherty employed as a book-keeper ; Doherty was a shrewd 190 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. enterprising kind of a man, and on several occasions had displayed his abil- ity jpQuch to the benefit of hLs employer, and in such a way that his employer felt that he must do something to repay him. We have been told that Gen- eral Vallejo could give the details of some of these transactions, but we have not been able to consult him on the subject. Be that as it may, Estey exer- cised his influence for the establishment of a port of entry at Bodega, and also to have Doherty appointed as Inspector of the port. This he succeeded in doing, and Doherty held the position for two years at a salary of ten dol- lars per diem, for rendering imaginary service to the United States, as no foreign vessel ever entered the harbor, or ever had an idea of it. Among the many contentions and quarrels which naturally occurred among a population so cosmopolitan, but one led to fatal consequences, as far as we now know. A man by the name of Capt. John Campbell had a ware- house leased, which was the property of Capt. Tibbey, and which was situated near the site of the old Russian buildings, one of which was occupied by an Itahan fisherman. There was a spring of water close by, and Campbell claimed to own it, and ordered the Italian not to go to it any more for water. As Campbell had no more right to the spring than the Italian, of course his orders were disobeyed. Campbell did not have the courage to murder the Italian himself, so he inveigled a boy by the name of Alex. Shaw into doing the horrid deed. He promised the boy perfect immunity from any punish- ment whatever. It is said that when the full truth of the matter was made known that Campbell did not dare to come to the port for a long time, lest he should be pounced upon by an indignant populace, and made to meet his just doom for concocting the dastardly plan. From time to time there has been more or less excitement in the vicinity of Bodega port in regard to gold. Men have been known to wash out one dollar per day, although they would not average that. Considerable prospecting has also been done along the quartz ledges above, and traces of gold have been found. It is more than likely that gold will never be found in this section. That found was what is known as " miners' shot," each grain being about the size of a pin-head, and round. In prospecting the black sand is found in abundance, but the gold is wanting. Bodega Corners. — We will now pass from the Port of Bodega to the town of the same name. This is situated near the site of the Smith Ranch house, and of course he was the first settler in that section. We will now give a full sketch of this grand old pioneer, setting forth such facts as we have been able to collect from all available reliable sources. We have already given a graphic description of the inauguration of his saw-mill,. and his esta- blishment at this point. On the 14th day of September, 1844, one year after his arrival here, he applied for a grant to the Bodega Rancho. This grant was confirmed by the Deparmental Assembly in April, 1846. The grant em- HISTOKY OF SONOMA COUNTY, -CALIFORNIA. 191 braced eight leagues of land and contained 35,487 acres. . This was granted to him with the provision that he would maintain upon it a steam saw-mUl. The Mexican government was very willing to comply with his request for a grant of land, for they recognized in him a man of energy and enterprise, and one who would advance all the material interests of the country, and they wished to encourage him, and also to entice him to remain where he was; hence the stipulation that the steam saw-mill should be maintained. From this time till 1851 everything on the ranch seems to have pursued the even tenor of its way, with the exception of the year 1846 — the year of the memorable Bear Flag war. Captain Smith had just received a grant from the Mexican government, and had all his property and social interests most closely allied with that people, hence it is probable that he did not care to take any active part in the uprising of the Bear Flag party. It is fair to presume, however, that his heart was with the brave men who were taking such a gallant stand for the freedom of the country. It does not appear from any available records that there was any communication between him and the Bear Flag men, but when it was announced that war had been declared between the United States and Mexico, and when the stars and stripes had taken the place of the bear ensign, and a messenger was sent to his rancho with an American flag and the, to him, welcome news of the declaration of war, he gladly and earnestly espoused the cause of his native government, and aided and abetted the American soldiers on all the occasions which pre- sented themselves. Upon receiving the flag sent to him from Sonoma, he at once proceeded to the woods and 'selecting a beautiful strait tree about fifty feet high, he cut it and brought it to the top of an eminence near his house. He then fashioned a rude figure of a bear with a star attached to the extremity of its taU. This novel emblem was placed at the top of the flag- staff", and reared aloft. The stars and stripes were then run to the top of the staff and unfurled to the breeze for the fii'st time in that section, amid the rousing huzzas of men and the boom of cannon, for be it known that the captain had quite an arsenal of his own there, consisting of either four or six field pieces, all mounted, and a large number of old-fashioned Spanish muskets. When the flag had reached the top of the staff" there was a curious com- mingling of the three emblems of liberty, at that time so justly famous, and popular, viz.: the stars and stripes, ^he bear, and the, lone star. Later, during the progress of the war, it is said that he sent a " caballada" of sixty horses to General Fremont, and that his own cannon saw some service in his country's cause. The honor is at least due to him of raising the first Amer- ican flag in that section. The excavation for the flag-staff" was made in the sohd rock, and to-day it stands, bearing proudly aloft its double ensign of the bear and the lone star. It is getting well worm-eaten, and is totteriug under its weight of years, and will soon be numbered with the things that were. It leans well to the northward, but cannot fall till broken off", as it is held firmly in the excavation in thie solid rock. 192 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. We now pass on to the year 1851. On the 20th of February of that year Stephen L. Fowler arrived at Capt. Smith's, and we will quote from his diary. From that we get a great many glimpses at the private and public life of the captain. Mr. Fowler says : " We walk from Bodega port to Capt. Smith's, a distance of about five miles. He has a very pretty valley to live in. The most of the buildings were erected by the Russians. The old captain is very hospitable. He has been here about eight years. He has quite a great deal of poultry, a number of hogs, and a great many cattle." He next gives us a glimpse at the domestic economy of the Smith household : " They have cofiee about sunrise, at ten o'clock, breakfast, and dinner at dark. This is a Spanish custom." He next pays a visit to the mill : " We walked tf> the Bodega Steam Saw-mill, where we were kindly^treated. We took dinner, and they showed us through the mill. They put the saw in motion, and explained what we did not understand. There are a number of build- ings near the mill. The place is called ' Mount Pleasant.' I think it very appropriately named, as it is a very pleasant place." The above name of Mount Pleasant is probably the writer's translation of the name "Buena Vista," which was applied to a high hill in the neighborhood of the Smith Ranch, and being a stranger he probably supposed it to apply to the entire immediate section. He remarks, further on : " Near Captain Smith's there is a brook where salmon are caught during their season. We saw here a Russian dog, said to be forty years old. The captain's nephew (Stephen Smith) has charge ,of the ranch. The captain is about to start a tannery.'' On the 23d of June, 1851, the contract for the woodwork on the adobe house, which now stands there, was let to Stephen L. Fowler and one of his partners, Mr. Hedges. An extract from the diary of that date says: " To-day Hedges and myself (S. L. Fowler) rode to Capt. Smith's, to make arrangements about doing some carpenter work. We contracted to do the work of an adobe house, 27x70 feet. We have two floors to lay, ceil it over- head, partitions to run to make six rooms, twelve windows to case, besides casing doors and hanging them, and putting in and trimming a front door, and ceiling under the piazza. We are to be boarded and to receive $450 for the job." While at work on this contract and boarding at the house he gives us another glimpse at the internal management of the domestic affairs of the family ; also, a bill-of-fare for one day : " We eat four meals a day. At sunrise we have a most excellent cup of coffee, with bread and butter; at ten o'clock we have breakfast, which consists of coffee, soup, meat, vegetables, and bread ; at one o'clock we have a lunch of roast beef, bread, etc., and at six o'clock we have dinner, which consists of about the same as the breakfast, except the coffee. We can have a cup of tea any time during the evening, and brandy and water when we wish. We do not eat with the family, as they have much company, and the talble is generally full." On the 5th day of August, 1851, we find the following entry: "We HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 193 had a very good dinner to-day, it being Mrs. Smith's birthday. We had roast turkey and pig, with plenty of vegetables and a good pudding. To-night the ladies came into the building, and the children danced several Spanish dances to the music of a guitar. James (E. Fowler) declaimed ' Richard the Third,' and, with singing, etc., we passed the evening very pleasantly. There were several bottles of wine sent in by the captaia and Mrs. Smith." Being sixteen at the time of her marriage in 1843; she was born August 5, 1827. Two days later, on the 7th, we find the following entry : To-day the cap- tain has given us the dimensions of the two buildings he wants built for his tannery. One is twenty-four feet square, and ten feet studding; the other is twenty-four by fifty feet, and two stories high." For this contract they were to receive four hundred and fifty dollars. We find that a man by the nameof Watson was the tanner; that he had a birthday, when the boys got a little jolly. It was doubtless in this tannery that the first real leather was, made in Sonoma county by the American process of tanning. Of course the Russians tanned leather in their way, and probably made a good article, too. After them, and using their appliances, came Major Ernest Rufus. Cyrus Alexander, of Alexander valley, is reputed to have tanned some leather in a crude way. It would therefore seem that to Capt. Smith belongs the honor of establishing the first successful tannery in the county. This tannery afterwards passed into the hands of James Stewart. After him came a man by the name of Henry Lane. The building was destroyed by fire iu 1868, after doing duty for seventeen years. Capt. Stephen Smith was one of nature's noblemen. He was generous to a fault, large and warm-hearted, kindly disposed, and a man against whom none can say aught, and those who knew him never tire of sounding his praises. It is said that all strangers were welcome within his gates, and that he was ofiended if a man seemed in haste to leave. It is related of him that a man once came there sick, and remained two weeks. At the end of that time he was well and ready to go on his way. It being yet early in the morn- ing, the Captain had not arisen ; the man gave ten dollars to the Captain's son. -When the Captain came out of his room the money was duly handed to him, with an account of whence it came. The Captain forthwith flew into a rage, and ordered the young man to mount the fleetest horse on the ranch, over- take the departing stranger, and return his money to him. His house was a veritable hospital, to which all the afilicted in the vicinity could come for treatment, without price and without money. Senora Minungo Torres, the Captain's mother-in-law, was an excellent doctress and nurse, and it is to her skill and attention that many a man owes his life. She would undergo any hardship in carrying out her great mission of love, and it was nothing else than a mission of love with her, as she would never receive any remunera- tion for her services, and would work as faithfully with a dying Indian as with any one of her own nationality. 194 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. A band of Indians, known as the Bodegas, had a " raneheadero " on the banks of a little stream which lay just west of Captain Smith's house. Mrs. Smith and her mother, Senora Torres, were very kind to these Indians, and had them fully under their control. They acted as missionaries to them, and a priest came to the rancho and baptized them all. Their graveyard was consecrated, and rude wooden crosses were placed at the heads of the graves. When the rancho passed into the hands of Tyler Curtis he drove the Indians all away to the reservation. A very few of them are now left at the reservation near Healdsburg, and they occasionally pay a visit to the scenes of their childhood and youth. Their graveyard, which lies in an open field to the south of the adobe house, is fast being obliterated. The crosses are nearly all broken down, and the mounds are nearly leveled with the adjacent fields, and very soon, indeed, will all traces of the existence of this people be swept away by the remorseless hand of man and time. , In August, 1855, a tragedy was committed by one of these Indians which, for cold-blooded and heartless cruelty, can hardly be excelled in all the annals of crime. One day a vaquero by the name of James Phoenix and an Indian named Demos came down to Bodega port from the mouth of Rus- sian river, where they were both engaged in herding stock. While at the port they both drank more or less, but had no trouble. Upon starting away. Phoenix procured a bottle of whisky. He was never seen again alive, and it is not known what difficulty arose between them, but it is said that it was thought at the time that it grew out of some contest over the bottle of whisky. Be that as it may, the facts of the murder were about as follows: When they had arrived at the mouth of Salmon creek the Indian managed to get Phcenix in advance of him in the trail. He then threw his riatta, and the loop caught Phoenix over one shoulder and under the other arm. The Indian wheeled his horse in a flash, and dragged his victim to the ground. He then put spurs to his horse and dragged the unfortunate man a distance of more than a mile over the rough and rocky pathway of the mountain coast trail, dangling at the end of a rope, made fast to the horn of his saddle. He then left his victim until the next day, when he procured the assistance of another Indian named Francisco, and conveyed the body to Willow creek gulch, and hid it under a pile of rock and brush. The two Indians then came down to the " rancheria" and reported that Demos and Phoenix had goae out the night before to watch for bears, which were feeding on the car- case of a whale, and that they believed that Phoenix had been kUled by the bears. Immediate search for the body of Phoenix was instituted ; suspicion, however, resting strongly upon the two Indians, especially Demos. Senora Torres called Francisco into a room, and placing him on his knees before a crucifix, recited a number of imprecations which would fall upon him in this world and the next if he did not teU the truth concerning the murder. The solemnity of the rites, and the religious influence which the HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 195. woman had over.him, conspired to make him confess the entire transaction^ Demos was at once placed under arrest, and a wagon despatched, with Fran- cisco as a guide, to convey the corpse to the settlement. When found, the body presented the most ghastly appearance imaginable. The clothing and flesh were stripped completely ofi" from several portions of the body. The Indian, Demos, was brought into Justice Jasper O'Farrell's Court, and had a. jury trial. The evidence elicited did not throw any light upon the causes which induced the Indian to commit the deed. The j ury did not debate long upon the verdict, which was, that he should be hanged the next day at one o'clock in the afternoon. On the brow of a hill, near the " rancheria," there was a triangle or tripod frame, which was used for suspending animals when butchered. It was decided to hang him at this place, and that Fran- cisco should be his executioner. A grave was dug, and a coffin placed beside it, within a few feet of the place of execution. At the appointed hour he was brought to the improvised scaffold and placed on the head of a barrel, with a rope knotted firmly about his neck. He was then asked if he had anything to say, to which he replied that he desired to be buried with his face down. He then looked over the assembled crowd of whites and Indians, and cast a last wistful glance at the familiar surrounding scenes of his life, then exclaimed : " Adios todo en el mundo" — farewell to all in the world — and was pushed suddenly from his perch upon the barrel. The rope was unfortunately too long, and his toes touched the ground as he fell, where- upon Thos. Murray, Thos. Furlong, and J. Waddell seized the end, which extended through the pulley, and drew it up till he swung clear of the ground, when in a short time he was dead, and had, in a manner, expiated the horrid crime he had committed. There is a sad sequel to this tragedy. The brother of the victim, upon hearing the tragic and cruel fate which ended his brother's career, became a raving maniac, and ended his days in an asylum. Captain Smith was at one time very wealthy, having as stated above an eight league rancho, on which there is reputed to have been fifteen thousand head of cattle, fifteen thousand head of horses, besides hogs and sheep in large numbers. His incoipe was at one time princely, but misfortune in one way or another overtook him, and at the time of his death he had but little left besides the naked land. It is said that he lost sixty thousand dollars at one time by some Italians in whose safe he had deposited the money. He lost twenty thousand dollars by the first fire in San Francisco in 1851, and a large amount in the second one. He was also somewhat careless about busi- ness matters, and it is said that he once borrowed six hundred dollars of a man at two per cent, per month, and through carelessness neglected to pay the debt until it amounted to over five thousand dollars. Captain Smith died in San Francisco in November, 1855, at the ripe old age of seventy- three. His wife and three children survived him. By will dated August 196 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. ■9, 1854, he bequeathed to his wife a life interest in one-third of the rancho, and the other two-thirds to his three children, share and share ahke. The widow afterwards married Tyler Curtis, who succeeded in getting an act of the Legislature passed giving him the right to dispose of the right and interest of the children in the rancho. He soon let the entire fortune filter through his fingers, and thus were the children defrauded, and the rancho passed into other hands. The beautiful little town of Bodega Corners is situated near the Smith homestead. It took its first start iu 1853. A man by the name of George Robinson, went up from Bodega port and opened a saloon at this point that year. It was a place where three roads met, hence the name of Corners was applied to it. A man named Hughes soon followed, and built a black- smith shop. He was soon joined by another named Bowman and the two built the first hotel in the place, which was afterwards burned. Donald McDonald had a store at the port, which he moved to the new town quite early in its existence. The Rositer Bros., also opened a store about the same time. The old settlers of that vicinity were, James Watson, Ex-sherifl"Saml. Potter, M. Hagler, J. L. Springer, Dr. A. K. Piggott, Thomas Murray, James Stumpf, and William H. Steward. The town has grown into a fine village of perhaps three hundred inhabitants. Its business interests are repre- sented as follows : Two general stores, three hotels, one livery stable, one meat market, one blacksmith shop, one wagonmaker's shop, two carpenter shops, two shoe shops, three saloons, two physicians, one millinery store and two barber shops. The official directory is as follows: Thomas Murray, Justice of the Peace; C. O. Cazares, Constable; James McCaughey is Post- master, Wells, Fargo & Co.'s and Telegraph agents. The postoffice was first established at this place September 29, 1854, with Stephen Smith as Post- master. It was then known as Smith's Ranch. The first school-house in the, town was built in 1866. A. S. Sanborn was the first teacher. In 1873, the present beautiful structure was erected for school purposes at a cost of five thousand dollars. There are at present one hundred and twenty-five census children in the district, and two teachers are employed. The Presby- terians have a church organization here. This organization was eflected by Rev. A. Fairbairn, October 1, 1865. The original number of members was nine. It has since been increased, till at present there are twenty-three. They have a very nice building, erected in 1868- The "Bodega War." — The history of this section of Bodega would be incomplete without a short sketch at least of this grand fiasco of Tyler Curtis. All the old settlers who were present take great delight in relating its particulars. It seems that after Curtis came into control at the Bodega rancho, in the year 1858 or 1859, he undertook to oust parties who were farm- ing parcels of it. Many of these men had rented their land from Captain Smith in his day, and had continued to pay a rental to the estate. Others HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 197 had squatted upon different portions of the rancho, and were endeavoringf'to hold possession of their claims until such time as the property would be put. upon the market, which event they knew full well must occur sooner or later. Failing to cause the settlers to leave by peaceful means and by per- sonal threats of violence, Curtis proceeded to San Francisco and secured the services of a horde of about forty roughs for the purpose of waging a war upon them. He purchased arms and ammunition for his motley gang, and brought them up to Petaluma on the steamer. From there he marched them ont to the rancho, a distance of upwards of twenty miles, in regular soldier style. They arrived at the ranch house some time in the night, but it had become known that they were coming and what their errand was. Some Paul Revere, during the silent midnight watches, came from Petaluma and rode to every settler's house and gave the alarm. By the time the first flush of rosy dawn had illuminated the eastern sky the town was full of men, armed to the teeth with rifles and revolvers, with also a couple of small field-pieces, which hap- pened (?) to be in that vicinity at the time. Sentinels were placed around the ranch to guard their prisoners, for such indeed they were. In the morn- ing, as soon as Curtis came out, a deputation of settlers waited upon him and requested his immediate presence in the village, stating at the same time, that if he refused, the entire force of settlers would march against his place, and that not a man would be left alive. Thinking that discretion was the better part of valor, he reluctantly complied, and accompanied the dep'i- tation. Once there, he was placed upon a goods box in mock deference to his political style of making stump speeches, and asked to explain why he had brought this crowd of roughs to his rancho. He explained what he expected to do with the men, and intimated that he expected to stiU carry out his original idea. He was then told that by ten o'clock that morning they would expect him to have his braves (?) en route for San Francisco, and to see that their order was obeyed a detail of thirty mounted armed men was sent along with him. He went back to his crowd of bullies and told them the turn affairs had taken, and they were only too willing to march back to Petaluma, especially when they saw the crowd of armed horsemen. And thus ended the fiasco. It cost Curtis over two thousand dollars for that day's work, and it availed him naught. Bodega Lodge, F. & A. il/.— Bodega Lodge, No. 213, F. &A. M., was organ- ized December 17, 1870. The following named gentlemen were charter mem- bers: William H. Manefee, A. S. Patterson, N. R. Shaw, L. S. Goodman, A. S. Perrine H. M. Barnham, C. C. Robertson, G. N. Sanborn, D. Hakes, M. ' Kieman, W. W. Gilham, E. O. Stratton, William Hamilton, and W. M. Doran. The first officers were: W. H. Manefee, W. M; A. S. Patterson, S. W; N. R. Shaw. J. W ; L. S. Goodman, Treasurer, and G. N. Sanborn, Secretary. The following gentlemen have filled the office of Master: W. H. Manefee, A. 'S. Patterson, and James McCaughey has held the position for the past eix ytit>s. 198 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. The present membership is fifteen. They have a very small lodge-room at present, but own a fine lot and in the near future propose to erect a large and commodious hall. Buena Vista Lodge, I. 0. G. T. — This Lodge, No. 373, was organized March 12, 1870. The meeting was called to order by Miss Emory. The charter members were: C. L. Farnsworth, Mrs. R. Farnsworth, Mrs. A. Hitchcock, J. W. Wilcox, J. Carson, W. Fraser, J. J. Stewart, A. E. Eraser, C. Hawkins, Miss M. Carson, Miss H. Watson, William Fleming, J. Kelley, J. Bulger, J. T. Fraser, M. Blim, J. Watson, William Thompson, William Johnson, E. H. Cheeney, H. Gondey, S. Cheenpy, and Miss L. Perrine. The first officers were: J. W. Wilcox, W. C. T.; Mrs. A. Hitchcock, W. V. T.; C. L. Farns- worth, W. S.; J. Carson, W. F. S.; and R. Farnsworth, W. T. This lodge had at one time as many as ninety-six members, but interest in it waned, and its charter was eventually surrendered. No Surrender Lodge, I. 0. G. T. — This Lodge, No. 375, was organized November 9, 1875, and had the following names on its charter : C. N. An- drews, James H. Brown, John Cunningham, Theo. Wright, Tim. Keegan, James Piggott, John Piggott, Alf. Sayton, Cordelia A. Brown, and Vesta Nickols. The first ofiicers were : C. N. Andrews, W. C. T. ; Vesta Nickols, W. V. T. ; James H. Brown, W. S.; John Piggott, W. F. S. ; Cordelia A. Brown, W. T. There are at present seventeen members, and they are struggling boldly to maintain the truthfulness of their name, " No Surrender." Catholic Church. — The first mass was celebrated in this place in March 1860, by Rev. Father Rosse. This mass was celebrated in the school house. In Octo- ber, 1860, the church building was erected, but was not dedicated until 1862 or 1863. This is a very neat church building, and serves the purpose of the congregation admirably. The following pastors have officiated here: Fathers Rosse, Onetta, Welch, Fagin, Slattery, Kelly, CuUen and Cushing. Tanneries. — As has been stated before, the first tannery in this vicinity was put in operation by Captain Smith in 1851. This was destroyed by fire in 1863. In 1864 the old pioneer, Thomas Murray, erected a building and started a tannery about a mile north of the town. He continued to make an excellent quality of leather here for several years, but finally dis- posed of it to Messrs. Hecht Bros, of San Francisco, who still own it. It is conducted at present by John Collins. Freestone. — This charming little village is located near the eastern line of the township, and on the line of the North Pacific Coast Railroad, and near the corner of three ranchos, viz; Jonive, Pogolome and Estero Americano. The early history of these ranchos has already been given, but a few more points of interest are related here. James Dawson made application for the Pogo- lome grant, but before it was confirmed to him he died. His wife under her HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 199 maiden name, Donna jVIaria Antonia Cazares, secured the confirmation of the grant to herself as the widow of Santiago (James) Dawson. This confirmation was made by Manuel Micheltorena on the 12th day of February, 1844, and was approved by the Departmental Assembly December 26, 1845. The grant contained eight thousand seven hundred and eighty-eight and eighty-one one-hundredths acres. In November, 1847, F. G. Blume married Mrs. Dawson, and the charge of the property passed Luto his hands. He resided in Sonoma at that time, and was engaged ia mercantile pursuits. He sent his brother-in-law, Henry Hagler, to the ranch as his agent. Hagler, it will be remembered, was the man who came from Baltimore with Captain Smith as a ship's carpenter. He remained in charge until 1848, when Mr. Blume and his wife moved upon the rancho and took charge. They have resided continuously in the same house ever since. About this time his father-in-law, Francisco Cazares, with his family, came up from Monterey and settled on the banks of the Ebabias creek. The settlers league forced Mr. Blume to sell much of his valuable estate at nominal figures, so that he now owns but a small portion of the original grant. The town of Freestone derived its name from a kind of easily worked, or, free sandstone quarry which is near the place ; this rock is used extensively for building purposes, on account of- this quality. After a town had been started and the dwellers therein were casting about for an appropriate name, one Frank Harris bethought himself of this freestone quarry, and at once suggested it, which, after due consideration, was adopted. Mr. Blume had kept a small stock of goods in one room of his residence since 1848, but the first business house erected in the town was a saloon with a small store attached kept by Ferdinand Harbordt. This was in 1849. Probably during the same year or the next at least, S. Bruggerman erected a large store building at O'Far- reU's place. In 1853 Mr. Blume built a large two-story hotel, which he rented to James Dobson. During the same year W. H. Sailhardt built a black- smith shop. Thomas O'Grady also built one at the same time, but did not occugy it. At present there is one general store, one hotel, one blacksmith shop, one carpenter shop, one stirrup factory, one saloon, one tannery, which was put in operation in 1878 by Jacob Shoenagel. It turns out a good quan- tity of leather. The official directory is as follows: F. G. Blume, Justice of the Peace and Postmaster; J. C.Morris, Constable; J. D. Carr, Telegraph and Wells, Fargo & Co.'s agent. The town is nicely located, and is fast becoming popular for country res- idences for city people. It is within easy reach of San Francisco. Valley Ford. — This thriving Uttle village is situated on theEstero Ameri- cano, four miles from its mouth. It received its name from the fact that an old Indian and Spanish ford across this stream, was located at this place. Stephen L. and James E. Fowler were the first settlers here, having purchased "200 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. of Mr.Blume six handred and forty acres lying between the Estero and Ebabias creeks. In July of 1852, they built a house about two hundred yards from the old ford. The same year, Thos. Smith built a cabin near where John Vanderleith now lives. Sanford*& Webber located across the creek. They received a portable grist-mill from the East, and during that Winter were kept busy grinding grain for the neighbors. The flour was coarse and unbolted. Whitehead Fowler and E. Thurber also located in this part <6{ Big valley during that year. During the next year the greater portion of the valley land was taken up. In 1854 a crop of oats, yielding one hundred bushels to the acre, was raised on the present town site. During this year Stephen C. Fowler and his family, consisting of his wife and sons, John H. and Nathaniel, arrived at Valley Ford. Mrs. Fowler was the first lady resident of that section. In 1856, the Thos. Smith mentioned above began operations with a grist-mill on a small scale. He had two run of burrs, and used twelve horses as a motor. Two years later a steam engine was placed in the miU, and it soon became famous for its extra brands of flour. In the Fall of 1861, Daniel Hall opened a blacksmith shop. That same year J. H. Fowler and and 0. M. Perkins opened a general merchandise business; Jas. E. Fowler opened a lumber yard, and E. B. and J. W. Palmer built a carpenter shop. J. N. Rien built the Valley Ford Hotel in 1864. In the Summer of 1876, the North Pacific Coast Railroad Company extended their line through the town, and erected a neat depot. This brings the people of this place within four hours of San Francisco, instead of the old-time tedious route via Peta- luma. The population of the place is about one hundred. There is a district ischool here. The present business interests of the town are as follows: One store, one blacksmith shop, one tin shop, one hotel, one livery stable, two physicians, one shoe shop, one steam flour mill (owned by Huntly & Cook), and one saloon. The official directory is as follows : P. E. Merritt, Post- master; Brown & Le Baron, Wells, Fargo & Co.; B. Fowler, Telegraph agent. The postoffice was established in 1875. Valley Ford, I. 0. G. T. — This Lodge, No. 156, was organized March 2, 1865. The charter members were: Rev. J. R. Hammond, Mary E. Stanley, Benj. Harrington, A. M. Huntley, Miss Lizzie Mills, Geo. P. Stanley, Wm. Huntley, Rev. A. Fairbairn, E. D. Mills, Wm. Withrow, A. J. Blainey, Mrs. C. E. Fowler, Mrs. A. E. Huntley, and E. M. Dibble. Rev. J. R. Hammond was the first W. C. T., and Benj. Hammond the first Sec'y. The present membership is thirty. The lodge has always been in a flourishing condition and much interest is felt here in the cause of temperance. Presbyterian Church. — This church organization was effected December 5, 1863, by Rev. Thomas Fraser, as the Old School Presbyterian Church of Big Valley, under the Presbytefy at Benicia, and the Synod of the Pacific Coast, "fhe organizing members were Stephen C. Fowler, Mfs. Rebecda Fowldf, 'Mrs. Mary. J. Palmer, Mrs. Olivia N. Gordon, Mrs. Elizabeth Pettit, Mrs. HISTORY or SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOENIA. 201 Laura Meacham, Miss Olivia E. Meacham, G. W. Case. Mrs. Adelaide L. Cbsc, Mrs. Hannah N. Hall, Mrs. H. Cain, and Mrs. Sarah B. Palmer. The fol- lowing named pastors have served the church since its orgamzation: Rev- erends Jas. S. Wylie, Lewis Thompson, C. H. Crawford, H. R. Avery, R. McCulloch, and Hugh McLeod. The present neat church edifice was erected in the winter of 1865-6. The present membership is thirty-three. OccciDENTAL. — This is a beautiful little village situated in a most delight- ful location. It is on the line of the North Pacific Coast Railroad, at the point where it crosses the divide between the waters which flow into the O'Farrell valley on the south, and into the Russsan river, through Howard's canon, on the north. From this fact the place is also called Summit. The railroad company, have named the station Howards' in honor of William Howard, the oldest settler living in that section and on whose land a portion of the town is situated. The other portion of the town is built upon land belonging to M. C Meeker. The first start of this town was far difierent from most Cali- fornia towns, and we hasten to record the fact that the first building in the place was a church. The committee who were appointed to choose a location for the proposed church building met, and after selecting the site, took into consideration what name they should give to it. They decided upon Occidental. The postoffice was also petitioned for under that name, hence the place is mentioned indifierently as Howard's Station, Meekers, Summit,and Occidental. The town lies in the heart of a redwood forest, and the old stumps still stand in the streets. One hundred and twenty thousand shingles were made out of a tree which stood on the town site. The church building mentioned above was erected in 1876. That same year the railroad reached this point, and the first passenger train arrived here October 16, 1876. M. C. Meeker erected a hotel building which was occupied by J. W. Noble. He began operations in January, 1877. The first store was opened by McCaughey & Co., April 4, 1877. Other buildings followed in rapid succession, nearly all being built in 1877, There are twenty-four buildings in the town, of which all but seven were erected by the enterprising milling firm of Meeker Bros. The very first permanent settler in this immediate section was Michael Kolmer. He arrived ui California in 1846, having with him his family, con- . sisting of his wife, two daughters and one son. They spent that winter at Sutter's Fort, then went to Fort Ross, and spent the year of 1847. In 1848, he came down and leased land of Captain Smith, on the Bodega Rancho. This tract of land was located about two and one-half miles west of the present site of Howard's Station, ui what is known as Coleman valley. The original name was Kolmer valley, taking its appellation from the Kolmer family. It has since been modified to Coleman. One of his daughters mar- ried WilUam Howard, and still resides with her husband at their homestead near Occidental. The other daughter married William Benitz, and is now residing in the Argentine Republic. A man named Patrick McCue was th 202 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. next settler. He located in a little valley just east of Howard's Station in 1849. McCue came to California in 1847, with Samuel Brannan and the Mormons in the ship "Brooklyn. " He came ap to Bodega and worked at the blacksmith business for some time for Captain Smith, on his rancho and at his mill. He soon, however, came to the mill run by James Black and others, near the present site of Freestone. He followed his trade here for a while, and finally settled as stated above. In 1852, he left the country. The next permanent settler was William Howard, who came to California in 1848, and located on his present homestead in 1849. He was the first settler who actually owned the land he was upon, and is the only old settler who stUl resides in this vicinity. Mr. Howard had a partner by the name of Charles Romer. They remained together till 1855. During the next few years several squatters came and went, but none made permanent homes. From that time on till the advent of the railroad, nothing occurred to cause a ripple upon the even tenor of its way. The town has assumed quite an importance as a ship- ping point, cord-wood, fence-posts, tan-bark, and charcoal form the bulk of the exports. Methodist Episcopal Church. — The Occidental (M. E.) church edifice was erected in 1876, but a church organization was not efiected till the following year. The present membership is thirty- five. The following ministers have served the people at this place : Revs. A. Winning, D. E. George, A. K. Sheriff, H. E. Tallman, C. S. Milnes. Salmon Creek Lodge, I. 0. 0. F. — This lodge, No. 234, was organized August 2, 1875, at Bodega Corners, and was moved to Occidental, May 25, 1878. The charter members were : J. K. Smith, G. C. Taylor, J. H. Brown. A. Willis, David Robinson, H. Samsel, W. J. Lewis, L. F. Wormell, and J- Sutter. The first officers were : J. K. Smith, N. G.; G. C. Taylor, V. G. ; J. H. Brown, Secretary; and D. Robinson, Treasurer. The following members have filled the position of N. G. : J. K. Smith, James H. Brown, G. C. Tay- lor, L. F. Wormell, W. Ramsdale, J. Worry, S. McCrady, and I. C. Perry. The present officers are: I. C. Perry, N. G.; Thomas Murray, V. G. ; D. J- Carr, Secretary ; and W. Light, Treasurer. The present membership is fifty- four. The lodge is in a very flourishing condition. They have a very neat lodge-room. Altamont Lodge, I. 0. G. T. — Altamont Lodge, No. 374, L O. G. T., was chartered June'2, 1877, with the following original members : L C. Perry, Mrs. H. M. Perry, J. D. Conley, Mrs. G. G. Blainey, Rev. D. E. George, Mrs, E. George, D. P. Rice, H. P. Hurlburt, T. J. Alley, R. M. Shaffer, G. W. Shuster, F. W.^Gifibrd, W. Rima, Mrs. R. Stone, Miss M. B. Haufstader, Miss A. Hurlburt, Miss H. Hurlburt, Mrs. F. A. RoUison, and H. Hurlburt. The first I'pfficers were : T. J. Alley, W. C. T.; Mrs. E. George, W. V. T. H. P. Hurlburt, Secretary; and Mrs. F. A. RoUison, Treasurer. In due HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 203 course of time the interest in the cause of temperance began to wane, and the charter was finally surrendered in May, 1878. Since that time there has been no move in the cause of temperance. The business interests of the town are represented as follows: One hotel, two stores, two saloons, one blacksmith shop, one livery stable, one feed store, two meat markets, one shoe shop, one barber shop, and one physician. The population is about one hundred. The official directory is : O. CoUister, Notary Public; Telegraph and Wells, Fargo & Co.'s agent, A. J. Blainey, Postmaster. The Occidental postoffice was established December 7, 1876, with the present incumbent as postmaster. There is a public school in the town, which was established in 1878. There is a nice new school-house located just at the southern entrance to the town. Saw-MUls. — As has already been stated, the first attempt to make lum- ber in this township was made by James Dawson, in 1835, with a saw-pit and hand rip-saw. The first mill was that of Captain Smith, which was the first steam saw-mill in California, established in 1843. The next saw- mill was located on the Jonive Rancho, and was put in operation sometime previous to 1849. We find no record of when the mill was built, but find that it was disposed of in 1849. This mill was situated on the little creek which passes through Freestone, very near the present site of the town, and was run by water power. Edward M. Mcintosh, James Black, Thomas Butters, William Leighton, Frederick Hegel, Thomas Wood, and a pioneer who was known by the peculiar name of "Blinking Tom," put the mill in operation. In 1849, it is said that they disposed of their mill and lumber to F. G. Blume, and went to the mines. The next milling enterprise was inaugurated in 1848, and was known as the " Benicia" or " Blumedale Mill and Lumber Company," This company was composed of mechanics who were at work on the Government barracks at Benicia. Charles McDermot was President and John Bailiff, Secretary; Lieutenant, now- General George Stoneman, and a Mr. McKnight, and others, were members of the company. F. G. Blume rented the land to this company, hence the name of " Blume- dale." It was a circular saw and the power was steam. It was put in operationin 1849. The site of the mill was on Ebabias creek, about one mile south of Freestone. The next mill built waS what is now known as the Joy mUl. It was put in operation in 1855, hj three brothers by the name of Thurston. It is located northward from Bodega Corners, and is still stand- ing on the original site, and is doing good service yet. It has a capacity of about three thousand feet per day. Messrs. Mudge, Phelps and Perkins, the parties who purchased Captain Smith's mill, and leased the timber land for ninety-nine years, moved their mill, in 1859, to a site about one mile south of Occidental. In 1862, they removed it to Mendocino county. In 1866, M. C. Meeker put his mill in operation. It is located near the old site of the last named mill, south of Occidental. It is a fine mill, and has a capa- 204 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. city of fifteen thousand feet daily. There is one pair of double saws in it, the bottom saw being sixty inches in diameter, and the top one fifty-eight. It is also supplied with a full outfit of all the necessary machinery and appliances to make it a first-class mill in every respect. In 1867, Mr. Siiiith built a mill in Coleman valley. It has a capacity of twelve thousand feet, and is a first-class mill. ' Paeific Press " Publishing House, Oakland, Cal. HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 205 CLOVERDALE. This township is situated in the extreme north of Sonoma, borders on Lake county, and is famous for its picturesque scenery. Through it the Russian river flows, leaving a tract of rare fertility on either bank, while it is backed by a range of hills which, though they produce no trees, grows an abundance of grass. Upon these, thousands of sheep are pastured, the xaising of this stock being its principal industry. Cloverdale. — This is the only town in the township, and had its com- mencement in this wise: In the year 1856, R. B. Markle and W. J. Miller purchased eight hundred and fifty acres, which included the present site of Cloverdale, from Johnsoii Horrell, who claimed a portion of the Rancho de Musalacon. In 1859, J. A. Kleiser bought the property of the above named parties and, in October of that year, had the site surveyed and the town laid out by J. B. Wood, County Surveyor. It was named Cloverdale — -a happy departure from the pecular mining names or Indian appellations then in vogue — but by whom, it has never been fully established; the evidence, however, is in favor that Mrs. R. B. Markle was the fair sponsor. A man named Levi Rosenburg opened the first store in this part of the country, on the east side of Russian river, near its confluence with Sulphur creekj some time early in 1856. In October of that year, J. H. Hartman and F. G. Hahman of Santa Rosa conceived the idea of establishing a trading post at Markle's place — by which name Cloverdale was then known — it being on the route taken by travellers to Mendocino and Humboldt. The first hotel was opened by R. B. Markle about this time in the house now occupied by John Fields on East street, and was called the Cloverdale Hotel. On Kleiser becoming possessed of the property he succeeded Markle in the hotel business as well, and kept it for one year from September, 1859. The first house within the town of Cloverdale was an adobe, owned by a Span- iard, and situated on the eminence south of Mr. Kleiser's house, on land now owned by William Colwell. In 1859, Hartman & Hahman disposed of their business to Levi & Co.; others came in, but the giowth of the town was next to nil. It was not until the arrival of the railroad that matters mended, then a reaction set in. On February 28, 1872, an act incorporating the town of Cloverdale was approved and the limits described to be as under, to wit : — Commencing at the mouth of a certain creek where it empties into Russian river, on the west side of said river, at or near where the road leading from 206 HISTORY QF gQlfOMA. CQUNTT, CALIFORNIA. Cloverdale to Clear Lake crosses said Russian river, and continuing up the center of said creek until it strikes the north-west cornet of the lands of John Otis ; thence in a southerly direction along the Wamboldt and Kleiser line fence, and still continuing in said direction until it strikes the south-west corner of Dr. J. Ramey's lot of land, and then in an easterly direction to the south-west corner of Blakeley's land; thence northerly to Kleiser 's picket fence, being the line fence between Caldwell's and Kleiser's land; thence following said fence to Russian river; thence up said river to place of be- ginning. Under this Act the following were appointed Trustees in May, 1 872 : Harry Kier, Amasa Morse, John Field, W. E. Crigler and Theodore Harper. The town is cozily nestled among the hills and possesses a number of neat residences, more in proportion than in most places of no greater population There are a Congregational, a Methodist Church South, and a Catholic church. The public school is a well constructed building, presenting with its shade of native oaks, a very attractive appearance, besides which the Masonic, Odd- Fellows and United Workmen orders are represented. The Cloverdale Water Works, under the management of J. A. Carrie, supply the town with water sufficient for all demands, while it boasts of one newspaper, an excellent journal. In the Spring of 1872, W. J. Bowman started the Cloverdale Review. Soon after S. B. Baccus commenced the publication of the Cloverdale Bee. In November, 1876, the Cloverdale News was given to the public by W. S. Walker, who now owns and conducts the Cloverdale Reveille. First Congregational Church. — The outgrowth of this church was from the labors of Rev. James S. Burger, a missionary of the American Home Mission Society, who commenced his labors in that district on November 1, 1868. A congregation was organized by Rev. James H. Warren, D. D., then agent in CaUfomia for that society, on January 17, 1869, consisting of the following members: Rev. James S. Burger and Mrs. Burger, Mrs. Charles Cooley, Mrs. J. A. Carrie, Mrs. H. F. Gerkhart, Mrs. Sarah Hall, and Mrs. John Edwards. It was then resolved to erect a place of worship, and a building committee appointed, consisting of David C .Brush, Charles H. Cooley, James A. |Kleiser, Thomas S. Calvin, and Harry Kier. This edifice was commenced in 1870 and completed during the following year, being situated in Block L., West street, and cost about two thousand fi.ve hundred dollars. It is thirty by fifty feet, and has a belfry, in which hangs a w;ell- toned bell, presented by J. B. Ford, of Mendocino City, but now a resident of Brooklyn, Alameda county, which cost three hundred dollars. In July, 1870, Rev. James S. Burger resigned the pastorate, when a call was accepted by Rev. E. Jones, who preached his first sermon in September of that year. March 27, 1871, Mr. Jones resigned, .and was succeeded by Rev. HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 207 D. I. Williams, of Shillsbury, Wis., who took charge of the church as acting pastor; he left in Maj', and on July 14, 1871, Rev. William J. Clark entered upon the duties of acting pastor. In the month of March, 1872, Doctor Warren, of San Francisco, presented a beautiful silver communion set, as a gift from the Congregational Church of Oakland; August 18th, of this year, Mr. Clark sent in his resignation, and on the 3d of October, G. F. G. Morgan was elected pastor for one year ; he, however, preached but a short time, when an invitation was extended to the Rev. A. F. Hitchcock, dated October 13, 1872. Mr. Hitchcock not accepting the call, it was sent to J. J. Powell, of Rio Vista, on December 1st; he commenced his duties on December 4, 1872. On May 8, 1875, Mr. Powell resigned. On June 6th Isaac W. Atherton was called to the pastorate ; on July 4th, he accepted it and forthwith commenced his labors. He resigned September 30, 1877. Decem- ber 30th of that year, Rev. S. P. Whiting, the present pastor, was caUed to undertake the duties. At a meeting held in January, 1879, Miss Sarah Miner was elected Clerk, and is the present holder of that office. The membership is thirty-six, while the attendance at the Sabbath-school, of which Henry Hoskins is the Super- intendent, is about fifty. Catholic Church. — This church commenced holding services about the year 1870, in the Cloverdale Hotel and other places till 1878, when the present beautiful little church on block A, corner of Main and Broad streets, was erected. It was dedicated. May 7, 1870, by Archbishop Alemany of San Francisco. Services are held once a month by Father J. M. Conway of Santa Rosa. Societies. — Curtis Lodge, No. 160, F. and A. M. — This Lodge com- menced work under dispensation, August 8, 1859, with William H. Hollis, W. M.; Eli Lester, S. W.; T, J. Gould J. W.; J. B. Estess, Treasurer; Thomas Johnson, Secretary; James Ramey, S. D.; N. L. Morrey, J. D.; Samuel Larson, Tyler, who with J. W. Belden, were the charter members. The first meetings were held in a building now occupied by Charles Cook as a saloon in block J. On May 10, 1860, the charter was granted. In the Summer of 1870, the lodge moved into a building, the first one north from their former room, where they are now located. The officers for the present term are: H. Kier, W. M.; Charles H. Cooley, S. W.; Charles Bean, J. W.; J. A. Carrie, Treasurer ; D. N. Wambold, Secretary ; Lars H. Woolford, S. D. ; C. A. Williams, J. D.; Thomas Johnson, Tyler. Cloverdale Lodge, No. 193, I. 0. 0. F. — This Lodge was organized Decem- ber 2, 1871, with R. A. Zimmerman, N. G.; J. L. Dougherty, V. G.; Jasper A. Linville, Recording Secretary; F. D. Mize, Treasurer; who were with Philip How, the charter members. This meeting was held in the Masonic Hall, opposite the United States Hotel, continuing there to convene until 208 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. February 1, 1875, when they leased the brick building adjoining the above hotel, belonging to D. Chamberlain, situated on Lot No. 40, block' C, and fitted the upper story as a lodge-room, where they are now located. Their day of meeting had from its organization up to the month of September, 1876, been every Monday; since that time it has been changed to Saturday even- ing of each week. The lodge is in a flourLshing condition, and has for its present officers : Frank Spencer, N . G. ; L. R. Standley, V. G. ; P. Ludwig, Secre- tary; Neil Anker, Treasurer. The average membership is thirty five. Cloverdale Lodge, No. 32, A. 0. U. W. — The Lodge of Ancient Order of United Workmen at Cloverdale was granted its charter May 3, 1878, the following being the officers at the time: Isaac E. Shaw, P. M. W.; C. A. Williams, M. W.; W. D. Sink, G. F.; W. F. Brush, O.; C. H. Bean, Recorder; J. A. Carrie, Financier; J. F. Hoadley, Receiver; John B. Cooley, Guide; W. N. Waite, I. W.; Frank Spencer, 0. W. The lodge meets every Mon- day evening in the hall of I. 0. O. F., and is in a prosperous condition. The officers elected for the term ending December 31, 1879, are: W. D. Sink, P. M. W.; Neil Anker, M. W.; C. H. Bean, Recorder; E. A. Hoadley, Financier; J. F. Hoadley, Receiver; C. F. French, G. F.; W. N. Waite, O.; Charles Phillips, G.; C. A. Williams, I. W.; John B. Cooley, O. W. Schools. — The first school was opened in the year 1861, on the site of the present house, and was buUt by J. A. Kleiser. The building wherein instruc- tion is now carried on is twenty-four by sixty feet, constructed of wood, and is two stories high. It is a graded school, the teachers being: W. H. Has- kins, principal; Mary J. Field, first assistant; Mary E- Minor, second assis- tant; and Eva J. Emory, third assistant. Cloverdale Water Works. — This company was established in the Summer of 1872, the books being opened in September of that year. The water is brought from Carrie's ranch, a distance of two-and-a-half miles, and has a fall of three hundred feet, with one break in the entire length. The com- pany .supplies, besides the dwelling houses, the sprinkling cart and fire department, there being sufficient force to make it thoroughly effective in such an emergency. The enterprise was started by F. W. Lougee, Josiah Moulton, and J. A. Carrie, who is the manager of the works, and from whose property the supply is obtained. Hotels. — Cloverdale Hotel. — Was erected in the year 1858, by R. W. Dodge, and managed by him and others until October 5, 1872, when M. Menihan leased the building, having made considerable additions thereto since that time. The building is situated on West street, and is the starting place of stages for all parts of the country, the proprietor being agent for the Geyser Springs and Mendocino stage line. United States Hotel. — In the year 1859 thirty-six by twenty-four feet of this building was constructed, comprised in two stories of brick, with kitchen }ni .Z^-C^ HIStOEY OF SOU^OMA CODNTT, CALIFOENIA. 209 addition; to this was added in 1865 two stories adjoining, thirty-three by forty, of the same material, and as necessity demanded the following additions have been since made. In 1873 a barber-shop and saloon, two stories of thirty by sixty feet, and in 1875 a kitchen thirty-three by sixty-four feet. The building is located on Block C, Lots thirty-eight and thirty-nine, cor- ner of West and Second streets, and has a frontage on the former of one hun- dred, and on the latter one hundred and eight feet. A spacious verandah occupies its entire length on both thoroughfares, while the dining-room, which is on Second street, is a square room capable of accommodating a hun- dred guests. The United States Hotel was bmlt by H. F. Gerkhart, who is stiU its proprietor, at a cost, as it now stands, of forty thousand dollars, and is replete with every comfort for the permanent as well as the transient guest. The CloverdaZe Reveille. — This newspaper made its appearance in the first week of October, 1879, W. S. Walker being the publisher and proprietor The Gloverdale News was started in November, 1876, by the same gentleman, but in the following April he disposed of his interest to J. F. Hoadly, who con- tinued its publication until the Spring of the present year, when he removed the office to Santa Eosa, running it in the interest of the New Constitution party, at which place he suspended its publication in September, 1879. Mr. Walker then purchased the material, removed it to Cloverdale and the EeveUle made its appearance as above stated. It is a well printed and readable sheet with every promise of a bright future before it. 14 210 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. KNIGHTS VALLEY. This township is situated on the north-east boundary of Sonoma, with Napa county at the foot of Mount St. Helena, one of the loftiest and most beautiful peaks of the Mayacmas range. It Lacludes about thirteen thousand acres of valley land, covered by a Spanish grant, and is now partly owned by a company who maintain a Summer resort at Kellogg, and partly by Calvin H. Holmes, an old and most respected pioneer. The scenery in Knight's Valley embraces the characteristic groves of oaks and other woods on the hills and in the hollows, which are to be found all over the county; walks and drives of rare beauty, excelling those which might be devised by man's handiwork, intersect the low-lying grounds and mountain slopes, while through its length passes one of the roads — that from Calistoga — leading to the far-famed Geysers, the most marvelous of Sonoma's romantic pictures. This thoroughfare was built by Sam. Brannan, W. Pat- terson, Calvin Holmes and others, in 1869-70, and though by no means so famous as the Hog's Back road, on account of its many hair-breadth escapes, still it combines all the beauties of scenery, and grandeur of hill and dale which the other made attractive. The earliest settler in Knight's Valley was William McDonald, who came there from Napa county in the year 1850, and was the first to act as guide to the Geysers, visitors to the Springs being provided with saddle horses by him. Thomas Knight, from whom the valley takes its name, arrived in 1853, and purchased the property for the small sum of ten thousand del- . lars from Berryesa, a Spaniard, who had been located there for many y«ars previous. A school was taught in the valley, on the land now owned by Calvin Holmes, by Charles Rushmore, in 1857, and is still used for that pur- pose, while service is occasionally held in it by a clergyman from Calistoga. The principal industry of this township is wheat-growing and sheep-rais- ing; there are, however, two mines located on Holmes' land, which are not now worked. The Great Western Quicksilver mine is also partly situated in Knight's Valley township, the workings running under the dividing line between Sonoma and Lake counties. Besides these industries, there are two saw-mills situated at the upper end of the valley, one now in disuse; that in operation is the property of Annesley and Davis, of Lake county. The one now working" was built by Thomas Knight in 1856, and is the property of Steele Brothers. The outlet for the productions of the township is the town of Calistoga^ HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CAIIFOENIA. 211 in Napa county, to which there is an excellent road, and from whence ther& is communication with San Francisco by railroad. Any account, however meagre, of Knight's Valley would be imcompletff without mention being made of the fine estate of Calvin Holmes, a portion of the original Rancho de Malacomes. Here Mr. Holmes has erected a superb mansion, and magnificent farm houses, arranged with every dasign to insure the care and confort of. his stock. Adjoining this farm is the elegant resi- dence and fine ranch of George Hood, of Santa Rosa. Kellogg. — This Summer resort is situated in Knight's Valley, at the foot St. Helena mountain, about seven miles from Calistoga, nineteen from the Geysers, and seventeen from Healdsburg. The original building (now re- modeled as a hotel) was built by Berryesa and was constructed of adobe clay , to which he made additions of frame and stone ; it next passed into the hands of Knight and Rockwell, who disposed of it to a man named Has- brook, who in turn sold it with the Knight's Valley Ranch to one Stewart. He incorporated it into the Knight's Valley Land and Contract Company, from whom it passed into the hands of Steele Brothers, the present pro- prietors. It was first opened as a place of Summer resort by the afore- •said Stewart. The buildings consist of ten cottages besides the main hotel, while there is capacity for one hundred and twenty-five visitors. FossviLLE. — This is a station between Kellogg and Calistoga named after and owned by Clark Foss, the porprietor of the stage-route to the Geysers, who came here in 1871 and opened a hotel. This hostelry is furnished with every convenience throughout, has twenty-five rooms and accommodation for a large number of guests. Mr. Foss has here several stables and coach-houses, and in the summer months the' scene presented in front of these buildings is animated in the extreme. 212 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOBNIA. MENDOCINO. This township is the largest in the county and is situated in the north- east of Sonoma, rounding off to the north-west. It is diversified with every imaginable phase of scenery from the park-like plains of the valleys, dotted with groves and sprinkled with beautiful homes, to the bold mountain-land pine covered to their summits, thickly clothed with almost impenetrable brush-wood, until culminating in high, rocky peaks. From the summit of Geyser Peak, a high mountain, situated oa the border of the adjoiaiag township of Washington, a prospect of the most ravishing order is mapped out at our feet. At a glance the large main ▼alley through which the San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad runs, is taken in, from the shore of the San Pablo bay, to its terminus at Cloverdale. The prosperous towns of Cloverdale, Geyserville, Healdsburg, Windsor, Ful- ton, Santa Rosa, and Petaluma are easily distinguished, while a little to the east of south we look upon the world-renowned Sonoma valley. At the foot_ of Mount St. Helena, we have the fertile Knight's valley, while to add com- pleteness to the scene, the Russian river may be followed, flowing through the district in many a beautiful meander, appearing like a silver thread, as the snn glances upon its bosom, until lost in the arms of the Great Pacific. The earliest permanent white settler in Mendocino township was Cyrus Alexander. As has been shown in our history of Russian River township, his agreement with Captain Fitch had lapsed from time, and he took up his residence on that part of the Sotoyome grant lying on the east side of Russian river, including the land from the river's channel to the boundary line of the said grant, comprising the fertile valley which has since borne his name, atuated along the foot-hills, north and east, far enough to include two Spstnish leagues. This was ra 1845, but the title to the property he did not receive until September, 1847. On taking possession he commenced to erect himself a permanent residence, but waiting for the hardening of sun- dried bricks was too slow a process; he therefore began the erection of a red- wood building similar to that described, in another place, in a situation of much natural beauty and advantage, the structure being placed on an eminence near to which flowed a stream of crystal water, which found its source in a large hill behind, while to the east of the location were numbers of living i^Hings, all offering magnificent advantages for a permanent settlement. Here he commenced the labors of reclaiming ground which he tilled with a jHimitive plow,already noted elsewhere. At his new home he planted, in 1846, HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 213 a few grapevines, as well as some apple and peach seeds, which, as soon as they showed above ground, he irrigated with -water procured from the stream close by, while the construction of the adobe house was proceeded with in the dry season, covering it with a roof of shingles which he procured from the adjacent forests. As the cultivation of wheat increased, Alexander bethought him of the necessity of erecting a flour or grist-mill, and at once set to work to consider the ways and means. Some suitable rock was found east of the position now occupied by the town of Healdsburg, but difficult to obtain on account of being situated high up on a mountain side. A Spaniard was therefore hired, who from these cut mill-stones, making them about two feet in diameter, and afterwards dragged them down to level ground by means of a horse and lariat, whence they were conveyed on the primitive wagon, already mentioned ; the site for the mill being chosen on the stream by which stood his dwelling. Let us'describe this, the earliest flour-mill in. the district: The frame- work on which the machinery should rest was made of timber procured from the redwoods; the water-wheel was about the size of an ordi- nary washing tub, provided with arms for the water flowing out of a large discharge sluice, conveyed from a dam above, to strike against. Set in the the wheel and perpendicular with the aims was the main shaft, and on the upper end of it the spindle — probably the one mentioned as having been ■ forwarded by Captain Fitch* — the spindle being connected by a trundle to the stone. The stream furnished water sufficient to work the mill only ire the rainy season; but it proved a success, and a source of comfort as well, for the neighboring rancheros were wont to make use of it as well as the pro- prietor. The mill was not large enough to admit of 'a bolting cloth, had such a thing been procurable then ; a substitute was, however, found in a piece of canvas, about five feet long and one wide, stretched on a frame, with a' slide made of slats for the bolting frame to move backwards and forwards upon. In this simple manner was the first mill completed, and good flour turned out, in the township now under consideration. This, however, was not the only improvement made at this early period by our ingenious pioneer. He made a mould in which he manufactured bricks from adobe clay; he procured shells from the sea-beach that he burned in a kiln, also made out of the ever useful adobe, which he turned into lime, these he employed in 'the con- struction of that house, wherein now resides his widow, the partner of these early times; when flnished, at the epoch of which we write, it was eighty feet long, twenty feet wide, and twelve feet high, the walls being two feet thick, all of solid adobe. The year '1846 was a noted one in the annals of California, for it was then that immigration to the Pacific coast took any shape among the people of the Atlantic, and more western States. Among those who started for this then little known country were the Gordons, Morrow, Storey, and *Vid« Hlrtory ot Russian River Township. 214 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNU. W. J. March, who all found their way to the Russian river valley and in 1848 settled on land now comprised in this township. As month followed month, and year succeeded year, so did the population increase. In 1849 arrived Wm. T. Allen and others; in 1851, Richard E. Lewis and many more. In these years the gold fever had stocked California with denizens from every known part of the globe; every tongue spoken on the face of the globe was to be heard in the gold mines, while aU were bent on acquiring a large and rapid fortune. Failure or success caused many to leave the pursuit of treasure and look for somewhere to settle and thus in the- next five years every portion of the State received a marvelous increase to the number of its residents. In Mendocino township the few i-esidents that were not taken with the gold disorder, watched carefully passing events and tilled their ground, and planted their produce, waiting for a certain harvest of dust. Our old pioneer Cyrus Alexander knew that wealth was now within his grasp ; he sent his cattle to the mines and there received fabulous prices for them. In the Summer of 1850 he succeeded in raising a good crop of large sized onions — about two tons in all ; these he dispatched to the mines by an ox-team and cleared about twelve hundred dollars on the venture by retailing them at from forty to seventy-five cents per pound. Hogs flesh had been up to that time a scarce commodity; they had been, however, introduced by Alexander in 1850 or before then. At any rate, in that year a drover named Olmstead came" from the mines and wanted to strike a bargain with Alexander for certain pigs, the price wanted being fifty dollars each. This was too great a sum, thought the drover, he therefore asked the weight of the porker, but there were no weights or scales to be had; he, however, hit upon an ingenious and certainly novel plan to ascertain his wish. He inquired if there was any wheat on the ranch, and after being informed that there was, he remarked: " Put a raU through the fence and fasten a hog on one end with a sack of wheat on the other and see if it will balance." Alexander interrogated him as to how he would know the weight of the sack of wheat. " Oh, " said Olmstead, " I can gv^ss at that," on which he received the reply: " Then why not guess the weight of the hog in the first place. " This was not so certain a matter for the drover, how- ever ; he had been a wheat grower in Illinois and was posted in the weight of sacks of that staple, but the ponderosity of live pork was beyond his ken. The chances were entirely in favor of the vendor in this instance for it would have taken more than one sack of wheat to poise the hog, while it is an ascertained fact that wheat to the sack in California weighs heavier than it does in Illinois. For these animals Alexander received one thousand dollars for twenty, being at the rate of fifty dollars a piece. It would appear that a saw-mill had been erected on Mill creek about this period, for we find Alexander procuring lumber and building a bam as well as making additions to his house. This lumber he obtained in HISTOBT OF SONOMA C0T7NTT, CALIFORNIA. 215 exchange for hogs, the commodity at that time being worth seventy-five dollars per thousand feet, and a gelt, i. e. a pig that has never had a litter, being appraised at the same price, the barter therefore was easily eflfected. In the year 1851 commenced a series of squatting troubles in this section of the county. Some of the immigrants coming to the Russian River valley at this period cast longing eyes upon the fertile lands of Alexander valley, and taking it for granted that they knew all the intricacies of the land law as relating to California, occupied such portions as they had a mind to; among others who were thus honored by the presence of self-invited guests was Cyrus Alexander. With these, however, he never quarrelled, but would simply warn them off, advising them of the consequences should they remain. As a rule they went away quietly, Alexander always paying them 'a fair price for any improvements made. Afterwards, finding that his property was absolutely needed by those who would pay for it, he concluded to dispose of all his wild cattle and have the ranch surveyed. This he did, dividing it into two reserves, and offering the remainder for sale in lots to suit pur- chasers. The valley in this way became soon peopled by immigrants from Illinois, Iowa, Tenessee, Missouri, Indiana, and New York. This move did not relieve Mr. Alexander of the squatters, however, for we find that in 1856 they once more commenced to molest him, one actually encamping in a field of standing wheat, and was not got rid of until threatened by the sherifi". The night before he took his departure the barn was burned with all its contents, it containing at the time his crop of grain which had been just threshed, the threshing machine, fan mUls, plows, grain cradles, rakes, and various other farm implements; a rick of grain near the barn being also consumed. Before closing the annals of Mendocino township let us here relate the following amusing annecdote, as the subject of it will be remembered by many an old resident. In 1851 Alexander was on the point of remodeling his residence, and in the course of his operations to that end he found that the wheat which had lain next to the wall in his bin had become heated, musty, and therefore spoiled, a portion of it being alive with black weavils. It was unfit for seed wheat or flour, so he was at his wits' end what to make of it. An unlooked for market soon presented itself. An old man named Miller, who had crossed the plains a year or so before, had brought with him some of the machinery of a distUlery which he had erected. He had heard of the damaged wheat, but thinking that it might still be good enough to make whisky of, purchased the entire quantity, and succeeded in manufacturing if not a good, at any rate an appreciated article. Miller and his wife. Aunt Katie, as she was generally called, were both partial to a dram, but they could not always command a supply, for grain was not to be forever had, besides the price of grain was high, and whisky would occasionally be scarce, even in distillery. On one occasion, as the men folks were leaving for some other part of the 216 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOBNIA. county, on the hard work of a Fourth of July celebration, they were much, concerned as to how to dispose of a jug of the crathur which was in the house. From her known^propensities, it was deemed impolitic to leave Aunt Katie at home in company with the jug, so one of the number, quick of resources and lithe of limb, climbed up a tree, and unobserved by Kate, tied it securely far out of reach of his thirsty friend. Not long after their departure. Auntie's natural and, on this occasion, national thirst required assauging. She, there- fore, cast about in search of the treasure, but it was nowhere to be found. She suspected that she had been made the vTctim of some diabolical treach- ery, and, therefore, prospected all the more keenly, till, at last, a glimpse of the lost jar was caught, as it cosily nestled among the leaves, but, oh ! so far beyond her reach. A quarter of an hour's cogitation solved the riddle of how to gain the prize. With methodic precision she carried out. a large wash-tub, and havingHaken^correct bearings, placed it immediately beneath the jug, and next, procuring her husband's rifle, she took deliberate aim, bang went the charge, the bullet pierced the target, the liquor trickled into the tub, Aunt Katie regaled herself, and was found, on the return of the party, in affectionate proximity to what remained of her favorite tipple, having had as much " independence" as was good for her. We now come to a portion of our chronicles on which it is a pleasure to dwell, for nowhere has the beneficent influences of religion been felt to such advantage as among the pioneers of every newly-opened country. In the year 1852 there were a number of settlements throughout the county which naturally commenced to attract the attention of the different religious bodies. The first preacher to visit this district was the Rev. A. L. S. Bateman of Ohio. His circuit included all the country from Petaluma to Big river, a distance of onejTiundred and fifty miles. In Alexander valley he found several Methodist families, and here he was encouraged to make one of his stopping places, Cyrus_ Alexander giving up the best room in his house wherein to hold services. In the following year Mr. Bateman returned to this field with instructions to build a church, if such were practicable. He selected Alexander valley as the most suitable position, and with most sub- stantial aid from the Alexander family and other residents, a small house of worship was constructed, a Sunday School being shortly after organized in the same building. This edifice was unfortunately destroyed by fire about ten years later, it is thought 'by an incendiary. In 1853, a day school had also been established in the same building, but finding that it was not cen- tral enough, Cyrus Alexander, at his own expense, built another on his own land, and offered it to his neighbors for their especial benefit. He assisted them also with money to employ teachers'and to maintain the school, which is still standing, and known as " Pine Grove," it being used as a place of tuition on week days and a church on Sunday. The Rev. Mr. Bateman, from the size of his circuit, could not visit the valley oftener than once in "f^j "». iff -I / ^(2-ff^<. 'Jt4^^ HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 217 two weeks, therefore, arrangements were made with the Rev. James Woods to undertake the work, and as an inducement for him to settle among them with his family, and aid in sustaining the school, Alexander presented him with a rich farm. Healdsbueg. — "As the crow flies," Healdsburg is about sixty-five miles west of north of San Francisco, being thirty-five miles from Petaluma and fifteen from Santa Rosa by the railroad. It occupies a beautiful location on Russian river, near its confluence with Dry creek, and rests pleasantly on rising ground between the two valleys of Russian river and Dry creek, near to it being the eminence usually known as Fitch mountain, though there are those who name it by the more euphonious title of Sotoyorae, the name given to the grant made to Captain Henry D. Fitch. It is a hill of much symme- try, the upper portion being well wooded, while at its base are rolling lands, offering the advantage of magnificent pasturage; around the foot of it mean- ders the Russian river, clinging to the fertile region as if loth to part with the luxuriant vegetation on its slopes. The site of the city was originallly a portion of the grant named above. In the year 1852 Harmon Heald, who had crossed the plains in 1849, and settled in the county in 1850, not far from the position of the future city, located the land, the proper ownership of which was at that time in dispute. Heald arguing that should it turn out to be Government property he could pre-empt it, and if owned privately he would have a like opportunity offered for purchase. On this ground he erected a small clap-board cabin, placing it on the side of the main road to Mendocino and the counties to the north, then the only artery for wagon travel in this part of the country ; he thus seized the opportunity, and procuring a small assortment of goods, opened a store in the Fall of the year, and that Winter disposed of them, principally to the Indians, of whom there were a great number, who usually paid for their purchases in cash, and the travellers on the route. This erection stood on the site of the present express office of Wells, Fargo & Co., the original building being until lately still standing, a little to the rear thereof. This was the first building in Healdsburg. In this Winter there came to live with Heald, Thomas W. Hudson and wife, who assisted him in his household and other cares, and in the following Spring, having disposed of his original stock in trade, he set to work to replenish his shelves, the goods being procured in San Francisco, and thence transported by steamer to Sonoma, and by wagon or pack, or both, to their destination. A blacksmith's shop was shortly after built by a man of the name of Morse, on the site of the store now kept by Sam Myers; he, however, was succeeded by William Dodge and William Dow, who had moved their smithery business from the Russian river banks, thus making the second building in the embryo city. The third house was constructed by August Knaack, on the ground now occupied by the eastern 218 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. end of the Sotoyome House, where he established himself, making chairs and repairing wagons. This-house-adjoined the blacksmith shop already mention- ed; Knaack, it is said, performing all the woodwork in connection with that business. This was in the Winter of 1853-4, at which time there also came H. M. Willson, who, with A. B. Aull, entered into partnership with Harmon Heald, who built an addition to the store, the business of which was after- wards controlled by Willson alone for eighteen months. Early in the year 1853, Harmon Heald lost his youngest brother, who had crossed the plains, with his mother, sister, and another brother, in 1851, his being the first funeral in the little settlement. He was interred by the side of a cluster of madronas, in what is now the school lot, then apparently far away in the backwoods, now surrounded on every side by houses. His remains, along with those of many others, were afterwards removed to Oak-Mound Ceme- tery. In May of this year there also happened the first birth in the city, in the person of Henry H., son of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas W. Hudson, who s )oa after moved from the little settlement, for we find that in 1854 the town, which at that time knew no other name than that of Heald's Store, was composed of the buildings mentioned above, with their occupants, Harmon Heald and his wife, for he had married at Mark West creek in the previous year ; H. M. Willson, William Dow, William Dodge, and August Knaack. About this period was established in Heald's store the first postal station, the nearest office prior to that time being at Sonoma, whence the mail service was conducted by private enterprise, at a charge of two, and, sometimes, four bits a letter. Nothing of any importance transpired in the following year; in March 1856, however, McManus moved his store from its position in Russian River township, making the second store within what is now known as the corporate limits of the city of Healdsburg. There was still another store, but outside the limits, kept by a man named Engle. In the Spring of the year 1857, the town site was surveyed by H. P. Mock, and the lots, with the exception of those donated for a district school, Cemetery, Methodist Episcopal Church, Baptist Church, Methodist Episcopal Church South, Presbyterian Church, and Plaza, sold by private contract, the price put upon each by Heald being fifteen dollars, but such was the increase in value, that in the following year the lot on which the White House now stands was disposed of by him for four hundred and fifty eight dollars. In this year (1857) Harmon Heald finding his space too limited for the business which was springing up around him, found it necessary to construct a new store, this he did on the corner now occupied by the Bank of Healdsburg, and, adding largely to his stock, opened an establishment of some pretensions. We now find the town, which at this period first received its name of Healds- burg — though there were those who would have called it Sotoyome — begin- ning to show signs of something like a permanent growth; dwelling houses HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 219 were commenced by Doctor B. B. Bonham, the pioneer resident practitioner of the city, and John N. Bailhacbe, that of the former being located on what is now known as North Street, and the latter on the east side of the Plaza, near the Central Market. In this year was constructed the first church, now the place of worship of the Presbyterian body, the Rev. James Woods being the first minister- At this time, just outside the town limits, were the Ohio House, kept by a man named Snyder, the building being stiU standing on the first turn of the Cloverdale road, and occupied by a gunsmith by the name of Livey; a saloon owned by A. J. Forrester, and the store already mentioned as kept by Engle ; shortly after there was built on the other side of the slough, the house now occupied by William Fitch, where there was accommodation for a limited number of guests. The city still showed signs of increased prosperity, and numbers of people arrived to take advantage of tlie facilities afforded from climate and situation. In 1858, early in the year, Jacob Heald and John Raney erected a frame building on the site of the present Sotoyome House, which they dubbed with that pleasant sounding name, while later in the year Allen and Dickenson built another on the comer now occupied by the Geyser Livery Stable of N. W Bostwick. In this year was also raised the first brick building in Healdsburg, which occupied the position of Bloom's store, and was the property of Rathburn and Brother. There are those who say that the first brick building, also erected by Rathburn, stood on the corner now occupied by the Bank of Healdsburg. The old settlers are divided on the question; others declare it to be the store of Mason & Smith. In 1859 a disastrous fire swept away the first mentioned buildings, as well as some intermediate elections, such as a saloon with dancing hall above, until its course was stayed by the brick house first mentioned. We also find that in this year the first school house was erected on the lot occupied by the building now used for a like purpose, while later Professor Scott erected hLs academy. Let us now cast a retrospective glance upon the fortunes of our new city. She had now made a great stride in life; she had been born, had received a name, and was now beginning to stand alone. In the year last noted the number of houses amounted to more than one hundred and twenty; a brick store had been erected, an academy capable of giving accommodation to over one hundred pupils had been constructed, while there had been established a fire organi- zation, a concert hall, and the fraternal societies usually found where Americans most do congregate, the population at this period being con- siderably in excess of five hundred. To the year 1860, does the honor remain of havrag produced the first news- paper in the city of Healdsburg; this sheet which appeared in the month of January, was edited by A. J. Cox, a gentleman well known as a pioneer journalist and still residing in the lovely city of Napa. The print was called the Review and was about one fourth the size of the Russian River Flag. It 220 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. gave place in June, 1864, to the Advertiser, published by Fenno & Warren, A. J. Cox being still editor. In June 1865, the paper was changed to the Weekly Advertiser, and changing hands on August 5th, of that year it was published from that date by Cox & Boggs, under the name of the Democratic Heview. On October 4, 1865, a new paper was started by William R. Morris & Co., called the Democratic Standard, an opposition paper in everything but politics. Soon thereafter the Review sold out to Mr. Farley, who moved it to Clear Lake county, where it became known as the Clear Lake Courier. On October 3, 1866, Mr. Morris became the sole proprietor of the Standard, and shortly afterwards transferred a half interest to J. B. Fitch, who, in Jan- uary 1867, purchased the interest of Mr. Morris, and in the following month disposed of the entire proprietory rights to Boggs & Menafee. In the course of a few weeks, Mr. Boggs seceded, and was succeeded by W. A. C. Smith, when the firm became Menafee & Co. In the winter of 1867-8, Messrs. Fitch & Davis assumed the reins of office, until in the fall of the latter year when, John G. Howell, purchasing the material and good will, its publication was suspended. Mr. Howell, thereupon commenced the publication of the Russian River Flag, and at once earned for his paper high rank among the Republi- can publications of the coast. In 1876, Mr. Howell sold the paper to Jordan Brothers, L. A Jordan succeeding as sole proprietor. In 1876, Mulgrew Bros. & Wood,_started the Healdsburg Enterprise, a publication which has achieved much success. Besides being Democratic in politics, it has always made a specialty of promoting the interest of Healdsburgand the surrounding country, while its appearance is a pleasing picture of symmetrical form and elegant typography. In the year 1867, the town was incorporated under the law of the State as it then existed, but during the twentieth session of the Legislature a special law was passed incorporating the city of Healdsburg, which was adopted by the votes of the city on April 18, 1874. In this Charter the corporate limits of the city are declared to be as follows : Beginning at the section corner to sections sixteen, seventeen, twenty and twenty -one, town- ship nine north, range nine west, Mount Diablo meridian; thence running south to the section line, seventy-five chains to the road running from Healdsburg to and down Dry creek, or to the line of H. M. Willson's land; thence east along the north line of Willson's land to the line of L. A. Norton's land; thence south along the line between said Norton's land and Willson's land to the south line of section twenty-one, to the quarter section corner; thence along the south side and parallel to the railroad track to the east side of Russian liver; thence north to the north line of Matheson street in said town, extended; thence west to the east line of University street; thence north to the north line of said section twenty-one; thence west along the north line of said section twenty-one, to the place of beginning. The wesb line, however, in the foregoing boundary, that is to say, the first course HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 221 therein given, after running forty chains, run west to the corner of the plat of Healdsburg made by William Mock, County Surveyor, and duly recorded in the Recorder's office of the eounty of Sonoma; thence south twelve degrees, thirty minutes, east, with the west line of said plat or map until such line intersect said section line; thence south on said section line as above described. In accordance with said charter the corporate powers of the city of Healds- burg is vested in a Board of Trustees, five in number, of which one shall be President; a Police Judge, usually termed a Recorder, one Treasurer, a Street Commissioner, City Clerk, Marshall and one Assessor and Collector. The Trustees to hold office for the term of two years and until successors are elected and qualified. The Police Judge, Treasurer, Marshall, and Assessor and Collector are appointed for one year; the Street Commissioner, Attorney and City Clerk until their places are filled by other appointments made by the Board of Trustees and entered upon the minutes. Such is the spirit of government vested in the city of Healdsburg. Let us now turn to the records. The first meeting of the town of Healdsburg which we find recorded is that held on March 5, 1867, when the body met at the office of L. A. Norton, and organized by the election of L. A. Norton as President, and J. J. Max- well, Clerk. The days for holding .stated meetings were fixed for the first and third Monday of each month, from April 1st to October 1st, at eight o'clock P. M., and for the balance of the year at seven o'clock. On motion of P. Greist, L. A. Norton and W. A. C. Smith were appointed a committee to draft by-laws for the corporation, while the bonds for the different officers were fixed, the resolution being also adopted, that the clerk was to receive a reasonable compensation for his services. Ordinances were ordered to be published in the Democratic Standard, and Messrs. Greist, Smith and Wag- enseller added to the committee for drafting ordinances. The Board of Trustees at this date would appear to have been: L. A. Norton, President; Peter Greist, W. A. C. Smith, W. N. Wageaseller, and H. Dudley ; J. J. Maxwell, Clerk; James Wilber, Poundmaster. Ordinances Nos. One and Two were passed on the 9th March, and No. Three on the 18th; while on April 1st a committee consisting of Trustees Smith, Dudley, Griest and Wag- enseller was appointed to examine the .streets of the town to ascertain what was necessary to be done in the way of changing or opening them out. On this date, Ordinance No. Four, providing for the licensing of public shows, was adopted. On motion of Trustee Smith, Messrs. Norton and Barrow were instructed to appeal the case, Hassett & Vaughan vs. James Wilber, the Board pledging the faith of the town for the payment of all necessary costs thereby incurred. On April 15th, it was decided that a Recorder should be added to the list of Municipal officers at the next election. The officers elected in the year 1867, which for the lack of any positive information, we are led to believe was the first regular election held, were, as nearly as we 222 HISTORY OF SONOJIA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. can glean from the records of the city, which were rather imperfectly kept in that year : Trustees, John Hassett, W. A. C. Smith, President, D. Show, John Emerson and W. N. Wagenseller, all of whom were duly sworn in on May 13th; while F. E. Baker, on that day, was appointed Clerk on a salary of seventy-five dollars a year. May 20 th, the following Committees were appointed : Messrs. Show, Smith and Emerson, to draft Ordinances to govern the opening of streets; the same, to draft Ordinances prescribiflg the duties of Assessor and Collector; as also one, to fix the manner of- faifeing revenue ; at the same time an election was ordered to be held on May 30th, to ^11 the vacancies consequent on the Treasurer, Recorder, Assessor and Marshall failing to qualify, the result being declared on June 3d to be as under: Jc^n McManus, Treasurer; George M. Lacey, Recordei^'; Jolm W. Clack, Assessor; T. G. Poor, Marshal.? On the same date,motice was given Norton &i Darrow, attorneys for defendants in the suit Hassett and Vaughafe.. vs. James Wilber, tried before G. M. Lacey, March 27, 1867, that the inhabi-.^ tants of the city of Healdsburg will; be no longer responsible in the further prosecution of the case, and that said attorneys be instructed to dismiss the ,' appeal, unless the. said defendant sh411 elect to continue the ease on his- own responsibity ; also, that the sureties on the undertaking on appeal be ndtified of the abandonmenlf ofjthe suit. Ojfdinaiices providing for the opening of streets, and the raising of revenue werfe adopted on th^Jl'^th June, while it was thdn permitted to Mr. Morrow to erect pn^ of his patent pumps on. the plaza for trial. At this meeting John Hasset,t was 'appointed a committee to provide a suitable p'lace to be iised as a town jail, while Triistee Wagenseller was nominated to engsCge the services of a gentleman to act as City Attor^ ney, the office being filled on July 15th by iihe appointment of F. E. Bakfer;' while, on the same date, Messrs. Hassett and Show were chosen a committee to make all the necessary arrangements for the construction of a prison, to' be built by the corporation.i' On August 5th, claims for damages conse- quent upon the opening of certain streets were presented from H. Dudley, W. E. Mason, J. L. Terry, C. Rice, C. Soule,' Mrs. C. W. Beesdh and James Palmer, which, on motion, were placed on file, and J. N. Bailhache, J. N. Wood and T. A. Field appointed Commissioners to assess such damages. In regard to the general history of Healdsburg during the year 1867, the most that can be said of it is, that its watchword was still "gb ahead." Houses continued to spring up on every hind, day by day finding themselves further out in the country. The stately ,oaks, which abounded, had to be feUed to I make way for fresh avenues of traffic; the populalion increased, business prospered and all went well, evidencing a fiim prospect of future prosperity which has not been belied. • : ' 1868. — The city records tell us that on the 31st March of this year the resignation of Trustee Daniel Shorr from the Board was accepted and Joseph Albertson dute elected to the vacancy; at the same time J. D. Hassett was HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 223 chosen President of the Body for the unexpired term in jjlace of W. A. C. gmith, who resigned that position as well as his seat at the Board, the latter position being filled by the appointment of J. N. Bailhache. On April 6th, L. W. Boggs was appointed City Clerk, and the office of Marshal declared vacant by the removal of F. E. Poor outside of the incorporated limits, John W. Clapk being delegated to fill the office as well as that of Pound Master. The Clerk was directed, on this date, to post notices in conspicuous places, informing the inhabitants of the town that the acts of the Board of Trustees having been legalized by the Legislature, the laws would be enforced in ac- cordance therewith. - _ , ; ....4 " "* ■ > *-- ■ —'_ 1869.— M.arch lOth; John N. Bailhache was appointed Clerk to the Board and on May 3d the following Corporation officers were elected: D. Bloom, J. E. Fenno, J. Mulligan, Joseph Albertson, James Thistle, Board of Trustees; S. M. Hays, Recorder; J. G. McManus, Treasurer; J. W. Clack, Assessor; W.B. Reynolds, Marshall; the new Board electing on the 8th, John Mulligan, President and John N. Bailhache, Clerk. On June 28th repairs were ordered omthe foot-bridge to North Healdsburg, the contract to be awarded to the lowest bidder, proposals being received from H. Tiddle and J. Cook, the first with specifications showing a cost of fifty -six dollars, and the latter fifty- eight. The repairs were reported completed in accordance with the tender oi J. Cook, who had put on more labor and material than the other. W. A. C- Smiith was elected City Clerk on the 19th July, and on September 13th tKe Marshal presented a report extending from June 15th to September 15th inclusive, showing that he had received forty dollars for licHises, fines, etc., which was placed on file. On the 20th, the clerk was ordered to advertise. for sealed proposals tc^^^epair the foot-bridge on East Street, the contract for which was granted to E. W. Hendricks and reported completed November loth. Captain L. A. Norton was appointed City Attorney on this date. »fjOctober 4th, occurs the following minute: Owing to the sudden and ihtimely death of James Thistle, a member of the Board-.of Trustees^ resolutions expr^ing the known sentiments of the remaining members were ordered to bp drafted relative to the sad afiair. Throughout the year 18,69, Healdsburg had shown a steSidy arid permanent growth. Houses had sprung up here and there, all of a more 'substantial charact^;than 6i,ose?Jhitherto erected. Neat and ornamental fences had been built, porches spread out, barns constructed, other out-buildings of various styles and sizes projected and completed, wings and ells, backs and fronts, attached to the original houses, while its schools, churches, and other public insti- tutions were'aU in a flouirishing condition. In this regard; the Russian River Flag, of December 30, 1869, informs us that Healdsburg is an incorporated town, of about sixteen hundred inhabitants, and has a public school with four teachers, one Academy with two tieachers, eight churches, '.fQur saloons, two hotels, one ^Masonic, one Odd-FeUows, and one Good-Templar's Lodge, one 224 HISTORY OF SONOMA* COUNTy, CALIFOHNIA. Brass band, one^Singing Society, one Literary Society, five dry goods stores, four grocery and provision stores, one clothing store, two drug' stores, two jewelers, three livery and feed stables, three lawyers, two poultry dealers, four physicians, one undertaker, one exchange dealer and broker, two tailors, five blacksmith's shops, four wagon shops, two saddler's shops, two paint shops, one meat market, two lumber yards, one newspaper and job printing office, two book stores, three millinery stores, three shoe shops, two barber shops, two glove manufactories, one telegraph office, one express office, two dentists, one brick yard, two nurseries (near town,) one chair factory, two stove and tin shops, one photograph gallery, two gunsmiths, one flouring mill in town, and one within three miles, and three saw-mills within eight miles. 1870. — We find in the proceedings of the Board of Trustees for this year that on January 26th, the petition of R. Hertel and others for widening Matheson stre'et, from Mrs. Thoroughgood's corner, east, was received with the verbal assurance from Mr. Lid die and others, that the parties owning lots on said street, were willing to waive all claim to damages, with the exception of the above named Mrs. Thoroughgood, who demanded that the town furnish the material necessary to build a substantial fence on the line of her lot. The petition was, on motion, received and ordered filed, the verbal conditions and agreements acceded to, and Mr. Hendrick appointed a Committee to superintend the building of the fence. On the same date W. B. Reynolds, resigned the office of Marshal and was succeeded by John IV- Clack on^ebruary 28th, when was also carried the resolution that the Town Attorney be instructed to take such steps as will secure the county road-tax, assessed against the town of Healdsburg, to the use of said town. North street, between East and Fitch streete was declared open, on the 25th March, and a vote of thanks tendered to Mr. Dunne, for his liberality in regard to the widening of it. April 22d, permission was granted to J. M. Vaughan to dig a well to supply water to sprinkle the streets, such well to be placed in the slough in such a position that it should be no inconvenience to the public; it was also then ordered that the Town Marshall should receive a fixed salary of forty dollars a month, in lieu of fees. The Clerk was directed, on July 25th to notify the inhabitants that the poll-tax became due on the 1st instant, and that if not paid within the time provided by Section three, of Ordinance No. six, collection would be made according to law. Mr. Albert- son tendered his resignation from the Board, at this meeting,»which was not accepted. In the month of February of the year 1870, the President of the Board of Trustees in his semi-annual report, took occasion to congratulate the citi- zens of Healdsburg on their present and prospective prosperity, while as a proof of this, if such were needed, private dwellings, stores, and a church were being erected. This last was being undertaken by the Baptist body who had, since June, 1868, been holding their meetings in the Academy r.<(- HISTOEY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 225 chapel. The building as it stands to-day is a handsome one, being thirty- four by fifty -five feet, the front having a low tower on the north-east corner and a graceful spire on the south-east. Private schools had been opened by Miss Northcutt and Miss Forsman, which were receiving a fair share of patronage, while the want of a public hall suitable for the accommodation of from six to eight hundred people was much felt; the only detracting influence was felt to be the want of proper street accommodation. A writer in the local prints of the time calls for a new survey in these words : The town of Healdsburg was first laid out by Harmon Heald. He little dreamed then that it would ever become a town of even its present proportions. He took no thought as to its distant future, and had no visions of its coming glory that those of us here now think we see. He, therefore, began at a point at or near a big tree, and ran two parallel streets about north by east, until they brought up against the southern shore of the slough. Two other parallel streets were made across these at right angles; the square thus formed being the plaza. Two other streets were added, making three each way. This was the original town plat. Since then Hayden's, Knaack's, Jacob Heald's, Willson's, Matheson's, and perhaps other additions, have been appended with a variety of "dips, spurs and angles;" no two having the same bearing. Some of these additions were made without a correct survey, and some have never been recorded. Now that the railroad is coming, (for the subject of the railroad had been then attracting great attention throughout the length of the valley from Petaluma to Cloverdale,) and we may expect a rapid increase in the value of property, would it not be well to have an ofiieial survey of the town, and a full and correct plat filed and recorded in the county records? It will be cheaper to do this now than at any time hereafter. Streets need straightening, some want to be made wide, and others ought to be extended through what, in some instances, is now private property. The chain of title to property and an accurate description of it will at some time require this, and the sooner it is attended to the better. It is a great pity that a town on so beautiful a natural site should present such a labyrinth of ungainly streets, twisting and squirming in all directions, some wide, some narrow, and others running against some man's fence and ending at his front door. The last subject worthy of attracting attention in the year 1870 in regard to local history, was the decision of the ease. The Inhabitants of Healdsburg versus B. C. Wright. This was an action brought by the Corporation of Healdsburg to enforce the payment of Poll-tax for town purposes. The case was taken up from Justice Haj^s' Court to the County Court on appeal, L. A. Norton for plaintiSs and D. F. Spur for defendant. After a full hearing on the following points, to wit. : First — Are the present Board of Trustees legally holding office, not having been elected at the time appointed for electing officers, there being no election held, and the present incumbents 15 226 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. holding over ? Second — Was not the collection of a poll-tax without an assessment of a property- tax a fraud upon the people? The Court held that the officers were legal officers of the town and that the collection of poll-tax was legal and proper. The following story we glean from the Flag of Juno 30, 1870 : " Last week, while a son of Mr. Cobb was digging a hole in the rear of Cobb's new building on West street, he came upon the bones of a human being. They were decomposed enough to be easily broken in the hand. The jaws contained nearly a full set of teeth, which were worn down as they often are in a person of from forty to fifty years of age, and several of the back ones were much decayed. The skull was thin, indicating that it was that of a white persan. The body had been buried about three feet deep and was probably tumbled in without any care, as the bones ot the head breast, arms, and hips were not as far a part as if the body had been lying stretched out. There were no indications of a coffin or clothing. About seven years ago a man who had come from up the country with a load of wood was seen in company with some suspicious characters then stopping in Healdsburg. The next morning large quantities of blood were discovered about a wagon bed and a threshing machine which were in the rear of Mr. Downing's shop — about a hundred feet from where these bones were found — and the man was never seen again, although dilligent search was made for him. It appears that no one here knew him or any of his friends, and the matter soon blew over, yet there were many who believed that two certain men had committed a murder and had effectually hid the body of their victim. Since the finding of these remains the old circumstances are revived, and there is a general belief that the original suspicions were well founded. One of the supposed murderers was long since sent to his final account, and the other is now a fugitive outlaw, the last heard of him being his ffight from the State on a stolen horse. " In January, 1870, a party of men started to jump the Geyser springs; another party representing the claims of one Pollack, who had a possessory claim on the property for years, were fully armed and sent from San Fran- cisco to the seat of the trouble. The case was afterwards taken to trial before the County Court, and on the 19th of February was decided in favor of Pollack, when damages to the amount of five hundred doUars were awarded him. 1871. — At the meeting of the Board of Trustees held on 2d of February, R. Truitt was appointed road master, and directions given that the residents should be notified that the county road-tax would be collected by him. A petition from H. H. Hurd and fifty-one others, for straightening Main or West street, between North street and the Healdsburg Brewery was pre- sented on the 20th, and on motion referred back to the petitioners, with the request that they prepare a plat of the proposed change showing the amount of land that each property owner would lose or gain, with the sum that each HISTORY OF SONOMA COtTNTY, CALIFORNIA. 227 claims or is willing to pay for damage or gain in consequence of the pro- posed change. The petition was rectified, and on April 3d, read, explained, and trustees W. A. C. Smith, J. G. McManus, and J. B. Season appointed a committee to review the matter in accordance with the ordinance. On the 17th this committee was discharged, the majority refusing to serve, when W. A. C. Smith, George Haigh and Aaron Hassett were appointed, with instructions to make examination relative to the cost of bridging the slough, the clerk being directed at the same time to enter into a correspondence with Lindsay Carson with the object of obtaining a deed for West street in North Healdsburg. February 25th, the resigna- tion of Recorder Hays was tendered and accepted, Henry Sargent being appointed to the office for the unexpired term. The result of the last election was, on May 4th, declared to be: William Melton, H. W. Smith, B. C. Wright, A. M. Church, G. H. Peterson, Board of Trustees; Henry Sar- gent, Recorder; J. G. McManus, Treasurer; T. P. Maxwell, Marshal; S. P. McManus, Assessor and Collector; Trustee Church being elected to the Cor- poration Chair. On the 8th, a committee consisting of B. C. Wright, W. Melton, and H. W. Smith, having been appointed to select a suitable place wherein the Board should hold their meetings, reported on the 1.5th, that Firebaugh & Watson had tendered the use of a room for that purpose, which was duly accepted. At this session W. A. C. Smith was appointed Town Clerk, while on the 22d, Trustee Peterson presented to the Board a deed from Mrs. Matheson and Jessie Seaman, conveying to the town the title to certaia lands to be utilized in the extension of Tucker street, which, on motion, was duly accepted and ordered recorded. Hereafter the subject of raising revenue for town purposes was brought forward, when it was ordered that the poll-tax of one doUar per capita, levied under the provisions of Ordinance No. 6, be considered assessed against and collected from the inhabitants for the ensu- ing year, and that due notice of the fact be given in the Russian River Flag. At the same meeting was also appointed a committee, consisting of B. C. Wright, W. Melton, and H. W. Smith, to act as Street Commissioners, whose duty should be to ascertain the wants and necessities of the Corpora- tion in street matters. June 5th, the alley west of West street was declared to be a public thoroughfare, and the Marshal instructed to clear all nui- sances therefrom. On July 7th, S. P. McManus having failed to qualify, the office of Assessor and Collector was declared vacant, and J. W. Clack appointed thereto; on the I7th, D. F. Spur was appointed Town Attorney, whUe, on the 22nd, the office of Street Superintendent was created and J. E. Stewart appoiuted thereto. The Marshall was instructed, on August 11th, to notify the two political clubs of the to^vn to make their flag-staffs secure against falling, or other accident; the deed of land from J. J. Piper for street purposes being accepted on that date, the bid of said Piper to build the fences on either side of such land being then acknowledged — said street to be 228 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. opened before the new year; while on the 14th a tax of one day's labor was levied on each male inhabitant for the purpose of working the streets of the town. The office- of Clerk becoming vacant on the 2nd October, Thomas P. Maxwell was appointed to the position; while on the same date, the Assessor was instructed to assess all solvent notes and accounts not secured by mortgage. November 20th, the Street Superintendent reported having sold a dead tree on the plaza for two dollars and fifty cents. On the same date James Mitchell was appointed Deputy Marshal, in accordance with the terms of Ordinance No. 6, and on December 18th, D. F. Spur was delegated to fill the office of Town Clerk, F. iP.vice Maxwell resigned. The followiug remarks are taken from the Russian River Flag, and are here produced as being most apposite: Durin;^ the past year (1871) Healdsburg has been looking up, and permanent improvements have been quite numerous — -more so than ever before in a single year. During the past few weeks we have taken great pains to ascertain the location and cost of every new house erected within the corporate limits (and a few just over the line), together with their owner's names. Below we give a list of improvements by streets. It is quite probable that some omissions have been made, and that mistakes have crept into our figures, but we give the list in as correct a shape as possible. South street extends from the south-west corner of the plaza, in an easterly direction, past three blocks to Fitch street, where it is continued under the name of Matheson street. The Odd-Fellows own a lot, fifty feet front, on south side of the plaza, on which they have erected two small buildings, one of which is occupied by John Call as a shoe-shop, and cost two hundred dollars; the other is occupied by Lockwoodfe Van Slyke, as a bookstore, and cost two hundred and twenty-five dollars. Drs. Eupe and Seawell own a lot adjoin- ing the Plaza Church on the west, upon which they erected, last Summer, a two-story frame building — hard-finish — at a cost of twelve hundred dollars. The first fioor is occupied by themselves as an office, and the second story is used as a dentist's office by Dr. J. N. Wiley. East of Center street, Silas Peter has just completed a two-story building, with forty feet front, hard- finished throughout, at a cost of sixteen hundred dollars. It is suited to business rooms, but is too far out. It is now used as a tenement house. Adjoining this Mr. Peter has erected a small shop, at a cost of two hundred and fifty dollars. Nearly opposite, James E. Fenno has rebuilt a small house, at a cost of about two hundred and fifty dollars, and uses the same as a jewelry shop. Matheson street is a continuation of South street, to the east. Dr. Max- well's house, on the south side of the street, cost six hundred dollars. Still further out, Jesse Seaman has erected a residence, one and one-half stories high, at a cost of twelve hundred dollars. On the north side of the street, Mrs. Thurgood has a new residence, costing one thousand dollars. A httle HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 2^^ beyond, C. C. Wheeler has rebuilt an old house, expending thereon about a thousand dollars, making quite a cozy residence. To the east of the Univep- sity, on the north side of Matheson street, we find D. Grove's new two-story residence, costing sixteen hundred dollars ; J. W. Brown's one and one-half story residence, costing fifteen hundred, and a barn three hundred dollars - Mr. Whitney's small dwelling, erected at a cost of five hundred dollars. Tucker street runs parallel to Matheson street, and next to it on the south. Jesse Seaman purchased one of the old public school buildings, moved it in to a lot on Tucker street, and converted it into a dwelling house, at a cost of about five hundred dollars. Hugh Liddle erected a residence on the south side of this street, one and one-half stories high, at a cost of about sixteen hundred dollars. Adjoining Mr. Hogle's, on the west, E. H. Gates built a small residence, costing about four hundred dollars. Hayden street runs parallel with Tucker street, next south of it. Charles Hassett last Fall, built a small dwelling on the north side of this thorough- fare, east of the Methodist Episcopal church costing about two hundred dollars. North street is the first one north of Matheson and parallel to it. Within the last year Mr. Fields has built himself a neat residence, on the north side of the street, at a cost of about two-thousand dollars. Next to him W. B. Reynolds is now erecting one of the finest residences in the place; a two-story frame, hard finish, plate glass windows, and to cost when complete, four thousand dollars. Still further east, corner of Sheridan, John Marshall has just completed a large two-story dwelling, with a wing, at a cost of three thousand five hundred dollars. The next dwelling to the east was erected last Fall by Joseph Rosenthal at a cost of about eight hundred dollars. Just north of this street, and away from any street now opened, the Advent Society built a house of worship last Summer, at a cost of fifteen hundred dollars. Piper street is an extension of Dow street, and is located north of the slough, parallel to North street. On the north side of the street, west of Sheridan, Matt. Hays built a dwelling house la.st Fall, one and one-half stories high, with wing, costing about eight hundred dollars. Just west of this I. N. Chapman built a neat residence, at a cost of one thousand one hundred dollars; built a new fence and otherwise improved his grounds. Across the street Messrs. Canan & Hutton erected a dwelling house at a cost of eight hundred and fifty dollars. On the north side of Piper street, east of Sheridan, John Rien has erected two small dwelling houses, valued at four hundred dollars each. Grant street is next north of Piper. W. S. Canan rebuilt a small dwelling, house on the south side of this street, west of Sheridan, and made ^ very cosy, r^dence, at a cost of eight hundred and fifty dollars. Next west of this, N^(^olas Ward ha^ just completed a similar building, at a cost of eight hun.-- dred and fifty dollars. 230 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. Lincoln street comes next, north of Grant street. Mezota, an Italian, erected a dwelling-house during the past Summer, ou the north side of thia street, at an expense of about one thousand dollars. It is now occupied by Mrs. Pugh. A little further to the east, on the south side of the street, W. T. Garrison has rebuilt a small residence costing about six hundred dollars. West street is the most westerly one in the town, and is the main busi- ness street. It is a continuation of this street to the north that leads up Russian river and Dry creek, and a continuation to the south that leads down Russian river on the west side. At the .southern extremity of the busi- ness portion of the street, Messrs. Heald and Guerne, last Summer, built a two-story business house, using the lower story as a lumber office, and the second story for a residence. It cost about two thousand dollars. To the rear of the Flag office G. L. Cobb built a paint shop costing two hundred and fifty dollars; and adjoining the Flag office, on the north, he has just completed a gun shop, at an expense of one hundred and seventy-five dol- lars. On the lot north of this, Andy Skillman built a blacksmith and wagon shop, at a cost of five hundred dollars. B. C. Wright, last Fall, enlarged the Sotoyome House by adding a third story and repainting the whole building, at a cost of four thousand six hundred dollars. Last Summer, Mrs. Thurgood rebuilt the business house now occupied by Charles Mitchell, at a cost of two hundred dollars. Last Fall, Luke Barlow rebuilt what is now known as the " Eagle Saloon," at a cost of three hundred dollars. North of the slough, on the west side, J. W. Clack has completed a small residence, at a cost of five hundred dollars,. Just north of this, J. H. McCluskey has erected a small dwelling, at a cost of about two hundred and fifty dollars. Eli Walker, last Fall, built a two-story boarding-house on the west side of the street, at a cost of eighteen hundred dollars, and rebuilt a stable adjoin- ing, at a cost of two hundred dollars. A little further north, Mrs. Thistle built a new residence at an expense of about seven hundred dollars. Tur- ner's Bakery, built by Turner & Son, is also located on the west side of the street, and cost about one thousand dollars. A little further north, William Williams erected a small shoe shop, which cost one hundred dollars. Center street runs parallel with West street, east of the plaza. One of the mo.st prominent buildings of the town — the Skating Rink — was erected last Summer by Ransom Powell and John and Samuel P. McManus, on the west side of Center street, north of South street, at a cost of seven thou- sand dollars. Johnson street is a continuation of Center street to the north. Bradford Bell has recently built a small dwelling, at a cost of about four hundred and fifty dollars, on the east side of the street, and just north of Piper street. On the south-east comer of Johnson and Lincoln streets, Patrick Ryan has just commenced a two-story residence, with wing, which will be hard-finished HISTORY OF SONOMA COXJNTY, CALIFOKNIA. 231 throughout, and will cost about two thousand dollars when completed. Across the street to the north, W. I. Robinson has rebuilt a small house, making the residence worth about four hundred dollars. On the west side of the street, a little further north, Abraham Chrantz has rebuilt a dwell- ing-house, making it worth about one thousand dollars. East street runs parallel with Center street, and next to it on the east. Near the Methodist Church South, on the wast side of the street, Dr. Dain- gerfield has rebuilt a small dwelling, making a residence now worth about five hundred dollars. W. S. Canan has recently purchased a dwelling on the east side of the street, south of North street, and is rebuilding the same. It will cost not less than twenty-five hundred dollars when completed. Fitch street runs parallel with East street, through the original town plat. Sheridan street is a continuation of Fitch street to the north, through Knaack's addition. Opposite the Baptist church, north of the slough, J. W Terry is now erecting a neat residence, which will cost, when completed, one thousand dollars. Just norUiof this, Mrs. Mansfield built, last Summer, a small residence, at a cost of about five hundred dollars. On the north-west corner of this and Piper street, G. J. Wieberts has built a business house, cost- ing six hundred dollars: and adjoining, on the north, a residence, costing four hundred dollars. On the same side of Sheridan street, William Maxwell, last Fall, built a small dwelling-house at an expense of six hundred dollars. A little further north, Mrs. L. A. Rawson built a-small house, costing three hundred dollars. Nearly opposite, A. H. Ingham built a two-story dwell- ing-house, with wing, hard-finished throughout, costing about eighteen hundred dollars. University street constitutes the greater portion of the eastern bound- ary of the corporation. George Cook built a small dwelling on the east side of University street, north of Matheson, costing about three hundred dollars. ^ Public Improvements. — The only public building erectad within the cor- poration during the year is the Public School House, on the north side of Tucker street, between East and Fitch streets, which cost about seven thou- sand dollars. The county, last Fall, built a wagon bridge across Russian river at this point, of the Howe Truss pattern, which cost twenty thousand dollars. Smaller bridges have been repaired, but none built. Railroad Im,provem^nts. — During the past year the San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad has been buUt past the town, and a railroad bridge of the Howe Truss pattern built across Russian river, just above the wagon bridge, which cost twenty-three thousand dollars. A depot building was erected by the company, at a cost of about seven thousand dollars, which is one of the finest on this line of road. 232 HISTOEY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. Miscellaneous. — Ganan, Hutton & Smith are now engaged in erecting their bank building, on the north side of the Plaza, which will be fire-proof, and will cost, when completed, about forty-five hundred dollars. Walter Fields, last season, built a residence on Dudley Avenue, north of Piper street, which cost about nine hundred dollars, and a small house near it costing one hundred more. In the grove, north-west of town and just out of the cor- poration, Aaron Hassett has built a very fine two-story residence, at a cost of three thousand dollars, and is surrounding it with the comforts of a home. His barn has cost about a thousand dollars. In the eastern edge of- the grove, just across the railroad, Henry Boyle has built a one-story residence which cost .about seven hundred dollars. These last two buildings are located in what might be termed a Western extension of Grant street. In the northern part of the grove, James Mitchell built a re.sidence costing about three hundred dollars; William B^ll built another which cost about two hundred and fifty, and Robert Ball built one which also cost two hundred and fifty dollars. Just east of the railroad, near the north end of the grove, Charles Stewart built a small house co,9ting two hundred and fifty dollars. North of the grove. Matt. Hale has completed ^fene residence costing about two thousand dollars, and a barn, at an expense of seven hundred. Mrs. Currier has erected a small dwelling on First street, south of Matheson, which cost about three hundred dollars. Dr. Priest has built a handsome residence, on the street leading to the brick-yard, at a cost of about two thousand dollars. Dr. M. G. Kellogg has erected a residence east of Sheridan street, north of Piper, at a cost of six hundred dollars. Thus it will be seen that during the year 1871 the total number of build- ings constructed or in course of construction was seventy-nine, at an aggre- gate cost of about ninety-six thousand and fifty dollars ; -the price defrayed for the building of bridges being forty-three thousand dollars. Few towns in the State can show greater proportionate improvement than this. We now take up the official doings of the civil authorities of Healdsburg. On January 2, 1872, the following resolution was passed. " Resolved, That from and after this date we will prosecute or cause to be presecuted all viola— tioas in this town of the law against gambling — that is to say — the law against faro, monte, rouge-et-noir, lansquenet, rondo, or other banking games at cards or dice. " It was also ordered that the town Attorney draft a charter for the city to be submitted to the Legislature for enactment ; while. Commis- sioners were at the same time appointed to lay out Piper street and assess damages that should accrue upon straightening said street, and that the prop- erty-holders claiming such be apprised of their meeting. West street was declared established, on February 5th, from the quarter-section line, in a straight line, or as near as may be, into the extension of said street, as trav- eled, north of said quarter-section line, and D. F. Spur was directed to make the necessary survey. The following resolution was also adopted: "Resolved Xy^XA^ HISTORY OF SONOJytA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 233 That t^e Attorney be instructed to draft and send to our Representative or Senator, a bill for an Act exempting town Elections from the force and effect of the Registry Law. " February 19 th, the Maxim Gas Company of Cali- fornia presented a petition to the Board of Trustees which was followed by one on the succeeding day from the Premium Gas Company of California, both of which were placed on file. After the merits of the. two companies had been personally presented by their representatives, on motion of Trustee Peterson, it was unanimously ordered that a contract be entered into with the Maxim Gas Company to supply the town with gas. Messrs. Peterson, Wright and Melton being nominated a committee to draft such contract, an Ordi- nance granting right of way and franchise to the Gas Company being at the time read and adopted by sections. On March 11th, Josiah Brown was appointed Street Superintendent vice J. E. Stewart resigned ; and on May 6th, the following elections took place: L. A. Norton, R. H. Oilman, N. W- Bostwick, William Gilmore, Isaac Gum, President, Board of Trustees ; A. M. Church, Recorder; S. P. McManus, Assessor and Collector; T. P. Maxwell, Marshal; C. K. Jenner, Clerk; H. K. Brown, Treasurer; on the 27th, Trustee Gum, however, resigned the chair, R. H. Oilman being elected to that posi- tion. An ordinance was passed July 1st, directing all sidewalks to be made uniform with, where the street is sixty feet wide, and where less, to be eight feet, and on 5th of August the vote of the corporation tax was fixed at thirty cents on each hundred dollars. In this year as heretofore the history of Healdsburg had been that of pros- perity; we have neither time nor space to continue a yearly report of its general chronicles; sufiicient will it be therefore to record the doings of the city Fathers as they have been annually filed. 1873. — A. M. Church resigned his position on the 7th January, and Henry Sargent was appointed in his stead : on the 8th, the bid of Proctor & Hogle for building a fence round the plaza was accepted and the work commenced ; while on May 5th the following gentlemen were elected to the government of the Town: T. W. Hudson, President; George Miller, C. E. Hutton. R. Powell, I. N. Chapman, Board of Trustees; H. Sargent, Recorder; S. P. McManus, Assessor and Collector; H. R. Brown, Treasurer; J. W. Clack, Marshal. August 4th, Trustee Chapman filed — notice of a motion for the amendment of Ordinance No. six, so that one per cent should be the maxi- mum rate of taxation for Town purposes, instead of one half of one per cent, as the law demands. On the 18th, the minority report, viz: the allowance of five hundred dollars to H. Dudley and eighty three to I. N. Chapman, for. damages: — of the Commissioners to view and assess damages on Piper street was adopted; which street, on motion of Trustee Powell, was ordered to be sixty feet in width ; the street Commissioner being instructed to proceed to open said thoroughfare through the premises of I. N. Chapman and H Dudley, upon receiving notice from the Clerk of the Board of Trustees that 234 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTT, CALIFORNIA. the amount of damages awarded to each has been tendered to them. On Sep- tember 1st, Trustee Chapman objected to the approval and passing of the min- utes of the meeting held by the Board on August 18th ( that noted above) on the ground that Trustee R. Powell had vacated his office by neglecting to qualify for more than ten days after election. Upon this action R. Powell presented himself and refused to serve as a Trustee until the question raised by I. N. Chapman had been decided. How the matter was arranged the Records do not state ; but in future meetings we find Messrs. Powell and Chapman voting side by side. John Mulligan, John W. Clack, and W. S. Canan were appointed a Committee to investigate and report upon the advisa- bility, practicability, and probable cost of draining the slough; it being at the same time ordered that the Plaza should be laid out with walks and shrubberies under the superintendence of Trustee Miller. On this same date H. Dudley was allowed two hundred dollars additional on account of damages, etc., on moving buildings for the opening of Piper street. On July 24, 1873, J. W. Clack was shot by Ham Briggs, when on official duty. Briggs was arrested, tried and sentenced to pay a fine of two thousand dollars or be imprisoned for one thousand days. Of Briggs we learn that he was afterwards slain by a man named Chambers in Mendocino city in 1875 or '76. Mr. Clack is now the genial and popular landlord of the Soto- yome House in Healdsburg. 187 Ji,. — January 5th the President was instructed to appoint a Committee of three to draft a new charter for the Town of Healdsburg, to be submitted to the Board ; these were Messrs. L. A. Norton, Charles K. Jenner and W. S. Canan; Mr. Jenner reported on the 2nd February that a majority of the Committee were adverse to framing such an Instrument at the present time ; they were therefore discharged, and their report accepted. On motion, C. K. Jenner and Isaac Gum were formed into a new Committee for the same pur- pose ; a draft being submitted on the I7th, it was read section by section and adopted as a whole by the Board. On this date a petition signed by L. R. Giles and others for the opening of Center street on its former line was read and placed on file, as were also the claims of William Milton for five hundred- and H. Dudley for three hundred dollars, damages accruing from the above, when it was moved by Trustee Chapman that three Commissioners be appointed to investigate. The motion was lost. The Deed of certain land from H. Dudley to be used in the extension of East street, was accepted on March 16th and, on April 18th the undermentioned Municipal officers were elected: T. W. Hudson, President ; George Miller, G. J.Turner, W. S. Canan, H. R. Brown, Board of Trustees; George Mulligan, Treasurer; S. P. McManus, Assessor and Collector ; Henry Sargent, Recorder ; Thomas Stevenson, Street Commissioner; C. K. Jenner, City Clerk; E. L. Whipple, City Attorney; S. B. Martin, Marshal. On August 3d A. Blackington was elected to fill the unexpired term of Assessor and Collector vice S. P. McManus failing to qualify, HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 235 and on the 7th of September Josiah Brown was appointed Street Com- missioner in place of Thomas Stevenson; while on November 16th the Ordin- ance instituting a system of drainage in the city of Healdsburg was adopted. 1875. — An Ordinance, supplementary to No. 2, to prevent minors, under the age of seventeen years, from being on the streets after certain hours, was read, and, on motion, passed, on the 2d February ; while, on March 15th, the resignation of S. B. Martin, City Marshal, was accepted, he being succeeded by J. W. Rose. April 12th, G. Muller appeared before the Board and remonstrated against the adoption of the report of the Committee on the extension of Grant street; it was therefore resolved that the report be recon- sidered and the matter referred back to the Commissioners for further inves- tigation; on the 19th, they filed their amended report, awarding one hundred and sixty-two dollars as damages to C. Muller, on the opening of said street, and assessing benefits to the amount of one hundred and eight dollars. It was then, on motion, ordered that a warrant in favor of John D. Hassett, for fifCy-four dollars, as a tender to C. Muller, for the one-thu-d due him under the charter, from the city of Healdsburg, upon the opening of said street which was ordered to take place within twenty days from date, be drawn. On May 10th the following officers were elected to serve on the Corporation: T. W. Hudson, H. K. Brown, President, G. J. Turner, H. Fried, T. C. Caruthers, Board of Trustees ; G. K. Jenner, Clerk ; George Mulligan, Treasurer ; H. Sargent, Recorder; A. Blackington, Assessor and Collector; J. W. Rose, Mar- shal; E. L. Whipple, City Attorney; the following committees being then appointed: Finance, Trustees Turner, Fried and Carruihers; Plaza and Streets, T. G. Caruthers. June 7th, the Commissioners on the proposed extension of Mason street, filed their report, together with a plat of the same, recommending that H. Hutchins be required to open a thoroughfare through his property without compensation, which, on being received was placed on file and the report adopted. This resolution was afterwards rescinded, and damage allowed, to the extent of twenty-five dollars. On the 21st, Charles K. Jenner was appointed City Attorney ; and, on the 18th of August, the clerk was instructed to notify the Marshal to have the sidewalks on West street, from North street to the north side of the Plaza, widened, as well as upon the north side of the Plaza, from West to Center street. The clerk reported to the Board, on September 24th, the decision of Judge Temple, in regard to the assessment of mortgages upon property outside of the corporate limits; in pursuance of said decision the trustees proceeded to assess the mortgages held within the corporation, upon property situated without its limits. On the 27th, John N. Bailhache appeared before the corporate body, sitting as a Board of Equalization, and presented a petition, adopted at a mass meeting of the citizens of Healdsburg, asking for a reconsideration of the action of the Board in raising the assessments, so as to leave them as near as possible the same as that returned by the City Assessor. On motion, said 2^6 HISTOBY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. petition was received and placed on file. It was thereupon moved by Trustee Turner that the prayer of the petition be adopted. There being a tie vote, the President exercised his pierogative and cast in favor of the motion. Trustee Turner, after some discussion, stated that he had voted in favor of the motion under a misapprehension, he therefore moved to reconsider said motion, which, having received a seconder, was duly reconsidered, and, on a vote to adopt the prayer being taken, it was declared lost. On the 28th, the assessment for the city of Healdsburg was fixed as follows, to wit: Al^ parties not raised by the Board of Equalization was fixed as shown by the books of the City Assessor ; all parties raised by the Board who do not appear, to have their assessments fixed as raised ; all parties who were raised and did appear, to have their assessments fixed according to their state- ments of the two-thirds value of their property. On motion, the rate of taxation for the fiscal year ending May 1, 1876, was fixed at fifty cents on each one hundred dollars. The City Attorney, on October 18th, was instructed to draft an ordinance licensing hawkers, peddlers, and itineraij,t Venders of goods, etc., and auctioneers and auction houses, which was pre- sented and adopted on the 20th. November 6th, W. W. Moreland was appointed City Clerk; on the 15th, the Healdsburg Gas Company was granted the privilege to lay mains, etc , through the streets of the town, provided they leave no holes, nor excavations exposed or uncovered, without a signal or light thereat. A Committee, consisting of Trustees Fried and Turner, were also appointed to procure a plat and survey of a proposed change in West street, power being given to the same committee to employ a surveyor. 1876. — February 7th, an ordinance granting to E. M. Morgan et al., the privilege of laying water pipes in the city of Healdsburg was read and passed; and on the 21st a petition was received from forty-six property holders on West street asking for its straightening in accordance with, the survey recently made by C. K. Jenner; on motion, C. E. Hutton, Jirah Luce and Anson Goodspeed were appointed a Committee to appraise damages and benefits to said owners. March 20th — On motion, F. T. Maynard, John Fritsch and Mr. Bowman were granted the privilege of laying iron watei; mains and pipes throughout all the streets of Healdsburg, they agreeing, to furnish to the city, free of charge, water for the extinction of fires ; the said boon to be granted for the term of fifty years. The City Attorney was, on thk, date, authorized to draw up amendments to the charter in reference to. th^ jurisdiction of the Police Court and forward the same to the Member of Assembly from Sonoma county to be passed upon by the Legislature ; while on the t'zud the auctioneers' license was fixed by the Board at five dollars per. quartei-. The following city officers were elected on May 8th : George L*i^' renqe, H. Fried, President, T. C. Caruthers, K. Powell, C. E. Hutton, Board ofr Tirnstee.s; Geo;"ge MulHgan, Treasurer; John W. Clack, Assessor and Collectpr; HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 237 H. Sargent, Recorder; J. W. Rose, Marshall. July 17th, a remonstrance of property holders on West street against the proposed straightening of the same was received and filed. It appearing from the said document that some . or perchance lie awake until ' dawn would bring back the weary monoto- nous round. Alone did they pursue this avocation for two long dreary months, their small craft making periodical trips to San Francisco to dispose of their spoils and lay in stores. On January 3, 1851, they were joined by Lemarcus Wiatt and John Linus, who arrived on the scene, not with the specific object of locating, but rather to repair their health, which had been. HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 26& shattered by a residence in the mines. Here the new comers found Loek- wood, Pendleton, and Levi Pybum, and with these three pitched theix tent- under the friendly shadow of the oaks. Not long after, Thomas Baylis and David Flogdell wandered into this region, who falling in with the others, increased the size of the camp, and pursued the same occupation. Of these, Lockwood and Wiatt are still residents of Petaluma; Baylis and Flogdell of whom mention will be again made under their historical firm name of " Tom and Dave," remained in the city for years, and after earning comfort and respect were gathered to their fathers, while the others too have gone, and the site which they were the first, to ooeupy knows them no more. These w ere the men who gave Petaluma its first start as a ship- ping point. In the Summer of 1851, Wiatt and Linus erected a small trading post on the bend of the creek, a little above the bridge on Washing- ton street, while in October their example was followed by, Baylis and Flogdell, who had moved from their position half-armile away, and con- structed a small store on the bank of the creek opposite the position now occupied by the Odd Fellows' hall. Keller, who had pre-empted the land in the previous year, about this time put up an edifice of a nondescript character, where he kept a ware-house, eating-house, store, and also a few bunks for sleeping accommodation. There was also constructed this Summer a ware-house by James M. Hudspeth, then, as now, a resident of Green valley, Analy township, who had thus early found the advantages possessed by the site as a place of shipment. This building stood at the foot of Wash- ington street, on the creek, just below the bridge. That autumn it was stored to its fullest capacity with potatoes, the proprietor • at the same time cutting and baling upwards of a hundred tons of hay, in close proximity to the town, all of which he shipped to Sacramento, making the first export of produce of any magnitude from Sonoma by way of Petaluma. In this Fall there were then resident in the district the following famfiies :The Sing- leys, Starkeys, Terrills, Samuels, Tustins, and Lewises, which were further augmented by the arrival of the Douglases and Hathaways^ who came from Antioeh, Contra Costa county, and having brought the frames of their houses with them, the elder Douglas erected his, where it stands to-day, a little above the Brooklyn Hotel, that of the Hathaways being constructed by Robert Douglas, Jr., on or near to the site of the Washington Hotel. These were the first dwelling houses raised in the city of Petaluma. Mr. Douglas now resides on a pleasant ranch near Freestone, in Bodega township. As has been before remarked, the town-site had been already located by Mr. Keller. In the winter of 1851-2 the population of the embryo city increased considerably; a meeting of the settlers was therefore called, who requested Mr. Keller to lay out the plat of a town, guaranteeing him there and then the purchase of every other lot and at the same time promising that all his rights should be respected. The survey, which comm«nGed at a 260 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. point on Petaluma creek, between Prospect and Oak streets, running thence west to the westerly line of Liberty street, near Kent, then southerly along Liberty street to A, then on the northerly line of A and a continuation of that line north-easterly to Petaluma creek, the area being in the vicinity of forty acres, was effected by J. A. Brewster on January 3, 1852. It is said that Major Singley and Tom Loekwood carried the chain for this survey. Early in 1852 the new city commenced to show signs of considerable activity, a very fine store was established by W. D. Kent on the site now occupied by the photographic gallery of George Ross on the east side, of Main street; he shortly after admitted into partnership a man named Smith, when the firm became Kent & Smith, and F. H. Coe purchasing into the business at a later date the establishment was known as that of Kent, Smith & Coe. There was also a grocery store kept by one Samuels on the corner of Main and Wash- ington streets. In this year " Tom & Dave " had an establishment for the entertainment of travelers, called the Pioneer Hotel, which may be said to have been the first hostelry started in Petaluma; it joLued their building already mentioned. It is certain that the Douglas and Hathaway families kept boarders but no regular building for the accommodation and sole use of transient guests was extant until late in the year, for in the Fall, Samuel N. Terrill commenced the Petaluma House on ground now occupied by the Odd Fellow9' hall, and Robert Douglas, the younger, the erection of the Amer- ican Hotel on the site of the present building of that name. The Petaluma House was the first in working order. In January, 1852, William Zartman and John Fritsch, with James F. Reed, commenced business as blacksmiths, building their forge on the place now occupied by Gilbert's cheap cash store. Reed afterwards lost his life on a voyage to the Eastern States on the ill- fated " Atlantic." Major Singley, the present agent of the San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad in this city, who located in August, 1851, on the west side of the creek, about half-a-mile above town, on land afterward occupied by Mr. Kerry, is of opinion that the first postmaster in Petaluma was a German named H. P. Hentzlemann, who had his office in a house which stood on the south-east corner of Main and Washington streets; but the weight of evidence goes to prove that W. D. Kent was the pioneer postmaster and that he distributed the mails from his own store. Kent was succeeded by Doctor Brown, who in turn gave place to Samuel N. Terrill.* Mail matter was transported from Benicia, Solano county, on horse-back, once a week, by way of Sonoma, Miller & Walker's store, now called Sebastopol, to Petaluma, thence to San Rafael, Marin county — a rather tortuous way ot receiving news when compared with the swift, certain, and frequent transmission of correspondence which obtains to-day. The religious and instructive cares of the city had not, up to this period, received any especial care. Two wandering preachers named Gurnsey, who com- * We have since learned that Garrett W. Keller was the first Postmaster. See page 131. HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 261 bined with the repairing of souls the occupation of a chair manufacturer, and Bateman, were wont to minister to the wants of the residents ia this particular until the settlement of Mr. Hunter as pastor of the Methodist church, which stood on the site of the present city prison, his wife, noble woman, being the first to open a school for the education of the young, of whom there were now a few; in this laudable undertaking she was succeeded by A. B. Bowers, who taught in a building then occupying the position of the present magnificent brick edifice which would be an ornament to any city. The 4th of July, 1852, the National holiday, was celebrated by a grand ball which took place in the building wherein was situated the store of Kent, Smith & Coe, when one hundred and fifty guests from all parts of the country took part in the merry-making — the tickets on the occasion being ten dollars each. Here we have the first mention ot the gaieties of a city life having taken hold. We can imagine with what keen excitement was the auspicious occasion looked forward to, for reunions of any kind in these early days were all but impossible; there were not the facilities which are found in places of more mature growth; the distances were too magnificent to permit of frequent intercourse between neighbors separated by twenty miles of country, entirely innocent of roads or bridges; men and maidens had little opportunity of meeting or becoming acquainted, is it therefore any wonder that dances were danced with a mwi, the like of which has never been witnessed, or that songs were sung and stories told, healths drank and eternal friendships sworn, the like of which could never occur again — the oldest living residents never forget this evening when "Soft love look'd love to eyes, which spake again. And all went merry as a marriage bell. " The first Justice of the Peace was M. G. Lewis, while of the lawyers there were William Churchman, Jackson Temple, and J. B. Southard, who suc- ceeded Judge E. W. McKinstry on the bench of the Court of the Seventh Judicial District, a position which he occupied for several years. The first marriage in the district was that of Dr. August F. Heyermann, but this did not take place within the city ; the first in these limits was that of Robert Douglas, Jr., to Miss Hannah Hathaway, which took place on the 31st day of December, 1852, before Samuel N. Terrill, Justice of the Peace- The next wedding was that of Alexander Wood worth. The first child born in Peta- luma was a girl, to Mr. and Mrs. R. Douglas, who did not survive but twelve days; while the first death was that of a man named Fra-ser, who was killed by falling off a wagon and being run over. He was buried in the square now knowti as the Plaza. The next to cross the dark river was also a transient guest ; he was putting up at the American Hotel and had visited the country in quest of health, but consumption, from which he sufiered, carried him off, and he found a stranger's grave on the hill at the top of Wash- ington street; shortly after these two, was also buried the infant girl men- HISTORT OS' SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. tknied above. At a late date, the bones of tbese three were eJchuffied, aJ&d found a final resting place in the Oak-Hill Cemetery, where a Miss Smith was the first to be buried. The first doctor was A. F. Heyermann, who prac- tised oeeasioHally; he was in turn succeeded by doctors McClure and Brown, the latter of whom had a small laboratory; while the first drug store was opened by S. C. Haydon. In this year the first livery stable was started by Charles Robinson, who ran a stage via Sebastopol, then known, as has been said, by the name of Miller & Walker's store, to Bodega; while another gen- eral store was opened by P. H. Newbill. At the end of 1852, the population was estimated to have been somewhere about twelve hundred in all. The first stroke against the welfare of the young city was struck by Majors H. P. Hentzleman and Lewis, in the attempted establishment of a rival town on the east side of the creek, which was intended to rob Peta- luma of all its present and prospective glories. They named it the city of Petaluma. New Town, the place was called; the residents being situated within the precincts of the Vallejo Township — notice of it will be found in the history of that section. But to proceed : Major Lewis disposed of his interest in this settlement at San Francisco, to Colonel J. B. Huie, making it a sine qua non, however, that a pteamer of a certain tonnage and drafD should proceed thither. The " Red Jacket," afterwards rechristened " Kate Hayes," succeeded in this endeavor in November, 1852, under the command of Captain Van Pelt. She continued plying to that point during the Winter, the projectors of New Town, in the interval, doing their utmost to proclaim far and near that that was the head of navigation. A triumph so gained could be but short lived. The Petalumans paid a visit to this pioneer steam wonder ; much bantering was given and taken on the occasion ; the most persuasive eloquence of the visitors was put forth, to the end that their city was the true head of navigation. To prove the contrary, steam was got up, shriek after shriek was sent from the whistle in mocking derision. The " Red Jacket " started, she found plenty of water, arrived off the city of Petaluma without mishap, and thus the claims of New Town veritably van- ished in smoke. When the stranger in this year of grace 1879, inquires as to its locality, he is answered by a vague sweep of the head and the words over there. While on the subject of steamers, we would here mention that the second steamer to make regular trips on the Petaluma Creek was the " Sioc," which had been brought from the Sacramento river, where she ran as the " Jack Hayes." Andrew Henry, agent for Wells, Fargo & Co., was on her when she made her first trip up the creek. She continued on the route until September, 1853, her captain and part owner being for a time ex-Sheriff Latapie. The name of the vessel was changed after to the "Rein- deer." The first steamboat to ply at stated times between Petaluma and San Framcisco was the " E. Corning," the fare being six dollars. She was fot a Srme uoder the command ^ Ca^tam Charles M. Baxter, who aftef- HISTORY OF SONOkA COUNTY, CALIFOEirtA. ^63 wards took charge of the " Pelaluma," a craft constructed expressly for this route. At the time of Mr. Henry's arrival in the " Sioc," there were then in all about fifty houses in the city, situated principally between the streets now known as Washington on the north, B. on the south, with the creek as a frontage and back to Keller or thereabouts. The American Hotel was then " well up town." This was in September, 1853. In November, we are told there were two hotels, besides the three already named, viz: the City Hotel, which stood on the site of the present building of that name, and the Union Hotel: where it now stands on Main a little below English street. At this period the American was kept by Brown & Rexford, the City by Veeder, who had moved it hither from VaUejo, Solano county, the Petaluma House by Bassett, who was not long after succeeded by Van Doren & Cooper, and last though not least the Pioneer by " Tom & Dave." In the years 1853, '54 and '55 the growth of the town was gradual but sure from the advantages possessed by her as a port of shipment, the settlers of the valleys to the north and south of it repaired hither to export then- produce and lay in supplies; it was the only shipping outlet easy of access to the San Francisco market for the crops of Sonoma and Mendocino counties ; as the rapidly increasing population extended their ventures, the necessity for such a spot made itself felt; more ground was tilled, fruit trees planted and butter made, while the country was yet thickly covered with splendid timber, all of which found its way to Petaluma ; as her commerce became greater her capital increased, as capital increased labor became plentiful until she gained, early in her existence, the proud position among the thriving cities of California which she holds to-day. In the year 1855 the first newspaper was started — The Petaluma Weekly Journal and Sonoma County Advertiser. The inaugural number was issued on Saturday, August 18, 1855, by Thomas L. Thompson, and is in all a most readable sheet. From its advertising columns we cull the following names, many of them being to-day " familiar in our mouths as household words: " Wm. D. Bliss, Wm. A, Cornwall, J. Chandler, I. G. Wickersham, Attorneys at Law, most of whom would appear to have been established on Main street. We find that the Petaluma Line of Packets running between Peta- luma, San Francisco, Sacramento and Stockton, consisting of the schooners "Petaluma," Captain Baylis;" Enterprise," Captain Rutherford ; "Blue- Wing," Captain Cutter, and the sloops " Cleopatra," Captain SuUivan; " Star of the West," Captain Adams, and "Ned Beale," Captain Kelley, left for ihese ports daily, their agents being in this city A. J. Moses & Co., and at San Francisco Kittrell & Co. We note that Dr. W. D. Trinque was a surgeon dentist on Main Street ; that Anthony G. Oakes, pi-oprietor of the American Hotel, which had been thoroughly renovated was " prepared to extend the comforts of a Home and d ileart'^ WeleoThe to all wlio inay favor him with a visit," 264 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOBNIA. ■while there were the following attractions: "Table Supplied with all the Delicacies," " Lines of stages from all parts," as well as " Extensive Livery- Stables;" and S. C. Hay don offered at his drug and book store such commodi- ties as Epsom salts and blank deeds, Cologne water and McGuffy's readers, hair oils and tooth-brushes, turpentine and the San Francisco and Atlantic newspapers and magazines. Let us lightly glance at the resources of Petaluma at that date. The Journal in an early article tells us, that the growth of Petaluma has been rapid, but yet of a substantial character ; and not withstanding the several successive failures of the crops of the adjacent country, the ruinous prices of agricultural productions, and the late monetary depression in this State, the prosperity of the town has been greatly enhanced, and its permanency fully secured within the past six months, by valuable improvements and judicious investment of capital. Petaluma is the depot and outlet for the whole farming and grazing interest of the immense tract of surrounding country; and partic- ularly for that lying away to the north, including the rich lands of Russian river and its tributaries, and even extending to the fertile borders of Clear Lake. In addition to the trade carried on by the extensive operations of the dai- ries; the shipment of live stock of all the various kinds, and the productions of fruits, vegetables, and cereals, there has been a great quantity of cord- wood cut in the vicinity of the town, which has formed an important source of wealth. Butter, cheese, eggs, potatoes, barley, wheat, and wood, make up the substantial and unfailing currency of Sonoma county, and Petaluma has been built up as the most accessible depot from whence the necessary ship- ments of these valuable articles of trade can be easily made, by steam or sailing vessels, to the different markets of the State. The population of this town and immediate neighborhood, have all the elements of future prosperity — a people moral, industrious and frugal, a delightful and healthy climate, invigorating to the laborer — a fertile soil which yields rich returns both to the grazier, by its voluiitary crops of grasses, and to the agriculturist by fullj; rewarding him for the labor bestowed upon its cultivation. The wealth of the town depends on the prosperity of the farmers. It is the center of a large and rich agricultural district. Within a few months past a number of fireproof, brick and stone buildings, have been erected here. There are about twenty stores, and several com- " modious hotels on Main street ; which street lies nearest to the creek. Churches and school-houses have been erected sufficient to meet the wants of the increasing population. Different charitable associations have been fully organized here, and appear to be in a flourishing condition. The hall recently finished for the Odd-Fellows, is a beautiful structure, buUt of brick with an imposing front of cut stone. On November 24, 1855, one of those heart-rending calamities, for which cJ^^^tC^/Sc^ HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIEORNIA. 265 California had then become noted, occurred at Petaluma. At about five minutes past ten in the morning, while the steamer " Georgina " was lying at her wharf, shipping freight and passengers, her boiler exploded, with a terrific crack, doing a fearful work of death and destruction. The force of the explosion was such as to completely demolish the top work of the boat and to carry the boiler — which was shot directly through the cabin and out astern — a distance of about three hundred feet, striking considerably beyond the landing used by the " Kate Hayes," which had, by the merest luck, hauled farther up the creek, to take on freight. Of the wounded only one belonged to Sonoma county, viz: George Funk, proprietor of the Oak Grove House, about four miles from the city, on the Bodega road. November 28th was noted for the establishment of the Petaluma Library Association, and its inauguration with a lecture, by the Rev. A. A. Baker, on the subject of " The Lyceum, and its relation to Education and to Practical Life,'' this being followed by a course of three lectures, delivered by Doctor Galland, " On Boreal Observations and Phenomena." As a criterion of what the increase of population was in this year, we note that the vote of the city was four hundred and eighty-one, while the number of children in the township, between the ages of four and eighteen years of age, was two hundred and eighty-four. Of this number there were attending school in the Liberty district thirty-three ; Iowa district, sixty-one ; Walker district, forty-three, and Petaluma district one hundred and forty -seven. The number of boys was one hundred and fifty-two, distributed as follows : Liberty district, sixteen; Iowa districtt, thirty -two; Walker district, twenty-four; Petaluma district, eighty ; while the number of girls was one hundred and thirty-two, appor- tioned thus: Liberty district, seventeen ; Iowa district, twenty-nine; Walker district, nineteen, and Petaluma district, sixty-seven. This prosperous year was brought to a close with a most severe spell of cold weather, there being ice to the extent of half an inch in thickness in the early morning, while in some portions of the State, notably in Sacramento, snow fell to a considerable depth. On the second day of the new year the dread visitant, fire, which kad hith- erto steered clear of our fair city, consumed the residence of James Hosmer, situated on Washington street. As is almost always the case, it requires some dire calamity to make apparent existing danger. Consequent on this confla- gration, energetic measures were at once taken to form a Fire Company, a want which had been long felt and urged. The public spirit thus early evinced, has developed into a department amply able to cope with any duties which it may be called upon to perform, while as one of the sinews of the city it is a credit to the corporation and citizens. At this period was also permanently organized a military company, under the name of the " Peta- luma Guards," having for its officers the following named gentlemen : Cap- tain, P. B. Hewlett ; First Lieutenant, J. H. Siddons ; Second Lieutenant, 266 HISTORY OF SONOMA COTNTY, CALIFORNIA. Francis Bray; Brevet Lieutenant, Thomas F. Baylis ; First Sergeaiit, F. J. Benjamin; Second, W. H. Jose; Third, G. B. Mathers; Fourth, Warren G. Gibbs; First Corporal, O. T. Baldwin; Second, J. K. Cramer; Third, B. F. Cooper; Fourth, Samuel Browii. The company mustered some forty or fifty, rank and file, and in addition to their military duties proposed t6 serve as firemen, when provided with the necessary paraphernalia. A change had now come to the growing place whose history we record. She became ambitious to be invested with civic honors. To this end, corres- pondents mooted the question in the public prints, while leaders appeared in the columns of the newspapers advocating the incorporation of Petaluma as a city, or, at least, a town. It was advocated that she was already one of some importance, without a doubt of its continued increase. In order to make it a desirable place of residence the streets should be graded to a uni- form width, sidewalks put in order, the town cleared of nuisances, and prop- erty protected from accidents by fire, arising from carelessness in the fixtures connected with stove pipes and fire-places. A town hall was felt to be much needed, in which to hold elections and lectures, as well as for the use of the the military, and various other purposes. It was argued by some that a cor- poration is too expensive a luxury, while others urged that, by having a char- ter, with proper restrictions and constructions, the government of the town and its general appearance would be much enhanced. How the boon was finally obtained will appear in the progress of this record. On April 26, 1856, the interest of Mr. Thompson ceased in the Petaluma Journal, Henry L. Weston becoming its editor and proprietor, who made his bow to the public in the following well-chosen sentences : " In making our appearance before the readers of the Journal and the public in the capacity of a public journalist we deeply feel our need' of their sympathy as well as patronage. To us it is, in a measure, a new position, and we feel that should it be our good fortune to merit and receive the commendation of the public, that we are rather of that class upon whom honors are thrust, than otherwise. At its commence- ment the Journal was started as an independent paper, rather than as a political organ, and up to this time it has maintained its neutrality. Such we propose it shall ever remain, if such a course be possible in a community like ours. With politics we have little to do ; andwith its tricks and turns, nothing; neither do we intend to, unless forced into the arena by stem neces- sity. It is our aim and purpose, on the contrary, to make the Journal emphatically a family paper — one that shall ever prove a welcome visitor to the family circle of each and every settler in this and adjoining counties. While, therefore, our aim will ever be to avoid a public preference fbt either of the political parties of the day, our neutrality shall never prevent a ftee and fearless expression of our vifews upon whatever acts ttiay be perpetrated ot measures proposed by theifl Which tna^ trespass upoii the rights aild interests of the people. That it may tiever be oili- duty to take tiiore thisal HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 26'f & ttasual glaace at any Of their acts is our earnest desii-&. If, however, oeeasion should occur, let not th« opposite party hope to find in us an aRj, Tlnfess theirs be a right against wrong — liberalism agaihst bigotry and fanaticism. And while we claim for ourself this privilege, we freely accord equal latitude to all, and to this end will ever open our columns to the discus- sioii t>f all matters and questions of interest which may from time to time pre- seiit themselves, provided the writers do not wish to occupy too much space, and the subject treated be calmly discussed, otherwise their articles will hot find a place in the Journal." We have now to record a rather unusual accident in the affairs of cities. On the morning of August 4th of this same year, at about three o'clock, the citizens were aroused from their slumbers by a crushing sound, and the cry of " fire !" The cause of the alarm proved to be the falling of a two-story, firie-proof building on Main street, owned by Gowan & McKay, and occu- pied on the first fioor by L. Chapman as a furniture store, and on the second by the Odd Fellows and Free Masons. The front of the building fell into the street, the north side upon the adjoining building (a wooden structure owned and occupied by S. G. Haydon as a drug store and express office of Wells, Fargo & Co.), completely demolishing it, and destroying the stock of goods. The building had been erected the previous year at an expense of five thousand dollars. The loss on the occasion was considerable; that of the proprietors could not have been much less than the ori^^inal cost of the structure; while that of Mr, Haydon — who nearly lost his life while in his chamber by the falling beams — was about twelve hundred dollars; Mr. Chapman, one thousand; and the Masonic and Odd Fellows' societies being considerable also, for they had but recently fittsi up the Hall at an expense of fifteen hundred dollars. Ill May, 1857, water was for the first time introduced into Petaluma by William Henley. The spring from which it was procured was distant from Main street about one hundred and fifty rods, and, at the time, ran seven to eight hundred gallons per hour, which could be increased if necessary. This was not the only improvement, however, in course of construction or even contemplated. What does the Journal say in this regard? "Noth with- standing the almost fabulous rapidity with which residences and stores have sprung into existence in Petaluma, durinsr the past fifteen months, the demand continues to exceed the supply. In fact, for some months past, the only certain method for a new-comer to procure a dwelling, has been to either build himself, or enter into a contract previous to the erection of a building. Everything capable of being used, either as a store or residence, is constantly oectfpied. As a consequence, rents have become somewhat high, for a place of this si^e. Residences which could have been secured at fifteen dollars a rftttftth, one year ago, are now readily sought for at twenty and twenty-fivo pe* tnonth. But this increased demand for buildirigs is fiot cotifiaed to resi- 268 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOBNIA. dences alone; stores of all kinds, and more especially those whidi are sup- posed to be fireproof, are in equal demand, and at a greater premium. We are told that a gentleman from the interior wishing to engage in trade in Petaluma, a few days since authorized a friend of his to ofier a premium of five hundred dollars for a lease of one of the stores in PhcBnix Block. If our town is springing thus rapidly into a great and populous village, notwith- standing the almost overwhelming obstacle which it has to encounter in con- sequence of the uncertainty of land titles, what will it not do, and what may it not become, when her citizens and the people of the county generally, know in whom the titles are vested. When this great desideratum is attained, business, in Petaluma and Sonoma county at large, will receive an impetus which it never has, and never can otherwise experience. The future is big with promise for our town and our county." Hand in hand with these signs of the times, we find that the Eagle Brewery had already been started by Thomas Edwards; S. G. McCollough had cleared a lot on Main street and. commenced the erection of a fire-proof stable which was contemplated to be two stories high with dimensions of thirty by one hundred feet; the front being of dressed granite ; and a new Flouring mill was in the course of con- struction by Messrs. G. W. Veatch and W. A. Hutchinson of San Francisco on a site opposite the Revere House on Main street. East Petaluma is that portion of the town which lies on the east bank of the creek, being part of the incorporated city. The tract on which it stands was originally purchased from General Vallejo by Tom Hopper, but on August 27, 1857, he conveyed the two hundred and seventy acres to W. D. Bliss, John Kaulkfman, and Stephen G. Haydon, divided into shares of one- fourth each. Hitherto it had formed no connection with that portion situ- ated on the west side ; indeed, there were no means of crossing the creek, save by a not over-steady bridge, above the city. The Corporation at once constructed a draw-bridge at the foot of Washington street, and surveyed, and subdivided the land into lots ; soon after bujldiags commenced to rise on the newly chosen site and to-day it is no inconsiderable portion of Petaluma city. Petaluma, at this epoch in her career, had made such commendable pro- gress, and so firmly established herself as a thriving and rising center of commerce, that she was granted a charter, in accordance with an Act of the Legislature of the State of California, approved April 12, 1858, entitled " An Act to incorporate the Town of Petaluma." Consequent on the passage of this law an election of municipal officers was held on the nineteenth of the said month, when the following gentlemen were chosen as the first Board of Trustees of the city; WiUiam Elder, W. L. Anderson, E. B. Cooper, Samuel Tustin, William Ordway. On the twenty-sixth, at a full meeting of the Board, Mr. Elder was chosen President of the Corporation, and 0. T. Bald- win, Clerk; while certificates of election were issued to the following named: HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 269 Recorder, William Hayden : Treasurer, Lewis Lamberton ; Assessor, Moses Arms; Marshal, James H. Siddons; D. D. Carder being sworn as a Justice of the Peace. Committees were appointed to procure suitable accommo- dation for the sessions of the Board, as also to draft By-laws for its govern- ment; these being adopted, with a few recommendation-s, on April 28, 1858. On May 3d, John Brown was appointed Municipal Policeman, on a salary of sixty dollars a month ; a memorial signed by the citizens being upon the same date laid on the table, praying that a street be opened on the bank of the Petaluma creek, to be called Front street, commencing at a point at the foot of B. street and terminating at Hatch & Pickett's lumber yard. Motions were at the same time made for the health and government of the city, as well as for matters of general good, a stand being made against the permitting of hogs, goats, and other animals to roam at large about the public highways within the corporate limits. Three Fire-Wardens, in the persons of W. L. Van Doren, William Zartman, and William F. Lyon, were appointed on the 17th by the President. The Board, in meeting assembled, on this occasion considered the opening of the proposed Front street ; on discussion, however, the motion proposing its adoption was lost, by a vote of three againt the opening to two for it. The subject was again brought up for reconsideration on the 19th, when its adoption was deferred till the next day, the ordinance " To define Front street," being then adopted by sections, and directions given for its publication in the Sonoma County Herald. In due time bids for the building of a City prison were opened, and decrees concerning disor- derly conduct, the suppression of houses of ill-fame, the storage of wood and gunpowder, and the prevention of public nuisances adopted. The completion of the prison was reported June 21st. On July 1 9th, English street, from the creek to Upham street, was declared open, and on the 26th the survey of the corporate limits was announced to be completed. August 19th a tax of one per cent, was ordered to be levied upon the assessed property of the city, which was objected to by T. F. Baylis, who thought an injustice was done him by such a levy on vessels owned by him. The matter was referred to Messrs. Anderson and Cooper, as a committee, to investigate the law in ref- erence to the tax on craft running on Petaluma creek. On September 23d, a committee, composed of H. Gowan, J. McCune, A. B. Derby, John S. Robberson and J. L. Pickett, citizens of Petaluma, was appointed to estab- lish a grade on Main street, beginning at the crossing at Jackson and Lusk's building, and extending to Stanley hill. A survey was ordered to be made of the square bounded by Main, Washington, Liberty and English streets, on the 29th ; while at this time a full and correct statement of all business transacted in the different oflBces of the municipality, and all monies received and paid from the time of their entering upon their duties up to the first Monday in October, was directed to be prepared for presentation to the Board of Trustees, who in turn should make a report of the financial condi- 270 5IS.T0RX OF SONOJtA COIJNTY, CAJ.IF05NIA, tioii,, of t)lie city, ^y:hicli WM d.OBfi, *nd fiinslly approved and ordeFed priatei^ October 6th ; November 9th, the Board deter^QiI^ed their willingness, iaa receive bids for the construction of t^yo brick fire-cisterns, of the capacity c^ twenty thousand gallons each ; on December 8th, a committee, appointed to carry out the scheme, reported that a contract had been entered into with J. B. Kean, for seven hundred and ninety-nine dollars, for the construction of the same, one to be situated at the intersection of English and Kentucky streets, and the other at the crossing of the latter street with Washington. So much for the doings of the Board of Trustees during the year 1858; we will now revert to other matters of more general interest. In the Fall of the year 1858 the subject of providing a suitable school house was taken up with a strong will by the residents, and a well attended meeting to consider the means to be adopted was held on the evening of Friday, September 3rd, when it was conceded on every hand that such an iijstitution was imperatively needed. A resolution was accordingly passed requesting the School Trustees to issue a call for an election to vote an assessment of five thousand dollars for this object. About this period another school, kept by Mrs. Varney and named the Hill Seminary, would appear to have had an existence, whUe it is recorded that a large bell of a thousand pounds weight was placed in the steeple of the newly completed Bap- tist church. In this regard Petalumahad certftinly made considerable advance ; three jears before she possessed but one church, the Methodist, and that of the most meagre dimensions ; with the completion of the Baptist she boasted four large and commodious places of worship, to wit : a Methodist, a Congregational, a Catholic, and that already named, besides which the Episcopalians had a building in course of construction. Mr. Barnes, the School Marshal for the city reports the number of children, for the past year, between four and eighteen years of age to be four hundred and four ; under four years, one hundred and eighty-seven, showing a total of five hundred and ninety -one. Of this number two hundred and eighty -nine are boys and three hundred and two girls; of these one hundred and ninety-six are California born, while thirty-four are orphans. The year 1858 also saw many business im- provements, among them being the erection of a brick building for a machine shop, also the building of a tannery in East Petaluma, while the streets which the previous winter were a " slough of despond " promised soon to rival the works of that " colosus of roads" McAdam. Several new buUdings were being put up and arrangements mdde for the construction of others — everything was prosperous, as may be gleaned from the following words of a local writer: "The growth of Petaluma, unlike many California towns, is like the oaks upon the hills — every inch gained in size is firmly and securely put together and bound to stick." With all this, yet she wanted more. She desired a postal route, hence, to Humboldt bay via Bloomfield, Tomales, B<^ega, Fort Ross, and other points along the coast; a railroad by way of HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 271 Santa Eosa to Healdsburg. was another; and the straightening of the creek between the city and Rudesill's Landing, and proper locks put up so as to make navigation easy. Taking it all in all, the year 1858 developed new elements of wealth, an increase of population and a spirit of content among the people of the city which it wiU be our duty to show has never decreased to the present time. The year 18.59 was ushered in, as has been shown, by a promise of lasting plenty. On the 3d of January the Petaluma Hook and Ladder Company, No. 1, and Petaluma Engine Company No. 1, were recognised by the Board of Trustees as independent companies, while for the better protection of property from fire, an ordinance requiring house-holders to keep a certain supply of water on their premises was ordered to be drafted. In this month a petition to the Legislature was put in circulation asking the repeal of the act incorporating the city; but it did not receive much encouragement from the tax-paying portion of the community, nor the press. The Journal of January 21st, on this question remarks: "That there are objections to be urged against the charter itself, we are well aware, but against municipal gov- ernment they are very few. The defects which have manifested themselves in the charter should be reduced. Thus far, imperfect as it may be, it has worked advantageously, and that, too, at but trifling cost to our citizens. "With some alterations we believe it will work to the satisfaction of all. " At the meeting held on February 17th, an ordinance creating a Fire Department was passed and instructions given for its official publication, while other regu- lations were adopted in regard to the better protection against fire. The office of Fire- Wardens was abolished, the Foremen of the companies being required to fulfil the duties of these offices. J. E. Congleton was on this date appointed Constable in place of J. K. Brown, dismissed. March 7tb, the resignation of E. B. Cooper from the Board was accepted, the following resolution being adopted on his retirement: "Resolved, That in accepting the resignation of E. B. Cooper, we take this occasion to bear testimony to his uniform courtesy, fidelity and efficiency as a member of this Board. " On this secession from office Frank W. Shattuck was appointed in his stead, while on the same date George Walker and Frank Bray were elected Chief and Assistant engineers of the Fire Department. Thus was the first year of office closed with what record the long list of business transacted, only partially quoted by us, will speak for itself. On April 18, 1859, the second election for municipal offices was held with the foUowLag result: Board of Trustees, William Ordwaj', Thomas F. Baylis, James N. McCune, J. Q. Shirley and William L. Anderson, President; Recorder, S. AbeU; Marshal, J. D. Cross; Treasurer, Lewis Lamberton ; Asses- sor, F. Post; Clerk, O. T. Baldwin; Constable, William Blower. The books and papers having been handed over to the appointees, the requisite com- mittees on ways and means were nominated forthwith. On May 5th, an 272 HISTOET OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. ordinance regulating the duties of the municipal police was passed, followed on the 26th by another regulating the width of sidewalks to be eight feet, excepting on English, Potato, Mary and Martha streets, which should be six feet wide. Placing obstructions on the trottoirs was at the same time made a punishable offence. A lengthy dissertation hereafter followed on the nature of the pavement to be used which was finally left in the hands of a com- mittee, while another was appointed to devise means for the improvement of the creek. An ordinance was passed on August 8th authorizing the arrest of intoxicated persons, and directing their trial, when sober, by the Recorder; on the same day a tax of two dollars to establish a school fund was author- ized. December 19th, a petition was received from the resident physicians of the city of Petaluma praying that the Board of Trustees confer with the Supervisors of Sonoma county in regard to the establishment of a fund to be devoted to the care of the indigent sick, a motion which was referred to a committee. The last act of the year was the resignation on December 30th of Treasurer Lamberton and the appointment of Smith D. Towne in his stead. During the year 1859, the city would appear to have still kept up its onward march; real estate had increased in value, the brick building on Main street, opposite the American Hotel, erected by Captain P. B. Hew- lett, having been disposed of for six thousand six hundred dollars to L. Lewis, while E. R. Moffet had purchased the lot adjoining on the south from the same gentleman for four thousand four hundred. On the east side of the creek building had proceeded briskly, and as a matter of consequence the value of lots in that part of the city had materially advanced, as high as five hundred dollars having been refused for a lot measuring eighty by one hundred feet. Roads, too, were being located with all speed ; among others, the Supervisors had directed the commencement of one from Petaluma, and one from Lakeville, to Sonoma; one from Petaluma to the Marin county line, to intersect the San Rafael road; one from Petaluma, via Two-Rock valley, to the Marin county line; and one from Petaluma to Bodega. In June, 1859, a movement was started by several of the prominent citi- zens of Petaluma to raise the sum of ten thousand dollars for the purpose of erecting a first-class institution of learning. The plan of operation intended was the formation of a joint-stock company, the shares to be placed at five hundred dollars each, the building to be constructed of brick or stone, and to be arranged after the most approved style of modern board- ing schools, so as to offer every accommodation to pupils from a distance as well as to those in the district. As a first step, the old house was sold on July 9th, when it brought ninety-nine dollars and eighty-five cents, which was after augmented to an even sum by a contribution of fifteen cents from some generous-hearted citizen. No time was lost in the commencement of the new building or the letting of contracts, and on August 6th the m H Ct^'P'1^-%^ HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 273 corner-stone was laid with much ceremony, and the finest school building in the State was looked for at no distant date. The lot on which the struc- ture stands is centrally located, it being one hundred and fifty by three hun- dred and ninety, feet in area, while the building itself covers forty -eight by ninety-four feet, ground measure. The rooms are arranged for three sev- eral departments — primary, intermediate and grammar. The room for the primary department is on the first floor, and is twenty-eight by forty-two feet. That for the intermediate, also on the first floor, and having an inde- pendent entrance, is forty-two feet square, with recitation room fourteen by sixteen feet. The grammar, or classical department, occupies the upper floor. The main room is forty -five by fifty-four feet, connected with which are two recitation rooms, each fourteen by twenty-two feet, and a library room, fourteen by fourteen feet. The entire cost of the building is estimated at eleven thousand three hundred and forty-one dollars and ten cents. While on the subject of this noble effort on the part of the city of Petaluma it may be well to mention that the school-house was dedicated on Monday, February 20, 1860, under the most auspicious circumstances. On Tuesday, August 30, 1859, an interesting ceremony took place in the presentation to the Petaluma Guards of a stand of colors, by Miss Louise Perkins, who, on behalf of the " matrons and maidens of Petaluma," made a neat and felicitous speech on the occasion. Among other events in this year, worthy of being recorded, several dastardly attempts to fire the city should not be omitted. It would appear that no less than three efforts had been made, the first being on the night of the 6th October, in the lumber or store-house connected with the carriage factory of William Ordway, located at the lower end of the business part of the town; a second attempt was made in the rear of the Franklin Hotel, on the night of October 8th; the third took place on the evening of the 10th, while yet another, and per- haps the boldest attempt at arson yet made, was discovered on the evening of November 20th, on the premises of Porter Brothers, on Keokuk street. Fortunately the work of the villainous incendiaries was on each occasion discovered ere any harm could be done. The newspapers of the day report a mysterious murder to have occurred about this time. On the last named date the dead body of a man named James Neary was discovered lying on a pile of wood, near the Occidental Mills, on the east side of the creek, with a wound in the left breast, which, upon examination, proved to have been inflicted by a large knife. The blow was one of great force, literally split- ting the fifth rib and passing through the heart. A most rigid and thorough investigation of all the evidence in the case was had, but without eliciting positive proof of who committed the deed. Deceased had for some time previously been living at Bodega, but more recently had been employed at Two-Rock Valley, which place he left and came to the city on the Saturday. He was last seen at two o'clock on Sunday morniag, in company with one 18 274 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. Haley, who was accordingly arrested, circumstances pointing strongly to him as the author ; he was therefore held for trial, and committed to the county prison. In casting a retrospective glance upon the city for the year 1859, we find prosperity still on the increase, and Petaluma, from an unimportant country town, rapidly becoming a city of opulence, refinement and culture. Its red- wood shake stores and ware-houses had long ago given place to elegant and capacious brick and freestone edifices, its uneven, irregular and muddy thoroughfares to well graded and paved streets; its rough and unpainted shanties, unblessed by the light of woman's smile, to neat and inviting cottages and comfortable homes, around whose hearthstones clustered groups of prattling children ; its places of worship had increased four-fold, and its population in a like ratio. The open waste of meadow land was being fast inclosed ; cultivated fields appeared on every hand, and the hills covered with flocks and herds. A number of families, not only from the Eastern States, and from the mining regions of the State, but from the surrounding towns of Sonoma and Marin counties had moved into Petaluma, with the determination of making it their permanent home, while the promise for the future was as hopeful as ever. With the above described state of prosperity the city commenced the year 1860. Early in February the citizens presented a petition to the Board of Trustees, praying for an official survey of Petaluma, and on March 26th it was ordered that W. A. Eliason be employed to make such survey, he being paid therefor at the rate of two hundred dollars per month, the corporation furnishing him with two assistants. On April 16th, the election of munici- pal officers took place ; however, before giving the names of these gentlemen we would here quote from the Journal what were the issues of the day to be considered in connection with the election: " Let none other than such persons as will pledge themselves to use their best efforts to have the naviga- tion of Petaluma creek improved, receive your votes. Let this be the test, for with the Board of Trustees to be elected on that day depends the fate of the charter for improving the navigation of Petaluma creek. "One year has passed since the Legislature of this State granted us a charter for the improving of the creek, and conceding to the corporation each and every point asked, and yet the city authorities have failed to avail themselves of its advantages. The provisions of the bill are of a most liberal character, so much so, indeed, that it is a well-known fact that like privileges could not have been obtained by any private body of citizens. By its pro- visions it became the duty of the city to commence the work within one year from the passage of the act, and to have the work completed within two years. Enough money has probably been expended on the creek to prevent a forfeiture. To secure to our city the full benefit of the improvements, a provision was inserted that the Board of Trustees " shall have power to sell. HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 275 transfer and convey, all or any part of the right, privileges, franchises and immunities,'' to such parties as may agree to make the required improve- ments " on the most favorable terms, and giving a good and satisfactory bond for the faithful performance of the contract." For improving the creek the city is granted the right to collect a " toll of seven cents per ton for all vessels passing through the lock or locks, either way for the past ten years, and five cents per ton for ten additional years." The choice of the people fell on Frank W. Lougee, William Ordway, William L. Anderson, President; Edward Barnes and D. D. Carder as a Board of Trustees, with the following officers: Clerk, O. T. Baldwin; Recorder, L. C. Reyburn; Assessor, Smith D. Towne; Marshal, George L. Bradley; Street Commissioner, J. B. Hinkle. On April I7th, a contract was entered into with W. A. Eliason for surveying the city and defining the blocks and streets; and, on the 28rd the Clerk was authorized to procure a Corporation seal for the Board. It was made a mis- demeanor, on June 19th, for the owner or driver of any animal or team to permit it to stand in the street in front of an engine house, under a penalty of not more than ten or less than two dollars; while on July 16th privilege was granted to John Cavanagh, Geoi^e L. Bradley and John Robbins, to convey fresh water from their springs in pipes along the several streets in the city, and to supply the same to such citizens as may desire to purchase it. The above mentioned gentlemen, having incorporated themselves into the Petaluma Mountain Water Company, had surveyed a route between the city and the Adobe creek and proposed the introduction of water from that stream, the distance being estimated at four and-e half miles. Such was the want of this commodity that on December 17th the Board of Trustees un- hesitatingly passed the following resolution: " That the Petaluma Mountain Water Company have the right to introduce water from the Adobe creek through any lands, streets, alleys or public places over which the city has control, provided the city have the free use of the water so introduced for fire purposes and for public schools." July 30th, an ordinance prohibiting dis- orderly conduct within the city limits was passed, it being at the same time resolved " that hereafter this Board will refuse to audit any bills against the city for the trial of any person or persons for misdemeanor wherein Justices of the Peace have concurrent jurisdiction with Recorder's Court," the follow- ing commendable rule being also made, that the Clerk of the Board be required to draw warrants upon the Treasurer according to priority of numbers. The resignation of Street Commissioner Hinkle was received and accepted on October 1st; on the 26th the name of the street hitherto distinguished by the appellation of Potato, was changed to the more euphonious one of Pros- pect, while on November 9th, the map drawn by W. A. Eliason, after such alterations as were ordered had been made, was accepted and adopted as the official map of the city of Petaluma. In this year we have the first mention of a railroad having taken any- 276 HISTORY OK SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. thing like a definite shape. It would appear that A. P. Overton had asked the Legislature for the right to construct a rail track between Petaluma and a point on the creek known as the Italian garden. By some the project was loudly berated as an outrageous attempt to despoil, rob, and even to remove Petaluma to Saucelito! By others it was advocated, with considerable warmth. Another railroad scheme mooted about this time would appear to have found greater favor in the eyes of the public, for no less than two sur- veys are reported to have been made for a railroad down the creek from Petaluma, the first being ior a track from May's landing, four miles in length, cutting off about twelve miles of meandering creek navigation, at a cost of forty-five thousand five, hundred and twenty -eight dollars; and the second, on the opposite or eastern side of the creek, commencing at LakevUle, the distance being six miles from Petaluma, and costing forty-nine thousand five hundred and thirty-five dollars. The last route was adopted on account of readier facilities for the earlier completion of the undertaking, and the cut- ting off of some difficult navigation. We must now record the opening up of stage communication with Tomales bay, as also the occurrence of two fires on the 8th and 10th of May, when a stable belonging to J. A. Gaston, and the carpenter's shop of Eli Mullen were totally destroyed. Mention should also be made of a pronounced desire on the part of residents in Marin to petition the Legislature that their county line should be extended eastward, so as to include all that portion of Sonoma lying between the then county line of Marin and Sonoma, and the Napa line, and as far north as may be necessary to embrace Two-Rock valley. Big valley, etc., thence on to the mouth of the Estero Americano, and that Petaluma should become the county seat of Marin; all of which found some advocates, but not in sufficient numbers to carry the plan into effect. In this year of grace, too, was opened the pub- lic road between Sonoma and this city, though it was not completed without considerable opposition from many whose lands it ran through. In the month of November a contract was awarded to Rudesill & Parsons for carrying a semi- weekly mail between Petaluma and Sacramento, while on December 14th the Petaluma Savings and Loan Society was established, rules and regu- lations adopted, and the following officers elected: President, F. W. Lougee; Vice-President, William Ordway ; Secretary, I. S. Church; Trustees — F. W. Lougee, James N. McCune, William Ordway, S. H. Wagener, B. F. Tuttle and I. D. Cross. In 1861, the city records show that on January 15th the Clerk of the Board of Trustees was instructed to set forth to the representative in the Legislature the desire of the Board to have the city map as made out by W. A. Eliason, legalized. We also find that an election was called for March 4th to select officers for the Fire Department, but no record is extant as to who were chosen on the occasion, neither is the result of an election ordered to take place on the 2.5th of March in accordance with an act of the Legisla- HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 277 ture providing for an election on the question of the repeal of the charter, recorded. From the periodicals of the day we glean that the city of Peta- luma was divided on the question of the repeal of the charter; there wure those who opposed it solely on the grounds of its alleged defects, but who were honest in their purpose to destroy it in order to secure a new one that would in their iudgment better promote the interests of the city, while the opposite party took the ground that though the charter was not without its defects, still, it had accomplished much good for the city, and, as it could neither tax citizens nor involve them in debt, it would be certainly more prudent to retain it in its original form until something better should be found to take its place. We here produce the following terse and apposite remarks on the subject from the columns of the Sonoma County Journal " of March 22, 1861. "As citizens of this young and growing city we have interests which are peculiarly our own, and we are threatened by dangers and animated by hopes that do not directly affect our fellow citizens of the surrounding country. The Legislature has conferred upon us the privilege of fostering, protecting, and building up these interests, by the adoption of any wise and prudent means that our judgment may approve, or our circum- stances allow. We are also clothed with the power of self protection against all the evils and dangers that threaten us, whether it be the safety, the peace, the order, or the morality of the city that is violated. Under such circumstances, by a union of effort, directed by a prudent regard fur our own interest, Petaluma may continue to increase in wealth, prosperity and commercial importance, until our highest hopes are realized. But if we say to the Legislature, take back the privilege you have conferred upon us, we have no interests to foster, no evils to eradicate, no dangers to avert, no hopes to realize through such a union of energy and enterprise as these charter privileges were designed to promote — then we publish to the world the indu- bitable evidence of our want of enterprise and public spirit, and deliberately abandon the only means that wisdom and experience have been able to devise to meet the wants and interests, and secure prosperity of communi- ties such as ours. If we allow selfishness, jealousy, folly or caprice to hood- wink us into the perpetration of an act that will so completely cripple our progress and prostrate our interests, we can look to the future with no joyous anticipations, and henceforth will have everything to lear and nothing to hope." The annual election of municipal officers was held on April 15th, with the following result: E. Barnes, President, Samuel C. Brown, I. D. Cross, E. Elliot, B. F. Tuttle, Board of Tru.stees; Marshal, D. F. Strother ; Recorder, J. Chandler; Treasurer, S. D. Towne; Assessor, W. L. Anderson; Street Commissioner, L. N. Harmon; Clerk, O. T. Baldwin. On 23d April, Surveyor Eliason was instructed to set five monuments within the limits of his survey of the city, commencing at the intersection of English and Main streets, while on October 7th the resignation of 0. T. Baldwin was accepted, and F. D. Colton appointed Clerk to the Board in his stead. 278 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. In the month of March-, 1861, a petition numerously signed was put into circulation, having as its intention the asking the Legislature to pass an act allowing the citizens of Sonoma county the privilege of voting on the re- moval of the county-seat from Santa Rosa to Petaluma. To this end, on the 4th of April, a bill was introduced in the Senate by Senator Edgerton of Napa entitled " An Act to re-locate the county-seat of Sonoma county by the qualified votes of Sonoma county ; " but from the fact of Santa Rosa being still the capital, nothing would appear to have come of the movement. Up to this period several ineffectual attempts had been made to secure tele- graphic communication with San Francisco and other portions of the State. Mr. J. E. Skidmore, acting as the deputy of the Benicia and Napa Tele- graphic Company, visited this city for the purpose of entering into a contract with its citizens for the extension of the line from Napa, by way of Sonoma, to Petaluma, agreeing on his part to perform the work for the sum of two thousand five hundred dollars. Shares to be placed at fifty dollars each and the Superintendent of the above company to take ten shares, he promising at the same time to have the line in working order in six weeks; a project which was ultimately successful. Another improvement then effected was the opening up of a new street along the bank of the creek, forty feet, in width, from Washington street to "' Tom's Stable. " The original intention had been to open it from Washington to English street, but the project was partially deleated bj' the proprietors of the Franklin Hotel who claimed damages to a large amount. The only other party asking damages was Mr. Hill, corner of Washington and Main street, whose property would have been seriously affected by the new street, and who claimed the sum of twelve hundred dollars. The amount was speedily raised by the pro- perty holders along the contemplated thoroughfare and work ' immediately proceeded with. The railroad scheme had no sooner taken tangible shape than the necessity for its extension to Healdsburg was immediately felt; how it succeeded will be shown hereafter. At the end of 1861, the school census for the year placed the number of scholars in the city, between the ages of four and eighteen years of age, at five hundred and fourteen; between eighteen and twenty-one, forty-seven; total number of scholars in the district, five hundred and sixty-one; of which number two hundred and fifty-nine were males and two hundred and fifty-five females. Number of children born in California, four hundred and twenty-five. Number in the district under four years of age, two hundred and seventy-two, thus making a total of eight hundred and thircy-three inhabitants under twenty- one years of age. In concluding the record of this year, a most momentous one in history, for to the entire American nation it had been fraught with deep pain, we must not omit to mention, in terms most laudatory, the right feeling which sustained the inhabitants of this city in the hour of trial. We would here HISTORY OF SONOMA COTJNTY, CALIFOENIA. 279 quote Bayard Taylor's stirring ode to ing the feelings of the time : — That late, in half -despair, I said : " The nation's ancient life is dead; Her arm is weak, her blood is cold ; She hugs the peace that gives her gold, — The shameful peace, that sees expire Each beacon-light of patriot fire, And makes her court a traitor's den," — Forgive me this, my countrymen ! O, in your long forbearance grand. Slow to suspect the treason planned. Enduring wrong, yet hoping good For sake of olden brotherhood. How grander, how sublimer far At the roused eagle's call ye are. Leaping from slumber to the fight For Freedom and for Chartered Eight ! Throughout the land t:here goes a cry ; A sudden splendor fills the sky : From every hill the banners burst, Ijike buds by April breezes nurst ; In every hamlet, home, and mart. The fire-beat of a single heart Keeps time to strains whose pulses mix Our blood with that of Seventy-six ! The shot whereby the old flag fell From Sumter's battered citadel Struck down the lines of party creed And made ye One in soul and deed, — the American people, as best portray- One mighty People, stern and strong To crush the consummated wrong ; Indignant with the wrath whose rod Smites as the avrful sword of God ! The cup is full ! They thought ye blind : The props of State they undermined ; Abused your trust, your strength defied, And stained the N^ation's name of pride. Now lift to Heaven your loyal brows. Swear once again your fathers' vows. And cut through traitor hearts a track To nobler fame and freedom back ! Draw forth your million blades as one ; Complete the battle then begun ! God fights with ye, and overhead Floats the dear banner of your dead. They, and the glories of the Past, The Future, dawning dim and vast. And all the holiest hopes of Man, Are beaming triumph in your van I Slow to resolve, be swift to do ! Teach ye the false how fight the true ! How bucklered perfidy shall feel In her black heart the patriot's steel ; How sure the bolt that justice wings ; How weak the arm a traitor brings ; How mighty they, who steadfast stand For Freedom's Flag and Freedom's Land ! At this epoch what a wail went throughout the nation ! Brave men fell in battle on American soO.. Fathers lost sons, sons fathers, brothers brothers. and the land was loud with the lamentations of the widow and orphan. In the midst of this woe, how pleasant it is to record that the ranks of the volunteer regiments of California were almost daily receiving accessions to their strength, and stiU more pleasing is it to remember that Petaluma did its share on the side of Freedom by sending Company D, Captain William E. Hull, into the regular service. We will now continue our resume of the transactions of the Board of Trustees. On January 20, 1862, a committee was appointed to draft amend- ments to the city charter, as also one to define rules for the government of the Board, while on the 25th the following ordinances were adopted: Those relating to licenses; fire department; meetings of Board; disorderly conduct; street commissioner; grades on Main and Washington streets; nuisances; swine and goats ; well .in East Petaluma ; water rights to John Cavanagh et al.; repeal of certain ordinances; and a set of rules for the guidance of the municipality in their counsels was introduced and passed. On April 21st, 280 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. the annual election was held with the following result: B. F. Tuttle, E. Elliott, I. D. Cross, Samuel Brown, W. D. Bliss, President, Board of Trustees; Recorder, Josiah Chandler; Treasurer, F. T. Maynard; Marshal, John Cava- nagh; Assessor, T. S. Lindsey; Street Commissioner, J. M. Lightner; Clerk, F. D. Colton, who on the 28th July was appointed City Attorney in addition to his other duties. On August 19th, the plaza was directed to be enclosed by a fence, and on September 26th, a meeting of citizens was directed to be convened for the purpose of considering the propriety of raising a patriotic fund for the relief of sick and wounded soldiers of the war. Early in the year, the much vexed question of creek navigation was taken up, and a steam dredge set to work to deepen the channel; this was not the work of the corporation, however, but that of Mr. Minturn of the steamboat company. He purposed making the creek navigable only as far as the point known as the Italian garden, where he would place the steamer landing, the balance he left with the citizens. At this period the question of the horse railroad from that point was again mooted, a.nd a committee composed of Messrs. Lamberton, Overton, Baylis, Lougee, Barnes, Ordway, and Sawyer, were appointed to draft a bill to be submitted at a meeting to be subsequently convened. On the 4th March such meeting was duly held and the approval of the bill was unanimously signified by the assembly. Its provisions were that H. J. May, Charles M. Baxter, William Kohl, and those whom they may associate with them, shall lay out a railroad, on which horses and mules shall be used, from the Italian garden to any point in Petaluma, provided that the road shall not extend north of Washington street. It further provided that the corporation shall collect passage and freight on said road, the rate to be fixed by the Trustees of the city of Petaluma, which shall not be less than eighteen per cent, a year on the amount of capital invested, unless by consent of the company, giving them the right to so collect for twenty years. It also provided that the work on the road shall be commenced within six months, and com- pleted within twenty-two months. In this enterprise the city had not been asked to render any assistance; individual enterprise alone appeared in the work which should apparently have been taken hold of by the community; how it prospered will, in the course of our labors, be shown. In the month of March a bill to amend the charter of Petaluma was laid before the Legis- lature. In reporting the movement the Alta of the 11th of that month says: "Mr. Reed moved to suspend the rules, consider engrossed, on part or final passage. Mr. Dudley, of Placer, asked for the reading of the bill, and after it was read, he characterized it as a most extraordinary bill. It proposed to allow the city to exact licenses from billiard tables, dram-shops, etc., and he thought it would interfere with the general revenue law. He moved to'recoramit it to the delegation from Sonoma for revision. Mr. Reed said it was in no respect an extraordinary bill, and did not conflict with the HISTOiy' OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 281 revenue law at all It simply asked the same privilege for Petaluma that was enjoyed by San Francisco, Sacramento, and all the other cities. The motion to suspend the rules was sustained, and the bill passed," We repro- duce from the Journal of May 30, 1862, an article which goes far to show the attitude of public feeling, on the subject of the city charter a decade after the settlement of the town was commenced. " Since discussions of many important enterprises had, of late among our citizens have invariably closed in the expression that nothing at present can be done, while at the same time all have admitted the necessity of the measures we have made bold to express, wherein lays the cause of nonaction; and as a result almost always find that the assistance and co-operation of Petaluma as an incorpor- ated people, is needed ; but that, being restricted by its charter in its action, is powerless for good, and thus ip. its shackled condition, all large enter- prises needing its endorsement, fall palsied, still-born, to the ground. A glance at the charter and we are convinced that powerless indeed is Peta- luma, as an incorporated city, for the accomplishment of any great result. Like a child has she been bound; no tool of cunning placed in its hands but its effective edge is first carefully rounded off, lest, forsooth, it cuts its fingers, and there he a doctor's bill to pay. " We have no disposition to rebuke those individuals who first conceived the idea of restricting the city in its action ; but we are free to say that such a course w^as a decided protest to the great principles of republican government, "that the people are able to govern themselves." It has always been a principle of law that when power is given to individuals and bodies to do certain acts; that all minor powers necessary to perform these acts, go with the gift. In Petaluma's ease, however, the rule has been changed; she has been made a city in name, privileges vested in her to do certain things, but the means for doing, no matter what the wishes of the people, are carefully and wisely (?) taken from her. How like the child is she, whose father sends her to school to be educated, but fails to pro- vide the necessary books to learn from ; or the mechanic that is expected to execute a fine piece of work, but has neither the tools nor material to do it with. " Such is the condition of Petaluma, her hands tied to the performance of every great work. Better by far would it be that she had no pretensions at all, rather than a vain sounding title, without the means to adorn it and make it useful. Her means must be frittered away in half finished founda- tions, whilst the superstructure never is raised. The objection has been offered that the city might be run in debt if her people, through their Trustees, were permitted to do such things as her wants reaUy demand. If such is the fear, and if that is a good reason for the restriction, why have a city at all ? Why not remain as a township, with the County Supervisors to judge and provide for our wants as they deem necessary. * • * 282 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALWOENIA. As a conclusion, we may remark that there are many enterprises which, if they had a few years since been carried through, would by this time have paid for themselves by taxation on the increased value of property, besides the largely increased one of population and business. No more appropriate occasion than the present has ever presented itself in which to make a movement for the abandonment of the narrow-minded policy which has so long governed us. The disputed land claim upon which our city rests, about to be settled, the individual enterprise of some of our citizens invite the the people to step forth and declare, that to govern themselves they need not be restricted by others." Let us now continue our note of events: On the night of the 10th April, a fiendish attempt to destroy the city prison by fire was made by an intoxicated person named Crane. Fortunately for him the flames were dis- covered in sufficient time to check their progress, else he would have perished on a pyre of his own raising. Again, on Thursday July 3d, the first con- flagration of any magnitude which the city had experienced broke out in a building occupied by Mr. Pierson. Although the fire company labored man- fully, yet, spite of all eflbrts, the property belonging to Mr. Pierson, that of William Ayres, occupied by R. Lansdon as a livery stable, and the Artesian Water Works of Mr. Armstrong were burned to the ground, considerable damage being also done to the premises of the Sonoma County Journal and others. The losses on the occasion were not far short of three thousand dollars. Among all the prospects for the future in which the mind of man is engrossed, unlooked for death occasionally steals in to prove that we are but mortal. On the 30th of January, 1862, Doctor S. W. Brown, one of the earliest of the city's residents, was struck down in the full strength and vigor of a useful life, esteemed, respected, and sorrowed for by all. He was a native of Hartford, Connecticut, and at the time of his death was about sixty years of age. He emigrated to California in 1849, and located in Sacra- mento, where he continued to reside until the Spring of 1852, at which time he removed to Petaluma, where he had since resided. He was a man of much literary attainment, and a warm friend of education, and had been untiring in his eflbrts for its advancement in this city. In 1860 he was a candidate on the Republican ticket for State Superintendent of Public Instruction. " So live, that when thy siiminons comes to join The innumerable caravan that moves To the pale realms of shade, where each shall take His chamber in the silent halls of death, Thou go not, like the quarry slave, at night Scourged to his dungeon; but sustained and soothed By an unfaltering trust, approach thy grave Like one who wraps the drapery of his couch About him, and lies down to pleasant dreams." HISTOET OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 283 At this period of her existence Petaluma entered into a career of prosper- ity unequalled by any portion of her past history. The first real estate sales of any moment which had taken place in two years indicated flattering prospects for the future; while wood shanties made way for more substan- tial fabrics, notable among these being the removal of the American Hotel back a distance of sixty feet, and the contemplated substitution of a three- storied brick edifice. This building was finished and ready for the occupa- tion of guests early in 1863. In addition to these signs of prosperity we should not omit to mention that in this year (1862) the city was well stocked with mechanical establishments ; of these enterprises there being, the black- smithing and wheelwright shops of William Ordway, the tannery of Mr. Bailey, the carriage and blacksmith emporium of Fritsch, Zartman & Co., the foundry and machine shop of Hatch & Cobb ; and in East Petaluma, the match factory under charge of Mr. Hutchings. Another indication of pros- perity which made itself apparent at this time was the fact of their being so few unoccupied houses, while all through the town signs of increase in building accommodation was to be seen. Once more the incendiary's black- ened hand had been to work ! On the 7th November, the Petaluma Steam Flouring Mills, situated at the north end of Main street, were totally destroyed by fire, notwithstanding every efibrt was made to save them by the Fire Department. The building was erected by Veatch & Hutchinson, in 1857, at a cost of upwards of twenty thousand dollars. On March 7, 1863, the records of the city announce the election of T. F. Baylis and A. P. Mallory as Chief and A«istant Engineers of the Fire Depart- ment, and on April 20th, the annual election of city officers was held, when the following body corporate was chosen : B 'arJ of Trustees, O. Sweetland, President; Lee Ellsworth, John Shroufe, William Ordway, and H. L. Weston ; Recorder, Josiah Chandler; Marshal, John Cavanagh ; Treasurer, F. T. Maynard ; Assessor, T. K. Wilson ; Street Commissioner, J. M. Lightner ; Clerk, F. D. Colton. At the session succeeding the election the thanks of the meeting were tendered to W. D. Bliss, the retiring President, for the dignity and impartiality with which he had presided over their deliberations during his term of office. A report of the Committee appointed to investi- gate the working of the ordinance relative to the Fire Department was accepted on May 25th, while on the day following a law was passed granting to C. M. Baxter and others the right to erect gas works and lay pipes through the streets of the city. On November 9th, a petition was presented by certain citizens to De allowed to erect a bridge over the ravine at the junction of Fifth and Sixth streets; a Committee was appointed to investigate the necessity of such, and reported adversely, but recommended the substitution of a few planks to be placed across the chasm at that point ; however, on December 14th, the bridge was finally ordered to be constructed, the city fumlshiag the material, notwithstanding the willingness of the resi- dents in that section to defray the cost thereof. 284 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. About half-past four o'clock on the morning of February 18, 1863, the bell again rang out its clarion tones to arouse the slumbering firemen. The Petaluma House was the scene of the alarm — the kitchen, or ell, ot which was discovered to be in flames. This building, as also those immediately adjoining on either side, being wooden and of the most combustible character^ the flames spread rapidly, and soon cleared a space of about one hundred and twenty-five feet on Main street, notwithstanding the noble efibrts put forth by the firemen to stay its course. That the fire was the work of an incendiary admits of not a doubt The hotel in which it originated had not been occupied for several weeks. The sufferers were Charles Hunt, of Peta- luma, and H. H. Parkell, of San Francisco, owners of the hotel ; B. Newman, owner of the building adjoining it on the south ; Fritsch, Zartman & Co., owners of that adjoining it on the north, and the Pohelman Brothers, butch- ers, occupants of the same. About the time that the firemen were congratulating themselves that the danger of a general conflagration had passed, and there being scarcely a breath of air stirring, notwithstanding the magnitude of the fire, they were appalled by the startling intelligence that the rear of the brick building on the east side of the street, owned by Doctor J. L. Bond, and occupied by Thomas Hagans, as a stable (the building that stopped the fire of July 3d. from sweeping that side of the street) was in flames ! Upon turning their attention to this quarter, it was found that the hay, in the shed adjoining the building and standing immediately upon the bank of the creek, had been fired, and that the flames had already extended through the back door to the stables and roof of the brick building. All efibrts to save it proved unavail- ing, and the roof soon fell in with a loud crash. The horses, carriages, and portion of the harness were removed. The loss of property — building, hay, grain, harness, etc. — is estimated at from twelve to fifteen hundred dollars. The walls of the building having been of great thickness and durability they escaped with little or no damage. Once more we have to record the arrival of the dread messenger. On March 2d, Samuel Tustin, one of the oldest and most esteemed citizens of Petaluma, was called to cross the dark river, at the advanced age of seventy- three years. Mr. Tustin and his family were among the pioneers of this coast and State, having emigrated from Illinois to Oregon in 1847, from which point they came to California in 1849, settling at Sacramento, where he remained until 1851, when he moved to Petalurna, then an open plain, but from the bosom of which he lived to see spring into existence a numer- ous, happy and prosperous community. Having always taken an active part in all matters of a local character, upon the prerogative of a city govern- ment, he was chosen a member of the first Board of Trustees. The evening of the 19th of December was the city for the first time lit by gas, while a month earlier, the Central Flouring Mills commenced work, under the direc- HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 285 turn of A. P. Mallory, making the third flour mill erected in the city. Among the other occurrences of the year was that of a prize-fight, which took place on the bank of the creek, about one mile below LakeviUe, between Johnny Lazarus and Pete Daley. The school census for Petaluma District during the year was as follows : Males, over four and under eighteen years of age, two hundred and seventy; females over four and under eighteen, two hundred and fifty-one; total males and females, five hundred and twenty-one. Under four years of age, two hundred and sixteen; between eighteen and twenty-one years, thirty > under twenty-one, born in California, four hundred and seventy ; between four and six years, ninety-one ; between these ages attending public school, sixty-eight ; total attending public school, ninety-three ; total attending private school, eighty-two ; not attending any school, one hundred and forty- three; Indian children, ten; negro, five; deaf and dumb, three. The first record of any interest to be found in the proceedings of the Board of Trustees for the year 1864 is the election of the Corporation, on April 18th, these being : Board of Trustees — Lee Ellsworth, William Ord- way, John Sroufe, O. Sweetland, President, and A. P. Whitney ; Recorder, G. W. Reed; Assessor, T. K. Wilson; Marshal, John Cavanagh; Treasurer, F. T. Maynard; Street Commissioner, Almon Johnson; Clerk, F. B. Colton. On the 25th, the question of a salary to the Recorder was mooted, a com- mittee was, therefore, appointed to investigate the amount of emolument received in former years by that ofB.cer, so that the rate which should be voted, might be determined. In this regard the committee reported on May 3d that the average of salaries for the past three years had not exceeded one hundred and fifty dollars, while the sums received showed a yearly decrease; it was, therefore, on motion, ordered that the salary of the Recorder of the city of Petaluma be fixed and established at one hundred and twenty-five dollars per annum. Although the subject of railroads had been for long occupying the attention of the City Fathers, the first mention of one in their minute-book is found on May 23d, which appears ia these words: "A petition was received from C. Mintum to set aside the plaza, near the Union Hotel, for a railroad depot for twenty-five years, which was laid over under the rules of procedure." On June 13th, it was taken up and read, as was also a remonstrance against the granting of the prayer of the petition, signed by T. F. Baylis & Co., and others. On motion, it was ordered that the said petition and remonstrance, and the consideration tllereof be indefinitely postponed. July 2oth, it was voted that the President be authorized to take the steps in his judgment proper to ascertain the amount, and what public lands the city authorities can pre-empt, and to make application for a pre-emption of the same ; to this end inquiries were instituted, and a report made on August 8th, that the lawenabling the Board of Trustees to pre-empt land had lately been repealed. 286 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. We find, on October 4th, the report of the City Recorder was referred back to him that he should make a more definite report, specifying each case tried with amount of fees of difierent officers in each, amount of fines in each and sums collected in each. On February 19, 1864, the /Sonoma County Journal issued its valedictory address, the plant and good will having been purchased by the Argus, a paper which had been previously established. In this place we will add our slight tribute of praise to the very excellent manner in which this, the father of journalistic efibrt in Petalumaj was conducted; we must not forget to say how thankful we are for the host of valuable information in connection with this work which we have been enabled to glean from its columns, information which it would have been impossible to arrive at save from a newspaper. In the early part of the year 1864, complaints were rife in regard to the high prices which obtained for grain, flour, hay — indeed, every article of consumption fnr man and beast — a circumstance then causing the most gloomy forebodings. Let us not dwell, however, on these dark pic- tures; it is sufficient for our work to record their existence; more pleasurable is it to turn to the brighter and more progressive spots in Petaluma's history. At the epoch of which we write her many churches were all in a flourishing condition, new fire companies were organized as the necessity for them arose, while the public, as well as the private schools, showed commendable pros- perity and increase in attendance. The following remarks will illustrate the roll of scholars of the public schools for the year under consideration : Num- ber of boys between four and eighteen years of age, three hundred and fifty; number of girls between the same ages, three hundred and thirty-nine ; total number of white children between these ages, six hundred and eighty -nine. Number of white children under four years, three hundred and thir- teen; number between eighteen and twenty-one years, twenty-six. Num- ber of white children under twenty-one years bom in California, six hundred and fifty-five; number between four and six, one hundred and forty- seven; number of white children between four and six attending school, twenty-five. Number of Indian children between four and eighteen, fifteen; number of Negro children of same age, nine. In the month of May we find the residents of the city much concern^ in the matter of a bell, the story of which shall be told in as few words as possible : Several years before this period of which we write, the citizens were afflicted with a bell mania. The inhabitants of the lower portion of the city having, by contribution, pur- chased a beU for the Congregational church, those of^Vie upper portion of the town at once determined to obtain another that would weigh more and sound louder than the one destined to call the residents of Lower Petaluma to their devotions. The result of this determination was the contributing, by divers and sundry persons, of a sum amounting to six or seven hundred dollars which was entrusted to M. Doyle, who with it purchased the old Vigilance HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 287 Committee bell at San Francisco, the solemn cadence of which had warned Casey, Cora, and others that the time had come for them to shuffle off this mortal coil. By common consent the bell was hung in the belfrey of the First Baptist church in this city, with the conditions that it was to be used, not only as a church bell, but by the city, on all occasions when bells are usually in requisition; and in accordance with this arrangement, the city had kept a man eiijvployed to ring the bell at morning, noon and night. In consequence of the revolution which then shook the country from center to circumference, a revolution on a small scale was inaugurated in the Baptist congregation, and the result was the enacting of a set of loyal resolutions very unpalatable to the secession element of the community. On this cer- tain parties felt ;them selves aggrieved, foremost among whom was Mr. Doyle, and th( y detenpiped that the bell should not give forth its brazen notes over a " d — d Abolition congregation;" and as he (Doyle) had invested the sum of one hundred and five dollars in the aforesaid bell, he proceeded with a posse of men, and by means of a block and tackle, hoisted the bell from the belfry, placed it on a diay, and stored it in a convenient warehouse, much to the detriment of sleepy citizens who were wont to be released from the embrace of the drowsy god by its familiar peals. The excitement consequent upon this defiant disregard of the feelings and rights of the community was for a time intense, but it subsided when it became manifest that Doyle, with his bell, occupied as unenviable a position as did the man who drew the elephant in the lottery. At a future date public opinion demanded the rehanging of the bell, it was subsequently cracked, and to-day rings out in discordant notes, in lively contrast with the other chimes which gladden the sounds of the early Sabbath morn. We will close our remarks on the year 1864 by stat- ing that once more the fire-fiend was agog — on September 9th the steamboat warehouse having been burnt to the ground, causing a loss of fully ten thousand dollars, a Bloomfield firm who were shipping a new stock of goods being the heaviest losers. The proceedings of the municipality were inaugurated in the year 1865, by the election of a new house for engine company Sonoma No. 2, while, in conformity with a petition presented by E. Barnes, it was ordered, on the 27th March, that at the time of the election of city officers, a box should be pro- vided so that the citizens might have the opportunity of expressing their wishes in the matter of taxing the city to improve the Petaluma creek. April 15th, it was announced to the Board by Trustee Ellsworth that infor- mation had been just Received of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, President of the United/States, on the previous evening, and thereupon moved that, in respect to his memory, " the Board do now adjourn." Allusion to this dire calamity will be found further on. A petition of the heirs of the late Samuel Tustin was on the same date presented, praying that the City prison be removed from its present location, and a committee appointed to attend to the 288 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. matter. On April I7th the under-mentioned gentlemen were chosen City- officers: Board of Trustees, O. Sweetland, President; John Sroufe, A. P. Whitney, Lee Ellsworth, and John Stewart; Recorder, Josiah Chandler; Marshal, James K. Knowles ; Treasurer, F. T. Majmard ; Assessor, A. P. Mallory; Street Commissioner, ^. Johnson ; Clerk, F. D. Colton. On the same date the following resolution was introduced in respect to the murder of President Lincoln : " Whereas, This Board, in common with the whole family of our beloved country, are called upon to mourn the decease of our honored Chief Magistrate, stricken down by the hand of an assassin, in the height of his power and usefulness, and at a time when all manly hearts yearned for a speedy restoration of peace in our land, therefore be it Resolved, That we regard the death of Abraham Lincoln a great National calamity, and view with horror the atrocity of the crime that has deprived our country of him whom we regarded as the safeguard of liberty. Resolved further, That these proceedings be entered upon our book of records, and also that we wear crape for thirty days. Resolved further, That this Board do now adjourn." The ordinance requiring the collection of the street tax was read the third time on May 22d, and passed. On June 26th, President Sweetland resigned his place on the Board, he being succeeded by M. Hinman. Consequent on the petition of E. Barnes and others, an ordinance was passed on the 23d of October, regulating the blowing of steam whistles within the city limits ; while on the same date Recorder Chandler tendered his resignation, which was accepted, George W. Reed being appointed in his stead, on the day fol- lowing. On December 9th, the committee which had been appointed to make a contract and superintend the building of a turn-table bridge across the creek at the foot of Washington street, reported that they had contracted with John Caddy to put in a tuin-table, etc., for the sum of eight hundred and twenty-three dollars ; that the said contract had been carried out and the bridge completed, whereupon payment was ordered. The event of greatest consequence, which occurred in the year 1865, was unquestionably the dastardly assassination of Abraham Lincoln, in Ford's Theatre, Washington, D. C, by John Wilkes Booth, on the evening of the 14th AprU. Perhaps no calamity of a like nature had ever occurred to any nation ; is it any wonder, then, that the whole land was flooded with tears, and each mourned as if a father had been taken, and was he not a father to the people ? In him was vested the rulfe and safeguard of the people, at a juncture when a wise head and a pure heart, above all, was needed ; he had labored indefatigably in their behalf, was even then "toiling to bring about an honorable peace, honorable to friend and foe alike, and then to be cut off in the very zenith of his power ; is it any wonder, we say, that the Nation, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, wept as one gigantic household for him who had led them through the uncertain quicksaiids of statecraft. In Petaluina ?x '.y^ c^^^^ ^' HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 289 the intelligence was received with every sign of respectful grief ; stores were closed, business suspended, while a special funeral service was held, when the citizens turned out en masse, and, after forming in procession, listened to an impressive sermon by Professor E. S. Lippett, on the life and death of the noble martyr. It may not be inappropriate here to quote the following tribute from the Petaluma Journal and Argus of April 20, 1865 : — " Fulness of speech may not be indulged, while a sable-clad Nation weeps at the tomb of its mighty fallen. Pearly drops from humid eyes, speak a language that tongue cannot utter, nor pen indite; the language of the heart as it has been since the stars sang together on the morn of creation. As Mary knelt weeping by the sepulchre of the World's Eedeemer, eighteen hundred years ago, even so now a Nation mourns at the tomb of its Saviour. The harsh notes of trumpet-tongued courier did not blazon his fall, but from where the boisterous Atlantic hurls its crested waves against Plymouth Rock to where the placid Pacific laves our golden shores, the swift-winged messenger, with the rapidity of thought, and the low cadence of Summer winds, told the story of the assassin's deed; and scarce had the vaulted arch of Heaven been cleft to receive his noble spirit up on high, before around a million hearths sat unmanned manhood weeping, as it is seemly that women alone might weep. Never since the earth reeled as if rocked by a mighty tempest, and the vail of the temple was rent in twain, has mankind, uni- versal, bled in the representative of principle so pure, so lofty, and so God- like in their adaptability to all the wants and requirements of humanity, the world over, as in the person of Abraham Lincoln. Not like the meteor's fitful gleam athwart the sky, fading into the dark chaos of night, has been his going out; but as the bright orb of day sinking to rest behind the western hills leaves its last golden rays illumining the mountain gorge, and beetling cliff, so too will the light of his pure self-sacrificing devotion to Justice and Freedom, irradiate the dark corners of the earth, and the history of his life and the story of his death, will be asigned a place in the world's archives; will be read by the glare of lamps, trimmed by servile hands, and do the bidding of those who claim to rule by right Divine ; will be studied by peasants on sunny plains and Alpine hills; and yet farther on, where day •and night comes and goes but once a year, the fur-clad Laplander, by the amber light of the Aurora Borealis will read the story, and pray that the assassin who struck him down, may be exiled to some frigid clime, where «ven the rays of a polar sun may be denied him. A Chieftain has fallen ; his grave is in the hearts of his countrymen ; let those pay heed whose foul tongues, in um bridled license, have aspersed his naine! The assassin has done your work! Leave ns alone with our dead!" Thus had the mighty fallen! " Hush, the Dead March waila ia the people's ears: The, dark crowd moves, and there are sobs and tears: The black earth yawns; the mortal disappears, 19 290 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust ; He is gone who seemed so great — Gone; biit nothing can bereave him Of the force he made his own Bting here, and we believe him Something far advanced in State, And that he wears a truer crown Than any wreath that man can weave him. Speak no more of his renown. Lay your earthly fancies down. And in the vast cathedral leave him. God accept him, Christ receive him." One of the absorbing topics which held the minds of the citizens of Peta- luma in this year was that of a railroad between this city and Healdsburg. To consider the best means of procuring it a meeting was held on March 13th, at McCune's Hall, when the question was fully discussed by gentlemen from ail parts of the county. In the course of its proceedings J. R. Myers, of Windsor, estimated that a subscription of five hundred thousand dollars by Sonoma county would insure the completion of the work, but he could not correctly approximate what the income would be — he thought the cost would be about twenty-five thousand dollars per mile, with three thousand dollars as a survey fee. Though this meeting was informal, and indefinite as the proceedings were, it showed an earnest desire on the part of the people to seek the most feasible plan to lead to the desired result. It was thought that with a railroad to Healdsburg and the creek rendered navigable to the wharves, Petaluma would soon take the position which nature had designed her to occupy, that of only the second city in importance in the State. At a subsequent meeting, held October 30th, Articles of Association for the proposed Petaluma and Healdsburg RaUroad were adopted, and, on " motion of Judge Langdon, A. W. Thompson and L. A. Norton were appointed a Committee to ascertain the amount of stock subscribed, and they reported that thirty- two thousand three hundred dollars were subscribed, ten per cent, of which had been paid to the Treasurer. On motion, Messrs. A. W. Thompson, J. R. Myers, and T. W. Hudson, were appointed a committee on credentials. On motion adjourned to meet at seven o'clock p. M. The meeting having reas- sembled at the appointed hour, on motion, C. W. Langdon, proceeded to the election of seven Directors. The Chair appointed as Tellers, J. Sroufe, J. M. Williams, and R. Ives. L. A. Norton and R. Powell, of Healdsburg; L. S. B. Slusser, of Windsor; C. W. Langdon, of Santa Rosa; S. D. Towne, I. G. Wickersham, and A. P. Overton, of Petaluma, having received two hun- dred and eighty-three votes, were declared duly elected Directors of the Company." Another public meeting of considerable importance to the city of Petaluma was convened at McCune's Hall on the 9th day of December, 1865, for the purpose of considering the question of changing the boundary line between the counties of Marin and Sonoma. 0. Sweetland in the chair. HISTOEY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 291 The subject had already occupied much public attention; this, however, was the first occasion of its assuming a definite shape in this section of the county. At the meeting J. H. McNabb introduced the following resolution, which was adopted. "Resolved, That the citizens of Petaluma and vicinity are in favor of changing the boundary line of Marin county, so as to include all that part of Sonoma county, lying south and east of Santa Rosa creek, so that the northe. n boundary line of Marin county shall be as follows : Commenc- ing at a point in the Pacific ocean, three miles, in a west Une, from the mouth of Russian river ; thence running up said Russian river to the mouth of a creek called both Mill creek and Mark West creek; thence up said Mill creek or Mark West creek to the mouth of the Laguna; thence up the center of said Laguna to the mouth of north Santa Rosa creek ; thence up said Santa Rosa creek, following the main branch thereof, by the town of Santa Rosa, to the line of Napa county." The proceedings were of the most harmonious and unanimous character, resulting in the appointment of a committee of nine, consisting of J. M. Bowles, F. D. Colton, William HUl, E. Denman, G. Warner, WUliam Zartman, Charles Hunt, L. W. Walker, and J. M. Charles, to prepare and circulate a petition for the signatures of all favorable to the change. Of the buildings erected in this year the principal one was the new Methodist Episcopal church, the estimated cost of which, when completed, would be nearly twenty-five thousand dollars. At the time of which we write, May, 1865, the society proposed to simply enclose it and finish the basement, at an expense of about fifteen thousand dollars. On the 20th of that month the ceremony of breaking ground for the edifice took place, when the Rev. E. S. Lippett, after a few remarks appropriate to the occasion, struck the first pick, in commencement of excavating the foundation, and on the 22d June the comer-stone was laid, with becoming ceremony. Other structures also sprang up in this year on every side, and progress was the watchword. At this period Peta- luma was unquestionably one of the most flourishing interior towns in CaJi- fornia. The streets were crowded with wagons, and their merry tinkling bells; improvements were being pushed on every hand; there was little if any lounging on the sidewalks ; everything pr&senting the appearance of business activity and energy. Let us now resume the transactions of the municipality. On April 23, 1866, a communication was received from John Cavanagh and others asking for a recount of the votes given and cast at the city election held on the 16th, the officers elected being: Board of Trustees, Joseph S. Cutter, Lee EUsworth, President, J. B. Hinkle, B. F. Tuttle, and G. Warner; Clerk, F. W. Shattuek; Recorder, Edward Cole; Treasurer, F. T. Maynard; Assessor, D. A.Sackett; Marshal, James K. Knowles; Street Commissioner, Almon John- son. On motion it was ordered that the ballots cast at the election be care- fully preserved for the purpose of enabling any one to contest any election 292 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOENIA. of any officer at said election. A committee was appointed April 24th to draw up a bill to be sent to Congress to enable the Trustees to carry out the provisions of an act of the Legislature in relation to the improvement of Petaluma creek. To this end a preliminary survey was made by Mr. Brooks, C. E., and on May 29th it was directed that a notice be published in the local papers calling for tenders for the erection of a Lock, and the con- struction of a Dam on some point on the Petaluma creek, to be hereafter designated. June 11th, permission was granted the County Road Commis- sioners to open a road within the city limits from Lakeville to Petaluma; action was also taken at this time to prevent the throwing of loose paper on the streets, which tended to the frightening of horses, and thereby the occas- ioning of accidents. The city prison having, about this date been removed from its original location, we find the necessity for the erection of a new one was being discussed. On the 25th of June, D. D. Carder was elected to the office of City Attorney, while, on the same date, a remonstronce signed by citizens against the proposed manner of improving Petaluma creek was pre- sented, in which the levying of a tax each year for the purpose was recom- mended, and that the bends be cut as money is collected from the same source. On motion the further consideration of the petition was indefinitely postponed. July 2nd, bids were received and opened for cutting oS the bends in Petaluma creek and building the lock and dam, and that of E. Gay, for cutting the bends was accepted, action in the matter of the latter being indefinitely postponed. Judge J. B. Southard appeared before the Board on August 26th, and objected to his assesment on the ground that he had no title to the land- He intimated that a magnanimous city should withdraw its opposition, and that between the City Fathers and one of their children there should be no gouging. In respect to the above, on August 28th, the following resolution was introduced by Trustee Hinkle and adopted : " Resolved, That the city of Petaluma does hereby surrender up and forever abandon all claim that it may have asserted to a parcel or lot of land filed on by J. B. Southard, adjoining lot number five hundred and forty-five (545) as laid down and described upon the official map of the said city as surveyed by the United States Surveyor General for California, and particularly all claim to a strip of land twelve feet (12) in width running along said lot on Howard street, the same having been claimed and filed upon by the said J. B. Southard. And, we, the Trustees of the said city, at a regular meeting assembled, do hereby authorize and request the Register and Receiver of the United States Land Office at the city of San Francisco and State of California to withdraw from their files and cancel any claim the said city may have filed to said land, and any proceedings had thereon, hereby agreeing and consenting that saiii J. B. Southard receive a patent from the United States for the land, upon which he has filed his claim and made proof as required by law." Seplemlaer 17tn, a petition numerously signed by cititizens and tax-payers HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 293 was presented, praying the Board to order the suspension of further work on the creek, and to reduce the tax for the current year from one-and-a-half to one per cent. The following minute appears on November 26th: "The members of the Board being desirous of attending the lecture of ' Mark Twain,' " by order of the President, the members concurring, the meeting was adjourned accordingly, until the 27th at half past seven o'clock in the evening. On the convening of the meeting, on the last mentioned date, it is placed on record that '' Messrs. Pearce and Wood, attorneys at law, appeared before the Board and presented the claim Isaac Caplinger against the city for five thousand five hundred dollars damages sustained by him by falling and breaking his leg on the east side of Main street, north of Washington, on the 27th day of September, said damages being sustained by reason, as is alleged, of the neglect and omission of the City Trustees to lay out, keep open and in repair the side walk in the locality above named, through and by means of which negligence and omission he, the said Gaplinger, fell and broke his leg, and to loss of time, expense in curing his wounds and ailment, and incidental costs, doctor's bills, medicines, etc., amounting altogether to the sum named." December 3d, in order to reduce the expenditure to the city, it was directed that S. M. Hutchinson, from and after this date, cease to ring the bell morning, noon and evening, and cease to open and shut or attend to the draw-bridge on account of the city ; it was also, on motion, ordered that the City Marshal cease to keep a night-watch or rent the city pound from and after this date on same account. Perhaps the most interesting event which occurred in Petaluma during the year 1866, was the holding of a mass meeting of its citizens to take action in regard to the introduction of the bill in the Legislature entitled, " An Act to quiet titles in the city of Petaluma," held on Saturday evening the 24th March, Hon. J. H. McNabb in the chair. The object of the bill will be gathered from the following resolutions drafted by a committee consisting of L. C. Reyburn, Hon. J. W. Owen, and A. P. Whitney: "Whereas, The Senator from Sonoma, the Hon. George Pearce, has introduced into the Legislature of California, an act entitled, ' An Act to quiet titles in the city of Petaluma;' and Whereas, We are satisfied that neither said act, nor a request therefor, came from the municipal officers of said city, or from any citizens thereof uninterested in the grant itself ; and Whereas, We believe said Act, if passed, would be ruinous to the citizens and property-owners of said city, and would benefit only our old- time enemy, Valentine, and his associates. That our iitles, now in a fair way to be perfected, would thereby be unsettled, property depreciated, improvements checked, and business become stagnant; and the attempt, so long and persistently made, to obtain a special act reinstating the Miranda claim in court, made almost certain. Therefore, Resolved, That we disapprove of the action of our Senator, in thus intro- ducing a bill of such vital importance without consulting the wishes of the 294 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. parties to be affected thereby. Resolved, That we do not desire to purchase, on any terms, the so-called Miranda claim ; that we are satisfied with our •titles, and most respectfully request the honorable Senator to cease his solici- tude in our behalf in this respect. Resolved, That we most earnestly urge our Senator to withdraw said act, if within his power, or to inform the Senate that his constituents are opposed to its passage, and permit the same to be indefinitely postponed. On motion of Mr. Campbell, a committee of three, consisting of George Campbell, Hon. George W. Eeed, Captain T. F. Baylis, were appointed to draw up a petition to the Legislature, remonstra- ting against the passage of the act, which was duly reported and numerously signed by those present." One more matter of importance which presented itself in this year, was the proposed establishment of a Baptist College in Petaluma. To secure the location of it in this city, a sum of twenty thou- sand dollars was wanted from Sonoma county by way of subscription; any amount pledged in the county being payable whenever a like amount was secured elsewhere in the State, while it was decided that a preparotory department should be opened about the middle of the following August. The subject, however, dropped through want of appreciation of the benefits accruing to a place by reason of the possession of such a seat of learning. We now pass on to record another of those painful catastrophes which cause the blood to run cold through one's veins. On the morning of the 27tli of August, the boiler of the locomotive that ran between this city and the steamer blew up, causing sad havoc. Of the occurrence an eye-witness writes; " Arriving at the depot we found the greatest consternation and confusion prevailing; people running hither and thither, .some wringing their hands wildly, frantically; others using their utmost endeavors to relieve the killed and wounded from the wreck of the locomotive and one baggage-car, which were thrown against the side of the depot building. Stepping upon the plat- form, the first object that greeted our sight was a human body, unrecogniz- able to us, literally torn from limb to limb, which proved to be Joshua H. Lewis, the owner of the depot building. Upon the top of a baggage-car lay the mangled remains of Arthur Thompson, son of J. D. Thompson of tins city. From these sickening sights we turned into the depot building, to behold S. B. Dodge, keeper of the warehouse, stretched upon the floor a corpse, and the engineer lying on the track a few rods in advance of where the locomotive had stood, mangled and inanimate. These were all beyond the reach of suffering, and needed not to be ministered to by mortal hands. There were others, however, the sight of whom would have moved the mcjst unfeeling heart, most prominent among them was Charles Yeomans, so well known to all who have traveled on the steamer Petaluma. His face was mangled in a frightful manner, rendering his recovery extremely doubt- ful. Kind hands did everything in human power to alleviate his suffering, and he was soon removed to his residence, where the skill of surgery was called HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOENIA. 295 to his aid. Captaia White, of Newtown, was badly, but it is hoped not fatally iojured. Mr. Rekert, a hand employed ori the track, was badly, and it is feared fatally injured; so was a Mr. Flinn, also a laborer on the track, and Dan Barton, an employe in the warehouse. Others there were who received slight wounds and bruises, among whom are John A. McNear, Dan. Brown, J. W. Brier, Jr., and Rev. Jehu Barnes. None of these, however, suffer serious inconvenience from their wounds. Had the boiler exploded a few minutes sooner than it did, it is fearful to contemplate what would have been the terrible destruction of life. As it was, the word had been given, ' All aboard,' and the consequence was that sixty or seventy passengers, who a few minutes before were massed where the missiles of death swept, had taken their seats in the passenger cars, which hardly sufiFered a scratch. The boiler was literally blown to fragments, one piece weighing several hundred pounds falling at the foot of Main street, and another in the canal near the warehouse of McNear & Bro. The locomotive was completely demolished, not a wheel being left whole." The verdict of the coroner's jury was, " We find that the explosion occurred from the incompetency of the man in charge of the locomotive at the time." On the 26th of June, the city was again visited by a considerable conflagration, the fire on this occasion being confined to the Sullivan and Franklin hotels, the loss being in the neighborhood of six thousand dollars. The Public Library, inaugurated by the order of Odd Fellows, was started on this year, while we have to record the death at Santa Rosa of William Ordway, on the 5th of January, an old and highly esteemed resident of Petaliiraa. Once more we turn to the records of the city. On January 4, 1867, we find that a petition from the citizens praying for the appointment of S. Odell as special policeman, night watchman and bell-ringer was presented to the . Board, they, at the same time, agreeing to pay for his services as such, a matter which received the consent of the Trustees. Complaint was made, on February 11th, of the obstruction in the creek caused by the sinking of the old steamer " Oroville," whereby a bar was being formed to the detri- ment of navigation ; while, on the loth day of April, the Municipal election was held, and the following ofiicers selected : Board of Trustees, J. G. Cutter, President, H. B. Hasbrouck, N. B. Lane, B. F. Tuttle, and George P. Land; Recorder, E. Cole; Marshal, James H. Knowles; Assessor, Charles Humphries; Street Commissioner, Al. Johnson; Treasurer, F. T. Maynard; Attorney, D. D. Carder; Clerk, Frank W. Shattuck. There would appear to have been some question as to the correctness of this return, for we find a special meet- ing called on May 27th, when the President stated that the object of conven- ing it was to cause to be drawn and delivered to I. G. Wickersham a war^ rant or city order for one hundred and sixty-five dollars, being money advanced for the city of Petaluma in the matter of the suit to test the legality of the election of city officers for the year 1867. It was afterwards 296 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. discovered that N. B. Lane had not been duly elected. July 11th, the office of Assessor was declared vacant through the absence, without leave, of D. A. Sackett, Charles Humphries bemg appointed in his stead. It was also ordered at this meeting that the Gity Clerk, with the assistance of the City Attorney, give notice that the Board of Trustees will, on and after the 2d day of Sep- tember, A. D. 1867, commence executing deeds to the lands donated to the city by Act of Congress, and to notify all persons owning lands in said city to file their claim to same with the Clerk of the Board of Trustees prior to that date; therefore, on September 16th, the following applications, they being the first, were heard by the Board: Hugh Stockdale, Frank Nason, James Galandett, Joseph G. Smith, Addison Crandall, John McGrath, I. G. Wickersham, William Sweeney, Delia Lane. On this date was also adopted the Seal of the City of Petaluma — a portentious impression, emblematic of the productions, trade and commerce of the district of which it is the center. _ About this period numerous applications for deeds were contested and argued before the Board, and, on October 28th, an Ordinance prohibiting bathing in the creek was amended, so that the reading should be during daylight. Throughout the year 1867, the all absorbing topic was the railroad. Meet- ings were held at different times having this object in view, tending to show that unless speedy and prompt action were taken a road from Napa into the Russian river valley would be built, which would deprive Petaluma of all the up-country trade and travel ; thus, they became fully aroused to the necessity of connecting this city with Healdsburg by rail, and the ball being once put in motion, the following result was speedily gained: " The 'under- signed, proposing to build a railroad in the county of Sonoma, in the State of California, from the city of Petaluma to Healdsburg, with a branch from some point on the line to Bloomfield, and of the length of about forty miles ; in order to form an incorporation under the provisions of an Act of the Legislature of the State of California, approved May 20, 1861, entitled 'An Act to pro- vide for the incorporation of railroad companies, and the management of the afiairs thereof, and other matters relating thereto,' and the several acts amendatory thereof, do hereby severally subscribe the amount of capital stock of such contemplated railroad company set opposite our respective names. And the subscribers do hereby name and £lppoint William P. Hill of Petaluma to be Treasurer of said company. " Here follow these names with the sum of two thousand dollars opposite each: William Hill, Smith D. Towne, William D. Bliss, McNear & Brother, H. Meckam, P. E. Weeks, Isaac Fuller, N. E. Manning, John Sroufe, William Zartman, C. Temple, J. S. Van Doren, J. M. Bowles, E. Barnes, A. B. Derby, A. P. Whitney, J. S. Cutter, Alex. McCune, Henry Hall, Thomas Hopper. We would also men- tion that in this year the residence and grounds of Judge J. B. Southard were purcha.sed by the Sisters of Charity for the establishment of a Convent school, and that the College would appear to have made slight progress while «'4' ^^^^^ '^^C^^^a^^ HISTOEY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOENIA. 297 io the month of July the school census for the Petaluma District showed the following satisfactory results: Number of boys between five and fifteen years of age, three hundred and t wenty -three ; number of girls of same age, three hundred and thirty-five; total, six hundred and fifty-eight. Number of colored children between five and fifteen years of age, eight; number of white children under five years, four hundred and fifteen; number of colored children of same age, four. Number of children attending public schools, two hundred and sixty -three; number attending private schools, five hundred and fifty-six; number attending no school, one hundred and thirty-nine. The chapter of accidents for the twelve-month, was unfortun- ately large. On may 11th the premises of S. Payran, in East Petaluma, were attempted to be set on fire. On the 20th, a conflagration occurred destroying the warehouses of Greening, Daly & Sroufe, and Hinshaw, while on September 25th the seats prepared for the visitors at the Fair ground gave way, precipitating several hundred ladies to the ground, of whom a number were seriously hurt, among them being Miss McCune, Mrs. T. H- White and Mrs. J. S. Van Doren. Of deaths there were those of Captain T. F. Baylis on the 10th September — a gentleman much esteemed for his sterling worth and public spirit. He was a native of Ireland but emigrated to Amei'ica when quite young, and had been a resident — one of the very first — of Petaluma since 1850. The sad accident at Oakville Station, on the Valley Eailroad on October 10th, which deprived Solomon Pierce of his life, wherein the city lost one of her most valued and respected citizens, should not now be omitted. In 1868, February I7th, instructions were given by the City Fathers for the felling of an ancient landmark in the tree which stood in Oak street> near Liberty, while at the same time the propriety of the city taking charge of the cemetery was also under discussion. On March 9th, the exclusive right to supply the town with water was granted to S. D. Towne for twenty- five years, a scheme which received the prompt and unequivocal condemna- tion of a large majority of the people. The election for city officers was called for April 20th, when citizens were also to vote to levy a tax of the one-half of one per cent, for clearing out the creek ; also to vote on whether they desire the Trustees to sell the Plaza bounded by Main, Kentucky, Mary and Martha streets. On April 6th, the Young America Engine Company, No. 3, composed of thirty-one members of Company No. 1, were admitted into the Fire Department. In accordance with the amended charter of 1868, the members voted for the two of the Board who were to hold over for the ensuing year, the lots being cast on Lee Ellsworth and G. Warner. An ordinance regulating Oakhill Cemetery was passed on the 22d, and Charles Blackburn appointed City Sexton: as was also another law enacted in relation to houses of Ul-fanie and other nuisances. The corporation officers for this year were : Board of Trustees, Lee Ellsworth, President ; 298 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. G. Warner, W. D. Bliss, Andrew Mills and A. P. "Whitney ; Marshal, O. V. Walker ; Assessor, Charles Humphries; Treasurer, F. T. Maynard; .Recorder, Edward Cole ; City Attorney, F. D. Colton ; Clerk, D. D. Carder. May ISth, salary of City Clerk fixed at eighty dollars and fifty cents per quarter> while J. C. White, Deputy Marshal, was appointed Poundmaster and WiUiam O'Keefe, Night Watchman. On June 22d, the ordinance granting S. D. Towne the sole right to supply the city with water was repealed. July 27, Doctor Burnett, employed to attend upon small-pox patients at the pest house, was gazetted Health Officer, and, on the 12th October, a petition was presented to the Board, asking them " to prohibit the burial in the Oakhill Cemetery of all persons who die, outside the city limits, with the small-pox. On motion the Clerk was directed to notify the City Sexton to permit no person who may have died outside of the city limits to be buried in the cemetery, and that hereafter he allow no person to be interred in .'iaid cemetery without a permit in writing, as required by ordinance, and that said Sexton give notice by publication of said regulation." The railroad question still engrossed the public mind, till on the 9th of May, 1868, the battle was fought at the polls, and victory went with the Petaluma route, as' opposed to that by Vallejo and Napa, at which there was great rejoicing on the part of the lesidents of this city. On January 9th, in accordance with instructions from headquarters, the Petaluma Guard and City Guard were mustered out of the National Guard of California, by Major Ustick, Assistant Adjutant General of the State, a summary dismissal which caused no little surprise to all, for both companies had_ complied with the law in every particular, had their full complement of men, and held all prescribed drills. The companies, however, having an armory of their own, elected to keep up the organization, so as to be ready should necessitj- call upon them. In the month of July, small-pox made its appearance, the first fatal case being that of Mrs. Thomas Tann, and the second Oliver Rand. The necessary precautions were at once taken by the authorities and citizens, as has been remarked in another place, and no serious outbreak of the epi- demic occurred. The earthquake, which committed such damage to San Francisco, was felt here, and though to some considerable extent, no great loss was sustained thereby. Grim Death, in this year, had laid his cold hand on the Hon. G. W. Reed, a much respected resident of this city. He was a native of Ohio, and in early life emigrated to Iowa, where he lived until manhood, receiving the advantages of a liberal education. In 1852 he crossed the plains to Oregon, where he taught school for a time, then started for Nevada county, in this State, where he arrived in the Fall of 1853. The Summer of 1856 he came to this county, and, soon after his arrival, was employed as teacher of the public school in this city. For several years he followed this occupation, and in 1862 was chosen as one of the Representa- tives from this county to the State Legislature. Having turned his attention HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 299 to the study of law, he was admitted to the bar iu 1863, and up to within a few weeks of the time of his death, continued in the practice of his profes- sion. As an effective orator Mr. Reed had few, if any, equals in this county, and humanity and freedom ever found -in him an eloquent advocate. But at the early age of thirty-eight, when matured manhood is supposed to be best fitted to grapple with the practical realities of life, he was stricken down by death. Evidences of prosperity were not wanting now; a new bank building had been built by I. G. Wickersham, while A. P. Whitney contemplated the erection of a fireproof edifice on Main street. The Library Association was in a flourishing condition, it containing, according to the President, L. Ellsworth, a total of six hundred and thirty-three volumes on its shelves, and a total subscription list of- four hundred and sixty-six dollars, besides which, business was good thvoughout the city, and prospects for the future promising. On the 26th April, 1869, the following corporate body was elected : Board of Trustees, A. P. Whitney, President, W. D. Blis.s, Andrew Mills, S. Con- rad, and William Zartman: Marshal, James H. Knowles; Assessor, Charles Humphries; Treasurer, F. T. Maynard; Recorder, E. Cole; Street Commis- sioner, J. M. Lightner ; Clerk, Frank W. Shattuck. On this date an acceptance to the f^te held at Sacramento on the completion of the Central Pacific Railroad was ordered to be sent, and, on August 23d, Frank W. Shattuck tendered his resignation as Clerk of the Board of Trustees, an I was succeeded by P. D. Carder. In the year 1869, Articles of Incorporation of the Petahama and Clover- dale Railroad were filed for the construction of a load from some point on the line of Marin county, by way of Petaluiua and Santa Rosa to Clover- dale, with a branch from some point thereof to Bloomfield, the road to be seventy miles in length; capital, one million, four hundred thousand doUars, in shares of one hundred dollars each; Directors, William Zartman, W. D. Bliss, H. T. Fairbanks, F. W. Lougee, and Alexander McCune; the principal place of business to be Petaluma. The reason for this new corporation was the non-fulfilment by another company of the terms of the charter, whereby a certain portion of the road was to be completed before a given date. In regard to the line proposed bj'' way of Napa, into the Russian River valley, a series of very excellent communications from the facUe pen of E. S. Lippett appeared about this time in the Petaluma Journal and Argus, under the heading of "Petaluma Compared with Vallejo" as a railroad center, much to the disadvantage of the latter, as viewed through the eyes of the learned Professor. As an instance of what the resources of the district were ti'n years ago; and the eminence attained by this city as a point of shipment, we, here present a brief statement of the number of boxes of butter and eggs, and the number of cheeses shipped from Petaluma to San Francisco on the steamers from April 1st to May 1, 1869. Number of boxes of butter and ,?00 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOKNIA. eggs, two thousand, seven hundred and ninety-four ; number of cheeses, one thousand, five hundred and eighty- three; boxes Limberger cheese, thi^^ty- eight. Estimating the boxes of butter to contain one hundred pounds eacih, at thirty-two and one-half cents per pound; of eggs, atone hundred dozen, at thirty-eight cents per dozen ; and the cheeses at an average of thirty-two pounds each (which is low, the range being all the way from twenty to eighty pounds), at fifteen cents ; and the Limbergers at about four thousand pounds, at twenty-seven cents per pound, we get in round numbers, one hun- dred and five thousand, five hundred dollars as an estimate of the total value of shipments of butter, cheese, and eggs during the month of April. This estimate was, at the time, considered low, one house asserting that their business alone, in this line, exceeded ten thousand dollars a month. It must be further remembered, that the above statement embraces shipments to San Francisco only, no account having been taken into consideration of home con- sumption ; and further, that no mention whatever is made of the shipment of calves, chickens, geese, etc. — all immediately connected with and belong- ing to these branches of industry — immense quantities of which are daily exported ; it may be safely said, therefore, that the shipments of these dur- ing that month exceeded fifteen thousand dollars, which would swell the total dairy and poultry shipments from this city for April to one hundred and twenty thousand, five hundred dollars. We now turn to the records for the year 1870. On March 2d a com- mittee was directed to take such steps as should be thought necessa,ry to satisfy the mortgage on the City Hall property, by loan or otherwise ; on the 14th they reported that a loan could be had of Mrs. E. A. Hunter by paying one-and-a-quarter per cent, per month interest for eight months, in advance, amounting to one hundred and forty-eight dollars, leaving the sum of one thousand dollars due on the 11th day of November, 1870, as principal only, and that to secure Mrs. Hunter the mortgage held by the Trustees of the Petaluma Lodge No. 30, I. O. O. F., must, with the policy of insurance, be assigned to her. On motion the -same was accepted. On April ISlh the election for the municipal officers took place with the following result: Board of Trustees, Simon Conrad, President, WUliam Zartman, Lee Ellsworth; Thomas Rochford and John Fritsch; Treasurer, Andrew Henry; Marshal' James K. Knowles; Recorder, E. Cole; Street Commissioner, A. Johnson Assessor, Charles Humphries; Clerk, D. T>. Carder; Attorney, F. D. Colton; Health Officer, J. H. Crane, M. D. Monthly reports from the Recorder were called for on August 21st, to contain returns of the arrests made, while on the same date the petitifm of Peter Donahue asking the Board to grant to the San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad Company the right to run steam cars over the lands now occupied by the railroad grade, within and passing through the city of Petaluma, whicK was granted. September 12th, an ordinance regulating the police department was finally adopted and stars HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 301 "with the word " Police " directed to be procured for the force. On the 26th Recorder Cole resigned hLs office and D. D. Carder was appointed in his stead. A proposition of Peter Donahue to supply the city with fifteen street lamps, gas therefor, and light them at an expense of six dollars a month each, as also to furnish gas for the engine houses and City Hall free to the corporation, was on motion accepted on the 10th October. On the 14th, George Pearce was appointed City Attorney, vice F. D. Colton, who had removed from the city. The President was also authorized to proceed to Santa Rosa to look after the franchise asked of the Board of Supervisors of the county of Sonoma by Peter Donahue to build a wharf for the rail- road company of which he is President, at a point below LakevUle. The oft-recurring matters of the railroad was at last set to rest in the year 1870 by the success of Peter Donahue of San Francisco in obtaining the controlling interest in the North Pacific Raih-oad Company, from John F. Macualey & Co., the formal transfer taking place on August 2d. Two steamers, the "Sacramento" and "Wilson G. Hunt," were at once purchased to be placed on the route between the terminus and San Francisco, while ties were purchased and sent forward to the scene of action; by the 27th of the month over a hundred men were at work on the line, and additional hands were being daily employed. Twenty thousand ties had already been deliv- ered at the terminus, as well as installments of fish-plates, bolts, and spikes, together with a vast amount of paraphernalia in the shape of push-cars, switches, tools, etc. On the 29th the formal driving of the first spike occurred, the hammer being wielded by Simon Conrad, President of the Board of Trustees, in the presence of a large and enthusiastic assemblage; in a very few days after the first construction train made its first trip along the track, for a distance of two miles above the city, while the road to Santa Rosa was completed in October, and a passenger car at once put on the route. On the completion of this line, which was but a few hundred feet short of fifteen miles, the Board of Supervisors examined officially the part constructed, accepted ten miles of it, and ordered the issuance to Mr. Donahue of county bonds to the amount of fifty thousand dollars. On this subject we quote from the Journal: " But as the act under which the subsidy was voted provides that bonds shall be issued on the first ten miles northward from Petaluma, and on every subsequent five miles, of course Mr. Donahue can receive at this time but fifty thousand dollars, instead of seventy-five thousand. As the work of extending the road from this city to Lakeville is being pushed with all diligence, Mr. Donahue will, in a few weeks at most, receive a second installment of these documents, and which, by the way, we are told are eagerly sought after by capitalists at ninety cents. The work on the road from Santa Rosa to Healdsburg, it is understood, will be completed at an early day during the ensuing summer. The iron for the same has been already secured. The bonds for the ten miles of the road already accepted, as 302 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. above stated, were issued on Wednesday last (October 19, 1870). They are printed upon parchment, are fifty in number, and in substance agree, that the county of Sonoma will pay to the order of Peter Donahue, President of the San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad Company, twenty years from date, the sum of one thousand dollars, gold coin of the United State.s, with interest at the rate of eight per cent. Each bond has attached to it twenty coupons, for interest payable January first of each year, and calling for eighty dollars each. The bonds and coupons cover a sheet of some sixteen by eighteen inches." In the meantime the extension of the road was progress- ing towards Lakeville and the new town of Donahue, where the company's wharves had been constructed and terminus established, and tickets were issued for an inaugural excursion from San Francisco to Santa Rosa on the last day of the year 1870, when the following resolutions were presented to Colonel Peter Donahue : " Resolved, That the people of the State of Cali- fornia are greatly indebted to our worthy fellow-citizen. Col- Peter Donahue, for the energy displayed by him in the completion of a first-class railroad from the town of Donahue to Santa Rosa, the said road now being in perfect order, and having been completed in four months, traversing a portion of the most fertile and beautiful section of our State ; and we are specially grati- fied in stating that this important work has been completed with white labor, and upon cash principles. Resolved, That we are greatly irtdebted for much of the pleasure of our trip to J. D. Hendricks, Capt. Galloway of the steamer " Sacramento," Mr. Gerdes, and Capt.Robert Hajdey, who, by their assiduous attentions, have made the excursion extremely agreeable to all. Resolved, That it is proper, in this connection, to refer to the services of Mr. Harris, the Chief Engineer, Capt. Wright, the Superintendent, Mr, Wilson, who built the road, and W. M. KildufF, Chief Engineer of Navigation, whose invalua- ble services have enabled Mr. Donahue to successfully complete this import- ant work." Thus was inaugurated an enterprise the importance of which can hardly be estimated, both as to its benefits to State and county. But the munificence of Peter Donahue did not rest here ; he purchased the gas works, and almost his first step was to offer certain lighting facilities to the city, while he had become interested in other important affairs in the neighboring districts. Let us now take a retrospective glance at Petaluma. At no period in its history has its growth been more rapid, or of a character so indicative of permanence and future prosperity, as during the past three years ; and at no time has real estate in and near the city commanded so large a price as in this year of 1870. There has been nothing ephemeral or unnatural in its growth. It has simply kept pace with the development of the surrounding country, and owes nothing to speculative excitement, or expectations that have not been realized. The city has been peculiarly free from the specu- HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 303 lating mania, which has at some time prevailed, to a greater or less extent, in nearly every Californian town of any importance, and which almost invariably reacts disastrously, or at least unfavorably. Petaluma, as has been elsewhere remarked, is surrounded by an extensive and exceedingly fertile agricultural region, which yields nearly every variety of production that grows in the temperate zone, and of which it is the natural outlet. Its location is such that it commands a large and constantly increasing trade. Nearly the whole of Sonoma, a large portion of Marin and Mendocino, and a considerable part of Lake counties, are, and must ever be in a large degree tributary to it. This region is peculiarly blessed as a farming country, being not only susceptible of producing an almost endless variety of fruit and grain, and dairy products of the first quality, but invariably yielding good crops when a drought prevails throughout the State, cutting off the yield nearly everywhere else. Owing to the dews and fogs that are prevalent here during the Spring and Summer months, the blighting influence of a dry Winter is not severely felt in this region, and during such seasons farmers naturally reap much larger profits than at other times. A considerable portion of the district above indicated is heavily timbered, and some of the finest and most valuable kinds of woods to be found west of the Rocky Mountains abounds in the forests of Sonoma county. The wooded district is of sufiicient extent to supply with lumber and fuel the wants of five hundred thousand people for many years to come. These extensive forests must eventually prove of vast benefit to this city. The trade of Petaluma, already very extensive, is steadily increasing, and bids fair to equal, at no distant date, that of any inland town in California. Wholesale and retail mercantile establishments do a large and prosperous business, and the figures representing the aggregated yearly sales of its merchants would make a showing that would be quite astonishing. The ^following are among the principal products brought here for shipment to San Francisco and other points : Hay, grain, fruit, potatoes, hops, butter, cheese, eggs, wine, hogs, sheep, cattle, poultry, wool, firewood, ships' timber, lumber, staves, hoop-poles and charcoal. Extensive manufacturing establishments have not yet been inaugurated; but Petaluma has many natural advantages as a manufacturing town, and when additional transportation facilities are supplied, by means of which raw material, fuel, etc., can be obtained at reduced rates, these advantages will undoubtedly be turned to account, and a new source of wealth and prosperity added. Following is a list of the mechanical and manufacturing establishments which obtained in 1870: Tanneries, three; potteries, one; marble works^ one; undertaker, one; sash and blind facljory, one; foundry and machine shop, one; flouring mills, two ; blacksmith and wagon-making shops, eleven; carpenter shops, six; tin- shops, three; gunsmith, one; boot and shoe shops, ten; glove factory, one; tailor shops, four; cabinet-maker. S04 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. one ; candy factory, one ; manufactories of ploughs, cultivators, and other "agricultural implements, two; cooper shops, one. At this epoch there were seven large and commodious hotels, and three restaurants and bakeries, besides several boarding houses ; dry goods stores, nine ; grocery stores, ten ; furniture stores, four; hardware stores, four; paint and oil stores, two; drug stores, two ; banks, two ; book, stationery and variety stores, five ; saddle and harness shops, three; clock and jewelry stores, three; millinery and dress-making shops, seven ; tobacco stores, four ; warehouses, twelve ; whole- sale liquor store, one ; photograph galleries, two ; breweries, two ; lumber yards, three ; livery stables, seven ; paint shops, four ; drinking and billiard saloons, twenty-seven; meat markets, four ; insurance agencies, ten; one printing office, postoffice, telegraph office, and express office. The following represents the number of persons engaged in various professional pursuits : Physicians, ten; school teachers, eighteen ; music teachers, six; clergymen, seven ; lawyers, eight ; dentists, three ; surveyors, two. Of capitalists, speculators, real estate agents, etc., Petaluma has its full complement. Not enumerated in the above are numerous places of business, of more or less importance, such as form a part of every prosperous town, and which in the aggregate transact a large amount of business annually. Among these are hay and feed yards, of which there are several ; game, poultry, fruit and vegetable stores, etc. The city then had four public school buildings, in which school was main- tained ten months in the year, and nine teachers employed ; and five private schools and seminaries, giving occupation to nine teachers ; there were also several teachers engaged exclusively in giving instruction in music, drawing, painting, and kindred branches. Not less than six hundred pupils attended the public schools at that time. Even at this day the educational facilities of Petaluma are not surpassed by those of any town in the State ; these advantages add largely to the desireableness of the city as a place of resi- < dence for families having children to educate ; they have attracted here a desirable element in the population of the community, and have heretofore been, as it is to be hoped they will be in the future, liberally sustained. The public schools are controlled by a City Board of Education. In 1870, each of the following religious denominations had an organiza- tion and church building in which service was regularly held: Methodist, Congregational, Episcopal, Methodist South, Baptist, Roman Catholic, and the African Methodist Episcopal Church. The churches at the present writ- ing, as they were then, are in a flourishing condition financially, and the membership steadily increasing. Other religious societies hold occasional services, but have no church buildings. There were also several other socie- ties and organizations of less importance than those named above. The Mutual Beneficial Association is an institution well worthy of especial men- tion here. It is ah association organized by citizens of Petaluma in the year \ I V 'A ^^AJn\^l7U-Jv^ HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 305 1868, for the purpose of mutual life insurance among its members. The practical working of the institution fully meets the expectation of its pro- prietors, and it is found to be a most excellent and useful organization, secur- ing to its members, at small expense, the benefits of a policy of life insur- ance. The affairs of the association are under the control of a Board of twelve Directors, who are elected by the members annually ; and are assisted by a Secretary and Treasurer, chosen by the Board. The association in 1870 numbered upwards of eleven hundred and fifty members, and is rapidly increasing. The city records for 1871 inform us that on March 13th directions were issued to draw up an ordinance prohibiting the hanging or extending of signs across the sidewalk, or from the buildings towards the center of the street, a project which became law on the 27th. The election for Municipal officers was held on April I7th, with the following result: Board of Trustees: Lee Ellsworth, President, Thomas Rochford, John Fritsch, Alexander McCune, and H. B. Hasbrouck; Treasurer, Andrew Henry; Marshal, J. K. Knowles; Recorder, D. D. Carder; Street Commissioner, W. H. Hedgey; Assessor, Charles Humphries; Clerk, D. D. Carder. On the 24th, T. J. Graham was allowed until June 1st to move the Petaluma House building back to the street line; on the 12th, the petition of the Sonoma County Water Company, for the privilege of laying pipes in the street, was received ; and, on motion, the right to lay such within the city of Petaluma was granted said company, and finally passed on the following day. In July, a petition, headed by A. P. Whitney, for an allowance toward the construction of a bridge across the creek at C street, was lost on the motion to grant the prayer of the petition- ers. A petition was received, October 23d, from S. D. Towne, McNear & Bro., and others, asking the Board to allow the San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad Company to extend a new depot building fourteen feet into Hopper street, from the north line of block eight, and contiguous to block lying east of block eight. They were granted the privilege of occupying with a depot building, one hundred and twelve feet in length, of Hopper street, and fourteen feet in width of block eight and contiguous block on the east, being the center of what is known as depot block. At this time hitch- ing posts and bulletin boards were permitted to be erected. But few occurrences of any note took place in the city during the year 1871. A new military company had been organized under the name of the Emmet Guard of Petaluma, while the corner-stone of the Odd Fellows' HaU was laid with imposing ceremonies on the 18th of July of that year. On the evening of November 5th, a most terrible and unjustifiable murder was committed in the saloon of Brown & Sroufe. The particulars are briefiy these: Lewis Levi, a hackman, was standing in the saloon, leaning on the counter, when his assailant, Benjamin Edwards, a barber on Washington street, entered and, without any words being exchanged, drew a large ten- 20 306 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. inch revolver and commenced beating him on the head. At the first blow Levi's hat was knocked off, and on the second or third his skull was fractured and he reeled to the floor. The work was done so quickly that those stand- ing in the saloon were not aware that a fight was in progress — several thinking it merely a friendly scuffle. Levi had been a resident of Petaluma . for many years and bore the reputation of being a quiet, inoffensive man; his assailant, too, had lived in the city ever since his boyhood, and it is believed was incited to commit the bloody deed to appease the whim of a courtezan with whom he was living, she having become oflended at Levi for his refusing her permission to ride in his carriage. We have now completed the first twenty years of Petaluma's history, since which time nothing of very great interest has occurred to cause her to devi- ate from the even tenor of her prosperous way. These remarks will there- fore be brought to a conclusion by following up to the present year the records of the Board of Trustees, in order that a full ILst of the municipal ofBcers and some of their doings may be preserved in a handy form. In 1872, the election of officers took place on April 15th, when were chosen: H. B. Hasbrouck, President, William Zartman, Thomas Kochford, C. Poehl- man, and A. McGuire, Board of Trustees; Treasurer, Andrew Henry; Mar- shal, J. K. Knowles; Recorder, D. D. Carder; Street Commissioner, William Richardson; Assessor, Charles Humphries; Clerk, D. D. Carder. June 24th, it was reported to the Board that a site had been purchased for a hospital from W. J. Smith, and on July 29th Messrs. Rochford and Poehlman were apporuted Water Commissioners. William Richardson, Street Commissioner, resigned on November 25th and was succeeded by Michael Stoddart. De- cember 9th, the President was authorized to appoint a special policeman at the request of each church congregation in the city, who shall regularly qualify as such, and be on duty only during the hours of divine service of their respective congregations, and who shall receive no emolument from the funds of the corporation. At this date the question of a steam fire- engine was first mooted, when one was ordered to be contracted for. On January 27, 1873, an ordinance granting to the Citizen Gas Company the right to lay pipes in the city, was passed. March 24th, it was determined to bring suit against the county if the Board of Supervisors refuse to set aside sixty per cent of the amount of property road fund collected within Road District included in the corporate limits of Petaluma city. At the election held on April 21st, for the choice of a corporation, the following gentlemen were delegated to fill the municipal offices : Board of Trustees, Thomas Rochford, President, C. Poehlman, A. McGuire, L. Ellsworth, and William Zartman; Marshal, J. K. Knowles; Treasurer, Andrew Henry; Recorder, J. Cavanagh ; Assessor, C. Humphries ; Street Commissioner, Michael Stoddart; Clerk. D. D. Carder. On May 12th, the special commit- tee appointed to confer with the Board of Supervisors respecting the road HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 307 fund claimed by the city, reported that they had withdrawn the claim of the city to said fund, with the understanding that it was to be expended by the " Board of Supervisors, within the township of Petaluma, upon the petition of the Board of Trustees and others in any manner devised by them. On the' same date, the consent of a majority of the Trustees was requested by and' given to the Board of Education to purchase the Moffet - property on I>' street for high school purposes. On May 12th, we note the appoiatmenfc of E. S. Lippitt to the post of City Attorney, and, on October 27th, the San Francisco and North Pacific Telegraph Company were authorized to erect poles within the city limits, while on petition of certain residents, presented November 12th, the sum of one thousand two hundred and fifty dollars was appropriated towards the purchase of the block of ground between D and E and Third and Fourth streets, for a public plaza. In 1874, February 24th, it was resolved to have the City Charter amended so as to be able to establish fire limits, and on March 23d it was decided that the Senator and Assemblyman in the Legislature be asked to use their united efforts towards the passage of a bill exempting all firemen within the county of Sonoma, either active or exempt, from the payment of the State poll-tax. On April 20th, the following municipal authorities were elected: Board of Trustees, Lee Ellsworth, Piesident; William Zartman, H. T. Fair- banks, A. McGuire, and Kelly Tighe; Clerk, D. D. Carder; Marshal, James K. Knowles; Treasurer, Andrew Henry; Recorder, John Cavanagh ; Assessor, Charles Humphries; Street Commissioner, Michael Stoddart; Attorney, E. S. Lippitt. The ordinance establishing fire limits was passed on May 25th' while, on July 3d, the bonds and title deeds, presented by the officers of the Sonoma and Marin Agricultural Society, were accepted and directed to be filed in the office of the Recorder of Sonoma County ; on the 13th, Trustee A. McGuire presented a protest against the action of the Board respecting the matter of the transfer of the Sonoma and Marin Agri- cultural Society's property to the city and the issuance of five thousand dollar bonds of the city of Petaluma to said society ; and requested that the same be recorded upon the minutes of the Board of Trustees. On August 10th, the ordinance fixing the Recorder's salary was repealed. In 1875, February 8th, President Ellsworth, to whom had been referred the matter of the settlement of the State, county, and special road tax upon the Agricultural park ground, reported that the Board of Supervisors had remitted the county portion of said tax; that he had paid the State portion, as also the special road tax. On 19 th of April, the following city officers were elected : Board of Trustees, H. T. Fairbanks, President ; Kelly Tighe, J. C. Wickersham, Charles Lynch, and A. McGuire ; Marshal, J. K. Knowles ; Treasurer, Andrew Henry ; Assessor, John P. Rodgers ; Recorder, John Cavanagh; Street Commissioner, Michael Stoddart; Clerk, D. D. Carder; Attorney, E. S. Lippitt. On April 26th, the following minute 308 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. occurs : " The petition of H. Mecham and others, asking the Board of City- Trustees to deed the Agricultural Park property back to the Sonoma and Marin Agricultural Society, read. On motion of Trustee Zartman the rule was suspended and the petition taken up for consideration. Trustee Zartman moved that the prayer of petitioners be complied with, and that the city of Peta- luma, by ils President, execute a deed of the Agricultural Park property to the Directors of the Sonoma and Marin District Agricultural Society, which motion was seconded by Trustee Tighe. After discussion the motion was put by the President, and resulted in the following vote : Messrs. Ellsworth, Zartman and Tighe voted in favor of the motion ; Trustee Fairbanks voted against the motion, and desired that his protest against the act of a majority of the Trustees be entered upon the minutes. Trustee Zartman moved that the bond given in behalf of the Sonoma and Marin Agricultural Society to the city of Petaluma, for ten ihousand dollars, dated June 8, 1874, be can- celled, which motion was seconded by Trustee Tighe. The motion was put by the President, and resulted in the following vote ; Messrs. Ellsworth, Zartman and Tighe voted in favor of the motion ; Mr. Fairbanks voted against the action of a majority of the Trustees herein." On July 26th a petition to relight the city at night with gas was indefinitely postponed. On April 17, 1876, the annual election of city officers was held, with the accompanying result : Board of Trustees, J. C. Wickersham, President ; Charles Lynch, C. A. Walker, L. G. Nay, and H. T. Fairbanks; Clerk, D. D. Carder ; Marshal, Julius Blume ; Treasurer, Andrew Henry ; Recorder, D. D. Carder; Assessor, Charles Humphries; Attorney, E. S. Lippitt. It would appear that W. B. Haskell had been elected to the office of City Clerk, but he resigned at once, as did also Trustee Fairbanks on May 8th ; and the salary of the Clerk was declared to be five hundred dollars a year, with per- quisites. On May 22d, the ordinance relative to the tagging of dogs was adopted; while, on Sentember lltb, we have the accompanying minute; " The following resolution was offered by L. G. Nay: Whereas, The Trus- tees requested D. D. Carder, Clerk, to resign, and he declined to do so, I therefore move that the office of City Clerk be declared vacant ; the resolu- tion was seconded by James Armstrong, and carried unanimously." On this occurring, E. H. Long was put in nomination for the office, and, having received a majority of the votes, was declared duly elected. Novem- ber 27th, the petition of I. G. Wickersham, President of the Sonoma and Marin Railroad Company, was read, asking for right of way to extend their road from the south side of B. street, northerly, across and along any street, alley, or property of the city of Petaluma, easterly of Main and westerly of Hopper streets, to the northern limits of the county, was granted. The Board of Trustees, on 26th December, declared their intention to widen English street, from Main to Howard, to a width of seventy feet, and that to effect this it was necessary to take certain private property, which is HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 303 enumerated, as also certain lots, which will be benefitted by the change, and should bear the expense of the work. February 12, 1877, the resignation of E. H. Long was presented and accepted, and W. E. Cox appointed in his stead, when the election of city oiEcers was appointed to take place on the 16th. On the retirement of the Board then in office, the following tribute was paid and filed : " Resolved, That this Board tender to Jesse C. Wickersham a vote of thanks for his courteous and gentlemanly beariag toward his fellow members, and his faith- fulness ia the discharge of the duties of that position. Resolved, That we recognize and acknowledge him unbiased in all his decisions as a presiding officer, ever watchful of the true interests of the city, always bearing in mind that it had no enemies to punish, nor any friends to reward. Resolved, That these miutes be placed upon the Board as a testimony of respect to our retir- ing Pre.sident." The officers for the year 1877 were: Board of Trustees, M. Doyle, M. Walsh, James K. Knowles, L. G. Nay, President, and C. A. Walker; Marshal, Julius Blume; Treasurer, Andrew Henry; Recorder, F. W. Shattuck; Assessor, Charles Humphries; Clerk, W. E. Cox. On June 11th, a committee was appointed to consult with J. H. McNear on the matter of furnishing lots in Cypress Hill Cemetery for the burial of paupers, and what inducements he would offer to those having lots in the old ceme- taiy to remove the bones of their friends to Cypress Hill. The corporation for the year 1878, consisted of: Board of Trustees, J. M. Charles, J. M. Lightner, L. E. Brooke, M. Doyle, President, and M. Walsh ; Marshal, Julius Blume; Treasurer, Andrew Henry; Recorder, R. J. Preston; Assessor, Charles Humphries; Clerk, W. E. Cox. A committee was appointed on May 27th, to confer with an engineer in the matter of laying out the city in a system of sewerage, while, at that time it was likewise ordered that the gas company furnish gas for the street lamps situated at the Washington street bridge, the lighting to commence on June 1st. On the 10th it was notified that the water company had refused to provide water in a trough at the junction of Main and Third streets, for the benefit of the public. On June 15th, a Board of Health was established, and on the 24th, Dr. J. H. Crane was elected President, with Dr. J. B. Christie as Secret0,ry and Health Officer. On August 12th, a committee from the Odd Fellows' Library Association tendered their library to the city, the same to be kept up by them and run as a free library. On motion of M. Walsh seconded by J. M. Lightner, it was ordered that the city of Petaluma accept the offer of the Odd Fellows' Library Association, and establish a free library under the provisions of the statutes, and that the Board appoiut five Trustees on behalf of this city to act for said library. December 23d, two Trustees having been absent for a longer period than niaety days, L. G. Nay and H. T. Fairbanks were elected to fill the vacancies caused by J. M. Charles and L. E. Brooke. SlO HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. In 1879, January 27th, it was directed that all officers who make arrests be notified that entries be made in the Police Court Blotter, in ink; while on 10th February, regulations in regard to pay and fees of Police Department of the city were issued. On April 21st, the following officers who, at the present writing, still retain their posts were elected : Board of Trustees, M. Walsh, John Bauer, H. T. Fairbanks, President, L. G. Naj-, and J. M. Light- ner; Marshal, Julius Blume; Treasurer, Andrew Henry; Recorder, E. J. Preston; Assessor, Charles Humphries; Clerk, W. E. Cox. Let us now draw this already too lengthy history to a close. To one who has never visited the town before Petaluma presents many points of interest. Although remote from the mining regions and from the line of travel between the mountains and the bay, the name of Petaluma became familiar to the ears of California adventurers and settlers, as has been shown, nearly thirty years ago. The agricultural advantages of the location were discernable to the sharp-sighted even at that early day of tur- moil and excitement. Its growth was, however, slow until the gold fever had partially died out. Of late years the growth and advancement of the place has been steady and rapid. Petaluma now contains nearly six thou- sand inhabitants. The creek is navigable for small craft up to the business portion of the town, and for .larger steamers and sailing vessels to points within two or three miles of it. Railroads connecting with the San Fran- cisco steamers run into the city, and one extends up the valley to Santa Rosa, Healdsburg and Cloverdale. These business facilities show their results in the city. There are many lai-ge and substantial stone and brick ware- houses to be seen, which serve as the depositories of grain, hay, and general merchandise. Many of the stores and other buildings are built of brick, while neat and attractive frame cottages and dwelling-houses adorn the slop- ing hillsides on the margin of the town. Activity in mechanical branches of business and merchandise tells plainly that an extensive area of country to the north and west is furnished with supplies from this point. Aside from the results of enterprise and energy, the natural scenery of the location is such that the eye, or the cultivated taste of the artist is _not required for an appreciation of its beauty. Located on the western border of a level val- ley, from two to three miles wide, a portion of the town rests upon adjoin- ing hills, which ascend so gradually as to be easy of access, but so high as to command an admirable view of the surrounding country. On the east of the valley the Sonoma range of mountains looms up in grandeur, its summit at^ distance of nine or ten miles, and the nearest foot-hills at from two to three miles. On the south is another range of hills running nearly east and west, less grand and imposing than the Sonoma range, but more subdued and beautiful. These hills ascend so gradually that nearly their entire surface is susceptible of cultivation, and numerous fine farm-houses, surrounded by orchards and vineyards, are discernable within a mile or two HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 311 of town. In the ^Sacramento or San Joaquin valleys the inhabitant, year after year, contemplates from day to day the Sierras on the east, or the coast range on the west, but regards them as objects remote and disconnected from himself and his home. The hills which surround Petaluma are ever present and always attractive to the eye, and the spectator must soon acquire a per- sonal interest in every tree, ravine, or sloping bank which adds to their beauty. " Day after day the mellow sun slides o'er. Night after night the mellow moon. The clouds Are laid, enchanted; soft and bare, the heavens Fold to their breast the dozing Earth, that lies In languor of deep bliss. At times, a breath, Remnant of gales far off, forgotten now. Hustles the never-fading leaves, then drops Affrighted into silence. Near a slough Of dark, still water, in the early mom The shy coyotas prowl, or trooping elk From the close covert of the bulrush fields Their dewy antlers toss; nor other sight. Save when the falcon, poised on wheeling wings. His bright eye on the burrowing covey, cuts His arrowy plunge." Thus we had it in 1851 — in 1879 the change has to be seen to be properly realized. Methodist Episcopal Church, Petaluma. — The Methodist Episcopal church was the first to organize and erect a church edifice in Petaluma. The history of the organization is as follows : The first Protestant services ever had in Sonoma county were held at Sonoma in the Fall of 1849, by the Rev. A. J. Heustis, a Methodist preacher from Wisconsin. In 18-51 Rev. Isaac Owen organized that region north of the Bay of San Francisco, including Contra Costa, Solano, Napa, Lake, Sonoma, and Marin counties, into a circuit, and Rev. S. D. Simondd was placed in charge. This circuit comprised ten appointments, viz.: Martinez, Benicia, Suisun, Vallejo, Napa City, Harbin's, Kellogg's, Sonoma, Bodega, and Russian River, and to go once around it required over two hundred miles of travel. On Friday, May 2, 1851, the first camp-meeting ever held in California was begun about one mile from the town of Sonoma. Rev. S. D. Simonds was succeeded on this circuit by Rev. James Corwin, Rev. Alexander McLean, and Rev. J. R. Tansey. In 1853, Bodega circuit w^as set off from the original large territory men- tioned above. Bodega circuit included Petaluma, all the Bodega country, Russian River, Anderson and Big River valleys. Rev. A. L. ,S. Bateman was placed in charge. In February, 1854, Bodega circuit ceased to exist, and out of it were formed Marin mission (which included Petaluma) and the Russian River circuit. Rev. J. Speck was in charge of the Marin mission. In August, 1855, a church was organized at Petaluma and a building erected 312 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOBNIA. shortly after, which is still standing on Fourth street and is used as an engine house. In 1858 Petaluma was discontinued from the circuit and became a station. From the organization of the church to the present time the pastorates have been as follows : Revs. James Hunter, two years ; W. J. Maclay, two years; D. A. Dryden, one year; J. McH. Caldwell, one year; J. W. Stump, two years; I. M. Leihy, one year; E. S. Lippitt, two years; Wesley Peck, one year; R. W. Williamson, two years; W. 13. Turner, two years; J. L. Trefren, two years; A. J. Nelson, two years; George Clifford, three years; E. R. Dille, one year (the present pastor), which brings the record up to 1879. The church has now the largest membership, two hundred, of any Prot- estant place of worship in the city, while it has a Sunday School with an enrollment of about two hundred, and an average attendance of one hundred and fifty. The church building, on the northwest corner of Keller street and Western avenue, was begun in 1865, and finished in 1874, during the pastorate of the Rev. A. J. Nelson. It is of brick, gothic in style of architecture, is eighty- five by fifty-six feet in dimensions, and thirty-five feet from floor to ceiling. It is handsomely finished and furnished, and is lighted with gas, by means of two large sun burners. It has gallery, orchestra and class-rooms. The building was erected at a cost of eighteen thousand dollars, and the trustees are William Zartman, D. G. Heald, J. H. Ranard, R. Haskins, D. S. Dickson, J. Harmon, J. F. Howard and H. T. Fairbanks. The First Baptist Church, Petaluma. — On Sabbath, the I7th day of July, 1853, in Bodega, Sonoma county, upon a call made by Rev. A. A. Guernsey, the following brethren and sisters presented themselves for the purpose of being organized into a Baptist Church : John C. Hughes, Jane Hughes, Worham Easley, Elizabeth A. Easley, Ari Hopper, Susannah Hopper. The Church was duly organized as the First Baptist Church of Bodega. Rev. A. A. Guernsey was elected Pastor, and Worham Easley, Clerk. Articles of Faith and Practice were adopted. The next meeting was held August 14, 1853, when it was voted to hold meetings at such places as may be from time to time designated. The Church held its regular monthly meetings at Bodega until the second Saturday in October, 1853, when it was voted to adjourn, to meet in Peta- luma. The meetings were continued in Petaluma statedly. On the Saturday before the first Sabbath in November, 1854, the Church, by vote, changed the name from the First Baptist Church of Bodega to the First Baptist Church of Petaluma. John C. Hughes and Worham Easley had been elected deacons September 10, 1853, and served as such since. Several new members had been received since its organization, so that the constituent members of the First Baptist Church of Petaluma were as follows : — Rev. A. A. Guernsey, Pastor; John C. Hughes, Deacon; Worham Easley, HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 313 Deacon and Clerk. Members: Rev. A. A. Guernsey, John C. Hughes, Jane Hughes, Worham Easley, Elizabeth A. Easley, Ari Hopper, Susannah Hopper, Hannah Clymer, Susannah Lindsley, Margaret Corrothers, William Conloy, Elizabeth Conley, Sarah Heald, Flemming Spencer, Nancy C. Renarde, Rachael G. Randolph, Israel T. Duval, Michael Barnes, Margaret A. Corro- thers, Elizabeth Hootin, Mary A. Thompson. In February, 1855, a move- ment was set on foot to secure a suitable lot and procure funds to erect a meeting-house. In March, 1855, a corporation by the name of the Baptist Church and Society vi^as formed, with James Hogal, William Conley and Mr. Mathews as Trustees, Flemming Spencer, Clerk, and Deacon Michael Barnes, Treasurer, During the year 1857, a church edifice, forty by sixty feet, was completed, with a seating capacity of about four hundred- The same edifice, with some improvements, remains to the present time- The Rev. A. A. Guernsey remained pastor until August 1, 1857, when his resignation was accepted. During his pastorate, one hundred and seven members were added to the church, including the constituent members- During the pastorate of Rev. A. A, Guernsey, very successful protracted meetings were held at the Liberty school house, and camp meetings near Stony Point, where large accessions were made to the church by them. The church was without a pastor until November 14, 1859, when C. W. Rees was elected. He remained pastor until March 9, 1861. Seventeen members were received during his pastorate. Rev. H. Richardson supplied the church for six months from August 3, 1861. Rev. J. A. Davidson served the church as pastor from April 2, 1864, to February 11, 1865. Rev. B. S. McLafTerty was elected pastor and commenced his labors the first of January, 186b', and continued until January 1, 1869. This was an era of prosperity to the church. One hundred and fourteen members were added to the church. Rev. James D.P. Hungate served as pastoral supply from February 11, 1869, to August 1, 1869. Rev. J. W. Johnson was pastor from October 6, 1869, to October, 1871. There were fifteen additions to the church during the pas- torate of Mr. Johnson. Rev. J. H. Ruby was supply from December 10, 1871, for about a year. The church depended upon supplies from this date until 1877, and was very much reduced in membership and discouraged in .consequence. Rev. A. Hitchcock served as pastor from January 6, 1877, to November 30, 1878. During the labors of Rev. A. Hitchcock, a troublesome debt of several hundred dollars was paid, through the indefatigable labors of Mr. and Mrs. Hitchcock and the church. Rev. Winfield Scott commenced his labors as pastor March 1, 1879, and is pastor at the present time. There have been twenty-three additions to the church since March 1st, and the church is prompt in meeting all of its financial obligations. Its present membership is seventy. It sustains a Sunday School, and is prospering. It has a good church edifice, which has been recently repaired and refurnish- ed, and is wholly out of debt. 314 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. Rev. Winfield Scott was born February 26, 1837, in Novi, Oakland county, Michigan. He was the son of James B. Scott, a farmer. In 1845, he moved with his father's family to Ovid, Seneca county. New York. He entered the University of Rochester, New York, in 1855, and graduated from this institution in the class of 1859. He graduated from the Rochester Theological Seminary July 11, 1861. On the day of his graduation he was united in marriage to Helen L. Brown, of Spencerport, New York. Miss Brown was a talented, highly educated young lady, who had been teaching for some time in a ladies' seminary in Buffalo, New York. Soon after graduation he accepted the pastorate of the Second Baptist Church, Syracuse, New York, where he remained one year. Under the first call of President Lincoln for three h undred thousand troops he went to Seneca county among his his friends, and in seven days' time enlisted a maximum company for the one hundred and twenty-sixth regiment N. Y. V. I. Was mustered as Captain with his company in the United States Army, August 9, 1862. His church man- ufactured for and presented to him a beautiful sword, with the following inscription wrought into the blade; "Presented by the Baptist Church, Syracuse, to their Pastor, Winfield Scott," which Mr. Scott carried through the war and still possesess. He was severely wounded in the battle of Harper's Ferry, September 12, 1862, was taken prisoner and paroled. He returned to his regiment January 3, 1863, and did duty on crutches for several mouths. He was appointed Assistant Provost Marshal of Abercrombie's Division, with headquarters at Centerville, Vermont, and remained until the Army of the Potomac went to Gettysburg. In the battle of Gettysburg he was slightly wounded twice, and came out of the battle in command of his regiment. He commanded the one hundred^and twenty-sixth regiment in several battles during the year 1863, and through the battles of the Wilder- ness, Po river, Todd's Tavern, Spotsylvania, in 1864. On the charge of May 12, 1864, of General Hancock's corps, he was struck in the breast over- the heart, by a musket-ball, the force of which was spent on a handkerchief and testament in his side pockeb. On the 18th of May following, while charging a/ battery he was struck by a shell and lost his right thigh. On account of this he was discharged at Anapolis, Maryland, in October, by order of the Secretary of War, special orders No. 265. He immediately, returned to the Theological Seminary, and remained there till January 1, 1865, when he went to Leavenworth, Kansas, as pastor of the Baptist Church. He remained there for six years, building a beautiful church edifice, at a cost of sixty-five thousand dollars, and gathered a large and flourishing church. He accepted the pastorate of the church in Denver, Colorado, January 1871, and was elected Chaplain of the Upper House of the Colorado Legislature in January 1871. He remained in Denver four years, gathering a large church and building the chapel to a church at a cost of sixteen thousand dollars. He came to California HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 315 in October, 1875, aad soon after became the editor of the Evangel, the denominational paper of the Baptists. During the year 1877, he was pastor of the church of Los Angeles, California. In the Fall of 1878, was associate pastor with Rev. I. S. Kalloch, D. D., of the Metropolitan Temple, San Francisco, and by mutual agreement came to Petaluma in February, to take charge of the Baptist Church that had been closed for a year. He is now forty-two years of age, in the prime and strength of life, and full of heart, hope and good will. His wife has proven a true help-mate, a prudent and wise counsellor, ever entering heartily into sympathy with him in his life work. He has two children living — two daughters — one aged fourteen and one eleven. He has buried two younger children, one in Denver and one in Southern California. Tlie Bell in the Baptist Church at Petaluma. — The bell which hangs in the steeple of the Baptist church of Petaluma has a remarkable history; a history which will within a century make it as famous in California as the old Liberty Bell of Philadelphia. It is a pure metal bell manufactured, by Hopper & Company of Boston, Mass., and weighs about eleven hundred and fifty pounds. It is the identical bell owned and u.sed by the famous Vigilance Committee in the historic days of 1856. It was then rung by the Committee when William T. Coleman was its President. Those were days that tried the souls of San Francisco's best men ; and days that tried the necks of San Francisco's worst men. At its faithful and significant call, the watchful servants of the people's interest gathered for council and for war. It sounded in its solemn toll the death knell of many a rascal and lawless villain. Its silvery tones proclaimed peace and victory to t^i^ uprigh., and good, and struck terror to the hearts of the vicious, t;ij lawless and bad. In 1858 the citizens of Petaluma, without regard to church, raised a fund to purchase a bell to be placed in the Baptist church, for the benefit of the church and the accommodation of the town. A committee of citizens went to San Fran- cisco and purchased the old Vigilance Committee bell of Conroy & O'Conner, paying five hundred and fifty dollars therefor. It was accounted one of the sweetest sounding bells in the whole country. When rung, it could be heard with distinctness from eight to ten miles. It was used by the citizens for a long while as a time bell and was rung at six in the morning, twelve noon and six in the evening. During the great excitement of the war of the rebellion, it was rung frequently when victory crowned the armies of the Union. This became — as was natural — a source of anaoyanoe to many ■who sympathized with the South, and especially those who had paid liberally towards its purchase. Accordingly in 1864, everything was made ready and early one morning the historic and annoying old bell came down from the steeple and was conveyed quietly by a back street to a public warehouse, where strict orders were given not to allow any one to take it. This aroused the ire of the opposing party, and preparations were made for 316 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. its recapture. The following day about forty, among them many of the leading business men, went at midday and took possession of the bell, and hoisting above it the American flag, it was taken through the main street and replaced in the church again where its silvery tones rung out loud and long and clear. The American flag was placed upon the steeple above it. Soon after, at the midnight hour, the old bell (as one party declares) sounded once, and its silvery tones were forever silenced. In the morning it was found that it had been broken. The other party say they " reckon " that the continual j ubilee ringing was too much for it, and so it was shamefully broken. Ever since, the old broken bell has thugged away in the steeple, reminding the old residents by its dead tones of its significant history, and awakening the wonder of the new-comer why such an old cracked insti- tution is tolerated in such an enterprising town. Arrangements are being made by the Pastor of the church to dispose of it or have it recast. It really should be kept as a souvenir in the Pioneer Society of the State, for about it will gather in years to come historic memories and reminiscences that will be priceless in history. Who will see that it is secured and pre- served? Methodist Church, South. — This church, which is situated on the south- east corner of Liberty street and Western avenue, Petaluma, was the oat- growth of the labors of Samuel Brown, who came to this city by direction of the Pacific Conference, commenced preaching in the Fall of 1859, and finally established a church under the rules and regulations of the above- named body. The organization was represented by about twenty-five mem- bers, who held their first services in the Baptist church and McCane's Hall until the present edifice was erected in the year 1860. This structure is forty by sixty feet, built of brick, and has a seating capacity of two hundred and fifty. As has been remarked, Samuel Brown was the pastor from the Fall of 1859 ; these duties he continued until 1856, when he was succeeded by Rev. Joseph Emory for one year; Rev. J. C. Simmonds, 1863-4-5; Rev. A. P. Anderson, 1866; Rev. W. F. Compton, 1867; Rev. J. Alsanson, 1868; Rev. Samuel Brown, 1869; Rev. George Sim, 1870; Rev. B. F.Burris, 1871; Rev. — Mason, 1872; Rev. — Howell, 1873; Rev. S. W. Davis, 1874; Rev. J. K. P. Price, 1875-6; Rev. P. F. Page, 1877; Rev. R. F. Allen, 1878-9. The Church Trustees are: J. A. Pay ton, A. F. Bradley, M. H. Falkner, Samuel Jennison, F. W. Shattuck, J. M. Preston; Stewards: J. A. Pay ton, A. F. Bradley, M, H. Falkner, Samuel Jennison, Samuel Robberts, and J. M. Preston. The present membership of the church is seventy-eight, and the average attendance at Sunday-school is fifty-five, J. M. Preston being the Superintendent thereof. St. John's Episcopal Church. — The lot on which this church stands was purchased by I. G. Wickersham and D. D. Carder on June 9, 1858, for the sum of two hundred dollars, and the building was therefore immediately HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 317 proceeded with. The church is gothic in its style of architecture, with a seating capacity of from three to four hundred. The interests of the parish of St John were first entrusted to Rev. G. B. Taylor, who after a time was succeeded by the Rev. Mr. Smeathman, the vestry being at that period com- posed of Messrs. Huie, Wickersham, Carder, We.ston, Sprague, Sweetland and Cooper. Messrs. Carder, Cooper, Sprague and Wickersham being nom- inated Treasurer, Secretary, and Wardens respectively. On January 29, 1860, the church was declared ready for consecration, which was duly done by the Right Reverend W. Ingraham Kip, Bishop of the Diocese of Califor- nia, before a large congregation. On July 15, 1860, the time for which the Rev. Mr. Smeathman had been engaged having lapsed, a successor was desired to take his place. One was found in the person of the Rev. Mr. Jackson, who was inducted to the pulpit of St. John's on September 23, 1861. On November 10, 1863, Rev. David J. Lee became Rect8r of the parish; he resigned, April 14, 1864, when Rev. George Whipple, a brother of the dis- tinguished Bishop of that name, occupied the pulpit temporarily. On December 18, 1865, it was resolved to call the Rev. George H. Jenks to the parish ; he remained until January, 1874, when the pulpit was filled from Sunday to Sunday till August SOth of that year, when the Rev. Thomas Smith entered upon the duties, which he resigned on July 9, 1876, and was succeeded by Rev. George B. Allen, the present Rector, in the month of November of the same year. The Public Schools of Petaluma. — The people of Petaluma are noted for their interest in the cause of public education. Several private educa- tional institutions have been started at various times, with well trained instructors and extensive advantages, offering splendid opportunities for education. But the people have uniformly turned to the public institutions with their patronage, and for the education of their children, until now there is left, with the exception of the excellent school of the Sisters of Mercy, and of Miss Martin, which draw much of their patronage from the country, and average together not more than seventy or eighty pupils, none but the public institutions of learning. The history of these we shall essay to give in this short chapter. In so doing, we labor under some disadvantage for in one of the great fires of Petaluma were destroyed all the records of the Board of Education, containing the data so valuable in compiling facts in relation to schools. We have, however, been aided by the memory of some of Petaluma's citizens, in acquiring what data we are able here to present. The first public school was opened in a little wooden, one-room school- house, located on the site of the splendid edifice now occupied by the Gram- mar Department. Among its early teachers was A. B. Bowers, well known to all old residents of the county, as the Sonoma county map man. 318 HISTOEY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. This small house, surrounded by a paling fence, dusty and uneven streets, and unattractive grounds, could not long serve the purpose of the then rapidly growing town. It was enlarged several times, to meet the wants of the city, until in 1857 or 1858, it became patent to all that some better and more appropriate accommodation must be made for the constantly increas- ing number of pupils. At an election held for the purpose, a tax was voted to build a new school-house. Dr. Samuel Brown, George B. Williams and W. L. Van Doren were then trustees of the school district which included much of the adjacent country extending from San Antonio Creek to some distance east, west and north of town, and taking in the present districts of San Antonio and Marin, and portion of Bliss, Payran and Walker. These gentlemen concluded that the better way to construct a school building for a growing city like Petaluma was to, in their plans, foreshadow some of the future wants of the department. They accordingly began the erection of a building which was destined to exceed in cost the amount voted by the people. The wisdom of this act has been amply attested to by the subsequent growth of the schools. But the people of the district at that time were not possessed of sanguine faith in the prophetic visions of the worthy Board of Trustees, and when Messrs. Brown, Williams and Van Doren were compelled to pay the additional cost of some eight or nine hundred dollars, they, with an iUiberality that has never since marked their interest in public education and that leaves the only blot upon the historj"- of education in the fair city, refused to vote an additional appropriation to reimburse the members of the Board. The regard and gratitude of the people, for this act of these early friends of education, have been manifested in a touching manner since. In the cemetery at Cj^ress Hill stands a marble shaft, erected to Dr. Brown, on which is inscribed, " The Children's Friend." This beautiful tribute to the worthy man whose whole life was marked with noble interest in the educa- tion of youth, was erected by the children themselves, by ten cent subscrip- tions, and it speaks more than words the feelings which the self-sacrifice of those gentlemen aroused in the people of the city. As I have said before, the increase in pupils was destined to fill even this building, and not many years elapsed after its erection in 1859 until it became too small indeed to accommodate the increase. Three one-class primary school buildings were erected in the suburbs of the city to accom- modate the primary pupils, and the city was divided into four districts for those who attended the primary grades. In 1870 the main brick building was altered from a six to a seven-class building, and ia 1872 to an eight-class building. In 1873 the Board of Education purchased for a high school the handsome HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 319 Gothic edifice erected by Prof. E. S. Lippitt on D street, for a private academy, in 1868. Teachers. — To attempt a list of teachers who have been employed in the schools would occupy too much space and probably be beyond our power. Among them were Mrs. A. A. Haskell, Mrs. J. E. Woodworth, Prof. E. S. Lippitt, who taught as principal for four years^ Prof. Brodt, now of Oakland, Prof. J. W. Anderson, C. E. Hutton, C. H. Growell, and J. W. McGlymonds. To the efforts of these much of the good condition of the schools at the present time is due. Mrs. A. A. Haskell was for a long time one of the leading assistants in the school, and for a time Principal. Prof. E. S. Lippitt, now engaged in the practice of law in this city, was Principal from 1863 to 1867. He was succeeded by Prof. Brodt, who taught one year and was succeeded by Prof. J. W. Anderson, now Principal of the Spring Valley School in San Francisco. Prof. Anderson is a man whose administrative ability is excelled by no teacher in the State. He completed the task of systematizing the school work in the five years that he was Principal, 1868 to 1873. Of the fifteen teachers now engaged in the Peta- luma schools, ten were the pupils of Prof. Anderson during the time he was here, and' all over the county, and in fact all over the State, do you find those who stepped from the school-room under his tuition into the school- room as instructors. C. H. Growell succeeded him in 1873. In this year the High School, which up to this time had been under the same Principal as the grammar and primary departments, was put under a separate Principal. Professor G. E. Hutton was chosen by the Board to take charge of it. To Mr. Growell's charge were assigned the grammar and primary depart- ments. Professor Growell taught one year, and was succeeded by J. W. Mc- Glymonds, who, at the end of four months, was elected Principal of the High School, to succeed Dr. T. H. Rose, the successor of Pi'ofessor Hutton. M. E. G. Munday, the present incumbent, succeeded Mr. McGlymonds in November, 1874, and has held the position for the past five years. The schools under his charge are divided into eight grades, the first four constituting the grammar de- partment, and the last four the primary department. In his department are thirteen teachers, M. E. G. Munday being Principal and teacher of the first grade. The Vice-Principal is Mrs. J. E. Woodworth ; she teaches in the second grade. She has been in the department to the satisfaction of every patron of the school for the past fourteen years. Miss Eliza Robinson has charge of the third grade ; Miss Marilla Ganun of fourth grade. Miss Rosa Haskins of the fifth grade. Miss Hattie Fuller of the sixth grade. Miss Sallie E. Hall of the seventh grade. Miss Jennie E. Davis of the eighth grade — all of these being teachers in the brick school. In the High School building is a class composed of the overplus of grades 320 HISTORY OK SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. of the brick school. This year it is composed of the overplus from the fifth and third, but next year it may be of some other grades, varying according to the manner in which the various grades fill up yearly. It is presided over by Miss J. E. Anderson, daughter of Professor J. W. Anderson, the former Principal. There are also three primary schools already mentioned, situated in the suburbs of the city for the accommodation of the small primary pupils. One in East Petaluma is taught by Miss Helen Singley ; one on F street, by Miss Carrie Hammond ; and one on the hill in the north-west part of the city by Miss Libbie Colvin. On D street is a school provided in accordance with the provisions of the law for the separate instruction of colored children, presided over by Miss Louisa M. Dixon, also colored. We take the following from the annual report of the Principal of the grammar and primary departments for the year ending June, 1879: Whole number pupils enrolled, seven hundred and twenty-eight; average number pupils belonging, five hundred and sixteen and six-tenths ; average dailj' attendance, four hundred and eighty-five and three-tenths; percentage of attendance, ninety-five ; whole number of tardiness, one thousand, five hun- dred and seventy-six ; whole number of days absence, four thousand, eight hundred and sixty-eight. The High School. — The High School was opened as a separate school in 1873, with Professor C. E. Hutton as principal. Professor Hutton remained in charge for one year, and then resigned to take a position as cashier of the Healdsburg Bank. Be was succeeded by Dr. T. H. Rose, who taught but four months and resigned. J. W. McClymonds, who had been principal of the grammar department for four months, succeeded Dr. Rose, and continued as principal until he resigned in June, 1877, to engage in the dry goods business. Professor Hutton again took charge, and is the present incumbent, with his wife as assistant. Since the first year the school has required the labor of two teachers. We take the following from Professor Hutton's annual report for the school year ending June, 1879: whole number of pupils-enroll- ed, seventy-four; average number of pupils belonging, fifty-eight and eight- tenths; average daily attendance, fifty seven and seven-tenths; per cent of attendance, ninety-eight and one-tenth. Pupils enter this school on a certificate of graduation from the Grammar School. The course embraces the usual academic work, and is the connecting link between the grammar schools and the university. It embraces all the studies necessary to fit one for any of the colleges of the university. School Buildings. — These have been alluded to in this article in brief. The High School building is situated on D street. It is of Gothic architecture, containing two class-rooms on the first floor, two on the second, and a com- modious though unfinished hall on the third. HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 321 The one on the corner of B and Fifth streets, and occupied by the Gram- mar School, is of brick, two stories in height, and contains eight class-rooms, •with accommodation for fifty in each room. The Primary school-houses already mentioned are one-class houses, with accommodation for sixty pupils each, and are three in number. All the rooms, except the three last mentioned, are provided with patent single seats and desks. The school grounds of the Grammar and High Schools are divided into separate grounds for boys and girls, and each of these into a front and back yard, the front yard being handsomely orna- mented with trees, flowers, shrubbery, and grass plots, the pride of citizens^ teachers and pupils. The value of school property, according to an approximate estimate, is as follows : High School property, fifteen thousand dollars ; Grammar School property, forty thousand dollars; outside property, eight thousand dollars; total valuation, sixty-three thousand dollars. The cost of maintaining the schools is about thirteen thousand dollars per annum, assuming ten thousand and five hundred dollars for teachers' salaries, three hundred and sixty dollars for janitors, and the balance for incidentals, improvements, etc. The revenue for their support is derived from the State and county apportion- ments, and from a special city tax of from three thousand dollars to four thousand dollars annually. Up to 1870, the management of property, election of teachers, etc., were in the hands of a Board of Trustees, in accordance with the present plan of country school management. In 1870 a special act was passed, restricting the district limits within the city limits, and providing for the election of a Board of Education of five members, who hold office for two years, two of them being elected one year and three the next. The present Board is Messrs. James Singley, G. W. Edelman, W. H, Dalton, N. M. Hedges, and F. T. Maynard The Secretary and ex-ofiicio City Super- intendent of Schools, being Mr. Maynard. Messrs. Maynard, Singley and Hedges have been re-elected for so many successive terms that they have become regarded as fixtures. Messrs. Edelman and Dalton have been members for two successive terms. These gentlemen having betn selected in the first place for their educational interest, their successive re-election has contributed probably more than any other one cause to the present unexcelled condition of the schools. The schools rank among the best in the State. They constitute one of Petalu- ma's highest recommendations as a place of residence, and are always pointed out to strangers as the pride of the city by its citizens. The progress in education throughout the State, whereby the public school system has been raised, step by step, from the old " deestrict skewl " system of earlier days, to keep pace with a progressive State, has been the history of progress in the schools of this city. 21 322 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. Unfortunately, we believe, an experiment, which has been tried before in other States and found wanting, is to take the place of our harmonious and complete system. Whether the schools of this city are to suffer or not depends much upon, the people of the city, and judging from the support which they have always accorded so cheerfully to their schools, we are led to believe that they may survive the shock. Besides the public schools, mention has been made of the private institu- tions conducted by the Sisters of Mercy and Miss Martin. Miss Martin's school is conducted much upon the same plan as that of the public schools. She has about twenty pupils, with three or four boarders. Her instruction is very thorough and systematic. The Convent school was founded several years ago. It has about sixty pupils of every grade, and is well conducted in every department. The edu- cation is not sectarian, unless such is the choice of its patrons. It also accom- modates boarders in addition to the regular day scholars, and is supported by tuition. The grounds are well improved, and are an ornament to the city. St. Vincent's Academy, Petaluma. — This institution was establislied in July, 1867, by two members of the Order of Charity, founded in Fiance by Vincent de Paul, in the early part of the seventeenth century. The begin- ning was a small day-school, consisting of some twenty or thirty pupils occupying two small class-rooms in what had been the private residence of Judge Southard. Application to admit boarders soon became so urgent as to necessitate the building of extra accommodation, which was accomplished in 1869. From time to time improvements were made which enabled the Sisters, in the present flourishing condition of the Academy, to accommodate about one hundred boarders. The plan of the interior building exhibits much economy and good taste, embodied with excellent judgment. The middle story, on which is the front entrance, comprises halls, parlor, chapel, music-rooms, four class-rooms, library and clothes-rooms. The upper story contains three large dormitories, infirmary, community-room, the latter used by the Sisters, whose present number is seven. The entire lower story is- devoted to the use of the children, containing study-hall, refectojies, bath- rooms, wash-room and kitchen. Last to mention, but not least, are the spacious play grounds, which command a beautiful view of the surrounding country. Different games are furnished in order that the time of recreation may be occupied in relaxing the minds and giving proper exercise to the physical constitutions of the pupils. Secret Societies, Associations, etc.— Petaluma is second to no other city in the State of California in the condition of its Lodges, save, perhaps, with the single exception of San Francisco. The Masonic Order, as well as that of the Odd Fellows, is in a most flourishing condition, while the benefits which they confer are dispensed with a due regard to the lessons inculcated bv the several Orders. HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. Vll^ Petaluma Chapter. No. 22, R. A. M. — This Chapter was organized under dispensation and granted a charter, the members applying for such being Thomas L. Barnes, Philip R. Thompson, L: E. Brooks, M. R. Evans, William Burnett, P. W. Randle, S. Powell, Job Cash, William Ross, and others. The first holders of ofiice were : High Priest, Thomas L. Barnes ; King, Philip R_ Thompson ; Scribe, L. E. Brooks. Since its first inauguration the member- ship has considerably increased, there being now fiftj -seven on the roll, while the following are the holders of office for the current term : High Priest, James Singley; King, William B. Haskell; Scribe, Alexander Lackey; Treasurer, Conrad Poehlman; Secretary, Josiah H. Crane; Captain of Host, Marcus D. Goshen; Principal Sojourner, John W. McClymonds; Royal Arch Captain, Thomas R. Jacobs; Master of Third Vail, N. W Scudder; Master of Second Vail, Joseph A. Wiswell; Master of First Vail, William R. Veale; Guard, William S. Keays. The Chapter meets on the first and third Monday in each month. Arcturus Lodge, No. 180, F. A. M. — This Lodge was organized on October 11th, 1866, and a charter granted by the Grand Lodge of California to Right Worshipful Master, C. Simmons; Senior Warden, Simon Conrad; and Junior Warden, Benjamin F. Tuttle, who held office under dispensation. The- Lodge now has a roll of .seventy-five members and the office-bearers for the current year are: Right Worshipful Master, M. D. Goshen; Senior Warden, J. W. McClymonds; Junior Warden, T. R. Jacobs; Treasurer, W. B. Haskell; Secretary, J. H. Crane; Senior Deacon, W. R. Veale; Junior Deacon, A. R. Doughty; Marshal, N. W. Scudder; Stewards, Alexander Lackey and Charles E. Polk; Tyler, William S. Keays. The Lodge meets on Thursday on or before full moon. Relief Encampment, No. 29, I. 0. 0. F. — Was instituted July 11, 1888, the charter members being David Sullivan, G. Warren, B. Bowman, J. S. Cutter, L. Ellsworth, James K. Knowles, William Zartman, Moses Korn. The first officers of the Encampment were: G. Warren, C. P.; J. S. Cutter, H. P.; L. Ellsworth, S. W.; B. Bowen, Scribe; William Zartman, Treasurer; David Sullivan, J. W. There are at present fifty-four members in good standing, while the present officers are: G. W. Edelman, C. P. ; J. B. Fulmer H. P.; S. J. Hopkins, S. W.; W. H. Zartman, Scribe; L. Ellsworth, Treas- urer; Charles Young, J. W. The institution is in a prosperous condition. Petaluma Lodge, No. 80, I. 0. 0. i^.— This Lodge was instituted on Sep- tember 30, 1854, with the following charter members: Daniel McLaren, S. C. Hayden, S. M. Martin, Thomas M. Murray, E. S. McMurray, Stephen Payran, Charles Purvine, William Ayers. The original officers were: Dan- iel McLaren, N. G.; S. C. Hayden, V. G.; S. M. Martin, R. S.; William Ayers, Treasurer. The present membership of the lodge is one hundred and eighty-eight, while the office holders for the current year are: J. B. 326 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY. CALIFORNIA. plished in the most perfect and substantial manner, as has been substantiated •within the last few years by this and kindred societies ; and that, too, with an expense so light that it has proved not to be a burden upon its members, which not only mereases its popularity, but brings it within reach of thoso most needing its protection and aid. Any person, male or female, may become a member of this association if in good health, and over eighteen and under fifty years of age. Each member pays, according to age, four to ten dollars annually, and one dollar on the death of any member. On proof of the death of a member of the association, his family or the person he has appointed, receives immediately from the association, two thousand dollars, or a like proportion to the number of members, if not filled All surplus shall be loaned on good and sufficient security (on real estate) to form a " permanent reserve fund," the interest on which annually reverts to members in the form of an abatement of assessments. In case of death, they send a notice to each member. They have agents in each town to receive the assessments, and save members the trouble of sending direct to the Secretary. The association, as well as its funds, is under the control of a Board of twelve Directors, who are elected annually by the members of the association, and is also incorporated under the Beneficiary Act of the State which Act does not allow any funds to be used for purposes other than set forth in the rules and regulations, while the Secretary and Treasurer are required to give heavy bonds for the faithful performance of their duties. The officers and directors of the association receive no compensation what- ever for their services, except the Secretary, who is simply paid for keeping the books of the association. All members will be allowed the same interest on money standing to their credit that the funds of the association drawi and can deposit such amounts as they may desire as advance payments. The association is designed to save money, not to spend it. None will feel poorer for belonging to it, while many will bless the day that their father, mother, husband or brother joined it. The annual payments are: For those under thirty years, when they join the association, four dollars; over thirty and under thirty-five, five dollars; over thirty-five and under forty, six dollars; over forty and under forty-five, eight dollars; over forty -five and under fifty, ten dollars. These payments are not raised above the first payment made when joining. If a member prefers, he may make the following full payments in advance, and not be required to make any further annual pay- ments : For those under thirty years at time of joining, thirty dollars; over thirty and under thirty-five, thirty-five dollars; over thirty-five and under forty, forty dollars; over forty and under forty -five, forty-five dollars; over forty-five and under Gity, fifty dollars. The ninth annual meeting of the Mutual Relief Association of Petaluma was held at the office of the association on the evening of the 8 th of July, 1879, at 8 o'clock, pursuant to a notice published in the Standard. After HISTOET OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 327 receiving the reports of the Secretary and Treasurer, the meeting took action upon proposed changes in the by-laws presented to them by the Directors. Each section proposed to be amended was acted upon separately, and was passed as amended by the Board, with nearly a unanimous vote. The meeting, after disposing of the by-laws proceeded to the election of Directors to serve for the ensuing year, which resulted in the choice of L. F. Carpenter, Ed. Newburgh, E. S. Lippitt, F. W. Shattuck, John Cavanagh, Isaac Bernhard, D. W. C. Putnam and F. E. McNear, of the old Board, and A. H. Drees, Kelly Tighe, W. L. Van Doren and Wm. Camm, new members. G. E.. Codding, Secretary. After which the meeting adjourned, with a unanimous feeUng among themselves that the association is not only the largest as to the members, but the strongest financially of any one ia the State. Sonoma and Marin Mutual Beneficial Association. — The subject of life insurance is one of the gi-eat problems that the nineteenth century has attempted to solve. It is a pleasing idea this preparing in life for the wel- fare oi' the loved ones who must be left behind after our death, and it is for this avowed purpose that men have joined themselves to associations, formed in different ways and under different laws, each agreeing to pay certain sums in life so that after death certain sums may be paid to surviving heirs. But one great fault with old style life insurance companies was, that the expenses ate up the income derived from the insured. High-priced officials must be employed, palatial offices must be furnished, all at the expense of the insured. At last the crash came. In the last few years it is safe to say that hundreds of the so-called life insurance companies have been obliged to clo.se their doors, and the country been fiUed with thousands who have been swindled out of money they could ill afford to lose. It was at this juncture that mutual protective and beneficial associations came into notice, and the different secret societies, express and railroad employees, and even members of churches, formed themselves into associations, agreeing to pay a certain sum upon the death of each and every member. These associations gave such general satisfaction, accomplishing its designs with such a cer- tainty and at such trifling expense, that it was not long before it was adopted by the large manufacturers and their operatives, as the cheapest and best plan for protection against the frequent demands of the needy, and to place their widows and orphans above want. Realizing these facts, the citizens of San Francisco formed an association, confining its membership to this city. Some citizens of Petaluma applied to become members, and having been denied, by reason of its restrictions, they determined to organize an associa- tion in Petaluma. The result was the incorporation of a society in the spirit of the above, on October 1, 1868, under the name of the Sonoma and Marin Mutual Beneficial Association, and it has steadily increased in numbers and influence until it is known throughout the land, and it has the satisfaction 328 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. of knowing that it has relieved widows and orphans to the amount of over two hundred and sixty thousand dollars. This it has done with an expense so slight to each member that it was not heeded. The association stands as guardian, ever ready to respond in like manner to the future call of its mem- bers, which now number nearly two thousand. The assets of the Sonoma and Marin Mutual Beneficial Association were on the 1st of October, 1878, fifty-eight thousand, five hundred and fifty-one dollars and forty-six cents. The dividends paid up to that time amounted to twenty-eight thousand, six hundred and ninety-one dollars and ninety-seven cents, and the benefits paid, to two hundred and ninety-four thousand eight hundred and seventy- one dollars. This is a remarkably good showing, and reveals the fact that the aSairs of the company have been most excellently managed, and the interests of the members most carefully guarded. The Directors of the asso- ciation are H. T. Fairbanks, Dr. J. S. Shepherd, Wm. H. Dalton, Conrad Poehlman, L. G. Nay, N. M. Hedges, C. P. Hatch, J. A. Wiswell, Dr. J. H. Crane, William Zartman, Daniel Brown, C. Blackburn. The office of this company is located in the building, and any information regarding the Asso- ciation may be obtained by addressing the Secretary, M. H. Falkner, Petaluma. Library Association. — The public library in Petaluma, containing about two thousand well-selected volumes, was organized under the auspices of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows of Petaluma, in January, 1867, the first officers being: T. F. Baylis, President; L. Ellsworth, Vice President; Dr. J. H. Crane, Secretary; William Zartman, Treasurer. In October, 1878, the insti- tution was turned over to the city and organized as a public library. The rooms of the association are well managed and furnished, and are conveni- ently situated on Main street, near the corner of English street. The present officers are: Lee Ellsworth, President; M. E. C. Munday, Vice-President; John P. Rodgers, Secretary; Mrs. Lackie, Librarian. Petaluma Temperance Iteform Club. — On Wednesday evening, February 19, 1879, Doctor D. Banks McKenzie of Boston, Massachusetts, addressed the citizens of Petaluma and vicinity on the subject of temperance. At the close of his address the audience extended him an invitation to remain a week, at least, and speak every evening in the theater. Dr. McKenzie having accept- ted, the meetings were so held; total abstinence pledges were prepared, and there were received during the week over four hundred signatures of men, besides about three hundred ladies and children. Many of the ladies had already become members of the Woman's Temperance Union. During the meetings the interest strongly and steadily increased, while at those held later the audiences filled the theater to its utmost capacity, even to standing room. A collection was taken up on each evening, and after payiiig expenses of the meetings, a balance of twenty-three dollars and seventy cents remainino- ^^-'-^ yt^uJC^^yO HISTOEY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOENIA. 329 was donated to the Home for the Care of Inebriates at Needham, Massachu- setts, of which the doctor is superintendent. On the evening of February 26th, a special collection was made for the Home, realizing the sum of nine- ty-one dollars and thirty cents, making a total for that purpose of one hun- dred and fifteen dollars, which sum was placed at Doctor McKenzie's disposal for the purpose named. On Tuesday evening, February 25th, a Temperance Keform Club was formed with one hundred and sixty-three men enrolled ; on the following day the membership was increased to two hundred and two, and on March 1st the Club numbered two hundred and thirty. The meeting of the 25th February being opened with prayer by the Rev. R. F. Allen, the following officers were named and elected to serve for the first quarter, viz.: President, Frank W. Shattuck; First Vice-President, James Davidson; Second, Aleck Conley; Third, E. G. Hopkins; Fourth, Andrew Spotswood, Fifth, Charles Humphries; Treasurer, John S. Van Doren; Secretary, O. T. Baldwin; Assist- ant Secretary, Charles E. Singley; Financial Secretary, L. D. Gale; Marshal, William M. Brown. After the foregoing officers had been chosen, there followed remarks from Dr. D. Banks McKenzie, Rev. G. B. Allen and others, while the executive committee consisting of the officers of the club were instructed to consider the feasibility and propriety of a torch-light procession on the evening of the 27th, in lieu of which a ratification meeting v^as held. On February 26th, the subjoined committees were appointed, viz.: Committee of Vigilance, Messrs. William M. Brown, Chairman, Albert Averil, Frank Adel, J. J. Barnes, George W. Brush, John Lawlor, James Edwards, Walter Frost, Orris Elmore, G. P. Hall, John Norsworthy. Hall Committee, Messrs. George P. McNear, J. L. Winans, W D. McLaren; Mesdames John S. Van Doren, A. P. Whitney, G. R. Codding. Finance Committee, Messrs. L. D. Gale, B. Haskell, J. W Harris, Samuel Martin. Committee on Entertain- ment, A. J. Show, Scott Bowles, C. O. Perkins, P. H. Lawlor, C. S. Farquar; Mesdames John A. McNear, H. P. Brainard ; Misses A. R. Congdon, A. Has- brouck, Clara Wright. Visiting Committee, A. F. Killam, Thomas R. Jacobs, John Johnson ; Mesdames Miller, Lackie and A. A. Peary. At the ratification held on the 27th of the same month, addresses were delivered by W. B. Haskell, E. G. Hopkins, John Ross, H. M. Webber, R. H- Duncan, E. S. Lippitt, and the Rev. W. S. Scott, who opened the meeting with prayer, while before separating Mr. Haskell, on behalf of the members, presented Doctor McKenzie with a valuable and elegant California saddle of Petaluma manufacture, which was received by him with feeling and timely remarks. In connection with the institution are a well stocked reading-room and a Free Labor Bureau, while social contorts are to be had with extreme facility at reasonable rates. Lectures are frequently given in connection therewith^ while addresses bearing on the vice of intemperance and other topics are of frequent occurrence. 330 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. The present officers are: President, Frank W. Shattuck; Vice-Presidents, B. Haskell, John Ross, R. H. Duncan, P. Lawlor, John J. Barnes; Treasurer, John S. Van Doren; Secretary, O. T. Baldwin; Financial Secretary, L. D. Gale ; Assistant Secretary, E. R. Healey ; Marshal, W. M. Brown. The regular meetings of the club are held every Saturday evening, while the regular business meetings are held on each Wednesday. Washington Hall Association. — This company was incorporated February 22, 1870, the first officers being: Lee Ellsworth, President; Phillip Cowen, Secretary; C. P. Hatch, Treasurer. It consists of a theatre, stage, side and end galleries, auditorium and basement of the following dimensions: Stage, twenty -four feet ; two dressing rooms under the stage, and one on each side of the first entrance, fourteen by twenty feet; the whole is lighted by one hundred and forty burners, the gas being generated by a pneumatic gas machine. The building, which was opened on September 7, 1879, includes an auditorium fifty-six by sixty-six feet while its entire dimensions are sixty by one hundred feet, erected at a cost of twenty-five th(JUsand dollars. The present officers are L. Ellsworth, President; L. Bauer, Secretary, and C. P. Hatch, Treasurer. Cypress Hill Cemetery. — To the northward of the city of Petaluma, on an eminence commanding a beautiful prospect of the fertile valleys and bold mountains, is situated this handsome cemetery. Just outside the limits of the busy mart of trade, just beyond the sounds of its hum and whirr, almost beside the workers of to-day in th^^ city of the living, lie the workers of yes- terday, gone forever to rest in the quiet, sacred, silent city. How beautiful the site which has been chosen for this silent city ! If man must die, if " of dust thou art and to dust thou shalt return " is the fiat of the Almighty, how pleasant it is to know that our ashes will pass to the mot'.ier earth in such a lovely spot as this! This cemetery is the result of the private enterprise of one of Petaluma's most prominent citizens , John A. McNear. Pievious to 1868, there had not been any very suitable place for a cemetery provided for by the citizens of Petaluma, but in that year Mr. McNear put into execution a project for providing for that pressing necessity. Accoi'dingly the present site of Cypress Hill was chosen and burial lots laid out. Thou- sands of trees were planted and miles of road made, and other work done of greac expense, to make it as attractive and well adapted as possible for a cemetery. It was not long before the enterprise began to be appreciated, and soon family lots were taken and handsome walls placed around them, and other improvements made. Finally elegant marble and granite shafts began to rear their heads in honor of the departed dead. One visiting it to-day finds a sta,tely avenue leading up to it, begirt with evergreen trees. Pass- ing through the gate he finds the lots arranged in regular order, with avenues passing through them. Tributes to the dearly loved dead are reared on every side, extending from the costly monument to the modest headstone. HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 331 Beneath them all are on a level, no matter what their earthly station. Prominent among the most beautiful of the monuments, stands the one erected sacred to the memory of the wife and children of Mr. McNear. It stands on the very apex of the knoll, and is surrounded by a beautiful lot of goodly proportions. But nobler far than shaft of marble or granite, and far more enduring is the monument Mr. McNear has erected for himself in thus preparing at his own expense such a fitting and beautiful resting plade for the beloved dead of Petaluma. The Sonoma and Marin District Agricultural Society. — The first organi- zation of the society was made under the name of the Sonoma Agricultural and Mechanics' Society, on April 12, 18-59. Pursuant to a call made by publication a large number of subscribers to the Sonoma County Fair met at the Masonic Hall, Healdsburg, on Thursday evening, March 24, 1859, to devise the necessary ways and means of carrying out the enterprise. A temporary organization being deemed advisable, Hon. W. P. Ewing was called to the chair, and stated the object of the meeting. James B. Boggs appointed Secretary. A committee of two from each township was was appointed to solicit further subscriptions. A committee of five was appointed to report permanent organization and rules and regulations, to report at a future meeting. Meeting then adjourned to April 12, 1859, at which time the society was duly organized, with the following officers : President, Washington P. Ewing, and nine Vice-Presidents; Secretary, J. B. Boggs; Corresponding Secretary, G. W. Granniss; Treasurer, Lindsay Carson; and a Board of nine Directors, consisting of Col. A. Hai-.^szthy, Major J. Singley, C. J. Robinson, Josiah Morin, G. P. Brunificld, J. N . Bailhache, Julio CarilJo, J. W. Wilbur, and D. D. Phillips. The first fair was held at Healds- burg. At the election of officers for the next year, J. Q. Shirly was elected President, and I. G. Wickersham, Secretary. At a meeting of the society held March 3, 1860, on motion of Mr. Weston, a committee of five was appointed to confer with agricultural societies of the counties of Marin, Mendocino, Napa and Solano, and in case no society exist in those counties, then with some of the prominent agriculturists and stock-raisers therein, upon the subject of estab- lishing a District Agricultural Society, to be known as the Sonoma and Napa District Society. H, L. Weston, I. G. Wickersham, Joseph O'Farreli, J. S. Rob- berson and Rod Matheson were appointed said committee. The second fair was held at Petaluma, on the grounds of Uriah Edwards, and for it premium lists were prepared under the direction of Mr. Wickersham. Col. Haraszthy made the opening address. Petaluma Band gave the music for the occasion, at the price of four hundred dollars. The records of the society for that year are very full and complete, made by the Secretary, S. D. Towns, who had been elected to fill the place of Mr. Boggs. E. Latapie was the Marshal of the week. - The bar was let for thirty-five dollars. Among the other exhibitions 332 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOENIA. of the week was a trial of fire engines. The premiums consisted of cash and silver plate. Races were held one day at the old race track. At the election held at the close of the fair, Dr. John Hendley was elected President ; Wingtield Wright, Vice-President ; W. H. Crowell, Secretary, and J. H. Holmes.'Treasurer, and it was resolved to hold the next fair at Santa Rosa. Thereafter the fair was held at different points, until 1867, when the sociely was reorganized, with J. R. Rose, President, and Phillip Cowen, Sec- retary. That year the north portion of the present grounds were purchased from Gates, and the pavilion was ei'ected, and a large part of the cattle stalls and horse stalls constructed, and the society, under its present management, held its first fair; J. P. Clark was Marshal; N. C. Stafford, superintendent of the pavilion, and M. Doyle, superintendent of the stock grounds. To make the purchase of permanent grounds about two hundred and fifty life memberships were sold at the price of twenty -five dollars per share, with privilege of free admission to all subsequent fairs and right to exhibit. The old race track, about two miles from the city, was still used for all races. The second annual election of the present society was held on the second Sat- urday of May, 1868. The counties of Sonoma, Marin, Mendocino and Lake constituted the district at this time. J. R. Rose was re-elected President ; Andrew Mills, Vice-President, and Phil. Cowen, Secretary, with nine Directors. The fair for 1868 was held at the new grounds, September 21st to 25th, inclusive. George Pearce made the opening address, and E. S. Lippitt the annual address. J. P. Clark acted as Marshal, and F. W. Lougee and *!M. Doyle as superintendents of pavilion and stock grounds. This year, for the first time, the society conferred diplomas for meritorious exhibits. The society showed by its exhibition this year a steady growth. The interest was greater than ever, the exhibits larger and more creditable. At the annual election, in May, 1869, J. R. Rose was unanimously elected President; A. Mills, Vice-President; P. Conin, Secretary; I. G. Wickersham, Treasurer; with tlie same number of Directors. The fair this year was held September 27th to October 1st. N. L. Allen acted as Marshal, D. W. C. Putnam was Superintendent of Pavilion, and Rochford, superintendent of stock grounds. The fair was very creditable, and the society felt the need of more room. A committee was appointed to secure more ample grounds for the Fair and race-track. On the 8th of January, 1870, they reported that they could buy the Liberty race ground, on the Bloomfield road, at six thousand dollars ; land of Mr. Long for eighty-five dollars per acre, and at Gill's place for forty dollars per acre. On the 15th of January, I. G. Wickei-sham presented a petition to send to the Legislature to solicit State aid, and a meeting of life members was called to meet April 2, 1870, to select new grounds for the fair. The result of the action of the meeting was to buy grounds adjacent to the old fair HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 333 grounds, and upon them construct a half-mile race track, grand stand, and other conveniences for a permanent fair ground. The new board of officers were elected in December, 1870, and consisted of E. Denman, President; Lee Ellsworth and H. Mecham, Vice-Presidents; J. Grover, Secretary; and Wm. Hill, Treasurer. Society during this year duly incorporated, and J. R. Rose, to whom the several parcels of land of the fair ground had been deeded, as trustee for the society, deeded them to the society. A committee, of E. Denman and C. Tempel, was also appointed to make arrangements to pay the large indebtedness of the society. The Fair for 1871 was held September 2-5th to 30th, and was well attended. The third stage of the society's existence had now commenced. The receipts were largely in excess of former years, amounting to three thousand three huadrcJ and seventy dollars. The annual meeting for 1871 was adjourned until January 6, 1872, when an election of officers was had, with the following result : President, Lee EUsworth; E. Denman and J. R. Rose, Vice-Presidents; Frank Lougee, Treasurer; and J. Grover, Seci^etary. The great expense of the new purchase and grand stand, and construction of race track, had been met by the generous action of the public-spirited citizens of the city of Petaluma and county, who assumed the liabilities by their joint note, amounting to about twelve thousand dollars. About forty signed the note. This amount was afterward paid by them, as the note - became due, except five thousand doUars, which was paid by the city of Petaluma. The payment of this debt by these men relieved the society from a great burden. The Society's fair for 1872 was held September 9th to 14th, inclusive. B. Haskel was superintendent of pavilion. The receipts of the Society this year were larger than any preceding year, amounting to five thousaui eight hundred and forty-one dollars, besides the sum of two thousand dollars appropriated by the State. At the annual election held December 7, 1872, the retiring President, L. Ellsworth, made a report to the society of their progress, from its reorgan- ization in 1867 to date, by which it appeared that the total receipts of the society had amounted to twenty-nine thousand six hundred and thirty-three dollars, and that the society had expended, for grounds, pavilion, grand stand and premiums, the sum of forty thousand seven hundred and fifty-one dollars, leaving an indebtedness of eleven thousand one hundred and eighteen dollars, secured as heretofore stated. The following officers were elected for ensuing year : President,, E. Den- man; Vice-Presidents, L. Ellsworth, Wm. Zartman; Secretary, E. S. Lippitt; Treasurer, Robert Seavey. The fair for 1873, was held October 6th to 11th, inclusive, Capt. Watson 334 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. acting as Marshal. Rev. G. B. Taylor delivered the annual address. The receipts for the year were six thousand two hundred dollars, besides two thousand dollars received from the State, most of which was expended in enlarging the accommodations for stock and enlargement of the grand stand. The annual meeting for 1873 was held on December 7th, and the following officers were elected to serve for the ensuing year: President, J. R Rose; Vice-Presidents, Lee Ellsworth and H. Mecham; Secretary, E. S. Lippitt; Treasurer, A. J. Pierce ; Directors, A. Morse and Robert Seavey. The fair for the year 1874 was held September 14th to 19th, inclusive. D. W. C. Putnam was elected superintendent of pavilion, and Judge Shafter delivered the annual address. The fair was largely attended. At the annual meeting in 1874 the following officers were elected to serve for the ensuing year : President, J. R. Rose ; Vice-Presidents, H. Mecham» G. D. Green; Secretary, E. S. Lippitt; Treasurer, A. Morse; Directors, P. J. Shafter and Robert Crane. The district was enlarged now by taking in Napa and Solano counties, and exhibitors restricted to the district. At the fair held in 1875 Prof. Fitzgerald, State Superintendent of Public Schools, delivered the annual address. This year the pavilion was enlarged by the addition of agricultural and horticultural'halls. The receipts amounted to five thousand six hundred and fourteen dollars. At the annual election in 1875, the following officers were elected for the ensuing year : President, L. Ellsworth ; Vice-Presidents, A. P. Whitney and P. J. Shafter; Secretary, E. S. Lippitt; Treasurer, A. Morse; Directors, Robert Crane and H. Mecham. Mr. Ellsworth having resigned, H. Mecham was afterward elected by the Board of Directors to fill his place. The Fair for 1876 was held from October 9th to 14th, and was in extent and quality greatly in excess of any heretofore held. The display of stock was the finest exhibited at any of the fairs of the State, and the depart- ments of agriculture and horticulture were greatly in advance of former fairs. Major Armstrong acted as Marshal. Judge Shafter delivered the annual address. At the annual meeting held December 2, 1876, the following officers were elected: President, H. Mecham; Vice-Presidents, A. P. Whitney, P. J. Shafter; Secretary, E. S. Lippitt ; Treasurer, A. Morse ; Directors, G. D. Green, Robert Crane. By action of the society the District was enlarged to take in the counties west of the Sacramento and north of the bay, including Humboldt and Yolo. The fair for 1877 was held September 24-29. M. D. Boruck delivered the annual address, James Armstrong acting as Marshal. The receipts were the largest ever had by the Society, amounting to sevei^ thousand five hundred and seventy-seven dollars. The Pavilion was enlarged by extending the west wing forty feet. A large number of stalls for horses and stock were built and the whole grounds thoroughly overhauled and repaired, which not only absorbed the large receipts but entailed a debt of one thousand HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 335 three hundred and eighty-five dollars. At the annual election this year, 1877, the old Board of officers were re-elected and the time of fair fixed for September 21st to 28th inclusive. During this year the grounds had been greatly adorned by the planting of trees. An art gallery was built twenty- five feet wide by eighty feet long and other permanent improvements of the grounds and buildings. The fair held in 1878 was the largest and most interesting of the whole series. The receipts amounted to seven thousand six hundred and sixty-five dollars. The expenditures, eight thousand four hundred and thirty-six dollars. Leaving a small debt subsisting against the society. The 'Legislature at the session of 1877-8 enacted a new law in regard to agricultural societies making the President and two Directors to be chosen each year and the Treasurer and Secretary to be other than members of the Board. At the last election held December, 1878, the following Board of Directors was elected: President, A P. Whitney; E. Denman and R. Crane, Directors for one year ; J. McM. Shaf ter and H. Mecham, for two years ; A. Morse and R. Seavey, for three years. F. W. Lougee was by the Board elected Treasurer and W. E. Cox Secretary. During the last year the same enterprising spirit has been exhibited by the Board — new gates to the Park have been built and a new ticket ofiice and Treasurer's ofiice. The grand stand was enlarged one half its former dimensions. New trees planted and new stalls erected. The last fair was equal to any that preceded it. J. P. Clark was Marshal of the week . D. W. C. Putnam, Superintendent of the Pavilion. E. S. Lippitt delivered the annual address. It will thus be seen that the old friends of the Society are still its earnest supporters. One of the most attractive features of the fair for the last three years has been the award of premiums ofiered by Judge J. McM. Shafter to young ladies for best bread, cakes, salads, baked beans and soups. These prizes of beautiful silver ware and the finest Sevres ware, amounting to several hundreds of dollars, have called forth a lively competition and in connection with the annual address to the young ladies by the honored giver has proved one of the pleasantest and most attractive features of the annual fair. His generosity does not diminish; " may his shadow never be less. " We have thus given the history of the society down to the present time. The successful reorganization of the Society was largely due to the untiring eSbrts of its first president, J. R. Rose, Esq. The gross receipts for the last twelve years has been about ninety thousand dollars, of which sum about forty thousand dollars has been expended in premiums. The balance has been expended in purchase of grounds, erection of buildings and the current expenses of annual fairs. The Sooiety has been the means of creating a greater interest in farming and farm products and has made the District unsurpassed by any La the State in the number and quality of its thorough- 336 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. bred cattle and 'horses. Under its present management, the Society now free from debt enters upon a continued and wider sphere of usefulness- The election of the following officers December 6, 1879: A. P. Whitney, President; Robert Crane and E. Denraan, Directors, argues well for its increasinor usefulness and success. O Fetaluma Fire Department. — The first fire company in Petaluma was organized Wednesday, June 10, 1857, with the following officers : President, H. L. Weston; Secretary, E. B. Cooper; Treasurer, William Hill; Foreman, William Van Houten; First Assistant, M. Woods; Trustees: W. L. Ander- son, George Andrews, M. Weil. The engme and hose-cart was purchased of Knickerbocker Company, No. Five, of San Francisco, and was quite a feature in the Fourth of July procession, twenty -two years ago. It is a Smith machine, and at present is housed in the house of Company No. One. Following is a list of the forty-five charter members: H. L. Weston, M. Woods, J. B. Southard, V D. Lambert, Frank Bray, George Mower, C. I. Robinson, H. D. Ley, J. Warshawski, John F. Murphy, M. Weil, M. Lehman, John S, Van Doren, W. W. Churchill, S. Wiley, Edmund Buckley, William Van Houten, E. B. Cooper, James H. Knowles, Charles Fann, George W. Andrews, J. R. Robinson, T. F. Baylis, William L. Anderson, J. S. Fields, J. Letson, J. Greaver, Thomas Williams, F. A. Parker, George Ross, J. S. Eagan, C. A. Hunnewell, J. W. Hemenway, J. H. Siddons, D. W. Kelly, William Zartman, John Stedman, C. G. Ives, James Samuels, William M. Lyon, William Hill, Israel Cook, George Pearce, J. D. Cross, John Delehanty, Lee Ellsworth, George Stanley, James Daly, Daniel Brown, M. McCarty, J. P. Hutchinson, S. C. Haydon, Robert P. Gill, George Walker, W. W. Main, B. F. Cornell, J. W. Harris, J. K. Brown, J. Palmer, S. Fieldheim, E. Swift, P. E. Weeks, Charles P. Lovegrove, James M. Merrill, Charles Plammer, James Van Doren, F. W. Lougee, Charles E. Powers, Edmund Collins, Alexander VanderNoot, Robert F. Brooks, E. B. Thompson, William P. Tiernay, E. R. Piiley, M. J. Caveno, C. E. Colburn, John O. Malley, Charles Hopkins, Thomas Roach, William Thomas, C. H. Steel, J. B. Hinkle, George H. Hackett, Henry Holmes, J. E. Lockwood, S. S. Kingery, S. H. Smith, Almon Johnson, Peter McKenna, S. P. Derby, Owen Nehs, Thomas M. Crowley, William Jennings, Edward Edwards, M. Donahue, A. Morris, Theodore F. Rohte, E. Rowlson, John U. Newton, J. C. Peavy, George A. Hart, Richard Lambert, Jess Jackson, George Campbell, Jacob Rosenthal, John E. Gwinn, Lee Boreland, William H. Van Doren, James P. Hume, O. Randolph, Philip Cowen, A. Bond, D. W. Sroufe, John C. Scott, Robert Brooks, E. P. Butler, H. Pimm, G. R. Codding, A. B. Derby, Thomas Edwards, B. Newman, Samuel Cassiday, Frederick Frasier, J. Price, Jr., H. Jacobson, N. O. Mitchell, John Sroufe, W. H. Douglass, Charles H. Bailey, S. C. Smith, P. Harrison, John Tustin, R. C. Pearson, William M. Brown, B. P. Brower, William Davis, James Tann, John L. Waters, James B. BaUey, J. W. '^j^_2:^t^±^ HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 337 Stewart, Thomas Clark. The company at present has a membership of about sixty active members and the following officers: President, G. W. Zartman; Foreman, H. Pimm; First Assistant, F. C. Jordan; Second Assist- ant, J. E. Johnson; Secretary, F. C. Jordan; Treasurer, J. E. Johnson. 'First Rational Gold Bank of 'Petaluma (successors to I. G. Wichersham, y^ t^^^^-e^e^i^C^^ S^— 7 ,i_ HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 369 relieved of its burden of grain. It was doubtless no hard job to winnow the grain after it was threshed, as the wind blows a stiff blast at that point during all the Summer months. The Russians constructed a wharf at the northern side of the little cove and graded a road down the steep ocean shore to it. The grade is still to be seen, as it passed much of the way through solid rock. This wharf was made fast to the rocks on which it was constructed with long iron bolts. All that remains of the wharf now is a few of the bolts driven into the rocks. It was gone before Mr. Rufus went there, hence we are unable to give its dimensions or farther details concerning it. These old Muscovites, doubtless, made the first lumber with a saw ever made north of San Francisco bay. They had a pit and a whip-saw. The pit used by them can be seen to this day. Judging from the number of stumps still standing, and the extent of territory over which they extended their logging operations, they evidently consumed very large quantities of lumber. The timber was only about one mile distant from the shipyard and landing. The stumps of trees cut by them are stUl standing, while beside them from one to six shoots have sprung up, many of which have now reached a size sufficient for lumber purposes. This growth has been remark- able, and goes to show that if proper care were taken each half century would see a new crop of redwoods sufficiently large for all practical pur- poses, while a century would see gigantic trees. As stated above, the cemetery lay to the eastward of the fort, about one- fourth of a mile, and across a very deep gulch. It was near the church for the peasants. There were never more than fifty graves in it, though all traces are obliterated now of more than a dozen ; most of them stiU remain- ing had some sort of a wooden structure built over them. One manner of constructing these mausoleums was to make a series of rectangular frames of square timbers, about six inches in diameter, each frame a certain degree smaller than the one below it. These were placed one above another until an apex was reached, -which was surmounted with a cross. Another method was to construct a rectangular frame of heavy planking about one foot hio-h. The top was covered over with two heavy planks placed so as to be roof- shaped, others had simply a rude cross, others a cross on which some mechanical skill was displayed, and one has a very large round post standing high above the adjacent crosses. They are all buried in graves dug due east and west, and, doifctless, with their heads to the west. There are no inscrip- tions now to be seen upon any of the graves, and it is not likely there ever were any. Some of them certainly contain children, judging from their size. Silently are these sleeping in their far-away graves, where the eyes of those who knew and loved them in their earthly life can never rest on their tombs again, and while the eternal roar of the Pacific makes music in the jnidnight watches will they await the great day that shall restore them to 24 370 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. their long-lost friends. Sleep on, brave hearts, and peaceful be thy silent slumber ! In an easterly direction, and about one mile distant from the fort, there was an enclosure, containing probably five acres. It was enclosed by a fence about eight feet high, made of redwood slabs about two inches in thickness. These slabs were driven into the ground, while the tops were nailed firmly to girders extending from post to post, set about ten feet apart. Within the enclosure there was an orchard of fruit trees planted, consisting of apples, prunes and cherry trees. It is . stated that all the old stock of German prunes in California came from seed procured at this orchard. The apples were small seedlings, and shaped much as an Eastern " sheep-nosed June apple," or rather they were miniature " bell-flowers." At present there are about fifty apple and nine cherry trees standing. They are moss- covered and gray with age, and many of them have bowed their heads to the ground under the weight of their years. The fruit is still pleasant to the taste, but is small and insignificant, when placed beside the great, grafted, rosy-cheeked giants which are now grown in all of our California valleys. But these Muscovite apples excel no apples at all, and there was a day when they were much sought for in the San Francisco market. The cherries were small and sour, and not of any particular excellence. At present but little care is taken of the trees, and surrounded as they are with the wild forest trees, one is reminded forcibly of some of " Johnny Apple- seed's " famous orchards, planted in the wilds of the Ohio forests, years before the State was settled. The Russians had a small settlement at a place now known as Russian Gulch. They grew wheat here, evidently, for the remains of a ware-house are still to be seen. They lightered their wheat out to the vessel, which was anchored off" the shore some distance. The wreck of the frame of one of their lighters can still be seen near that point. There were several commanders or Colonial Governors who had charge here, but the names of all save the first, Alexander Koskoff, and the last, Rotscheff, have been lost even to tradition. General William T. Sherman relates a pleasant incident in his "Memoirs," which is called to mind by the mention of the name of Rotscheff". It will be remembered that this man had a wife whose beauty was famous throughout the whole section — truly a sec- ond Helen, for the capture and possession of whom even military expeditions were organized. The incident is as follows : While lyings at anchor in a Mediterranean port, the vessel on which Sherman was traveling was visited by the oflicers of a Russian naval vessel. During the exchange of courtesies and the course of conversation, one of the Russian officers took occasion tO' remark to Sherman that he was an American by birth, having been born in the Russian colony in California, and that he was the son of one of the colo- nial rulers. He was doubtless the son of Rotscheff and his beautiful bride. HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 371 the Princess de Gagarin, in whose honor Mount St. Helena was christened. We have thus fully set forth all the facts concerning the Russian occupancy, and their habits, manners, buildings, occupations, etc. We wdl now trace the causes which led to their departure from the genial shores of California and then bid them adios. It is stated that the promulgation of the Monroe doctrine caused them to leave ; but that is hardly the fact, for they remained seventeen j^ears after this policy was announced and accepted by the nations of Europe. It is, however, probably true, that European nations had some- thing to do with it, for it is clearly shown in another chapter of this work, that both France and England had an eye upon this territory:, and both hoped some day to possess it. As long as the Russians maintained a colony here, they had a prior claim to the territory ; hence they must be got rid of. The Russians also r. cognized the fact that the Americans were beginning to come into the country in quite large numbers, and that it was inevitable that they would soon overrun and possess it. The subsequent train of events proved that their surmises were perfectly correct. One thing, however, is evident, and that is, that they did not depart at the request or behest of either the Spanish or Mexican governments. It is almost certain that the Russians contemplated a permanent settlement at this point when they located here, as this section would provide them with wheat, an article much needed for the supply of their colonies in the far north. Of course as soon as the Span- ish authorities came to know of their permanent location, word was sent of the fact to the headquarters at Madrid. In due course of time, reply came from the seat of government ordering the Muscovite intruders to depart. To this peremptory order their only answer was that the order had been forwarded to St. Petersburg for the action of the Emperor. Some time later, probably about 1816, a Russian vessel anchored in the bay of San Francisco. The Spanish authorities complained of Koskoff to the commander of the vessel, and a conference was held concerning the matter, but nothing came of it. The commandants under the Mexican regime, in later years, organized several miUtary expeditions for the purpose of marching against the intruders, but no real march in that direction was ever made. For more than a quarter of a century they continued to hold undisturbed possession of the disputed territory, and prosecuted their farm- ing, stock-raising, hunting, trapping and ship-buUding enterprises. However, whatever were the causes which led to it, there finally came a time when the Russian authorities had decided to withdraw the California colony. The proposition was made first by them to the Government authorities at Mon- terey, to dispose of their interests here, including their title to the land. As the authorities had never recognized their right or title to the land, and did not wish to do so now, they refused to purchase. AppHcation was next made to General M. G. Vallejo, but on the same grounds he refused to purchase. They then applied to Captain John A. Sutter, a gentleman at 372 HISTORY OK SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. that time residing near where Sacramento city now stands. Capt. Sutter had come to the country from Sitka, some years before, on board of one of their vessels. They persuaded Sutter into the belief that their title was good, and could be maintained ; so, after making out a full invoice of the articles they had for disposal, including all the land lying between Point Reyes and Point Mendocino, and one league inland, as well as cattle, farming and mechanical implements; also, a schooner, of one hundred and eighty tons burthen, some arms, a four-pound brass field-piece, etc., a price was decided upon. The amount paid by Sutter was thirty thousand dollars. This was not all paid at one time, but in installments of a few thousand dollars at a time. The last payment was made by Sutter through ex- Governor Burnett, in 1849. Sutter paid the entire amount in cash, and not a part in cash and the remainder in wheat and real estate, as has been stated to us by old settlers. E. V. Sutter, of San Francisco, a son of the General, is our authority for the above statements. All the stipulations of the sale having been arranged satisfactorily to both parties, the transfer was duly made, and Sutter became, as he thoifght, the greatest land-holder in California. The grants given by the Mexican Government seemed mere bagatelles, compared with his almost provincial possessions. But, alas ! for human hopes and aspirations ; for in reality he had paid an enormous price for a very paltry compensation of personal and chattel property. It is apropos to remark here that in 18-59 Sutter disposed of his Russian claim, which was a six-eighths interest in the lands mentioned above, to William Muldrew, George R. Moore and Daniel W. Welty, but they only succeeded in getting six thousand dollars out of one settler. The remainder refused to pay, and the claim was dropped. Some of the settlers were inclined to con- sider the Muldrew claim, as it is called, a black-mailing affair, and to censure General Sutter for disposing of it to them, charging that he sanctioned the black-mailing proces.s, and was to share in its profits, but we will say in justice to the General, that so far as he was concerned, there was no idea of black-mail on his part. He supposed that he did purchase a bona fide claim and title to the land in question, of the Russians, and has always considered the gi'ants given by the Mexican Government as bogus, hence in giving this quit-claim deed to Muldrew et al., he sincerely thought that he was deeding that to which he alone had any just or legal claim. Orders were sent to the settlers at Fort Ross to repair at once to San Francisco bay, and ships were dispatched to bring them there, where whaling vessels, which were bound for the northwest whaling grounds, had been chartered to convey them to Sitka. The vessels arrived at an early hour in the day, and the orders shown to the commander, Rotschetf, who immediately caused the bells to be rung in the chapel towers, and the cannon to be discharged, this being the usual method of convocating the people at an unusual hour, or for some special purpose, so everything was suspended HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA, 373 just there — the husbandman left his plow standing in the half -turned furrow, and unloosed his oxen, never again to yoke them, leaving them to wander at will over the fields; the mechanic droped his planes and saws on the bench, leaving the half -planed board still in the vise ; the tanner left his tools where he was using them, and dropped his apron to don it no more in Cali- fornia. As soon as the entire population had assembled Rotscheff arose and read the orders. Very sad and unwelcome, indeed, was this intelligence, but the edict had emanated from a source which could not be gainsaid, and the only alternative was speedy and complete compUance, however reluctant it might be. And thus four hundred people were made homeless by the fiat of a single word. Time was only given to gather up a few household eflTeccs, and some of the choicest keepsakes, and they were hurried on board "the ships. Scarcely time was given to those whose loved ones were sleeping in the graveyard near. by, to pay a last sad visit to their resting place. Embarcation was commenced at once, "And with the ebb of the tide the ships sailed out of the harbor. Leaving behind them the dead on the shore. And all the happy scenes of their lives, which had glided smoothly along on the beautiful shores of the Pacific and in the garden-spot of the world. Sad and heavy must have been their hearts, as they gazed for the last time upon the receding landscape which their eyes had learned to love because it had been that best of all places — Home. "This is the forest primeval ; but where are the hearts that beneath it Leaped like the roe, when he hears in the woodland the voice of the huntsman T Waste are the pleasant farms, all the farmers forever departed! Scattered like dust and leaves, when the mighty blasts of October Seize them and whirl them aloft, and sprinkle them far over the ocean, Naught but tradition remains. * * » Still stands the forest primeval; but under the shade of its branches Dwells another race, with other customs and language, While from its rocky caverns the deep- voiced neighboring ocean Speaks, and, in accents disconsolate, answers the wail of the forest.'' We will now pass to the settlement of the township by Americans. Sf tter at once sent a major domo to Fort Ross to look after his interests at that point. Of all who were sent there by him during the next four or five years, only two are known at the present time, viz.: John BidweU and Wm. Benitz. Benitz went there in the Spring of 1844 as major domo and spent that year in that capacity. In the Spring of 1845, he rented the place from Sutter on certain conditions, associating with him as partner Ernest Rufus, now of Sonoma valley. They took a contract to grow potatoes for a firm in Yerba Buena. They raised an abundance of potatoes and had them snugly stored in the old Russian buildings, but the vessel which was sent up for them was lost, and the potatoes rotted and were carted out and thrown into the sea. These enterprising Germans made good use of all ^he Russian appliances which they found at the place. Their wheat was S74 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. threshed on the old theshing-floor. It was made into flour in the old wind grist-mill. One day Mr. Rufus concieved the idea of tanning leather in the old Russian tannery. Among his effects he remembered to have a sort of an encyclopedia of scientific information, and in it he found a recipe for tanning. He went at it with a will, keeping his book ever before him, and following the directions strictly. He was not very successful with the first lot of hides. He then went to a tannery somewhere and learned wherein he had missed it in his process. He then took another lot of hides through which came out very passable leather, indeed. His nearest market was Monterey, and thither he hied himself with his roll of leather on a pack pony. He found a ready sale for it, and continued for some years to make more or less leather there. It is not known what name the Russians applied to the stockade now known as Fort Ross, and it would not be out of place to state here how its present name came to be applied to it. The Spaniards and Spanish-speaking people always spoke of it as " Fuerte de los Rusos " — fort of the Russians. When Americans began to speak of it, although speaking Spanish, they did away with the circumlocution of the Spanish phrase and called it " Fuerte Rusos," which easily drifted into Fort Ross when the Americans became more numerous, and less Spanish was heard in the land. The Muniz Rancho, on which Fort Ross stands, was granted to Manuel Torres December 4, 1845, by Pio Pico. Soon after this Benitz purchased Torres' title to the rancho and refused to pay any farther rent to Sutter for the use of the land. In the end, however, he paid some rental, as it was he who paid the sum of six thousand dollars to quiet the Muldrew title. Benitz continued to reside here for a number of years. He had a large band of well trained Indians, and it is said that he could get more work out of them and managed them more sj^stematically than any other rancher in the State. He had a large bell which was rung at six in the morning. The Indians all arose at the sound of the bell, and having dressed, they formed in a line and marched up to the commissariat when the rations for breakfast and a drink of whisky were issued to each man. At seven they had their breakfast and were in the field at work. At half -past eleven the bell rang again and all marched up again and received their allowances, whisky included. Work was resumed at one La the afternoon. At six the bell called them in from the labors of the day and rations and whisky were again issued. Benitz finally disposed of the Muniz Rancho to various parties and went to South America where he died a few years since. On the 8th day of April, 1846, Ernest Rufus applied for and received the grant of the Rancho de Herman, or German grant, as it is called, which lies north of the Muniz grant, and borders on the coast. It is usually asserted that Henry Hagler was a partner with Mr. Rufus, but such was not the case. When Mr. Rufus went to Los Angeles to make application for his HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 375 grant he intended to have Hagler as a partner, but was told by the authori- ties that owing to the fact, that the land asked for bordered on the sea-shore it could be granted to only one man, and that that man must be a tried and true man, one friendly to the Government, and one who would look well to its defense along his domain in times of war with an outside enemy. Such owners would be commissioned as officers at such times, and expected to do military duty. The request of Rufus for the grant was refused, as he had no one to vouch for his loyalty to ' the Mexican Government. The next day, however, he chanced to meet an old friend, a relative of Pio Pico, then Governor, who was an official, and who had known him in the days of the " rebellion," as the little trouble between Castro and Manuel Micheltorena was called, Rufus having been with Sutter in the service of the latter. This friend at once proffered to vouch for Rufus, and the grant was issued forth- with. Mr. Hagler was a good mechanic and a genius withal. It will be remem- bered that he came to the county with Captain Smith as ship's carpenter in 1843. He erected a grist mill on the Rancho de Herman, doing the entire wood and iron work required in its construction right on the ground. He also cut the burs from the native sandstone, and they worked very nicely. We are sorry that we are unable to give more of this worthy pioneer's his- " tory. These gentlemen gave to the river which formed the northern boun- dary of the ranch its beautiful name — Valhalla. As stated above, there was a schooner included in the Sutter purchase for the Russians. It was of one hundred and eighty tons burthen, and made at Fort Ross. It was rechristened by its new possessor, and given the name of " Sacramento." The following incident concerning this schooner was related to us by Mr. Rufus: Captain Smith had disposed of a number of horses and provisions to Captain Fremont, for which he had received an order on the United States Treasury for the sum of four thousand dollars. It was a long way in those days from New Helvetia to Washington, hence this order was of but little avail to Sutter for present demands, and present demands with the hardy old pioneer just at that time had become quite pressing demands. At length a proposition came from the Hudson Bay Company to cash the order at a proper discount. He at once loaded his schooner "Sacra- mento " with a cargo of such articles as would be saleable, and started it to the headquarters of that company on the far away northern coast, under the command of a master named Yates, who also had the order on the' United States in his charge. One night after the vessel had been gone about a fortnight, Sutter had invited a few of his neighbors in to sample some choice wines of which he had lately become possessed. As a matter of course the most of them became somewhat drowsy, quite late in the evening, and were sitting or lyilig around in happy confusion. Presently a loud rap was heard at the outer gate of the fort, which Sutter at once recognized as 376 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. that of one of his many servants at Fort Ross, and who was known as " Kanaka Charley." Upon hearing the well-known knock of his servant, he hastened to the gate and admitted him, knowing full well that matters of no small import had brought him to the fort at that hour of the night. His dismay and amazement can be better imagined than described, when he had read the note borne by Charley. It was from Captain Yates, of the schooner, and it stated that the schooner had gone ashore at Fort Ross, and that the order had been east overboard in a trunk, hoping that it would drift ashore, but that on the contrary it had been carried out to sea and lost. The sturdy old German did not fly into a passion and deliver him- self of a volume of expletives, as might be expected. No, not he. He re- read the note more deliberately, then going back to the room where his friends were gathered, he filled every glass to the brim, then rousing all of them up he read the note, and at once proposed a hearty toast. We are glad to be able to state that the matter did not turn out nearly so bad as it was at first supposed it would. The mate, a hardy old seaman by the name of Flemming, who had seen ships in bad places before, set to work, and in a short time had the schooner afloat again. The trunk containing the order came ashore at Bodega bay and was returned to its owner. The vessel then proceeded to its destination and returned with the gold for the order. The only moveable article which was included in the Sutter purchase which is now in existence, as far as known, or at least the one to which the most historic interest attaches, is a brass four-pound field-piece. This gnn -was cast in St. Petersburg in 1804. It was through the war against Napo- leoUj and was finally sent to Alexander KoskoflT, the commander of the Cali- fornia colony, as a present from the Czar of Russia. Concerning the history of this gun after it came into Sutter's hands, there are two versions, one given by Major Gillespie, who it will be remembered was very closely con- nected with all the events which transpired during that most eventful period of California's history — the Bear Flag days of 1846. In the Alta Cali- fornia of July 3, 1846, Major Gillespie says: This gun was brought over from Fort Ross and mounted at Fort Sutter. It was captured from Fort Sutter by the Mexicans. It was afterwards re-captured, and was among those which saluted the American flag July 12, 1846, at sunrise. It was used by Commodore Stockton in his march from San Pedro to Los Angeles. Also at the battle of San Pasqual, December 6, 1846, and at Los Angeles at the battle which occurred at that place December 26, 1846. It was then transferred to Colonel Mason of the First United States Dragoons, who returned it to Sutter." The other version is given by Sutter, and is as follows: Writing under date of August 13, 1879, from Litiz, Lancaster county, Penn- sylvania, he says, "Major (then Captain) Gillespie is in error in speaking of the "Sutter" gun. It was not upon the walls at all (July 12, 1846), it hav- HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 377 ing been captured by Castro's forces at the battle of Covenga, near San Fernando, when I was fighting with my forces under General Micheltorena, then Governor of the Department of California, in January and February, 1845, against the rebels, and the gun remained in the possession of the rebel Californians until recaptured by the American forces some years subsequent, and became of great service to the latter. Of my command in 1845, con- sisting of one hundred mounted riflemen (men of all nationality) and some Indian soldiers, but few survive at this late day. Among the survivors are General Bidwell, who was my aid-de-camp, and Major Rufus, of Sonoma." The gun was presented by Sutter subsequently to the Society of Pioneers, and can be seem in their rooms in San Francisco. Among the early settlers of this township not already mentioned may be named Christian F. Ruoff, who located at Stillwater Cove in the Fall of 1851. He entered a tract of government land which lay between the Muniz rancho and Rancho de Herman. He died a few years later, but his widow and children still reside on the old homestead. N. C Irwin came in 1857, and settled on government land some eight mUes to the eastward of Timber Gove. David Hopper and R. Moffett came the same year, and H. Carson, Richard Temple, Gibson, Clark, Freeman, George Mapes, Ira Mapes, and J. W. McElroy came in 1858. These all settled on the government land back of the grants mentioned above. Harbors, Mills and Towns. — The beginning of a town in this township has always been conditional on two things, namely : a harbor and a saw-mill- The first named is the prime condition, yet but few towns have sprung up where there was no mill, and some have passed out of existence with the mill, leaving scarcely a trace behind. Fort Ross. — This, of course, is the oldest place in the township, and comes in first for a mention under the head of towns, though it is not yet a very large place. We do not know just what mills have been at or near this spot since the old Russian days. We are told that Benitz built a mill back of the Fort a mile or so. It is also claimed that James Dixon built the mill. However, it is evident that a mill of some kind and capacity was at one time in operation there. The place, as a town, does not seem to have pro- gressed much from its primitive stockade state until its present enterprising and gentlemanly proprietor, George W. Call, came into possession of it. He is a thorough-going business man, and has set the wheel in motion which has made the place quite a thriving little village, and is still planning and executing projects which will ensure a continuance of its prosperity. It has many natural advantages which will make it a place of great importance for all time to come. Its harbor is the best in the vicinity, being perfectly secure from northers. Its landings are kept in the best of order, and load- ing and discharging vessels is easily accomplished. There is a large amount 378 HISTOEY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. of excellent timber tributary to the place, which will some day make it quite important. There is a tract of about one thousand acres of most excellent farming haid adjacent to it, which is far more than is in one body at any other point along the coast. 'Rter* is an excellent road leading along the coast, and some new roads of easy grade leading into the interior are in course of construction which, when completed, will "bring it within easy access of a large portion of back country. We bespeak for it a Jarilliant future. We will give a short description of the present appearance of the old Russian stockade and buildings. The greater portion of the stockade is gone. The public road passes through the middle of the old enclosure from east to west. The old buildings are now used respectively for a saloon, hotel, and store- house, while the old chapel is profaned by being used as a stable. The bas- tions make excellent pigstys. They are tottering under the weight of years, and are moss-covered and worm-eaten, and will soon pass out of existence. There is at present one hotel, one saloon, one blacksmith shop, one store, one meat market, post and telegraph offices. The postoffice was established May 23, 1877, with George W. Call, Postmaster. The stage route leading out from Duncan's Mill passes through all the towns in the township, likewise the Pacific Coast Telegraph line. Mr. Call is still Postmaster, and E. Black- ford dispenses j ustice in the regions roundabout. At the landing there is a chute which is one hundred and eighty feet long, to which there is a swing- ing apron one hundred feet in length. The loading of vessels with this is a very easy process, and rapid withal. The cord-wood, tan-bark, railroad ties, fence posts are dumped into the head of the chute by the cart load, and by the time they i-each the deck of the vessel they have acquired a fearful velocity. Quite large quantities of the above-named articles are exported from this point annually, while more or less dairy products are also shipped. The schooner " Euphemia," thirty-eight tons register, now luns regularly in this trade. She is owned by Captain Henry Botcher. This schooner was run in the Bodega trade by Captain Botcher from 1866 to 1877. Captain Christ ran the schooner "Eden" to this place in 1874 and 1875. Captain C. Sclimalling ran the schooner " Mary Zepher" here from 1875 to 1877. The " Eden" was afterwards capsized off Point Eeyes, but no lives were lost. Timber Cove. — The early mill history of this place is also somewhat shrouded in doubt. The most reliable statement is to the effect that William Benitz built a mill on the coast at the Cove in 1862, that it was burned in 1864, and that in 1861, a Mr. Webber and D. L. B. Ross, now of Black Point, built a mill on the ridge, one and a half miles back of the Cove, and after three years took it away. Both were steam mills; the Benitz mill had a capacity of twenty-five thousand feet, and the Ross and Webber mill of sixteen thousand feet per day. At present there is a chute, over which considerable quantities of cord- wood, fence-posts, tan-bark, etc., pass annually. HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOENIA. 379 A hotel, a school-house, a store and one dwelUng-house comprise the buildings in the town. The postoffice was established February 24, 1863, with F. Helmke as Postmaster. Stillwater Cove. — This is merely a small bight at which there is a chute owned by Mrs. Ruoff. The usual exports of this township come here in large quantities during the year. There is no sign of a town here, and probably never will be. Salt Point. — In the Spring of 1853, Messrs. Hendy & Duncan moved the mill machinery of the old Benicia or BJumedale Sawmill Company down from the mines, whither they had taken it upon becoming the owners of it, and located at Salt Point. This was doubtless the first steam saw-mill in the township. At this time the mill was small, only having the capacity of five thousand feet per day. In 1854, the engine was enlarged to a sixteen horse-power, and this increased the capacity of the mill to twelve thousand feet. While here, Mr. Hendy disposed of his interest to A. Duncan and the brothers continued to run the mill hei-e till January, 1860. WhUe here, it is estimated that they cut thirty million feet of lumber. In its prime days there was quite a village here, but only a few straggling half tumbled down shanties are left now to mark the site of the milling village. Near it and bearing the same name is a little town of a few houses viz., one hotel, one blacksmith shop, one store and a few dwelling houses. W. R. Miller at one time had a saw-mill in this vicinity, but we now know nothing of its capacity or history. The land and chutes at this point now belong to a San Francisco firm. Fisk's Mill. — J. C. Fisk came to this place and built a mill in April, 1860. He had formerly used the machinery in Napa valley, it being located about eight miles above the city. The mill was steam and had a capacity of twenty thousand feet per day. It was run here for fourteen years and then moved to Cufiy's Cove. It is estimated that in those fourteen years the enormous quantity of forty-two million feet of lumber was cut. Mr. Fisk built a chute at this place in 1860. He disposed of his interest in the mill in 1865 to Fred. Helmke. The mill is gone and with it all life. The whole village is going to ruin. It is, indeed, a veritable " Deserted Village." There is a store and a hotel here, and that is all. No famillias occupy any of the many vacant houses. Mr. Helmke erected a beautiful mansion here by the seaside, thinking to make it his permanent abiding place, but the ever- changing kaleidoscope of fortune soon presented such a phase that he had to leave it for others to enjoy, and with him the glory of the place departed. Fisherman's Bay.— This place was first settled in 1858, by A. L. Fisk, who erected a store and hotel building, and put both in operation. The first 380 HISTOEY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. saw-mill was put in operation at this point in 1867, by a firm composed of H. B. Piatt and H. A. M. Cook of San Francisco, known as the Piatt Mill Company. The capacity of this mill was thirty thousand feet per day. It was located near the town, and the building is still standing, though the machinery is all gone and the tramways all broken up. The Clipper Mill was put in operation in 1869, by Rutherford & Hook. Its capacity was forty thousand feet per day. It, too, has suspended operations. It is doubtful whether these mills will ever be put in operation again or not. There are two chutes at present at this point. The schooner " Lottie Collins " runs regularly in this trade. The business interests of the place are a store, a hotel, and one black- smith-shop. J. C. Fisk has a shingle-mill, built in 1878,, with a capacity of thirty thousand shingles daily. There is a post, telegraph and express office at this place. The postoffice was established July 10, 1863, with A. J. Fisk as postmaster. The ofiicial directory is as follows: J. C. Fisk, postmaster and agent for Wells, Fargo & Co.; Eugene Fisk, telegraph operator; J. Carleton, Justice of the Peace; and D. Stump, Constable. The enterprising Methodists have put a man on the work here, and given him the following circuit: Fisherman's Bay, Miner School-house, Henry's Hotel, Ruoff 's School- house, and Fisk's Mill. This circuit extends over a territory ten miles wide and twenty miles long, and containing some of the roughest country to be found in California. The name of the man who is doing this great and good work is L. W. Simmons. He has been in this field since November 10, 1878. The church organization at this place is twenty-two. The blue-ribbon brigade organized there during the Spring of 1879, and they have no saloon now. Black Point. — This is a small shipping point, now owned by Wm. Bihler and D. L. B. Ross. They built the chute in 1875. Considerable quantities of produce is shipped from this point, there being some good farming land near by. There is a wa^on and blacksmith shop here. Lodges. — There is but one lodge of any order in the township, and that is a lodge of U. A. O. D. It is Plantation Lodge No. 32, and is located near the " Plantation House," a wayside inn, back from Fisk's mill about three miles. This lodge was organized October 9, 1878. The charter mem- bers were, Jos. Luttinger, Benj. -F. Warren, Simon Von Arx, August Rad- diti, D. A. Raymond, Wm. A. Richardson, Chas. Thompson, Geo. Decker, Victor Durant, Fred Joerjason, E. Rule, Herman Tucker, Jno. Caponal, Angelo Cerena, and Peter Eekhardt. The first officers were, P. Eckhardt, N; A.; F. Warren, V. A.; F. Joerjason, Secretary, and J. Luttinger, Treasurer. The hall building was erected in 1878, at an expense of two thousand dollars. It is a very neat building, and the lodge room very cosy. The ^present membership is twenty-two. HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOENIA. 381 Wayside Inns. — On what is known as the " ridge road," i.e., the road which passes along up the coast, a distance of perhaps three miles back from the ocean, and on a sort of a ridge or back-bone of the first range of hills, are situated two wayside inns, one known as Henry's Hotel, and the other as the Plantation House. Henry's is situated directly back of Fort Ross, and the Plantation not far from Fisk's mill. The latter was built in 1871. The present proprietor has a fine pond of trout and carp, which he is culti- vating successfully. Schools. — It must not be presumed that because the face of the country presents such a rough appearance that there are no schools hereia. On the contrary, there are nearly a dozen school houses in the township. It is true, some of the children have to make long pilgrimages to reach the school house ; still they are within the reach of all. 382 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. SANTA ROSA. The pleasingly euphonious name of Santa Rosa was first given to the stream which winds through the beautifully wooded valley and from which it, as well as the township and city, derives its cognomen. The story of the baptismal rite is thus told by Mr. Robert A. Thompson, County Clerk, than whom no better authority on this part of the county lives: It is recorded of Juan Amoroso that he was one of those missionaries who dared every- thing in behalf of the Cross ; earnest, faithful and bold, he preached the story of the Master without fear. He was a true disciple of the Church militant on earth and believed in teaching the heathen the practices of Christianity, and, as far as possible, the arts of civilization, by force if they did not adopt them by persuasion. His zeal led him, in 1824, to accept the difficult, not to say dangerous, task of founding the mission of San Rafael. He success- fully accomplished that task. Five years after, in 1829, he made an excur- sion northward in company with one Jos^ Cantua, hoping, doubtless, to find some stray heathen who by his zeal might be brought into the fold of the faithful. He came to the territory of the Gainemeros tribe of Indians who resided on the river Chocoalomi, the Indian name of what is now Santa Rosa creek. At the rocky point opposite the " old adobe, " a mile and a-half from the present town, he captured an Indian girl, baptized her in the stream and gave her the name of Santa Rosa from the fact that, on that very day, the Church was celebrating the fast of Santa Rosa de Lima. He was attacked by the natives and fled, arriving safely at his mission of San Rafael. In June, 1834, Governor Figueroa undertook an expedition to the northern part of the county to survey the position of the Russians and to make some preparations for the reception of colonists who were reported as coming from Mexico to settle in California. He personally explored the sorrounding country and chose a site on the banks of Mark West creek — ^then called Potiquiyomi — which he named " Santa Ana y Farias " after the then Presi- dent and Vice-President of Mexico. Shortly after, the Governor returned to Monterey, having left the pueblo in charge of a few soldiers under the com- mand of Ensign (now General) M. G. Vallejo; he, however, finding his position untenable, being sore'pressed by the Indian tribes who had inter- cepted direct communication with San Francisco, reported the state of affairs to the Mexican Government, when he was ordered to take a positidn nearer the bay, and thus Santa Ana y Farias was abandoned and the pueblo of Sonoma settled. HISTORY GF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 383 In 1838-9, the building already mentioned as the " old adobe" was erected by Mrs. Carrillo, a sister of General Vallejo's wife, and mother of Julio Car- rillo, who was granted a large tract of land, including the site of the present city of Santa Rosa, the country lying between Santa Rosa and Sebastopol being given to Joaquin Carrillo, her brother. The adobe still stands on Santa Rosa creek, a mile aud a half above the town, and was the first build- ing erected in the valley, or indeed anywhere north of the city of Sonoma, saving those constructed by the Russians at or near Fort Ross. It is now owned by F. G. Hahman of Santa Rosa. The following pen-picture of this historical establishment, as it was in July, 1850, when in the possession of Ramon Carrillo, we reproduce as a graphic description of the manners and customs of the pre-American occu- piers of California: " In front of the house was a court-yard of considerable extent, and part of this was sheltered by a porch ; here, when the vaqueros have nothing to call them to the field, they pass the day looking like retainers of a rude court ; a dozen wild, vicious-looking horses, with wooden saddles on their backs, stand ever ready for work; while lounging about, the vaqueros smoke, play the guitar, or twist a new riata of hide or horse-hair. When the sun gets lower they go to sleep in the shade, while the little horses that remain in the sunshine do the same apparently, for they shut their eyes and never stir. Presently a vaquero, judging the time by the sun, gets up and yawns, stag- gering lazily towards his horse, gathers up his riata, and twists it around the horn of his saddle — the others, awakening, rise and do the same, all yawn-* ing, with eyes half open, looking as lazy a set as ever were seen, as indeed they are when on foot. ' Hupa ! Anda !' and away they go in a cloud of dust, splashing through the river, wavuig their lassoes around their heads with a wUd shout, and disappearing from sight almost as soon as mounted. The vaquero wants at all times to ride furiously, and the little horses' eyes are opened wide enough before they receive the second dig of their rider's iron spurs." Let us briefly relate the further history of this ancient landmark. In 1851 Don Ramon returned to his native clime, and left the adobe in the pos- session of David Mallagh, who had espoused a daughter of Mrs Carrillo • and in the Fall of that year, in conjunction with Donald McDonald, he opened a public-house and grocer's shop within the hitherto hallowed walk • this was the first launching into the mysteries of merchandising in Santa Rosa valley. At this period the daughters had succeeded to that portion of the tract lying between Santa Rosa and Bennet VaUey creeks, while Julio Carrillo owned all the north side of the creek. Before proceeding further with our record, let us here interpolate a description of the Santa Rosa valley. The plains, as the. fertile strath is oftentimes called, rise gradually for some sixteen miles, the grade taking a 384 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. southerly direction from the Russian river, there being just enough inclina- tion to shed the water back to the larger stream. Two considerable streams flow into the Russian river, which having found their source in the moun- tains on the east, pursue their way across the plains into a sequence of lakes on the west, and debouching therefrom, finally deposit their water into the river above named. The eye is pleasantly relieved by groves of oaks, which in no wise interfere with the cultivation of the soil, the yield under the shadow of the umbrageous trees being very nearly, if not quite, as good as it is in the open ground ; cereals fruits and vines all grow in the greatest profusion and perfection, while on the eastern slope of the valley, built along the banks of the creek, stands the county seat of Sonoma, the beautiful city of Santa Rosa. Within easy distance of the town are Bennet, Guilicos and Rincon valleys, all lands rich in agi-icultural results, and peopled by hardy, honest, well-to-do farmers. Up to the period when the district was first settled Santa Rosa and the small valleys contiguous to it were very different from what they are to- day. At that time the broad level plain was one vast field of waving corn, in the months of March and April, looking like an emerald sea, dotted with islands, as it were, formed from the clumps of oaks among the only perish- able landmarks which still remain, and limited by a horizon of bold, wooded highlands and more noble mountains, rocky-peaked, and clothed with dense chapparal to their summits. Roads there were none, save the divergent trails which twisted through the luxuriant growth of wild oats, that reached, on every side, shoulder high with the passing equestrian. Fences there were none, therefore the prospect was unbroken, save by those objects already noted. The low-lying land teemed with game of every kind, both four- footed and feathered, that had scarcely known the meaning of death, save by natural means; the rivers were stocked with finny gambolers, whose numbers had been lessened by none, except the aboriginal red man, while the canons and mountain sides gave shelter to the panther, the puma, and the grizzly b-ar. Around the vista was variegated with flowers of the richest perfumes, lending a pleasing sensation of sweet repose; the smallest sounds were heard in the vast solitude, and each in concert — the hard, grating noise of the cicada, the hum of bees, the chirping of gorgeously plumed songsters — all these signs of animation made the solitude still more profound and oppres- sive, until it became a relief to watch for the obstruction of the path by an infuriated beeve, or gaze in expectation for the rapid stampede of a drove of elk or deer. In the year 1846 the first immigration to California from the Atlantic States took place, and a few found their way to this district and settled in what is now known as Los Guilicos valley. This influx to the population received no further impetus until 1848, the year of the discovery of gold, when a few others arrived; notable among these being David and William Hudson, John Thomas hopper, HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 385 York, and William Elliott; these had families. In 1848, in the Fall, the small settlement had an accession of strength in the arrival of Martin Hud- son, his wife and five children. In this winter, Mrs. Martin Hudson, a hale old lady with a wonderfully clear and retentive memory, informs'us that she and her family and her brother-in-law and his four children, occupied small log huts. At this time there also came Ban Jewell and several others, whose names cannot be traced. In 1849, William Hood arrived and occupied land in Los Guilicos valley. The lives of these pioneers were anything but a bed of roses; the daily recurring round of hardship? was hard to face, but it had to be met. As time went on, the mind was kept active in order to provide for their wants. Those with families were frequently put to it to find comforts for delicate females and helpless babes. Did sickness show itself, it had to be averted with the simplest aid at hand, for physicians hid not yet found their way into the impenetrable wilds; therefore it is wonderful how man}'- there are who live to tell the tale. In the year 1848, or perhaps before that, we find that William Elliott had constructed a water-power grist-mill on Mark West creek, where his distant neighbors — if the almost antitheticalexpression may be used — were wont to have their grain turned into flour. The raising of wheat had not as yet taken any hold upon the settlers; indeed it was doubted if it would grow at all. Barley was produced in, for those days, considerable quantities, that is to say, little more than enough for home con- sumption. Tea, sugar and coffee were luxuries indeed, a substitute for the latter being frequently found in burnt corn or wheat; meat anl game were, fortunately, plentiful, while now and then the real treat of baked bread would be indulged in. Most of the commodities in use were pro3ured from San Francisco, which was reached first by horseback to the bay, and after, by a rough passage in an open whale-boat to the city, yet with all these difficulties to contend against, we are told that existence was by no means unpleasant then, while now there are many who have almost retired from active labor and lead a life of ease and comfort; there are others, again, who have been called across the dark river after the passing of useful and event- ful years; while lastly, there are still those who, young then, are now filling prominent positions in the world, each proving that their early teachings have stood them in good stead in fighting the battle of life. In the year 1850, a Presbyterian preacher named Townley held services in Los Guilicos valley, under the shadow of a spreading oak. The cono-re- gation which gathered to this sylvan church, though few in number, were sincere in their devotion, and listened to these expositions of Divine truth in the wilderness of unreclaimed solitude with deep-seated feeling. It is pleasing to record that this early pioneer minister had the doing o-ooJ to his fellow-creatures at heart, for we are told that in this same year he started a school on Cottonwood creek, on the edge of the valley, which he maintained for three months. In this year we also hear of the first wedding. What a 25 386 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. day of rejoicing must such a social event have been. How easy it is to pic- ture the friends, or even strangers, hasting to the wedding, each mounted on his fleet steed, and all arrayed in such fineries the like of which had not been hithelrto donned in the new country. While writing, we feel the geneality which then prevailed pervade ourself, and have, in our mind's eye, the hearty hand-shakings, the fervent congratulations and loud-sung praises of bride and bridegroom. The contracting parties on this occasion were Miss Celia Elliott and Benjamin Jewell, mentioned above. The first birth is supposed to have been that of Mary, now Mrs. McCormick, daughter of William Hudson, who is still a resident of Sonoma county. This event occurred in 1846, while the first death was that of the old English sailor and intrepid pioneer, Mark West, whose name is so familiar in the mouths of the present generation. He died of cancer in 1849. Marcus West is described as a tall man of commanding presence, mild in manner and kind to a fault. Let us now glance at the history of the town of Santa Rosa, its location, progress, and present prosperity. Santa Rosa. — We have already said that Mallagh and McDonald started a store in the old adobe in 1851 ; in June of the next year Alonzo Meacham, who with his partner, Barney Hoen, suffered disaster in San Francisco in the great fire of May, came up from that city, and buying out Mallagh and McDonald, opened a store and trading post for general merchandize. Not long after this Meacham applied to Washington for the establishment of a postoiEce at this point, which was duly done, Donald McDonald being appointed on the 22d of April, 1852 ; to it was given the name of Santa Rosa, and thereafter the city succeeded to the cognomen. In the end of that year Meacham's former partner, Barney Hoen, landed at New Town, then the limit of steamer communication, from the " Red Jacket," on her second trip, and coming up to Santa Rosa, on horseback, purchased a half interest of Meacham's business, who had by this time acquired the right, by purchase, from Julio Carrillo, of the tract of seventy acres, comprising the site of the city of Santa Rosa, for which he had paid twelve dollars per acre. In this year James Cockrill owned a residence on a position near to the Pacific Methodist College. At the time of the first survey it was considered a great distance from town. Mr. Cockrill died of small-pox during the epidemic in 1853. The interest of Alonzo Meacham in the business of the " old adobe " was sold to F. G. Hahman on May 1, 1853, the firm then becoming Hoen & Hahman, but in a few weeks Hartman purchasing an interest from them, the designation of the copartnership was changed to Hoen & Co. During the Summer of this year a prosperous trade was carried on at the " old abobe;" ■it,became the mart to supply all the country to the north, while their goods found ready purchasers in the adjoining counties. Trains of pack mules daily passed their doors, while they themselves did a HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 387 considerable freighting business, not only in receiving accessions to their stock of goods, but also in despatching commodities to the Russian KtVer valley and Lake and Mendocino counties. In the month of August, 1853, Hoen & Co. purchased from Meacham the seventy acres already alluded to, for the sum of sixteen hundred dollars, being at the rate of twelve dollars an acre, the balance being paid in consideration of the fence ■which had been constructed around it. The western boundary of this property ran throngh the plaza. We now come to the reasons of the laying out of the town. The "old adobe " was sold to a man named Walkinshaw, from Santa Clara, by David Mallagh, and on the new landlord's taken possession he demanded a rental of three hundred dollars a month from Hoen & Company for the whole of the building, instead of twenty-five dollars per mensem, which they had hitherto been paying for a portiijn thereof. Tnis extortionate price they refused to listen to or acknowledge, therefore, as a solution of the difficulty, the above mentioned purchase was made on the 9th August, as appears by the books of the firm, and the determination arrived at to lay out a town, Julio Carrillo agreeing to give a like quantity for that purpose. In the original survey of the site, Mr. Robert Thompson tells us, " the creek was taken for a base and a line was run nurtherly from an oak stump, which stood near the old Masonic Hall, to Fourth street — leaving the Plaza trees on land of Hoen & Company. The price of lots was fixed at twenty-five dollars a piece, with- out any regard to location. Julio Carrillo's house on Second street now owned by J. P. Clark — was built by John Bailiif in the Summer of 1852. This was the only house in the town when it was first surveyed. Achilles Richardson had a small store near the creek, which was outside of First street — the southern limit of the embryo city. " In the natural sequence of things, transactions in land follow the laying out of a town. The first sale made was six lots to H.;nry Valley, who paid at the rate of twenty-five dollars each for them ; on one of these he constructed a house which still stands on the south-west corner of E and Second streets. In the winter of this year (1853) a quiet determination had fixed itself upon the minds of the residents of Santa Rosa that theirs was the true point at which the county s6at should be located; to gain this they strove secretly and manfully. J. W. Bennet had beaten " Joe " Hooker in the race for the Legislature, and the bill he introduced after his election was one of great moment to Santa Rosa. The city of Sonoma, where from time immemorial had been gathered all the county's perfection, feeling a presentiment of impending evil, were afraid to raise the issue, but awaited the result: the Santa Rosans were keen cautious and confident. The bill introduced by Bennet provided that the question of the removal of the county seat should be submitted r^he votes of the people at the next general election; the long looked for and anxiously expected September day dawned and waned, the Santa Rosa sympathizers 388 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOENIA. were in the majority and she became the capital of Sonoma, the bill legal- izing her as such being passed in March of the following year. In the Spring of 1853, there arrived in the Santa Rosa valley one John W. Ball, who located on the south side of the Santa Rosa creek, but losing several of his children here from small-pox, which was epidemic in this year, removed to certain land, about three-fourths of a mile from the present city, the property of Oliver Boleau, a French Canadian, a part of whose house (now in the occupation of Dr. Simms) he rented, at one hundred and fifty dollars per month, and opened a small store and public house. The then direct road from the Russian river, the districts to the north of it, and Bodega country, to Sonoma, at that time the only place of export from the county, met at this point, therefore Boleau conceived the idea of here estab- lishing a town. He had about half a mile square surveyed, and named it Franklin, after a brother in Canada; it was placed at the junction of the Sonoma road with the Fulkerson lane. That Spring, S. G. Clark, Dr. J. F. Boyce and Nute McClure bought out Ball and erected a small dry goods store of split redwoods, in size, twenty-four by thirty-six feet, where they continued business until the Fall, when the firm of Clark, Boyce & McClure was bought out by McClure and Coulter. In the same season John Ball erected a wooden hotel, there being then in the town H. Beaver, who kept a blacksmith shop, and W. B. Birch, a saddle-tree manufacturer, while in the early part of 1854 S. T. Coulter erected a dwelling-house. The selection of Santa Rosa as the capital of the county, put an end to all rivalry which ma}" have existed between Franklin, the old adobe, and it. One by one the buildings erected in Franklin were transferred to Santa Rosa, until in 1855 their entire removal was effected; the first house in that short-lived city being now located on Eighth, between Wilson and Davis streets, occupied by J. T. Campbell, while that erected by Coulter is now the Boston saloon, on Fourth street. A Baptist Church, free to all denomina- tions, which had been there constructed in the Fall of 1853. was also moved, and after serving the purpose for which it was originally built, on Third, between E and D streets, was, in 1875, sold and converted into two tenement houses. This was the first church built in the township and city. The first event of any importance which occurred in the year 1854 was the passage of Bennet's bill authorizing the taking of a vote on the all- important question of transferring the county seat from the now waning Sonoma to the rising Santa Rosa. As the Summer advanced the fight between the partisans of the contending parties became keen, the citizens of Santa Rosa counting so far ahead that grand arrangements were made for holding a barbacue on the fourth of July. Mr. Thompson says: " It was a master-strWie of policy — the people came and saw, and were conquered by the beauty of the place and the hospitality of the people, who, on that occa- sion, killed the fatted calf and invited to the feast the rich and poor, the HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 389 lame and halt and the blind — in fact everybody who had, or who could influence or control a vote. The smoke of the sacrifice of whole sheep and huge quarters of beef ascended to heaven freighted with the prayers of the Santa Rosans to dispose the hearts and ballots of the people in their favor, and, like the pious Greeks of old on similar occasions, when the smoke had ceased to ascend and the offering was cooked to a turn, they partook of the sacrificial meat — the incense of which had tickled their nostrils, whetting at the same time their appetites and their devotion." It is said there were present not fewer than five hundred people from all parts of the county around; the oration was delivered by a Baptist minister named A. A.Guernsey; the Declaration of Independence was read by James Prewitt, and speeches were made by Joe Neville, John Robinson and Sylvester Ballou. So great a success was this entertainment, that taking its beat from that date, the barbecue has become the standing feast of Sonoma county. This feast was held in a magnificent grove of oaks which stood on the Hassett place, then belonging to Commodore Elliott. In this year masonry made its start in Santa Rosa, a fact which may be considered as peculiar when we regard the very short time which had elapsed since the laying out of the town The third house built in Santa Rosa was the Masonic Lodge. It was constructed by John Ingram, and was weather-boarded with eastern pine, according to the specifieatioas, and at immense cost, the durability of the redwoods not having as yet been fully proven. After working under dispensation for ;ome time, Santa Rosa Lodge, No. -57, F and A. M. was granted a charter on May 2, 1854, among the original officers being, Achilles Richardson, Worshipful Master, John Ingram, Senior Warden, and William Noel, Secretary; a full list of these, however, will be found elsewhere. The lower floor of the hall was, immediately on completion, opened as hotel by E. Golgan, but he after- wards moved and erected another hotel — the fourth house to be put up in the city — on the ground now occupied by the Santa R )sa House on G street. The building was constructed also by John Ingram. Early in the year, Barney Hoen disposed of his share in the business conducted at the old a lobe of historic memory to his partners Hahman and Hartman, and moving into Santa Rosa, put up the flrst store in the city — -for it must not be forgotten that the store of Achilles Richardson was just without the surveyed limits — erecting it on G street on the site of John Richard's barber shop. Hah- man and Hartman, however, quickly took in the situation, and perceiv- ing that Santa Rosa was the coming town, they too moved from the a lobe. Hoen, however, had occupied with his building the site intended to be used by the other firm, Hahman therefore purchased and built upon the lot sit- uated on the northwest corner of Second and G Streets, opposite to the livery stable of J. P. Glark, at that time belonging to Julio Carrillo. The building was completed and thrown open on the memorable fourth of July; a grand ball wound up the earlier barbacue, at which some forty or fifty 390 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. couple tripped the light fantastic until daylight. On September 18, 1854, the die was cast; the Supervisors met in Sonoma and having duly canvassed the votes polled, declared that henceforth Santa Rosa was the capital of Sonoma county. So soon as the news went abroad that Sonoma was van- quished, beeves were slaughtered by Hoen and Julio Carrillo, and a sumptu- ous feast got up, and great was the rejoicing, which we are told was kept up unceasingly for two days. We have stated above that the Supervisors met on the 18th September. At this session it was moved by S. L. Fowler, one of their body, that the archives be removed to the new county seat on the 22nd, which was unanimously passed. How were they removed? Mr. Robert Thompson graphically tells us: "On the day appointed, Jim "Williamson, with a four-horse team and wagon, accompanied by Horace Martin and some others, went down to Sonoma, captured and brought up the archives, amid due threats of injunction and violence from the Sonoma people, who saw with no little chagrin, the county seat slip through their fingers. The Santa Rosans had the law, wanted only possession, and would not have hesitated to use all the force necessary to get at that; as it was, they captured the archives by strategy, and the dry and dusty documents of former drowsy old Alcaldes were whirled over the ground as fast as Jim Williamson's four- in-hand could take them to the new capital, where they safely arrived, and were deposited pro tern, in Julio Carrillo's house, which was rented for that purpose." On the 20th September, at a meeting of the Board of Supervis- ors convened in the above named house of Julio Carrillo, Barney Hoen bound himself to have a court house erected within the space of six months, the building to occupy the lots presented by himself and Hahman and Hartman ; happily the work was accomplished inside the specified time, and at once occupied by the government of the county. The building stood on Fourth between Mendocino and D streets, and was afterwards removed across the railroad track to Hewitt's addition, where it is now a dwelling house. In the year 1856 the lower story of the present court house was built by the county by J. M. Phillips, a contracter of San Francisco, at a cost of nine thousand dollars, the old one being sold, as well as the lots on which it stood- The upper story, which cost twenty thousand dollars, was erected in 1859, while the Recorder's office was built, for a like sum, in the years 1871-2. Early in the year 1855, G. N. Miller purchased the store of Barney Hoen, and therein started pn his own account, but he dying, his business was pur- chased by Dr. Hendley. From him an interest was purchased by E. T. Farmer, and the firm, who conducted their affairs on the east .side of the Plaza, became Hendley & Farmer, the partnership being ultimately carried on by Mr. Farmer alone. ■ In 1856 Hahman & Hartman sold their business to B. Goldfish, and being ioined by Henry Wise, the firm was styled Wise & Goldfish, who are at present the oldest mercantile establishment in the city. The lower story of HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 391 the first house mentioned above, built in this year, was the first brick build- ing constructed La the city; the second, is that brick building next to the ofiiee of the Sonoma Democrat, originally erected for Buck Williamson by John Ingram. The first saddler was a man named Bernard; in 1856 he was succeeded by T. B. Hood. The first lawyers to practice in the city were Colonel W. Eoss, who removed hither on change of the county seat, in 1854. In the following May, Judge Jackson Temple commenced the practice of his profession, since when his rise has been steady, until he has attained that position on the Dis- trict Bench which he fills with dignity and impartiality, a living example of uprightness and sterling worth, respected and loved by all, irrespective of political creed- As far back as the year 1851, Doctor J. F. Boyce arrived in the township, and pursued his calling as a physician, it was not until 1854 that he came to the city of Santa Rosa, since which year he has continuously practiced there. The second permanent medical man to arrive was Doctor Williams in 1855, but previous to his coming there had been an itinerant medico named Martin, who used to attend to the wants of the halt, the lame and the blind. The first merchants were Achilles Richardson, B. Hoen, Hahman & Hartmann; the first saddler was — Bernard; the first school was taught in the Masonic Hall by W. M. Williamson; while the first term of court was held in the residence of Julio Carrillo by Judge Frank Shat- tuck. The first Postmaster was Donald McDonald, appointed April 23, 1852. Robert A, Thompson, the able County Clerk, informs us Santa Rosa grew quite rapidly from 1854 up to 1859, having that year, by actual count, two churches and two resident preachers, nine lawyers, five doctors, one academy for two hundred and fifty pupils, two notaries, one newspaper (the Sonovia Democrat, which had been established in 1857 by A. W. Russell), nine dry goods and grocery stores, one drug store, two hotels, two restaurants, two saloons, one saddle shop, one butcher shop, one shoemaker, one jeweler, one paint shop, one carriage shop, and three carpenter shops, one pump factory, two livery stables, one bakery, seventy-four residences, and a population of foui- hundred. The number of houses having increased so radidly, and the value of perisliable property trebled, the organization of a Fire Department was urged early in the year 1860, but it was not until after the burning of Doctor Todd's house, on Third street, on January 20th of the following year that anything was done. On the 1st of February, 1861, a meeting of citizens was convened, at which the following names were enrolled as a hook and ladder company : W. G. Alban, C. N. Sichrist, W. H. Crowell Thomas L. Thompson, T. W. Brown, D. McDonald, G. H. Matthews, d! Schulty, A. Bromberger, J. Boser, W. P. Bull, M. A. Martin, J. H. J. Rich- ardson, F. W. Shattuck, W. A. Buster, W. M. Williamson, James McCoy, 392 HISTOEY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. E. T. Farmer, Charles W. White, B. Goldfish, John F. Kessing, Andrew Earton, C. W. Matthews, H. B. Martin, C. G. Ames. On the 9th the organ- ization was completed by the election of the following officers : ' President, W. H. Crowell; Foreman, Thomas L. Thompson; First Assistant Foreman, ,James P. Clark; Second Assistant Foreman, T. W. Brown; Secretary, R. M. Martin; Treasurer, J. T. Kessing; Standing Committee, C. W. White, C. W. Matthews, J. H. J. Richardson; and Trustees, W. G. Alban, A. Brom- berger, Fenwick Fisher. In this year, as has been mentioned in our history of Petaluma, the question of moving the county seat from Santa Rosa to that city occupied a considerable share of public attention; the matter had been carried to the Legislature of the State, and a petition put in circulation requesting that body to aid the passage of the bill, against which the sympathizers with Santa Rosa placed the following protest in one of their principal stores, and asked those in favor of its purport to attach their names : " To the Honora- ble the Legislature of California — The undersigned, citizens of Sonoma county, earnestly protest against the passage by your honorable body of any act requiring the people of Sonoma county to vote upon a change of location of the county seat of said county, as being unnecessary, unwise and burdensome to the citizens of the county, already heavily taxed, because of a large county indebtedness. The present county seat is located as nearly as possible in the geographical center of said county, and is equally as near the center of population, and could by no possibility be located at any other point so convenient of access to the mass of the citizens of the connty." The bill was passed on April 10th, notwithstanding the objections put forth. It was severely criticised in all parts of the county, and when put to the vote of the people, in the month of September, at the general election, was lost and Santa Rosa sustained. Thioughout the year 1861 the city still continued on the increase; the erection of houses was still the order of the day, while in the month of August we find a new Methodist Church, fifty-four by thirty-two feet in dimensions, and eighteen feet fiom floor to ceiling, was being proceeded with. A visitor at this period writes : " Santa Rosa is as pretty as its name. A romantic bridge greeted us at the entrance, overhung by oaks, whose branches were festooned with the graceful Spanish moss. A pretty stream circles round the village, celebrated for its delicious mountain trout ; it reminds us of a quiet little hamlet ' far away from the noisy world, pur- suing the even tenor of its way.' " On December 8th, Santa Rosa was visited by a freshet in the creek, which flooded the streets and houses, and caused damage to the extent of eight thousand dollars. Such devastation and its immediate cause being without parallel in the recollection of the proverbial earliest inhabitant. The hook and ladder company established in 1861 not proving enough to M /l^#^ HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 393 maintain the prestige of the Fire Department in the rapidly increasing city, Santa Rosa Engine Company No. 1 was added to the organization on January 9, 1862. Onward being the watchword, we find them on the 15th adopting a constitution, passing by-laws, and electing the following officers: W. H. Crowell, President; Thomas L. Thompson, Foreman; Frederick Fraser_ First Assistant; Fenwick Fisher, Secretary; B. Goldfish, Treasurer; John Ledwedge, C. W. White, George Matthews, Investigating Cummittee, and Trustees, A. Bromberger, J. S. Van Doren, C. W. Matthews. During the early part of the year strenuous attempts were made to effect a division of the county, apportioning certain townships in the lower part to Marin, and desiring to name the upper division of Sonoma county, Sotoyome. The boundary line proposed to be run was from the mouth of Russian river up to the mouth of Mark West creek; up Mark West creek to the Laguna; thence along the Laguna to the southern boundary of Santa Rosa township; and thence in a direct line east to Napa county, thus tnkingin the townships of Analy, Bodega, Petaluma, Vallejo, and Sonoma. Apetition being circulated to this effect, a remonstrance was put in circulation, with what outturn the present boundary line of the county best shows. On the 30th April, at two o'clock A. M., the slumberers of Santa Rosa were aroused by the dread cry of '■ fire." It was discovered that the Eureka Hotel, owned by Rippeto & Bills, and occupied by J. S. Van Doren, was in flames. Notwithstanding the indefatigable exertions of the Fire Department, the flames gained so complete a mastery that the Eureka was entirely destroyed, at"a loss to the proprietors of four thousand five hundi'ed dollars, and to Mr. Van Doren of twenty-three hundred, only one thousand dollars of which was covered by insurance; besides these, J. G. Maxwell sustained damage to the extent of two thousand dollars, while O. Reichardt and J. Burgess lost fifty and seventy -five dollars respectively. On June 6, 1862, the first exhibition of the Santa Rosa Seminary was held, under the superintendence of Mr. and Mrs. R. K. Marriner; vvhile, on October 11th, a military company named the Washington Guard was organized under the following officers: Captain, W A. Eliason; First Lieutenant, O. T. Baldwin Senior Second Lieutenant, H. T. Hewett; Junior Second Lieutenant, N. W Bostwick; Orderly Sergeant, B, C. Westfall; Second Sergeant, W. Wilks Third Sergeant, C. Kessing; Fourth Sergeant, W. E. Cowper; Fifth Sergeant, J. A. Woodson ; First Corporal, J. Linville ; Second Corporal, J. G. Maxwell Thkd Corporal, W. H. H. Whitlock ; Fourth Corporal, W. T. Scott. Among the other matters which showed the onward march of the city was the increase in the number of its churches; on November 30th, the building of the Methodist Episcopal denomination was dedicated by the Rev. Mr. Thomas of San Francisco; and in the end of the year death crept in, and on December 7th took Donald McDonald, that old pioneer and almost first settler in the city. He it was, it will be remembered, who joined MaUagh at the "old adobe " in business, as he was also the first to receive the official appointment of postmaster for Santa Rosa. 394 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. In the year 1863, matters proceeded surely and quietly; the project of a railroad was first publicly discussed by a meeting of the citizens, the subject^ however, to remain for some time longer in abeyance, while still another matter of benefit to the community was reported in November by the contemplated establishment of a Seminary by Mr. McCorkle, of the Christian Church, in the old Academy building. The succeeding year was hailed with yet one more improvement; on February 15, 1864, Santa Rosa was con- nected by telegraph with the outside world. The office was located in the Court House under the supervision of Melville Johnson, who performed the duties of first operator. The influence of electricity soon made itself felt, the local newspaper began to devote a special department to these messages, and all felt a strong desire to correspond by this novel method. We find that the incubus of debt had fastened itself around the neck of the Fire Department and that the ladies had with their usual generosity come to their assistance, and by holding a fair and a festival raised a sum sufficient to defray the expense of erecting a new engine-house which they presented to the "flame-fighters" on July 2, 1864. On August 1st, died the Honorable C. P. Wilkins, who had been County Judge in the year 1853 and represented Sonoma in the State Legislature in 1860, positions which he filled with satisfaction to all His remains were followed to the grave by a large con- course of friends, the pall bearers, members of the legal profession, being Messrs. Jackson Temple, L. C. Reyburn, W. D. Bliss, G. W. Reed, L. D. Latimer and John Brown. We find that on February 7, 1865, Mrs. Ryan was brutally murdered by her husband, Michael Ryan, by striking her on the head with a pick. They had been but a short time resident in the town, and lived unhappily together, the husband being addicted to dissipated habits. On the 29th June he was arraigned before Judge Sawyer and sentenced to death, this being the first conviction of murder in the first degree which had taken place in the county since its organization. The murderer was decreed to pay the extreme penalty of the law on the 17th August, but in the meantime a stay of pro- ceedings was granted upon motion for a new trial. He was hanged on March 23, 1866, within the jail-yard at Santa Rosa — the first execution in the county. In the month of March the popular voice was once more heard on the subject of railroads; while, on April 15th, intelligence of the assassi- nation of President Lincoln was received amid the profoundest grief. On the 18th a public meeting of the citizens of Santa Rosa was held at the Court House, W. A. Eliason in the Chair, when a committee, consisting of T. H. Pyatt, L. D. Latimer, T. B. Hood and William Ross, was appointed for the purpose of making general arrangements for the due observance of the obsequies of the lamented dead, and William Churchman, C. W. Langdon and Rev. Thomas Fraser, a Committee on Resolutions. In the evening an adjourned meeting was convened, at which the following resolutions reported HISTOEY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOKNIA. 395 by the committee were adopted and ordered published: "In the hour of National triumph we are suddenly called to mourn with a deep and bitter mourning. Our beloved and venerated Chief Magistrate, Abraham Lincoln, the choice and hope and pride of the American people, has been slain by an assassin. Our hearts are smitten and crushed, but we bow in humble sub- mission before Him who raised up, guided and prepared our deceased Presi- dent for the emergency through which he passed. Therefore, Resolved, That as President of the United States, he was the property and friend of every man, woman and child in the nation; his death is therefore a national calamity, a universal bereavement, and demands universal sorrow. Resolved, That we sorrow under the dispensation of Providence, not only because of our high estimate of Abraham Lincoln as Chief Magistrate of our nation; because by his wisdom, firmness and prudence he had guided and was guiding our troubled country through perils which threaten her existence to safety and perpetuity; but because by his death we have lost one who happily united the good man, the patient and exemplary citizen with the highest statesmanship and executive ability. Resolved, That we wear a badge of mourning on the left arm for thirty days. Resolved, That this community assemble at the Methodist Church, Santa Rosa, to-morrow, at noon, the hour appointed for the funeral of our beloved President, and together humble themselves in prayer for the restoration to health of William H. Seward and for the direction of the judgment of Andrew Johnson, now President of the United States, and for the direction and guidance of Ulysses S. Grant, the present leader of the army, and for the restor .tion of our dis- tracted country to peace and prosperity." At the appointed hour the impres- sive ceremonies took place, the stores and public buildings being closed, and every other mark of respect paid to the lamented President. Under the caption, "The National Calamity," the Sonoma County Democrat of April 22, 1865, has the following: "The sad tidings flashed across the wires since our last issue have stricken with horror the popular heart of the great Pacific States. The effect of the terrible tragedy enacted at Washington on the 14th instant, by which the nation was brutally robbed of its Chief Magistrate and a murderous assault made upon its next most responsible functionary, has been felt in every hamlet and in every household. Never before had our people such cause for lamentation as on this occasion. Coming upon us as it has, at a time when the popular pulse throbbed with joy at the bright prospects of a speedy peace, and the reuniting of our distracted country upon terms of brotherhood and afiection, the blow is even more severely felt, and the heart that does not deeply deplore this unparalleled tragedy in the history of nations, must indeed be devoid of all feelings of nation^,! pride. To assume that there is any party or body of our people who do not sympathize with the nation in this its hour of trial, or to attempt to fasten the responsibility of the deed upon any considerable body of our 396 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. citizens, is an outrage upon the American people, and such an idea could only emanate from the crazed brain of a fanatic, who would rejoice at the sight of more blood and lamentation in the land. By all means let those who are guilty atone for the heinous crime they have committed, by suffering the severest penalty known to the law, but let not the hand of the avenger be imbrued in innocent blood. We have heard but one expression, and that of the deepest sorrow, over the sad calamity and disgrace which has befallen us as a people. The humiliation is shared in alike by every party and sect. No pen is adequate to the task of portrajdng the deep sorrow and humilia- tion of our citizens, and we must rely alone upon a just God, who presides over the destinies of all mankind, to deliver us from the fearful complications in which we are involved on every side." In May of this year Hood & Co. commenced the erection of a new mill on the south side of the creek, the apparatus and machinery of the Santa Eosa mills being removed; while, in view of the erection of brick buildings in the town, houses being in great demand at the time, August Kohle had estab- lished a yard in the outskirts of the city. In October we find the new public school-house for court-house district was fast proceeding towards completion in the hands of Hewitt and Petit. The following are the dimen- sions then given of the structure: The main building is forty-one ft-et nine inches in breadth by forty-six feet three inches in depth, exclusive of the porches in front, which are nine feet six inches wide, with an outward pro- jection of six feet. The edifice is two stories high, the first being eleven feet and the second, thirteen. The front story has two school-rooms, twenty by thirty- four feet, and a room ten feet six inches by twenty -two feet six inches all in the clear. On each side of the front is a hall, nine by ten feet six inches, with two flights of stairs leading to the second story, where there is one large school-room, thirty-four by forty feet, and six inches in the clear, and a room in front ten feet six inches by twelve feet six inches. The foundation is of stone laid in cement, which is three feet wide at the base and two feet at the top, and two feet high. During this month railroad afiairs still attracted attention, while on account of the large attendance at the courts the want of proper hotel accommodation was making itself felt, and, notwithstanding the ofler of a large bonus to any one who would expend ten thousand dollars on such a building, it was a considerable time before any one with sufficient public spirit would make the attempt. On March 24, 1866, the propriety of having Santa Rosa incorporated was first discussed; and at a meeting called, on the 9th April to consider the matter. Judge Ross was elected chairman, and H. Wise, secretary. On motion of J. W. Morris, a committee was appointed by the chair, copnposed of James M. Williams, Murraj'^ Whalon, Thomas L. Thomson, and Judge Ross to define the boundaries of the town, make a plot of the same, to be HISTORT OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 397 .circulated with a petition for the signatures of voters, to be presented to the Boai-d of Supervisors of Sonoma county for their approval — -a sure sign of the steady increase of prosperity. On October 17th, the Democrat says : " We are gratified to observe the amount of business transacted daily in our thriving little town, and the numerous evidences of substantial prosperity and improvement in our midst. New buildings are in process of construc- tion, and material improvements are being made in almost every quarter. Numerous wagons and horses, and crowds of persons on the main street give an appearance of considerable life to the place, while business men speak well of matters in the way of trade. la addition, the stages come in every morn- ing filled with passengers, and hardly a day passes but bands of horses, cattle, sheep and hogs are driven through town,, on the way to the market below. All things considered, Santa Rjsa is getting along very well, and her citizens have no cause to complain. There is not a vacant house in town, and rents pay a handsome interest on the investments, and property com- mands a good price." In the month of March, 1867, the prayer of the petitioners for the iocor- poration of the town of Santa Eosa under the laws of the State was granted by the Board of Supervisors of Sonoma county, and an election ordered to take place on the 11th for provisional officers, which resulted in the folio vviug. choice C. W. Langdon, J. F. Boyce, T. B. Hood, B. Marks, A. P. Petit, Board of Trustees E. T. Farmer, Treasurer ; H. G. Parks, Marshal ; J, H. Richardson, Assessor C. W. Langdon being elected President; B. Marks, Olerk ; and P. B. Hood, Attorney. The first duty of the Board on organization was the passage of an Ordinance, No. One, providing for the establishment of a pound, and pro- hibiting the running at large on the streets of cattle, hogs, horses, vicious dogs, etc., and making it an offence against the authority of the town to leave saddle horses unhitched or unattended by reliable persons. On the 11th of May followmg the first regular election of Trustees was held, when J. F. Boyce, C. W. Langdon, A. P. Petit, B. Marks and F. G. Hahman were , selected to be the Board of Trustees; H. G. Parks, Marshal; Z. Middleton, Recorder; E. T. Farmer. Treasurer; P. B.Hood, Attorney; William See, Assessor ; and John Taylor, Pound-keeper. In the early part of the year the " Kessing Hotel," situated on Main street, was opened by F. H. Coe, formerly proprietor of the Geyser Hotel, and supplied a desideratum long felt and acknowledged. This sign of the times was by no means a solitary instance, however, for during the latter part of 1867 there were no less than ten buildings being proceeded with at one time, while in the matter of trade, the busy hum of business was to be heard form morn till night. On April 20, 1868, the annual appointment of the municipality resulted in the election of John T. Fortson, Thomas N. Willis, W. E. Cocke, George Noonan, and A. C. Raney, Board of Trustees; C. G. Ames, Treasurer; J. 398 • HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOBNIA. H. Farmer, Marshal ; D. S. Sacry, Assessor ; G. P. Noonan, Clerk, and A. W. Middleton, Attorney. It would appear that the plaza had, up to this period, been allowed to get into a state of much disrepair, so much so that it was thought that the citizens had ceased to take any pride in its beauty or ornamentation. Such being the case certain parties obtained, for a consideration, a cession of all rights, present and prospective, which he might have in the plot, from Julio Carillo, who originally granted one-half the square — it is unnecessary to enter here on the subject of how he claimed such right, suffice it to say that on the night of the 14th April, a few individuals commenced the erec- tion of a frame building thereon. Marshal Parks immediately arrested Wesley Wood, James Hayward, Edward Minott, and WiUiam Harrow workmen on the house, who were bound over to appear for trial. Thiee of them were carpenters emploj^ed to do the work by those who claimed the plaza under Julio CarriUo's bill of sale. On the 21st they were tried before Recorder Middleton, charged with violating a Town Ordinance, and after much difficulty in impaneling a jury was experienced. Wood was found guilty, and sentenced to pay a fine of thirty-eight dollars and seventy-five cents, the bare cost of the proceedings. The all-important subject of railroad communication at last took tangible shape in this year. On May 19th. the route from Petaluma, or that from Vallejo, Solano county, was left to the people, the choice being for the first named. Prompt proceedings were at once instituted, a full description of which will be found in our history of Petaluma, and on the 4th of July ground was broken at the Petaluma end of the line. In the midst of prosperity some event will occur to prove to us that we do not fashion our coming or our going: on July 6th a fii'e broke out on Main, between Second and Third streets, which might have laid the principal portion of the towQ in ashes ; however, owing to the strenuous efforts of the Fire Department the flames were subdued, but not until damage to the extent of four thousand dollars had been sustained, princi- pally by Kessing & Tupper, Wise & Goldfish, and H. Vaughan. Notwith-, standing this calamity, the Democrat, of the 25th July, says: It is very gratifying, in looking around us, to notice the steady march of improvements in Santa Rosa and its vicinity, which have taken place within the past three years, giving evidence of the progress of our county and the good taste and pro.sperity of our citizens. The alterations and improvements made in our county buildings, both for beauty and convenience, cannot be surpassed by any county in the State. Our new county hospital is everything that could be desired for beauty and comfort. Among the many handsome residences which have been erected we have merely space enough to mention those of J. M. Williams, Dr. J. F. Boyce, and A. P. Petit, all of which are beautiful structures, with all the latest improvements of first-class dwelling houses, and compare favorably with \hs finest residences in the county. HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CAXIFOENIA. 399 The business portion of our town is also improving rapidly. We have a handsome, large and comfortable school house, which is occupied by three flourishing schools. Two new churches will be erected here this year, one of which, the Presbyterian, is now in the course of construction." May 8, 1869, the following corporate officers were elected: Board of Trustees, Z. Middleton, George P. Noonan, William See, J. P. Clark, Edward Neblett; Marshal, J. Claypool; Assessor, J. H. Richardson; Treasurer, E. T. Farm-er; Clerk, G. P. Noonan. * In regard to the prospective arrival of the railroad, a meeting of citizens was held in the court-house, on January 2, 1869, and a committee appointed to consult with the residents of the town, and those owning lands suitable for the purpose of a railroad depot, in respect to the loca- tion of the same. On the 6th they reported : " Your committee, to whom was referred the matter of soliciting a depot for the Sonoma County Rail- road, near the town of Santa Rosa, beg leave to report the following as the result of their service : From James P. Clark and Dr. J. F. Boyce they received an offer of two acres of land immediately east of the west line of the corporation, lying between the extension of the streets bounding the south and north side of the plaza, also streets up to the railway. This location is deemed by your committee as suited to the business interests of Santa Rosa, and is easily approached on both sides of the land proposed to be located. Messrs. Klute and Morgan propose to donate to the company five acres, to be located four hundred 'yards from the bridge, at the end of the street leading toward Healdsburg, and in a northwest direction from said bridge, and agree to permit the company to take it in any shape they desire to have it. They also offer to give the right of way*through their land, if their ofier of land for a depot is accepted. Mrs. Lacey offers to donate two acres of land near the said bridge. Dr. Williams offers to donate eight lots» aggregating about one acre of land, on condition that the company will run their track along the street in front of his residence. Your committee believe that the land owners convenient to the line of road are liberally dis- posed, and will cheerfully accommodate the company and the people of Santa Rosa to a depot, satisfactory to all parties, when they ascertain fully what will be demanded. Respectfully submitted, C. W. Langdon, E. Neblett, G. A. Tupper." Upon motion, the land offered to be donated by Messrs Clark & Boyce was accepted. May 2, 1870, the annual election of town officers took place, the following forming the municipaUty : J. F. Boyce, E. T. Farmer, M. Johnson, F. G. Hahman, G. P. Noonan, Board of Trustees; G. T. Pauli, Treasurer; Taylor Harden, Assessor ; Theodore Parks, Marshal. On January 8th the Santa Rosa Water Company was incorporated, the object being to supply the town with pure and fresh water. The capital stock was thirty thousand dollars, divided into three hundred shares of one 400 HISTORY OF SOKOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. hundred dollars each, the Trustees being : J. M. Williams, L. D. Latimer, A. Thomas and F. G. Hahman. In the month of April following, another association, having the same object in view, named the Santa Rosa and Guilicos Water Company, filed articles of incorporation. This company which intended to supply the wants of the town from the Santa Rosa creek, had a capital of fifty thousand dollars, divided into five hundred shares, and a term of existence limited to fifty years. The Trustees were ; H. W. Spencer, William Hood, Martin Hudson and Melville Johnson. A meeting of citizens was had on May 28th of this year at the court- house to confer with the committee having the business in charge, of moving the -Southern Methodist College from Vacaville, Solano county, to Santa Rosa, should such be deemed advisable. To this end, Honorable R. C. Haile, Colonel Charles Ramsey, and Reverends O. P. Fitzgerald, W. R. Gober, and George Simms, the committee on the location of the colh ge, paid Santa Rosa a visit on June 1st, and after a thorough examination and consideration of the inducements offered, resolved to locate the seat of learning in that town, the Santa Rosa committee conferring with them being, Judge A. Thomas, W. S. M. Wright, H. T. Hewitt, John S. Taylor, and Henry Mizer. In a short time the sum of fifteen thousand dollars was raised for the purpose of erecting the college building, which was in due course, accepted by the Directors. The committee in whose hands was placed the responsibility of choosing a suitable location whereon to erect the new structure, selected a portion of the north-east tract of land adjoining the town, belonging to Messrs. Ames and Farmer. Mr. Leonard, of San Francisco, made arrange- ments for the immediate commencement of work on the edifice, which was promised to be both- handsome and substantial, and to cost about the sum mentioned above as having been subscribed. The corner stone was laid with full Masonic honors on the first October, with much ceremony. The building was to be when finished, three stories in height, each room to be well ventilated and furnished with every requisite for the convenience and comfort of students, while an able corps of professors had been secured. The first session of the Pacific Methodist College commenced in Santa Rosa on February 1, 1871, under the superintendence of Prof. Chas. S. Smyth, in a large brick building, the property of Messrs. Ames and Farmer, the college not being yet completed. It was, however, duly inaugurated August 9th of that year, when addresses were delivered by Governor H. H. Haight, Doctor Fitzgerald, State Superintendent of Schools, and Rev. W. R. Gober, of Sacramento. The faculty was then composed as follows: President, A. L' Fitzgerald; professor of mathematics, Charles S. Smyth; professor of lan- guages, Charles King; primary department, Miss Florence Miller; musical department, F. F. Zelner; teacher of French and Spanish languages. Miss Louisa Parks. In the month of February, 1870, work was commenced on a new public eiPr tefO;§£PK K.. WALKER,, HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 401 hall by Mr. Klute, and the building of a Catholic church was fast progress- ing toward completion. W. B. Denison had started a factory about a mile from town on the Healdsburg road, where he was manufacturing all kinds of crockery ware. In the month of October gasoline was first introduced into the city, and four lamps for its use erected on the plaza, many more being erected on Main street during the following month; while in Novem- ber the Santa Rosa Bank was established, having as Trustees, David Burris, T. N. Willis, E. T. Farmer, C. G. Ames, and A. Thomas, the capital biing one hundred thousand dollars. . At this period, July 1870, says one of the many writers on Sonoma county, Santa Eosa is one of the prettiest little towns in the State of California. It is the county seat of Sonoma, and the second largest town in the county. Santa Rosa is sixteen miles from Petaluma, which latter place is the principal shipping point for the county, and a large portion of Mendo- cino and Lake counties, twenty miles from the town of Sonoma, sixteen miles from Healdsburg, and twenty-six from Bodega. The town was origin- ally laid out by Julio Carrillo, Hoen, Hartman and Hahman, inl853; since that time it has grown steadily, and now contains a population of fifteen hundred, it having been incorporated for upwards of two years. There is a regular line of mail coaches running from Petaluma to Cloverdale, and a daily mail, Sundays excepted. Between five and six hundred votes are polled at this place. The county property here is valued at sixty thousand dollars. The public school is kept open for eight months of the year. Four teachers lare emploj-ed during the winter months, and five in the summer, with an average attendance of two hundred and seventy-five children. !^esides this, two private schools are well supported. The Catholics, Baptists, Methodist Episcopals, South Methodists, Presbyterians, Christians and Seventh-Day Adventists have each a church building, while the Episcopalians hold their services in the court-house. The Santa Rosa Library contains about two hundred volumes of historical biographical, poetical and other instructive works. There are five brick buildings occupied by dry goods and provision stores, one brick building used as a livery stable, one for a drug-store, and one for a bookstore, while there is a two storied brick unoccupied, one brick engine house, and two brick residences. The largest and finest residence is owned by Dr. J. F. Boyce and the second largest is the property of Henry Klute; the other dwellings are one and two story frame buildings. It has five dry goods and provision stores, three family grocery stores, three drug-stores, one bookstore, tliree hotels and two restaurants, one whole- sale and retail liquor establishment, five retail liquor saloons, one billiard saloon, three wagon manufactories, one carriage and buggy manufactory five blacksmith's shops, two saddlery shops, two tailor shops, two tin and hardware stores, three boot and shoe shops, one boot and shoe store, two 26 402 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. lumber yards, five carpenter shops, one cabinet and furniture establishment, one chair factory, one bakery, three Hvery and feed stables, two barber shops, one daguerrean gallery, two millinery and dress making establishments, two paint shops, one cooper shop, one jewelry and watch and clock maker's store, one public hall, one fire-engine, and the largest interior newspaper published in the State, having a circulation of one thousand two hundred copies, and a hberal advertising patronage. The Masons and Odd Fellows have each a prosperous lodge located here. There are three physicians and eight lawyers. In the month of August we find the Board of Supervisors negotiating for the purchase of a lot on the corner of Fourth street and Exchange avenue whereon to erect a new hall of records, in accordance with a bill' passed by the Legislature providing for the issuance of bonds, etc., for this purpose. On the 6th September, James M. Palmer, a member of the Board of Super- visors, protested against the purchase of any real estate for the purpose of constructing a hall of records thereon, and also against the construction of said hall on any lot except the court-house lot. Notwithstanding this protest, matters progressed, for on the 13th of the month the bid of A. P. Petit for its construction was accepted; on the 21st he filed his bonds and the work was directed to be proceeded with. The corner-stone was laid with Masonic ceremonies on March 4, 1871, and the building was finished in November of that year. In the year 1870, there was a wish expressed that the Odd Fellows' College and Home should be located in Santa Rosa; a subscription list was started and a considerable sum of money subscribed to get it here, but as there were* very many other places competing for this honor, a more favored spot has been thus hallowed. On November 22, 1870, the first passenger car bearing the name '' Dona- hue " arrived at Santa Rosa amid considerable rej oicing, thus making con- nection through to San Francisco boats, Clark and Bostwick running stages to the terminus. Up to this time the iron-horse had not actually been brought to the city; on the 12th November the question of the site for a raili'oad depot was settled at a public meeting. The company, it was resolved, was to have seven acres of land situated half-a-mile from tha court-house and lying between Third and Fourth streets. The property formerly belonged to Messrs. Boyce and Clark, each of whom gave one hundred dollars towards its purchase for the use of the railroad company. The citizens of the town subscribed three hundred dollars and the Board of Trustees became responsible for the balance. With this matter arranged, property contiguous to the site of the future depot was at once laid off" into town lots, while the city itself appeared to gain new life, the business places increasing and the hotels doing a thriving trade through the increase of travel, etc. Freight increased and considerable traffic was inaugurated in real estate. HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOKNIA. 403 It may be remembered that about the year 1868, Wesley Woods and several other paities claimed to be the owners of the plaza, basing their claim on the purchase of all the right, titles and interest of the original owner, who had previously given the land to the town, the claimant asserting that the town had never formally accepted the gift, and, furthermore, that the conditions precedent to its taking effect had not been complied with. About that time Woods and others hastily erected a shanty ou the plaza and claimed to be in possession. Considerable indignation was aroused by this proceeding and the building was summarily torn down and the parties arrested for violating a local ordibance. Subsequently, they brought a suit in ejectment to recover the land and were non-suited when the case came up. Then a change was made to Marin where the matter rested for a time. In the latter part of November, 1870 the case came up in that count}-, and again the plaza "jumpers" were non-suited. Returning imme- diately to Sauta Rosa they once more entered on the disputed ground and shortly after day-light on the morning of December 2, 1870, another rough board shanty presented an ugly appearance on the plaza. The parties, this time, appeared determined to maintain their supposed rights, and an old citizen of the town who attempted to demolish the structure on his own account was knocked down and djiven out of the inelosure in a very rough manner. The town Tru.stees soi n after took the business in hand; a war- rant was issued foi- the arrest of the "jumpers," and Marshal Parks was ordered to remove tlie building, all of which was done in a vigorous and summary way. On December 6th, Woods and others were tried before Justice Brown, and after a protracted trial were discharged, the ease remain- ing where it was — the only preventive to future operations of this nature being the passage of an ordinance by the City Fathers which made any attempt to build on the Plaza more certain of punishment and conviction. May 1, 1871, the city election took place and the following officers elected: F. G. Hahman, J. M, Roney, M. Johnson, R. M. Martin and R. K. Hayes, Board of Trustees; Treasurer, G. T. Pauli; Assessor, J. H. Richardson: Mar- shal, Theodore Parks. This was a year of general progression to Santa Rosa ; the impetus given to business of all kinds continued, peace and plenty reigned, and the town prospered. In May the establishment of the Christian College was first mooted, but more of this as we proceed. On January 31, 1872, pursuant to a call made by the chairman of a com- mittee appointed at a previous meeting to draw up a city charter, the citizens of Santa Rosa met at the court-house to receive and act upon the results of the labors of said committee. Judge Ross, the chairman of that committee, drew up the charter and read the provisions of the bill under which it was proposed to incorporate. Another committee, composed of J. P. Clark, Robert Morgan, C. G. Ames, J. M. Williams, Mr. Davis and Mr. Springgins, 404 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. were appointed to consult and decide upon a boundary line, and report at a meeting to be held on the following evening. At seven in the evening on February 1st this meeting was convened, and after assembling discussion was had as to the propriety of making the north bank of Santa Rosa creek the south boundary of the city. On this a motion, announced from the chair and seconded by Mr. Farmer, was adopted, fixing the boundaries of the new incorporation - as follows: Commencing in the middle of Matanzas creek, at the northeast corner of the land? of John Brown and John Richards; thence southerly on the eastern line of the lands of Brown and Richards to a point in continuation of the northerly line of the Santa Rosa and Sebastopol road; thence westerly in a direct line to the northerly line of said road, and along the noi'therly line thereof to a point thirty feet westerly from the middle of the railroad track of the San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad Company; thence northerly, parallel with the middle of said railroad, to the northerly bank of Santa Rosa creek ; thence westerly and northerly along the bank of said creek to the land of James P. Clark; thence northerly in a direct line across the lands of J. P. Clark and J. F. Boyce to the soutliwest corner of Weslcj'" Mock's land; thence northerly along the westerly line of Mock and Morgan's land to Morgan's northwest corner; thence easterly along the northerly line of Morgan's land, and a eontinuation thereof, to the westerly line of the Healdsburg public road; thence southerly along the westerly line of said road to a point in continua- tion of the southerly line of H. Wilson's land ; thence easterly to and along the southerly line of said H. Wilson's land to his southeast corner ; thence in the same direction on the land of G. W. Davis to a point due north of the northeast corner of J. M. Williams' land; thence south to Williams' north- east corner; thence southerly along the easteidy line of J. M. Williams' land to Santa Rosa creek ; thence down the middle of said creek to a point due north of the place of beginning. At this meeting John Brown was Chair- man and F. P. Thompson Secretary. The first entry in the only book of records of the city of Santa Rosa to which we have been able to gain access, reads : " Board of Trustees, City of Santa Rosa, April 8, 1872. In conformity with the provisions of an Act of the Legislature of the State of California, entitled ' An Act to incorporate the city of Santa Rosa,' approved A. D. 1S72, prescribing the time and method of organizing; the Board of Trustees of said city under said Act, Messrs. J. M. Williams, A. Runyon, J. Beam, G. A. Tupper and J. W. Rob- inson, Trustees elect. These were duly sworn into office by John Brown, Justice of Peace, J. M. Williams elected President, and George A. Thornton, City Clerk; committees were at once appointed to procure a suitable room for Board meetings, and the examination of the calaboose; on the 12th it was reported by them that the fire company had tendered the use of the room in rear of the engine-house, free of expense, on condition that the HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 40o Board should furnish and otherwise fit it up; this was accepted, and the necessary repairs ordered. On the same date the bonds of the foUnwing city officers were accepted: G. T. Pauli, City Treasurer; J. H. McGee, City Recorder ; J. T. Fortson, City Attorney ; A. C. Raney, Street Commissioner ; P. McDouall, City Assessor. We find the following on record under this date: "'On motion of Mr. Tapper, seconded by Mr. Beam, the Board then took up the matter of the contested election in case of City Marshal, notice having been filed with the City Clerk by J. M. White, declaring his inten- tion of contesting the election of W. H. Mead, to whom the Judges of Elec- tion had issued a certificate as City Marshal elect. The parties to the con- test having been notified by the Board, through the Clerk, of the time at which they would proceed to determine said matter of contest, and being present either in pei'son or represented by counsel, Mr. Mead being repre- sented by J. Brown, Esq., and Mr. White by C. W. Langdon, Esq. Upon a careful recount of the ballot by the Board the result was found to be a tie vote. In accordance with the provisions of the charfer, the Board then pro- ceeded to elect one of the two contestants to the office of City Marshal with the following result: Mead, three votes; White, one vote; Mr. Runyon vot- ing for White. On motion of Mr. Beam, seconded by Mr. Tupper, W. H. Mead was declared to be the choice of the Board for the office of City Mar- shal, and the following order directed to be spread upon the minutes of the Board : Resolved, That W. H, Mead be, and he iis hereby declared to be Mar- shal of the city of Santa Rosa." The regular meetings of the Board were, on the 17th, ordered to be con- vened on the first Wednesday of each month ; and a committee appointed to draft resolutions defining the order of \iusiness, and the makincf of rules and by-laws to govern the Trustees in their deliberations. On April 19th, the following is minuted : " That C. G. Ames be, and is hereby employed to sur- vey and establish the grades and corners of the streets;" at which time the following resolution was also offereLJ by Trustee Tupper : " Resolved, That an iron pin, some three feet in length, driven in the ground its full leno-th, and standing near the south-westerly corner of Colgan's Hotel, in the city of Santa Rosa be, and the sanirf is hereby declared the initial point of the survey of the town of Santa Rosa, being the south-wcsterly corner of block No. sixteen, as surveyed by John A. Brewster, a plat of which .survey is now on file in the office of the County Recorder of Sonoma county; and that the muzzle of a certain cannon, planted in the ground, near or at the north-west corner of block No. fifteen, according to the plat of the survey of the town of Santa Rosa by John A. Brewster, be and the same is hereby declared a point in the southerly line of Third street of said town and the north-west corner of block fifteen." On the first of May, Mr. Eliason was engaged to estabhsh the grade of the streets. On the 7th, it was " Resolved, That peddlers of fish, vegetables, and other minor articles of trade used as 406 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. food, engaged, or to become engaged in selling the products of their own labor, be exempted from paying a license-tax, and that all persons engaged or to becom^ engaged in selling such articles, not the product of their own labor, shall pay a license-tax of five dollars per quarter." On the same date, the following ordinance was unanimously passed : " The Board of Trustees of the city of Santa Rosa do hereby ordain as follows : That any person who shall be convicted of the violation of any of the ordinances of the city of Santa Rosa, and sentenced to pay a fine or to imprisonment in the city prison, or both, may, during the term of his imprisonment, be compelled by the City Marshal to work on the public streets." The survey of Mr. Eliason was accepted as the official grade of the city on May 9 th, and on the same date, the grading of Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, A, B, C, D and E streets was ordered. Oii the 23d of May, W. A. Eliason was appointed City Surveyor; and the City Marjhal allowed salary at the rate of eighty dollars per month. June 14th, the committee for that purpose reported that the Gas Company would light street lamps at nine dollars a lamp per annum, an ofier that was accepted; on July 3d, permission was granted to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows to erect an iron stairway on Third streeti to lead up to the upper story of a building about to be erected on the corner of that thoroughfare and Exchange avenue; it was then ordered that the street on the east side of the plaza, extending from Third to Fourth street, be called "Hinton avenue," and that to the we.st be called "Exchange avenue ;" while on the 8th August the Marshal's salary was raised to ninety dollars per month. At the previous meeting the City Attorney had been directed to confer with the proper authorities in regard to the repairs to the bridge across the Santa Rosa creek ; &€ this session the following report was made: "A proposition was received from the Board of Supervisors of Sonoma county to the following effect, viz. : That they would have' the bridge, across the Santa Rosa creek (on the Petaluma road) repaired, and pay one- half the cost of such repairs, the city paying the other half, and leave the final decision of the question as to whom the bridge belonged, county or city, to the District Judge, the party against whom decision is rendered to pay back the amount paid by the party in who.se favor decision is rendered." The proposition was accepted. On same date notice was given to the Super- visors to have the sidewalk around the hall of records lowered to the grade of the streets and that around the court-house repaired. An ordinance was adopted on August 19th, fixing the tax on property within the corporate limits at sixty -five cents for one hundred dollars; a street tax of two dollars was ordered to be levied on every male over twenty-one years of age residing in the city, except the active members of the Fire Department; and a tax of two dollars on each dog owned and kept within the city. October 2d, it was ordered that all boys, eighteen years of age and under, found on the streets after nine o'clock p. m., without permission of parents or guardians, HISTOKT OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 407 should be arrested and locked up ; on the following day, Trustee Eobinson resigned, and F. H. Coe appointed in his stead; and on December 4th James HUl presented a demand against the city for damages in the sum of five hundred dollars sustained by him through the breaking in of the top of a cistern on Main street, at its intersection with Second street. Hill made a statement on oath that the damage did not exceed one hundred dollars, which sum was tendered to him in gold coin, but he refused it, and his original demand was rejected by the Board. Of the events of general interest which occurred in the year 1872, we find that on the 28th of February the Maxim Gas Company of Santa Eosa was instituted, under a Board of Trustees, consisting of John Brown, E. T. Farmer, F. H. Coe, C. Kessing, and H. B. Stanley, which organized by electing John Brown, President; C. G. Ames, Secretary; F. B. Lyle, Treasurer. The company having purchased a lot of land, situated on Fifth street, near Mendocino street, commenced to build thereon, and in the second week in March began the laying of pipes in the streets, the town being first lighted on the night of Tuesday, the 9th of April. The Democrat, of March 23, 1872, has, in enumerating the buildings erected during the year 1871, -the following: The cost of these buildings have ranged from five hundred up to twenty-seven thousand dollars, the Methodist College, in Farmer and Ames' Addition, having cost the latter sum. This college is in a most flourishing condition, and enjoys the reputation of being one of the best educational institutions in the country. In the Morgan Addition, the Christian denomination have purchased a lot and will this Summer erect a college building, at a cost of twenty thousand dollars. Contracts have already been entered into for the erection of a large number of new buildings, and work will be commenced on the same as soon as the lumber can be placed on the ground. There is a large amount of capital here, which those who control it, if they act wisely, will employ in starting some manu- ufacturing enterprises, thereby giving another and new impetus to the spirit of progress which is already in our midst. As has been said, a Christion college was to be started; the Board, under whose auspices this work was to be commenced, met on May loth, and organized. Elder A. Johnson being elected President; G. A. Tupper, Treasurer, A. McMeans, Secretary. A Building and Finance Committee being then chosen, and on the 28th of the month the contract for the building was let to J. E. Johnson, of San Francisco. The dimensions of the new structure are: Length of building, one hundred and three feet six inches; depth' sixty -nine feet six inches through the center, which projects in front from each end of the building. From ground line to the top of the cornice the measurement is fifty feet three inches, and from thence to the top ball of the dome, thirty-two feet six inches. On either side of the projection men- tioned are two handsomely ornamented porches, forming the main entrances. 408 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOENIA. Through these are entered two cross halls, ten feet in width; from each of these halls a stairway leads to the upper story. They are connected through the center of the building by another hall, eight feet wide; on the outer side of each of these cross halls are three large recitation rooms. On the front side of the eonnectuig hall is a large room which will be used as a boys' preparatory department; on the rear side are two large rooms, con- nected by folding doors, which may be used separately, or together, as the occasion may require for a girls' preparatory class. On tiie second floor the cross halls and recitation rooms, six in number, correspond with those below. The chapel, sixty-nine by forty feet, occupies the whole space between the cross halls on this floor. It is a handsome room ; the ceiling is rounded, across the front there is a gallery which is entered by stairways from the cross halls. The whole building is thoroughly ventilated. The architecture is of the modern style. The cornice is supported by moulded brackets. The windows in the lower story are segment, and in the upper circle halls, all the center windows are of the circle head ullion pattern. On the top of the building is a handsome cupola, ornamented with sixteen circular dormer windows. The contract price was nineteen thousand dollars, com- plete. The building is an original design by A. P. Petit; the plan of the interior was arranged by Elder Johnson; J. E. Johnson, of San Francisco, is the contractor, and Barton England, the superintendent for the Board of Trustees. On September SOth the college was dedicated with much cere- mony, and a learned and exhaustive address delivered by T. H. Lane, of San Jose. On the 14th of November yet another dedication took place, the hall of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows being opened with all the ceremonies consonant with that fraternity. It is a spacious building, well proportioned, while the Order is in a most flourishing condition. During this month preliminary steps were taken to organize a parish at Santa Rosa under the Episcopal church, by electing the following gentlemen as officers: Dr. R. P. Smith, Senior Warden; W. H. Bond, Junior Warden; E. W. Maslin, G. W. Jones, F. G. Nagle, L. A. Martin and F. P. Thompson, Vestrymen. The Rev. G. G. Lane, who had been officiating, notified the bishop of the election of church officers, and requested his consent to the organization, which was granted by Bishop Kip on the 18th December, and the vestry formed by electing F. G. Nagle Secretary, and L. A. Martin Treasurer, the parish, on the motion of Dr. Smith, receiving the name of "The Parish of the Incarnation," and Rev. G. C. Lane appointed Rector for the ensuing year. ■ We once more turn to the city records. On January 2, 1873, the fol- lowing resolution of the trustees, adopted at a meeting held on November 13th of last year, was ordered spread upon the minutes of the Board, viz.: "At an especial meeting of the Board held November 13, 1872, the Board HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 409 employed Thomas Brothers to make a survey of the corporate limits of the city of Santa Rosa, together with all portions of farms or lots divided by the city line and lying inside the city limits; also, to resurvey the old town and all additions thereto on file in the Recorder's office, and make a map of the same, said map, when completed, to be delivered to the City Clerk; and for the above work the city shall pay Thomas Brothers three hundred dollars." On April 5th, the following corporation officials were elected : James P. Clark, Preston Davis, Jeremiah Beam, F. J. Proctor and A. Runyon, Board of Trustees, Mr. Beam being chosen President; George A. Thornton, City Clerk; J. F. Fortson, City Attorney; G. T. Pauli, Treasurer; James H. McGee, Recorder; J. M. White, Marshal; Peter McDouall, Assessor; Wesley Brock, Street Commissioner. May the 7th, the Santa Rosa Water Company request the privilege to lay water pipes; while on the same date the following ordinance was passed ; " That the owners of each house situated within the city limits shall provide and keep on the premises, in a place Avhere it can be readily reached, a ladder of sufficient length to reach the top of the house, to be used in case of fire, and the occupants of each house shall keep not less than three buckets in some place of easy access, for use in case of fire." Tees for hydrants were ordered to be placed in the streets on June 10th; on August 6th, certain petitions in regard to sidewallcs were accepted, and the prayers therein contained granted, and an ordinance passed requiring property- owners to put up a good and substantial hitching-post in front of their respective houses, within ten days of notice. On the 20th of the month, it was resolved that a survey be made of the south side of Fourth street, from the east corner of the hall of records to the west end of that street, in view that it may be widened, so that it should run parallel with the north side of that building; while on the 30th a resolution was passed that any person should have the privilege of erecting a post and gasdamp on the corner of Fifth and Mendocino streets, and when so completed the city would supply the gas for the same. September 13th it was directed that the word less be struck out in the ordinances wherever it occurs, so that a smaller fine than the penalty named may be imposed by the Recorder'; on the 16tb, suit was ordered to be commenced against the county of Sonoma for amount expended by the city in widening sidewalk around tlie hall of records. On October 7th, the day of Board meeting was changed to the first Tuesday in of each month, and on December 15th, J. G. Pressley, Esq., was appointed City Attorney. The first meeting of subscribers to the savings Bank of Santa Rosa met on January 18, 1873, and the following resolution adopted : Resolved, That this bank incorporate as the " Savings Bank of Santa Rosa," of discount and loan, under subdivision of twenty-seventh, section two hundred and eighty, Civil Code. A. Runyon, John Brown, H. Wise, A. P. Overton, Lew 410 HISTOET OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOENIA. W. Miller, Daniel Brown and W. A. Eliason were elected Directors for the year ending December 31, 1873, and a Board organized by the election of A. P. Overton, President; John Brown, Vice-President; F. G. Hahman, Cashier. Articles of incorporation of the Santa Rosa Water Company were filed on February 27, 1873, the capital stock being one hundred thousand dollars, divided into one thousand shares of one hundred dollars each, the Directors beino- E. T. Farmer, C. F. Juillard, F. G. Hahman, Jackson Temple and James P. Clark ; term of existence, fifty years. In reference to this under- taking the water is taken from the junction of the Alamo and Santa Rosa creeks and conveyed on the south side of the latter to the reservoir, one mile -helow, on the lands of the Gibb's estate. The fall, from where the water is taken at the creeks, to the reservoir, is thirty -five feet; the supply-pipe to the reservoir is eleven-inch, and the mains, from the reservoir to the town, are nine-inch for a portion of the way and seven-inch for the remainder. The reservoir has a capacity of not less than thirty millions of gallons. The next in order of improvements are the Santa Rosa Empire Mills, which were established by H. F. Sehulte and Thomas Dobbins on October 29, 1873- Their capacity is one hundred and twenty-five barrels of flour per day, while of bailey there may be ground in the same time thirty to thirty-five tons. The mills contain four run of stones and a seventy-five horse-power engine. Early in the year 1873, the Trustees of the Baptist church of Santa Rosa purchased a lot on the corner of B and Center streets on which, in the month of February, they commenced the erection of a building, Gothic in style of architecture, and o1 the following dimensions: The main church building, fifty-six by thirty-seven feet, with an elevation of thirty-two feet. Adjoining the main building, in the rear, is a chapel thirty by forty feet, containing, besides accommodation for the Sunday school, the library and committee rooms. Over the front entrance to the church is a large Gothic window. From the base to elevation of tower and spire, located at the left front corner of the edifice, is sixty-nine feet. The building cost about five thousand dollars. We append a few interesting reminiscences in regard to the Baptist church and congregations in this city: The first house of worship was built in 18.54 at Franklin, a mile and-a-half from Santa Rosa, but, in 1855, it was removed with the rest of that short-lived village, to this town and placed upon the lot on third street where it now stands, being used as a tenement house. It was the third protestant church erected in the county, James Crane being the contractor. The cost of the building was defrayed by public subscription, with the provisions that it should be free to all denom- inations when not in use by the Baptists. Elder J. McCorkle held the first services in the building. The first Baptist State Conference was held at Franklin and shortly afterwards a Sunday-school was organized there. HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOKNIA. 411 Among the organizers of the church were Martin Hudson and Mrs. Hudson, WiUiam Hudson and wife, Alexander Dunbar and wife, Frank Bedwell and W. C. Cattron. It was used for a number of years by other denominations. Reverend 0. P. Fitzgerald preached his first sermon in this county in that church. Eider Stephen Riley was the first Pastor, Eaton the next, then followed Elders Joseph Roberts, Tripp, C. King, John Luke, S. A. Ringo, N. A. Bailey; the present incumbent is S. A. Taft, D. D. The last item of interest for the year under notice is the eventful storm of December 3d, which covered the streets of Santa Rosa and the surrounding country with several inches of snow. Ere the sun got too hot the citizens were to be seen reveling in the luxury of snow-balls, while we are told that J. P. Clark, with a keen remembrance of gone-by sleigh rides, improvised such a vehicle out of an old packing-case, and was to be seen steering his way through the public thoroughfares with relish to himself and satisfac- tion to his friends. On February 3, 1874, the contract and agreement between the city of Santa Rosa and the Santa Rosa Water Works was ordered to be signed by the President of the Board of Trustees and the City Clerk, while in this regard the following Ordinance was passed : " The right to lay down water pipes in and through the streets of the city (of Santa Rosa) is hereby granted to the said Santa Rosa Water Works, provided the said water pipes are put down under ground, and so as to not obstruct the passage of the said streets or in any way injure the same; and provided further, that the said Santa Rosa Water Works furnish the said city with water to the extent of their means in case of fire or other great necessity, free of charge, and in all respects conform to the laws of the State in relation to water corporations. The right granted by this Ordinance shall continue for fifty years." The annual election of a municipality was held on April 6th, when the undermentioned gentlemen were selected: J. Beam, E. L. Davis, P. R. Davis, James Morrow, Jr., and A. Neece, J. Beam, President of the Board of Trus- tees; George A. Thornton, City Clerk; J. M. White, City Marshal; J. G. Pressley, City Attorney; H. G. Parks, City Assessor; W. Mock, Street Commissioner ; and G. T. Pauli, Treasurer. August 21st, the property tax was fixed by the Board in meeting assem- bled, at fifty -five cents per one hundred dollars; the street tax at two dollars for male adults bstween twenty-one and sixty years of age, and the dog-tax at four dollars. The appended order was made on the 4th of September: Section 1. — That the privilege of laying a street railroad along the middle of Fourth street from the! present depot of the San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad to the eastern line of the city limits, and in the middle of the street around the plaza, and along C street from the plaza to Second street, be, and the same is, hereby granted to John T. Fortson and his asso- ciates for the term of twenty years, provided the said road is constructed. 412 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. equipped, and cars placed thereon in running order in six months from the date hereof, and provided further, that the cars tbereoa be propelled by horse or mule power. Section 2. — The grant of the privilege in Section one shall be subject to all the restrictions, conditions and limitations mentionei in section four hundred and ninety-eight of the Civil Code of California. Suction 3. — -That the right to regulate freights and fares on said railroad is reserved to the Board of Trustees of the city of Santa Rosa. Section 4- That a discontinuance of the running of the cars upon said railroad after the same is built and equipped for the space of ten days without the permission of the Board of Trustees of said city, shall work a forfeiture of this franchise. On October 6th the following was ordained: Section 1. — Every keeper of a saloon, (lram-sho|> or tippling house, and every person who within the limits of the said city sells or dispone? of any spirituous, malt, or fermented liquors, or wines in quantities of ono quart or less, shall pay a license of five dollars per quarter, in advance. Section 2. — Any per.son who shall sell and dispose of any liquors mentioned in Section one of this ordinance in quantities of one quart or less, without having first obtained a license, shall be sub- ject to the penalties mentioned in Section foi:ty-seven of an ordinance passed by the Board of Trustees on ^pril 19, 1872. Santa Rosa would appear to be still going ahead in the year 1874. On the 6th October a handsome new brick building was commenced by J. Ridg- way behind the hall which bears his name, and opposite to the residence of Doctor J. F. Boyce, the contractor, being Arnold Childers; and death had come in and removed one of her oldest citizens, Judge William Ross, a resi- dent of the county since 18.)2, and the first lawyer to establish himself in Santa Rosa, died in the town on the 10th of April, He was a native of Mifflin county, Pennsylvania, and when quite a young man studied law and was admitted to practice in the State of Ohio, whither he had moved with his family. He filled the office of Auditor in Perry county, Ohio, from 1840 to 1849. In April of that j^ear he came to California and first settled in El Dorado county; in 18.52 he removed to Sonoma county; in 1854 he came to Santa Rosa; and in 1860 he was electe I to the State Legislature. He afterwards served the county for two years as District Attorney, filling, to the satisfaction of his constituents, the duties of that important position. Judge Ross was among the last of a number of lawyers of more than average ability, who practiced at the bar on the organization of the county govern-, ' ment, in the old town of Sonoma. Ex-Governor Boggs, Maupin, Cook, and the brilliant Wilkins, pioneers in Sonoma county, one after the other have fallen before the Destroyer ; to this list is now added William Ro.ss. At the meeting of the court on the 13th, the District Attorney in bringing the news of his death to the knowledge of the court, moved that "out of respect they now adjourn"; Judge Langdon seconded the motion, and paid a touch- ing tribute to his memory. He said that while Judge Ross had faults com- HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 413 mon to mankind, he had also many redeeming traits of character. The blighted breath of slander never escaped his lips against any man. He was true to his friends and generous to his enemies. March 2, 1875, we are informed by the city records that gas lamps and drinking hydrant were ordered to be placed ia the center of the plaza. On April oth the following corporate oiBcers were sworn in: C. C. Farmer, President; A. Korbel, A. H. Smith, F. B. Morgan, and W. B. Stanley, Board of Trustees; G. A. Thornton, City Clerk; G. T. Pauli, Treasurer; J. M. White, Marshal; J. G. Pressley, City Attorney ; J. H. McGee, Recorder; Street Commissioner, Wesley Mock; Assessor, P. McDouall. An ordinance regulating a drainage system was passed on May 7th, and on the same day it was directed that that portion of the city lying to the south of the creek should be known as South Santa Rosa, and the street from the bridge, southerly, be called Santa Rasa avenue. September 9th, the property tax was set at sixty cents per one hundred dollars; the street tax at two dollars, and the dog tax to be reduced to two dollars. On the 19th October, W. G. Atkins was appointed Fire Marshal, with instructions to assume charge of the fire hydrant, while on the 30th the resignation of J. G. Pressley was accepted, and J. T. Campbell appointed City Attorney in his stead. A new bridge was ordered, on November 8fch, to be built across the creek on C street, and on December 7th, the plan of Z. King & Co. for an iron bridge was adopted. In tiie matter of general history below will be found the location by streets and the names of the owners of such business houses as had been erected in the year 1874. Beginning with C street, (or as it is improperly called Main street) we have first the three-story addition to the Grand Hotel, making it larger by thirty rooms. Messrs. A. Neece and Robert West own the property; Luke Kelly is landlord, to a house always iull of guests. Next ■on C street is the wine house of White & Atkins, remedied and built over this year. On the opposite side of the street is the large carriage and wagon factory and blacksmith shop of Ross & Co,, steam power and complete in all its appointments; J. P. Clark, proprietor of the ground and buildings. On Third street we have J. Ridgway's ten brick stores, twenty feet front by sixty deep. At west end of Third street is the immense feed store and hay warehouse, owned by Dr. J. F. Boyce, and kept by Charles Clark. .On the west side of the plaza is the elegant and complete banking house of the' " Savings Bank of Santa Rosa," a building which would do credit to San Francisco. Three doors above, on the same side of the plaza, is the Democrat building, a two-story brick, twenty -four feet front by one hundred deep. The ground floor is occupied by the elegant dry goods house of Leibman & Co., the upper floor by the Democrat ofiice, T. L. Thomson, proprietor. Adjoining the Democrat building on the north A. Kohle has made an addition of twenty-four by thirty-two to his two-story brick. On 414 HISTOEY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. Fourth street, first is the postoffice block, fifty feet front by seventy-five feet deep, two-story brick, owned by Mrs. Spencer. The stores on the ground floor are occupied, one by Rufus Temple, druggist, and J. M. Eoney, whole- sale liquor dealer. On the corner of Fourth and B .streets is a handsome and elegant two-story brick, forty feet front by seventy-five deep, owned by Gen. D. H. Parks. Adjoining Parks, on the east, is the two-story brick^ belonging to Mrs. Byine, twenty by seventy-five; it has the same finish as the Parks building, making a most creditable appearance. Messrs. James P. Duncan and A. L. Stephens were the contractors. Next east of Mrs. Byrnes' building is the store put up by Gentry & Morris, and occupied by Mr. Davis as a dry goods and fancy store. On the south-west corner of B and Fourth streets, S. A. Rendall has a two-story frame, formerly on the corner of Third and B streets. On the south-east corner of the same streets T. W. Smith has fitted up a market. Further down on Fourth, L. Wilde has a building used by him for his business, shoe-making. On the corner of Davis and Fourth streets is the American Exchange Hotel, a large two-story frame, put up and owned by J. E. Perkinson. On the oppasite side of Fourth street is the building occupied by Jas. Brown, as a meat market, put up and owned by Thomas Duffy. Two doors above, on the same side, is the large addition to Santa Rosa Carriage Factory, put up, owned and occupied by D. G. Nicholl. Two doors further west is the building erected by L. B. Hall, and occupied by Fisher & Reagan, for their marble works. Directly opposite which is the building occupied by J- Healy, shoe-maker, put up and owned by John Boylan. Next west of the marble works is the building erected, owned and occupied by Santa Rosa Hose Company. On the west side of the railroad track is the large foundry and machine shop, put up, owned and occupied by W. H. Smith and H. F. Shulte. The elegant and commodious public school-house, with accommodation for six hundred pupils, is also on Fourth street. Dr. W. T. Cocke occupies an office next to the new meat market of Mathews & Seawell, both erected this year. Further down on Fourth street is the lumber-yard of Murphy Brothers, and necessary office buildings and sheds, to be accredited to 1874. Of the above-mentioned business houses, A. P. Petit was the contractor and builder of the Grand Hotel, Savings Bank, Postoffice Block, Public School- house, Democrat building, and also that of A. Kohle; and Arnold Childers, of Ridgway's ten stores, on Third street. We think there is not another interior town in the State which can show an equal number of business houses, and of the same costly character put up in 1874. On February 17, 1875, occurred the death of another old resident in Doctor John Hendley. He was born in Lexington, Kentucky, September 20, 1820 ; came to California in 1850, and then located in Sonoma county, settling in the following year on his farm, where he died. He was for many HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 415 years engaged in mercantile pursuits in Santa Rosa, and served one term as County Clerk, and for two years as County Treasurer. His death was sor- rowfully felt throughout the county, and many marks of esteem and affec- tion were manifested at his untimely demise. On the night of December 7, 1875, the usually quiet and orderly city was thrown into a state of great excitement on the occasion of the stabbing of Charles Stevens, a native of England, by F. A. Heflin, clerk to David Carithers. The cause of quarrel is thus stated: About two months previ- ously Stevens had purchased a vehicle, which he ran as a job and express wagon. He purchased a horse from Heflin when he started this business. The difflculty which led to his death originated about this purchase. Heflin sold the horse to Stevens for thirty-five dollars ; Stevens paid twenty dollars on account, leaving fifteen still due. Heflin had asked Stevens for the money several times. Stevens wanted Heflin to take the horse back. So the matter stood when the fatal occurrence took place. The accused was admitted to bail, tried on March 2, 1876; a new trial was had on the ICth, May 'when he was found not guilty. The year 1876 is prolific with the doings of the city. On January 6th an ordinance amending license ordinance; also, one prohibiting obstruction of streets was passed; on April 12th the following resolution was unani- mously adopted by the Board of Trustees on the occasion of the retirement of their President, C. C. Farmer. "Resolved, That the thanks of this Board be tendered to C. C. Farmer, our honorable President, for the impartial manner in which he has presided over our meetings for the past year, and for the faithful performance of those duties devolving upon him, with an eye single to the best interests of the city at large, and in retiring from the position as President of this Board, he carries with him the highest regards of each and every member as an honorable man and faithful oflicer." The resolution was ordered published. April 12, 1876, the following members of the Common Council and the Mayor elect took and subscribed the official oath : E. Neblett, Mayor ; A. H. Smith, W. B. Stanley, A. Korbel, F. R. Morgan, G. A. Tupper and William Gable, Councilmen; John B. Davis, Clerk; John Tyler Campbell, Attorney; Charles G. Ames, Treasurer; John Brown, Recorder; John W White, Mar- shal; J. S. Simons, Assessor; A. Shepherd, Street Commissioner. The members then proceeded to determine the length of the terms of their offices by lot, as provided in the charter of the city, with the following result : For two years — A. H. Smith, G. A. Tupper, William Gable. For four years — W. B. Stanley, F. R. Morgan, A. Korbel. At this meeting a committee was appointed to select a place wherein the meetings should be held, and the Marshal was authorized to appoint four policemen. A pro- posal from D. D. Davidson to furnish water for the plaza was accepted, at fifty cents per thousand gallons, on the 2d May, while at the same time the 416 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. license for circuses was raised to twenty-five dollars for each exhibition. On the 26th it was carried, on motion, that all house? advertising for boarders should pay a license of five dollars per quarter; it was also ordered that any person .selling less than a quart of liquor should be considered a retailer, and made to pay a tax of fifteen dollars per quarter. Jane the 6th a Finance Committee was created, and Messrs. Smith, Stanley and Korbel appointed to serve on it; on the same day the sum of three hundred dollars toward the centennial celebration ; also, " An ordinance in revision of the ordinances governing the city of Santa Rosa," was read a third time and passed. On motion, His Honor the Mayor was authorizad to have the charter and ordinances published in book form. The charter in present use was adopted in the year 1876, and declares that the town of Santa Rosa shall be a body politic and corporate under the name and style of the city of Santa Rosa, and by that name shall have perpetual succession, and by that name may sue and defend in courts, etc. It defines the corporate limits of the city to be as follows, to wit: Beginning at a point three-fourths of a mile due north of the northwest corner of Fourth and C, or Mendocino streets ; thence due east three-fourths of a mile; thence due south one and a half miles; thence due west to the west- erly line of the San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad ; thence along the westerly line of said railroad to the north bank of Santa Rosa Creek; thence westerly, following the meanderings of the north bank of said creek to the westerly line of a tract of land known as the Hewitt addition to the city of Santa Rosa; thence along the westerly line of said Hewitt addition and the land of Dr. J. F. Boyce, to the center of the county road, known as the Redwood or Laguna road; thence due north to a point due west of the point of beginning; thence due east to the point of beginning. The cor- porate powers of the city consist of a Mayor and six Councilmen, any four of whom constitute a quorum for the transaction of business; hfesides which there are a Recorder, Treasurer, Street Commissioner, Attorney, Clerk, Marshal and Assessor, to hold office for two years. The Councilmen, after the first election, to be chosen for four years. On the 4th October the prayer of Mark L. McDonald and Jackson R. Myers, to construct a street railroad within the city limits, was granted, while at the same session a petition from the retail liquor dealers, and their prayer, viz : the lowering of licenses, granted. Licenses were thereupon ordered to be lowered to ten dollars per quarter. On March 11, 1876, the iron bridge mentioned above was formally dedi- cated amid much ceremony. It is what is known as Z. King's Patent Wrought Iron Tubular Arch Bridge, manufactured by the King Iron Bridge Company of Cleveland, Ohio, the materials being brought over with, and the construction personally superintended by, George E. King. It is the first and only iron bridge on the Pacific coast, and Santa Rosa has reason to be r^/3-<^l.£^^ HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOEXIA. 417 proud of it. It cost in the viciaity of three thousand dollars, is situated over the creek on C street, and its dimensions are one hundred and twenty-five feet in one span, with a carriage-way of sixteen feet and foot-way five feet wide. In this same month, coal gas was introduced by J. E. Agcr and L. A. Kelly, they having bought out the Maxim Gas ^Company and their gaso- lyne paraphernalia. A new company was formed with E. T. Farmer, Presi- dent; C. F. Juillard, Vice-President; L. A. Kelly, Secretar}^ and the Santa Eosa Bank, Treasurer. New buildings were soon commenced on First street^ which when completed would cost twenty-five thousand dollars. The city was first lit with gas from coal on May 29, 1876. In June, the Mark West Water Company was established, the incorporators being William Rector, S. T. Coulter, H. T. Hewitt, A. Korbel, and John K, Smith. The capital stock was fifty thousand dollar.?, and the fiuid to be brought from Mark West and Wallace creeks and their tiibutaries. In the month of April, the Methodist Episcopal Church was dedicated, and the Occidental Hotel, a large and com- modiou.s establishment, opened; while, we may here remark, that during the year 1876, the following new industries were started, namely: a large and extensive manufactory of wine; a large fruit-drying establishment ; a boot and shoe factory calculated to employ from seventy-five to one hundred and fifty men and women ; a fruit brandy distillery with a capacity of three hundred gallons per day; a glove factory, and an extensive broom factory. The annals of this 3'oar, 1876, we will close with the following record, an unhappy one at best: About midnight on the 9th June an armed and masked mob entered the town, cut the bell-rope to the engine-house to prevent alarm, captured the city watch, went to the house of Jailor Wilson, who kept the jail keys, took him prisoner, forced him to open the doors of the jail, to point out the cell of Charles W. Henley, who had surrendered himself for the killing of James Rowland, which occurred May 9, 1876. Wilson was told to unlock the cell of the prisoner, which he did. Henley was bound and gagged, and in his night clothes was taken to a waTon in the street and thence just outside the limits of the city, where he was hanged to the limb of a tree. The affair would appear to have been well planned, the members of the mob answering to numbers instead of names, while several other precautions were taken to prevent identification. On February 10, 1877, the records of the mayoralty show the following resolution, which was adopted: "Resolved, That heieafter whenever any street or' streets shall be ordered graded and graveled, that the work be let out by contract. That those taking said contract shall hold the parties owning property on sa'd street for their pay, thereby relieving the city of the resp.jn-,ibilifcy of the same." Dr. J. F. Boyce was elected Health Qtficer of the city on March 10th, and an ordinance passed on the same day relative to the prevention of small-pox, and on the 14th a pest-house was reported completed. 27 418 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. May 1st, the petition of E. T. Farmer and his associates asking for fran- chise for street railroad through certain streets was referred to a special committee, as was also a remonstrance on the part of A. P. Petit and others, residents on Third street, against the allowing the T rail, by Farmer and others. On June 5th, the following ordinances were passed and adopted: " An ordinance granting franchise for street railroad to E. T. Farmer and others. " " Ail ordinance granting the right to build a street railwaj' to Mark L. McDonald and associates. " " An ordinance to prevent obstructions in the slou.i^'h." "An ordinance requiring sidewalks on graded streets to be kept clean of weeds and obstructions," while, on the 16th, an ordinance in relation to beef peddlers was read and passed. August 7th, C. C Farmer was appointed in place of Councilor Gale, who had resigned. It was also, on the same day, announced that C, Mendocino and Joe Davis streets should be changed to Mendocino avenue, from the north side of the plaza to tiie north line of the city. The taxes were fixed on September 7th as follows: for city purposes, fifty cents in one hundred dollars ; and twenty-one cents in one hundred dollars for school purposes. On March 11, 1878, an ordinance regulating the license of circuses, mena- geries, etc., was adopted; and on the 19th, others were passed defining the liabilities of junk-shop keepers, pawn brokers, etc.; and establishing the grade of Fourth street, between the east line of I street and the San Fran- cisco and North Pacific Railroad Company. April 4th, the election of a corporation was held, with the following result: Mayor, George A. Johnson; Recorder, C. B. Cox; Attorney, James H. McGee; C!erk, Oscar Morrison; Marshal, William C. Beckner; Street Commissioner^ John Mcllmoil; Assessor, G. A. Tupper; Treasurer, F. G. Hahman; Council- rHen, C. F. Juillard, E. H. Smythe, T. J. Proctor, for four years each; on the 16th, the undermentioned committees were chosen: Finance — Councilors Stanley, Korbel and Smythe; Public Works — Councilors Juillard, Proctor and Morgan; Ordinances — Chairman, the City Attorney, with Messrs. Proctor and Juillard. Permission was granted, on April 18th, to the Latter Day Saints to use the council chamber for church services on the Sabbath day, fr3e of charge, the Literary Society being also granted its use on certain evenings of the week, provided that they pay one dollar per night for the gas consumed. On May 7th, the resignation of Councilor Korbel was laid on the table ; on the 10th, ordinances establishing a Surveyor's office, and preventing the hitchino- of animals to hydrants, and relative to the Board of Health, were passed; while, on the 21st, Doctor R. S. Young, A. L. Cox, J. B. Armstrong, Henry Wise and E. T. Farmer were appointed that Board. June 4th, Ben. Farmer was appointed City Surveyor; on August 6th, a petition was received from the Santa Rosa Gas Light Company, asking that a franchise be granted the company for the term of fifty years from date. With reference to thia HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 419 prayer, Mr. Stanley stated that a franchise had been formerly granted, but that no record of the same could be found ; therefore to grant the petition would be but to renew the former franchise, which, on motion, was adopted. On the same date the Board of Education was given the use of the city hall as a place wherein to hold their meetings; and on the 23d, the Board of Health reported the completion of their organization, Mayor Johnson tendered his resignation on the 24th September, 1878, on account of possibly prolonged absence from the city, when T. J. Proctor was elected to the civic chair in his stead. On this date the following ordinances were adopted: ordinance relative to persons under the age of eighteen years being required to leave the streets after half -past eighto'clock in the evening • and that amending the ordinance establishing a Board of Health. Dr. W. Finla"^ was appointed to that Board on October 2.5th, vice Armstrong, resia'ned;on November .5th, C. C Farmer ^vas selected to succeed Councillor • Korbel on the Council Board, and on December 6th, the following matters ■ ' 'CD were attended to : The meetings of the Council for the future to be held in the engine house; the plaza placed under the charge of the Street Commis- sioner, the contract for superintending which with W. H. Nash being rescinded; and the Clerk authorized to correspond with the agent of the Globe Gas Light Company, with a \iew to introducing their system of lighting into the city. On January 7, 1879, Councillor Morgan resigned his position, and on the 9th L. W. Smallwood was elected to the Board in his stead. On March 1st a spirit of retrenchment would appear to have suddenly shown itself; the lawn mower and wheelbarrow used in the plaza were directed to be sold to the best advantage. On the 21st it was "Resolved, That it is the unanimous opinion of this Council that the county hospital in its present location is a nuisance and detrimental to the health of this city, and that the Board of Supervisors of this county be requested to remove the same without delay to some more isolated place, where the health of our citizens will not be so much in jeopardy," while in this regard the subjoined communication was received from the Board of Health on AprU 1st: "To the Mayor and Coun- cilmen of Santa Mesa — Gentlemen: The petition of your honorable body in regard to the Chinese on the east side of the plaza has been received. In reply, we beg leave to state that we have inspected said quarters and find them in a bad sanitary condition, which is not only detrimental to the health of them, but of all the persons living in that neighborhood, and would respectfully ask that your honorable body take immediate steps to have the same discontinued." On motion it was ordained that the health ordinance be enforced. On the same date the plaza was denied to Mayor Brown and others for the purpose of holding a public m.eeting, while another communi- cation was received from the Board of Health relative to the condition of the county hospital, jail, etc. They reported said buildings to be in a bad 420 HISTObY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. sanitary condition, and recommended that the City Council confer with the County Supervisors, that they may put said county buildings in a good sanitary condition, for which a committee was appointed to wait upon the Supervisors. On May 6th an ordinance licensing billiard tables was read and adopted; on June 3d the dog-tax was fixed at one dollar; on July 2d ordinances to prevent breaches of the peace and the carrying of concealed weapons, and the establishing of a chain-gang were passed, and on the loth of the same month a motion to increase the licenses of meat peddlers was defeated. In the month of April, 1877, a woolen factory was started under the jjame of the Santa Rosa Woolen Manufacturing Companj^, havino- H. T. Hewitt as President, and J. S. Simons, Secretary. It occupied a lot on Sixth strict, in West Santa Eosa, was of two stories, built of brick. On the 27th of April, the foundation of a tannery was laid, among those inter- ested being Messrs. Hewitt, J. T. Armstrong, and W. H. Edwards. Ti.« month of July saw the formation of an Agricultural Association, while, in this year was' destroyed by fire the boot and shoe iaetory at a loss of nine- teen thousand dollars. In the month of April there died John Ingram, one of the very first .settlers in Santa Rosa. He first lived upon the farm afterwards owned by Honorable Jacob Smith, selling that he built, and lived in the house on First street, occupied by Mr. Lancaster. He was one of the earliest contrac- tors in the city, and built most of the first houses. He was the contractor for the old Masonic hall in 1854, which wasfor a time the largest house in the city; he was the first Junior Warden of Santa Rosa Lodge, No. 54, F. & A. M. ; he built the lower story of Gus Kohle's building adjoining the office of the Democrat, which was the first brick building in the town, and assisted in making the first survey of the city limits. Mr. Ingram died much respected. The last record with which we will wind up this already too lengthy chapter, is the destruction of Lachman & Jacobi's mill, on the 9th March, 1879, the damage sustained being thirty thousand dollars, with an insurance of fifteen thousand. The Christian Church, Santa i?osa.— As there are no records preserved of this church we are indebted to Mr. and Mrs. T. B. Hood, Mr. and Mrs. Shane and James Fulton for the information contained in the following remarks : — To Elder Thomas Thompson is the honor due of organizing this con- gregation in November, 1854, and preaching the first sermon to them in that month. The original members of the church were: T. B. Hood and wife, Mrs. C. E. Hood, Joel Miller, Sarah Miller (now Mrs. Shane), Elizabeth Miller, Harrison Valentine, W. R. O'Howell, J. M. Case, Samuel Hand and wife, Mrs. Coleman Talbot, and R. Fuikerson and wife. Services were then HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 421 held in the town of Franklin, in the Baptist church, and continued there until the town was moved to Santa Rosa, when the congregation met jn the court-house, but after the removal of the church building from Franklin to Santa Rosa in 1856. then in that edifice where they prosecuted their devo- tions until the erection in 1857 of their own place of worship on the corner of Fourth and B streets, which, in 1874, was transferred to its present posi- tion on Fifth street. The entire cost of the church, inclusive of lot, bell, fixtures, etc., was about three thousand dollars, while its size is thirty-eight by sixty feet. Since its organization the following pastors have officiated: J. P. McCor- kle, W. W. Stephenson, Robert Graham, William T. ETaley, Alexander John* son, H. K. Hallman, J. W. Butler, J. M. Monroe, Judge Derham, G. O. Bur- nett, and O. K. DibblCj with occasional aid from the Professors of the Chris- tian College. * The church has a present membership of one hundred and sixty, while the Sabbath-school, under the superintendency of J. A. Eveleth, has an average attendance of eighty scholars. Preshyterian Church. — The following history of the Presbyterian Church of Santa Rosa has been kindly furnished to us by Rev. F. M. Dlmmick: In October, 1855, Rev. James Woods visited Santa Rosa and preached in the old court-house — a little frame building opposite the site of the present court-house, on the east side; and this, most probably, was the first Pres- byterian service ever held in the place. In December 1855, Mr. AVoo;'.s removed with his family to Santa Rosa, and commenced preaching regularly in the old court-house. He remained there until the present court-house was completed, when he occupied it during his stay. Mr. Woods, in a letter to Mr. Dimmick, in this regard, writes: "We had large congregations in the new court-house, and one of the finest Sabbath-schools I ever knew, superintended by John Treadway, pre-eminent as a Sabbath-school teacher." On March 17, 185b', Mr. Woods organized the Presbyterian Church, con- sisting of twelve members — Cyrus Alexander, A. P. Wilson, John Barbour, John Treadway, Mrs. Henrietta Treadway, Mrs. E. A. Woods, Mrs, Jane Ormsby, Mrs Hattie Hendly, Mrs. Jane Drum, Mrs. Elizabeth Bledsoe, Mrs. Kate Green, and Mrs. Louisa McDonald. Cyrus Alexander and John Treadway were elected Ruling Elders. Mr. Alexander was ordained and installed, and Mr. Treadway, having been previously ordained, was duly installed, with reference to whom Mr. Woods writes further: " Mr. John Treadway was the most gifted teacher of the Sabbath-school I ever saw, and was brother-in-law of Rev. James H. Brookes, D. D., of St. Louis. He returned to the -States, in very very poor health, in the latter part of 1858, or early in 1859, and died soon after. His widow, a very superior lady, now lives with her brother. Doctor Brookes, in St. Louis." The records of the church inform us that Mr. Treadway died December 31, 1859. When Mr. 422 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOENIA. Woods came to preach and to organize the church, there were in Santa Rosa about twenty houses, and a population of about two hundred. He says that, " during the Summer of 18-56, measures were taken and prepara- tions were getting in readiness for the erection of a church edifice, but my health becoming very much impaired, I deemed it necessary, and so did my physicians, to seek a different climate. I left Santa Rosa in December, 1856, having preached there just one year. Had I remained it was the intention to have completed the church edifice during the next Summer, but when I left the enterprise was abandoned for the time-being." There was no Presbyterian service from December, 1856, till April, 1857, when Rev. -Alexander Fairbairn, who remained till July, ]858, became the minister; he also occupied the court-house with his ministrations. Soon after Mr. Fair- barn's departure the church itself virtually disbanded, and Presbyterianism seemed to be extinct for more than a year, while there was no organization for nearly four years. Rev. Thomas Fraser moved to Santa Rosa in Decem- ber, 1859, and preached that Winter, as often as practicable, in the little old Baptist church, on the south side of Third street and east of D street, and also in the Methodist church on the same street, which last mentioned edifice, says Mr. Fraser, " one of my people, Henry Klute, helped to build." In the Spring following (1860) Mr. Fraser com- menced regular service in Santa Rosa, and in the Summer extended the work to Bloomfield and Tomales, occasionally going to Valley Ford and Bodega Corners. The Two Rock church was then organized. The Presby- terian congregation reorganized in Santa Rosa in 1862, in the Methodist church, and Mr. Fraser, with the Methodist ministers, occupied that house during his work in Santa Rosa, preaching half the time, the other half in different places, chiefly in Two Rock and Valley Ford, Mr. Fraser's father> the Rev. Thomas Fraser, Sr., spent the Winter of 1847-8 in Santa Rosa, doing his son's work white he supplied the Presbyterian church of Port- land, Oregon. Mr. Fraser's labors of preaching in this section ceased when he undertook the general mission work for the church in the Fall of 1858- In the Spring of this year, through the action of the Methodist body, the Presbyterians found themselves with no church; Sabbath services were therefore discontinued from May, 1868, till July, 1869, and week-day meet- ings were held in Mr. Fraser's study — a small building still standing, near the corner of Fourth and A streets. Soon after this the building of a church was commenced, and Mr. Fraser continued to reside in Santa Rosa, until the Winter of ] 871-2 he was enabled to watch the building operations. He writes: " It was a long, hard job and we wer j a good while building; Robert D. Morgan and his brother (F. R. Morgan), Henry Klute, George Hood, and Capt. W. A. Eliason, built that church, and their names should be engraven upon it." Mention has been made above of the reorganization of the congregation HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 423 in 1862. We reproduce the accompanying document so that the names of those who made the good fight should be recorded: "We whose names are hereunto subscribed being members of the Presbyterian church, or desirous of becoming so, hereby unite in requesting you, the Rev. Thomas Fraser, to form us into a Presbyterian church in Santa Rosa." Then follow these names: George Hood, Henry Klute, C. W. Langdon, Mrs. Julia Hood, Mrs. Jane H. Spence, Mrs. E. J. Langdon, Mrs. A. Blythe, Mrs. Mary Q. Barnes, Mrs. Frances Bradshaw, Mrs. Hattie Hendly, Mrs. Louisa McDonald, Mrs. J. M. Fraser and Miss Isabella Fraser. In accordance with the above petition the foregoing persons, thirteen in number, were organized into a Presbyterian church, the record states, on Saturday preceding the fourth Sabbath of July (i. e., July 24th), 1862, in the Methodist Episcopal Church North. The church was called the Old School Presbyterian Church of Santa Eosa, in connection with the Presby- tery of Benicia of the Synod of the Pacific. The following entry in the sessional records, signed Thomas Fraser, will explain itself: "According to previous notice the church met in the Methodist house of worship of Santa Rosa on the Saturday preceding the fourth Sabbath of August (August 22d), when the following named persons presented letters of churcli member- ship and were received into communion with the church : Mr. David Morton and Margaret, his wife, from the Presbyterian church at Healdsburg ; Mrs. Ann Cooper from that of Clarence, New York. Mr. R. S. Vail and Mrs. Emily Bond were examined by the pastor as to their religious experience and received into the communion ot the church. Mr. David Morton was elected to the office of Ruling Elder. On the following Sabbath (August 23d) the sacrament of the Lord's Supper was administered and Mr. Morton ordained." Immediately following this entry is one signed by Rev. James Woods: Santa Rosa, February 21, 1864. Session met to-day, present Elder David Morton and Rev. James Woods, temporarj^ supply and Moderator. Mr. Robert D. Morgan was received into the communion of the church by letter from the Protestant Dutch Reformed church, New York City.'' Mr. Morgan came to Santa Rosa in October, 1863, was elected to the office of Ruling Elder May 13, 1865, and on the 14th was ordained and installed. Early in the year 1864 Rev. T. Fraser went East to the General Ass<:fmbly, his duties being taken up by Rev. James Woods, hence his signing the last quoted,, entry as Moderator. The following record we find made after Mr. Fraser's return, signed " R. D. Morgan, Clerk." " Santa Rosa, August 21, 1864. According to previous notice a meeting of the church was held this day in the Methodist church for the transaction of business. Colonel C. W. Langdon was called to take the Chair and R. D. Morgan to act as Clerk. It was resolved to elect four trustees to hold and take care of the church property. The following persons were elected Trustees of the Presbyterian church of Santa Rosa: Colonel C. W. Langdon, George Hood, Robert D. 424 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. Morgan and David Morton. On resolution the thanks of the church were tendered to Colonel Langdon for the donation of a building lot. The Rev. Mr. Fraser was invited to resume his labors as Pastor and stated supply of the church. After prayer by Mr. Morton the meeting adjourned." Mr. Fraser continued to supply the pulpit every alternate Sabbath, or nearly so, till the Autumn of 1867, his father taking the duties during the succeeding Winter and Spring until the end of 1868. From that time till the new church edifice was completed, as has been already shown, there were no regular Sabbath services — a period of about two years. In the Spring of 1868 the erection of the church was commenced and in July, 1869, it was completed, at a cost of four thousand throe hundred dollars. Rev. Sylvester Woodbridge, D. D.,. of San Francisco, preached the dedicatory sermon. Immediately after the completion of the building, services were resumed, the Reverends S. T. Wells, F. Buell, Thomas Kirkland, R. McCul- lough and James Woods officiating on more than one Sabbath, while in the month of September, 1869, Rev. C. D. Roberts, and from October 18th to December 10th of the same year the Rev. Mr. Swift took charge of the con- gregation. From that time till March, 1870, there would appear to have been no regular services held. From March 27th, Rev. C H. Crawford, from the Cumberland Presbyterian church, preached every alternate Sabbath till June 19, 1870, Rev. R, McCullough alternating with him in the supply of the pulpit until May 80th. Rev. S. P. Whiting began his ministrations in October, 1870, and remained two years. On January 22, 1871, work was commenced on the parsonage, which was completed during the following Winter at a cost of about two thousand five hundred dollars. The following entry is found in the record book : " At a meeting held in the Presbyterian church in Santa Rosa January 5, 1873, it was unanimously voted that the Rev. F. M. Dimmick be requested to take charge of said church as acting Pastor for one year. On the 11th in.stant the Rev. F. M. Dimmick accepted the invitation given at the above mentioned meeting and immediately entered upon his duties as acting pastor. (Signed) R. D. Morgan, Clerk of Sessions. " Mr. Dimmick, the present Pastor, preached his inductional sermons on the last Sabbath of 1872 and the first of 1873; on June 11, 1876, he was permanently installed, and has since occupied the pulpit with much honor to himself and credit to the congregation who sit under him. The church became self-sustaining in 1876 when it voted to settle a pastor. Its. active membership now is from eighty-five to ninety. George Hood is Deacon and Treasurer of the church, and E. H. Smyth, Isaac Parsons, James B. Rue and C. F. Copeland are the Ruling Elders, who,, with the Pastor, constitute the session of the church. George Hood, Henry Klute, James B. Rue, L. C. Patterson and David R. Fraser constitute the Present Board of Trustees. The church edifice stands on the northwest corner of Humboldt and D streets. »*,"«« HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOENIA. 425 The Church of the Incarnation (Episcopal). — Like everything in primi- tive California history the origin of this church is interesting. In an early day, Rev. Mr. Jackson preached in the old "Sonoma House," but no record is left of the service. In the Spring of 18G3, Rev. Dudley Chase held a few- occasional services, but these seemed to have no connection with the subse- quent history, except the baptism of children interested the father in the ultimate organization. In the Summer of 1868, a professional gentleman came to make Santa Rosa his home, and inquiring for an Episcopal church, not only found that there was no society of the kind in the place, but he discovered that there were not a few persons who had never heard of an Episcopal church. He was satisfied that there must be some of that denomina- tion here, but being a stranger he knew not where to find them. On writing to Captain William Blanding, a zealous Episcopalian of San Francisco, and warden at that time of Grace church in that city, he received a reply that Captain Blanding would soon come to Sonoma county on business, and that he would bring with him Rev. Dr. Breck, and they would endeavor to see if they could not find Episcopalians enough in or about Santa Rosa to form the nucleus of a church. Dr. Breck and Captain Blanding came up in 1868. On moving about among the people, in company with Dr. Smith, they found Major John Brown, Mrs. Eliason and Mrs. Spencei-, who were members of the Episcopal church, and W. H. Bond, who, though not a member by baptis.n, yet had his own children previously baptized by the Rev. Mr. Chase, as referj-ed to above. These three persons, Mrs. Eliason, Mrs. Spencer, and Mr. Bond all had children whom they were desirous of bringing to baptism, and under the auspices of Rev. Dr. Breck, Captain Blanding and Dr. Smith, then a new resident of Santa Rosa. The Sunday following was appointed for the service of the Episcopal church, and for the oftice of baptism in the court-house. One of the boys was so alarmed at the novelty of the .service that he darted out of the house with speed too great to be retained, and his baptism was postponed for a few days. Major Brown's children were bap- tized not long afterwards. This was the beginning of the continous services, and this gathering became the nucleus of the Episcopal church in Santa Rosa. Bishop Kip, whose jurisdiction then embraced the whole of California, appointed Dr. R. Press Smith and Professor Jones as lay readers, empowering them to read the service of the Episcopal church on any Sunday when no clergyman could be had. Regular services thus began in the Fall of 1868. About the same period also a mission had been established by the Rev. Dr. Breck, embracing Sonoma county north of Petaluma. Application was made to the reverend Doctor, and it was found that Rev. James H. Smith, of the " Breck Mission," could come to Santa Rosa. He was greatly desirous of returning to the Eastern States; but his pledge on entering the mission bound him for a term of years to this coast, and he remained until the expi- ration of the time in Santa Rosa. He held service twice a month till the Fall 426 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOKNIA. of 1871. On the other Sundays there was lay reading by Doctor Smith or Professor Jones. Meantime a Sunday-school had been commenced 'in 1868, of ten or fifteen pupils, under Dr. R. Press Smith as superintendent, who continued in that office two years, when the number of scholars had increased to thirty. Professor G. W. Jones was then elected superintendent of the school. Rev. J. H. Smith left, and the Rev. George C. Lane was invited to the charge of the church. He continued one year. Ill health compelled him to retire, and in October, 1873, he went home to his friends in the East to die. Hitherto the services had been held variously in the court-house, in the North Methodist house, the Temperance Hall, and Klute's Hall; the court- house free, the others rented. Some gentlemen made an estimate that it would be as economical to build a chuich as to rent. During this discus- sion, J. P. Clark gave three lots for a church, on the corner of Fifth and Washington streets. These were sold and a lot purchased on Mendocino street. Five men, namely. Dr. R. Press Smith, Major John Brown, William H. Bond, Professor G. W. Jones, and C. H. Hannath, without other capital than the site for the church to go upon, determined to move in building. They were greatly encouraged by the energetic assistance of F. G. Nagle, while the generous liberality of Mrs. F. G. Hahman contributed much to the rapid progress of the work. The church was built during the rectorship of Rev. Mr. Lane. It was begun in the Spring of 1872, and finished in the Fall of 1873. It is small, but made so that it can be enlarged when desired. Within it is the most neatly finished church building in Santa Rosa, and in 187C, it became entirely free from debt. The Rev. D'Estaing Jennings became Rector in November, 1873, and left in November, 1874. There was no minister after that time until June, 187-5, though occasional services were held and Rev. Thomas G. Williams officiated a few weeks in the Spring of 1875. The Rev. Edward H. Ward became rector in June, 1875, and he continued about one year, when he left, having accepted a call to Marysville. During the same season (Summer of 1876) Rev. Thomas Smith had come to Santa Rosa to reside, and as the church had no minister he was invited to officiate, though he was not called to the rectorship. He continued until June, 1878, when he removed. There was no minister after that for one year, though an occasional service was held by some visiting clergyman. In the Summer of 1879 Frank P. Thompson, Esq., met Rev. Dr. Shepherd in Sacramento and invited him to visit Santa Rosa. This resulted in a unanimous call from the vestry for Rev. J. Avery Shepherd, D. D., to become the rector of the church. He assented and took charge on the 1st of. July, 1879. Dr. Shepherd left the East, where he had a large church in Baltimore, only to be near his son, who had settled in San Francisco. The lay readers of this church were Dr. R. Press Smith aind Prof. G. W. Jones. The first Senior Warden was Dr. Smith, with W. H. Bond, Esq., HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 427 for Junior Warden. T. L. Thompson, Esq., became Senior Warden in 1874 and Senior Warden in 1876, with Prof. Jones for Junior Warden, which offices these gentlemen still hold. Dr. Smith was Superintendent of the Sunday-school from 1868 to 1871, Prof. Jones from 1871 to 1877, and Dr. A. S. Wright from that time to the present. The Sunday-school has greatly increased, numbering nearly one hundred pupils. It has always been flourishing, and is now one of the best in the State. The Church of the Incarnation appears to be well founded, and bids fair to be a very pleasant and prosperous church. The Brotherhood of the New Life.— The following account of this Brother- hood is gleaned from the columns of the Sonoma Democrat : — A new form of religion is almost certain to attract attention, and find followers, no matter what may be the principles it advocates, or how absurd may be the tenets it proposes. We have, near Santa Rosa, a founder of a new creed, whose followers are more numerous than we at first supposed, and of whose religious opinions, until recently, we have failed to understand, and thinking that a brief and succinct account of him and his teachings might not prove disinteresting to oui- readers, we present the following : Thomas Lake Harris was born at Fenny, Stratford, England, May 15, 1823, and was brought by his father to America in 1827. His father settled in Utica, New York, and engaged in mercantile business. Mr. Harris' mother died when he was quite young, and he was thrown upon his own resources to obtain an education. At an early age he exhibited strong religious tendencies, and a poetical imT,gliiation, and at the early age of seventeen he began to write for the newspapers, and soon afterwards became known as a frequent contributor to the press. When twenty-one years of age, he renounced his inherited Galvanistic faith and entered the ministry of the Universalist denomination, and settled as Pastor of a congregation at Minden, New York. Shortly afterward, he removed to Charleston, S. C, on account of failing health, and in about a year he returned to New York and took charge of the Fourth Universalist Church, and after a ministration extending over a period of about twenty months, he was succeeded by the celebrated Dr. Chapin, and in the following year he took the position he has since maintained, as an independent teacher, and organized a society known as the " Independent Christians," to which he continued to minister until the outbreak of Spiritualism in 1850. In the year 1852 he joined the community at Mountain Gove, Vermont, and after a few months spent in investigation, he preached and lectured in the principal cities in the Union until 1855. At this time he is briefly described by a writer as follows : " In philosophy, a Platonist, in spiritual science agreeing with Swedenborg, and in sociology accepting the economi- 428 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. cal review of Fourrier, he sought in these labors to turn the public interest in spiritualism in behalf of this larger and higher range of thought. In 1855 he resumed his ministry among his friends in New York, and in 1857 he published "Arcana of Christianity,'' in which he says, " I inhale with equal ease and freedom the atmosphere of either of the three heavens, and am enabled to be present without the suspension of the natural degree of consciousness, with the angelic societies, whether of the ultimate, the spir- itual, or celestial degree," intimating thereby that he had the power of visit- ing heaven or hell. He states also in his works that he has visited these regions, and gives an account of his visits. In 1858, he visited England, and traveling in various parts of the United Kingdom, lectured upon liis peculiar religious views. In 1861 he returned to the State of New York and retired on a farm at Amenia, Duchess county. Here he was followed by a few friends who desired to realize a purer social life. As his spiritual family increased, he purchased property near the above mentioned village, organized a National Bank, engaged in milling and in other operations, and the little band grew into a society, and assumed the name which heads this article. In 1866, Mr. Harris again visited Europe in the interests of the society, and in 1867 returned to New York, and purchased one thousand acres of land near Portland, Chautauqua county, and shortly afterwards bought all the neighboring farms for the benefit of the members of the society. A number of prominent persons united with the society about this time, among whom we might mention a lady of considerable prominence in the English nobility, Lady Oliphant, and her son, Laurence Oliphant, M. P.; a number of distinguished Japanese also united with the brotherhood. The society has no written creed, covenant, or form of government, and its several thousand members, who are scattered over Great Britain, India, Japan, and the United States, it is claimed are held together simply by the principles of fraternal love, and by an inspiration working through internal respiration. They claim for this new breath, that it descends through the heavens from the Divine spirit, and that it replaces the former and natural mode of breathing by a respiration "vvhich is Divine-natural in fulfillment of the statement which Swedenborg alleges to have been made to him by the angels in the last century, that the existing order of Christendom was in its last stages, and should bs followed by another resulting from a " new respiration breathed through the heavens by the Lord." They believe that inmostly God dwells with all men, but that personally and corporeally all are in relation with goo 1 and evil spirits. That self-love and self-indulgence corrupt and degrade the person till the divine likeness is eflTaced, and. the man becomes a devil. That salvation is neither by natural progression nor philosophical self -culture, nor justifying faith, but that man only becomes free from his evils, and from the tyranny and inspiration of evils pirits, through HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 429 self-renunciation and a life of unselfish labor for humanity; but that in this latter tase both spirit and body may become regenerated and pure. They hold that God is two in one, infinite in fatherhood and motherhood, and that all who become angels find their counterparts and become two in one to eternity; hence they recognize in marriage not only a pui-e ordinance but the symbol of the holiest of divine mysteries. Members of the society who hold real estate cultivate it on their own account. No property is held in common. Thev claim that the Christian church of the future will not be an ecc'.esiasticisn-', but a pure and free society, not communistic, but fra- ternal and co-operative. Mr. Harris located here in 1875, and purchased four hundred acres about a mile and a half notrh of Santa Rosa, where he has 1 uilt several elegant buildings, and has brought the farm to a high state tf cultivation. He has undoubtedly the mo.st extensive library in California, and with a number of members of his society he spends his time in reading and contemplation. He is the author of a number of works, both of poetry and pi ose, and they exhibit the authorship of a mind of far more than ordinary power and cultivation. In the Mountain Cove Journal, the organ of the society, of August 19, 1852, under the general heading of " Disclosures from the Interior," appeared, under the title of " God manifest in Creative Energy," the following account of the creation, which we cannot forbear publishing as we close this article : — " 1. In the beginning, God the Life, in God the Lord, in God the Holy Procedure, inhabited the dome, which, burning in magnificence primeval, and, revolving in prismatic and undulatory spiral, appeared, and was the pavilion of the Spirit; in glory inexhaustible and inconceivable, in movement spheri- cal, unfolded in harmonious procedure disclosive. "2. And God said, Let Good be manifest! and good unfolded and moral-mental germs, ovariums of heavens, descended from the Procedure. And the dome of disclosive magnificence was heaven, and the expanded glory beneath was the germ of creation. And the Divine Procedure imbreathed upon the disclosure, and the disclosure became the universe. "3. And God called the Disclosing ITirmament heaven, and the dis- closed creation he called earth. " 4. And God said, Let Mechanical Procedure be ! and movement rythmical, harmonical, melodial, unfolded from the firmament. And the movement thereof in the moving creation was time. " 5. And God said. Let there be space ! and the firmament was separated from the emanation, and the firmament, unmoved, appeared, and the emanation unfolded within the procedure. And the firmament is mani- fest Infinitude, and the emanation separated, is encompassed space. "6. These are the generations of creation in the day that Jehovah 430 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. God created the heaven and the earth ; and behold, the creation was one earth, and the dome of disclosure one heaven. "7. And God said. Let there be light! and the Divine Procedure unfolded a luminary unto the ethereal which divided the emanation from the firmament. And the intelligence was light. "8. And God said. Let there be heat! and the breathing life thereof descended . "9. And God said, Let there be movement of moving Energy! and life descended, interanimate, comprehending creation, and there was movement spherical from the heaven of disclosure. "10. And God said, Let there be center given! and from the Divine Procedure descended the arm of strength unto the right, and the arm of strength unto the left ; and from the arm of strength at the right proceeded vital electro-motion and communicated polarity; and from the arm' of strength at the left proceedel re-attractive, electro-magnetic force, and created the horizontal ; and the horizontal became the axis, and the points thereof the poles. "12. And God made two great lights to rule the Zodiac, and to be for creative disclosure, disclosive manifestation, manifest glory, glorious radia- tion, interpentative aggregation ; and thence vortices, vorticle suns, suns of vortices, solariums, vorticle planetariums, planets, floral universes, universal paradises, paradisical heavens, heavens of spiritual universes, celestial heavens, seraphic habitations, seraphimal universes, cities of heavenly seraph- ima, and final consociative universal intelligence in unity of innumerable individuality, in triunity of unfolding universes, adoring and ascending in beatification unto eternal life. " 12. This is the Genesis of Nature: Not uncreated or self-originated, but created; — not the progressive, upgrowing, upheaving, upmentalizing, upspirit- uahzing, upreaching struggle of a germ ; — but condescension infinite, creation voluntary, and bestowment merciful, of the Divine Creator; to whom be given adoration immeasurable and eternal! world without end!" Pacific Methodist College — Formerly known as the California College— was started by Professor Anderson, of San Francisco, in the year 1855, as a private school," the building being one of the earliest erected away from the city of Benicia and the rising town of Vallejo. This school Professor Ander- son maintained until the year 1858. It was a frame building, but his undertaking having been crowned with a certain amount of success, he, in the mean time, erected a building of brick, fifty by eighty feet, as a college, while, attached to the principal erection at a distance of about seventy-five feet, a temporary structure was built two stories in height. There was also constructed a boarding-house of brick for the female department, and other HISTOKT OF SONOMA COTXNTT, CALIFORNIA. 431 houses in the grounds for the males. The building, as originally erected by Mr. Anderson, was situated on the south side of Uiattis creek, on block No. 8, in the village of Vacaville, Solano county. In the year 1861, or possibly later, the Kev. J. C Stewart, by dint of extreme labor, received an endowment from the people of Solano, and the adjacent counties, to the amount of twenty thousand dollars, with which and the intei'est on this sum, was the Pacific Methodibt College started by the Pacific Methodist Episcopal Church South. Its first President was the Eev. J. C. Stewart, who would appear only to have served a year. C. S. Smyth was Professor of Mathematics. The next President was the Rev. W. T, Lucky, D. D., an office he maintained until the Spring of 1865. During his regime, though it was then reported for political reasons, the college was burned. This did not, however, interfere with the prosperity of the school, for on the destruction by fire of tiie principal edifice, a temporary use was made of a tent until after the exhibitions. The following term was commenced in a boarding-house arranged for the purpose, where they continued until the construction of the present building which is of brick. Considerable delay was cau!^ed, however, in the attempt to construct the edifice of concrete ; this was. a failure, from the consequences of a storm which washed all the necessary amalgamations away. The loss to the Methodist Episcopal Church South was considered to be between five and six thousand dollars. Almost imme- diately thereafter, a brick building of sixty by ninety feet was in the course of construction on an elevation of land overlooking the town that had been originally owned by Mason Wilson, who had exchanged it for other property to the Methodist Episcopal Church South, and which was completed in the year 1866 at a cost of twenty-five thousand dollars. Shortly after the erec- tion of the new college. Dr. Lucky resigned the presidency and was succeeded by the Rev. Mr. Gober, who held the position for one term and was in turn succeeded by Rev. J. R. Thomas, D. D., LL.D., who held it until 1871, when the College was removed to Santa Rosa, in Sonoma county, and became generally known as The Pacific Methodist College.— Th& citizens of Santa Rosa and vicinity generously donated ten acres of land and erected ther.on a spacious college buildmg, at a cost of twenty-five thousand dollars. The present value of the buUdings and grounds is estimated at thirty thousand dollars. The colle<^e grounds are situated in the north-eastern part of the city; the buildin^ls commodious, and aflj-ords accommodation for three hundred students There are two literary societies in connection with the institution which have neatly-furnished halls set apart to their especial uses, while the libraries of these societies contain close upon a thousand volumes. The first regular session was opened in Santa Rosa in August 1871 with A. L. Fitzgerald, A. M., as President and Professor of Mental and Moral 432 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. Science; C. S. Smyth, Professor of Mathematics; Charles King, Professor of Languages; and Miss Florence Miller in charge of the Primary department. The scholastic year is divided into two sessions of twenty weeks each. The ensuing session will begin on Thursday, the 31st of July, 1879. The two literary societies, the Ulatus (gentlemen) and Thalian (ladies) meet weekly in their respective halls for practice in writing and speaking. Nuclei of three libraries are already formed; one for the Ulatus Society, one for the Thalian Society, and one for the College proper. The largest and best of these is that of the Ulatus Society, consisting of six hundred and fifty volumes of the standard English and American authors. Candidates for a degree have the choice of five courses of study. Throe are for gentlemen : two in letters and in science. Two are for ladies: a special course in letters, and a special course ia science. The degi'ee of " Mistress of Arts " will be conferred on students who complete the special course in letters. The degree of " Mistress of Science " will be conferred on students who complete the special course of science. For the current year the following are the Officers of Instruction and Government : — Rev. W. A. Finley, A. M., D.D., President and Professor of Mental and Moral Science ; Ferdinand Kenyon, A. B., Professor of Mathematics; 0. H. Roberts, A. M., Professor of Latin, Oriental and Modern Languages; E. J. Griffith, A.M., Professor of Natural Science; W. A. Finley, A. M., Professor of Greek Language and Literature, W. A.Long, Principal in Commercial Department; Miss M. G. Lucky, Primary Depart- ment; E. J. Griffith, A. M., Librarian and Secretary of Faculty; Miss L. Werlein Ware, Teacher of Instrumental Music; Mrs. P. Titus Gleason, Teacher of Drawingand Painting; Mrs. L. Werlein Ware, Teacher of Vocal Music; Miss Nannie V. Hendley, Assistant in Music Department. Four prizes were given for the year 1878-9, (Jne for the best oration; one for the best essay; one for the best declamation, and one for the best select reading. Students who receive first or second honor, will have their names read with honorable mention, in public assembly, on the days of their graduation. First term begins Thursday, July 31, 1879; first term ends Thursday, December 18, 1879; second term begins Monday, January 5, 1880; second term ends Triursday, May 20, 1880. In such a work as this, we take it that no fitter place could be found for the perpetuating of those who have distinguished themselves at this college, we therefore reproduce a list of the Alumni, dating from the year 1863, and regret that it is beyond our power to do more than place their names on the pages of the History of Sonoma County. Alumni.— 1863, Charles Allison; 1864, Alexander Dunn, Irvine P. Hen- JOSEPH M? MINN. HISTOET OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOENIA. 433 ning, William A. Finley; 1865, Campbell P. Berry, John F. Campbell,* Samuel G. Creighton, Z. Butler Donaldson, E. Melissa Allison,* H. J. Alli- son (Mrs. Mansfield), Matthew F. Johnson, Josiah M. Kirkpatriek, Samuel G. Palmer, J. Crittenden Wilson, Laura E. Lucky (Mrs. Duncan), H. M. Wil- liams (Mrs. Vail);* 1867,Leeman Hailo,* James T. Hardin, Thomas K.Howell,* William W. Moreland, Lewis C. Renfro, John L. Sea well,* Mary C. Lucky; 1808, William T. Johnson, Henry Martin; 1869, William T. Cocke,* Robert E. Moore, Benjamin S. Wood; 1870, John H. Seawell, James S. Ramsey, Lewis W. Thomas, Rebecca J. Fisher (Mrs. Blandford); 1872, John W. Haile, Ada Millington (Mrs. Jones); 1873, John S. Sanders; 1874, Laura Holman (Mrs. Fortson), Sallio Nartheutt (Mrs. Bogg-i), Annie Peterson; 1875, Flora McDonald (Mrs. Hall), Emma C. Mitchell (Mrs. Wilson), Blythe Simmons (Mrs. Maddux), Beltie Wilson (Mrs. Gray); 1876, Lee Cook, C. H. E. Hardin, Arthur M. Johnston, Fer Jinan 1 Kenyon, La Fayette J. Maddux, J. W. McCoy, A. P. Woodward, Sampson B. Wright, D. Curtis Clark, J. W. Ferguson, Nannie V. Hendley, Lizzie M. Yates, M. Jennie Wright, Mary B. Baily (Mrs. Jones), Bertie Mitchell, Kate Smyth, Jennie Smyth ; 1877, Jasper N. Davies, N. A. Hawkins, W. P. Johnson, M. M. GoJman, Minnie G. John- son, J. C. Simmons, Jr., C. R. Vann, Mary Fine, Nettie Barr, Toma C. Pen- dergrast; 1878, Seth Millington, Angie S. Farmer. The Executive Officers and Trustees. — Trustees: Rev. J. C. Simmons, Dixon; Rev. S. W. Davies, Santa Rosa; Rev. T. H. B. Anderson, Colusa ; Rev. C. Chamberlin, Santa Rosa ; W. S. M. Wright, Santa Rosa ; Rev. L. C. Renfro, C'hico ; Hon. C. P. Berry, Wheatland; Judge Jackson Temple, Santa Rosa; Rev. W. F. Compton, Santa Rosa; E. T. Farmer, Santa Rosa; Rev. L. D. Hargis, Ukiah ; A. Fine, Santa Rosa; W. B. Brown, Collinsville; Rev. T. C. Barton, Woodbridge ; Wick B. Parsons, San Francisco ; W. F. Goad, Colusa; Rev. S. Brown, San Jose; Hon. R. C. Haile, Suisun; Rev. George S^m, Chico; W. E. Cocke, Santa Rosa; Rev. J. C. Pendergrast, Lake- port; Rev. W. M. Winters, Salinas City; Colonel J. A. Hardin, Santa Rosa ; Rev. H. B. Avery, San Jose. Officers : Rev. W. F. Compton, President ; R. C. Haile, Vice-PreSident ; Rev. L. C. Renfro, Secretary ; W. E. Cocke, Treasurer; Agent, Rev. W. A. Finley; Visiting Committee for 1878-9, Riv. C. Chamberlin, Rev. W. M. Prottsman, Rev. C. Y. Rankin, J. M. Preston; Finance Committee, W. S. M. Wright, E. T. Farmer, A. Fine ; Collector, E. J. Griffith ; Janitor, Thomas Totton. Santa Rosa Comvianderi/ of Knights Templar. — This Order was organ- ized under dispensation March 11, 1878, the charter being granted April 11, 1879. The charter members baing Sir Leonard Harrisoa Buckla-ul, Sir Tnomas Phipps Baxter, Sir Samuel Bard, Sir Arthur Lockard Cox, Sir Milo Smith Davis, Sir Guy Emanuel Grosse, Sir George Ashbury Johnson, Sir John Mcllmoil, Sir James Clark Mailer, Sir Byron M. Spencer. The * Deceased. S8 434 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. original officers were : Sir George Ashbury Johnson, Eminent Commander ; Sir Byron M. Spencer, Generalissimo; Sir Leonard Harrison Biickland, Captain-General ; Sir Thomas Phipps Baxter, Prelate ; Sir Guy Emanuel Grosse, Senior Warden; Sir James Clark Mailer, Junior Warden; Sir Samuel Bard, Treasurer; Sir Arthur Lockard Cox, Recorder; Sir Milo Smith Davis, Warden; Sir John Mcllmoil, Sentinel. The membership to October 8, 1879, was thirty -two ; and officers elected April 23, 1879 : Sir George Ashbury Johnson, Eminent Commander; Sir Byron M. Spencer, Generalissimo ; Sir Leonard Harrison Buckland, Captain-General ; Sir Thomas Phipps Baxter, Prelate ; Sir Guy Emanuel Grosse, Senior Warden ; Sir James Clark Mailer, Junior Warden ; Sir Samuel Bard, Treasurer ; Sir Milo Smith Davis, Recorder; Sir Edward Neblet, Standard Bearer; Sir Robert Press Smith, Sword Bearer ; Sir Augustus Leander Fisher, Warden ; Sir Elijah Thompson Farmer, First Guard; Sir Francis Marion Caldwell, Second Guard; Sir Anton Francis Korbel, Third Guard; Sir Martin Van Buren Vanderhoof, Sentinel. Stated assemblies on the first Wednesday of each month. Santa Rosa Encampment, No. 53, 1. 0. 0. F. — This Order was instituted in Santa Rosa on December 14, 1875, the charter members being: J. J, McClelland, A. G. Shannon, A. P. Petit, George T. Gregg, C. D. Frazie, W. R. Morris, William Strom; the original officers being : C. D. Frazie, C. P.; A. G. Shannon, H. P.; J. J. McClelland, S. W.; William, Strong; William R. Morris, Treasurer; A. P. Petit, J. W. ; S. T. Coulter, Guide. The Encampment now consists of thirty-three members, while the office bearers for the current year are : D. S. Sacry, C. P. ; S. T. Coulter, H. P. ; A. Shep- herd, Scribe; H. L. Howe, Treasurer. Meets at Odd Fellows' Hall on the first and third Mondays of each month. Santa Rosa Lodge, No. 53, I. 0. 0. F. — This Lodge was instituted Feb- ruary 28, 1856, the following being the charter members : John Hendley, Jacob M. Gallagher, Adam Shane, W. R. Smith, James A. Reynolds, Horace B. Martin, Julio Carrillo and W. M. Menefee. The order held their meetings, in the Good Templars' Hall, No. 222 Third street, until the completion of their own building, at a cost of eighteen thousand dollars, on the coruer of Third street and Exchange avenue. The first officers were : John Hendley, N. G.; W. R. Smith, V. G.; Adam Shane, Recording Secretary; N. McC. Menefee, Treasurer. The present membership is one hundred and thirteen. The Lodge meets at Odd Fellows' Hall, on Thursday evening of each week, while the office bearers for the current term are : T. L. Thompson, N. G. ; E. P. Colgan, V G. ; William Acton, R. S. ; J. L. Jourdan, P. S. ; J. A. Eveleth, Treasurer. Purity Lodge, No. 33, I. 0. O. T.— Was first organized. May 14, 1861, in Temperance Blall, 222 Third street, there being seventeen charter mem- HISTORY OF SONOKA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. iBS bers. The following were elected officers: William Churcliman, W. C T.;. Maud Latimer, W. V. T.; Frank W. Brown, W. S.; T. J. Smith, W. F. S.;- Caroline E. Hood, W. T.; W. W. Morrow, W. M.; J. W. Town, W. I. G.;; C. G. Ames, W. 0. G. The receipts of the first meeting amounted to five- dollars and fifty cents. At a meeting held June 18, 1861, it was resolved that the initiation fee for males shall be three dollars, and that of females, fifty cents. The last meeting of this lodge was held on November 17, 1868, when, as the records show, there were not sufficient members present to. proceed with business. There had been another lodge organized about 1855, called the " Pride of the Valley." Both of these surrendered their charters, and on February 27, 1870, a new charter was granted to: Santa Rosa Lodge, No. 370, 1. 0. G. T. — The charter members being : Harry Rich, D. S. Lacey, Harry T. Case, C. T. Barnes.T. H. Barnes, Benjamin Farmer, James Morrow, Jr., S. Childers, J. D. Stockton, Rebecca Stockton, P. B. Owen, Mrs. L. R. Latimer, Miss. A. Small, James Roberts, W. Churchman, J. M. White, O. D. Metcalf, Miss S. M. Baxter, J. T. Littaker, Mrs. Dora Metz- ler, W. H. Mead, Walter Ferrall, Mrs. E. Hodgson, V. Fortson; the officers appointed were: D. S. Lacey, W. C. T.; Mrs. S. R. Latimer, W V. T.; Rev. G. D. Pinneo, W. C; Walter Ferrall, W. S.; Miss Fannie Farmer, W. A. S.; 0. D. Metcalf, W. F. S.; Miss T. M. Baxter, W. T.; James Morrow, Jr., W. M. ; Miss Abbie Small, W D. M. ; Rebecca Stockton, W. I. G. ; James Roberts, W. 0. G.; Mrs. Dora Meztler, W. R. H. S.; Miss Lizzie Fortson, W. L. H. S.; I. D. Stockton, P. W. C. T. The present membership is (ifty- seven, and officers for the current year: W. C. T., S. I. Allen; W. V. T.. Maggie Lyons: W S., Emma Childers; W. A. S., T. F. Organ; W. F. S., Frank W. Cooke; W. T., Mrs. C. M. Shepherd; W.M., Henry S.Cooke; W. D. M., Clara Murbar; I. G. C, Joseph Childers; W. O. G., D. S. Sacry; P. W. C.T., Jacob Harris; W. C, Mrs. Ella L. McGeorge; W. R. H. S.. Neelie Mcllmoil; W. L. H. S., Gj-da Swenson. Union Aid Society of Santa Rosa. — This estimable society was organized in the study of the pastor of the Baptist Church in February, 1878, with about twenty members with the following office holders: Mrs. W. H. Nash, president; Mrs. F. M. Dimmick, vice president; Mrs. J. C. Gamble, secretary; Miss Herrick, treasurer. Stated meetings are held on the last Friday of each month at the Baptist Church. The society is eipinently a benevolent one, therefore the city is divided into districts, there beino- two directors for each of them; their duties are to relieve those afflicted individ- uals who may be in immediate want, and draw on the society for the amount paid, at the same time reporting such cases of suffering at the regular meetings. The report of the secretary shows that during the first year end- ing in February 1879, there had been paid out in cash nearly two hundred dollars for such things as groceries, etc., there had been made contributions of clothing which swelled the aggregate of expenditure to between four and 436 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. five hundred dollars. The officers for the current term, except that Mr.s. Nash has resigned the presidential chair to Mrs. F. M, Dimmick, are the same. The present member.ship of the society is thirty. The Sonoma Democrat. — The first number of this paper was issued in Santa Rosa, October 16, 1857, by A. W. Russell, who continued its publica- tion until August 20 th of the following year, when he disposed of it to E, R. Budd and S. H. Fisher. Three months afterwaid Mr. Fisher retired and was succeeded by B. F. Pinkham. Under the administration of Messrs. Budd and Pinkham, a novel occurrence took place in the annals of Pacific coast journalism. The proprietors holding oppo.site political views, Mr. Budd a Democrat and Mr. Pinkham a Republican, could not agree as to the policy of the paper, and for a time it came out one side Democratic and the other side Republican, the editors combatting each other's political views with as much zeal and earnestness as if they had represented rival establishments. But this did not continue more than one or two numbers of the paper, when Mr.Budd purchased the interest of Mr. Pinkham and became its sole proprietor. In April, 1860, the Democrat was purchased by Thomas L. Thompson, the present proprietor, who immediately enlarged and improved its typograph- ical appearance. Up to this time the paper had only a limited circulation and influence, but the well kaown energy and industrial zea,l of Mr. Thomp- son soon placed'it as one of the first county papers in California, and it became a welcome visitor in the homes of thousands. During the war period, from 1861 to 1865, the Democrat was a powerful agent in holding Sonoma county to its primitive Democratic faith. While it met with strong opposi- tion from its political opponents, its indepsndent consistency and reliability as a disseminator of news were universally commended, and a state reputa- tion was established by the paper. Though zealous in its support of true Democratic principles, politics have always been made a secondary consider- ation to its advocacy of all measures and enterprises tending to advance local interests, and it has been an invaluable auxiliary to the development of the varied and extensive natural resources of Sonoma and adjacent counties in which it circulates. In 1861, before the establishment of telegraph lines in the county, Mr. Thompson, its proprietor, in conjunction with Mr. Weston, of the Petaluma Journal, inaugurated a pony express to convey dispatches from Napa (the nearest telegraph station) to Petaluma and Santa Rosa, and thus the people of Sonoma county were provided with war news by extras is-sued from the Democrat and Journal offices two days in advance of the mails and express. In 1866, a Hoe cylinder press (the first in the county) was added to the office, and the paper again enlarged, the make-up being changed from four to eight pages, and the composition increased from one hundred thousand to two hundred and thirty thousand ems, one ha'f of which is devoted to editorial, local news and miscellaneous matter, all of which is set up by compositors in the office in which the Democrat is printed HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 437 and published. The office is furnished with steam power presses, and is equipped with a job office complete in all its appointments. Only first-class workmen are engaged in the composing room and job department, sometimes as many as fifteen hands being employed about the establishment. Since 1860, the Democrat has given employment to more men at better wages than any other single establishment in Sonoma county. In 1868, Mr. Thompson disposed of the paper to Peabody Ferrall & Co., and in the summer of 1871 re-purchased it, since which time his brothers, R. A. and F. P. Thompson, have been actively associated with him in the editorial and business depart- ments, until the appointment of F. P. Thompson as State Printer by Governor Irwin in 1875, and the election of R. A. Thompson as County Clerk in 1877. The effort of the Democrat to build up and develope the varied interests of this and the adjoining counties has met with a warm and appreciative support. It has now the largest circulation of any interior paper in north- west California, and not less than five hundred copies are mailed weetly to subscribers in the Eastern States. 2%e Santa Rosa Daihj Democrat was started in July, 1875, receiving Eastern and Coast telegraphic news reports, and met with the most promis- ing reception. Its publication was continued until August 12, 1879, four years, when, on account of the general depression in trade and prevalent " hard times," it was temporarily suspended until a revival of business takes place. The Santa Rosa Times is the first Republican paper published at the county seat. It was founded by George H. Marr, who purchased the old material of the Press from W. A. Wheeler, in the latter part of 1874, and issued the first number January 14, 1875. For a year or so Mr. Marr eon- ducted the Times as an independent sheet, but fell into the Republican line in the campaign of 1876. Under his management it was an ably conducted journal. It was outspoken and courageous in all matters affecting the welfare of the people. To it, more than all other influences combined, is due the unearthing and exposure of many peculations and frauds in the management of county affairs. Mr. Marr died in Mai eh, 1878. The paper was edited and published by the administrator, J. B. Armstrong, until May 6, 1878, when it was pur- chased by T. N. and J. W. Ragsdale, the present owners. They purchased new type, an engine, and three steam presses, to enable them to keep up with the work that rapidly increased with the growing influence and circu- lation of the Times. Since the 22d day of September, 1879, the office has issued a daily and weekly edition. The office is one of the best fitted country printing houses in the State. The Times is prosperous, filling a want long felt — a Republican organ at the county seat. Backed by an intelligent and growing party, and receiv- mg the sympathy of a large class of good citizens, interested in the purity 438 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOENIA. and honesty of local government, it has unflinchingly" continued the war begun by Mr. Marr, on all rings and theives in high places, until some of the worst public abuses have fallen. Since the foregoing was written, it is with deep regret that we record the untimely demise of T. N. Ragsdale, on December 6, 1879. Santa Rosa Bank. — To E. T. Farmer is due the credit of establishing the first bank in the city of Santa Rosa. When others had not enough confidence to invest he guaranteed them an interest on their capital, and launched the enterprise, certain of the future of Santa Rosa as a business center, though at that time the population numbered not more than a thousand. The bank was incorporated August 11, 1870, with a capital of one hundred thousand dollais. E. T. Farmer was elected the first President, and C. G. Ames the first Cashier — Mr. Farmer is still in his original position. The first office of the bank was on Third street, in the store of E. T. Farmer. The building at present occupied on Exchange avenue was erected in 1872. In 1873, the capital stock of the bank was increased to three hundred thousand dollars. Savings Bank of Santa Rosa. — This institution was organized in 1873 with a capital stock of one hundred thousand dollars, A. P. Overton was elected first President. F. G. Hahman — a name identified with the town from the day the first step was taken in its location down to the present time — was appointed bj^ the Directors the first Cashier. The bank was first opened in Hood's building on Main street. In 1874, the present elegant quarters on Exchange avenue were constructed at a cost of fourteen thou- sand dollars. This institution has been a success from its start. Santa Rosa Gaslight Company. — The Maxim Gas Company was incor- porated April, 1872, the citizens of Santa Rosa taking one-half the stock, and the Maxim Gas Company of San Francisco holding the balance. The whole stock was subsequently purchased by the citizens and the Maxim works run by them until the Spring of 1876, when they were disposed of to Santa Rosa Ga.slight Companj-, which had been incorporated March 9, 1876, under the supervision of L. A. Kelly. The new company, at an expense of thirty thousand dollars, erected their works on First street, just below Main, which consist of a large brick retort-house, with iron roof, brick purifying-hovse in the rear, office and workshop, with large holder, twenty thousand cubic feet capacity, with brick cistern. They have six- inch pipe running from their retorts all through the works, and up First and Main streets to the plaza, about two thousand feet, when it connects with four-inch pipe. The officers of the company are : John A. Paxton, President; J. E. Ager, Secretary; John Barr, Superintendent and Engineer. Santa Rosa Water ^VorJcs. — These works were incorporated in January, 1873, with one hundred thousand dollars capital. On May 1st active opera- HISTOBY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 439 tions were commenced. The water is taken from the Santa Rosa creek, about five miles from Santa Rasa. It is led, in seven-inch pipe, one and a quarter miles, to a reservoir. In the Fall of the year of organization the water was brought to the city and distributed through the town. In 1875 a majority of the stock of the company was purchased by Mark L. McDonald, of San Francisco. In the latter part of 1876, Jackson R. Myers purchased an interest in the company, and became the manager. It was determined to erect a new reservoir, about half a mile below the old one. Th« work was completed in the Spring of 1877, and it is one of the best reservoirs in the State. It is about eighteen hundred feet long, and is six hundred feet wide, and when full will have a depth of twenty-four feet, afTording an abundant supply of pure mountain water for the people of the city, and also a safeguard against conflagration. To the capital and enterprise of Mark McDonald, and good judgment of Mr. Myers, the people are indebted for that greatest of all ble-ssings — a cheap and bountiful supply of water. Mr. McDonald, by his public spirit, has inseparably connected his name with the city of Santa Rosa. The officers are Mark L. McDonald, President; J. B. Rue, Secretary; the office of the company being on Fourth street. CiUj Street-car Railroad Company. — This company was organized in 1877, and the capital invested in it mainly furnished by Mark McDonald. The builder of the road was Jackson R. Myers. The rouoe is two miles in lenfrth, leading up Fourth street, from the depot of the San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad to McDonald avenue, and out the avenue to the Cemetery. The cost of the road was about ten thousand dollars. The officers are : Mark L. McDonald, President ; J. B. Rue, Secretary and Manager. Santa Rosa Woolen Mills. — Early in the year 1877 these mills were established, and on March 29th of that year the following, representing two hundred and sixty-four shares of one hundred dollars each, signed the articles of agreement : H. T. Hewitt, James Catlin, Stanley & Tliompson, John K. Smith, F. Korbel & Bro., E. C. Ferguson, Gable & Elder, Jamima J. Wheeler^ Thomas L. Thompson, Henry Klute, R. M. Landrum, H. F. Shulte, J. S. Simmons, Adam Shane, James Fulton, Albert Hall, D. C. Rupe. From these the first Directors were appointed, viz : H. T. Hewitt, President ; J. C. Simmons, Secretary; and J. K. Smith, J. J. Wheeler, James Catlin, John Walker, A. A. Gamble. Mr. Hewitt was, however, removed from his office by the vote of the Board on September 24, 1877, when W. B. Stanley was elected, and Mr. Simmons resigning on that date, his position was filled by James Catlin. The erection of the building was commenced about March 29, 1877. It 440 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOKNIA. is two stories in heio;ht, built of brick, and one hundred and ten by sixty feet in dimensions. There is a boiler and engine room constructed on the south side ; it has two sets of machines, run by an engine of thirty-six horse power. On May 6, 1878, the following persons were elected a Board of Directors: S. Armstrong, William Gamble, A. A. Gamble, W. B. Stanley, George Bew, H. T. Hewitt and George Walker, Mr. Hewitt being elected President. On October 5, 1878, W. W. Gauldin, C. C. Farmer and E. C. Ferguson were elected to the Board in* place of A. A. Gamble, S. Armstrong and William Gamble ; G. W. Arnold was elected, vice George Bew, resigned, and C C. Farmer was chosen President, to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of H. T. Hewitt. The present officers are, C C. Farmer, President and W. B. Stanley, Secretary. Golden Eagle Foundry and Machine Shops.- — This establishment is sit- uated on Fifth street, near the depot of the San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad, was built in Decejnber, 187-i, and is of one story in height, with dimensions of sixty by one hundred and eigty-five feet. There are nine men constantly employed cm the premises, which turns out an aggregate of agricultural and other implements to the va'ue of thirty thousand dollars per annum. The machinery employed is all of the best and newest patterns and is driven by a stationary engine of twenty-two horse power. In con- nection with the foundry and machine shop there is also a pattern-making department, and another in which general blacksmithing is done. The proprietor is M. E. Shulte. Empire Mills. — This flouring mill was erected in 1873 by Messrs. Henry Shulte and Doctor Dobbins, and in the fall of that year operations were commenced therein. It is a three and one-half story building, of brick, thirty by sixty feet. To the south is an engine and boiler-room in which is a seventy-five horse-power engine. In the mill there are three run of stones for wheat and one for corn, the capacity being two hundred barrels of flour in twenty-four hours. It is located on the railroad, north from the depot on Wilson street, a side track leading along its western side for means of ship- ping facilities. In 1871, there was erected a warehouse, one story, adjoining it on the north, foity-four by one hundred and twenty feet, with a capacity of storage of about sixteen thousand tons. This building has passed into other hands than those owning the mill, but it is rented by them for the use of storing grain for the mill. In 1875, the mill property was transferred to Stoddard & Mcllmoil, but it is now owned by the Santa Rosa Bank, with Joel and William Stoddard as managers. The original cost was twenty-five thousand dollars — that of the warehouse six thousand, nine hundred dollars. Santa Rosa Marble and Granite Works. — These works were established Ci^H^i^CH^ HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 441 in 1870 by A. L. Fisher, on the corner of Fourth and Davis streets. H. D. Russell subsequently entered into partnership with Mr. Fisher, but in 1877, Mr. Russell having established himself in business, J. F. Kinslow was admitted, and the firm became Fisher & Kinslow, by which name it is now- known. They do excellent work, and have an extensive business in Marin, Mendocino and Lake counties. The City Marble Works. — The proprietor of these works was formerly a partner with A. L. Fisher in the same trade, but having dissolved that firm he established himself in May, 1879, on the corner of Fourth and Washing- ton streets, where he carries on an extensive business, having also an estab- lishment in Petaluma. Santa Rosa Brewery. — The building is situated on Second, facing Wilson street, and was erected in 1872 by William Metzgar. It is two stories high, twenty-six by one hundred feet, and contains, besides the necessary brewing apparatus, a cool and commodious cellar for beer, of ■« hich they manufacture seventy-eight barrels per week. The present proprietors are Metzgar & Haltinnen. The Santa Rosa Winery — The buildings comprising this establishment cover the greater portion of the block lying between Railroad and Adams streets. In the main building, the cellar, is one hundred and twenty feet long by eighty feet wide, and, like all the other constructions connected with the institution, is built of brick . It is fitted up with eighty four tanks, each holding two thousand gallons; therefore the capacity of the cellar is three hundred thousand gallons. The crushing room adjoins the cellar on the northern side, and is one hundred feet long by sixty-six feet wide, and con- tains four rows of fermenting tanks, thirty in all, each holding two thousand gallons, and of an aggregate capacity of sixty thousand gallons. In the northern end of this room is placed the crusher, the best style known which is so arranged as to detach the grapes from the stems before crushing and, as the machine operates, the stems are dischai-ged from one part while the crushed grapes are conveyed to the fermenting tanks. A tramway leads from the crusher to the scales, which are situated next to the distillery, and the wagons are unloaded into the cars on the scales, and when filled the car is drawn up the tramway and its contents dumped. The scales deserve special notice; they indicate the exact net weight, and th(?re can be no pos- sible chance of a mistake. They will weigh a load of from four tons down- ward. The crushers are two in number and can be made' to crnsh six tons an hour apiece, or a ton every ten minutes. The distillery is a building forty feet long by thirty feet wide, entirely detached from the other build- ings. It is fitted up with two stills, one for distilling pumice and the other for distilling wine. Adjoining this building and connected with it by pipes is a tank for pumice of a capacity of twenty-eight thousand gallons, which 442 HISTOKY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOENIA. is now filled. The operation of distilling has commenced, Mr. DeTurk having filed the necessary bonds. The aggregate value of the buildings, machinery, etc., is over twenty thousand dollars. The vintage season has about closed, during which time Mr. DeTurk has purchased and crushed nine hundred and twenty-five tons of grapes, at prices ranging from fourteen to twenty-two dollars, and at an average price of sixteen dollars, which would make the amount paid by him to farmers in the neighborhood aggregate fourteen thousand and eight hundred dollars. All of the grapes purchased came from the surrounding country, except two hundred and fifty tons, which were shipped from Geyserville and Cloverdale. Mark West. — This was a little, old town, situated about four miles from Santa Rosa, in a north-westerly direction, on the main road to Healdsburg and Cloverdale. It was of small dimensions, though in the midst of a lively rich agricultural country. A fine, large bridge spans Maik West Creek at this point. The gentleman whose name the town bears settled there in 1840, and in the following year erected the adobe building which, though quaint, odd and venerable looking, is yet in a good state of preservation. More than one early emigrant to Sonoma county had his heart gladdened by the sight of that old institution, where he found a hearty welcome from that most generous of pioneers, Mark West. A postoffice was established here October 25, 1865, with Heniy G. Giamini in charge. Most of the buildings that formed this town were afterwards, on the arrival of the rail- road, moved to Fulton, leaving naught to Mark West but its ever-to-be- remembered name. Fulton. — This is a flourishing town on the San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad, about five miles noi-th of Santa Rosa, and is the terminus of the branch of that line to Guerneville. It was founded by Thomas and James Fulton, in 1871, from whom it derives its name. Here a large ware- house was erected by the Fulton Brothers, at that time, capable of storing twelve hundred tons of grain. Afterwards the railroad company constructed a freight ware-house and passenger depot. James Fulton is the Postmaster, and C. Hopper the agent for Wells, Fargo & Co. In 1859 a congregation of the Christian charoh was establishaJ, wibh Jamss and D. Fultan as Elders, and in 1872 a church edifice was built. The town consists of two store-i, two blacksmith shops, one boot and shoe store, one hotel, one livery stable, one saloon, a postofficje and agency. It is placed iu one of the finest agricultural districts in the county, and is remarkably eligible as a shipping point. The produce annually exported from the town is about nine thou- sand cords of wood, one thoussnd cords of tan bark, one hundred and fifty car-loads of charcoal, besides large quantities of lumber, grain, butter and general farm produce. Most of the land belongs to the Fulton Brothers though they have disposed of a portion of their original possessions. HISTOET OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 443 SONOMA. Among the many eligible points for country residence within a radius of fifty miles of San Francisco, none is more isolated than the famous Sonoma valley. Its soil is most fertile and highly productive. Its climate is most equable and delightful. It has long been settled, possesses many beautiful homesteads and extensive vineyards. Its natural scenery is lovely and beautiful. "Words cannot over-paint the natural delights and facinations of this valley, which is yet almost .a terra incognita to San Franciscans. By reason of its shelter from the ocean by mountain ranges, the climate of the Sonoma valle}'' is much milder than that of San Francisco. The vine flourishes there as nowhere else. Three years ago the wine product of the county was one million eight hundred and thirty-six thousand gallons, and now it is much greater. The whole valley seems taken up with vineyards, and only the finest qualities of grapes are grown. The white wines are equal in bouquet and flavor to the best of imported Moselle and Rhenish. The red wines are not surpassed by any like wines made in California, though it must be admitted that the claret does not compare with the wines of Bordeaux and Burgundy. In this warm and shelterc 1 nook oranges also flourish and ripen in the open air. Still the valley is r.ither the home of the grape than of the semi-tropical fruits, ^^'e merely mention the fact of the growth of oranges to establish the fact of the mildness of the climate, and the incredulous may satisfy themselves on this point by a visit to the ranch of General Vallejo, near the village. The facilities for producing wine have attracted large numbers of Swiss and Germans to this valley, and there are also many Swedes residing here. The ^-alley contains an area of one hundred and six thousand two hundred and forty acres, while the hills which flank it on either side can be cultivated to their summits. Of the fertility of the soil there can be no question. To see is to believe, and those who cannot see have the proof in the enormous production. Water is good and plentiful. Springs are abundant, and one especially is worthy of mention. It is situated on General Vallejo's place, in the rear of his house, and on a level with its roof. The supply per diem is two hundred and eighty thousand gallons. Besides the large amount of fertile soil in the valley, most of which is under cultivation, there are about twenty-five thousand acres of tule land, alluvial formation, along the line of Sonoma creek, of which about fifteen thousand acres are in process of reclamation. There are two companies engaged ia this work. One is the Pacific Recla- 444 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. mation Company, of which John P. Jones and George S. Ladd are the princi- pal members, and the other the San Pablo Reclamation Companj', composed of M. Greenwood and Geoige S. Ladd, of San Francisco; James Tatterson, of Stockton, and the Butterworth estate. The first named company owns some twelve thousand acres, more or less, of which one thousand two hun- dred acres have been actually reclaimed by shutting off the tide water by means of levees. The San Pablo Company owns two thousand seven hun- dred and twenty-seven acres, all of which is reclaimed, for which purpose ten miles of levee were constructed. The Pacific Reclamation Company has built a much larger amount of levee. This land was originally acquired by the State from the United States under the Swamp Land Act, and by it conveyed to so-called occupants at one dollar and twenty-five cents an acre. The unreclaimed land is now valued at twenty dollars an acre, and when the new route to San Francisco is open will probably be held at a further advance. Alkali is only found in small quantities on the land. This land is not tit for corn, for while the stalks grow to a great height they do not ear, but last j'ear barley was tried for the first time and succeeded admirably. There is probably a mint of money in this venture. From what has been said it readily can be seen that the Sonoma Valley Railroad will have a rich country to support it. From the start it seems destined to do a large freight business, and as time goes on and Sonoma ceases to be the unknown land it now is, the passenger traffic will increase. Under the circumstances the road will be a cheap one to build, will be profitable from the beginning, and those interested cannot fail to achieve pecuniary success for their under- taking. For the early history and settlement of this valley, we would refer the reader to the chapters on the settlement of the county, and the Bear Flag war, in which the subject has been fully entered into. The history of Sonoma township is that of the county ; it is impossible to disassociate them ; we therefore request the reader to go back to the commencement of the volume. Sonoma.— This quaint little piece of foreign landscape is planted in the midst of the renowned Sonoma valley. Its early history is the history of the county, and will be found included in that portion of this work ; for it Is not right that what had by chance happened in early days within limits now known as townships, should be produced in the records of these townships ; whereas, in fact, they are the history of the whole county, and can be claimed by no special tract, however officially recognized. In the year 1835, General Vallejo had, by order of the Mexican govern- ment, laid out the town, entirely on the principles usually adopted in the building of cities in New Spain. A large square or plaza was set apart, with houses arranged around facing inwards, there being streets extending from each side of the rectangle and carried outwards at each corner. As may be HISTOEY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 445 imagined, the General had many diflBculties to contend against. He was his own engineer and surveyor, for none was attached to the force he commanded; but with the simple aid of a pocket compass and line he divided the site of the future city of Sonoma into lots, laid out streets, allotted public parks, and otherwise founded the pueblo, and established permanently the military command of the northern frontier of California. How this command lapsed and became the headquarters of the United States forces, is shown elsewhere. It was the first city planned and completed north of the bay of San Fran- cisco, and as such had a prominent part in the stirring events which took place between the years 1835 and 1849. It was here that, in 1846, the famous Bear Flag first fluttered to the breeze ; and here, too, was it hauled down and gave place to the " Star-Spangled Banner," on the acquisition of California to the Union, three days after it had been unfurled at Monterey. In this year Sonoma was made the headquarters of the emigrants who had then commenced to find their way across the wide and little known conti- nent. The young and able-bodied of the men had joined Fremont on arrival ; the women and children had remained behind. Doctor Charles Van Geldern, a medical gentleman of much erudition, resident in Sonoma, arrived in the city on October, 1849, and thus describes its appearance at that time. For better facility' of description let us com- mence at the northern side of the plaz.i, at the north-eastern corner, and thence make the circuit of the square. Here is an adobe structure, erected originally for the military barracks, but now considerably renovated and remodeled as the store of Solomon Shocken ; next in succession westward came the residence of General Vallejo, which was a two-storied building con- structed of the same material and very strongly built. On the ground floor the rooms were occupied in rotation, as here described : The first by Don Frederika Reger, a Belgian, who had been long resident in Mexico, and tutor to the General's family; next came Dr. Van Geldern. Here a laro-e hall divided the building, the only occupied rooms on its other side being tho^e of Doctor Griffith, now of Los Angeles, then of the United States army, and Lieutenant Stoneman, afterwards a famous general of cavalry d urino- the rebel- lion. The upper floor was entirely devoted to the uses of the Vallejo family. To the rear of the house there extended for a considerable distance a build- ing (now standmg) used as a dormitory for the Indians on the premises, of whom there were a great number, and a kitchen, while their still remains a relic of the past, a small cover of adobe over the well, which was in the center of the yard ; still further back there being a small vineyard, orchard of about one hundred trees of apples and pears, and garden. The main building had a large and broad verandah to the rear, while at its western end lose to the height of one story above the main building, a strongly-con- structed watch-tower with a flab roof, erected as a look-out in case ot danger, and giving a position of vantage should such be needed. Unfortunately, 446 HISTOEY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. this building was destroyed by fire in 1867, there being nothing remaining but those out-houses already mentioned. Contiguous to the palace, as Gen- eral Vallejo's residence was called in early days, was a thick adobe wall or rampart, loopholed, so as to command the plaza, while adjacent to it, occupy- ing the north-west angle, came two buildings. In 1849, there was only one, but in the following year another was added by the proprietor, Don Salvador Vallejo, a brother of the Commandant ; these are now occupied by the Tecino Hotel, a caravanserai patronized chiefly by Italian workmen, and a Chinese merchant. The first house on the west side of the plaza was a large building erected by Don Salvador Vallejo. In 1849 it was the "El Dorado Hotel," kept by Randolph and George Pearce, now a prominent law- yer in Petaluma; then came the residence of Ex-Governor Boggs, which stood on the site of the present Swiss Hotel, while on the corner, where the store of Edward Wegener now stands, the same building was occupied as the residence and headquarters of General Pcrsefer F. Smith. This struc- ture was erected by Jacob P. Leese, but afterwards became the property of Henry D. Fitch, and was known for many years as the Fitch House. In these premises, also, dwelt General Smith's Aid-de-camp, Captain Gibbs, who rose to distinction in the war of the rebellion, while in one of the rooms was built the first brick chimney in the county. In a house in the south- west corner there dwelt Colonel Joe Hooker — Fighting Joe of warlike fame. The south side of the plaza was occupied by, imprimis, the Union Hotel, on the site of the present stone building of that name, kept by three partners named Dow, now a farmer on Russian river. Storey, a watchmaker, and Higgins, a sign painter; all of whom had come out in Stevenson's regiment; in the same building was a store owned by Mayor Cameron. Adjoining the hotel was a livery stable kept by Don Vasquez, and further on was the store of Ex-Governor Boggs. Here a street, some one hundred and twelve feet wide, now known as Broadway, cut into the country. On its other side was the court-house, a two-storied building, having a wide verandah around it, and presided over by Judge Green. These last mentioned edifices having given way to stores and saloons, and live only in the minds of the earlier inhabitants. The corner of the east side of the square was then occupied by Morrow, the building is now in the possession of F. Duhring as a store and agency of Wells, Fargo & Co. On the site of the Sonoma House and John Lewis' butcher '^ shop stood a one-storied building, where Christian Brunner, formerly of Sutter's Fort, pursued much the same business as is there carried on now, save that with his house of entertainment he kept no lodgers ; then followed a small bakery, owned by Mathias Purcell ; next, were the residences of some- soldier- families, now in the occupancy of Doctor Van Geldern; then came a house occupied by Doctor August Heyermann ; then, a house owned by Don Juan' Castanada ; beyond was the Casa de Billiard, erected by General Vallejo for HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 447 the use of himself and friends ; then followed the row of buildings which still stands, in which are situated the offices of the Sonorn,a Index; then the properly of Pena, the brothers d'Avila — one a silversmith, the other a pain- ter — and the corner of the building was occupied by Ex-Governov Boggs, as a postoffice, and Ortega, the bell-ringer of the Catholic church. Thus the voyage of circumnavigation has been made. From the north-east cor- ner was the street, now known as Spain street, on the right-hand side of which was a two-storied building called the Sonoma House, kept as a hotel by two Scotchmen, Cooper & Spriggs; adjacent to it was the residence of Sisto Berreyesa, a former Alcalde under the Mexican regime; then came an adobe occupied by officers of the United States Army, among them being Major Philip Kearney, afterwards General, killed atAntietam; Lieutenant Derby, alias Squibob, of literary notoriety; Captain Stone, afterwards General, of Ball's Bluff fame ; Lieutenant Davidson Williamson, and a host more who have gained particular prominence in the service of their country; next were the residences of Josefa Higuera, and Don Jose de la Rosa, the latter of whom had a small printing-press, which, in company with General Vallejo, he had used at a very early date to produce a small work on the " Medicinal virtues of the indigenous plants of California." The Mission occupied the site which it does to-day ; near to it there stood the store of Lewis Adler, a resident of the town since 1848; while on the north-west corner was a store kept by A. C. McDonald. On the Napa road, now called United States street, was the residence of Paymaster Leonard. Sonoma has had in its day, honor upon honor thrust on, nay, forced upon it. In June 1846 it was taken possession of by the "Bear flag" party and General Vallejo taken prisoner, a matter which has been attended to in its proper place. In this year too. Captain Montgomery, of the sloop-of-war Portsmouth, despatched Lieutenant Revere to Sonoma from Yerba Buena (San Francisco) to take possession of the place. This he did, with some marines. On arrival he found the plaza in possession of the Independents, as they called themselves. He pulled down the Bear flag and replaced it with the Stars and Stripes, and then took possession of the barracks already mentioned; but on the arrival of Stevenson's regiment in the country, a company was detached for service in Sonoma under Captain Brackett, a post they continued to occupy until the discovery of gold, at which time Captain John B. Frisbie was in command. At the time of which we write Sonoma was the principal place of business, traffic and commerce, north of the bay of San Francisco. Ex-Governor Boggs, Lewis Adler, and the other store keepers supplied the country round for leagues with goods, groceries indeed nearly all their wants, the rancheros coming here to make their purchases, the vendors taking in exchange hides, then the rather unwieldy currency of the time. It is asserted that it was not uncommon for a ranchero, who having a debt of a thousand dollars, to liquidate it by killing 448 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. a tliousaiicl head of cattle so as to procure their hides. Here too, on the discovery ofjgold, were many of the mining expeditions fitted out, when such was the demand for goods of all kinds, that cargo after cargo was sold almost before they could be put upon the shelves of the stores. Communi- cation was kept up with Yerba Buena by means of small sailing craft which found their way to the Embarcadero; cargoes of flour from Chili, tea from China, cloths from Europe, and spirits from the Eastern States, to the extent of several thousands of dollars; all were .speedily disposed of. Sonoma soon commenced to show signs of a settled population ; it was therefore deemed necessary that a survey of the pueblo lands should be made, in order that the people who were fast settling around the town and in the valley might have an opportunity of acquiring titles to their land. To this end Governor Boggs employed Jasper O'FarreJl to survey a number of lots, still retaining the original plan of General Vallejo, and also to lay out, over and above these small sections, thirty or forty acres of land in squares, in conformity with the original design, and granted to those, these tracts, who had utilized the lands first by building thereon, or otherwise, at the rate of five dollars an acre, while the rest was sold to the highest bidder, and the'proceeds placed to the credit of the municipal fund. In the year 1850, SonOma was first incorporated as a city, as it was also the county seat. The records of the city, however, for the years 1850 to 1851 are nowhcj-e to be traced, yet it is asserted that in the first mentioned year, the Mayor was Mr. Cameron, and among the Coun- cilmen were Isaac Randolph, Jesse Davidson, D. 0. Shattuck. The first authentic date procurable is March 8, 1851, the original archives of the city of Sonoma. These are kept on a few sheets of ordinary letter paper stitched together, and now much time-stained. On June 5, 1852, a new book was commenced, on the inside of the boards of which we find the card of " Marvin & Hitchcock, stationers and booksellers, j)ii)neer book store, sign of the ledger, Montgomery street, San Francisco." The opening minute in this volume notes that on December 21st (of the previous year) it was ordered " that those who did not take out deeds, that their lots should be resold, and the defraying charged to them." This resolution was not adopted, however. The President of the Council, at that date, would appear to have been Peter Campbell, with Messrs. Lewis, Higgins, and others as Councilmen. On April 19, 1851, it was promulgated that an election for one Mayor, one Recorder, one Marshal, one Attorney, one Con- stable, and five Councillors should be held on the first Monday in May, at the same time it being announced that Mr. Brockman, Sr., and Judge Green should act as Judges of election, with L. W. Eoggs and R. B. Butter as Inspector and Clerk, respectively. At this stage another hiatus occurs in the city records, until June 5, 1852, when we find that there were present ^\ i^^^ ce ^^. HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 449 at a meeting that day held, Jesse Davidson as President, with Councilors Lewis, Boggs, Randolph and Shattuck. On the above mentioned date we find the resolution recorded that " a com- mittee of three members be appointed to take into consideration the pro- priety of establishing a free school in the city, to be sustained by taxation ; and also to ascertain a proper site for a school-house, and report thereon as early as practicable." It was also then resolved "that a committee of three be appointed to view the most feasible route, as a permanent street from Sonoma to the Embarcadero, taking into consideration the matter of the grounds, directions of the route, price of rights of way, etc." These com- mittees were: For the schools, Messrs. Lewis, Shattuck and Boggs; for the permanent way, Messrs. Randolph, Boggs and Shattuck. It is to be inferred that the mayor of the city at this time was General M. G. Vallejo, for we find on record, that the meeting now under consideration directed that the books and papers of the city of Sonoma be handed over to him; we also find that the drafting of certain rules for the guidance of the councilmen in their deliberations, were ordei-ed under the supervision of Messrs. Boggs and Lewis. This important meeting is attested by James R. Long, Clerk of Council. Action would appear to have been at once taken in the matter of the school; two lots for the purpose were immediately tendered, one by General Vallejo, situated on the plaza, the other by John Lewis, being lot No. 72 on the plan of the city. The Council while acknowledgiug the offer of the General dechned the lot on account of the publicity of its situation, while they accepted the lot of Mr. Lewis who offered it in lieu of his subscription; a quit deed was therefore made out, and the lot assessed at four hundred dollars. In the month of July, 1852, we find the Councilmen appear for the first time as Aldermen, while the City Attorney was Robert Hopkins, who having resigned was succeeded on January 29, 1853, by Frank W. Shattuck, James R. Boggs being on the same date elected Clerk. The first regular record of an election to be found was that for the years 1853-4, when the following officials were chosen: Robert Hopkins, Mayor; Jesse Davidson, W. Ryder, David Cook, Israel Brockman, William M. Boggs! Councilmen; Frank W. Shattuck, City Attorney ; Benjamin Mitchell, City Assessor; George W. Miller, City Treasurer; John Sharkey, City Marshal; Edwin A. Sherman, Clerk ol Council. Shortly after the foregoing election, the City Marshal requested that his office should be taken from among the positions of honor, and that some emolument should be attached to it; upon consideration a city ordinance was passed directing that the fines and forfeitures obtained by violations of city ordinances should be appropriated towards the salary of the Marshal. We here find mention of a regulation of the corporation which at this period and in this State appears curious to say the least of it. At a date anterior to 1 853, 29 450 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. an ordinance providing for the due observance of the Sabbath day had been put in operation ; on May 22d it was proposed by Alderman Broekman that a fine of not less than five nor more than fifty dollars should be imposed for the violation of it. This reminds us of the act of Parliament of Queen Anne, passed in England, and which has never been repealed, whereby a person not attending divine service on the Sabbath is liable to a fine of one shilling. We find, however, that the corporation of those days in Sonoma, were not of the manner of which the typical alderman is supposed to be moulded. He would appear to have been an enemy to strong drink and other vices in the young. Sonoma had not then commenced the culture of the grape and the making of wine — for an ordinance was passed prohibiting minors from frequenting drinking houses and there gambling. Like larger cities, and older ones, Sonoma at this juncture was found to be in debt, it was therefore resolved that a tax of sixty cents on each one hundred dollars' worth of property should be ordered, so as to relieve the struggling city from the incubus (June 31, 1853). On July 16, 1853, the following record is found: "A committee of citizens waited upon the Council, requesting the Council to appoint a committee to examine and investigate the books, papers, etc., belonging to the city, and to co-operate with them in such examination in order to satisfy the citizens of Sonoma as regards the true financial condition of the city. Said committee of citizens having been appointed by a meeting of citizens in general, held at the house known as the Blue Wing, for the above purpose. On motion of Alderman Ryder, that a committee of two be appointed to examine the journals, books, papers, etc., and that the clerk be authorized to give up all books, papers, etc., to said committee. On motion of Alexander Ryder, the following resolution was carried in the affirmative: "Be it resolved that Whereas, a certain warrant was made by this Board and given to one Reynolds, for and in consideration of his services as Assessor, this Board supposing at the time, without due consideration, that the said Reynolds was fully competent, and had given to this Board a correct and true assess- ment list, did issue said warrant, but a careful examination having been made by this Board, through a statement received from the City Marshal, that it was not correct, and that before he would be enabled to collect any tax it would be necessary to have a new and correct assessment list made out, and this Board finding such to be the truth, do resolve that an order be given to the City Treasurer to refuse payment of said warrant until such time as he, the said City Treasurer, shall receive due notice from this Board, and that the said Reynolds has made and given to this Board a correct assessment list of all the property liable to assessment in the city of Sonoma." On this, it was directed that the City Marshal suspend the collection of taxes until further orders. In 1854-5 the following gentlemen formed the body corporate governing HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 45 1 the city of Sonoma : G. W. Miller, Mayor; H. L. Kemp, J. E. McNaii', Samuel B. Bright, T. K. Chambers, P. J. Vasquez, Councilmen; Thomas I. Boggs, City Attorney; Isaac Brock man. City Treasurer; W. G. Rain, City Marshal ; Frederick Rohrer, Clerk of Council. Under this regime the City was divided into road districts, overseers thereof being appointed in the month of September of each year, while the undermentioned wards were made subject to the provisions of the ordinance: District No. 1. — Com- mencing at the plaza on Broadway, and running thence on said Broadway to the south-west corner of Lot. No: 573; thence running along the southern boundary of said lot to the south-east corner of same ; thence along the road now used, to the boundary of the city. District No. S. — First. Com- mencing at the south-east corner of the plaza in Sonoma .City on Napa street, and running on said street to the eastern limits of the city. Second. Commencing at the north-east corner of said plaza on Vallejo street, and running thence along said street to the south end of " Clayton's lane," thence north to the city boundary on Santa Rosa road. ,In the following years naught save the usual routine of ordinary business has been recorded. Such matters as regards the difficulty of proving titles to land are too well known to need comment from us, therefore the names of the officers of the corporation will simply be given as fully as it has been possible to follow them. 1855-6. — Samuel B. Bright, Mayor; Frederick Fitch, Frederick Rohrer, Benjamin Mitchell, D. Cook, W. L. Copeland, Councillors; Thomas I. Boggs, City Attorney; G. W. Miller, City Treasurer; D. P. Shattuck, City Assessor; James H. Price, City Marshal; A. G. Baber, Clerk of Council. 1856-7. — Samuel Brockman, Mayor; P. J. Vasquez; D. Davidson, J. S. Woods, John Andrews, A. C. McDonald, Councilmen; Thomas I. Boggs, City Attorney; John Selling, City Treasurer; William Ellis, City Marshal; P. Campbell, Clerk of Council. 1857-8. — A. G. Oakes, Mayor; H. L. Kemp, P. J. Vasquez, Frederick Rohrer, A. C. McDonald, David Cook, Councilmen; S. H. Rupe, City Treasurer ; G. L. Wratten, City Attorney; William Ellis, City Marshal; S. F. Gowan, City Assessor. 1858-9.— A. G. Oakes, Mayor ; P. J. Vasquez, D. Calloway, D. Cook, Lewis Adler, F. H. Coe, Councilmen ; Charles Van Geldern, City Treasurer; W. Cramp, City Assessor; D. P. Shattuck, City Marshal; J. D. Long, City Attorney; Frederick Rohrer, Clerk of Council. 1859-60.— M. G. Vallejo, Mayor; H. F. Bates, H. ,L. Lidstrom, George . McConnell, D. Cook, William Ellis, Councilmen ; John Jones, City Assessor; Charles Van Geldern, City Treasurer; G. L. Wratten, City Attorney; H. L. Lidstrom, Clerk of Council pro tern. In this year the rooms of the Council were moved to the residence of General Vallejo, on the plaza, where apartments had been placed at their disposal by the Mayor. On July 14, 1860, all enclosed streets were ordered to be cleared of obstructions and thrown open. The corporation succeeding, was the last to rule over the destinies of Sonoma as a city, for a tims, at 452 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOKNIA. least, they consisted of : 1860-61.— D. Cook, Mayor; William Ellis, H. F, Bates, H. L. Lidstrom, C. D. Smith, A. G. Lyon, Councilmen; Charles Dier- ]am. City Treasurer ; John L. Cook, City Assessor ; William M. Boggs, City Attorney; N. Long, City Marshal. Another corporation had not been appointed when the death-knell to the city of Sonoma was pealed by the Legislature, and it was plucked of its civic glories on April 26, 1862. The king is dead, long live the king ! In lieu of the Mayoralty, Trustees were appointed, the heading of their first meeting sounding the doom of Sonoma's glories in these words : " At a meeting of the Trustees of the former city of Sonoma, elected under an Act of the Legislature of the State of California, entitled an Act to repeal an Act entitled an Act to incorporate the city of Sonoma, passed April 14, 18-50, and other matters relating thereto, approved April 26, 1862, held in the office of G. L. Wratten, Esquire, in the village of Sonoma, on the 7th day of June, 1862, and organized by the election of John "Walton, President; Dennis Beaham, Secretary and Treasurer; and D. O. Shattuck, as a Board of Trustees, it was by them ordered, that a notice to icreditors be published once a week for three months in the different news- j)apers in the county; also, that the Secretary ani Treasurer wait on the former Council and receive from them the books and such other eflfects, the ^property of the former city of Sonoma." It is painful in a work which purposes as this does to be the history of a (county, that an apology should ever have to appear in its pages, yet such 3ias to be now made. It is no fault of ours that the records of the pueblo of 'Sonoma shijuld be so incomplete: the records do not exist, or rather thev are lost, mislaid or destroyed, and consequently cannot be referred to — between ihe years 1862 and 1868 they are missing. We are enabled to state from those at present extant that in the year 1868 the Pueblo Commissioners were Jacob R. Snyder, George L. Wratten, and John Walton. In these records we find that on April 2.5 th of that year at was ordered in accordance with the requirements of an Act of the Legis- lature approved March 30, 1868, that an election should be called submitting to the legal voters of the Pueblo de Sonoma, whether the plaza shall be -deeded in trust to the public school Trustees of the Sonoma district to be by flihem held for public school purposes, and as a public promenade. -On April 29, 1876, Orick Johnson was granted permission to cut the grass on the plaza for his own use, if he undertook to promise to keep the fence surrounding it in good repair and cattle from trespassing thereon. About this time commenced the claim of the pueblo lands, an intricate legal study which we are unable to produce from the want of accurate infor- xnation on the matter. The approved minutes of the meeting held on May 29, 1876, reads: " The time of appeal from the decision of the Commissioners of the General Land Office of the United States having expired yesterday, and it becoming neces- HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOENIA. 453 sary for the pueblo or city of Sonoma to provide money with which to pay for the re-survey ordered by the said United States Commissioners, and to? pay such claims as have accrued and which may accrue in procuring the patent for the pueblo lands and settling the affairs thereof, it was unani- mously resolved that the resolution passed on the 4th day of May, 1869, andi which was held in abeyance until otherwise ordered, be now reaffirmed and" carried into immediate eifect. The said resolution is in words as follows, to- wit: It is therefore unanimously resolved, ordered and directed by J. E. Snyder, John Walton, and George L. Wratten, the Board of Commissioners in and for the pueblo or city of Sonoma that a special tax of one thousand dollars be, and the same is, hereby assessed and levied for the said purposes hereinbefore and in said Act described, within the limits of said pueblo, upon all taxable real estate therein, and the same is hereby ordered to be collected, and John Walton is appointed the assessor and collector of the said tax, and his compensation is hereby fixed at the sum of dollars, and he is hereby directed to make said assessment within days from this date, and after the said assessment is made to return his assessment roll to the Board for Equalization, and when the said tax is equalized, to take up the equalized assessment roll or a copy thereof, and proceed at once to collect the same." The Board of Equalization having met July 3d, returned the assessment roll as correct, when it was on motion ordered that thirty-three cents on one hundred dollars be levied for pueblo purposes, and that the Collector, CoL Waltxjn, be instructed to collect the same. It is recorded that Col. Walton. tendered his resignation as Collector on August 19th, and George W. Sparks was unanimously chosen in his stead. The next entry in the record is on June 11th, 1878, the Commissioners being G. T. Pauli, Otto Schetter, and John Tivnen, with George L. Wratten: as paid Secretary. On the above date the Secretary was deputed to proceed to San Fran- cisco, and make inquiries as to the present condition of the ease. United States wrsiis The Mayor and Common Council of the City of Sonoma, and to take such necessary steps as would brmg the ease to a speedy and proper settlement. On June 21st Secretary Wratten presented his report as follows: That he found the last survey of the pueblo ordered to be made by the United States Surveyor General for the State of California in conformity with the decision and direction of the Commissioner of the United States Land OfSee had been protested against, and was contested by several parties on the northern boundary line of said pueblo ; that a large amount of testimony had been taken, surveys made, maps and exhibits filed in said case, both by the contestants and the former Commissioners on behalf of the said pueblo, and that the taking of testimony in said case had been closed and a brief and argument filed for the contestants by R. P. and H. N. Clement, their attor- 454 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. neys; that it was necessary a reply argument and brief should be made and filed on behalf of said pueblo. That the Surveyor General stated that he was ready to take up the case and decide whenever the arguments and briefs on both sides were all in. That J. W. Shanklin, Esq., an attorney at law of San Francisco had been employed by Mayor J. R. Snyder the President of the former Board of Commissioners of Sonoma, to represent the interests of the said pueblo and the purchasers of real estate therefrom along the northern boundary line of the same, said Snyder among the number, and that said Shanklin had attended to the said business up to the time of the death of the said Snyder, and the appointment of a new Board of Commissioners; and said Shanklin stated that he was ready and willing to proceed with the case if he was so author- ized by the present Board of Commissioners, etc. It was resolved, June 26, 1878, that a tax of fifteen hundred dollars be levied "upon and collected from all the taxable real estate situate within the exterior boundaries and limits of the Pueblo de Sonoma, in order to meet the costs of conducting the case and other necessary fees and expenses, George W. Sparks being appointed Assessor. In due time Mr. Shanklin was entrusted with the case and referred to Julius Simon, the attorney of Washington, D. C, who had represented the pueblo before the Commissioner of the General Land office on appeal from the decision of the Surveyor- General of the United States, for information on its different bearings. On August 29, 1878, the Chief Clerk of the United States Surveyor- General's office for California notified the Board that the survey of the Pueblo of Sonoma would soon be ready for transmission to Washington for the patent, but before it could be sent it was necessary that, the commis- sioners deposit with the Clerk of the United States District Court in San Francisco the sum of two hundred dollars to pay cost of office work on said survey. Such a charge not being understood by the Board, especially as sums had been paid by the former commissioners sufficient to cover all necessary costs, Messrs. Wratten and Tivnen were deputed to go to San Francisco to make inquiries on this head. On their return this committee made a report, that owing to the absence of the Surveyor-General no satis- factory answer could be obtained. Thereafter Messrs. Pauli and Tivnen proceeded to San Francisco in regard to this subject, and made the following report on September 11th: "The undersigned, a committee appointed at a regular meeting held on the 2d instant to confer with United States Sur- veyor-General Wagner, beg to report as follows: "We found on explanation I of the Surveyor-General in regard to our account with his office and the amount deposited by the former Commissioners of the Pueblo of Sonoma ■ that the pueblo is indebted to the United States in the sum of eight dollars and nine cents, and feel satisfied the same is correct. " We also report that the Surveyor-General will approve the last survey* HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 455 corrected by the Deputy, Mr. Benson, and will make his report within three weeks to the United States Land Commissioner at Washington to that effect, and that it was necessary for the Commissioners (of the pueblo) to pay the Clerk of the United States Disti-ict Court the sum of two hundred dollars towards paying for preparing field-notes, maps, etc., and said committee have paid said amount and filed the receipt of the Clerk iu the office of the said United States Surveyor-General. " We also believe that the prospects are now favorable to receive the required patent of the Pueblo in a reasonable time, unless other objections are made by outside parties." Since the removal of the county seat from Sonoma until lately, the town has been, as it were, out of the world. In November, 1873, we learn that an agreement was entered into between General Vallejo and William Carlisle, wherein the latter undertook to bring water from the General's homestead, where it is confined in a reservoir, into the town, through redwood pipes with three-inch bore, the mains to be laid along the avenue leading from the General's house to the main road, thence down United States street, running east and west in the town of Sonoma, thence easterly along said street to a street running north and south on the east side of the plaza, thence along each street encircling the plaza, and also along the streets bordering the plaza, thence down Broad street; the total length of mains being eight thousand feet. The terms of the agreement were : All profits to be divided equally between General Vallejo and Mr. Carlisle for five years, at the end of which time the General had the right to pay Carlisle the original cost of the works, when the whole iuterest would revert to General Vallejo. The cost of the pipes laid down was not to exceed twenty-eight cents per foot. This water is now rented by about thirty families at one dollar and fifty cents a month each. It is used by a much larger number, and not only for domestic pur- poses, but also for irrigation, much to the displeasure of General Vallejo, to whom the enterprise now belongs. The town of Sonoma would appear to have been visited by several confla- grations, one of the largest being that which occurred on Saturday night, November 11, 1866. The conflagration commenced in Linihan's livery stable, destroying that building and contents, as well as nine head of horses, forty tons of hay, three tons of barley, two buggies, two wagons, nine plows, and several other articles. The Union Hotel, adjoining on the north, and Martin & McDonald's blacksmith shop were also destroyed, with all their iurniture and fixtures. The Southern MethodLst church, some distance from the other buUdings destroyed, was also burned. The loss sustained was as follows : Jerry Linihan, five thousand dollars, a policy of insurance having expired but a few days before the catastrophe; Uhrig & Co., proprietors of the Union Hotel, ten thousand dollars, covered by five thousand dollars insurance; Martm & McDonald, blacksmiths, fifteen hundred dollars: 456 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. Methodist church, two thousand dollars ; Dr. Vaslit's horses burnt in stable, two hundred and fifty dollars. On the day following a man was arrested upon complaint of Mr. Linihan, in whose employ he had formerly been, and with whom he had recently quarreled, charging him with arson. The indi- vidual had given several contradictory accounts of himself and his where- abouts on the night of the fire. While the fire was raging, the store of T. Duhring & Co., in another part of the town, was robbed of a considerable sum of money, which was taken from an iron safe which had been opened with a false key. The village of Sonoma at the present writing is a quiet place, and possesses little more than a history. It boasts of three churches, a Catholic, Methodist and Congregational. The plaza, with even a little attention, might be made a beautiful spot ; as it is, it wears a dilapidated look, the fence is broken, the grass is rank, and is now intersected with pathways made by the citizens as short-cuts to their various haunts. There are four hotels and several stores, a postofiice, which was established November 8, 1849, with Lilburn W. Boggs as Postmaster, and a telgraph agency. The Masons and Odd Fellows have each a lodge, while the Sonoma Valley Bank occupies a prominent position on the plaza. Temple Lodge, No. H, F. & A. M. — This lodge was organized on April 9, 18.51, with the following charter members: J. Hendley, George H. Derby, James R. Long, M. Pelty, Jesse Davidson, William Burris, P. Hicklin, Stephen Acres, Jason Smith, E. Peabody and George Stevenson. The pres- ent membership is thirty-five, while the officers are: J. J. Stofen, W. M. ; 'P. L. McGill, S. W.; D. McKillop, J. W.; M. P. Ackers, Treasurer; G. W. Sparks, Secretary; W. C. Goodman, S. D.; S. B. Box, J. D.; A. F. Hara- szthy. Marshal; Charles McHarvey and Richard Liver, Stewards; W. F- Searcy, Tyler. The fraternity occupies the floor above the Sonoma Valley Bank ; the hall is forty by twenty feet, while, the ante and preparation rooms are respect- ively ten by eight and eight by eight feet. The lodge is in good circum- stances, both fraternally and financially. Sonoma Lodge, No. 28, I. 0. 0. F. — This lodge was instituted July I, 1854, with J. A. Brewster, P. G.; F. Rohrer, P. G.; W. Ayers, S. C. Hayden and Calvin Rohrer as charter members. The inaugural ceremonies were presided over by Edward B. Eaton, D. D. G. M. of Napa district, and the following officers elected: J. A. Brewster, N. G.; Fred. Rohrer, V. G.; H. B. Martin, Secretary; G. W. Miller, Treasurer. Since the lodge was organized there have been one hundred and fifty-five members admitted. Theirs has not been a life of unremitting prosperity, the hall having been twice destroyed by fire in 1859, and seven years later, in 1867. Notwith- standing these reverses the institution is now in a prosperous condition cyrbQ" (yfU^l-lyMy HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 457 with a membership of twenty-nine and a building and:other property worth five thousand dollars. The present building wherein the lodge meets was erec'ted^in 1877 of concrete, forty-three by sixty.feet, and contains two store ■ roioms on first floor, and a lodge, room and three offices on the second. The present elective officers are: C. L. Ennis, N. G.; M. Muldry, V. G.: M. Levy, R^S.; P. Monahan, Treasurer; J. Douglas, P. S. Locust'&rop^. School. — This admirably conducted school was established 'by Mrs. Lubi^'k, in-tlie monl^ of January, 1875, and is situated about two and' a half mileb from th& fowa of 'Sonoma, ne'arly midway on the direct road •to "St. Louis, the small v^^lage at the Embarcadero, at the head of navi- •'gaGofl,''the stage therefrom passing the gates twice a day. This academy was started with this principal object, the preparation of boys under twelve years of age for the Episcopal colleges of St. Augustine,' at Benicia, Solano, and St. Mathew's Hall, at San Mateo, in the county of that name. The Locust Grove school is beautifully situated in the midst of umbrageous trees, through the branches of which the sun's rays are rarely felt ; here the young enjoy all the advantages of a home, combined with the greatest care and atjiention. Well grounding in the classes modern languages and music, t as wen as the rudiments of a good education in other branches, are the - chief aim of the teachers, yet play is not overlooked, there being every • opportunity to roam in the large and well-stocked orchard which surrounds ' the house,, while conveniently near Ls a stream where the art of swimming is inculcated; indeed, all healthful exercises tending to give vigor to the youthful mind and body are not forgotten by the accomplished matron and her assistants. The average attendance since the opening of the establish- ,.ment has been twenty-five, but the prospect of an increase is beyond a doubt, so soon as the advantages of care and locality are generally known. Sonoma Valley Bank. — -This institution was incorporated in June, 1875, with a paid up capital of fifty-three thousand one hundred dollars, and com- menced business on July 12, 1875. The bank is situated on the plaza in (>the town of Sonoma, and its officers are: President, David Burris ; Cashier, Jesse Burris; Directors, David Burris, A. E. Haraszthy, F. Duhring, P. Mona- han, and W. H. Switzer. ■ ;_ Newspapers.— The fir.st prmtmg done in Sonoma county were two small -pamphlets in the Spanish language, published in 1838 by the Government , press in Sonoma. One of them contained a list of remedies for the common complaints which all flesh is heir to, even in this favored clime; the other is a series of reports made by General Vallejo to the Governor of Alta Cal- ifornia. The Sonoma Bulletin.— This was the flrst periodical published in Sonoma county, its initial number being issued June 12, 1852, by A. J. Cox, who had been a resident of tUe town of Sonoma since 1847, haviuc^ been a member 458 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. of a company of Stevenson's regiment, which was stationed there. Mr. Thompson says: It was a very Uvely sheet for several years, and would have done credit to a much later period in the historj^ of the State. Contributions from the inimitable Derby, and other army officers stationed at Sonoma, were not infrequent in its columns. The paper was continued at intervals up to 1855, when the editor, in a characteristic notice in the Petalwma Journal of September 15, 1855, announces its final demise as follows: "Hon. Q. Smikes wishes to return his thanks to the editorial fraternity for the kind notices of his debut, and to the public generally (the rest of mankind ^included) for their liberal patronage, and to announce that the Blunderbuss has dried up. " The Sonoma Index. — This is the name of a very readable and intelligently conducted newspaper now published in Sonoma. It had been but recently started when we visited the ancient city, but under the able leadership of Ben. Frank it was making famous headway and worthily filling a prominent place in the world of letters in Sonoma county. Vineyards of Sonoma. — Sonoma valley has the largest share of the wine- producing industry of the county. In it, and on the surrounding hills, there are no less than three thousand acres planted with vines, all of them productive. The most extensive vineyard in the township, indeed, in the county — per- haps in the world — -is that of the Buena Vista Vinicultural Society, which covers an area, of about five hundred acres, and has planted some four hun- dred thousand vines. What a marvel of a place is this vineyard as one drives through it, extending, as it does, for several miles along the base of the hills bounding the eastern border of the valley ; naught on either hand but the brilliant green of the grape, laid out in liues, with not a perceptible curve ; looked at from whatsoever point, still the same mathematical pre- cisiou is maintained ; arranged in tracts of such .size that two lines converge in the far-off perspective, while from the refreshing color of the prospect the eye never tires, but finds relief from the glare of bright sunshine. The Buena Vista Vinicultural Society was organized in the year 1863 by Colonel Agoston Haraszthy, a Hungarian noble, of whom mention has been made in another place. To this gentleman of indefatigable perseverance and indomitable strength of purpose is due the hold which grape culture has taken upon the settlers of Sonoma valley; he it was who undertook the cultivation of the vine without the time-honored custom of irrigation inau- . gurated by the fathers of the missions. The first vines on the track of land now under attention were planted by Salvador Vallejo, he having chosen the site on account of the proximity of a mountain stream which could be brought into operation in irrigating the fields. In 1849 he sold it to Benjamin Kelsey and his brother, who' had HISTOBY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOBNU. 459 come from the then recently discovered mines with a large fortune in gold dust; the name henceforward became Kelsey's vineyard; they next disposed of it to a San Francisco lawyer named Rose, at one time a resident of Marys- vUle, Yuba county, who gave it his name; and in 1856 it became the prop- erty of Colonel Haraszthy, who greatly increased its size by the pur- chase of adjoining land, and as stated above, finally started the Vinicultural Society. In 1849, there were some two or three acres of vines under cultivation at Lachryma Montis, the residence of General Vallejo, out of which, in 1850, he netted six thousand dollars in the San Francisco market. In the previous year a small vineyard and orchard had been commenced by Albert Lyon in the town; his lead was followed by a man named Griffith, who had brought hiss young fruit plants from Oregon. Those of the General and Salvador Vallejo had been planted for years prior to this epoch, but the culture of the grape was not at first taken hold of with any enthusiasm, for this simple reason, it was thought that for any kind of cultivation irrigation was imperatively necessary ; they had seen that the vines of the two Vallejos; men of the longest experience in the country, were in this wise treated, hence they followed, and it was not until the experience of Colonel Harasz- thy, who had been raised in the vine-growing countries of Hungary, was brought to bear that this special industry commenced to assume the vast proportions that it has now attained. Let us now enter into a description of some of the principal grape- growing establishments in Sonoma valley. The Buena Vista. — As we have remarked, tbe largest vineyard in Cali- fornia is the Buena Vista, where there-are five hundred acres of vines. The whole tract belonging to the Buena Vista Vinicultural Society covers some six thousand acres, on which there are several creeks and sulphur, iron and soda springs. An avenue a mile long leads to the houses, and on both sides are planted three rows of locust and mulberry trees. Of the latter there are some three thousand, exclusive of cuttings. The dwellings, men's quarters, carpenter's shop, stable, etc., are all separated, so as to prevent the possibility of a heavy loss by fire. The company make different classes of red and white wine, while they manufacture sparkling wines with the foreign varieties of grapes. The press-house, near a hill, is three stories high and one hundred feet square. The grapes are brought around on the side of the hill and crushed in the upper story, while the juice is carried by pipes to the vats below. From this house three tunnels or cellars one hundred feet long each, are run mto the hill for the purpose of storing the wine. The champagne house is also three stories high, and from it are'two long tunnels running into the hill, containing m 1879 about thirty thousand bottles of sparkling wine. On one side of the creek, near the press-house, is the cooper shop, where 460 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. all the casks are put together, and on the other side is the distillery, where the brandy is made. In the press-house cellars are large tanks, holding- from one to two thousand gallons each, where they have wine of the older vintages up to date. Tunnel No. three is what is facetiously termed the "library," where are ranged different kinds of wine ready to be sampled. On the main creek is the willow house, where all the champagne baskets are made from willows grown on the ranch. They employ from forty to one hundred men, according to the season. Every department has its own overseer, who brings his reports nightly to the superintendent, E. P. Cutter- The agents in San Francisco are B. E. Auger & Company, 409 Battery street- Vineyard of Col. George F. Hooper. — Never was the word model more pertinently applied to any manorial estate in this lepublic than the vineyard^ orchard, groves and grounds of Col. G. F. Hooper. Talent, industry, judg- ment, perseverance and money have aided nature in making this a very Eden. Here he has ninety acres under cultivation, forty-five being orchard, twenty of which are almonds, of the Languedoc and Prince of Spain species budded from imported trees on plum and peach stems. There are alsa fifteen acres of oranges, lemons, limes, etc. Besides which he has groves of pecan nuts, chestnuts, olives, Japanese persimmons, English walnuts, or Madeira nuts, the Mandarin orange of China, as well as the citron. Col. Hooper acquired this property in 1872, and in the following year set out cuttings of vines, the principal kinds which he cultivates being the Zinfindel, Black Malvoisie, Flame Tokay, and several others. The last mentioned is said to be a hybrid variety, closely resembling the English hot-house grape. It is ordinarily a splendid table grape. In its first year of pressing, or on being turned into wine, it is not considered of any great class, but on keep- ing for two years it begins to develop and show its quality. The cellars on the premises are fifty-four by seventy feet, of two and a half stories high, with the ground floor dug out, and having a capacity of one hundred thou- sand gallons. In connection with the cellar there is a distillery, the still of which is entirely driven by heat, no steam being required. About twenty thousand gallons of wine are manufactured a year. On his estate Colonel Hooper has erected a magnificent mansion, the grounds around which he has laid out with particular care. The building nestles cosily under the wooded mountains of the Sonoma range, protected from rude blast or grimy dust, it commands an unrivaled view of water, hill and dale, while it is furnished with that elegance which shows a mind at once refined and cultivated. The Vineyard of Nicholas Carriger. — The vineyard of this genial and hospitable pioneer is situated at the base of the Sonoma range, on the west side of the creek, about three miles from the town. His property consists of one hundred and fifty acres, one hundred and forty-five of which he has in vines, an 1 the balance in fruit trees. Mr. Carriger came to the Sonoma HISTOEY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 461 ■valley in 1846, and in that year purchased grapes from Jacob P. Leese, who had then a portion of the Buena Vista vineyard, and here he saw wine being made by putting the grapes into a hide, the juice being tramped out by Indians. In the Spring of 1847, Leese gave Carriger some vines, which he planted in the town of Sonoma; they were afterwards destroyed by cattle, during his absence at the mines. In 1848 he commenced by planting a few vines on his present property, and in 1849 commenced grape growing in earnest. His cellar is a magnificent building of three stories in height, the lower one being built of stone, and the two upper ones of wood. The dimensions of the building are seventy-four by forty-eight feet. The upper stories are supported by upright beams measuring twelve by twelve inches, while those which lie lengthwise traverse the whole length of the building without a break. The ground floor is of stone, dug out and leveled from out of the hill, and has a capacity of one hundred and eight}'' thousand gallons. The Vineyard of Kohler & FroUing. — This vineyard is situated about eight miles west of Sonoma, and occupies one hundred and fifty acres, com- prising the following varieties of grapes: Mission, Zenfindel, Muscat, Rose of Peru, Chassler, Reisling, etc. The cellars are two stories high, the lower being of stone, the dimensions are fifty-six by ninety-six feet, with a capacity of two hundred thousand gallons. The Vineyard of W. McPherson Hill. — Mr. Hill owns an extensive tract of hill and valley, embracing and running from the very summit of the southern ridge of mountains to the banks of the creek. As early as 18.52 he bought two hundred peach trees, one year old from the bud, and was the first grower to offer the fruit in the California markets. The prices obtained were fabulous. In 1852, Mr. Hill paid as high as three dollars and seventy- five cents each for grape roots. He commenced planting in 1855, and has ever since devoted most of his time to the culture of wine. He has also paid great attention to the raising of choice fruit trees, and as one enters the spacious grounds, the long rows of vigorous and thrifty trees, laden down with luscious fruit of every kind, attest his success. Our space will not permit of our entering more into detail in regard to the culture of the grape and the making of wine in this place, a considerable portion of our work being already devoted to these industries. We will, in concluding our remarks on Sonoma township, draw attention to another industry which is on the fair road to make this wonderful valley still more famous. PiscicaLTURE.— The culture offish has been for some years occupying the attention of the prominent residents in certain portions of this county. ^The carp and the brook trout have been those which have found the most favor in the eyes of the pisciculturists. The carp does not resemble any fish found 462 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. in California waters, though in the East the buffalo fish is said to bear some resemblance to it. The tench, likewise an Eastern fish, is also said to be similar to it ia many respects. Doubtless our readers have had an opportunity of examin- ing the carp, and are acquainted with its general appearance. For the benefit of those who have not seen it, we give a description, taken from a paper lately written by Mr. Rudolph Hessel, which may be found in the Commissioners' Report to the U. S. Fish Commission, 1878 : — " The carp," says Mr. Hessel, "has a toothless mouth, thick lips, and four barbels on the upper jaw. In place of the usual teeth of the mouth, there are a number of stout teeth on the pharjmgeal bones, which are arranged in three rows. It has one singular dorsal, which is larger than the anal. Both these fins have their origin on the anterior edge, a strong ray, which is ser- rated iu a downward direction. The caudal is of semi-circular shape, and the natatory bladder is divided into two sections, with connecting air passage. The scales have an entire edge, and the body is compressed on the the sides. The general color of the sides and back is a dark olive-brown, the abdomen of a whitish yellow or orange tint. The coloring depends, as with all fish, partly upon the age and season, partly upon the water, the soil, and also upon the food of the fish." The food of the carp consists principally of the fungus and other vegeta- ble matter usually found at the bottom of ponds. When the fish are to be fed (which is necessary in order to insure great size, etc.) there is no particu- lar diet provided, for the carp is proverbial for being the most easily satisfied fish with respect to diet that can be found. It eats greedily beans, peai, blood, curd, grain, and in fact almost anything else. It thrives most rapidly ia ponds which have still water and muddy bottoms. Many things could be said about their habits and characteristics, the methods used in bringing them to market in Europe, and finally in the preparation and construction of artificial ponds for their proper accomodation, but our space will prevent us from entering upon these subjects. Carp Ponds of J. A. Poppe. — Mr. Poppe's ranch is favorably located near the foot of a mountain, and is supplied with several never failing springs of pure water. He has constructed, at great expense, six large ponds, with a fall of several feet between each one, so that the water passes through the first, goes to the next, and so on down, until it finally passes down the small rivulet necessary to carry the water to Sonoma creek. Weeds, grass and willows grow abundantly around these ponds, which afford sufficient shade from the sun, and shelter from the winds. Consequently the carp thrive and grow very large, and are apparently as much at home as in their own native waters in Europe. Mr. Poppe brought the carp from Rhinefelt, Germany, in August, 1871. Of the eighty-three started with, only five, puny, sickly fish, were brought HISTOKY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOENIA. 463 safely to Sonoma. The hot weather in New York harbor, and the want of ice on the ocean steamer, being the cause of the great mortality. The five brought to Sonoma increased in size, in the following May, from five inches , to sixteen inches, and the number increased to three thousand. Since that time many have been sold, and the number in the ponds is still very large. Sonoma county is well stocked with this European stranger. Among others who are now successfully engaged in the propagation of this fish in the county, may be mentioned A. V. LaMotte, Sonoma; J. A. Kleiser, Clover- dale; Wm. Stephens, Sfebastopol; H. P. Holmes, Santa Rosa; Levi Davis, Forrestville ; Sylvester Scott, Cloverdale; and Mr. Field, Petaluma. Outside of Sonoma county the culture of carp is also carried on successfully. Quite recently shipments have been made to the Sandwich Islands, Nevada, and Central America. Lenni Fish Propagating Company. — The vinej^ard of Alfred V. La Motte lies seven and a half miles north-west of the town of Sonoma, at the junction of the Graham canon and Sonoma creek, both of these creeks run for several miles through canons and timbered land before entering the valley proper, thus keeping the water cool and engendering an abundant growth of mosses and water plants which propagate great quantities of insect life upon which the finny denizens of the streams sub- sist. These conditions have made them famous trout streams, and they have long been known as such to the lovers of the sport. Some years back great numbers of the spotted beauties could be taken, but as time advanced fishermen increased, and, as a natural consequence, the fish commenced rapidly decreasmg in number. Mr. La Motte being a lover of the sport saw with regret the rapid and sure destruction of his favorite amusement, and commenced investigations tending to a remedy. After several years study on the subject of artificial propagation he became convinced it could be made, with due care, a profitable industry. Joined by a few personal friendi they formed a company, styled the "Lenni Fish Propagating Company" incorporated May 15, 1878 : Henry L. Davis, President; George Leviston Secretary; Henry C. Campbell, Treasurer; Alfred V. La Motte, Superintend- ent, who, together with S. S. Murfey, constitute the Board of Directors with a capital stock of thirty thousand dollars, in one hundred shares Mr La Motte commenced work at once; constructed a dam on the Graham canon twenty-six feet by eight feet high, of heavy squared timbers, and from thence conducted the water to the reservoir in a flume, sixteen inches square, of one and one-half inch lumber, each section being set together with a band of heavy galvanized sheet-iron, driven into the ends with a sledge, and then battened with a frame of three by four scantling, making a most substantial job. The flume is eighteen hundred feet long The build- ings of the company consist of a hatching house, twenty-five by fifty a filter house, carpenter shop, butcher shop, workmen's house, and office The 464 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOENIA. water on arriving at the works passes through a flume, sixteen inches square and eighty -five feet long, filled with screened gravel ; thence into the filter house, where it passes through ten flannel screens of eighteen by thirty- two inches ; thence into a case, ten feet long, filled with fine washed gravel, and from here into the hatching house, where it passes over th« eggs. These are stripped from the fish in the spawning season, and placed in wire baskets, made to fit the hatching troughs, and about two feet long, where the water is run over them to the depth of about one inch, with a gentle current, until hatched, which takes place in from forty to sixty days, in accordance with the temperature, the warmer the water the more rapid the incubation, and vice versa. When hatched, the young fish is provided by nature with a lunch-basket, in the way of an umbilical sac which contains nourishment for a month or six weeks. As this is gradually absorbed the young fish grows rapidly, and by the time it has disappeared can swim about and seek for food; they are then fed on curdled milk, hard-boiled eggs, and fine minced liver. From the hatching troughs they are next transferred to the rearing boxes or nurseries, where they can get a greater depth of water and more room to sport about and play. Attaining the age of two months, they are transfei'red to open-air ponds. The company have already constructed five ponds; one of two acres in extent, with an aveiage depth of six feet, exclusively for carp, with which fish it is already stocked. There are four trout ponds finished, from one hundred to one hundred and twenty-five feet long, and varying from two to six feet in depth, with an average width of twelve feet. The young fish are first placed in the shallow- est ponds, and as they increase in size are transferred to deeper water. Mr. La Motte considers that to secure STiccess, constant care and watchfulness are indispensible : for instance, all eggs put in the baskets to hatch are estimated and recorded; every egg as well as every fish that dies is set down; careful minutes are kept of the temperature three times a day, and every thirty days the mean is taken and recorded. As the company proposes investing consid- erable capital in the enterprise, with a view to making it an extensive establishment, Mr. La Motte intends that there shall be " no loose ends." In the shallow ponds adjoining the hatching house they have now seventy thousand fine young trout, who dispose of two heaping pans of minced liver daily with great apparent relish. The company are now making prepara- tions to throw a dam across Sonoma creek next Spring, which will give them an unlimited supply of water for their business, as also cheap power to drive the meat-mincing and other machines necessary. They propose in two years more to commence the sale of their fish, from which time on they hope to be able to keep up a steady supply in accordance with their facilities, which are extensive. St. Louis, or Embarcadero. — This, as its name implies, is the landing- ,3'M '^^Oi^-^ HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 465 place or embarcadero on Sonoma creek, at the head of navigation. Here supplies for the town and valley are received. In former times, when it was thought that Sonoma might become a town of importance, it received the name of St. Louis, but it never reached the position anticipated by its spon- sors, and is, to-day, only the landing and shipping point as above stated. Captain Peter M. Stoffen runs a stem- wheel steamer from this point to San Francisco, which connects at this end with a stage to Sonoma. The boat is one hundred and ten feet long, twenty-eight feet beam, three feet draft, one hundred and seventy tons register and eighty tons burthen, and is fitted with engines, thirteen inches in diameter and five feet stroke. Captain Stoffen has been engaged in this trade for the last seventeen yeai-s. In 1863 Captain Green had two schooners which made regular trips between this point anil San Francisco, these have, however, been discontinued. In late yeai's the depth of water in the creek has considerably lessened, therefore tne landing is farther down and nearer the bay. Glen Ellen. — This is a postofiice on the main road between Santa Rosa and Sonoma; Captain Justi is postmaster. It is only a mail station, but is surrounded by some of the most experienced wine growers in the county — among them Colonel C. V. Stuart, whose handsome residence is the seat of a liberal hospitality. His vineyard cannot be surpassed for careful culture and its varieties of foreign and domestic vines. Here is also the residence of Mrs. J. B. Warfield, one of the most successful viniculturists of Sonoma. There are many other large vineyard proprietors in this neighborhood whose names we have not the space to mention. A radius of six miles, with Glen Ellen for a center, would, in the opinion of many, include the finest grape- growing section in the State of California. 30 466 HISTOBY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. VALLEJO. This township received its name from General Vallejo, who owned the Petaluma Rancho, and constructed the famous large adobe huiding, a con- siderable portion of which still stands. The erection as originally con- structed had a frontage of one hundred and fifty-nine feet, with walls twenty feet in height. At the western end projected a wing running south one hundred and twenty-eight feet, while on the east end was another, with a length of sixty-eight feet. All the walls were two and one-half feet thick. In this mansion the generous General was wont to keep his state of almost potential splendor; his courts were full of Spaniards and Indians; his rooms were thronged with guests, while his flocks fed upon a thousand hills. In the vicinity of this homestead had he erected, long before Americans came to settle in the country, a mill wherein he ground his grain, a smithery, wherein were manufactured horse-shoes, spurs, bits, and other military gear, while all around were evidences of his foresight and unstinting hand. The township is a portion of the Petaluma valley, and is entirely an agri- cultural section. The earliest American settler was Frederick Starke Avho settled there in 1845. In 1852, there came W. J. Hardin, J. M. Palmer, David WharfF; in 1853, Abner Clark, Isaac Cook, G. B. Hickston, and William Mock; in 1854, G. R. Codding, and in 1855 Henry D. Gilber.t Of course there were many more, but these are the only names we have been able to trace. Donahue. — This place is the present terminus of the San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad and is situated on the Petaluma creek, about eight miles from Petaluma; the cars at this point connecting with a steamer to San Francisco, which is distant twenty-five miles. The town receivtd its name from the enterprising builder of the railroad, and here are situated the machine shops and other buildings of the company. The place is in Vallejo township and possesses an hotel, while it is situated in the midst of a rich farming country, within easy distance of it being the magnificent farms and residences of Messrs. Peoples, J. R. Rose and Bihler. On February 19, 1874, the machine and car shops of the San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad Company were destroyed by fire at a loss of one hundred thousand dollars. Lakeville. — This village is situated on the Petaluma creek, about one mile above Donahue, and was, prior to the a^lvent of the railroad, the point at which passengers for Sonoma were transferred to a regular stage line. The HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 467 stage still runs to Lakeville from Sonoma, connecting with the morniiiii; and evening trains. We are told that the road between these two point- passes the former lagoon to which Father Altimira referred in his mission in iH-fi: " We found on said hillock, a little further on, the large lake of Tolaj — so- called after the chief of the Indians who in former times settled tlioro. Its width at some parts is, with little difference, one hundred and fifty rams, at others two hundred varas, and at one point one-fourth of a league, which ia also its length." The lake from which the hamlet receives its namo has been drained and is now a potato patch. The first settler at Lakeville was A. M. Bradley, who built the ]an:ling' about the years 1852-3. Bradley sold his interest to Joshua Chaahaimy, George Carter and Josiah Bacon, he at the time having only p i i-.oi-y rights as a squatter, there being no title from General M. G. Vail ■jo; this right he sold to the above-named parties, who, in turn, disposed thi.i'„uf to Niles Mills and Peter Donahue. In February, 1879, C. A. Bodwell erected the present new landinof. The town mainly consists of a blacksmith's shop owned by E. J. HoUo^^ ; and a postoffice, which was established in 1857. This was originally kept hy the aforesaid Chadbourne, Bacon, and Niles Miles; after the death of thu laiter, or more correctly speaking, on January 1, 1875, the office was reniDVed to Donahue, but in July of the same year it was brought back and j)ermanently established in Lakeville under the charge of G. A. BodwelL WASHINGTON. This township consists principally of hill and valley lands, the soil of the former about Geyserville being well adapted to fruit culture, and the growth of wine grapes; indeed, there is every essential in soil and climate for the production of the best varieties of grapes, stone and seed fruits. Geyserville. — This is a village and postoffice on the San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad, about twenty-four miles north of the county scat, Santa Rosa. It was settled by Doctor ElLsha Ely in 1851. The first busi- ness store was started in 1854 by Colonel A. C. Godwin, who afterwards located the Geyser Springs. The hamlet consists of one store, one post and express office, cue saloon, one hotel, and one blacksmith shop. Geyserville is not so much a place as it is these establishments. IBIOGRAPHICALJ 470 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. ANALY. Baker, Bloomer. Bom in Rutland county, Vermont, November 3, 1821. In 1837 his parents moved to Walworth county, Wisconsin. Here Lc Icaiiii d the carpenter's trade, which he followed as a business until 1848, till 11 t'! '-paging in the marble business at Racine, Wisconsin, for three years, when he located in Milwaukee and opened a marble shop, and continued Lu-incps until the Spring of '53, when he emigrated to California via Panama, arriving in San Francisco April 5th. He soon began a third busi- nes.s in the catagory of industries, that of manufacturing bricks. His place of lai;-incss was on what was then known as North Beach, but now Stock-, ton street, San Francisco. After eighteen months time in this business he retinned to Walworth county, resided there until 1863, thence to Buffalo, New York, and resumed his original trade, that of carpenter, working for the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railroad Company, construct- ing cars. In 1873, he returned to California and settled in this county, wliLic he has since been extensively engaged in dairying. Mr. Baker mar- ried Mary M., daughter of ^Robert Bloomer, of Dorset, Vermont, November C, 1813. She was born July 8, 1827. She and her father were both born in the same house. By this union there has been one child, Adelia S., born in Walworth county, Wisconsin, December 29, 1845, and died in same place, September 7, 1842. Canfleld, William D. The subject of this memoir, whose portrait appeals in this work, is a native of Arlington, Bennington county, Vermont, born October 22, 1810. Here he received his education and developed iato manhood, marrying Miss Sallie Ann Lee, June 10, 1828. In 1837 they moved to Springfield, Erie county, Pennsylvania, where he engaged in farming for two years. In 1839 they took up their residence in Jersey county, Illinois, where Mr. Canfield toiled upon the farm until June, 1842. After a residence in Jefferson county, Iowa, of eleven months, they settled upon the present site of the city of Oskaloosa, Mahaska county, Iowa. Here Mr. Canfield erected the first house and laid out the public square, the lines of which have never been changed to this day. The house, no doubt, has crumbled and gone to decay; but the grounds of the park, so tastefully arranged and laid off by the artistic eye of the energetic frontiersman, will ever remain as one of the garden spots of earth, and a base to the monu- ment of the early pioneers of Oskaloosa. It was through his influence and exertions also that the county seat of Mahaska county was located here, HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 471 where it remains at present. On May 4, 1847, Mr. Canfield emigrated, with his wife and five children, acioss the plains to Oregon. The journey was made with little difficulty, save the hardships that are incident to all pioneers in crossing the trackless, uninhabited wilds over which they passed. On OctoVer- 20, 1847, they reached Dr. Whitman's mission in Walla Walla valley. Upon their arrival they not only found Dr. Whitman, but quite a little settlement, consisting of the doctor and wife, seven mission children by the name of Sager, Mr. Saunders, wife and five children, Mr. Kimball, wife and five children, Mr. Hall, wife and five children, Mrs. Hayes and two children. The whole party, including Mr. aijd Mrs. Canfield and their five children, numbered as follows: Fourteen men, seven women and thirty-two children. Here they were treated in a very hospitable manner, and were made to feel perfectly at home. As they had found such comfortable quarters and a perfect haven of rest, they decided to remain at the mission until the following Spring, when they would continue on their journey to the Willamette river, the place of their destination. Here the residents of the happy little village were nestled together in one family, as it were, and the last accession, that of Mr. Canfield and family, evidently felt as safe and free from harm as they did when sheltered beneath the roof or gathered around the hearthstone of their far Eastern home. But it must not be forgotten that they were in a hostile country, although there had not been any Indian trouble in this immediate locality for several years, none in fact since Mr. Whitman located there, which was about the year 1837. The Cayuses (this being the name of the tribe with which the doctor had to deal) had always been kind . and obedient to him, and were seemingly perfectly satisfied with the treatment they had received at his hands. Indeed, so much confidence did Mr. Whitman have in his little band of Cayuses, that if there was a word dropped by any one of the company questioning the friendliness, or in any way expressing any fear of the aborigines, their minds were soon set at rest by the convincing answer from the doctor, whose feelings would seem hurt when any allusion of this nature was made. However, we will see how we are victimized sometimes by misplaced confidence, and made to drink the bitter dregs of deception, decei\'ed and murdered by those whom we once held close to our bosoms^ and were our companions for many a long year. Soon after the arrival of Mr. Canfield and family at the mission, there arrived missionaries of a different persuasion, and whom, it is said, influenced the Indians agamst their old teacher. Dr. Whitman. There were no visible evidences of treachery upon the part of the aborigines, and every one about the mission felt as secure and safe as they did before receiving the visit from these missionaries, who proved to be traitors in the camp. The morning of the 29th of November, 1847, dawned as bright, fresh and beautiful as ever lit up the picturesque valley of the Walla Walla; aU nature seemed to smile in 472 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. answer to the innocent prattle of little children, and all reposed in confidence and security. But, alas ! a little later in the day they were surprised and fired upon by the Indians whom the doctor had labored with so many years. Imagine for an instance, and try to picture, if such a thing be possible, the condition of Dr. Whitman and his little party, surprised as they were without a moment's warning, and consequently no means of defense or escape. They being entirely at the mercy of the red devils, were shot down like dumb brutes. The men were all killed except Mr. Canfield and a man by the name of Osborn. Mrs. Whitman was also killed, the balance of the women and all of the children were taken prisoners. Mr. Canfield was shot in the hip, but managed to seclude himself in the old adobe house. During the night following he received intelligence from the mission children that he was to pay the death penalty in the morning. As he did not feel disposed to depart this life j ust yet, he acted upon the warning he received and, bidding adieu to his hiding-place, started immediately on foot for Mr. Spalding's mission at Lapaway station, in Washington Territory, a distance of one hundred and forty miles, this being on Monday night, reaching the mission on Saturday afternoon, making the whole trip on ibot and without eating or sleeping. The morning after his escape the blood-thirsty redskins donned their war apparel, surrounded the house, and were just on the point of massacreing all the women and children, when their former chief, known as " Old Beardy," rode into camp with the speed of lightning, and standing upright on his horse, pleaded with his tribe not to kill the prisoners, and after listening attentively to his remarks, abandoned their murderous inten- tions and informed their victims that their lives would be spared, but they would be held as prisoners. The women were forced to do the cooking for the Indians, sixty-two in number, and the children were forced to attend to all their other wants that would add comfort and ease to the lords of the wilds. On December 29th, just one month after they were captured, there came to their relief, to Fort Walla Walla, a man by the name of Peter Ogden, the chief factor of the Hudson Bay Fur Company, from Vancouver. After a talk of three days and nights with the Indians he succeeded in purchasing the prisoners, first promising them that they (the fur company) would not molest them, but could not make the same promise for the Boston bovs in punishing them for what they had done. So the bargain was made, and they were paid in guns, blankets, ammunition, knives, etc. After gaining possession of the prisoners, he made a contract with the Nez Perces to bring Mr. Canfield and Mr. Spalding's family to Walla Walla fort, if they wished to come, where he joined his children and grief -stricken wife. Not only, was he received with outstretched arms, but with weeping for joy, as it was supposed by all that he had perished. On his arrival. Mr. Ogden took the party in three small boats and proceeded down the Columbia river, landing at Oregon City January 12, 1848. Upon their arrival they had nothing, but -'-61-^-- ^ J-e^^-i^—v-^ HISTOEY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOENIA. 473 the clothes upon their backs. After procuring comfortable quarters for his family, Mr. Canfield joined the volunteers and went back for the purpose of punishing the Indians and to drive them from their reservation, which was accomplished, when they returned to Oregon City, and the company dis- banded on July 1, 1848. The chief Tetokite and four 'of the Indians were hanged at Oregon City in 1850. On March 4, 1849, Mr. Canfield and family took passage on a sailing vessel for San Francisco, where they arrived on March 10, 1849. Here they remained until August 1, 1850, when they became residents of this county, settling in Sonoma city. Soon after settling here he went to Sacramento city and engaged in the soda manufacturing business, leaving his family at Sonoma. Not finding this business congenial to his taste he soon returned to this county, and in January, 1852, he moved upon his present estate of five hundred acres, and is one of Sonoma's thrifty farmers. Mrs. Canfield was born in Arlington, BennLagton county, Vermont, August 12, 1810. Their children by this marriage are: Nathan L., born in Arlington on July 7, 1829, and died February 18, 1835 ; Ellen S., born at Arlington June 5, 1831, and died July 12, 1865 ; Oscar F., born at Spring- field, Pennsylvania, March 8, 1838, now living in Idaho; Clarica A. (now Mrs. J. H. Knowles of Petaluma), born at Delhi, Jersey county, Illinois, October 31, 1840; Sylvia Ann, born at Fairfield, JeflTerson county, Iowa, February 7, 1842, and died in Sonoma county February 4, 1854; Albert, born at Oskaloosa, Iowa, May 18, 1845, now living in Idaho; William B., Jr., born at Oregon City February 3, 1848, and died in San Francisco July 5, 1849; Julia, born in San Francisco August 3, 1850, and died August 6th of same year. In 1853 Mrs. Canfield visited her brothers in the East. After remaining a short time she set out on her journey back in company with her mother, who, when one day out from Panama, was taken ill and died. Once more Mrs. Canfield's heart was made to bleed, and yet, when she thought of what she had passed through in '47, she felt grateful to Him that her life, as well as that of her husband and children, had been spared, when at one time it hung by a brittle thread. On June 10, 1878, Mr. and Mrs. Canfield celebrated their golden wedding at their home, all the family being present but their eldest son and family, who were at the time in Idaho. Alas ! how time flies on apace, We canliot stay its flight ; It waits for neither priest nor king, And soon will all be night. Cockrill, L. D. The subject of this sketch is a native of Spartanburg county, South Carolina, born January 4, 1800. When three years of age his parents moved to Warren county, Kentucky. Here he received his education, in a rude log school house, and afterwards was appointed Cap- tain of a military company, which office he held for twelve years, wearing the badge of Commissioner; also taught school in that township for a number 474 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. of years. In 1838 he went to Missouri, and in 1840 settled in Bates county, it being organized as a county in February, 1841. Mr. C. was elected first County Judge, and sei-ved at the fir^t Grand Jury that was held in the county; was the first qualified school teacher, and drew the first public mcmey for services rendere'd in this capacity. On April 24, ISoS, in company with his wife and ten children started across the plains for California, and landed in Big Valley, this county, Oct. 15, 1853. Here Mr. Cockrill built the first house, conducted the first boarding house, and also procured the first war- ranted deed of land on the Blume grant. In 1857 he was elected the first Justice of the Peace of Analy township; soon after he was elected Associate Judge under William Churchman. During Mr. C.'s residence in the county he has held the office of Justice for twelve years, and on Sep. 3, 1879 was re-elected to the position for another two years term. Has been steadily engaged in farming until quite recently, and is now on the roll of the retired- Married Oct. 29, 1829, Miss Deademia Stamps. She is a native of Ken- tucky, born Dec. 29, 1809. By this union they have six living children, three sons, and three daughters; Theodore G., now a resident of San Fran- cisco; Helen M., now Mrs. Lake, of Bloomfield; Lurena E., now Mrs. Hoag of Santa Rosa; Ida Josephine, now a resident of San Rafael; Robert L., now in San Francisco, Bruce T., now of San Rafael; and four children deceased. . Davis, Levi. Was born in Jackson county, Indiana, March 21, 1822, At the age of seventeen years he settled with his parents in Warren county, Illinois, and there resided till the Fall of 1840 when his parents moved to Green county, Missouri, and there he commenced farming. Here he married Rebecca Lakey on January 6, 1842. In 1852, Mr. Davis crossed the plains to California by ox-team and arrived at Petaluma on the 29th August of that year, and first settled near Liberty school-house in that township where he farmed until 1871. In this year he moved to his present residence near Forrt'stville and occupies three hundred acres of land on which he raises wheat and carp. His family consists of John Valentine, -Joseph, Jacob, Charles Nuton, Christopher Columbus, Phoebe, Rebecca Zarrilda and Lydia Ann. Gregson, James, A representative man of Sonoma county, and whose porti-ait is in this history ; was born in Little Bolton, Lancashire, England, September 14, 1822. When nearly twelve years old, he with his parents, emigrated to the United States, settling in Philadelphia, where, in 1837, James was bound to James Brooks as an apprentice to the blac'.K smith and machinists' trade, serving till twenty-one years of age. Here, on October 20, 1843, he married Miss Eliza Marshall, who was born in the city of Manchester, England, on March 15, 1824. They moved to Rock Island county, Illinois, in 1844, sojourning there until April, 1845; then, in company with Mrs. Gregson's two brothers, Henry and John Marshall, her sister, Mary A., and mother, Mrs. Ann Marshall, crossed the plains with ox HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 475 teams to California. While on the road, and passing through Humboldt canon, they were attacked by Indians, who killed all their stock, except one yoke of cattle, which compelled our little party to make a two-wheeled vehicle out of their wagon, on which their baggage was transported, together with those perhons who were unable to walk. All the men, also Mr.s. Greg- son and her mother, traveled on foot the entire distance from Humboldt to Johnston's ranch on Bear creek, the party arriving there on October 20, 1845. Mr. Marshall did not walk over twenty miles. The hardships and sufferings which these two women endured on this journey can better be imagined by those who have passed through a like experience than described by us. All honor to these ladies, who braved all the dangers of an overland trip to this State, and at a time when few had dared to make the journey in order to become permanent settlers, and who have lived to see the then wilderness of California subdued to a garden of beauty. Mr. Gregson at once proceeded to Sutter's Foit, where he was employed by Captain John A. Sutter to work at blacksmithing. During his stay here he enlisted in a company, to join General Fremont at Monterey, taking with them a drove of horses. In 1846, while at the fort, Mr. Gregson was guard over General Vallejo, who was at that time a prisoner of the Bear Flag party. He was also engaged in a battle at Salinas, and followed the movements of Fremont to Los Angeles, when he, together with other members of his company, were honorably discharged; after which, Mr. Gregson returned to Sutter's Fort, where he remained till February, 1848, when he was sent by Captain Sutter to Coloma to assist in erecting the mill which that gentlenian was build. nc at that place. It was while the subject of this sketch was working on the mill that gold was discovered. Mrs. Greg.'^ou has now a small nugget of the precious metal, which was given her by some Indians in exchange for a shirt. While this family were residents of Sutter's Fort, their daughter Anna was born on September 3, 1846. After their arrival in Coloma, the Indians would come a distance of forty miles to see the baby, and could not be induced to believe it a real child until thej^ had pinched it, or in some other way made it cry. In October, 1848, Mr. Gregson came to Sonoma, having moved there partly to regain his health, which had become impaired while living at Coloma, but, on recovering which, he returned to Coloma in 1849 ; thence to the middle fork of the American river, but was a'^ain compelled to leave the mines on account of ill-health ; going to Sacramento, there engaging in house-building in Sutterville, which he continued till late in the Fall of 1849; thence to Sonoma, and in January, 1850, settled on his present farm of one hundred and sixty acres, situated in Green Valley, Analy township, and was the first to break, land and raise grain in the valley. We will here note that Mrs. Gregson's mother and sisters settled in Sonoma in 1846. No man in this State is more respected ttian Mr. Gregson, and his name is everywhere the synonym of probity, honor and business integrity. 476 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. Uniting to the frankness and generosity of an Englshman the intelligence and polish of the highest type of a gentleman, his name and pioneer career will ever be associated with all that is most agreeable in the early settle- ment of Sonoma county. The names and births of his children are as fol- lows: Annie, the first white child born In Sutter's Fort, as above. She is now Mrs. Reid of San Luis Obispo county, this State; Mary Ellen, born at Coloma, September 25, 1848, now Mrs. McChristian; William F.. a resident of Stanislaus county, California, born September 24, 1850; John N., born September 1, ]8-52, and resides in San Luis Obispo county; Eliza Jane, now Mrs, Butler, of Mark West, born May 31, 1854; Henry M., born October 5, 1856 ; Adelia J., born March 28, 1858, now Mrs. George Fraits, of San Luis Obispo county ; Caroline, born October 29, 1862, and Luke B., born Maich 27, 1 868. Hall, Henry. The subject of thi.s sketch, whose portrait appears in this work, is a native of Portsmouth, Rhode Island, and born February 7, 1813, being the sixth child and eldest son of Parker and Polly Hall, who belonged to the Society of Friends, better known as Quakers. At the time Mr. Hall, Sr., was married he was a farmer, and his father gave him sixty acres of poor land, which afterwards, by a high state of cultivation on the part of its owner, became valuable. On this farm was the subj ect of this sketch reared till eighteen years old, when he determined to learn a trade. After driving an ox-team for his father for a time, he was rewarded with eighteen cents, and at once proceeded to Bristol, Rhode Island, and bound himself to George H. Reynolds, as an apprentice to the blacksmith's trade till twenty- one years old, and to receive twenty-five dollars per year, his mother furnish- ing him with sufficient under-clothing during the time. At the expiration of his service he had fourteen dollars and eighty cents to his credit, and was employed for three months by Mr. Reynolds, after which he returned to his home, and was engaged with his father on the farm for three more months, then again hired by Reynolds for eight months, at Bristol, and five months at New London, Conn., after which he purchased the blacksmith shop of his employer, and conducted the business till December, 1841, when he returned to Bristol with his family. Here he joined partnership with J. N. Miller, which continued till April, 1844. Once more we find Mr. Hall in New London, doing business, till March, 1850, and on the 11th of the month took passage on the ship " Corea," Capt. Charles Prentice, commanding, and sailed from New London harbor via Cape Horn, arriving in San Francisco August 27th of that year. As Mr. Hall owned a thirty-second inteftst in the cargo, he was necessarily detained, and remained with the ship three months after she landed. In December following, he boarded the old " Hart- ford " and proceeded to Sacramento city, and from there to the Coloma mines at Pilot Hill. After mining here for three months he was one of a company of ten men who set out for the north fork of the American river, HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 477 where they prosecuted mining for nine months, when Mr. Hall lay down his pick and shovel, bid adieu to the mines, and hied himself to San Francisco, where he " struck the iron while it was hot," and succeeded, in one year's hard toU, in hammering out over the anvil eighteen hundred dollars. In Feb- ruary, 1853, he came to this county and settled on his present estate, located in Analy township, about one-half mile from Bloomfield, where he resided alone for three years, when he returned East, and brought back with him his eldest son, W. P. In April, 1859, he again repaired to his Eastern home, and in July following returned with his wife and family to this county, Mr. Hall is one of Sonoma's well-to-do farmers, and a more quiet and charitable man is not to be found, as all can testify who know him. He married, April 2, 1838, Miss Hannah N. Swan, daughter of Capt. Thomas Swan, a native of Bristol, Rhode Island, She was born OitobLT y.'S, 1815. William P., born May 13, 1839; Mary E., born February 1, I'Sl^; Charles T., born December 17, 1843 ; Benjamin P., born February 2G, 1846, and died April 3, 1840; Maggie C, born May 20, 1848; Henry M.^ born August 30, 1850, are the names and births of their children. Hall, Henry M. Born in New London, Connecticut, Aug. 30, 1850 came with mother to California in 1859, and has since been engaged in farming. Married Miss Maggie E. Wiggins on December 31, 1875, .she being a native of Ireland, born Feb. 18, 1851, by which union they have one chUd living, Oliver P., born Nov. 19, 1877, and two children deceased; Josephine, and an infant daughter. Hall, William P. Was born in New London, Connecticut, May 13, 1839, where he resided till 1856 when he came to California with his father and settled in this county, since which time he has been engao-ed in farmincr, and is now one of the substantial farmers of Analy township, ownino- six hun- dred and forty acres of land. Married on January 1, 1866, Auo-usta P. Corey, she being born at Strambridge, Canada East, September 22, 1847, by which union there are four living children, William S., born Nov. 11 1866 ■ Harriett R., born March 1, 1870; Lester P., born January 25, 1876; Lena C.,' born December 19, 1878 ; Charles E., born January 7, 1873, and died January 27, 1873. Hinsha-W, E. C. A native of Yadkin county, North Carolina; born May 30, 1830; received his education at Normal College, in Randolph county, from which he graduated July 17, 1856. He then returned to his native county and taught school one term, and in January, 1857, he proceeded to Jackson county, Missouri, where he remained until the April followmg, when he, in company with his brother, W P. and H. E. Lawrence, starfctd across the plains, with ox teams, for California, and arrived in this county in October following. Spending the winter in Two Rock valley, Mr. Hinshaw embarked in merchandising in Petaluma under the firm name of Hinshaw & Co. After 478 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. conJueting this business for about eight months, he engaged in school teach- ing for some time, when he settled in Big valley and prosecuted farming three years, after which he located on his present farm, comprising thi-ee hundred and ten acres, in Two Rock valley, about three miles from Bloom- field. Mr. Hinshaw has served three times in the California Legislature. He married, July 1, 1864, Miss Lou Taylor, a native of Johnson, Missouri, born February G, 1843. By this uni )n they have three living children, James N., born April 18, 18C5; Bite B., born June 14, 1868; Fannie D., born August 12, 1877. One deceased, Mary A., born June 6, 1873, died August 18, 1876. Hudspetll, James M. The subject of this sketch, one of Sonoma's oldest and most respected pioneers, whose portrait appears in this work, was born in Madison county, Alabama, February 20, 1812. When quite young he accompanied his parents to Middle Tennessee and afterwards to Russell- ville, Alabama, where his father Charles was a memb'er of the Territorial Legislature. At the end of three years, they next went to Monroe count}', Mississippi, but in 1829 he proceeded with them to Hardiman county, Tea- nessee, and after residing there for a few years branched out for himself. Mr. Hudspeth's first start in life was in farming and raising at Colton, Tennessee, where he passed one year in helping to survey certain lands which had been purchased from the Chickasaw tribe of Indians. In 1835, he entered into trade with his brother John C. at Colt^m, Gin Port, on the Chickasaw line, -Mississippi, which they continued until 1837, when he proceeded to Little Rock, Arkansas, and there began public surveying and running township lines. In this place he resided till 1841, when he transferred his location to Fort Smith, but on April 1.5, 1842, left for Independence, Missouri, and there joined a train of emigran's bound for Oregon and California. Early in the month of May, the train, having been fully organized under the cap- taincy of Elijah White, an Oregon missionary, commenced the j )Uiney. At the end of the first month S. W Hastings succeeled White as captain, but they did not need a guide until they reached Fort Laramie ; here they elected Mr. Fitzpatrick. No diSiculty was experienced on the journey until arrivino' at Independence Rock, on the Sweet Water, where Hastings and Lovejoy were taken prisoners by the Sioux Iniians while in thi act of cutting their names on a high rock. Their captivity was, however, of short duration, for they were biought into the camp, about fifteen miles further on, that same evening, the InJians receiving in return presents of tobacco and other com- modities. On arrival at Fort Hill, the wagons were abandoned and a mule pack-train organized, for no iurther host lities were anticipated, and here the train was divided and each company went its own way. Mr. Hud- speth proceeded to Oregon ani on October 5, 1842, arrived at the Willamette Falls, near the site of the present Oregon City. In th tt State he remained until May, 1843, at which time, in company with Shadda, Sumner Bennett and HISTOEY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 479 their families, with the number of sixteen made up by single men, he started for California with a train of pack-animals. On the journey they met Walker Kelsey and Leese who cautioned them to be on the watch for Indians while passing through Siskiyou; no conirefemps, however, occurred until they arrived on the Shasta river; but, here, they were attacked by aboriginals and one of their number shot through the back by an arrow. By this mis- hap their journey was in no wise delayed, yet, on arriving near Colusa, they were attacked by a batch of the Willier or Sacramento Indians, who were met in full fit^ht and beaten by means of fire-arms of which the natives then knew but little. Their progress was continued thereafter until Sutter's Fort was gained, where they camped for two weeks, araving there July 10, 1843. The subject of our memoir, from this point proceeded to San Fran- cisco in one of Captain Sutter's vessels and encountered Captain Stephen Smith, who was there in his vessel on his way to Bodega to erect the machinery for a saw and grist-mill, which he had on board. Here Hudspeth, D. Button, John Harnes, Nathan Coombes, Alexander Copeland and John Daubenbiss were engaged by Smith as mechanics, who with him went thither and remained one month engaged in getting out the lumber for the building. At this juncture Hudspeth and Copeland returned to San Fran- cisco, leaving a sufficient force to complete the construction. A full and graphic description of this mill and its construction Avill be found in our chapter on -the Early History of Sonoma County. Hudspeth next proceeded to San Jose, and, after a week or two, moved to Monterey, but left in November of that year, on the appearance of the small-pox epidemic. He, then passed the Winter in Gllroy, and in June, 1844, returned for the Sum- mer to Sutter's Fort, where he employed himself in that district in hunting. There he stayed until October and then went to Saucelito and procured the lumber used in the construction of Captain Richardson's residence in Marin countj', the timber being cut on the lands between San Rifael and S lucelito. At this employment Hudspeth and Copeland remained until Christmas, 1844, at which time there arose the misunderstanding between Governor Michel- torena, the General in command of the military forces of Mexico, and Pio Pico. Of this portion of his career, Mr. Hudspeth says : " When I left Saucelito for Sutter's Fort, the company consisted of Copeland, Wjmian, Perry, McCoon, Joe Buzzle and wife and Miss Kelsey. After getting to Sutter's Fort an election was had, Gant was elected Captain. Coats, First Lieutenant and myself Second Lieutenant, all under Sutter, When we reached Santa Barbara, a scouting party was sent out under Coats, which was captured this side of San Buenaventura and were paroled. When they got back Captain Gant got the company in line and said to thera if there were any of the company wished to return they could do so. Over half of the company returned home, leaving our company about forty men out of one hundred. Of those that went on to Los Angeles, were Captain 480 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. Gant, myself. John Bidwell, four of the Williams boys, Merritt, Copeland, and others I cannot call to mind now. We were in the service of Mexico about four months. " On this breaking out, Hudspeth, in common with all other Americans, repaired to Sutter's Fort. Here he joined a battalion formed by Captain Sutter to act against the Californians, and with them proceeded to Monterey where they joined the main body of the army, marching, thence, to Los Angeles. With this force he served for four months, and, after going to Sutter's Fort, returned to his timbering operations in Marin county. In 1846, in the month of April, with L. W. Hastings, Col. Clyman and the Sumner family, he crossed the mountains for the purpose of meeting and inducing immigration to California in preference to Oregon; after traveling through snow and enduring many hardships, they returned to this State in October, just in time to miss the "Bear Flag war." Captain Hastings raised a company of volunteers, and with Hudspeth as Lieutenant, joined General Fremont at San Jose, but after reaching Los Angeles he and seven others resigned. He then came to Sonoma county and purchased land about nine miles north-east of Petaluma on the rancho now owned by Thoma? Hopper, and, not long after, formed a partnership with Jasper 0'- Farrell as land surveyors, their first work being the survey of the site of Benicia, Splano county, in the Spring of 1847. He was also engaged in the survey of many of the ranchos as well as laying out the city of Napa for Coombes, the city of Sonoma, and on the discovery of gold he took a turn at the mines in 1841K-50 and was attended with good success. In the Spring o| the latter year he settled on the land now occupied by James Watson and there resided until eighteen months ago when he sold to that gentleman and moved to his present residence. Mr. Hudspeth was elected to the Legislature in 1852 and served one term ; in 18-53 he was elected to the Senate and served two terms. He now occupies a pleasant estate of some seven hundred acres in the township of Analy. He married September 20, 1854, Matilda Fuller, who died October 5, 1878, by whom he had no issue. Le Febvre, 0. M. Was bom in Lower Canada on December 6, 1834, where he received his education and resided until twenty two years old. In 1856 he emigrated to California, via Nicaragua, arriving in San Francisco on June 6th of that year. After clerking in a hotel in San Francisco for a few months, he came to this county and located at Bodega where he worked for a short time on a ranch, then opened a boarding-house which business he followed until 1859. He then came to Bloomfield and embarked in the business of hotel-keeping, where he at preseilt resides. Married on December 19, 1859, Miss Helena Caseres. She was born in Sonoma in June, 1840, and died August 15, 1874. The children by this marriage are as follows : Euo-ene Oliver, born May 20, 1866; Louis Alfred, born August 22, 1869; Amelia, died May 31, 1877; Isabella Louisa, died when two and one-half year.s old. Mr. Le Febvre married on October 23, 1878, Isabella, late wife of D. H. A^;y HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOENIA. 48)l Jewell. She was born in New York, April 11, 1850. Mrs. Le Febvre's children by first marriage are : Emma M. Jewell, born in 1867; Jesse E., born in 1868; Isaac K, born in 1870. Ross, Losson, Whose portrait appears in this work, was born in Floyd county, Indiana, July 22, 1828. When quite young he, with his parents, moved to Harrison county, Indiana, where he received his education. In 1849 he went to Louisiana, where he remained until the Spring of 1850, when he moved, with his parents, to Van Buren county, Iowa, and there joined a party, on April 5th, and started across the plains for California, arriving at Placerville September 14, 1850, and carried on mining for two years, after which he was engaged with Bradley, Burdan & Co., which was organized for the purpose of conveying water from the Cosumnes river into the dry diggings, to facilitate mining. Here he was engage.l for ab^ut three years, when he opened up a general merchandise store in Coon Holiow, vfhich business he followed two years. In February, 1857, he came to this county and settled on his present estate, consisting of three hundred acres, where he has since resided. On September, 4, 1853, he married, on Cleai creek. El Dorado county, MLss Sydna Weeks. She was born May 15, 1833 a native of Beaver county, Pennsylvania. By this union they have seven children: William D., born in Coon Hollow, El Dorado county, June 30, 1854; Frank, born June 7, 1857; Kemp, August 28, 1859; Irvin, December 3, 1861; George, January 10, 1866; Benjamin, December 13, 1868; Anna Ella, November 21, 1875. Sharon, John (deceased). Was born in the. North of Ireland in 1820, where he resided for some years, coming to America in early manhood, and settled in New York State, and there embarked in farming and resided till 1854, when, on March 4th of that year, he, with his young bride, sailed from New York city on the steamer " Northern Light," to Nicaragua, where they took the steamer " Sierra Nevada," and arrived at San Francisco on April 2d. They immediately proceeded to this county, and settled on the ranch which his widow now owns, consisting of nearly five hundred acres. Here Mr. Sharon resided up to the time of his death, which occurred May 26, 1870. Married Catharine T. Donahue, of New York city, on February 21, 1854, who was born March 13, 1830. By this union there are two children: Edward M., born April 22, 1855, and Margaretta R., born March 17, 1860. To Mrs. Sharon and her children belong great credit for the business-like way the farm has been conducted since her husband's death. Watson, James. The subject of this sketch, whose portrait appears iu this volume, was boi-n in county Donegal, Ireland, on Christmas day of the year 1811, and there received his early education. He emigrated to America in 1833, first arriving in New York, but soon after moved to New Jersey, and there engaged in teaming for two years. Mr. Watson next entered into 482 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY. CALIFORNIA. farming operations in Illinois, continuing at this until 1853, when, accompa- nied by his wife and five children, he crossed the plains to California, and directly proceeded to Sonoma county, and on the 25th day of September of that year located two and a half miles east of Bodega Corners, where he farmed until November, 1877, at which time he settled on his present place, in Analy township, near Ereestone. He married, March 9, 1835, Hannah Jackson, a native of England, who was born June 16, 1817, by whom he has had eleven children, there being now living, John, Samuel, James, Sarah, Mary, Hannah, Josephine, and Valentine. Walker, John. The subject of this sketch, although much of a traveler in his time, is by no means to be confounded with the noted pedestrians of the day, deriving their subsistence from their powers of endurance while " walking." On the contrary, having passed through more of life's vicissi- tudes than is usually allotted to man — his history reading almost like a romance of adventures — he is now settled down into the role of a quiet, substantial, unambitious farmer, content, like Shakspeare's " Colin," to "' owe no man any- thing, to earn that he eats and wears, and to own no favors from any man." He is a genuine Missourian, being born in Jackson county in that State the 5th day of February, 182C, his ago at present writing being close on to fifty- three years. He has enjoyed the pleasures of a married life since Novem- ber 6, 1851, when he was joined in holy wedlock to Miss Ellen Morin, by whom he has seven children, four sons and three daughters; two daughters dead, namely, Mary J. Walker and Ella D. ; the living are: Harriett Jane, Joel M., John L., Edward L., and Willis Y. At fourteen years of age he left his native home, when (in 1840) accompanying his father's family, which at that time numbered nine souls, he crossed the plains, traveling with the American Fur Company, Captain Dripps in command, to Green river, where all the mountaineers rendezvoused, to sell their furs and buy clothing, ammunition, etc., for another year. Captain Dripps made his trips every year with about forty carts, drawn by mules, to the Rocky Mountains, leaving the rendezvous on Green river. J. P. Walker, Father Desmith, and three missionary families, Clark, Smith, Littlejohn, and their wives, no children, with two old mountaineers as guides, traveled westward until they- arrived at Fort Hall, on Snake river. This fort was owned by the Hudson Bay Company. After resting there a day, they started on their journey, arriv- ing at Fort Boise, another Hudson Bay trading-post. The three Presbyterian, missionary families, being more wearied than the others, stopped to spend the Winter. The Walker family arrived in the Willamette valley, Septem- ber 11, 1840, there then being a Methodist mission under the ministerial charge of Rev. Jason Lee. The Walker family, headed by the father, Joel P. Walker, remained and planted a crop that Fall, but became soon dissatis- fied with the country. A portion of Commodore Wilkes' crew, engaged in. exploring the Pacific coast, arrived in Oregon. Commodore Wilkes traveled HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. iSS' over the Willamette valley, staye 1 one night with the Walker family. He' was a very nice gentleman. When leaving Oregon, in 1841, he lost one of his ships, the old " Peacock," which was wrecked on the bar at the mouth of the Columbia river. Wilkes sent a portion of the crew by land to Cali- fornia, Lieutenant Emmons in command; J. P. Walker's family came with them to Captain Sutter's Fort, far-famed and well-known as the locale of Marshall's discovery of gold on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada. Coming at so early a date, the Walkers may be fully esteemed worthy the title of "pioneers." They reached here October 19, 1841-, when Sutter had been at the fort, named after him, about one year. No crop had been raised, and all they had to keep soul and body together was poor beef and what little wild-fowl game that could be felled by the wary hunter's shot. Early in the Spring of 1842, the family moved to Yount's Ranch, in what is now known as Napa county, it then being a component part of the district of Sonoma. Mr. Walker's mother', Mrs. Mary Walker, and a sister named Martha Younar, were the first adventuresome white women who had " come the plains across," and were at the time the only ones in the State. The family remained in Napa valley until the Spring of 184-3, when, owing to the disordered affairs of the government, John's father returned to Oregon, where his children might obtain an education. He went with a party of forty men, in May, driving about three thousand head of cattle. On their way they were almost daily encountered byhostilebandsof thieving Indians, who man- aged to kill and steal a few of the stock, but none of the party lost their lives. When about half-way on their route the party met a compamr on its way to California, including Captain Hastings, J. M. Hudspeth and others. They reached the settlements of Oregon July 15, 1843, and Joel P. Walker, located in the Willamette valley, near Salem, where he embarked in farming and so continued until 1848. In this year, learning of the discoveries of gold and the change of goverment in California, he returned, and settled near Napa City, taking the coast route by water via San Francisco. John, however, came by land, in September, 1848, and at once proceeded to the mines on the American river, and followed the business of mining there until June, 1849, when he came to where Sacramento city now stands and opened a hotel, which he kept for about four months. Many old Califor- nians recollect the " Missouri House," which was the first hotel opened in Sacramento. At the expiration of this brief period of landlording he joined fortunes with his uncle, Capt. J. R. Walker, and went on a gold-prospecting trip to the southern part of the State, through the country which his uncle traversed in 1833, a portion of which still bears the name of " Walker's Pass." John Walker having spent some three months in this pursuit, with varying success, returned north and brought up at his father's place in Napa valley; here he remained until 1850, when he came to Sonoma county and settled in Santa Rosa valley. In that year he built the first redwood house 484 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. in the valley, near where the town of Sebastopol is now; in 1851 he, in company with Joseph Moi'gan Miller, opened the first merchandising store in this county, outside of the town of Sonoma, and the first postoffioe of the adjacent country was kept in the old house now standing, at the rear of his present dwelling in Analy township, Mr. Miller being the appointed post- master ; since that period he has been engaged in stock-raising and farming, and now owns a four thousand-acre tract of land, from which he derives a handsome yearly income. His portrait will be found in this work, also that of his ancle, Capt. Joseph R. Walker. BODEGA. Blume, Frederick Gustavus. The subject of this sketch, whose portrait appears in this history, was born in Bautzen, in the Kingdom of Saxony, on the 13th of June, 1815. His father's name was Frederick William Blume, and his mother's maiden name was Johanna Fibio-er, both natives of the above named place. His parents were very poor, and the young lad was glad to even have the advantages of the common schools. In that city there was an academy in which there was a fund set apart for the free education of twelve young nien whose ability in vocal music should entitle them to receive this benefit. They were furnished with books, and received also one dollar per week. Young Blume was blessed with such an excellent soprano voice that he was selected to fill this position in the acad- emy. The weekly stipend went far to relieve the pressing wants of his father's family. He entered this academy at the age of twelve and remained in it till he was sixteen years of age. After leaving this school he went to Hamburg, Germany, and became a student of pharmacy and surgery under Philip Hanptfleisch, Chief Surgeon of Hamburg. Here he remained and pursued his studies for the period of three years. He then returned to his native country and entered the Royal College in. the city of Dresden, remaining there three years, when in 1837 he graduated as a surgeon with high honors. He escaped service in the army owing to the fact that there was an unusual number of young surgeons ready to enter the service just at that time. He then set out to visit his uncle in the city of Hamburg. Upon his arrival at Hamburg he received a letter from an old college chum, stating that he HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 485 had shipped as surgeon on a South sea whaling vessel, but had fallen ill, and desired young Blume to go in his stead. After due deliberation he decided to accept the situation, and instead of returning to his parents, he has never since placed foot upon his native soil. On the 19th day of December, 1840, he sailed from the port of Bremerhaven on the whaling ship "Alexander Barclay," as surgeon, with the provision that he could take his discharge whenever he chose after the ship had secured a full cargo. After making the usual voyage to the north-west whaling grounds, the vessel returned to San Francisco bay to spend the winter, and on the 23d day of December, 1842, Mr. Blume first set foot on California soil, at Saucelito. The vessel remained here until the following March. As soon as it was known that a vessel was in port with a physician and surgeon on board, he was sent for to attend the sick on the ranches in all the surrounding countrj^, there being no resi- dent physician in the country at that time, except Dr. Sanders, who .some- times' vis'.ted California. During the season of 1843 the vessel made another cruise, and spent the following Winter at the Sandwich Islands. During the season of 1844 the vessel made another cruise, during which an incident occurred in which Mr. Blume came very near having his career of life sealed forever. He secured permission to go with the sailors to harpoon a whale, and upon approaching it and harpooning it, their boat was struck with one of the whale's fins and cru.shed, leaving its occupants at the mercy of the waves. Mr. Blume went down with the rest of the men, but on comins; to the surface he found himself close beside the whale, to which he tti^'d to cling to keep from sinking again. While trying to grasp hold of the whale another boat approached and a lance was hurled at the whale, which passed close to his head, and passed through the lower part of hi; right hand. He still bears the scar of that cut. The whale was killed and Mr. Blume was rescued from his perilous position. The vessel returned to the Sandwich Islands at the end of that season with a full cargo, and Mr. Blume took his discharge from therj. This was in August or September of 1844. He expected to engage in his profession on the Islands, but there being no field for it, he engaged, in mercantile business till the Spring of 1846. In May of that year he sailed on the English schooner "Currency Lass" for San Francisco. He shipped his stock of goo Is on the schooner also. He ai rived in San Francisco in May or June, 1846, and at once rented a room of Dr. , Jones, opposite the Portsmouth House on the plaza, and in five days had disposed of his entire stock of goods. On the return of the schooner to the Islands, he sailed on her. He procured another stock of goods, and returned to San Francisco in the American schooner " General Kearney,'' in October, 1846. He took this stock of goods to Sonoma city, and opened a store thfre in a building owned by Salvador Vallejo. He remained in business at this place till April 1, 1848, when he moved to the rancho Canada de Pogolome. He has since resided in the same house, situated on a slight eminence over- 486 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. looking the beautiful little town of Freestone. The town of Bloomfield was named in his honor, being located on the Pogolome grant owned by his wife. Mr. Blume was duly elected to the first Territorial Legislature of California, which met at San Jose in 1849, although he was not a citizen at that time. He was appointed postmaster at Freestone December 14, 1870, and has held the office continually since. He was elected Justice of the Peace in 1873, and has held the office ever since. He has held the office of School Trustee since 1871. He is a member of the San Francisco Pioneers^ and is one of the very few who are entitled to wear the golden bear upon his badge. When he first went upon his ranch he kept a small stock of goods for the supply of the local trade. One night in the winter of 1849, a band of Indians camped near his house return- ing with Mr. W. Bruitz from the mines. During the night he disposed of his entire stock of goods, receiving therefor eighteen pounds of gold dust equal to three thousand four hundred and fifty-six dollars. He disposed of one pair of red blankets to the chief for a nugget worth two hundred and eighty-seven dollars. Mr. Blume was married in Sonoma city in November, 1848, to Mrs. Maria Antonio Dawson, (nee Caseres) widow of James Daw- son. She is still living. They have had no children. Doran, William M. Born in Hardin count}', Tennessee, January 13, 1825. Here he received a common school education, and lived until seven- teen 3'ears of age when he proceeded to Fayette county, where he remained until the Fall of 1844, when he left his parents and settled in Wa,shington county, Mississippi, where he engaged in farming until 1849, when he started via New Orleans to Gorgons, and from here on foot across to Panama, a distance of twenty-two miles. After remaining here five weeks, he boarded tha sailing vessel "Kingston,'' and after a voyage of fifty -five days landed in San Francisco, March 2-5, 1850. From here he took passage on the steamer Eldorado for Sacramento, thence on foot with blankets on his back he pro- ceeded to Mud Springs in Placer county, a distance of forty-five miles — making the trip in two days. Here he mined with fair luck, and not wishing to pay thirty-two dollars per week for board he soon set up housekeeping for himself. Paid two hundred dollars for a barrel of pork, seventy-five cents per pound for flour, and everything else in proportion. He soon left this point and went to Eldorado county, remained three months, returned to Sacramento city, purchased teams and began teaming to Nevada city. In Fall of '50 he turned out his teams, and followed mining. In March 1851 he returned to Sacramento and found that twenty-five head of his horses and mules had been stolen. After disposing of the balance of his stock he returned to the mines, meeting with rather poor success, and about the first of Oct. returned to Sacramento, thence to Dry Creek, Amador county, near Volcano, and mined with good success until March, 1852, when he again returned to Sacramento, from here to Sierra county. On Dec. 20th he was on his way back to Sacramento. He found the city under water, and the HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 487 c;ty found him with only five dollars in his pocket. But having an eye to business, he hired a boat at ten dollars per day, and conveyed provisions to Sutter's fort, clearing forty dollars the first day. On the third day he started for the mines; and after mining, prospecting, etc., in many difierent places until July, 18-56, we find him in San Francisco where he took the steamer " Golden Age," bound for the home of his childhood. Here he remained until July 16, 18.57, when he returned to California via New Orleans. After mining in all the principal mines in this State and Idaho, in 1863 went to Montana where he was successful; after traveling and prospecting for some time, finally found a place where he took out ten thousand dollars in five weeks time. He then returned to San Francisco, and in June, 1864, purchased his present ranch on Bodega Bay which he now owns. Sep. 10, 1867, he returned east, and on Dec. 12, 1867, married in Hardin county, Tennessee, Sarah J. Hawk, she being born Oct. 12, 1843. He returned to this State in February and settled on his ranch. In July, 1872, he and wife visited the east, and returned in October. In 1877 he purchased a home at Bodega Corners and retired from the farm. Mr. D. has been flat broke five diflferent times, but being well charged with that spirit that will not down, has succeeded and his efforts crowned. He now owns not only his property in town, but a fine farm of six hundred and eighty acres under good improvements. They have three living children: William J., born Jan. 13, 1869; Josephine E., Oct. 16, 1870; George L., Jan. 15, 1877, and an infant child deceased. Douglass, Robert. A native of Hancock county, Maine, was born in November, 1822. His father was a ship carpenter, and Robert was brought up on die sea, serving his apprenticeship to the same trade under his father. On October 16, 1849, Robert sailed from Boston for California. Rounding Cape Horn, he arrived at San Francisco May 16, 1850. He remained in the city until his parents arrived, August 23d, the same year. They then went to Antioch, Contra Costa county, where they remained until the Fall of 1851, when they all came to this county and settled in Petaluma, beincr among the first who settled in the now prosperous city. Here the subject of this sketch followed his trade, building the first hotel in the city, where he resided until May 12, 1863, when he moved to Alpine county, where he engaged in mining for two years, when he returned to Petaluma, where he spent one Winter, and in the Spring he went to Sonoma, where he passed the Summer, and in the Fall moved to Bodega, where he followed his trade until 1866; when he commenced farming, which business he has followed ever since. In 1872 he settled on his present place, consisting of one hundred and sixty acres, located in Bodega township, about one mile north from Freestone. He married December 31, 1852, afc Petaluma, Miss Hannah Hathaway, a native of Washington county, Maine. This was the first wedding in the city of Petaluma. Their children are: Emma J., born Sep- 488 HISTOEY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. tember 14, 1856; William L., June 25, 1858; George W., March 9, 1860, They have lost two, Amelia and Heber G. Fowler, Stephen Cornell. Was born in Lakeville, Queens county. Long Island, on the 3d day of January, 1797. His ancestors were among the early settlers of the island, and came from England a hundred years prior to the Revolutionary war. His father served with the militia in the war of 1812, and took part in the defense of the city of New York and vicinity. He was married to Martha Fowler on the 28th daj' of December. 1819, who died on the 25th day of November following, leaving a child six weeks old, named Martha Ann Fowler, who died on the 28th day of December, 1828. He married Rebecca Lawrence, December 31, 1821, who still survives. She was the eldest daughter of Whitehead Lawrence, who was also descended from one of the early settlers of Long Island, and counted among his ancestors the Lawrence who first settled that portion of Long Island long known as " Lawrence's Neck," now called College Point. The fruit of this marriage were ten children: Mary Fowler, born October 12, 1822, died April 19, 1823; Stephen Lawrence Fowler, born January 31, 1825, died at Valley Ford, Calitornia, March 4, 1868; Cornelia Wykoif Fowler, born December 7, 1826; James Edgar Fowler, born December 28, 1828; Benjamin Fowler, born May 25, 1832, died June 14, 1833; Whitehead Fowler, born May 5, 1834; Sarah Ann Fowler, born February 14, 1837; John Henry Fowler, born September 14, 1839; Benjamin Fowler, born December 17, 1841; Nathaniel Darling Fowler, born October 15, 1845. The two eldest sons, Stephen and James, were among the first who left New York for California when the news of the discovery of gold in the country reached there. They took pas5aa;e on the ship "Brooklyn," which sailed from that port on the 12th day of January, 1849, and arrived in San Francisco August 12, 1849. Cornelia and Whitehead soon followed. The subject of this sketch embarked with his wife and the remaining portion of his family — Sarah, John, Benjamin and Nathaniel — on board the clipper-ship " Lookout," Captain John G. Joice, and sailed from New York on the 28th day of December for San Francisco, via Cape Horn, which port they entered safely, without encountering any serious mishap, on the 6th day of May, 1854, and on the 12th of May succeeding came, per steamer "Reindeer," to Petaluma, thence by ox-team to where the town of Valley Ford now stands. There he remained till the day of his death, a period of nearly twentv-five years, and there his widoAV still lives. At his home in Valley Ford, in December, 1871, was celebrated their golden wedding. He was always a lover of his adopted State, an enthusiastic admirer of her climate, and a firm believer in her destined greatness. Particularly was he attached to Sonoma county, and often declared, that if the finest residence in New York city was tendered to him a free gift if he would return and live there, he would not accept it. He took a lively interest in all that pertained to the welfare and L ^^ jV ^/^^-uUr-T^^.-^ HISTOKT OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 489 prosperity of the State, and willingly assisted to the extent of his means in aiding every enterprise in the community in which he lived, that seemed to him to have for its object the promotion of the public good. The Rev. Thomas Fraser, synodical missionary, thus speaks of him in the Occident of January 1, 1879: "Your fathers, where are they? and the prophets, do they live forever ? He whose death was briefly noticed in a recent issue of the Occident, was one whom I dearly loved, the father of a large and most estimable family, and truly a father in Israel. My acquaintance with him commenced in the Spring of 1860, when he showed himself, as ever after to the day of his death, a humble, sincere and consistent Christian. Thor- oughly attached to the Presbyterian church, he loved all good people, and w^s loved and respected by all who knew him. As a man, he was kind, .iust and true. As a Christian, he had remarkably clear perceptions of divine truth, with strong and positive convictions. His religious feelings were exceedingly warm, easily excited and not easily controlled. For this reason he seldom undertook to lead the devotions of others. As a friend of religion and supporter and officer of the church which he loved, all knew where Father Fowler stood. He was one of the original members and elders of the first Presbyterian church founded in his section of the country. As the work grew and it became necessary to organize another church, he was a membar and elder of that till he died. During many years missionary work in Sonoma county, he was my warm and steadfast friend. In his last sickness, which was extremely painful and protracted, he waited patiently, with childlike trust in his Saviour, for the relief which death only could afford. Hls last words to me were: 'I am waitinof for Christ to take me to Himself; you will soon hear that I am at home.'" He died just before midnight on the 27th day of November, 1878, at the advanced age of eighty-one years, ten months and twenty-four days, and was buried in the cemetery in Bloomfield. His life was a worthy example of patience, industry, sobriety, humility and brotherly love. Fowler, James Edgar. The subject of this sketch is the son of Stephen C. and Rebaeca Fowler, and was born in New York City, December 28, 1828, where he spent the most of his youth in acquiring such an education as was to be had in the public schools, until called upon to face the stern realities of life. His father being a builder and contractor, James chose the trade of a carpenter, though not exactly to his taste. He has often remarked how fortunate this was, as the practical ideas then acquired have been valuable all through life. On the receipt of the first news of the discovery of gold in California, he decided at once to go. With his elder brother Stephen, they sailed from New York January 12, 1849, in the old ship "Brooklyn," a vessel of four hundred and fifty tons, to double Cape Horn, with two hundred and five .souls on board. With the usual, monotony of a four months voyage they reached the far-fam id island o^ Juan Feruaadez, visited the cave in which 490 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. Alexander Selkirk spent four years, and formed the basis of the celebrated history of Robinson Crusoe. Sixty days out from the island found the ship a long way west of San Francisco, all hands on short allowance of water, and nearly every one affected with scurvy. After narrowly escaping ship- wreck at the mouth of the Garcia river, they arrived in San Francisco August 12th, having spent seven months in dreaming of the wonderful Dorado they were about to visit. He pitched his tent in Pleasant valley, San Francisco, where the Oriental block now stands, found work at his trade at twelve dollars per day, but soon discovered that contracting was more profitable. In company with his brother Stephen, they erected several frame buildings in the vicinity of Clay and Montgomery streets, and also assisted in laying the foundation for the first brick building erected in San Francisccf As the oldest inhabitants predicted a hard winter, the Fowlers concluded to go to the mountains and build them a cabin. Taking passage on board the schooner "John Danlap" for Sacramento, which place they reached after six days, and, in company with several others, they charter a team for Dry Town, Amador county, where they engaged in mining successfully until the first great fire occurred in San Francisco. With a prospect for fat contracts they decided to abandon canal-digging and return to San Francisco. Taking their blankets on their backs, wading through adobe, and fording streams, they reach Sacramento just in time to witness the first overflow, but left immediately on the steamer " McKinne," passage twenty-five dollars. On arriving in San Francisco they found the burnt district rebuilt, the city being overrun with mechanics; but put up a few small buildings for Sam Brannan to prevent squatters from jumping his lots. About FebruaTy 1, 1850, took passage on the schooner " Eclipse " for Marysville, spent a month in getting up the river, and was engaged for awhile making quicksilver machines for saving the fine gold on the lower Yuba. Becoming interested in the city of Plumas, first laid out by Captain Sutter and G. H. Beach, and thinking it might be the head of navigation in a low stage of the water, removed there and continued work at his trade. June 1st, packed his mule and started in search of the gold lake, and spent the summer in mining in Downieville- Returned to Plumas in the Fall and was taken down with the fever and ague. The Spring of 1851 found him at Bodega raising potatoes. In the Summer of 1852, he bought the land on which Valley Ford now stands, where he has made liis home ever since. He has experienced the same turns in the wheel of fortune with most other California farmers. In the Fall of 1855, in com- pany with George F. Stanley, he opened the pioneer restaurant and bakery in Peta'uma. The Summer of 1857 he spent in the East, where he was married to Charlotte E., daughter of Jacob and Sarah Palmer, of Morris county. New Jersey; since which time he has been engaged in farming, mer- chandising, teaming and lumbering, keeping steadily in view the building up of his pet town, Valley Ford, of which he has been called the father. Mr. HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 491 Fowler, during his residence in Sonoma county, has taken a leading part in bringing railroad communication into his part of the district, and has in many other ways proved his true value as a good and worthy citizen. Fowler, John Henry. The seventh child of Stephen Cornell Fowler and Rebecca Lawrence Fowler; was born at Little Neck, Long Island, on the 14th day of September, 1839. He came to California when he was fourteen years old, in company with his parents, who sailed from New York in the clipper ship " Lookout " on the 28th day of December, 1853, for San Francisco via Cape Horn. Arrived in San Francisco May 6, 1854, and immediately joined his brothers in Sonoma county, and has ever since resided in the locality where he first settled, now known as Valley Ford. He opened the first general merchandise business in said town. Married Sarah Ann Frisbie, the daughter of Zadoc and Chloe Frisbie, of Rutland county, Vermont, on the 1st day of June, 1864. His wife was born in the town of Pawlet, Rutland county, Vermont, on the 25th day of July, 1843, and came to California via Panama, arriving in San Francisco in September, 1803. Four children have been born to them, namely: Irene Frisbie Fowler, bom June 4,1870; Cornelia Willoughby Fowler, born June 20, 1873; Rebecca Lawrence Fowler, born March 29, 1875 ; Stephen Cornell Fowler, born August 12, 1876. All of whom were born at Valley Ford. Howard, William. This pioneer, whose portrait appears in this work, was born on the island of Bornholm, in the Baltic Sea, October 23, 1823. He received a limited education in the common schools of Lis country in his early youth. He began his career as a sailor at tlie age of thirteen, on board the Danish brig " Cecilia," then engaged in seal fishing on the coast of Greenland. One voyage, though a successful one, cured him of all longings he may have entertained for this kind of adventure. Shortly after hia return, he shipped on board the Danish bark " Concordia," at Copenhagen, bound for a whaling cruise in the north-western sea. The voyage consumed about two years. At the age of sixteen Mr. Howard engaged as a seaman on board an American ship at Elsinor, bound for Boston, United States. They touched at Turks Island, where they found the American brig " Nor- man," from the coast of Africa, homeward bound, in distress, having lost all her crew, of African fever, the captain and mate being the only survivors. Mr. Howard volunteered to assist in working the brig to New York. They sailed from Turks Island with a crew consisting of five, all told. The cap- tain (who was convalescent from the fever), the mate, Mr. Howard, and two negroes, one employed as cook, by almost superhuman eiforts, this small crew managed .to sight the Sandy Hook lights, where they received on board a pilot. Before reaching New York harbor they encountered a heavy north- wester that drove them out to sea; they were driven about for four days- A little before daylight of the fifth day of the storm the brig went ashore 492 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. on Barnegat. The day previous to their going ashore one of the negroes died from exposure. Mr. Howard sewed his remains up in canvass, prepara- tory to consigning them to a watery grave. When the vessel struck they found they were on a sandy coast. The pilot and captain went ashore in the " dingy,'' the mate and Mr. Howard commenced preparing to follow in the long-boat. While gathering the ship's papers and instruments the surf, which was constantly increasing, lifted the stern of the long-boat from the davits. This mishap rendered it necessary to jump in and cut loose the bow at once. They had hardly cleared the brig when their boat was swamped. This was the last that Mr. Howard knew until he found himself under the shelter of the long-boat, where he had been placed by the mate, who had rescued him from the surf. That evening they were visited by a wrecker, who conducted them to his shanty, where they were provided with such comforts as the place afforded. The mate and Mr. Howard returned to the vessel as soon as the storm had subsided sufficient to permit of their again venturing into the surf, and brought off the surviving negro, whom they were compelled to leave, also the corpse they had prepared to bury at sea. With the assistance of wreckers, the brig was lightened and woiked off the sand. Mr. Howard, in company with the mate, returned to the shore to collect such articles as they had left, and while thus engaged the brig was taken in tow by a tug, sent out for that purpose, leaving them on shore. Several days after they boarded a coaster bound for New York, but were again driven out to sea by adverse winds; they finally succeeded in reaching Staten. Island. Over-exertion and exposure proved too much for Mr. How- ard. On reaching Staten Island he was taken down with lung fever, and went to the sailors' hospital. Not being favorably impressed with the management of the hospital he I'emained but two days; by representing himself much improved, he gained assent to his leaving, and went imme- diately to New York. He barely reached the city when he lost conscious- ness, and was conveyed to the city hospital, where his life was for a long time dispaired of, bat his constitution proved equal to. the strain, and brought him through. On recovering strength he entered the United States service, on board the receiving ship " North Carolina." He was transferred to the sloop-of-war " Preble," in 1844, then under orders to proceed to the African coast. Immediately on their arrival in African waters they were ordered up the river Besow to protect a Portuguese settlement from the natives. On reaching the settlement they found there was not sufficient sea-room for working the vessel. The guns of the " Preble'' were transferred to an old hull lying in the river. This proved a disastrous move , for the crew of the " Preble." But a day or two had elapsed when Mr. Hovvard and one other man were taken down with unmistakeable sj^mptoms of African fever. The surgeon ordered the sloop to vacate the river immediately. They sailed for t'le Cape de Verde Islands. Before reaching there between HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 493 eighty and ninety of the officers and crew were taken down. Nearly twenty fell victims to the teriible disease, and as many more were sent home invalids. Mr. Howard in this case owed his life to the fact of being among the first to contract the disease, thereby receiving "lore favorable attention than could have been given a ew days later. At ue expiration of his term of service he returned and re-entered the naval service, being assigned to the frigate " Columbia," bound for the Brazilian station. This proved a rather uneventful cruise. He was in Rio de Janeiro at the time of the arrest of two American officers and two sailors for a trivial offense. Through the intercession of Minister Wise all were soon released, but one seaman, who was kept in prison until the " Columbia " returned from a cruise to Buenos Ayres. On entering the port Mr. Wise ordered the " Columbia" to double-shot her guns aud haul up within easy range of the town. This demonstration, taken in connection with a notice to release the American or prepare to receive the fire of the " Columbia," had the desired result, and the man was soon at liberty. This occurring just previous to the christening of Don Pedro the First, the American vessels were the only ones in port that refu,sed to dress ship in honor of the event. Mr. Wise also declined to illuminate. These events, taken in connection with the Minister's remarks at the time of the christening (on board the " Columbia " of the daughter of a veteran of Palo Alta (born at sea), to whom Minister Wise stood godfather, that " he would rather stand godfather to an American soldier's child than to Don Pedro," resulted in Mr. Wise being called home. He took passage in the " Columbia." An idea maybe formed of the impres- sion Mr. Wise had made upon the crew of the " Columbia" by his course in Brazil, and his gentlemanly bearing while an honored passenger on board the " Columbia" frigate, when it is stated that the crew, who were ordered aloft to cheer when he went ashore at Norfolk, not only cheered with good- will, but refused to desist when ordered, and even went so far in their endeavor to demonstrate their esteem for the gentleman that they threw their hats after him, thereby laying themselves liable to chastisement for violation of orders. On reaching Norfolk Mr. Howard re-enlisted on board the sloop-of-war "St. Mary's," bound for the Pacific station. They anchored at Monterey, in 1848; from there they sailed to San Francisco bay, where the vessel remained until Mr. Howard quit the service. On leaving the navy he followed the course of all seekers after fortune or adven- ture at that particular time, and went immediately to the gold mines of California. He followed mining for two Summers on Beaver creek and in Hangtown canon, spending the Winter in Sonoma county. He was moderately successful in mming, but lost all he had accumulated in a cattle speculation. In 1850 Mr. Howard, in company with Charles Roamer (a countryman of his) settled on Government land, where he now resides. The two partners carried on the ranch, keeping bachelor quarters 494 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOENIA. up to the year 1855, when Mr. Howard found in a young lady (Miss Caroline Kolmer) a more congenial partner. Mr. Howard and Miss Kol- mer were married at the residence of Alexander Duncan at Salt Point, October 5, 1855. Mrs. Howard was born in North Carolina, December 31, 1838. She, with her parents, came to California in 1846. They .spent the first Winter at Sutter's Fort, near Sacramento; the following season went to Fort Ross; afterwards settled in Kolmer valley. In 1851 they moved to Timber Cove, where they resided at the time Mr. and Mrs. Howard were married. On assuming his new relations he bought out his partner, who returned to Denmark. Mr. and Mrs. Howard have had the satisfaction of seeing the wilderness in which they commenced life together gradually set- tled and improved until a railroad passes through their farm, and a station, around which quite a village has sprung, bsars Mr. Howard's name. They have been blessed with nine children, all living, and who still reside with them. The following is a list of the children, with the dates of their birth: Elizabeth, born December 10, 1857; Charles, born April 13, 1859; Theo- dore, born July 11, 18C1; Amelia, born May 31, 1863; Clara, born July 12, 1865; William, born January 24, 1868; Annie, born September 20, 1870; Emma, born December 31, 1873; Alfred, born December 21. 1877. McCrea, John W. Born in the north of Ireland in the year 1831, and there received his early education. At the age of seventeen years he paid a three-years' visit to Scotland, at the end of which he emigrated to America. After residing for nearly three years in Connecticut Mr. McCrea came to California, by way of Panama, and arrived at San Francisco, April 2, 1854. Here, for six months, he was employed in a brick-yard, and afterwards, for a short time, as a day laborer in Marin county, and at the expiration of which he proceeded to and settled in Sonoma county. In May, 1872, he left for a visit to the "Old Country," returning in September, 1S75. He now resides in Bodega, having retired from business. Mr. McCrsa married April 6, 1876, Maggie L. Menary, a native of Ireland, by whon he has two children, Annie Bella and John Wesley. Meeker, Melvin Cyrus. This person was born in 1841, in the county of Essex, New Jersey, and married February 19, 1868, Miss Flavia Sayre, formerly of Rochester, N. Y., who was born at Springfield, Essex county, N. J., in the year 1843, and by whom he has been blessed with seven children — four only of whom survive to cherish his advancing years, namely: Melvin C. Jr., Robert T., Alexander H., and Effie M. Although yet a young man in years, he has had to pass through many and varied vicissitudes of life, such as few without his indomitable pluck and energy could pass with- out succumbing. A few of these incidents it will be the purpose of this sketch to detail. At the early age of eleven years, young Melvin went to work as errand-boy in a grist-mill at Milltown; one year later we find him HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 495 engaged in a hat factory at Millburn where he stayed a year; thence he managed to find work in a paper mill at Millburn where he continued assiduously employed for a period of three years, during which time he thoroughly mastered the business, so as to be trusted as foreman for the whole management of the old " Fandango Paper Mill's" business. Being an ambitious lad " of many parts," young Melvin now turned his attention to the carpenter trade, and at sixteen years went with his father to Millburn, N. J., to acquire that art. During three years trial, he showed remarkable profi- ciency, not only in the mechanical branch of the work, but also in the designing and architectural branches. Appreciating his inventive tilent and genius.his lather then sent him to Elizibeth City, where, under the tuition of an English building contractor, w^hose business was mainly restricted to the erection of fine residences, his native talents might be educated and improved. Here he became a skillful student of the compound arts of sash-door, blind and scroll-sawing, sticking, molding and ornamental trimming work. When twenty years old, in 1861, he came to California as the guardian and escort of a sister, then engaged to be married to a gentleman already here. Arriv- ing at Valley Ford, Sonoma county, on the 2J of January, 1862, and being in debt some two hundred dollars for his passage fare, Melvin contracted to do six months' work carpentering to cancel the debt. Filling this contract faithfully, he then hired out at a monthly wage of sixty dollars and board, but served only two months, when he went to Tomales, Marin county, and started business on his own account. Work soon poured in upon him so as to require the employment of a number of journeymen carpenters, and in the Winter of 1863-4 he took his brother (A. P. Meeker) into partnership, selling him a half interest in the business, and continued therein until December 1864, when he sold out to his father and brother. He had by that time realized about thirty-four hundred dollars, which he took East to purchase machinery for starting a sash, door, blind and planing mill in Petaluma. Having done so, he sailed for California on the ill-fated steam- ship " Golden Rule," in May 1865, which vessel was wrecked on Bancadora Reef, and became a total loss. Despite his financial loss, Mr. Meeker main- tained his manly strength of purpose. Most of the machinery purchased had been shipped via Cape Horn, and on his ultimate return it was found to be safe. Returning to Valley Ford late in July that year, he borrowed a few tools and went to work as carpenter to earn money to pay the ship freightage on the machinery — a part came late in the fall — one of the vessels having sprung a leak, and being obliged to put into Rio de Janeiro for repairs, causing a delay on the part of a portion of the shipment until the next Summer. In December, 1865, Mr. Meeker hired out to work in a saw- mill, and during that Winter acquired a good knowledge of the general saw- milling business. In February, 1866, he bought a timber claim on Govern- ment lands, and in the March succeeding, a second tract; he went directly to 496 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. work felling timber, hewing and framing it for a saw-mill; set the machinery ready for work ; and steamed up on the twenty-sixth day from the time of felling the first tree. Here ensued another misfortune. The boiler broke open, and became a total loss. Meeker replaced it the following week, and started again; but soon found the engine too light, and had to replace it with a new one in June. In fact, he had to keep putting in new machinery all Summer. At the close of the season he had sawed about five hundred thousand feet of lumber, and run in debt about three thousand dollars. During the winter he thoroughly overhauled the mill, and in the spring of 1867 started again and began to prosper. In the Winter of 1867-68 he was able to put in a large engine with new boilers, and also to build a half-mile railroad track for logging purpose;. On starting the mill again he found o\e boiler woi'thless, and liad to procure another, on arrangement of which hti began at're.sh, still being under a heavy burden of debt. Now everything worked to a charm, and business so prospered that he took his brother again into partnership, selling him a one-third interest in July. In the Spring of 1869 Mr. Meeker bought his present homestead place, and began the election of a family residence. It was completed, and mostly furnished, when a (ire consumed it, costing him a loss of about nine thousand dollars. Not yet disheartened, he got a little furniture and domiciled in the barn for a time, living there some three and a half years in spite of fate. During all this time the mill was in active operation, turning out the longest sawed lumber in the county. In August 1875 he began the erection of another dwelling, finished one story complete, and is at present writing continuing the work. The company of which he is the head owns two mills, with about one hundred million feet of standing timber on Russian river, and is doing a lucrative business. As a remaikable matter, we may state that no accidents endangering life or limb have ever happened at the mills whereof Mr. Meeker is the chief; so great has been his care, and so solid and perfect is the masonry and machinery, that such accidents are well-nigh impossible. To those versed in such matters it may be sufficient to state, as to the capacity of the mills, that they carry double circular saws — the top one fifty-eight inches in diameter, and the bottom one sixty inches, with all kinds of tools and machinery for turning out picket heads, and all sorts of ornamental scroll work, festooning, etc. They are able to turn out about fifteen thousand feet of lumber a day in gross, when employing twenty men; in this season, being short-handed down to twelve men, they have turned out but about eight thousand feet per day. The town of Occidental owns its foundation and name to Mr. Meeker, who, in conjunction with Rev. A- M. Wining and A. S. Purrine, established its present site for a church, acting as a committee of the Green Valley M. E. Society — Mr. Meeker donating the lot. The M. E. Conference saw the expediency, and when the clmrch was built, on the proposed line of the North Pacific Coast Railroad they HISTOEY OF SONOMA COUNTY, dALIFOENIA. 497 segregated a portion of the surrounding country into a new circuit, making Occidental head the list of pastorates. A postoffice was soon on petition located there, and a voting precinct established, and the town already pre- sents goodly proportions. It may be observed that Mr. Meeker having 'come to the fullness of his strength" as master builder, designer, and executor of his ideas, has formed and is faithfully carrying out certain funda- mental rules in architectural matters which maybe briefly summarized thus: There is no style of architecture known better adapted for country residences than the Italian. It admits of rectilinear forms for the main parts of the building, and of curvilinear for the embellishment of doors, windows, and cornices. The turret and square tower are both peculiar to structures of this style; and no feature can be introduced with more advantage for archi- tectural variety. • For convenience of internal arrangements, dwellings must be made to approximate toward a cubical form. The modern Italian, being based upon the more ancient Romanesque, Mr. Meeker has wisely, and with a view to furnishing a tout ensemble both bold and pleasing to the eye, sought to combine in his artistic dealings with the unsightly material he starts with, by plane, chisel, hammer, and naUs, to present to the sight the full projections and expressive posts and entablatures that so delight the eye of the visitor to Rome or Verona. Mr. Meeker's portrait appears in this work in its appropriate place. None can fail to see, glancing from every lineament, his motto in life — " Never give up, but ' run with patience the race set before you.' " He is trying to lead a Christian life, and says that he has tasted and found the Lord is good, tried and proved him that in every time of trouble and misfortune Jesus has never forsaken him. If God be for us, who can be against us ? Purrine A. S. Was bom in Butler county, Ohio, Jannary 9, 1817. When quite young his parents took him to Union county, Indiana, but when the subject of this sketch was twelve years of age, they returned to Butler county, Ohio, and after residing there for a few year.s, once more went back to Indiana and settled at La Fayette. At this time, he whose name appears at the head of this notice left his father and mother and ■engaged in farming in Mercer county, Illinois, continuing thereat until 1849, in which year he emigrated to California, making the journey by way of the plains, and arrived at Steep Hollow, Nevada county, on August 11th of that year. Purrine now prosecuted mining until February 1852, when he returned to Illinois by way of Panama, and in the following year returned to the State via the plains, bringing with him his wife and five daughters, arriving at Stockton in September, 1853. In October, 1854, he removed to Sonoma county, and after a stay of about six weeks in Petaluma, settled on his present farm of one hundred and seventy acres, located about one mile south from Freestone. Mr. Purrine married April 7, 1839, Sarah Jenkins, a native of Kentucky, by whom he has four living children, Louisa, Amelia, Rebecca and Sarah. Three are deceased. 32 498 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. CLOVERDALE. Hoadley, James F. A native of Windsor county, Vermont, born August 16, 1831, where he was educated, and resided until nineteen years of age, when he moved to Erie county, Pennsylvania, and remained about two years. November 3, 1852, he was married to Carrie C. Appleby, of Spring- field, Erie county, Pennsylvania, and moved to Jefferson county, Wisconsin, where he remained until the Spring of 1853. He then set out for Califor- nia. Crossing the plains he arrived in Shasta county, October 6th of the same year. Remaining here a short time, he settled in the town of Lewiston, Trinity county, where he established a trading post, and packed his goods from Shasta over Trinity mountain on mules until 1858, then he closed that out and built a saw mill and carried on a small farm, and in the Summer of I860 helped to build a toll road from the Tower House in Shasta county to Lewiston. After about two years he became the owner of the toll road and then completed it to Weaverville in Trinity county. While here he held the office of Supervisor two terms, and that of Justice of the Peace one term ; was postmaster four years. In the Fall of 1872, he sold out his interest here and came to this county, settling in Cloverdale, where he formed a co-partner- ship with Isaac E. Shaw in a general hardware and grocery store, which lasted until January 1875, when he withdrew from the firm and made a trip to his native State, leaving June 13th and returning the following Sep- tember. He then purchased the lumber yard of Leander Shores, which business he has continued ever since. In 1876 he built the Centennial warehouse at Cloverdale, since which time he has added and carried on a forwarding and commission bu.siness. Elias A. , Harriet M., James F., Ida L. and George H. are the names of their children. Kleiser, J. A. Whose portrait appears in this work, was born in Bour- bon county, Kentucky, July 7, 1818. When sixteen years of age, he moved with his mother and two brothers (his father being dead) to Montgomery county, Indiana. In August, 1839, he married Miss Nancy Brush, and in 1841, we find him in La Fayette, in the same State, where he worked at car- pentering until 1849, when he emigrated to California, leaving his wife in Indiana. He arrived at Sacramento August 14th, and immediately com- menced mining on the Mokelumne river, at Winter's Bar, where he remained mining and trading until November, 1850; he then returned to Indiana via Panama. In 1853, he again crossed the plains, bringing his wife with him. On his arrival he settled at Humboldt bay, where he engaged in merchandis- HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 499 ing, which he pursued for two years. He then went to Hoopa valley, on lower Trinity river, Klamath county, where he erected a flouring-mill, which he conducted in conjunction with a farm containing one hundred and sixty acres, until 1859, when he came to this county, and settled upon his present estate, part of which comprises the present site of Cloverdale. In this county he has been engaged in railroad construction, and the location and construc- tion of the Cloverdale and Geyser Springs toll road, as well as the Squaw creek toll road to Lake county. Mr. Kleiser married his second wife. Miss Lizzie Unverfate, March 18, 1869, by whom he has two children, George W. and James H. KNIGHTS VALLEY. Holmes, Calvin H. The subject of this sketch was bom near Hunt- ington, Carroll county, Tennessee, on December 16, 1825. Here he received his education until twelve years of age, when he moved with his parents to Benton county, Arkansas, and there finished his schooling. On April 17, 1849, he started for California with an ox-team, there being one hundred and ten wagons in the train, and made over twelve hundred miles of their road on the 8th of November of the same year, arriving a^ Lawson's ranch> on the Sacramento river, from which place he proceeded to the mines on Feather river, there remaining during that Winter and the following Spring. From this locality he went to the mines on the Yuba, arriving there during the Summer of 1850, a portion of which he employed in running a pack- train from Marysville to Stake Range, on the Yuba. This turning out a profitable investment, he commenced business as a cattle-raiser, drover and sheep-raiser, which he has since followed. In the Fall of 1850, in partner- ship with his brother Henderson P., Mr. Holmes located a ranch near Marys- ville, on the Horn Cut, which he sold at the end of one year, when he returned to Arkansas, by way of Havana and New Orleans, returning to California in 1852, bringing with him a drove of cattle across the plains. On October 1st of this year he located near Santa Rosa, in this county, on the farm now occupied by his brother, Henderson P. Holmes. Still retaining this property, the brothers proceeded to Texas in 1853, and there purchasing cattle, drove them across in the following year to Santa Rosa. From 1854 to 1861 Mr. Holmes was principally employed in stock-raising, and for two years of this period was in the wholesale slaughtering business in San "500 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. Francisco. In 1861 he located in Knight's valley, on his present splendid property, which comprises two thousand five hundred acres of the finest land in the county. Last year, 1878, he erected his present elegant and commodious mansion, near the Calistoga road to the Geysers. Mr. Holmes married, March 16, 1854, in Collins county, Texas, Miss Ella E. Hufiman, of Shelbyville, Kentucky, by whom he has: Kate H., born January 14, 1855; William F., born September 10, 1858, and Edward M., born January 31, 1862. MENDOCINO. Allen, W. T. Was born in Shawneetown, Gallatin county, Illinois, Juno 21, 1818. When about ten months old his father died, and the remainder of the family, comprising W. T., his mother and a sister, soon moved to Ken- tucky, where his mother married. In the Fall of 1831, the subject of this sketch took up his abode in La Fayetts county, Missouri, where he remained until August, 1849, when he started for Califoi-nia across the plains with a mule train. On arriving he engaged in mining in Nevada county, where he sojourned about eight months. He then came to this county and lived on a farm about six miles south of Healdsburg, with his uncle, Joseph Gordon, and engaged in farming one year. He then engaged in farming with Lindsay darson, (a brother to the noted Kit Carson.) and made a kiln of fifty thou- sand bricks, probably the first bricks made in Sonoma county. He left Mr. Carson in January, 1853. He was a soldier in Colonel Doniphan's regiment in the Mexican war, and was present at the battles of Brazeto and Sacra- mento. Was Justice of the Peace in Mendocino township in 1855, and a member of the Board of Supervisors of Sonoma county in 1856-57, when he located on his present ranch, comprising one hundred and fifty-eight acres situated on Dry creek. He married, April 26, 1853, Miss Jane Capell; she was born February 18, 1824, and died February 17, 1873. By this union they have had four children, three of whom are living : Joseph B., born Feb- ruary 27, 1854, and died June 5, 1855; Elizabeth M., born March 22. 1855; Mary J., born January 7, 1857; George R., born April 6, 1860. For his second wife he married Mrs. Lucinda Rackliff", September 19, 1878. She was born April 21, 1832. Bice, Cornelius (deceased). Bom in Shelby county, Kentucky, Feb- ruary 27, 1816. In 1833 he, with his parents, moved to Jefierson county, Indiana, where he resided until 1849, when he took up his residence ini HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 501 Jackson county, Missouri. In 1853 they settled on what is now called the Ha&sett's ranch, and remained there until 1863, when they were dispossessed by the authorities for being on land that was claimed by the Fitch Grant, house burned, and all their property destroyed, without any warning, not even allowing them time to move their goods out of their house. They then moved to Healdsburg, near the plaza, and lived four years, until 1867, when they moved to the " Mill Creek " farm, where they have lived ever since- In 1853 he emigrated to California, crossing the plains with ox-teams, and came direct to this county, and settled upon land within the city limits of Healdsburg, where he remained until 1865, when he moved to his present ranch of one hundred and sixty-six acres, located on Mill creek, about three miles from Healdsburg. He also has a farm in Mendocino county, com- prising two hundred and sixty-five acres. Ho married Miss Mary J. Koger March 1, 1846. She was born in Patrick county, Virginia, June 5, 1827, Their children are: John W., Martha E., Matilda E., Louvenia, Samuel C, Sarah A., Charles A., Isaac E., Mary F., and Fred. C. Bice died at his home on Mill creek, with dropsy of the heart, July 17, 1879, aged sixty-three years, leaving a wife and ten children. The children are all married, except four, who are still at home with their mother. Biddle, Edwin Weber. Was born in Springfield, Illinois, August 11, 1849, and crossed the plains with his parents, Benjamin Robert and Maria Biddle, in 1852, who settled in Salem, Oregon. In the Spring of 1853 they moved to Corvallis, Benton county, where they lived for twenty-two years, engaged in business. Edwin was sent to the Pacific University College. Forest Grove, Washington county, Oregon, where he remained two years. On returning home, he took the place of clerk in his father's drug store. In 1869 he came to San Francisco, California, and entered upon the study of dentistry with Dr. S. H. Roberts. He .served two years, and then returned to Corvallis, opened an ofiice and practiced his profession until the- Fall of 1874, when he sold his office fixtures and business and returned to California. In December, 1874, he opened an office in Healdsburg, Sonoma county, California. June 13, 1875, he married Delora Belle Allen, of San Francisco, the daughter of General James M. Allen. He remained in Healds- burg until February, 1877. Returned to San Francisco and bought one- half interest in the practice of Dr. S. H. Roberts, his preceptor. His health failing him, he sold his interest in December of the same year, and on January 9, 1878, started for Arizona Territory. While there he secured interest in mines, and during the Winter of 1878 and the Spring of 1879 erected a five-stamp quartz-mill. After completing the mill he returned to Healdsburg, where he is now following his profession, awaiting the develop- ment of his mining interests. Bisliop, T. C. Among .the representative men and early settlers of Sonoma county, the subject of this sketch ranks prominent. Mr. Bishop 502 HISTOBT OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOENIA. was born in Carter county, Tennessee, June 12, 1830. In 1851, he removed to Iowa, and three months later settled in Jackson county, Missouri, where he resided till the Spring of 1862, when he started for the Golden State. He arrived in^Cahfornia in the Fall of 1852, first settling at Diamond Springs, Placer 'county; subsequently he removed to Sacramento, arriving there just after the great fire of '52, and was also there during the flood of 1852-3. In February, 1853, he left Sacramento for the town of Sonoma, in Sonoma county, where he^resided until the Fall of that year, working at his trade — carpentering. That Fall he went to Tuolumne county and engaged in mining till the Spring following, when he returned to Sonoma and resumed work at his trade. In the Fall of 1854, he was appointed Deputy Sheriff of Mendocino county and commissioned to take charge of the Big River Saw- mills, under attachment. In the Spiing of 1855, he again returned to Sonoma, and was married May 3, 1855, to Miss Eliza Smith. Mr. Bishop bought a farm that year, raised two crops, sold the place in 1857 and settled in Petaluma. In May, 1858, he left Petaluma for the northern part of Sonoma county, going into the mountains and locating what is now known as the Rock Pile Ranch. He remained there for seven years and engaged in cattle raising, when he sold his ranch and bought a farm at the head of Dry Creek valley. In 1865, he sold his farm and removed again to the moun- tains, settling on the ranch where he now resides, and which he obtained by purchase. His wife died in April, 1870; she was the mother of six children, viz.: John D., Grace Adalia, Henry, Mary, Annie and Jane. In November, 1872, he was married to Mrs. Mary Burtenshaw, by whom he has one child, Flora. Mr. Bishop's ranch is one of the best in Sonoma county and devotea all of his attention to raising sheep. He is one of the most widely-known and popular citizens of the county, being justly celebrated for his over- flowing hospitality — for of him it may truly be said that " the latch-string always hangs out." In the section where he lives he has been ever active in promoting the general welfare, and owing to his influence and exertion the otherwise isolated region of his home is blessed with a public school and made accessible by a public highway. During Mr. Bishop's long residence in Sonoma county he has attended, as a delegate, all but three of his party's conventions, though never having sought nor consented to receive an office — an instance of his public spirit and zeal in matters that interest him. Bledsoe, The Hon. A. G. The subject of this memoir„whose portrait appears in this work, was born in Sumner county, Tennessee, on June 17 1813. After receiving hjs primary education in private schools, he was sent to the Rural Academy in his native county. The following two years he was engaged as clerk in a store, then enlisted in the United States army, serving six months, when he was honorably discharged, and then commenced the study of law, and was a close student for two years. In 1838 he wa3 appointed Clerk of the (Sumner, Tennessee) County Court, holding this HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 503 position for two years ; tben moved to La Fayette county, Missouri, and engaged in mercantile pursuits. He left this place in 1849 and crossed the plains to California with ox-teams. He stopped in El Dorado county and engaged in mining till July, 1851, then returned to Missouri, but again started for this State on May 10, 1853, crossed the plains, and arrived in Placerville on September 29th of that year. Here he remained till March, 1854, when he located on his present estate on Russian river, about seven miles south of Healdsburg. Since his residence here he has been elected to the Lower House of the State Legislature one term, and Sheriff of Sonoma county one term, as well as being appointed United States Marshal. These are the only offices he has ever held, not from want of opportunity, but from a decided aversion to political life. He could not, and would not, stoop to the means which make political preferment easy, but preferred to hoM his honest opinions unbiased and untrammeled, rather than sacrifice his dignity, independence and honestj' of character for the temporary success which a short hour of office would bring. All who have associated with him while a resident of Sonoma county, respect and esteem him in the highest deforce for his ability and untarnished character. He married Miss Elizabeth, daughter of Colonel Lewis Green, of Sumner county, Tennessee, on January 13, 1842. Margaret, Linn LucUla, Clintonia, Sophia, Isaac L., Sarah A., John C, William O., Jeff D. and Alexander, are the names of their children. Board, William, Was born in Callaway county, Missouri, May 11, 1825, and resided there until 1849, when he emigrated to California, crossing the plains, via Mexico, with ox teams. After his arrival he engaged in freighting from Stockton to the southern mines. He followed this business three years, and then returned to his native State by water, where he remained over Winter, and in the following Spring ho recrossed the plains, bringing with him a drove of one hundred cattle. He now located in Santa Clara county, and disposing of his cattle, remained until the Fall of 1856, when he came to this (Sonoma) county, and settled at the head of Dry Creek valley, twelve miles above Healdsburg, where he has a pleasant house, and resides there at the pi'esent time engaged in farming and stock-raising. In the Fall of 1872 he again visited his native State, this time going and returning over the Union and Central Pacific Railroads. He mar- ried Miss Mary Hamilton, July 14, 1855. Mrs. Board was born in Tennessee. June 8, 1835, and died in Sonoma county, California, on the 22d of October, 1875. Her remains are interred in the Oak Mound Cemetery, at Healds- burg. Four children were the result of this union : Horace D., born Novem- ber 4, 1856; Oscar, born March 29, 1858, and died September 28, 1858; It«r A., born July 20, 1861; and Willie A., born September 27, 1803. On the 4th of May, 1879, he married Miss Izora A. Oliver, a native of Canada, who was born December 24, 1851. 504 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. CummingS, William. Born in Niagara county, New York, Novem- ber 2, 1829, when five years of age he, with parents, moved to Michigan, where he resided until twenty-one years of age. He then spent two years m Carroll, Illinois. In 1854, he crossed the plains to California. After spend- ing twelve years in El Dorado county, being engaged in mining, and also conducting a shingle mill, he came to this county, settling in Healdsburg, where he has since resided. He is now engaged in the livery business. Married Miss Caroline Brown, March, 1854. Frank, Lucella, Lizzie, Harrie and Katie are the names of their children. De Wiederhold, A. E. S., A native of England, born April 26, 1842; was educated there and followed clerking until 1862, when he took up his residence in British Columbia, and engaged in the commission business until 1866, when he went to Peru, where he found employment as book-keeper until 1872, when he returned to British Columbia, resumed the commission business, and remained until October, 1877, when he came to this county and bought the Sotoyome Winery of George Miller, which is located in North Healdsburg. Married, August, 1876, Miss Alice Douglas, a native of England. By this union they have one child, Amelia W. Ely, Doctor Elislia. The subject of this sketch was born in New York City, December, 1825. He is descended from a long line of ancestry, prominent in the religious world and social life; the so-called learned pro- fessions, rather than political ambition, characterizing their tastes and pur- suits. When old enough to leave home he was sent to school in Connecti- cut. At sixteen he returned to New York, and entered a bank as clerk. In two years he had attained the position of first book-keeper in one of the largest banks in Wall street, but this business being unsuited to his tastes he left and commenced the study of medicine. In 1848 he graduated at the College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York ; and in December of that year, four months' after the discovery of gold here, was among the first to start for California, via the Isthmus. He arrived in San Francisco on the steamer " Oregon," April 1, 1849, and was for some weeks the only regular physician having an office in that city. In December following, he lost nearly his all by the first great fire. He then concluded to buy a ranch, a species of property less likely to go up in smoke than the redwood shanties of San Francisco, and visited the valley of Sonoma for that purpose. The exceeding beauty and fertility of this valley, with its charming climate, determined him to cast his lot here. In 1850, he made a journey to the head waters of the Rus.sian river. This region was then a wilderness, inhabited bj' wild beasts and wilder Indians, a large band of whom chased him from the valley of Ukiah, nearly to the present site of Cloverdale, a distance of twenty or twenty-five miles. A veritable " Tarn O'Shanter '* ride, with the devils in close pursuit. This long race for life was one of tho -^Zyr-rul^ £<^2^tA:^^*^ HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 505 most exciting of his many pioneer experiences. The fascinating attractions and extraordinary fertility of this Russian river valley induced him, in 1851, to settle here. He erected his house near the present town of Geyserville, in one of the most picturesque localities of beauty, where his generous hospitality to the wayfarer and the weary was for many years widely known and appreciated. Here, and at Healdsburg, he has since resided. He is the first regular -bred doctor that settled in this county, his rides extending to Napa, Lake, Mendocino and Marin counties. Always a lead- ing physician here, he is now the oldest practitioner of his profession in the county, and probably on this side of the bay, is highly respected as a man and a citizen, and is still actively engaged in the arduous duties of his pro- fession. Ferguson, Henry Osborne. A native of Clay count}-, Indiana, born November 9, 1837. In 1845 he removed with his parents to Iowa, and settled in that portion of the State now known as Jasper county. Here they remained until May 7, 1849, when he with his parents emigrated to California across the plains with ox-teams. After a wearisome journey of seven long months, they reached a point called Larsen's, where they remained about three months; thence to a little town on Feather river, known as Yuba City, Yuba county. After a residence here of one year, a rival city — Marysville — sprang up, which completely demolished our infant city in a business point of view, and, like many others, they deserted it and took up their residence in the rival city, remained there one year, and then proceeded to the mining district in Brown's valley, and remained until 1853, when they took up their residence at a place known as Keystone Ranch. Here his father engaged in the saw mill business, and built a large hotel styled the " Keystone House." After a short residence here he returned to Brown's valley, thence to a mining camp called Ohio Flat, in Yuba county, near Forbestown, and engaged in |mimng and hotel keeping until 1857, when he came to Sonoma county and settled on a portion of the Sotoyome grant, in Alexander valley, named in honor of Cyrus Alexander, one of the pioueers of this county. In 1864, the subject of this sketch entered the Sotoyome Institute at Healdsburg, and there completed his education in 1866. He then returned home, but lived most of the time with his brother until Novem- ber 18, 1878, when he was united in marriage to Miss Lucy M. Crigler of Mendocino county, a native of Monroe county, Missouri. He at once engao-ed in farming in Alexander valley. In September 1871 he proceeded to Healds- burg and engaged in the grocery and general produce business. On account of his wife being in iU health, he was obliged to sell out his business in about eight- een month's time, and moved to Cloverdale, where he remained about two years, when his wife's sickness terminated in consumption, and finally resulted in hef death on June 4, 1876. He then returned to Healdsburg and once'more engaged in the same business under the firm name of Gum tSi Ferguson. He 506 HISTOEY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOENIA. married secondly on May 12, 1878, Miss Mary E. Miller, formerly of La Porte, Indiana. He then made a trip East, accompanied by his wife, and on his return purchased the grocery business of S. J. Johnson, in Healdsburg. Removed to Masonic Block, where he may be found at present. James W., born March 1, 1870, and died on January 25, 1872, and Minnie I., born June 9, 1872, are the names of his children by his first wife. By his present wife he has one child, George P., born June 24, 1879. Ferguson, John Nelson, Was bom in Clay county, Indiana, Sep- tember 3, 1835. He resided in this, Owen and Green counties until about nine years of age; he then, with his parents (in 1844), moved to Jasper county, Iowa, this county then being unorganized, it being on the extreme frontier of the new State; his father, William Washington, having the honor of naming both county and county seat, calling them after two heroes of the Revolutionary war, Jasper, the county, and Newton, the county town. In 1849 they crossed the plains to California, with ox-teams. After a tedious trip of nine months, (losing one yoke of their cattle by Indians, and the subject of this sketch narrowly escaping the loss of his life, by the falling of a tree at the hour of midnight on 28th November, across their tent, in which four of his sisters and brothers and himself were sleeping, the top of the tree falling on another tent, killing four men, the Alford family, from Missouri, they finally, about the middle of December, landed, by the famous " Lamsen route," in the fair land of gold. They spent the remainder of the Winter in the vicinity of what was known to early comers as Lawson's Ranch, and in the Spring of 1850 they settled at Yuba City, Sutter county, where they remained one year; they then spent a few months in Marysville, after which they opened a boarding-house in Brown's valley, Yuba county, where they remained, connecting quartz mining with their business, until the fall of 1852, when they repaired to Keystone Ranch, where they conducted a saw-mill, until the Fall of 1853, when they returned to Brown's valley, (still holding their quartz mining interests), where they followed mining and the boarding-house business until the Summer of 1855, when a new mining locality was discovered in the north-western part of Yuba county, known as Ohio and New York Flats; to the first named place they removed in the Summer of 1855, where they again engaged in mining and boarding-house business, until the Summer of 1857, when they came to this county and settled on the place that John Nelson now owns, located in Alexander valley (his father having taken up his abode in Healdsburg). He married, August 2, 1864, Miss Elizabeth Mood. By this union they had three children, Erwin, Clarence and William; the latter died October 12, 1869, at the age of one year, one month and twenty days. Mrs. Ferguson died October 19, 1869. He again married, July 24, 1870, Mrs. Sarah J. Bassford, she then having two children, Ida and Claudius. By the latter marriage they HISTORY OF SONOMA COUlfTY, CALIFORNIA. 507 have four children, Mary, Mattie, Alimeda, and Albert. His occupation is farming and stock-raising. Grallaway, Andrew J. Was born in Knox county, Tennessee, November 14, 1817, where he resided until about sixteen years of age, when he moved with his parents to Morgan county, Indiana, where he resided about nine years. He then went to Missouri, where he remained about five years, after which he made a trip to New Mexico, remaining about one year; returned to Missouri, and in the Spring of 1850 crossed the plains to California, and on arriving there he engaged in mining in El Dorado county, where he remained about three years. He then engaged in farming and stock-i'aising in Yolo county until 1857, when he went back to Missouri via Panama. In the Spring of 1859 he again, started across the plains with a drove of cattle, and came to Yolo county, where he remained a few months, after which he came direct to this county, where he settled on a farm about three miles north from Geyserville, where he remained until the Fall of 1864, when he located on his present farm, consisting of one hundred and thirty acres on Dry creek, about three miles from Healdsburg. He married Miss Deborah Price October 14, 1857. Their children are: Allen K., born August 3, 1858; Nancy E., born September 22, 1859; Henry M., deceased; Andrew J., born March 10, 1863; Amanda A., born December 27, 1864. Gillespie, Henry. Was born on Long Island, New York, in 1827, where he was educated, and lived with his parents, who conducted a dairy ranch, until 1851, when he emigrated to California via Panama. He first located in Calaveras county, where he followed mining until 1854, at which time he engaged in the dairy business in Marin county. In 1864 he came to this county and settled at Healdsburg, where he has since resided, with the exception of two years, which he spent at Santa Barbara and Grass Valley, Nevada county. He married in 1864 Mrs. Eliza J., widow of M. M. Bates. She has two children, John L. and Thadeth K. Grater, John F. Was born in Germany, June 28, 1836. Emigrated to America when eighteen years of age. Settled in Philadelphia, where he resided until 1859, when he emigrated to California via Panama. Settled in Santa Rosa, this county, in 1860. Here he remained, being engaged in the hotel business until 1862. He then bought the Union Bakery at Healds- burg; this he remedied into what is now the Union hotel, which he has since conducted. He is also the owner of two large stores in Healdsburg. Mr. Grater married Miss Catherine Deolin June 1, 1865. Gum, Isaac. Bom in Henry county, Indiana, February 23, 1835. When about^five years of age, he with his parents moved to Boone county, Illinois, where he resided until 1854, when he emigrated to California, cross- ing the plains with ox teams, and arrived in this county September 27th of the same year. After farming on Dry creek for six years, he went to Vir- 608 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. ginia City and followed teaming for one Summer, after which he speculated in mines until 1865, when he returned to this county and farmed until 1870, He then moved into Healdshurg, where he has resided ever since. Mr. Gum is largely interested in the Great Eastern quicksilver mine of this county. Married Miss Clara Zane, December 14, 1865. Willie, Schuyler C, John T. and Nellie, deceased, are the names of their children. Haigh, John B. Bom in Yorkshire, England, May 9, 1815. Emi- grated with his parents to America, when about four years of age. After a residence in Cincinnati, Ohio, for about eighteen months, they moved to Wash- ington county, Missouri. In 1853 the subject of this sketch emigrated to Cali- fornia. After residing in Santa Clara county for three years he came to this county and settled on his present farm, comprising two hundred and twenty acres, located near Litton Springs. Married Miss Mary Engeldow March 7, 1836, who was born in Virginia March 6, 1817. Their children are Frances Sophia, George, Robert, Alice, Franklin, and Edwin. Hassett, J. D. Bom in Summit county, Ohio, January 21, 1832, where he resided until 1852, when he emigrated to California, crossing the plains with ox-teams as far as Salt Lake and from there to Placerville he made the journey on foot in company with his brother. Here they mined and worked on the South Fork Ditch until the following Spring when they came to this county. After remaining for a short time on a farm about five miles north from Healdsburg, the subject of this sketch engaged in the mill business, which he conducted for a space of two and one-half years. He then, in company with his brother, built a saw-mill on Mill creek, where he labored for two years. He then built the Healdsburg Flouring Mill, and after con- ducting it for five years disposed of the property; since which time he has turned his attention to sheep raising and farming. Married Miss Sarah E. Vaughan April 3, 1859. James T. and Lulu C. are their only children. Laughlin, M. N. Born in Barboursville, Knox county, Kentucky, in 1821 ; his father, Thomas Laughlin, was then SheriS" of that county. He afterward resided in Whitney county, and about the year 1827 removed to what was then known as the " Hiwasee purchase," in Tennessee, and settled in Monroe, now London county. Here the subject of this sketch was principally raised. He graduated at East Tennessee University in 1844, taught school several years, and in 1848 emigrated to Missouri. Mar- ried Mary E. Porter of Jackson county, in 1849, and took up his residence in Mercer county. In 1854, crossed the plains with ox-teams and settled and improved a farm on Cooper's El Molino grant, where he remained until 1860 when it was taken from him. He then located in Mendocino township, where he at present resides; owns six hundred acres of land and has two children, Mary Ann Eliza, born in 1850, married Jasper McCracken in 1867; and Emily Elzira, born in 1854. HISTOEY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 509 Xiaymance, Isaac C. Bom in, Morgan county, Tennessee, February 5, 1821, where he resided until fourteen years of age, when he emigrated with his parents to Murray county, Georgia, where he was educated. When twenty-two years of age he took up his residence in Newton county, Mis- souri, where he remained for seven yearA In 1849 he emigrated across the plains, being six months on the route. This was the year that the cholera made such sad havoc with emigrants, when scores of them perished. Mr. Laymance endured many hardships in making the trip, but was one of the fortunate ones who escaped the terrible epidemic. He assisted in burying many of his comrades, sometimes as many as four or five in one grave. After arriving in California, and as soon as he recuperated from his perilous journey, he commenced mining on the Feather river, where he continued antil 1851, when he returned to Missouri. In 1852, accompanied by his family, he again set out for California, recrossing the plains. This trip was accompanied with less hardships than the former one, and after due length of time he arrived and settled upon his present ranch, consisting of one hundred and sixty acres, where he now resides. He married, September 6, 1844, Miss Susan Miller. She was born in North Carolina January 24, 1829. By this union they have seven living children: Francis M., born November 28, 1845; Isabella, born February IC, 1854; George E., born February 13, 1859; Henry J., born March 20, 1861; Sarah A., born January 19, 1867; David R., born September 24, 1869; Charity L., born July 29, 1871; and four deceased, as follows: Thomas J., born August 17, 1848, and died February 27, 1864; W. M., born January 20, 1853, and died February 8, 1853; James R., born May 10, 1856, and died February 28, 1875; John C, born October 29, 1863, and died December 16, 1877. McClish, James L. A native of Davis county, Iowa, born January 17, 1844. When but a mere child his parents emigrated to California, crossing the plains with ox-teams, and came direct to this county, arriving at Santa Rosa October 21, 1854. After spending a few months here they moved upon a farm in Mendocino township. About two years later they purchased three hundred acres of land on Russian river. The subject of this sketch received his education at the Sotoyome Institute at Healdsburg. In 1868 he purchased from his father one hundred and fifty acres of land, on which he has erected a very neat dwelling house, and has from time to time added to his first purchase of real estate, until he has now four hundred and ten acres of land. He married, November 28, 1867, Miss Dulee Foreman, who was born in Wabash county, Indiana, December 25, 1850. Ralph, Henry and Annie are the names of their children. McClisll, John N". A native of Davis county, Iowa, born December 4, 1850. When about four years of age his parents emigrated to California, Crossing the plains with ox-teams. Arrived in Santa Rosa, October 21, 510 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 1854, where they remained about two and a half months, and then took up their residence about two miles from Healdsburg, on the west side of Russian river. Here the subject of this sketch was reared, and received his educa- tion at the Sotoyome Institute at Healdsburg. In 1871, he purchased a farm adjoining his father's; mar Ad May 1, 1872, Miss Ella M. Martm, who was born in Illinois', Septemb" 16, 1853. In the Spring of 1876, Mr. McClish and family took a trip to the Centennial Exposition at Philadelphiaj and also visited several other noted points, returning after an absence of two months. John M., Josiah T., and Ella N., are the names of their children. McClish, Thomas. Was born in Franklin county, Ohio, May 12, 1811, where he resided until 1838, when he went to Van Buren county, Iowa, where he found employment in a saw-mill until 1843. He then went to . Davis county, where he engaged in farming until 1853, and in the Spi-ing of 1854, he crossed the plains to California with ox-teailis, arriving in this county October 21st. He first settled on the farm now owned by Cornelius Bice, where he resided two years, when he settled on his present place about four miles south of Healdsburg. Married Miss Elizabeth E. Loughlin, Decembsr 9, 1841. She was born in Tennessee, October 1,1816, and died February 9, 1877. Their children are: James L., born January 17, 1844; Sarah E., March 18, 1848; John N., December 4, 1850; Mary A., February 20, 1854. Miller, George. Was born in Switzerland, November 24, 1825. Emigrated to America when twenty-two years of age. He resided in Lucas county, Ohio, until 1850, when he emigrated to California, crossing the plains, and spent his first Winter in a plow-manufacturing establishment at Sonoma city. In the Spring he commenced farming, which business he followed until January, 1853, when he bought an interest in a saw and grist- mill on Mill creek, which he conducted until 1855, when he disposed of his interest ; and in February, 1856, went back to Ohio, where he married Miss Ursula Muller, June 1, 1856, she being born in Switzerland, August 4, 1839. He then, in company with his wife, returned to California, via Panama. Once more settled in this county, Mr. Miller bought back his interest in the mill, which he retained until 1862, when he again sold out, and settled in Healdsburg, where he opened a distillery, which he conducted until 1877. Mr. Miller is now farming on a small ranch just south of the depot, where he has built a nice little residence. Celia is their only child livino-, beino' born May 4, 1857. One son, named Alexander, born October 1, 1859, died in 1868. Miller, James. Is a native of North Carolina, being born in Ashe county September 15, 1821, where he resided until 1833. He then moved to Lawrence CDunty, Missouri, with his parents and resided there until 1849 when he emigrated to California, crossing the plains, being six months mak- HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 511 ing the trip. Immediately after his arrival, commenced mining in the placer diggings, where he continued until the Winter of 1852, whan he returned to Missouri, remaining but a few months, and re-crossed the plains the same year to California, this time settling on his present estate. of three hundred acres. Has held the office of ^hool Trustee. Married Marbha Walters in 1858, she being born in North Carolina in 1841. By this union they have nine children, Sarah, born December 12, 1858 ; Emma, born October 14, 1860; Nancy Ann, born January 4, 1862; Mary, born March 4, 1864; Delia, born January 31, 1866; Willia, born June 5, 1868; Effie, born July 30, 1870; Henry, born December 1, 1873; Freddie, born September 25, 1877. Moffet, John. Is a native of Mercer county, Pennsylvania, where he was born on January 2, 1831. In the Spring of 1833 his parents emigrated to Des Moines county, Iowa, settling near Burlington on Skunk River, where they erected the first mill builfc in that State. In the Spring of 1849, in company with his father, brother and brother-in-law, he crossed the plains to California, stopping at Mormon Island, Placer county, where they arrived in October of that year, and at once went to mining. About one year from this time, Mr. Moffet's father returned to his home in Iowa, where he died in 1857. The subject of this sketch continued his mining operations till the Fall of 1851, when, in company with his brother, he returned to the place of his former residence in Iowa. Again, in the Spring of '52, with his two brothers, he started for this coast, bringing a herd of cattle, coming via Salt Lake City, thence to San Bernardino and up the coast to Sonoma county, locating on the Cotate Rancho, in Santa Rosa township, arrivino- there in July 1853. Mr. Moflet left this place in January, 1862, going to the gold mines in Idaho, thence to the silver mines of Humboldt county, Nevada, in the Fall of same year, and afterwards went to Austin, Nevada. In the Spring of 1858, and during the great White Pine excitement he pushed on to that place, and later became interested in mines in southern Utah, in which up to the present writing he is interested. In givino- the places where Mr. Mofiet has been in the mining districts, we have only marked out the outlines of his operations. During the many years he spent in the mountains of Idaho, Nevada and Utah, he was actively engaged in prospecting through this broad sweep of country, and it is due to his energy and perseverence that many valuable mines have been discovered. Mr Moffet is now a resident of Healdsburg, this county, to which place he came in the FaU of 1874. We cannot give a better idea as to how this pioneer Californian is esteemed by his neighbors and fellow-citizens than seating that he has had the honor of being placed in nomination by the Republican party to represent Sonoma county in the State Legislature, and was only defeated because of its being a Democratic county. Married Miss M. A. Martin, a native of this State, in 1874, by whom he has one son, Charles Levi. 512 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. Moreland, W. W. Was born in Clarksville, Johnson county, Arkansas, April 14, 1845. Emigrated to California in the year 1859; lived at Angel's Camp, Calaveras county, aboat one year, then moved with his mother to Stockton. Entered Pacific Methodist College at Vacaville, Solano county, in 1863, and graduated on the 16th day of May, 1867. Taught six months in a public school at Collegeville, San Joaquin county. "Went to Oregon in November, 1867, and taught four years in Corvallis College. Studied law, and was admitted to the Supreme Court in December, 1872. Commenced the practice at Oregon City, Oregon. Was elected Superintendent of Schools in Clackamas county, and served one term. His health not being good in Oregon, he returned to California in the Winter of 1874-5, located in Healds- burg, and recommenced the practice of law. Was elected School Trustee in June, 1877, of the Healdsburg district. Was elected a delegate to the Con- stitutional Convention of California in June, 1878, and served in that body to the entire satisfaction of his constituents. Was elected in September, 1879, a State Senator, and will sit in the first Senate holden after the adoption of the new Constitution. Mr. Moreland was admitted to practice before the Supreme Court on the 11th of November, 1878. He was married in December, 1870, and has one child. Norton, L. A. The following autobiography has been furnished us by the distinguished captain and lawyer himself : The subject of this sketch is a native of the State of New York, but his childhood and early youth were principally spent in the Canadas. He was born in 1820, and consequently, at this writing, is fifty-nine years old, and was sixteen years of age at the breaking out of the Canadian rebellion. Boy as he was, being strongly imbued with the notions of a republican form of government, he joined the patriot, or rebel side, and enlisted as a minute man, to take up arms against the British Government, and, on call, December 12, 1836, marched with Captain Dones' company, to join Duncom, at Norwich, who was raising forces to meet Sir Alan McNab, who was approaching that place with a formidable command of British soldiery. When en route to join Duncom, the company, near Otter creek, were fired upon by the tories from an ambush, where he received a rifle ball, which grazed the spine and lodged in his hip; which he still carries. The wound was slight, and in no degree disabled him. Without further adventure the company joined Dun- com, but it was soon found that a sufficient force could not be collected to make a successful stand against the British regulars. Young Norton awoke one morning to find Duncom and the other officers, and most of the men gone, and notices posted, advising every man to seek his own safety. Norton, with a young companion, took up the line of march for home. The snow was about a foot deep on the ground, the weather was cold, and the boys were ninety miles from home, and entire strangers, not knowing friend from foe, and the enemy were emboldened by the cowardly conduct of Duncom, f'-ll- JzfMyi^^t^ HISTOEY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 513 and hence there was but one show, and that was to take the main road for home, arms in hand, and brave it out; all that can be said here is, that there were numerous attempts to arrest, resistance made, and several shots exchanged ; in fact, to that extent did the attack and resistance go, that it was reported and beheved by his friends at home, that young Norton was killed, the toiies exhibiting a piece of his cap in confirmation of the assertion. He got within thirty miles of home when he was surrounded by a large force of the enemy and compelled to surrender, at Obter Greek, and was marched immediately to Simcoe jail, where he remained, and at which place he received the name of "Davy Crockett," by which name he went during his long imprisonment. The name was suggested by the fact of a small wound caused by a bullet coming in close proximity to the skull, and the boys declared that, like Davy Crockett of old, the tory bullets would not penetrate his hide. He remained two weeks a prisoner at Simcoe, when his friends learned that the report of his death was false, and that he was a prisoner, and that all excepting those deemed dangerous were admitted to bail. A portion of the prisoners were mere boys, and many on that account were discharg>.'d on their own recognisance who were older than " Davy," but when bail was offered for him it was refused, and he was then sent to London, where 1^ remained a close prisoner for nine months; was indicted for high treason, but owing no allegiance to the Crown of England they coulJ not convict, conse- quently, after recovering from a severe attack of typhoid fever, which pros- trated him for three months, he was at last discharged, or rather given tho choice to leave Her Britannic Majesty's Dominions at once, or suffer death as a felon. He " left," and settled in Kane county, Illinois, where he engaged in the business of farming, milling, etc., and i-esided there about ten years, when the war with Mexico called on that State for volunteers, and con- ceiving that he had some military genius, he commenced raising volun- teers, but as a man named Harvey had also commenced recruiting for a company, Norton, for a time, discontinued his efforts; but it was .soon dis- covered that Harvey had not the necessary influence to raise the company, so it- was proposed to turn the skeleton company over to Norton, which was done. Norton proceeded to fill the company, and transported the same to Alton, Illinois, where they were mustered into service and marched to the seat of war, where he served with distinction. But as that part of his life has been written and published under the the title of " Memoirs of the Mexican War, by Capt. L. A. Norton," it will be omitted in this brief sketch of his event- ful life, but let it suffice here to say, with his command he ranged Tamaulinas, crossed the Sierra Madre mountains, marched from Vera Cruz to the city of Mexico, and returned to New Orleans as Commissary of Gen. Patterson's staff- ship " Massachusetts," at the close of the war. In 1849 he was admitted to the bar, before the Supreme Court of Illinois, Trumbull, Treat, and John Dean Caton presiding; made a flying visit to California in 1850, and finally 33 614 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. returned and permanently settled in Plaeerville, El Dorado county, in 1852; he there first engaged in mining, and worked his claim, on Prospect Flat, during the hard Winter of 1852-3, to gain a support for himself and three sick companions, when he was paying one dollar a pound for flour, same for bacon, potatoes, and everything in the shape of provisions in the same ratio. In the Spring, three roughs attempted to jump a portion of hia claim; he submitted the matter to a miners' meeting, who decided that the claim belonged to the captain, and proffered him a committee to place him in possession. He informed them that in case he needed them he would call on them. He went down early in the morning and commenced work personally. The jumping party arrived, when the Secretary read them the decision of the miners' meeting, (for they had refused to attend the meeting). They declared that they didn't care for the decision; they would work the claim or die in it; that they were from Kentucky, by G-d, and they were able to fight their way. The captain remarked that he was not from Ken- tucky, neither was he a brave man ; but that they had better look out, as an invasion of his rights might make a lion of him ; and so far as their boast was concerned, they might die on the claim, but they never would work it. A«d as Doctor Morse, who was Secretary of the meeting, tells the story, the leader of the gang seized a bright new pick, and it was difficult to say whether the gleam of the polished steel or the man's eye shone the most malignantly. He rushed upon the captain, who seized the descending pick with his right hand and literally wrenched it from the man, and threw his left arm about him, and pinioned him as in a vise. The second made a terrific blow with a long-handled mining-shovel at the captain's Ifiead. He instantly wheeled the man that he was holding under the blow, and the blow aimed at the captain would most assuredly have killed his friend but for the fact that the doctor, seeing the blow descending, caught the force of it upon another uplifted shovel that he interposed just in time. The party striking, seeing what he would have done, turned deadly pale, stepped back and sank upon the grass; when the third bounded forward with an uplifted spade and said: "Release that man or I will split you to the ground." The captain exclaimed: "You coward, j^ou dare not strike any one,'' dealing him a terrible kick which wilted him to his feet; when the villain in the captain's embrace remarked that the claim was not worth fighting about, and if h& would release him they would leave. The captain informed him that he should have thought of that before he commenced, at the same time thrust- ing his hand into the fellow's side-pocket and drawing out a revolver, from which he removed the caps, threw it up on the bank, and then released his prisoner and told them to leave or he would kick them out of the ravine. They gathered up their tools and left. In wrenching the pick from the party, the captain sprained his right arm to such an extent as to disable him from working in the mines for many months. He accordingly went to San HISTOKY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 515, Francisco, purchased a library and commenced his practice as attorney at law; but having loaned some money on the goods and auction store of Cog- win & Co. was compelled to take the stock to save himself, and accordingly ran the business for two years; but when he discovered that his profession was worth more to him than his stock of goods, he closed out and again entered upon his profession as an attorney, having invested his all in buildings and town property in the city of Placerville. On the 5th of July, 1856, the city of Placerville was literally wiped out by fire, and he, in commoa with the rest, was left comparatively "broke", having but about three thousand dollars and his library left. But with his usual energy he soon rebuilt a portion of his burned district. Anterior to this date, however, in the Spring of 1855, he visited Sonoma county, and then resolved as soon as he could change his location without much loss, to settle in that county, believing that every blow struck iu the mining district impoverished the country, while every blow struck in an agricultural county enriched it. According to'his preconceived project, the 1st day of July, 1857, found him agaiu in Sonoma county, seek- ing a place to locate. He visited the Geysers, and on his return he became favorably impressed with the then small hamlet of Healdsburg and the broad acres of Dry creek and Russian river bottom land lying on each side of the town site, while the little town itself was embowered in and overshadowed by a luxuriant shade of native oaks, with its varied and picturesque scenery with water as pure as ever flowed from a crystal fountain, a healthful climate^ without sand-flies, gnats or mosquitoes, to afflict humanity, he resolved to settle in Healdsburg, and take his chances to make a living at his profession. Among the first to renew an acquaintance at this place was "old man'Torsee, with whom he had been acquainted in El Dorado county. The old man informed him that there was a fine opening for him in Sonoma county, but that he must not go in with the land-grabbers. This was all new to the captain, and he was led to make inquiries as to what he meant by land- grabbers, when Judge Forsee proceeded to inform him that the county was covered with spurious grants, purporting to be Mexican grants, but which were all fraudulent, and that he, Forsee, had united himself with the settlers to resist the claimants of Mexican title, both legally and forcibly. That the Fitch or Sotoyome Rancho was a fraud, that the patent issued therefor was a fraud, that on two sides there were no boundaries, etc., etc. The captain visited Santa Rosa for the purpose of learning the facts from the records, when, instead of finding the grant without boundaries, he found the entire estate defined by the most substantial lines, and that the United States patent had been on record for more than five years. He returned to Healdsburg and opened an office, and soon found that all legal proceedings at this place amounted to a grand " comedy of errors," — deeds, embracing both sales of real and personal property, one half of them without a seal, many without acknowledgments, etc. The first case was, The People 516 HISTORY OP SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. of the State of California vs. Charles P. McPherson, for an assault with a deadly weapon. The captain was employed on the defense, and one James Reynolds (now dead) was prosecutor. The Justice, instead of sitting as a committing magistrate, took jurisdiction of the case to try it. The captain didn't demur to the jurisdiction of the court. The evidence disclosed the fact that his client had, in the town of Ge3-serville, struck the complaining witness with a small stick, about one inch in diameter; but, unfortunately, there was a large sized splitting-chisel at one end of it, used for splitting iron in a blacksmith shop. The captain, however, convinced the jury that it was not among the deadly weapons described in the statute, and his man was acquitted on that charge, but, under the advice of his counsel, McPherson pleaded guilty to an assault and battery, — receipts of first month's practice, thirty dollars. About this time a gentleman stepped into the office and introduced himself as Egbert Judson, of San Francisco, and said: "I am psrt owner and agent of the new Sotoyome Rancho. The ranch is covered with redwood timber, and is only valuable for the timber, and I am being robbed by more than a hundred trespassers, who are cutting down and carrying away my timber in lumber, pickets, shakos, rails, and for other uses. The entire valley has been fenced, and is being fenced from my land. I started up here to see if I could do anything to save it. I stated ray object to Colonel S. H. Fitch on the boat coming up, and told him that I was going to see if I could employ some attorney in Santa Rosa who would try and save my property. He replied that the man I wanted was in Healdsburg, that he knew you well, having served through the Mexican war with you, and if you undertook it you would accomplish it or die trying. He at the same time remarked that they were a desperate set of men, and that ho expected they would kill any one who would attempt to stop them tres- passing." The captain told him that his encouragements were truly refreshing, but notwithstanding, for a reasonable consideration he would undertake it. After having fixed on a compensation, the captain said: " go back to San Francisco you are afraid of these men, and within two weeks you will find your worst fears realized, or I will be in possession of your land." Judson returned to San Francisco, and now I shall quote the cap- tain's own language in describing his adventures in the settlement of the squatter troubles. He says : " When Judson left, I was in somewhat of a quandary how to commence my task, I was fully alive to the magnitude of the undertaking; I was aware that about a month before my arrival in Healdsburg a mob had taken and destroyed the field notes of Surveyor General Tracy, gave him four hours to leave or hang, and that a like mob had chased Dr. L. C. Frisbie, he only escaping by being mounted on a fleet horse, and frr>m the known character of some with whom I had to deal, could scarcely hope to come out of the contest alive. First I thought I had better commence in the District Court and call to my aid the Sherifi's posse HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 517 coTnitatus, and again I feared that that course would induce them to thiiik. that I was personally afraid of them, but a notice from the trespassers tWo days after my appointment, decided my course of action. The notice which I received informed me that if I dared to show myself in the redwoods, they would hang me to the first tree they came to. Accordingly, the next day I loaded myself down with iron and steel, got a horse, and started for the redwoods alone, having previously le'arned that their leader was a six-foot- and-a-half Irishman, in fact a perfect giant, by the name of McGabe, who would sally forth from his mountaiu hiding-place, come to Healdsburg, get half drunk, whip out the town, and return to the redwoods where he had his family. On my approach to the redwoods I enquired for McCabe's shanty; on reaching it, I found him seated on his shaving-horse making shingles. I dismounted, hitched my horse, and advanced toward him and said: 'Is your name McGabe? ' He replied in the affirmative. I added ; 'Fighting McCabe?' 'They call me so sometimes.' I said: 'Well, sir; I am that detested Judson's agent that you propose to hang to the nearest limb and have come to sur- render myself in execution; my name is Norton.' He dallied a few moments with bis drawing knife and then said: 'Suppose we carry our threat into execution. ' I made answer that there was no doubt but that they had force enough in the woods to do it, but there would be some of them that would not be worth hanging by the time it was done. He said: ' Well, Norton, what do you propose to do with us?' I replied: 'Mack, I intend to put every devil of you out of the woods, unless j'ou carry your threat into execution. He was silent for a minute, then said : ' Well, you look and act as if you meant all you say.' I answered : ' I mean every word of it.' ' Well,' said he, ' in case I leave, how long will you give a fellow to get off with his stealings ? ' I said : ' How long do you want, Mack ? ' He replied : ' A week or ten days.' Ia.sked: ' Is two weeks sufficient ? ' He replied : ' It is.' ' Will you lea v& at that time ? ' 'I will.' I then said : ' That is enough between gentlemen.' Mack left according to agreement. I then went out into the woods where the axes were cracking on every side, some chopping, some splitting rails others sawing bolts; in fact, it was a busy place. When I approached them I asked them what they thought they were doing there, if they did not know they were trespassers. They wanted to know who I was and what business I had there. I answered: 'I am the agent of Egbert Judson, the owner of this land and timber, and I forbid you to cut another stick and intend to make you pay for the trespass already committed. They commenced to gather around me, using the most insulting language ; one of them, point- ing to a large limb on a spreading oak, said : ' We will give you just two minutes to get out of this, and, unless you are gone by that time, we will string you up to that limb.' I drew a revolver and cocked it, and told them to keep their distance, that I would kill the first one that attempted to advance and asked them to give me their names as I intended to prose- 518 HISTOEY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. cute them, each and every devil. They gave me a laughable list which I will not attempt to copy here. After informing them that they were a set of cowardly scoundrels, and not a gentleman in the crowd, I left them and returned to Healdsburg. Johnson Ireland was the Justice of the Peace, and a firm, positive, honest man, and being satisfied that I could trust him, I brought about a hundred suits, using all the aliases I could think ofi placed the papers in the hands of an officer, with instructions to serve all he could find in the woods, except my Irish |^giant, with directions to obtain their real names if possible. The actions were for trespass upon personal property, for taking and carrying away posts, rails, pickets, etc. I think the officer got service on sixty-two persons. The cases were set for hearing at twelve o'clock noon. The parties did not arrive in time, and I took a default against the crowd, and at two o'clock in the afternoon of the same day I was seated in my office (which was on the second-floor over a store on West street) conversing with a friend, when I heard some one hallooing on the street. I walked to the balcony, and saw that the street was crowded' with men. Their spokesman called out, "Well, old fellow, there is a man up in the redwoods who wants to compromise with you." I inquired his friend's name. He replied: " Damn you, if you want my friend's name find it out the way you found ours.'' I said it is very unhandsome in you not to give your friend's name, but as the business of the day is over with me, I will attend to it, but I think you are mistaken in your man. It is not Norton you are hunting; it is Surveyor-General Tracy, or Dr. Frisbie; but as you will not give your friend's name, I will accom- pany you to see your friend. I will go with one of you, two of you, or three of you, or I will go with your crowd: or I will be fairer still, I will agree to come down there and whale any one of jou so blind that your wife will not know you when you get home again. I know your kind better than you know yourselves. Instead of rushing for me, as my friend had anticipated, they commenced gathering in knots, and at the end of an hour there was not one of them on the street. Thus ended the first and last attempt to mob me. My next adventure was in removing squatters from the east side of Russian river. Judson had sent a man by the name of A.. J. Soules with a flock of sheep on his own land, on the Sotoyome Rancho, to pasture. The squatters (numbering sixteen families) went and removed Soules and the sheep from the grant, admonishing him that it would not be safe to return. Judgment was obtained in the Federal Court at San Francisco in ejectment against those men, but no one had dared to attempt to enforce it. Having been successful in driving the trespassers from the redwoods, Judson came to the conclusion that, perhaps, I might gain possession of his other land. After consultation, I directed him to send me a deputy from the United States Marshal's office, with the writs of ejectment, which he did. We went over to the field of our new labors, about five o'clock in the evening, having HISTOEY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOENIA. 519 previouslv sent tliem notice of my intention to remove them in case they refused to enter into a lease, and recognize our title. We found them all at the house where we proposed to commence, all armed with knives or pistols. Over an hour was consumed in trying to get the party to sign a lease, but to no purpose. The evening was chilly, and I could not think of throwing a woman and small children out at that time of the evening. Accordingly, I told them that I would be there at eight o'clock the following morning to put them out. At the appointed hour we were on hand, and found them all there. I a^ain tendered the lease, which was refused. I cocked my revolver, took my position in the gateway, and directed the Marshal to throw the goods out of the house, which he proceeded to do. They made a demonstra- tion as though they intended to make a rush. I warned them to keep back The Marshal got all out but the woman. He came to the door and said, '' I cannot get this woman out." I told him to take my revolver and keep the men back, and I would attend to her. I walked in, found her seated in the middle of the floor, and said : " Madame, it becomes my unpleasant duty to remove you," at the same time stepping quickly to her back, bending over, and putting my hands beneath her so as to carry her out. She sprang t(^her feet, exclaiming, '' I guess I can go out myself." After the woman had surrendered the citadel, the man (whose name, I believe, was Weber) remarked, that if it was not too late he would sign the lease. I replied that it was never too late for me to ameliorate the condition of my fellow-man, handed him the lease, which he signed. We went from house to house, all signing leases — thus Judson was restored to his land on the old Sotoyome Rancho. The Russian river and Dry creek valleys at this time were nearly all in the hands of the squatters, which territory was covered with Mexican grants, as follows : Sotoyome or Fitch grant, eight leagues ; New Sotoyome, three leagues; the Tzabaco grant, containing something over four leagues. The titles were all confirmed, and patents issued and on record. Notwith- standing all this, the squatters in possession had their secret leagues all over the county, and forcibly resisted all efforts to dispossess them, and the law seemed to be entirely a dead letter ; actions in ej ectment were prosecuted to judgment ; writs of restriction were Issued and placed in the hands of officers, resistance made by an armed force, the military was called out, a requisition for the militia on one side, and Captain Forsee mustering two thousand squatters en the other side. Parties would be evicted one day, and the next morning would find them in possession of the same premises they had been ejected from the day before. Two thousand men had met and confronted each other in bloodless combat ; both parties marched and counter-marched until the force was played out. Norton, by express command of the Sheriff, was excluded from these wars ; they finally left the affair where they com- menced. Though the fairest domain on which the sun ever shone, yet people shunned us as we had no title, or undisputed possession. Things were in this 5iiO HISTOEY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. condition when Dr. L. C. Frisbie, from Vallejo, employed me to look after his interests in the Sotoyome Rancho. I took his business in hand, and suc- ceeded in making some sales, and getting along pretty smoothlj' for a few months, but it became necessary to bring several suits in ejectment, which I prosecuted to judgment. One of them was against Riland Arbuckle on a portion of the Sotoyome Rancho, and as he was a boastful, blowing fellow, I thought I would go for him first. The Sheriff dispossessed the party, and levied upon a quantity of barley that was sacked, which we removed to the house for safety. The squatters said they would not resist the officer, but that Arbuckle should be placed in possession again before morning, and that old Norton had better leave with the Sheriff if he knew what was good for him. I, however, thought differently. My client was not there, and I had determined to try strength of nerve with them, and had secured the services of se\en young men to aid me. We were all supplied with double-barreled shot-guns and plenty of ammunition. The Sheriff had retired, and about a dozen of the squatters lingered for a time. I had gone out to recon- noiter the premises, when they commenced talking very rough to the bnys, telling them that they had better leave as eveiy one of them would be killed before morning, etc. The boj's were telling them that they were not there to fight but merely to hold possession under the law. In the early part of the conversation I had slipped up behind a large oak tree where I could hear every word that passed, and at this juncture I sprang from my concealment and exclaimed, " You are a bombastic .set of cowards; you have dared me to hold these premises; now go home and rally your forces for your night attack ; you will find old Norton at his post." My boys all bustled up and told them to go or they would boot them, and finally bluffed the fellows from the ground, but on riding off they called back that we would see them before morning. We then made breast works of"^ie sacks of barley in the house, with loop holes through the thin siding, and before it was quite dark I placed patrols up and down the road with instructions to retreat to our fortifications and notify us, but if the enemy advanced too fast they were to fire a revolver as a signal and make good their retreat. About eleven o'clock I heard the discharge of a revolver, and the two outposts came rushing in and said there was a large company of horsemen rapidly approaching. I formed the command outside of the house under a large laurel tree where it was quite dark. I ordered them to drop down upon their faces on the ground. On came the horsemen, from eighty to one hundred strong. When they got opposite to us and about four rods distant, I ordered "Ready!" All the locks clicked audibly. I said, '' Reserve your fire till they attempt to cross the fence." The horsemen wavered for a moment, then with a right-about-face made equally as good time in getting away as they did in coming. I was satisfied that we had not seen the last of them. In consequence of this impression I kept a vigilant HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. " 521 ■watch, and about two o'clock A. M. one of my sentinels came running in and said there was a large crowd creeping along the fence. I ordered my force to keep perfectly quiet. I took my old rifle that I had in camp, and skulked along the fence to within about a hundred yards of the foremost of the opposing party, when I slipped out and fired a shot about ten feet over their heads. At this there was another general stampede, and we were again in peaceable posses- sion of the Arbuckle place. I continued to eject the squatters from Frisbie's tracts with greater or less resistance until I had reduced the whole to pos- session. It now seemed to be the general opinion that I was the only one who could successfully cope with squatters, and John N. Baiihache as one of the Fitch heirs, or rather tenant by courtesy, having married Miss Josephine Fitch, had a large tract of land covered by squatters, and having made many futile attempts to expel them, they had become so well organized and so confident of their ability to forcibly hold the premises, that they actually paraded the streets of Healdsburg, both men and women, with music and banners waving, and seemed to think that if they could only get rid of Baiihache they would be secure in their homes. In consequence of which idea, they made a raid on him and forced him to secrete himself in the Raney Hotel. Seeing his danger, I marched out with a cooked revolver in each hand, and mot the mob and persuaded them that I was the man they wanted, and not Baiihache; but they came to the conclusion that they did not want either of us and retired. Still holding forcible possession of his lands, Mr. Baiihache about this time discovered that he had business at Fort Yuma. He moved Ms family to Santa Rosa and departed. A few months after this I received a letter of attorney from Mr. Baiihache at Fort Yuma, giving me full authority to enter upon any and all his lands in Sonoma county, and expel squatters, etc. I commenced operations under this power, but not until after I had convinced the sheriff who was then acting, that it was not much of an ofiice anyhow, and he had agreed to turn the office over to his under sheriff in case he could furnish the necessary bonds which I believe were about thirty thousand dollars, and by that arrangement I agieed to furnish ten thousand, in consideration of which I was to have the privilege of selecting my own deputy for Healdsburg. This was carried out, and I chose J. D. Bins, and adopted a new system of warfare. I put in teams and went to work hauling off the fencing from the farms on the west side of Dry creek, thus rendering the land useless to them. This drove them to desperation. The teams had been hauling all day, and at evening when the teams were coming in with the last load for the day, as they were approach- ing Dry creek, my team being in the rear with five or six men upon the wagon, my brother among the number, two shots from rifles were discharged in rapid succession, and a bullet from one of them struck a Mr. Ferguson just above the knee, and running down the leg shattered the bones in a ter- rible manner — in fact it was a death shot. My brother drove him to town 522 • HISTOEY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOKNIA. as fast as possible, but he never rallied from the nervous shock, and died the next. day. Until this murderous attack I had not been thoroughly aroused, but after the death and burial of young Ferguson I took a 230sse of ten men, all thoroughly armed, and went with them in person, threw out a few out- posts to prevent any further shooting from the brush, and threw out the goods from their houses and burned them to. the ground. In this way I went from house to house, until I had burned down all the dwellings on the Bailhache premises occupied by squatters. They followed us up en masse, and at length one of them said, " I would like to know who sets those build- ings on ill e ; I would make them smart legally." I replied, " what, you appeal to the law who have so long trampled law and justice beneath your feet ! You shall bo gratified ! " I said, "Jim Brown, fire that house;" he did so, the house was soon in flames. I said, "now take your legal remedy." Brown (a brother of Mayor Brown of Santa Rosa) was indicted, but a nol.pros. was entered in the ease, as the house was mine, I having authorized the act there being no property of others in it nor no living being under our statute, the act was legal. Some of the houses were good two-story buildings, but I treated them as I would have done a lot of rats' nests; under the circumstan- ces there was no alternative. After reducing the dwellings to heaps of smouldering ruins, the squatters continued to hang around like the French sol- diers around a burning Moscow until the elements drove them away to the hills, where some of them put up temporary adobes on the adjacent govern- ment land. In our attempt to keep the raiders from the different places, we had only been successful in gaining possession of a small portion, and in order to peipetuate my possession, I commenced repairing the fences, and on two or three occasions in the night they fired them. But I was ever on the alert, and discovered the fire in time to prevent much damage. My next effort was to find some one who would dare to take possession of some one of the places. At last I found a man by the name of Peacock, a powerful, resolute fellow, who proposed to purchase a piece of the land which a man by the name of Clark had been claiming, and whose house had been burned down. He contracted and entered into possession and guarded a fine lot of hay, a volunteer crop growing on the place. The hay had matured and he cut and cocked it, but in the intermediate time, contrary to my counsel, had made great friends with and confidants of the previous squatters, who had been evicted, and to whom, among other things, he told them that he was going to see my brother, to get his team to bale his hay the next day, and that he should be absent that night. I strongly opposed it, but he assured me that everything would be safe, but did not convince mc. I was on the watch, and about two o'clock A. M., I discovered a bright light arise .from the neighborhood of Peacock's hay. I rushed around, awakened Bailhache, Ransom Powell, and two or three others, and started for the scene of the fire. We succeeded in saving about one-third of his hay. On Peacock'a HISTOKY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOENIA. 523 return it was impossible to convince him that the Prouses had any hand in this, or that they knew anything of it. He continued his former relations with the Prouses for about one month after this time, he having gone to board with them. One day at dinner a dispute arose at table, and the two Prouse brothers set upon him; one of them, armed with something that the evidence afterwards disclosed as being somewhat like a bucther's cleaver. They cut and hacked Peacock up in a terrible manner, to that extent that for a long time his life was despaired of; for which offense I sent Daniel Prouse to the penitentiary and we continued to hold possession; the land being desirable farming land, and others seeing that our possession could be held, commenced purchasing, and thus Bailhache was restored to his possession, which put an end to the squatter difficulty on the Sotoyome Racho. About this time I was requested to take charge of the Tzabaco Rancho, by John B. Frisbie, and W. H. Patterson, of San Francisco, sending the request by James Clark, then Sheriff of Sonoma county, who held writs of ejectment against all the settlers on the Russian river side of the grant. I had been acting for them for more than two years as their agent, selling and leasing the Dry creek portion, where they met with but little opposition to their title; but before stating my action on the Russian River valley, I must state one incident that occurred on the Dry creek portion. I had been up Dry creek, serving some notices on parties who had not paid up, and was returning, mounted on a little gentle mare, and while jogging along, right opposite the widow Bell's old place, where there was an old watering trough and spring, at a large redwood stump, surrounded by a dense growth of redwood sprouts, when a shot was fired. I felt a concussion, and at the same instant my mare made a j ump sideways, nearly throwing me from my saddle. I recovered myself and dismounted. I saw the brush wiggle and shake, and made for the point. The party took to his heels, running through the thick brush and up a very steep hill, and I only got a sight of his back. He wore a bluish-gray coat and a low black hat, and was rather a short man, and that was all I could tell of my would-be assassin. I was unarmed and had no way of stopping him. On examination I discovered that the bullet had passed through both sides of my vest, having entered the right side of my vest, high in the breast, and passing through my outer shirt, in front of my breast, and passing out of the left side of the vest. This was at a time when strano-ers thouo-ht us a set of desperadoes here, and there was but little said about it, as I did not wish to add to our reputation in that line. When I came in I showed it to Bailhache, D. F. Spurr, and, may be, two or three more. I still have the vest, and if this reaches the eye of the perpetrator of the deed he may congratulate himself on the fact that I could not recognize him. And now to the squatters on the Russian river side of the grant, hostile almost to a man. When the Sheriff informed me that he was under my instructions I told him to go home, and if I needed him I would let him know. I then went to Frisbie and Patterson, 524 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. : saying that in case I entered upon the hazard of attempting to manage the squatters to send me an unconditional power to survey, segregate and sell all the lands upon such terms and time as I should deem proper, being accountable to no one for my actions in its disposition. They immediately sent me the asked for power, which was communicated to the settlers in a very exaggerated manner, they being led to believe that I would eject them from their homes without an opportunity of purchasing at any price. Whereupon their secret organization met, I having two trusty friends in that organization, who hastened to me, and communicated to me so much of the proceedintrs as in their judgment was necessary to preserve my life. I was told by them that it was determined in counsel that my death was essential in order to defeat the measures about to be carried into effect; and by resolution by them adopted, it was resolved, that if I ever showed myself upon the Tzabaco Rancho I was to be killed like a snake by whoever discovered me ; and in addition to this, they balloted to see whose duty it was to be my special executioner to hunt me out and kill me. Those men begged of me, under the circumstances, not to come on to the grant. I fully comprehended the fact, that these men were in a state of desperation, as we held one judgment over them in the sum of ten thousand dollars, for use and occupation of the premises, and another judgment often thousand dollars, obtained on injunc- tion bond, making a total of twenty thousand dollars; together with writs of ejectment against every one of them. After due reflection, I resolved to " beard the lion in his den," and to fight the devil with fire, and when I was all ready, I hitched my pony to the buggy, and started for the Tzabaco Rancho. After placing a quart bottle of old Bourbon under the buggy seat, and arming myself in case of trouble, I drove to the ranch, which is about six miles from Healdsburg, following the Geyserville road, and adjoining the Sotoyome Rancho on the west. I drove up opposite to the house of one Captain Vessor then living close to the line, and saw the old captain in his yard hewing out a plow-beam. I stopped my horse, and called cut, " Captain Vessor, will you step this way?" He dropped his ax, and came to the road ; when about five or six feet from the buggy he raised his spectacles, and recog- nizing me he instantly became as black as a thunder-cloud. I jumped out of the buggy, and confronting him, said : " I am informed that you men have, in solemn conclave determined to shoot and scalp me if I ever came on this grant, and as shooting is a game that two may play at, I will commence now," at the same time running my hand under the buggy seat. The old captain threw up both hands, commenced running backwards, exclaiming, " Don't, don't." " I'll be hanged, if I don't !" at the same time bringing the whisky bottle to bear upon him. A pleasurable sensation, after the most abject fear, wrought another change in the captain, when he laughingly exclaimed : " Oh, God ! you might have shot me with that long ago." I then ,gave the old man a shot in the neck, and bade him get into the buggy, but HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 523 I frankly told him that I was through joking and meant business; that for the present he was my prisoner, and must go with me. He very reluctantly <;omphed, and I drove to Geyserville, only holding him hostage to insure my own safety. At this place I met Dr. Ely, whom I had good reason to believe was the brains and managing man of the squatters, he being a man of intellect, and a fair-minded, reasonable man upon all subjects excepting the -one. I dismissed Vessor, "shot" Ely, and took him in the buggy, and continued my journey through the Tzabaco Rancho. I informed the Doctor that I came up to sell their lands, and that I proposed to give every man a reason- able chance of paying for the farm I sold him. I was aware that the lands had been held too high, that the owners were honest in their convictions of the value of the land, but were mistaken, and for that reason I had refused to take the agency until they gave me carte blanche to dispose of them accord- ing to my own judgment. " But," he said, with apparent surprise, " you do not propose to sell me my place ?" " Why not ?" I replied : " I have always heard that you said you would not sell my place, but had selected it for yourself." " That," said I, " is j ust as true as many other things you have heard about me. I am a Western man, and am anxious to see every man have his home, and will sell to you just the same as to the rest." " But," said he, "if disposed to purchase, how can we? We are bankrupts; with the twenty thousand dollars judgments hanging over us we can do nothing," I told him that it was not necessary to tell me that they were bankruptd, for I knew it. " It is not necessary to tell me that you are a set of ruined and desperate men. I know it. It is not necessary for you to say, in cass I attempt to exesute the writs of eje3tment that I hold agiiast you, that these fair domains will be left blackened ruins, and that the inhabitants will retite to their mountain fastnesses and wage war against human nature at large, for I already know it, and in my present action have given due heed to all, and yet am going to sell every man of you your farms, and as fast as j'ou pur- chase I shall wipe the judgment out against the purchaser, and again place you in the position of freemen." The doctor frankly admitted that if that, was my intention, then I had been greatly misrepresented to them. I told him that having unlimited power, I intended to be a benefactor and not an oppressor of the people. The doctor took me at my word, rode through the settlement with me, and advised the settlers to purchase their homes, which seemed to them unusual advice. I notified them that, on the following Thursday I would be at Captain Vessor's for the purpose of going with them over every man's place, and fix a price upon it per acre. I was there at the time appointed, and met the entire settlement, and went over every place, fixing my price upon the land as I passed over and to my surprise and satisfaction every one of them thought that I had put a fair price upon his neighbor's land, but had got his a little too high ; the result was that every man purchased his farm within the ensuing six 526 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. weeks, paying one-fourth down and getting three years to pay the bal- ance, at one per cent, per month interest. And what was still more satis- factory, by the enlargement of time of payment, all succeeded in paying for their farms, and thus ended the squatter war that had been kept up for over seven years in the northern portion of this county. But before dismissing the subject I must say, in justification of these men, that the most of them in my judgment, were honest in their convictions that the claimants either had no title to the lands, or if they had a title it was fraudulent, and that many of them to-day are among our most respected and prominent citizens. Our old feuds are now looked upon as a feverish and disturbing dream, or treated as a subject of mirth, and as for myself, the most of the men who once wanted to see my throat cut are among my warmest friends. I will here append a set of resolutions, expressing their feelings toward me after our fight was over: — At a meeting " of the citizens of Washington township, and on the " Tzabaco Grant," held this day, without distinction of party, the following preamble and resolutions were unanimously adopted: Whereas, It having become known to us that statements are being publicly made to the effect that Capt. L. A. Norton, of Healdsburg, is i-egarded with unfriendly feel- ings by the citizens and settlers of this township, and knowing such state- ments to be wholly untrue and unjust to Captain Norton, it is hereby Resolved, That we recognize in Capt. L. A. Norton, a gentleman of great firmness of purpose, and energy in the discharge of duty; entirely impartial as agent between grantholders and settlers — and that his courtesy and friendship, as evinced toward ail who wished to secure their homes, demand"? and receives our hearty approbation and respect, and that we entertain for him none but the kindliest feelings. Resolved, That all statements and asser- tions made in relation to Capt. L. A. Norton in connection with ourselves, which are not in accordance with the above, are untrue, and very unjust to' both Capt Norton and ourselves. Resolved, That the Secretary forward a copy of the proceedings of this meeting to the Sonoma Democrat, and one to the Russian River Flag, requesting them to publish the same. (Signed) Downing Lamb, President. Elisha Ely, Secretary. In 1861 or '62 there was a regiment of volunteers organized in Kane county, Illinois. They met in companies at Batavia, to perfect *the organiza- tion, they first proceeded to elect their Major; second, their Lieutenant-Colonel, when, on motion, a recess of fifteen minutes was taken, when it was pro- posed that the health of Captain Norton be drank standing, which was informally carried out. When the meeting resumed business it was moved and carried that Captain L. A. Norton be elected Colonel of this regiment by acclamation, which motion was put and carried unanimously. Where- upon Capt. P. J. Burchell, moved that a copy of the proceedings of this HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 527 meeting be forwarded to Colonel Norton, by its secretary, with the request that he come home and take charge of his regiment, which his situation in this couutj forbade him from doing, for at that time the captain (or more legiti- mately the colonel) had his hands full at home. We are informed by reliable persons that the northern part of Sonoma county is much indebted to the firm- ness and energy of the colonel in keeping down an outbreak, as there was a very strong seces.sion element in that portion of it, and when it was asserted that no recruits to join the Federal army would ever live to cross Russian river, he organized and secretly drilled the Union forces, and was at all times ready to meet the threatened outbreak. And when it was said that no Union flag should ever float in Healdbburg, he went immediately to Petaluma, purchased one, placed it on the top of his carriage, carried it to Healdsburg through the country, and nailed it to his balcony, where it continued to wave. When it was reported that a rebel flag was floating from the top of a high tree, between Santa Rosa and Sonoma, Norton made it his business to go down there, in open day, climb the tree and remove the flag. And we are informed that it is now in the possession of Mrs. Malloy, of San Fran- cisco, the colonel having presented the same to Dr. E. B. Malloy, now deceased. The colonel still practices his profession in Healdsburg, and we believe he possesses the confidence of the whole community, as a careful, honest and able member of the bar. Phillips, D. D. Born in Mason county, Kentucky, May 1, 1822. At the age of five years his parents moved to Pike county, Missouri, where he was educated. On May 18, 1843, he married Miss Amelia A. Kennedy, and soon after moved to Ralls county, where he resided until the death of his wife, March 10, 1847. He then enlisted in Company E, Third Regiment, Missouri Mounted Volunteers. He had been in the service but a short time when he was detailed to be one of a party of twenty-eight men to accompany Kit Carson, who was a dispatch carrier, to General Kearney in California. After accompanying them to Santa Fe, in New Mexico, Carson obtaining a fresh escort, he and his comrades remained at Santa Fe until their respective commanders arrived, after which they proceeded to Chihuahua and Santa Cruz, in the State of Chihuahua, Mexico. Mr. Phillips remained with this command until the Fall of 1848, when he got his honorable discharge. Returning to Ralls county, he spent the Winter, and in the Spring, in company with three companions, started across the plains with ox-teams, arriving at Hangtown, now Placerville, September 1, 1849. After mining at difierent points for seven years, he came to this county October 16, 1856, and settled on his present estate, comprising two hundred and twenty-three acres, located on Dry creek, about eight miles from Healdsburg. He mairied his present wife, Mrs. Mary C. McCland, January, 1855. His children by his first wife are George W. and Gabriel D. By his second wife he has John W., Samuel E., Oscar F., HoraQp H. and Olliver C. 528 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. Proctor, Ira. Was born in Chittenden county, Vermont, November 18, 1833, where he learned the carpenter's trade and resided until 1854i, when he emigrated to California., He worked at his trade in San Francisco until 1856, when he went to Oroville, Butte county, remaining until 1862, when he went to Nevada, and after following his trade for three years, he built a quartz mill, which he run until 1870, when he came to this county and settled on his present place, consisting of one hundred and ten acres, located on Dry creek, about two miles from Healdsburg. He married Miss Cathe- rine Fetter, January 12, 1866, a native of Ohio. Their children are: Laura J., bom June 13, 1862; Katie M., born February 10, 1865; Daniel H., born November 13, 1866, died June 3, 1877; James M., born November 17, 1868; Fannie M., born March 19, 1870; Claia L., birn June 17, 1872; Charles J., born April 24, 1873; "Royal T., born February 22, 1876. SamuelSj Hon. James. The subject of this sketch, whose portrait will be found in this work, was born April 3, 1831, in Butler county, Ohio. His parents' names were James and Ann Samuels. His mother having died when he was nine years of age, and his father when he was sixteen, Mr. Samuels was thrown, at that early age, upon his own resources. He received his educa- tion in the common schools of the State, and also spent one year at Mount Pisgah Seminary, in Indiana. Daring the last few years previous to his coming of age, he learned the harness and saddlery business. On the 9th of April, 1852, at the age of twenty-one, he started ibr California, coming via the Panama route. He arrived in San Francisco May ] 9, 1852. He at once went to the mines near Downieville, and spent a year at that business. In 1853 he came to Marysville and spent a few months there. He then came to Petaluma, Sonoma county, arriving September 1, 1853. Here he engaged in the saddlery and harness business till the Spring of 1857. He then engaged in farming in the Russian river valley, near Healdsburg, which he carried on successfully till 1866. He then purchased a stock ranch, twenty- eight miles north-west of Healdsburg, where he resides at the present time. He was elected to the Legislature in 1875, by a large majority over two competitors. While a member of this body he made a handsome record, introducing several reformatory bills, which save to the State a large sum annually. He was appointed a Commissioner by the State Agricultural Society to the Centennial Exposition. Mr. Samuels is one of Sonoma's most energetic and thriving citizens, and one most highly esteemed by all who ' know him. Mr. Samuels was married April 9, 1856, to Mrs. Sarah H. Myers, daughter of Joseph and Dorothy Fellows, a native of West Plymouth, New Hampshire. When they were married she had one child, Luella, still living, and married to John Sibbold. One child, Isaballa, has been born to them, still living. SkaggS, Alexander. The subject of this sketch is a native of Baron county, Kentucty, where he was born in June, 1826. WTiea twenty-six JAM£§ WATS OK. HISTORY of: SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOENIA. 529 years of age he accompanied his parents to Missouri, and there followed farming until 1853, when he emigrated to California, coming by way of the plains, with ox-teams. He arrived in Nevada county September 7, 1853, and commenced business as a stock-raiser, which occupation he continued until 1837, when he moved to Sonoma county and became possessed of the lands on which are located the famous springs and Summer resort known as Skaggs' Springs, a description of which will be found in the chapter on springs and mines in the first part of this volume. Mr. Skaggs married in April, 1850, Eliza Thomas, a native of Kentucky, by whom he has four children, Charles W., Elizabeth, William and George H. Truitt, Roland K. Was born in Montgomery county, Texas, Aujrust 23, 1841. When but a child, his parents moved near Hannibal, Mis50uri, and there resided until the Spring of 1849, in which year they emigrated to California, making the journey by ox-teams across the plains, the time occupied being five months and eighteen days. Their first location was Mormon Island, where they remained until the Fall of 1851, when they returned to Texas and farmed until the Spring of 1856, at which time they came back to California and settled about seven miles north from Petaluma, after which he left his parents and went to work for wages and remained in Sonoma county until March, 1860, when, in company with an aunt and family, went to Texas, and in the following September accompanied his uncle, E. R. MoSett, to the State of Iowa to purchase horses, and returned the same Fall to Texas; then the war breaking out, he enlisted as a private in the Confederate cavalry. After serving two years in the Mississippi States, he put in a substitute and started on his way to California via Mexico, and arrived at Matamoras in October, 1863. After the surrender of Brownsville to the United States army, he went there and applied for ti-ansportation to New Orleans, but was refused. Being in destitute circumstances and sick he was necessarily compelled to join the United States cavalry, in which he served until October 31, 1863, and was mustered out under General Cu.ster, commanding the army at San Antonio, Texas. He then returned to the place of his birth, Danville, Montgomery county, and on December 26, 1866 married Miss S. G. Brooks, a native of Mississippi. On May 10, 18ti8, he again started to California, accompanied by his wife and one child, and arrived in Healdsburg, Sonoma county, the 23d day of June, where he has remained since, being most of the time engaged in stock-raising. He is now engaged in sheep-raising in co-partnership with John H. Zuver. Thuir ranch is located on Big Pluton creek, near the celebrated Geyser Springs; it com- prises about ten thousand acres of grazing land. His family now consists of four children, Eugene R., Emma S., Eliott and Charles E. Van Allen, John J. Was bom in Columbia county. New York, April 30, 1826. Here he received his education and resided until June, 1849, 34 630 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. when he emigrated to California, arriving in San Francisco October 4th of that year. After spending a few days there he went to Jackson Bar, and there prosecuted mining and bunting for about one year, after which be worked in a lumber yard in San Francisco for two years. He next engaged in farming and hunting in Marin county for eight years, and then came^ to Sonoma county and settled in Petaluma. In 1871 be located on his present farm of one thousand and two hundred acres in the mountains, at the head of Dry creek. Mr. Van Alien married, in 1871, Miss Bryan, a native of Ireland, by whom he has one child, named Maria. "Willson, H. M. Born in New Jersey August 5, 1814. When fourteen years of age he was left an orphan. His first move was to Bucks county, Pennsylvania, where he learned to manufacture woolen goods, which he followed until twenty-one years of age, when he engaged in merchandising in Indianapolis, Indiana; but after remaining here for four years, he went to Piatt county, Missouri, and followed the same business and remained until 1849, when he crossed the plains to California. After his arrival he engaged in mining, butchering and running pack-trains until 1853, when he came to this county and engaged in trade with H. G. Heald, at Healdsburg, for two years. He then settled on his present estate, directly south of the above named town, where he now resides. Mr. Willson has served eight years as Justice of the Peace, and thi-ee years as Supervisor of this district. He ia also one of the Directors of the Bank of Healdsburg. He married Miss A. L. Tanner, September, 1856. Anna M. and Edward A. are their only children. OCEAN. Duncan, Alexander. The subject of this sketch, whose portrait appears in this work, is a native of County Tyrone, Ireland, and was born in August, 1821. His instruction consisted of the ordinary school education of the country at that time. During his youth he served an apprenticeship of six years at the blacksmith and machinist trade. He remained in Ireland till 1840, when the enterprising young man set sail for the glorious land of which he had heard such marvelous stories on his native heath, and in May of that year h© landed in New York City. Here he remained until some time during the Fall of 1840, when he went to New Orleans. Here he located and began operations in his trade. He soon built up a snug business, and everything HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 531 ■went along smoothly with him. In 1850, having heard the great reports which were rife in all parts of the East at that time concerning the great wealth and resources of California, he decided to go to that country. In May of that year he sailed for CaUfornia, via the Panama route, arriving in San Francisco, June 15, 1850. Upon his arrival there he at once engaged in his business, when he, by his proficiency in his work and the untiring energy with which he pushed it along, soon had more on his hands than he could get through with. He made a specialty of making iron door and window shutters, for the manufacture of which his shop was so justly popular. While in San Francisco, in the Fall of 1851, he had occasion to transfer his business from Clay above Liedesdovf to Sansome street. This was the first building ever moved along the streets of San Francisco. He remained in San Francisco, following his vocation till the Fall of 1854, when he joined his brother, Samuel M., in the milliug and lumber trade at Salt Point, having purchased the interest of Joshua Hendy. Since that time the firm have car- ried on the largest lumber business in Sonoma county. He now resides in the beautifully-located village of Duncan's Mill, on the banks of the Russian river. Here he has a most handsome and substantial residence, surrounded with elegant grounds. He has also a very fine, large mill, with which he is doing a splendid business. This town received its patronymic in honor of Mr. Duncan. He has ever been a leading spirit in the enterprises which go to upbuilding and advancing the interests of the county. August 5, 1844, in New York city, he was united in marriage with Miss Ann Jane Halliday, a native of Ireland. She was born June 23, 1824. Eight children have resulted from this union, namely : Jeannie, Samuel M., Hugh, Sarah, Alex- ander, Alexander, Rebecca and William. Of these, Jeannie, Samuel M., and Sarah are still living. Mayer, August. Bom in Bavaria, Germany, November 22, 1838. In 1861 he came to America, first settling in Jefferson county. New York. He remained here, with the exception of a few months spent in New York city, until 1863, when he came, via Panama, to California and located in Marin county, and engaged in the dairying business until 1870. After spending one year in San Francisco, he came to this county and settled on his present farm, comprising one thousand acres. This was on November 1, 1871. In September, 1876, he visited the Centennial Exposition, and from there went to Europe and all parts of the globe. June, 1878, found him again on his farm in this county, where he is at present actively engaged in dairying, manufacturing about thirty thousand pounds of cheese per annum, and thirteen thousand and two hundred pounds of butter. Rule, John (deceased). Whose portrait appears in this work, was born in Cornwall, England, February G, 1818. He resided in his native land till 1841, when he emigrated to the United States, sojourned a year in Pennsyl- 532 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. yania, and then settled in Missouri, where he was married October 25, 1844, to Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas and Hannah Cook Craddock, in Madison county. Here he resided during the next two years, and was engaged in various mining interests in the lead and copper mines of that State. In 18G6, with his family, he removed to Grant county, Wisconsin, and invested quite extensively in the lead mines, near Galena, Illinois, and here he followed mining till the Spring of 1852, when the California " fever " induced him to seek his fortune in the far-off land of gold. After a tedious journey of five months across the plains, he arrived at V^olcano, Amador county. Here he spent a year in mining, and then tried his hand at the same business in Grass Valley for another year. In April, 1854, he moved to Brown's Valley, Yuba county. Here he followed mining an I hotel keeping till 1861. The next five years he did a varied and extensive business in Virginia, Nevada, in mining, quartz-crushing and teaming. Then San Francisco was his home till he purchased the farm in Sonoma county, on which his family now live. Here he erected an extensive steam saw-mill, its capacity being forty thousand feet of lumber per day. The land he purchased — forty-five thousand acres — being well timbered, was estimated to contain timber enough to keep his saw-mill running twenty years. He was greatly interested in the progress and prosperity of his neighborhood, and had obtained a franchise from the State to bridge Russian river, an enterprise in which he was greatly inter- ested. But, alas ! how little we know of the future. In the midst of plans and enterprises, business called him to his former home, Virginia City, never to return. He died there, April 15, 1870. His death was a sad loss, not only to his family, but felt by all the community. It left many enterprises that would have benefitted the county and State unfinished. Mr. Rule was a man of no ordinary business capacity and energy, and always made his presence known in enterprises that benefitted the neighborhood in which ho lived. In July, 1870, his family came and settled on his estate in Sonoma county. His widow, Mrs. Rule, has, since her husband's death, in the main had charge of the estate, and has shown herself a lady of fine executive abilities in its management. She has conducted a large dairying and stock- raising business; also, an extensive wood business, shipping about four thou- sand cords annually. Mrs. Rule was born February 22, 1822, in Madison county, Missouri. She has six children now living: John Richard, born Jan- uary 31, 1847; Hannah Josephine, born June 8, 1851; Edward James, born December 25, 1854; Nannie Augustie, born March 27, 1858; William John- son, born May 24, 1861; Charles Henry Stone, born October 24, 1863; Eliza- beth Jane, September 5, 1845 ; died February 22, 1854; Thomas . Johnson born August 4, 1848; died June 24, 1853; Thomas Craddock, born Sep- tember 6, 1853 ; died November 8, 1853. Wood "William Blake. The subject of this sketch was born December 2 1829, in Ulster county, New York. His father's name was John B., and HISTOET OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 533 his mother's maiden name was Deborah F. Blake, both natives of New York. His mother now resides in San Francisco. He was educated in the common schools and an academy in Duchess county. New York, known as the Nine Partners, under the auspices of the Quakers. Was engaged in farming in New York till 1851. Started for California July 5, 1851, coming via the Panama route. Came into San Francisco on the steamer "Northerner," arriving September 7, 1851. Went at once to the mines, locating at Mokelumne Hill. Here he remained till January, 1852; then went to lone valley, remaining there until January, 1853, when he came to Two Rock valley, Sonoma county. Here he located on a farm and remained till the Spring of 1856. He then disposed of his farm, and engaged in teaching school at Sebastopol for six months. He then went to Tomales, Marin county, locating on a farm, and remained there till the Fall of 1859. Spent that Winter in Humboldt county. In the Spring he returned to Bloomfield, Sonoma county, and associating with him Charles R. Arthur, engaged in the merchandising business. Here he remained till March, 1869, when he wont to Castroville, Monterey county. Here he engaged in the mercantile business, with A. P. Knowles as partner, till September, 1872; For the next year and a half he remained out of business, owing to ill health. He then engaged in the grain commission business in Castroville. In Januarj^ 1876, he leased the American Hotel in that place, which business he conducted till April, 1879. He then leased the Russian River Hotel at Duncan's Mill, and is still engaged in business there. Mr. Wood was united in marriage with Miss Jane E., daughter of William C. Abels, the first settler in the south end of Analy township, August 24, 1856. Her mother's maiden name was Miss Eleanor Andrews. Her parents are now both livinor in San Jose. The result of* this union has been two children, viz. : Emma A. and Alfred A., both living. ftueen, Christopher. The subject of this sketch is a lineal descendant of one of the oldest families of France. The original name was Du Quien, but has been Americanized into its present form. As long ago as the year 1700, a large family of this name resided near Marseilles, France. About this time, one of its members, Jean Philip, embraced the Huguenot religion, and removed to another part; of the kingdom, where Protestantism was toler- ated. There he erected a mansion, which has been the birth-place and home of six generations of the family. The capstone across the entrance still bears his name and the date (1717) of its erection. At the beginnino- of the Jaco- bin revolution of 1793, the Du Quiens, having been long connected with the royal government, followed the fortunes of the king and fled the country. They remained in England and on the continent until Napoleon had a.ssumed the reins of government, when they were allowed to return; but only to find most of their property confiscated. The father of the subject joined the army and served seven years ; after which he returned to his home, married, and a 534 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOENIA. few years later, with his young family, of whom Christopher was the eldest, having been born August 5, 1842, emigrated to America. They landed at New Orleans, and settled at Peoria, Illinois, in 1853. Young Christopher's early years were spent in helping the father to gain a livelihood for the family, and as much of an education as the circumstances would permit. On the 28th of April, 1861, he started for California across the plains, in the company organized by Captain William S. Moss, now of the San Francisco Examiner, arriving here in October of the same year. He remained in Stockton for several months, and in the winter went to Placer county, where he was chiefly engaged in running a pony express from Iowa Hill to the several mining camps in that section. In the spring of 1863, during the mining excitement at Squaw valley, near lake Tahoe, he went thither. This excitement, like many others, proved to be a " will-o'-the-wisp." Mr. Queen engaged to sail a boat on the lake for the season, and in the Fall returned to Iowa Hill. In July, 1865, he went to Illinoistown (now Colfax), Placer county, the then terminus of the Central Pacific railroad, and was there appointed Deputy-Sheriff under William Sexton, re-appointed under A W, Poole, the present United States Marshal, and again under J. H. Neflf. On the 14th of February, 1869, he went into the employ of Wells, Fargo & Co.'s Express, and remained with that company until September 10, 1878. During part of this time he was stationed at Reno, Nevada. He resigned his position, and with Warren Dutton, of Tomales, and Samuel Rien, of Duncan's Mill, formed a co-partnership to succeed Messrs. Thomas Beacom & Co. in the management of the north coast stage lines, of which business he had the immediate control. The business has undergone some change since then, and Mr. Queen is now connected with George Allman of San Francisco, in the stage lines, and with John Clark in the livery business at Duncan's Mill. He is a live, thorough-going business man, and one with whom it is a pleasure and a profit to meet. PETALUMA. Andrews, Robert. Born in Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, August 10, 1813. Here he received his education and labored upon the farm until twenty-six years of age. In 1840, he, with his parents, moved to Ohio, and on January 27, 1842, married Miss Mary, daughter of Colonel Orr, of Guernsey county, Ohio. In April, 1857, he and his family started to Call- HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CAIIFOENIA. 635 fornia, crossing the plains with ox-teams. They came direct to this county, arriving all safe and weIl,October 10, 1857,and in 1859 located on their present estate, situated in Two Rock valley, about six miles from Petaluma. Their children are W. C, C. N., Howard, and Holland "W. Have lost two, Jane, and Sarah E. Armstrongs, James. Was bom in the city of Baltimore, Maryland, May 7, 1828. His father's name was Daniel, and his mother's maiden name Ann Weldon; they died in 1836 and 1838 respectively ; his grandfather Joshua Armstrong, who was a soldier in the Twenty-seventh Regiment of Maryland Sharpshooters, was killed at the battle of Baltimore, September 12, 1814. In the year 1840 the subject of this sketch entered the navy of the United States as a " prentice boy," and served under D. G. Farragut, Commodore Morris, and Captain Bell, on board of the line-of-battle ship " Delaware," and steamer " Union," until 1845, having in that period visited the Brazils, and other parts of South America, Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, and Africa, as well as Florida, Texas, and Mexico, nearer home. On his discharge he retured to Baltimore, and learning a trade worked at it until April, 1846, and was so employed when the news arrived that General Taylor was surrounded at Point Isabella, Texas, by the Mexicans, under General Ariosta. On hearing this intelligence Armstrong left his job unfinished, rushed up to Union Hall, and there and then signed his name as a volunteer in Company A, First Maryland, D. C, Volunteers, Colonel William H. Watson. Sailing with his regiment he landed at the mouth of the Rio Grande, July 2, 1846, and served under Generals Taylor, Quitman, and Scott, from that point up to the City of Mexico. When on vedette duty at Monterey, September 23, 1846, captured, single-handed, two prisoners, marched them in at the point of the bayonet, and turned them over at the old Sugar-house fort to Randolph Ridgley, Captain Third Artillery. At the capture of Victoria, Mr. Armstrong and Adjutant-General Lovell, of General Quitman's staff, hoisted the first flag over the Custom-house. Let us .tell this feat in Mr. Armstrong's own words: "The Mexican officials cut the halyards from the fiag-staflf, locked the door and would not give us the key, so we battered the door in with a large piece of timber. I went up the pole and rove the halyards, and, with three cheers from the troops, unfurled " old glory '' to the breeze. General Quitman requested the troops not to cheer, but it was no use, for as soon as the " boys " saw our flag go to the breeze they let loose — and, right here I wish to correct a little piece of S win- ton's History. He says that Victoria was captured by General Patterson and his division. We sixteen hundred volunteers, with Bragg's battery, under General John A. Quitman, marched from Monterey, Patterson marched from Matamoras. We beat Patterson's division three days to Victoria ; had General Urea, with five thousand Mexicans retreating before us ; so we had the city three 536 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. days before Patterson's arrival." After two years' service in Mexico he loft.it with Watt's division on June 12, 1848, and returned home by way of New Orleans, St. Louis.Louisville, and Wheeling. In the following October he sailed from Baltimore to New Orleans in the bark " Louise;" in November,after the Presidential election, he proceeded to Corpus Christi, Texas, and in June, 1849^ went to San Antonio and joined the expedition of Major Van Horns, as assist- ant wagon-master with the Third Infantry, bound to Passo del Norto. In October, 1849, he left EI Passo with P. Edward, now General, Connor, Gran- ville Orrez, John Lynch, John G. Moore, and James Churchman, and proceed- incrthrouoh Chihuahua. DuranTO, Sinaloa, to Mazatlan, there embarked in the brig " Two Brothers," of ninety tons, with one hundred and fifty passengers, for San Francisco, California, where they arrived in December, 1849, after a passage of thirty-one days. In January, 1850, Mr. Armstrong went to the mines at Ousley's and Long Bar, until April, when he moved to the north fork of the Yuba river, above Downieville; from here he proceeded to to Goodyear's Bar; worked at mining in Sierra, Plumas and Mariposa counties until 1854, in which year he moved to Petaluma, and purchased lots at the corner of Third and F streets. In July, 1857, was engaged in the water business. June 18, 1862, was elected Second Lieutenant of Petaluma Guard; August 15, 1863, promoted to the rank of Captain; August, 1864, promoted to be Major First Infantry Battalion, National Guard of California, and served as such until 1868, when the battalion was mustered out of the service ; June 29, 1869, organized the Heuston Guard, Second Brigade, National Guard of California, which company he is still commanding, having been re-elected five times. In 1877, bought out Mr. Pancher's news agency. Major Armstrong married. May 17, 1859, Mary E., daughter of John L. Mock, of Vallejo township, by whom he has had nine children, two are dead and seven living, six girls, and one boy named James Custer Armstrong. Says the gallant Major, " I shall try and raise him not only to love California, but our whole country, and above all the Union of the States, as his birth-right, to be preserved, if possible, come peace or war." Atwater, Henry H. The subject of this memoir was born in Luzerne county, Pennsylvania, on April 13, 1837. Here he attended the common school* till fifteen years old, when he commenced the battle of life ftn his own account, first as a clerk in a general merchandismg store for three years, then in 1855 he was employed as book-keeper for a coal company till 1858 ; then he proceeded to Binghampton, New York, and there procured employment as a book-keeper for Messrs. Weed, Ayers & Morgan, where he remained until he emigrated to California via Panama. He arrived in San Francisco, May 15, 1859, and immediately came to Petaluma and engaged as a clerk with Hinman & Co., which situation he filled until 1866, when he accepted the position as cashier of the First National Gold Bank of this city, and is HISTOEY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 537 still filling this place of trust. He married on May 3, 1856, Miss Addie A. Daley, who was born in Canada on October 6, 1836. By this union there is one son, Frank H, born June 15 1857. Barnes, Alfred N. Born in Luzerne county, Pennsylvania, on April 14, 1818. In 1838, he piocaeded to Lee county, Illinois, and engaged in the mercantile business. In February, 1849, he went to Independence, Missouri, and April 24th ho started in company with Col. Ku.ssell's company across the plains for California, arriving at Sacramento city August, 1, 1849. He immediatelj' proceeded to Coloma and married, and carried on the mercantile business until the Spring of 1851, when he returned to Illinois. Here he followed the merchandising business until 18C5, when he returned by water with his family and located in Petaluma city. In the Spring of 1866 he opened a general merchandise store, but closed out in 1869, and went to White Pine, Nevada; mined five months, then returned to this county and embarked in the business of sheep-raising, and continued the same until 1877, when he repaired to this city and engaged in his present business. He mariied Juliet M., daughter of Reuben Hamlin, of Peoria, Illinois, February 22, 1852. She was born in Somers Connecticut. Ida F., born on February, 23, 1855, Charles A., born on December 10, 1857, Hattie Louise, born on February 15, 1868, are the names and births of their children. Barlow, Solomon Q. A native of Sullivan county, New York; was bom May 20, 1837. There he received his early education, and assisted his father in the business of farming and lumbering, finishing his education at the Ellenville high school at the age of twenty-one, under Prof. L. A. Law Post, principal. He then purchased the homestead, farm and saw-mill of his father, who had removed to Napanock, New York. There he continued the business of farming and lumbering till 1862, when he removed to Pomp- ton, New Jersey, where he was agent for James Horner & Co. for two years, during the erection of their steel and file works at that place. He then emigrated to California fia Panama, and arrived and settled in Two Rock Valley in this county, April 21, 1864. In 1872 he settled on his present estate, containing one hundred and forty-four acres, in the same valley, six miles west of Petaluma. February 8, 1860, Mr. Barlow married Miss Elizabeth J. Denman, a native of Sullivan county New York. She was born March 14, 1837, and died December 3, 1874. Their children are Eva R., born April 17, 1861; William Denman, December 29, 1862; Anna D. and Fanny D., twins, born July 4, 1865; Thomas Edgar, born February 2, 1867; and Libbie Louisa, born February 12, 1870; one deceased, William Denman, September 16, 1863. Mr. Barlow's second marriage took place at Point Arena, California, October 9, 1879, to Miss Louisa Brandon, a native of Iowa City, Iowa, born November 16, 1841. He is giving his children a liberal and practical education, and is engaged in mixed agriculture, for which, his locality is well adapted. ^38 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOBNIA. Bernhard, Isaac. A native of Bavaria, Germany, born March 15, 1821, where he received bis education and served an apprenticeship to the weaver's trade. In 1843 he emigrated to America, remamed in New York a short time, when he came to California, via Nicaragua, and arrived in San Fran- cisco May 6, 1853. A few months later he was a merchant in Green valley, this county, in company with Edward Newburgh. Here he contin- ued until the Fall of 1857, when he came to this city and opened a store where the Phoenix Block now stands. In 1862 he opened his present gen- eral merchandise store, and has ever since enjoyed a lucrative patronage. Married Satah, daughter of Jacob and Johanna Driefuss, March 28, 1858. She arrived in California July 27, 1857. She was born in Germany on Septem- ber 16, 1835. Jacob W., born April 11, 1861, Joseph, F. A.," born August 22, 1862, Ella V. G., born May 16, 1864, Edward M. C, August, 23, 1876, Albert H. I., born September 29, 1859, and died November 15, 1874, Her- man I. G., born December 21, 1865, and died January 23, 1866, are the names of their children. Brackett, Joshua S. This pioneer settler of Sonoma and Marin counties, and who is represented by his portrait in this work, was born in New Market, Eockingham county. New Hampshire, on February 18, 1820. Here he resided till thirteen years old, when he moved to Methuen, Middle- sex county, Massachusetts, where he abode thirteen months; thence to Akron, Summit county, Ohio, residing in that locality until 1840; then returned to Massachusetts, taking up his residence in Lowell. Here he lived one year, then went to Manchester, New Hampshire, and engaged in the sash, door and blind business, but only remained there till 1844, when he settled in Boston, Massachusetts. On the 27th of January, 1849, he sailed from Boston on the ship " Vasalia" for California, arriving in San Francisco on July 27th of that year. In this city he worked at the carpenter's and joiner's trade till September 15th following, when he went to Mokelumne Hill, Sacramento county, where he remained six weeks, when he returned to San Francisco, remaining till November 16, 1849, when he came to Sonoma, this county, where he remained till December, 1853, then leit San Francisco on the steamer " Winfield Scott " for the East. This steamer was wrecked on Anacopa Island, and Mr. Brackett returned to San Francisco^ and again in January, 1854, took passage on the steamer "Oregon," arriv- ing safely in New York harbor. After visiting in different places in the East, he returned to Sonoma, arriving in May, 1854, but only resided there till the 22d of December following, when he permanently located in Marin covinty, California, on the Soljoula Ranch, twelve mUes west of Petaluma, where for many years he was engaged in raising stock. In 1862 he came to Petaluma, where he married Fannie Batchelor, on November 25, 1863, She was born on May 31, 1827, and died on June 24, 1872. In 1869 they moved to their ranch in Marin county, and again in 1874 Mr. Brackett, HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 539 returned to this city and still resides in this place. Frank 0., Joshua B., and Fanny E., are the names of his children. Brooks, Sylvester. A native of Middlesex county, Connecticut, born August 11, 1821; was educated here and learned the carpenter's trade. In 1846 he moved to Texas, where he followed his trade until the Spring of 1853, when he emigrated to California, via Panama, arriving at San Fran- cisco, May 5th. After spending a few days in that city he went to Marys- ville, where ho worked at his calling until the Spring of 1859, when he returned East, but in the following Fall found his way back to the Pacific slope, resuming his former business, which he continued until the Spring of 1862, when he came to this county, and settled in Petaluma. Here he remained, working at his trade until April, 1866, when he again visited the East, this time engaged in the grocery business in Chester, Connecticut, until 1868, when he returned to Petaluma, where he has since resided. In 1871, he, in company with L. G. Nay, bought the "Petaluma Planing Mills," which they have since owned and conducted together. Mr. Brooks married in Germantown, Pennsylvania, September 12, 1866, Mrs. J. E. Conroy, widow of Hugh Conroy, a resident of Petaluma. Brown, Ralph. Bom in Oswego county, New York, December 25, 1830. When quite young his parents moved to Onondaga county. New York. In 1844 his parents took up their residence in Walworth county, Wisconsin. In 1852 he returned to New York, and located in Cortland county. On February 20, 1855, he sailed from New York, on board the steamer " George Law," to Panama; then the " Golden Gate" to San Fran- cisco, where he arrived March 14, 1855. He immediately proceeded to the mines in Sierra county, mined until October following; thence to Butte county, and prosecuted mining until 1857, when he came to this county and settled in Petaluma; kept books for McCune Brothers for a period of six years, and was otherwise engaged until 1874, when he embarked in hia present business, that of conducting a hvery stable. Married on February 6y 1866, Olive W., daughter of Thomas Walker, of Manchester, New Hamp- shire- J. Ralph, born December 13, 1866; Will W., born March 18, 1869; and Angie M. Brown, born August 25, 1875, are the names and births of their children. Buckius, William L. A native of Canton, Stark county, Ohio ; born March 28, 1826. When eighteen years of age he proceeded to Massillon, Ohio. Here he learned the tinsmith trade, and after a residence of four years, took up his residence in Canal Fulton, same county, and began busi- ness on his own account, where he continued for ten years. He then repaired to Massillon. In 1860 we find him on his way to California. First locating at Oroville, Butte county, where he resided until 1875, when he came to thia county, and settled in Petaluma, and worked as a journeyman until July 540 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOllNIA. 7, 1879, when he purchased of A. W. Barnes his present place of business. Married April 7, 1847, Miss Hester Ann Alvei-son. She was bom in Chau- tauqua county, New York, November 28, 1828, by which union they have one child living, Willard Layton, born July 3, 1854, at present engaged with his father in the hardware and tinning business. Camron, 0. P. A native of Sonoma county, California, born August 15, 1852; received his education in the public schools of Petaluma. Resided with his mother on the old homestead until 1877. His father was killed by a boiler explosion on the bay of San Francisco in 1854. The subject of this sketch is engaged in farming, about five miles west of Petaluma. Married Miss Minnie C. Field, October 23, 1877. She was born in Jefferson county. New York, on the 23d of February, 1860. Canepa, Luigi. The subject of this sketch was born in Italy in 1849. and came to the United States in 1868, landing in New York City on July, 20, of that year, then took the steamer "Arizona," for California, and on arrival in San Francisco, immediately proceeded to Calaveras county, and engaged in mining and various occupations till 1873, when he went to San Francisco, engaging in mercantile pursuits till 1874, when he took a resi- dence in Petaluma, this county, where he began his present busine.ss in November, 1874, which is at the present time conducted under the firm name of Canepa & Gilbert. CarotherSj James H. Born in Brown county, Ohio, in 1818 ; received hb education in that State, and afterwards moved to Illinois, and there married Margaret Barnes. In 1853 emigrated to California and located in Petaluma, where he has resided ever since, with the exception of four or five years, which he spent in farming at Stony Point, and three years in Sacramento City. Has a family of eight children, namely: Thomas, Hannah, William, Cas.sandra, John, Alexander, Margaret, and James. Thomas has become quite a noted lawyer at Ukiah, Mendocino county, where he has practiced for the last twelve years, while William has been a merchant in Petaluma. Carotliers, William 0. A native of Hancock county, Illinois, born July 26, 1847. When six years of age his parents emigrated to California across the plains, and located in Petaluma, where the subject of this sketch was educated at the public schools. In 1868 his parents moved to Sacra- mento City, and after a residence of three years returned to Petaluma. In 18C5 he accepted the position of clerk in the dry goods establishment of Kessing & Tupper, at Santa Rosa, and remained in their employ for two years and nine months, at the expiration of which time he returned to Petaluma, where he was employed by E, New burgh & Co. as clerk, which position he held for six years and three months. In February, 1876, he embarked in the grocery trade, which he. continued until May, 1879> '■'■ ■when he disposed of the business to Messrs. Veale & Roache. He then pror ''■ HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 541 ceecled to Salinas, Monterey county, and engaged in the grocery business for a shoit §paee of two months, thence to. San Francisco, prosecuted same busi- ness, and the same length of time that he did in Salinas. September 1, 1879, we again find Mr. Carothers a resident of Petaluma, where he opened up his present business, that of conducting the "Bonanza Bazaar." He mar- ried Miss Louisa P. Eagan, October 17, 1870, bom in San Francisco, Febru- ary 11, 1854. Henry W., born July 21, 1871; Bertha, born December 23 1872, are their children. Carpenter, T. L. Was born in Bufialo, New York, on October 30, 1828. He sailed in December, 1848, on the old steamer "Isthmus" to Panama, where he took passage en the steamer " California" for San Francisco, the latter being the pioneer steamei running on the Pacific coast, and the first to go through the Golden Gate. He arrived in San Fi-ancisco Febru- ary 28, 1849. He at once went with a paitj', who were the first to discover gold at Jamestown, Tuolumne county, where he was engaged in mining for one year. In the Spring of 1850, he returned to Bufialo, New York, but after five months returned to this State. In the Fall of 1852 he settled in Petaluma township on a place now known as Lovegee ranch, where he remained one year; thence to the mines at Yreka, on Klamath river. Mr. Carpenter again returned to the city of Petaluma in 1858, where he has since been engaged in the butchering business. Carpenter, W. W., M. D. Was born in the town of Hyde Park, Dutcliess county. New York, August 18, 1828. His p')rtion in life up to the sixteenth year of his age was liard farm labor, with the usual three months' attendance upon the district school during the Winter months. In the Winter of 1846 he attended one term at the Fairfield Academy, Her- kimer county. New Yoik. In the following Spring he commenced studying medicine under John Dodge, M. D., of Clinton; and under his tutilage, and that of Professor Marsh, of Albany, the next three years were consumed. February 13, 1850, he sailed for California, on the old United States mail steamship " Ohio," Captain Schenck ; and thirty-six hours afterwards, in a terrific storm ofi" Cape Hatteras, he wished California in Tophet, and himself safely on tei-rafirma. On the I7th they touched off the bars of Charleston and Savannah, for the exchange of mails and passengers, and sailed into the beautiful harbor of Havana on the morning of the 21st. Sailed from Havana on the 22d ; ciossed the bar at the mouth of the Mississippi on the 23d, and landed at New Orleans on the 24th. Left New Orleans on the 28th, and landed in Chagres, March 9th ; March 24th sailed from Panama, on the steamship " Tennessee," her first trip ; stopped at Acapulco, April 1st, and arrived at San Francisco April 14th — two months and one day from the date of sailing. San Francisco was then a congregation of sand hills, and Sacramento a swamp. Dr. Carpenter spent his first year in the mines, princi- 5*2 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. pally at Coloma, Georgetown, and Barn's Bar, north fork of American river ; since -which time he has devoted his whole attention to his profession. On January 24, 1854, he was married at Woodside, San Mateo county, to Miss Adelaide Elmira Craig ; and soon after moved to La Porte, Sierra county, California. He remained three years at the latter place, when he removed to Gibsonville, in the same county. While at the latter place he held the office of Postmaster, and at the same time that of School Trustee. It was through- the exertions of Dr. Carpenter that the public school system was successfully established in Gibsonville. He also held the office of County Physician of the northern half of Sierra county while residing at Gibsonville. In May, 1861, he moved to P.etaluma, where he has permanently resided to the present time. In 1864 the Legislature conceived the plan of allowing the northern and southern ends of Sonoma county to take charge of their respective indigent sick, and in accordance made a division of the funds set apart for that purpose. Dr. Carpenter was appointed County Phy.sician for the southern half of the county, and discharged the duties of his office satis- factorily to the county and with credit to himself. He was one of the originators of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Peta- luma, and ever since has been one of its most ardent supporters, and an officer in the society. Case, A. B. A native of Spencertown, Columbia county. New York, born April 6, 1823. When one year old his parents moved to Greene county, same State, where they resided for seven years ; thence to Ulster county. New York, where the subject of our sketch received his education. After a resi- dence here of ten years, they moved to Camptown, New Jersey. In 1844, he left his home and proceeded to Brooklyn, New York, engaged as teamster on the dry docks, where he continued until the administration of President Polk, when he went to New Hartford, Connecticut, where he followed house-paint- ing for one year. He then accepted an invitation from his brother, H. T., who was engaged in the brush-manufacturing business at 36 Hanover street, Boston, as traveling salesman through the Southern and Northern States. In 1848, the business was removed to St. Louis, Missouri. Here the subject of this sketch remained one year, thence to Weston, Missouri. In the Spring of 1852, in company with his brother and two sons of Governor Boggs, he started across the plains for California, with a drove of cattle. As Governor Boggs, the father of the J'^oung men, was known to be a bitter enemy of the Mormons, and was instrumental in routing and driving them from the State of Missouri, this little party became somewhat alarmed when they neared the Mormon settlements, and Mr. Case and his brother came to the conclusion that it would not be safe for them to travel through the Mormon settlement with any one by the name of Boggs, who looked like Boggs, or had any of Boggs' blood coursing through their veins. Owing to this and a little differ- ence of opinion arising in regard to Sunday travel, the brothers parted from HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 543 their companions after traveling with them for a little over two weeks, and took the northern route via Fort Hall. Upon their arrival at the North Platte river, they found the stream very high, which was crossed by the sub- ject of this sketch with little difficulty ; but his brother H. F. in attempting to cross was drowned. All efforts made to recover the body proved fruitless, and the brother was obliged to proceed on his journey, bowed down with sorrow at his brother's untimely demise. This sad occurrence took place on June 29, 1852. Upon his arrival at Independence Rock ho was joined by the Boggs brothers, and from this point they traveled together, arriving at Sonoma city October 1st. After dividing the property with his brother's widow, and disposing of his own interests, he returned to his native State via Panama, sojourned until the Spring of 1853, when he proceeded West and purchased another drove of cattle, and crossed the plains that year to Sonoma the Second time. The following Winter, a younger brother, G. W. Case, returned with him to New York via the Isthmus, and in the Spring of 1854) went to Illinois and purchased another drove of cattle, and drove them across the plains to California, making the third trip, stopping during the Winter of 1854-55 on Cache creek. In the Spring they took their cattle into the valleys below, and there engaged in the manufacture of butter and cheese until late in August. He then went to Tomales, Marin county. In 1856 he 'disposed of his stock and once more returned East, where he married in Greene county. New York, on November 26, 1857, Miss Harriet, daughter of William and Catherine Crapser. She was bom in Dutchess county. New York, October 6, 1825. In January, 1859, returned with wife to California, and settled on his farm iu Marin county. In the Summer of this year he came to Petaluma, and soon after opened a crockery store, which business he followed till 1873, when he disposed of it to T. J. Haskins and Prescott, since which time he has^ lived a retired life. To him belongs the credit of building the Case block in Petaluma in 1868. Carrie B., born December 28, 1860; Hattie C, born March 31, 1862, are the names and births of their children. Cassiday Samuel. Was born April 12, 1830, near Reedsburgh, Wayne county, Ohio. Of his grand-parents three were natives of the north of Ireland, and the fourth a native of Pennsylvania. His father, John Cassiday, was a native of Washington county, Pennsylvania, and his mother's maiden name was Sarah McGee, a native of Jefferson county, Ohio. In 1841, when eleven years of age, he moved with his parents overland, to the then Terri- tory of Iowa, settling near Libertyville, Jefferson county, and within fifteen miles of the boundary between government and the hunting grounds of the Sac and Fox Indians. From this time until 1847 he worked upon the farm nine months out of the year, receiving the benefit of such education as the rude log school-house of the frontier afforded during the winter months. In 1847 he entered the office of the Desmoines Valley Whig, published at Keosauqua, to learn the printer's trade. Having completed his apprentice- 544 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. ship the winter of 1849-50, he filled the position of assistant teacher in a private Academy at Oskaloosa. From that place he started overland the spring of 1850, and arrived at Sacramento in the early part of September. From the time of his arrival in California up to the spring of 1854 he was engaged in various mining operations, mostly in the neighborhood of Roucrh and Ready, Nevada county, and Parks and Long Bar.?, Yuba county. In 1854 he came to Sonoma county, and from that time until 1861 was engaged in farming, dairying, and stock raising. In 1861 he embarked in journalism as one of the editors and proprietors of the Petaluma Argus. In 1866 he assumed the entire proprietorship of that journal which he retained until 1869 when he sold that establishment to H. L. Weston Esq., and leasing over eleven thousand acres of land in Monterey county, for a term of years, moved to that portion of the State where for ten years ho followed the varied pursuits of farming, sheep-raising, and general real estate business. With the exception of a brief residence at Gilroy, Santa Clara county, he resided most of this time at Salinas City. In 1868 he passed an examination and was admitted to the practice of law in the District Court of the twentieth Judicial District. In the Spring of 1879 he returned to Petaluma, and resumed his connection with the Petaluma Argus. In 1864 Mr. Cassiday was united in marriage with Miss Cynthia Francis Denman, a native of Sullivan county, New York. Her father's nahne was William Denman, a native of England, and her mother's maiden name was Nancy Curry, a native of New York. He has five children; the oldest, Sarah Francis, born June 18, 1866; the second, Elizabeth Louisa, born May 29, 1838; the third, Benjamin Franklin, born January 16, 1870; the fourth, Samuel Denman, born August 14, 1873; and the fifth, Minnie Belle, born May 2, 1875, As a journalist Mr. C. ranks well up among the most able and versatile writers on the Pacific Coast. In this he but verifies the truth of the saying, that "the printing tffice is the poor boy's College;" for to the " art preservative," and not to the school-room is he mainly indebted for his acquirements. Cavanagh, John. A native of Dublin, Ireland, bom August 23, 1824. In 1849 he sailed on board the "Jane Tudor," for America, arriving in San Francisco August, 1850. He immediately proceeded to the mines, on the middle fork of the American liver, mined six weeks and returned to San Francisco; engaged in the grocery business for a short time, when he repaired for the second time to the mines, locating on El Dorado slide, where ho remained until the Fall of 1852, when he came to Sonoma county and settled on Russian river, near Windsor. In 1857 he sold his farm and camo to Petaluma, and was engaged as half-owner in the water company. In 1862 was elected City Marshal, which oflice he held three years, and in 1861 was appointed Lieutenant of the Emmet Guards of Petaluma, and held the position until they were mustered out of the service. In 1866 was elected >^^ Wf^r' - ; /^ ,:£^..M^^ y/^M HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY. CALIFORNIA. 545 Justice of the Peace, and is at present the incumbent of the ofEce. In 1872-75 held the office of City Recorder, when the charter was changed, makinsr it unlawful to hold two offices at the same time. In 18G7 he opened the lumber yard, and about this time disposed of his interest m the water company. Married, June 17, 1860, Deha Carrigan; she is a native of Ireland, born January, 29, 1839. Jennie, born June 13, 1861; Thomas James, October 25, 1862; Laura Ann, December 30, 1864; John Edwin, August 13, 1867: Stephen Patrick, February 15, 1869; Margaret Ellen, August 26, 1870, and Emmie Grade, November 26, 1872, are the names and births of his children. Christie, Doctor John Boyd. Bom in Oxford, Grenville county, Onta- rio, January 1, 1839. Married Mercy Annie Beach, December 25, 1858; wife died August 13, 1860. Graduated in medicine at McGill University, Montreal, May 3, 1865. Married Frances Ashley Butts, of Lawrenceville, Pj,., Marth 27, 1866. Located in Petaluma, Gal, September 1870. Codding, G. R. The subject of this sketch was born in Bristol, Ontario county, New York, June 14, 1826, and is of the old Puritan stock. Here he received his education and remained until the year 1846, when 1 e pro- ceeded to Will county, Illinois, and embarked in the nursery business, which he followed until April 1, 1849. The reported fabulous discoveries of gold in California prompted him to make the then dangerous and tedious trip to the Pacific across the plains. Arriving at the Platte river he constructed from cotton wood a number of boats and engaged in ferrying for ibur weeks. There was a large .travel over this route at the time, and Mr. Codding was kept busy day and night. During these four weeks he ferried five hundred emigrant wagons, including the noted train from Missouri led by Colonel Pope, consisting of fifty wagons and two hundred and fifty emigrants. From this point on he traveled with a pack-horse via Salt Lake City, where he ariived on the 24th of July. As Mr. Codding had been laitrcd in a Christian land and been taught from childhood up to regard the Sabbath according to the strict letter of the law, he thought it as much his duty to respect the Holy Writ upon the wild and trackless plains as when traveling in his native land. DurLag the first week, he was with other Iravelins: com- panions, but as soon as Sunday morning dawned he was deserted, as he always rested on the Sabbath day. The consequence was that he made most of the journey alone, his only companion being his faithful horse. However slow his progress seemed, he succeeded in reaching Sacramento City far in advance of nearly all of those with whom he traveled while making the journey. He arrived in Sacramento City September 21, 1849, where he remained ( ne week. Sacramento at that time, though a trading post of considerable importance, was so new that the grass had hardly been trodden in its principal streets. There were no churches, and the name of God was only heard ia 35 546 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. profanity ; gorgeous saloons were opened to allure the unwary, and spirituoud liquors flowed like water. Here Mr. Codding resolved anew to adhere to the pledge taken in his youth which yet he had never broken: to abstain from the use of intoxicating drink. To this resolve he attributes the fact that, although not of a strong constitution, he has outlived many of his friends and acquaintances, who have fallen through the too frequent use of intoxicating liquors. After a week's stay in Sacramento, Mr. Codding, in. company with others, proceeded to Napa City for the purpose of establishing a shingle factory, but after giving the matter a thorough canvass they con- cluded that the scheme \7as impracticable and abandoned the idea. Late- in 1849 we find Mr. Codding at Redding, Shasta county, prospecting in mining. Here he was taken ill and was obliged to abandon his pursuit for the glittering metal and in company with Mr. Bowles of Galena, Illinois,, found their way to Sonoma city. In the Fall of 1854 he settled in Petaluma valley and engaged in the nursery business until 1860, when he became a resident of Petaluma. Here he opened the news and exchange business. In 1868, Mr. Codding was led to the investigation of the then prevalent system of life insurance, his investigations being stimulated at that time by the loss- in one of these companies of seven hundred dollars. In studying the work- ings of these institutions, he became convinced that too many of them were merely concocted schemes to mislead the unwary, and to fleece the pockets of the unsuspecting for the benefits of the companies and their agents; and that too often these companies became mere confidence men, under the guise of life insurance. These convictions led his practical mind to devise some sj'stem that should carry with it the benefits desired from life insurance and avoid the expense and uncertainty attending the latter. After comparing^ the different systems of co-operative associations, he perfected the plan and organized the Sonoma and Marin Mutual Beneficial Association in 1868> and in 1870 organized the Mutual Relief Association of Petaluma, of which institution he has been the continuous secretary and business manager. The histories of these associations will appear in their proper place in this volume. These associations, with others that soon followed, were so vigor- ously attacked by those interested in life insurance companies, that adverse laws were attempted to be enacted through the powerful influence of the wealth of these incorporations. This aroused Mr. Codding again to the necessity of protecting these societies that he had laboured so arduously to build up, and accordingly, in 1873, he was instrumental in getting an act passed by the California Legislature especially for the protection of these associations As a consequence, while the gigantic life insui-ance corporations have continually tumbled and gone by the board, the system of co-operative protective societies has become the only protection now much sought after by those depending upon life insurance. On the 28th of June, 1865, Mr. Codding was married to Miss Millie M. Colby, who was a native of Vermont. HISTORY OF SONOMA COTTNTY, CALIFORNIA. 547 By this union he has had seven children: George C. Codding, born March 21, 1866; Charles E., born September 12, 1867; Emily M., born October 21, 1871; Anna L., born March 19, 1874; Ella S., bom August 4, 1875; William T., born November 14, 1876; Thomas M., born August 18, 1878. Congdon, Joseph W. Son of Benjamin R. and Mary S. Congdon born in Pomfret, Coanseticut, in 1834. Attended public school at that place, then Union school at Lj'-ons, New York, andfiaally the high sshool, at Provi- dence, Rhode Island. Graduated from Brown Universityin 1855. Spent a year in Louisiana in 1857-8; then studied law in the office of Hoppin & Barblett; wasadmitted to the bar in Rhode Island, December 31, 1860. After practicing a year in Providence established an office in East Greenwich, Rhode Island, and resided there till July, 1879. In 1878 was a member of the Rhode Island House of Representatives. Came to Pctaluma,thi3 county, July, 1879. Was married to Mary E., daughter of Henry S. Bartlett, late of Providence, Rhode Island, but formerly of Lyndon, Vermont, July 10, 1872. Has two children, George C. C, born July 10, 1873, and Francis H. W., born January 1, 1875. Denman, Ezekiel. Was born in Sullivan county. New York, Decem- ber 2, 1827, where he received his education and resided until the Summer of 1851. In September of that year he sailed in the steamer " Georgia," to Panama, and thence in the " Oregon," to San Francisco, where he arrived in the month of October, and at once proceeded to the mines at Buckeye gulch, near Mokelumne Hill, and there remained until February, 1852. After going to Iowa valley, Amador county, in April, he returned to San Francisco, and engaged in the milk business, which he fol- lowed until June, 1852, at which time he came to Petaluma, and obtained employment with Kent, Smith & Coe. With this firm he remained until September, when he purchased a half-section of land in Two Rock valley, and there constructed a house with lumber from the redwoods, cut by him- self. Remained on his ranch, farming and stock-raising, until 1869, when in November of that year, he moved to Petaluma, where he has since resided. Mr. Denman is Vice-President of the Bank of Sonoma, in which he is a considerable shareholder ; he is also one of the largest farmers in the county. In June, 1855, he visited his Eastern home, and there married October 3, 1855, Nancy L. Hardenburg, of Sullivan county, New York who died January 9, 1870, by whom he has Frank H., Nellie L., Ida B., Carrie E., John R., and Kate C. Married secondly Miss Isabella St. John, on October, 15, 1877, but has no issue. Doyle, Manville. The subject of this sketch was born in Sangamon county, Illinois, January 19, 1831. When an infant, with his parents, moved to Rushville, Schuyler county, in that State, where he was raised and educated. On March 10, 1850, he started for this State, in company with William Ewing, Zach Spriggs, Robert Smith, and Isaac Snowden, with 648 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. ox-teams, to cross the plains; when about half-way across, becoming tired of the slow progress he was making with oxen, and having a saddle-horse he purchased a mule, and packed his traps and started, taking the route known as the Sublette cut off, traveling most of the way alone, arriving in Sacra- mento city on the 8th day of August of that year. He at once went to Feather river, where he was interested in different mining operations in Butte and Plumas counties, until November, 1852, when he returned to his native State via Nicaragua and New York, remaining at home most of the Winter, purchasing a drove of horses and cattle, bringing them across the plains; he also brought nine young men, to assist him with his stock, namely, Edward K. Wright, William Hiatt, Enos Hiatt, George B. Rodgers, Elisha Moore, L. N. Breed, Andrew Lee, Henry Gammon, and John HufF, coming by the way of Salt Lake and Truckce route, arriving in Butte county about the 1st of September, 1853, stopping on Featlier river, pasturing Ijis stock until January, 1854, when he brought them to this county, and remaining on the ranch of General M. G. Vallejo, near Petal um a, until the Fall of that year, residing in the old adobe ; he then removed his stock to Clear Lake, Lake county, settling in the valley now known as Bachelor valley, being one of the four bachelors that the valley was named for. On December 14, 1855, Mr. Doyle came to Petaluma, and formed a partner- ship with C. I. ivobinson, in the livery business; at that time their livery stable joined the American Hotel. In July, 1856, he purchased Mr. Robin- son's interest in the property and business. In 1861 he made a trip to Washoe, in company with Charles Hunt, Thomas Jacobs, and Solas P. Derby, going by the way of Placerville, and visiting all the principal mines, return- ing by the Hennes pass route; in 1863 he made a second trip to Washoe, investing some in the mines, but failing to receive any returns therefrom ho became dissatisfied and returned to his home in Petaluma, continuing the livery business until the Summer of 1864, when, on account of ill-health, he sold out and went to Nicaragua, where he spent the Winter, travehng through all the principal cities and towns of that State. The following Spring he returned to this city. In January, 1869, he, with John Funk and others, went to Los Angeles, by steamer " Senator," thence to Kern county, by way of Fort Tajon, for the purpose of prospecting a silver mine that was supposed to be very rich; after spending considerable time and money they abandoned the mine. In June, 1870, he made a visit to friends in the State of Illinois, extending his travels through several of the southern and western States, returning in the Fall of that year. In the Sprmg of 1871, he, in company with Judge A. P. Overton, purchased a tract of land known as the Brush place, in Clover dale, this countj', where he maved in May of that year; hero he resided until May, 1874, thence took up his residence in Santa Rosa. The following year he was elected one of the Directors of the Santa Rosa Savings Bank, which position he still holds. He returned to Petaluma HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 549 March 1, 1876, where he still resides. He was elected one of the city council- men in April 1877, for the term of two years; in 1878 he was chosen Chair- man of the Board, serving his constituents in a way that gave general satis- faction financially and otherwise. Married Miss Mary E. Conley, May 22, 1859, she being born May 22, 1843. The following are the names of their children: William Edward, born December 6, 1860, and died January 1, 1861; Frank Pierce, born May, 30, 1863; Carrie E., born October 5, 1864, died May 25, 1873; Nellie J., Lorn June 3, 1867; James Edwin, born April 9, 1870, and died May 30, 1873, Emma Loui?e, born March 11, 1872, and died February 28, 1876 ;Mary Alice, born February 17, 1873, and died May 9, 1873 ; Albert Manville, born February 17, 1873, died May 11, 1873 ; Charles Andrew, born December 9, 1874, died May SO, 1875 ; Fred Ross, born July 9, 1877. Falkner, M. H. Born in Savannah, Andrew county, Missouri, May 6, 1845. "When seven years of age his parents moved to St. Joseph, Missouri. Here he attended school, and resided until 1854 when they moved to Atchison, Kansas, where his parents erected the first lodging house ever built in that now thriving city. Late in 1855 they returned to St. Joseph, Missouri. Jn October 1856 they proceeded to Dallas,. Texas, and in 1858 they emigrated to California; came direct to this county, and settled in Petaluma, where he has since resided. In 1872 was chosen Secretary of Sonoma and Marin Mutual Beneficial Association, which he still holds. Mar- ried Amelia A. Donnelly, on October 26, 1866. Fairbanks, Hiram Talbert. The subject of this sketch, whose portrait appears in this work, was born on December 29, 1827, in Manchester, Dearborn county, Indiana. His father being a farmer, he was educated in the English branches usually taught in the country schools of that day. In 1846, then but nineteen years old, he emigrated to Iowa, settling in Augusta, Des Moines county, where he made his home with the Honorable Levi Moffet. In 1847 he enlisted in the United States army, and served in the Mexican war. Eeturned to Indiana in 1849, and the following year crossed the plains to California, where he followed mining, in company with his brothers, at what was then known as Mormon island, on the south fork of the American river, about twenty-five miles from Sacramento. Meeting with good success in his mining operations, he returned to Indiana, via Panama, in 1851, and the same year went to Iowa, w:here he followed merchandising, and there married Miss Lucinda, daughter of the Honorable Levi Moffet, on July 14, 1852. In connection with his mercantile pursuits, he was also engaged in milling, both of which he followed till 1859, when he again crossed the plains to this State, bringing his wife and four children. They arrived in Petaluma during the Fall of that year, where Mr. Fairbanks followed farming, in connection with the lumber trade, until the Fall of 1861, when he abandoned the agricultural business, from the fact that this §50 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. pursuit was not his fonrte. He next established himself as one of Petaluma's iperchants in 1862, successfully maintaining this branch of the trade, together with a commission house in San Francisco, but retired from the mercantile trade in Petaluma in 1869, and with his family went East on a visit, and returned to Petaluma in the Fall of that year. During 1870 he also retired from the commission business in San Francisco, and iu the Winter of 1870—1 he agaiu embarked in the mercantile trade, ia company with Honorable A. P. Whitney, of Petaluma. Mr. Fairbanks was one of the founders of the Petaluma Savings Bank, which was organized in 1870, and since that time has been its manager and President, which position be has continuously held to the present writing, and he is also President of the city Board of Trustees of Petaluma, having been elected and served three terms in the last eight years. Mr. Fairbanks has achieved his business success by always being prompt in his engagements, and this quaUty, coupled with excellent judgment and a thorough master of his business, has given him his present position. Belle, Dolpher B. (now cashier of the Petaluma Savings Bank), Augustus (now residing in Oregon), Frank, Nettie, Hattie, Lizzie, William, Zoe and Daeie, are the names of his children. Eine, Joff. A native of La Fa3'-ette county, Missouri; born December 6, 1829. When only two j'ears of age his parents moved to Johnson county, Missouri, where he received his education, and resided until May 7, 1849, when he emigrated across the plains with ox teams to California. He arrived at Moon's Ferry, on the Sacramento river, on November 19th. He imme- diately engaged in mining at Long's Bar, on the Feather river, where he toi'.ed one year. In October, 1850, he came to this county, and engaged in farming in Analy township two years, and on October, 1852, returned to his native State. Li 1857 recrossed the plains to California, and this time located in Marin county, and engaged in dairying, stock-raising and trad- in Walter S., born November 2, 1858; Nellie L.. born January 22, 1862; Ella, born April 9, 1870. FritS3h, John B,. Born in Petaluma, Sonoma county, California, on May 26, 1854. As soon as he was old enough to attend the common schools of his native town he did so, and acquired those rudiments that ripened in after life to a good practical knowledge of the business affairs of life. In 1874, he entered the Pacific Business College at San Francisco, where he finished his education, graduating May 9, 1875. On April 1, 1879, he embarked in the dry goods business, under the firm name of " McClymonds & Fritsch." Gale D. A native of Franklin county, Ohio, was born June 8, 1830. When seven years of age his parents moved to Scotland county, Missouri; here the subject of this memoir received his education, and resided on a farm until 1853, when he (leaving his parents behind) crossed the plains to Cali- fornia, making the trip with ox-teams in the remarkably short time of three months. He_ arrived in Napa valley August 1, 1853. After spending a few days at the above mentioned place he came to this county, and settled on a farm about two and a half miles west from Petaluma; here he was engaged in dairying about five years ; ho then went to Texas, and engaged in stock raising until 1865. He then returned to Missouri, and remained one year. Returning to California and to this county in 1867, he bought and settled on his present place consisting of one hundred and forty-two acres, located about three miles north from Petaluma; here he has since remained being engaged in farming. Mr. Gale married March 11, 1852, Miss Cordelia Wilfley, a native of Illinois, and born January 29, 1834. By this union they have six living children; Sophia, Lucy A., Sarah. A., Mary D., Miltjn, and Wallace. They have lost one. •"Si* < ^S r^it^ic^ -e^nea^ HISTORT OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 553 Gaston, Hamilton. Was born in Columbiana county, Ohio, March 24, 1824, where he resided with his parents on their farm till the wonderful stories that he heard about this far-off land of gold induced him to say good- bye to home and friends. He left home the 15th of April, 1850, and on the 21st of September following, after a five months trip across the plains, arrived in Nevada City, California. He then went to the neighboring town of Grass Valley, where he remained about three months. During the next two years he tried his fortune at mining in various places, mainly on Feather river, Oregon gulch and Auburn. In February, 1853, he came to Sonoma county, and located thi-ee quai ter sections of land about five miles south-west of Petaluma. Here he was soon joined by his two brothers, Hugh and Mar- tin, with whom he divided his land, making of it a home for all of them, and on it they still reside. Mr. Gaston did not forget " the girl he left behind him," but went back and was married to her August 25, 1858. Her name was Mary H. Wallace, born near his old home November 7, 1838. A few weeks after their marriage they started on their wedding tour to his home in California via Panama. They have four children: George W., born August 5, 1859; William H., born April 15, 1861; Elizabeth E., born July 8, 1866; Mary E., born September 25, 1873. Gaston, Hugh. Whose portrait appears in this history, is a native of Columbiana county, Ohio, and was born on September 9, 1831. He was educated in the same county, and resided there until April, 1852, when he emigrated to California, crossing the plains with ox-teams. After prose- cuting mining for about eight months, he came to this county and settled on a farm, at this time comprising five hundred acres of choice land, located about five miles west of Petaluma, and here he has since resided, paying two visits to his native State, in 1863 and 1866, and remaining five and ten months with his brother Samuel. He married, August 13, 1868, Ellen Gaver, a native of Wayne county, Ohio, by whom he has three children: Mary B., Katie A. and Lulu J. Gaston, Martin. Born in Columbiana county, Ohio, February 26, 1826. He was educated at Washingf;on College, Washington county, Pennsylvania; emigrated to California across the plains with ox-teams in 1852, engao-ed in mining in Placer county until March, 1853, when he came to this county and settled on his present place, consisting of five hundred acres, located about four miles west from Petaluma. He also owns five hundred and thirty acres of stock range in Mendocino county. Mr. Gaston married, May 11, 1854, Miss Malinda Frost, a native of Iowa, born June 14, 1839, and died November 3, 1879. By this union he has two living children: John W., born May 16, 1859, and Dora E., born December 16, 1862. Gerckens, J. H. L. Bom in Holstein, Germany, on April 15, 1838. Came to America in 1861, and remained ia New York city ten days, when 554 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. he sailed on board the " Northern Light " for California. From Panama ho took passage on the ''Harazota," and arrived in San Francisco July 4, 1861. After farming in Alameda county for a year and a half, he came to Sonoma county, and was engaged in cutting hoop-poles for eight months, when he returned to Alameda county and worked in the harvest field one season. He again repaired to this county, and labored in the copper mines for eight months at Cloverdale. He then went to the gold mines in Idaho, remaining one year. We next find Mr. Gerckens engaged in dairying in Marin county, and one year later was again a resident of Sonoma county, settling in Vallejo township, where he purchased a farm. Here he resided until February, 1877, when he leased his farm, came to Petaluma and became an equal partner in the management of the Union Hotel. Gibbs, Henry. Was born in Saratoga county. New York, November 16, 1814. When he was but a mere child his parents moved to Jefferson county. New York, where the subject of this sketch was educated and labored upon the farm. In 1844 he emigrated to Jefierson county, Wisconsin, and followed carpentering as a business for six years. In 18.i0 he emigrated to California, crossing the plains in company with several others. While on the Humboldt their horses became exhausted, and they were therefore obliged to divide their team.s, strip the harness from their backs, and leave the wagons. Mr. Gibbs walked most of the way from there to California. After remaining in Placerville about three months, he then went to Oregon and spent the Winter, and in the Spring of 1851 went to the Yreka mines in this State, and then returned and spent the Summer, after which he went to Shasta county and mined one year, and in the Fall of '52 returned to Wisconsin, making the trip by water, arriving in Jefierson county, where he had left his family on December 9th. Here he spent the Winter, and in the following March he and his family, consisting of wife and four children, crossed the plains with ox and horse teams, and arrived in Shasta county October 8, 1853, where they remained only a few days, when they proceeded to Trinity county, where he engaged in the hotel business and also had charge of the ferry across the Trinity river for about three years. In the Fall of '56 they came to this county and settled on their present place, located in Two Rock valley, about eight miles west of Petaluma. Mr. Gibbs married, December 20, 1840, Miss Mary Allison, who was born in Jefierson county, New York, June — , 1820. By this union they have seven children: Amelia A., Orcelia J., Edward, Mary C, Elbert C, Frederick H. and Carrie E. Gregory, Henry. A native of England, born March 21, 1835. He, emigrated with his father (his mother being dead) to America, and located in Michigan in the fall of 1849, with his brother John, who had emigrated some time previous. His father, however, took up his residence in Canada. The subject of this sketch spent the most of his time from his arrival in HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOENIA. 555 Michigan up to 1855, in steam boating. In '55 he and his father emigrated to California via Nicaragua, and arrived at San Francisco on November 30. He immediately proceeded to " Show Flat," and followed mining about five years ; thence to San Francisco, and followed water business one year, and in the fall of 1860 he became a resident of this county, locating on his present estate, comprising two hundred and sixty acres of land located in Vallejo township, six miles from Petaluma. Since August, 1879, has resided in the city of Petaluma, having leased his farm. Mr. Gregory married June 14, 1863, Miss Annie E. Wilson, a native of New York City, born November 12, 1834. By this union they have three children living; Martha M., Nettie F., and Lulu A. Have lost one. Hale, E. W. Bom in South Haven, Michigan, April 16, 1856. When seventeen years of age, he came to California, locating at San Jose, where he was employed by W. B. Shively as clerk for six months, at the expiration of which time he entered into partnership with his brother, O. A. Hale, in the same business. One year later he proceeded to Preseott, Arizona, and alter sojourning six months, returned to San Jose. In 1878, he and brother established a branch house iu Salinas, Monterey county, and on March 1, 1879, came to Petaluma and opened up their present business. Their main store is at San Jose. Hale, P. C. The subject of this sketch was born in South Haven, Van Buren county, Michigan, on December 12, 1858. In 1860. he with his parents moved to Schoolcraft, Kalamazoo county, in that State, where ho resided until 1873, when the family emigrated to California and settled in San Jose, where he attended school till eighteen years old, at which age he was book-keeper in his father's store at that place. He filled that office till March, 1879, when he in company with his brother, E. W., began business in their present store. The Hale brothers are proprietors of the following dry goods establishments: one in South Haven, Michigan; one in San Jose, one in Salinas, and one in Petaluma. Harler, Bloomfield. Was born in Herkimer county, New York, on May 12, 1834. He resided in his native county till 1852, when on December 6tli of that year, he emigrated via Panama to California, first settling in Sonora, Tuolumne county, and from thence, in 1864, to Petaluma, and at once engaged ia the manufacture of wagons and carriages, which business he is following at the present writing. He married Miss Mary I. Smith cm July 4, 1861. Leonora B., their only child, died at the age of eleven years and ten months. Harris, John W. A native of Piscataquis county, Maine, born Decem- ber 23, 1835. When he arrived at the age of nine years, his parents moved to Bangor, where the subject of this sketch received his education and learned the tinner's trade, after which he followed the sea for two years. In 1853^ 55 G HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. he sailed for California on board the " Star of the West " to Nicaragua, and from there on the " Sierra Nevada," arriving in San Francisco in March. Fol- lowed his trade here until early in 18ji, at which date he left for the mines in Calaveras county, where he worked until 1856, when he repaired to San Francisco and prosecuted his trade until 1857, at which time he became a resident of this county, and settled in Petaluma, where he opened up his present business. Mr. Harris has held the office of First Lieutenant of Petaluma Guards, and for sometime ranked as Captain of the company. Married May 1, 1861, Miss Harriet A. Smith, a native of Pittsburg, Penn- sylvania. William S., born January 27, 1862; George Wesley, born May 1&, 1884; Clarence Edgar, born March 5,1871; Charles Henry, born May 5» 1874, are the names and births of their children. Harris, Richard Bom in county of Kildare, Ireland, in 1815. In 1840 he went to Dublin, where he was engaged in manufacturing indigo and starch. In 1849 he emigrated to America. Upon his arrival at New York city he found the cholera raging at a fearful rate, carrying death and destruction on every hand ; and as inatfcer of course his stay was short. We next find him at Galena, Illinois. In the Spring of 1850 started across the plains for California. After a journey of six months, attended with much suffering and hardship, he reached the place of destination. He mined in the vicinity of Placerville, and in Sierra county until 1857, when he came to Sonoma county and settled upon his present farm. He owns about seven hundred acres of land under good improvements. Married Catherine Keller February 1, 1863. She was born in county Cork, Ireland. Are members of the Catholic church. Catherine, born June 23, 1866, and Richard, born January 22, 186S, are the names and births of their children. Hasbrouck, H. B. Whose portrait appears in this work, is a native of Sullivan county. New York, and was born on February 4, 1829. Here he received his education and resided until 1855, when he emigrated, via Panama^ to California, ariiving at San Francisco on the 29th of November of the above mentioned year. Mr. Hasbrouck proceeded at once to Placer county, where he prosecuted mining for two years. In 1857 he came to this county and settled on the farm which he now lives on, located in Two Rock valley, about eight miles from Petaluma. In July, 1857, Mr. Hasbrouck went to Fraser river, returning the following November. Not meeting with very flattering success as a miner, he remained on his farm until the Fall of 1865, when he moved into Petaluma, where he resided until the Fall of 1874, when he again returned to his farm, where ho has since resided. Mr. Hasbrouck is an upright, honest man, and highly respected by all who know him. He married, August 14, 1865, Miss Acelia Hill, a native of Sullivan county. New York, and lorn September 8, 1837. She died January 25, 1874, leaving one child, Sherman A., born October 11, 1867. HISTOKY OF SONOMA COUNTY. CALIFORNIA. 557 Haskell, William B. A native of New York City, born October 10, 1842. In 1847 his parents moved to Boston, where the subject of this sketch received ^is primary education. He was then sent, in 1856, to Urbanna University, and there attended two years. Came to California, luia Isthmus, arriving in San Francisco September, 1858, and immediately •came to this county and settled in Petaluma. In 18C1 he attended the Benicia Institute at Benicia, Solano county, from which he graduated in 1863, when he returned to Petaluma. His appetite for knowledge not yet satiated, he returned in 1864, entered the Benicia Law School, and was admitted to the Supreme Court in January, 1866, when he began practicing in Petaluma in the office of F. D. Colton. In 1867 he abandoned th& profession and embarked in merchandising in this city, which business he followed until 1874, when we find him located at Winnemucca, Nevada, practicing his profession. In 1876 he returned to Petaluma, and was engaged as Cashier in the Petaluma Savings Bank, which position he held until January 1, 1878, since which time he has jiracticed law in Petaluma. Mr. Haskell married, September 5, 1867, Katie V., daughter of Alfred Kelley, of Petaluma, by which union there is one child living, a daughter, Evna. Haskins, Thomas J. Was born in Chittenden county, Vermont, May 2, 1842, where, at the public schools and a private academy, he received his education and resided till 1862, when he came to California via Panama, arriving in San Francisco November 26th of that year. He at ■once came to Petaluma, where he found employment in the American Hotel and Postoffice for one year. The second year was clerk in F. D. Col ton's law office; next was engaged in the news business, which he continued two years, and during the two years he was in partnership with C. W. Syraonds, in the grocery business. October 25, 1866, he disposed of his interests in Petaluma and returned to his Eastern home via Nicaragua, where he began the merchandising business, which he continued till 1869, and while there he was married to Edna A. Ransom, April 5, 1867, she being a native of that county, born August 11, 1844, and died October 9, 1868. In 1869 he returned to Petaluma, overland; soon after purchased an interest in A. B. Case's crockery, book and stationery store, and since April 1 5, 1 874, he has been alone in the business, where he is now enjoying a fine trade. Mr. Haskins married for his second wife Elizabeth E. Sterling, July 23, 1872, she being a native of California, born November 19, 1852, in Colusa county, by whom there are Edna E., born February 13, 1874, Elmond S., born April 25, 1877. Hatch, Chester P. A native of New London county, Connecticut, born June 3, 1814. At the age of eighteen he was apprenticed to the trade <)f millwright, at Windon, after which he learned the trade of machinist. In February, 1853, he left New York City, on board the " Uncle Sam," for California. At Panama he took passage on the " Sierra Nevada " for San 658 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. Francisco, arriving in March, 1853. He immediately proceeded to the Sonora mines, where he mined for a period of seven months, when he returned to San Francisco and engaged in the manufacturing of. sash, doors and blinds, until March, 1855, when he came to Petaluma and carried on the same business. In 1858 he took a trip East, sojourned one year, when he came back to this city, and in 1859 formed a partnership with Charles Cobb, and started a foundry and machine shop, and conducted it as partners until 1871. Mr. Hatch then purchased his partner's interest, and has since con- ducted the enterprise on his own account. He married, in 1862, Lucretia A. A. Newton. Hill, William. The subject of this sketch, whose portrait appears in this history, was born in Cortland county. New York, on September 8, 1829. In this county was he educated at the common schools, and where he resided till 1847, when he determined to make for himself a home in the West and emigrated to Racine county, Wisconsin. At the time of Mr. Hill's settlement near the shore of Lake Michigan, he was but eighteen years old and not finding such employment as would have suited his taste, he took whatever offered itself, which was the cooper buisiness, learning the trade and working at it whenever there was work to do, and during the intervals was employed in the lumber woods with which a portion of Wisconsin abounds. Durinof Mr. Hill's residence in this locality, he got together a sufficient amount of capital with which he bought teams and a complete outfit, and in the Spring of 1853, crossed the plains, coming via Salt Lake City, and arrived at Hang- town, California, on August 22d of that year. Like many others who were Pioneer Californians, Mr. Hill at once engaged in mining, prosecuting that business at Missouri Flat, but only remained till Octobef, 1853, when he came to Sonoma county, settling on San Antonio creek, four miles south- west of Petaluma. Here he was engaged in farming and kindred pursuits for fourteen months, when he moved to Petaluma and followed merchandis- ing as well as buying and selling country produce till 1860, when he sold out this business, and, until 1866, was engaged in the sale of land, stock- raising and farming. In May of this year the Bank of Sonoma County was established and Mr. Hill chosen as its President, which position he has since continuously held with honor to himself and profit to all concerned. Nearly east of Petaluma and in Vallejo township, Mr. Hill owns a large tract of land and superintends the cultivation of fifteen hundred acres. On this property is situated his handsome new residence. He married Miss Josephine P., daughter of James Pilkington. on August 12, 1862. She was born in Mendota, La Salle county, Illinois. Their children are : Alexander B., Raymond P., William and James V. It can be truthfully said of the subject of this sketch that he has a,lways regarded toil as manly and ennobling, and after passing through an honorable yet checkered life, he is now enjoying the comforts of a happy home beside the wife of his youth, beloved by his HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 559 children and friends, and respected by the citizens of the State in which he lives. Holly, S. B. Was born in Chautauqua countj'-, New York, June 15, 1831. Here he received his education and worked in a store until 1849, when he emigrated to California via Panama, arriving at San Francisco June 15, 1850. He proceeded at once to the Yuba river, where he followed mining about five months; thence to Sacramento, where he was engaged as agent for the Boston Ice company about one year, after which he worked in a store for one year. He then engaged in the water business for a short time; thence to Mariposa county, where he remained until 1859, being engaged part of the time in the newspaper business. At this date he went to Walker's river, where he followed mining for six months and then mined at Gold Hill one year. In 1860, he engaged in the auctioneering business for six months. He then came to this county and bought a ranch about seven miles north from Petaluma ; here he remained until the Fall of 1862. He then moved to the old adobe house in Vallejo township, which was erected by General M. G. Vallejo. Here he resided one year, being engaged in the dairying business. He then went to Owen's river, where he located some claims, remaining until 1865 ; thence to Kern river, where he mined about one year; then engaged in the carpentering business on Tule river untU 1869, when he returned to this county and settled at Stony Point; where he has since remained. He is now engaged in the general merchandising and manufacturing business under the firm name of Holly & Magoon. He mar- ried December 2, 1871, Mrs. Hannah Steelman; she died in September, 1878. Howell, David. A native of Preble county, Ohio, born October 8, 1829. When he arrived at the age of fifteen he was apprenticed to the carpenter's trade, and served three years, after which he labored as a jour- neyman until 1847. In April of this year he enlisted in company H. fifteenth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, to serve in the Mexican war. He participated in all the engagements from Cerro Gordo to the city of Mexico, and received his honorable discharge in August, 1848. Returning to his native county, he worked at his trade three years, thence to Dayton, Ohio. In 1854 we find him in Indianapolis, where he maintained a residence until 1860. In April, 1861, he enlisted in the ninth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, but was mustered out after a service of three months. He then re-enlisted in forty-six Indiana Volunteer Infantry company F., and on October 4, 1861, he was appointed Captain of the company by 0. P. Morton, the Governor of the State. After an active service of three years he was dis- charged with honors, September, 1864. He immediately enlisted in the One Hundred and Forty-first Indiana Volunteer Infantrv for one year's service, holding the office of Captain, and received his honorable discharge on July 14, 1865. He then retired into private life in Indiana, and followed his trade 560 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. until 1874, when he emigrated to California, remained one year in San Francisco, thence to Salem, Oregon, where he was employed on the State Capitol, the stairs of which were built by him. In 1876 we find him in Portland city, working at his trade, and in March, 1879, he became a resident of Petaluma city, where he is engaged in business, which is mentioned among the city industries in this work. Married Miss Mary Barr, April, 1850. She is a native of Preble county, Ohio. Died January 16, 1856. William Edgar and Florence A. are the only children by this union. Married his present wife, Emma C. Gaylord, April, 1859. She was born in Boston, Massachusetts. By this union they have two children, George and Fannie. HyneSj James. Born in County Galway, Ireland, November 2, 1835. Emigrated to America in 1851. Some time after his ai rival he enlisted in the regular army, and was called to Texas. Received his honorable discharge in 1856, and emigrated to California. After residing in San Francisco until 1857, he proceeded to Fraser river and engaged in mining until the Fall of 1858, when he left and crossed the country to Oregon, and on Oetobdr 25, 1858, joined the United States army, remaining in the service five years, being discharged with honors on October 25, 1863. He then came to this county and settled on his present estate, comprising one hundred and seventy- eight acres of land. Mr. Hynes has been Road Master for five j'ears. In 1879 he was elected Assemblyman on the Democratic ticket. He is also a member of the State militia, receiving his commission as captain on August 5, 1871, and likewise a commission from Newton Booth as First Lieutenant of the National Home Guards of California on February 23, 1874. Mr. Hynes married, June 3, 1875, Miss Alena R. Parker. She was born February 14, 1856. Walriek F., born September 29, 1877, and Laura A., bom in 1878, are the names and births of their children. Jacobi, John. The subject of this sketch was born in Warsaw, Poland, on April 16, 1846. He left his native country in June, 1854, coming to the United States, landing in New York City, where he remained six months, and then settled in Plainfield, Connecticut, where he worked for his board and attended school for a period of two years. At the expiration of this time he moved to Springfield, Massachusetts, and was employed in the United States armory. He went from there to Hartford, Connecticut, in 1867, where he procured a situation in the adjusting department of the Singer Sewing Machine Company. While a resident of this place he took out naturalization papers. He left Hartford in 1873 for California, and arrived in San Francisco in May of that year. He engaged to work for Samuel Hill as agent to sell the Florence sewing machine, establishing himself at Petaluma. This business he followed till 1878, when he became proprietor of the marble works, which he has since continued with marked fiucce.?s. He married on April 5, 1875, Miss Jennie Lodge, who was born November 16, 1853. HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 561 Lamoreaux, G. W. Bom in Wayne county, New York, May 17, 1828. In 1859 he emigrated, via Panama, to California, arriving in San Francisco July 7, 1859; and immediately proceeded to this county and settled in Peta- iuma.' After a residence here of eighteen months he embarked in the grocery business, which he has continued ever since, with the exception of 1874-5. He married Margaret Holbrook French November 25, 1858. She was born in New Hampshire March 25, 1833. By this union they have had five children, all deceased. Lawrence, Henry E. The subject of this sketch, whose portrait appears in this work, is the eldest son of James and Elizabeth Damewood Lawrence, of Tennessee. He was born in Robinson county, Tenneesee, Jan- uary 17, 1828. In 1833 he accompanied his parents to Jackson county, Missouri, moving with them in 1837 to Cass county in that State, where he attended school and resided until 1849. In the Spring of that year he crossed the plains, and on arrival in California passed that Winter at Shasta City, where he engaged in mining, from here he proceeded to Trinity and Salmon rivers, continuing mining till the Fall of 1850, when he came to Sonoma county, and for one year made his home with James Hudspeth, of Analy township. In the Fall of 1851 he entered into partnership with Mark York, in farming, near Stony Point. In that same season Lawrence, leaving York behind, returned, via Nicaragua, to Missouri, and there pur- chasing a drove of cattle, drove them back across the plains, in company with Isaac Smith and Levi Schlosser, in 1852. His partnership with York continued until 1855, when it was dissolved. [Mark York died in Ukidh in October, 1879.] In 185C'Mr. Lawrence again returned East, via Panama, and once more, in 1857, crossed the plains with stock, there being with him W. P. Hinshaw. In the Fall of that year he moved to Tomales township, Marin county, and commenced stock-raising in that section; he continued this until 1876, when he leased his farm and came to Petaluma. He is proprietor of ■one thousand four hundred and twenty acres of the Blucher grant; is one of the stockholders of the Tomales Bank of Marin county, has been one of its directors since 1876, and still holds that position. In 1859, having visited Missouri, he married Keziah, daughter of Jonathan and Malindia Hicklin, {her mother's maiden name being Malindia Young,) on January 12, 1860, by whom he has Linnie B., Josiah W., Myrtle Lee. Lippitt^ Edward Spalding. The subject of this memoir was born in the town of Woodstock, Windham county, State of Connecticut, September 17, 1824. His father was of the stock of the Lippitts of Rhode Island, who were among the earliest settlers of the Providence plantations. His mother, nee Los Spalding, was the daughter of a substantial farmer of Thompson, Connecticut, and on each side the family was of English extraction. While a child, his parents removed to the town of Killingly, Connecticut, where 36 662 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. they resided upon a farm until 1832, when they removed to Thompson, Con- necticut, where they also resided upon a farm. Edward was the third son and fifth child in a family of nine children. His early education was limited to the four months schooling each Winter usually given in the country of New England to all the children. His reading was confined chiefly to the theological books of his father, who was also a Methodist local preacher, consisting of Clarke's Commentaries, Watson's Theological Institutes, Wesley's Sermons, Dr. Clarke's Life and the Christian Advocate, the organ of the Methodist Episcopal church, and the old Hartford Times. At the age of sixteen he attended the Academy at Thompson for part of one year and one Winter. During an illness of that year he bought a Latin grammar and reader and commenced the study of Latin by himself. In the Fall of 1842, he entered East Greenwich Academy, Rhode Island, where he spent one term in study, and taught a district school four miles south of East Green- wich in the Winter of 1842-3 for four months, for the sum of thirteen dollars a month and boarded around, still keeping up with his studies at the academy and reading the most .of the Greek reader that Winter. The Spring and Summer of 1843 he spent chiefly in working at the carpenter's trade. In the Fall of that year he entered the Freshman class in Wesleyan Uni- versity at Middletown, Connecticut. His father being in moderate circum- stances, was unable to assist him to any great extent, and he was forced to rely upon his own exertions to meet the expenses of his University life. In this he was greatly assisted by his elder brother. During the first Winter vacation he taught school four months. Thereafter his whole time was devoted and demanded to master the rigorous course of study adopted by the University. To meet his expenses he worked at jobbing in cabinet- making, built the fires and rung the bell for the University. By thus severely taxing all his powers of body and mind, he was enabled to graduate with honor in 1847, in the full classical course of the University. In his class were Senator Cole, of California, Professor Martin, of the University of the Pacific, Orange Judd, of New York, Bishop Andrews, of the Methodist Episcopal church, Alexander Wendell, the naturalist and author, Drs. King and Pillsbury, of the New York Conference, and others of distinguished merit. In April, 1847, he was elected Principal of the Collegiate Institute and Gymnasium at Pembroke, New Hampshire, and left college three months before commencement to enter upon his new duties, returning to graduate with his class in July, when he was elected President of his class and pre- sided at the class meetings and exercises of commencement. During the year 1847-8, while teaching, he commenced the study of law, spending his vacations at Harvard Law School. In the Fall of 1848, he removed to Cincinnati, Ohio, where he was elected Professor of Mathematics and Natural Science in the Wesleyan Female College in that city, where he CO itinu d until 1852, when he founded the Scientific and Classical Insti- HISTOET OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 563 tute of that city for the instruction of young men. In 1855, he retired from school-teaching and entered upon the practice of the law for which he had been preparing himself by assiduous labors for all the years he had been engaged in teaching and was admitted to the Bar of the State of Ohio in that year. During the years 1856-7, he was a member of the School Board of the city of Cincinnati and chairman of committee on text books. During the next four years he was associated with W. B. Probasco in the law busi- ness. In 1859, he was elected City Solicitor with R. B. Hayes (now Presi- dent Hayes), which ofBce he held until the breaking out of the war in 1861. After his entry upon the practice of the law, he entered also earnestly into politics, making the canvass of Hamilton county several times, and in 1860 canvassing the southern part of Ohio for Abraham Lincoln, and was then accounted one of the most effective speakers among the young men of Ohio. In 1856, he was a delegate from Cincinnati, First Congressional District, to the National Convention at Philadelphia, which nominated Fihnore for President, and took an active part in the campaign of that year. In the Spring of 1862, he emigrated to California, making the trip overland, and was elected Professor of Mathematics at the University of the Pacific at Santa Clara, remaining there only one year. In July, 1863, he came to Petaluma to take charge of the public schools of the city, which he retained for four years, bringing them up to a high state of excellence. During that time he also, during the absence of Mr. Taylor, preached for the Congre- gational church for the year 1863-4, and under his charge that church edifice was enlarged. The next year he took charge of the Methodist Epis- copal church and began the erection of the present structure, buying their present location and laying the solid foundation and building the first story of what was intended to be one of the finest churches in the State. In 1867, he built the fine buildings on D street, now occupied by the city High School, as a collegiate institute, but in the Spring of 1870 was obliged by his pecuniary losses to relinquish the enterprise, losing his whole investment therein. He then returned to his old profession, the practice of the law, which he has since pursued with unremitting care and attention. During the ten years that have intervened, he has built up a lucrative practice and taken rank among the best lawyers of the district. During the war Mr. Lippitt took an active part for the Union cause, and by his endeavor and eloquence raised large sums of money for the sanitary and Christian com- missions. He is one of the most eloquent and popular speakers in the State, and is ever ready to respond in behalf of every good enterprise. He has been largely sought for to canvass the State in the interest of political parties, and since 1867 has four times made the canvass of a large portion of the State. During the issue upon the new Constitution his eloquent voice was heard in the largest hall in San Francisco, as well as in remote parts of the State, in behalf of the old Constitution. For six years he has been the Secretary of 564 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOKNIA. the Sonoma and Marin District Agricultural Society, and by his valuable aid many of the improvements of these years have been made, upon several occasions delivering the annual address. He is also a life trustee of the Public Library of Petaluma and chairman of the committee on books, etc. He is also and has been since its formation a Director of the Mutual Relief Association of Petaluma, and also is the City Attorney of the city of Peta- luma, which office he has held for the last six j'ears. On November 20, 1848, he was married to Miss Helen M Young, of Lebanon, New Hampshire, who died June 27, 1849, in Cincinnati, of cholera. On July 3, 18-51, he married Miss Sarah L. Lewis, of Monroe, Louisiana. They have had nine children, five of whom are living. Mr. Lippitt is still in the vigor of his inanhood and bids fair to add many other years to his life of usefulness. Lodge, John D. Was born in York.shire, England, on December 5, 1824. He emigrated to the United States in 184.5, and settled in Schuylkill county, Pennsylvania, where he resided until 1853, when, on December 5th, of that year, he sailed from New York on the "Northern Light," to Nicaragua, thence to San Francisco on the " Sierra Nevada," arriving on December 31, 1853. He immediately proceeded to Placerville and ccm- menced niining at Iowa Hill, Placer county, continuing in this business for five years. In 1858 he came to Sonoma county, and settled on a farm near Petaluma, where he was engaged in agricultural pursuits for seven years, then moved to Petaluma, where he has since been in the loan and real estate business; and also, in 1878, began the sale of sewing machines, and is now handling: several of the different kinds manufactured. While a resident of Schuylkill county, Pennsylvania, he married Miss Martha Noble, on June 11, 1852, who is a native of Yorkshire, England, and born June 17, 1835. Sarah J., born November 16, 1853; David E., born January 17, 1856, and Matilda A., born February 17, 1859, are the names and births of their children. Lovejoy, Doctor A. P. Was born in Vassalborough, Kennebec county, Maine, in 1826, and although a dentist by profession, is more widely known as a telegraphist, being, so far as is known, the oldest telegrapher on the Pacific Coast. He received a high-school education, and at the age of twenty went to Boston, Massachusetts, to engage in telegraphy; there being no opening for him at that time he assisted in building the first telegraph lino between that city and Portland, Maine, and on its completion, in October, 1857, was put in charge of the Portland office, having learned the ai't of sending and receiving messages as the line progressed; he made such pro- ficiency that early in the following year he was sent to New York as assistant operator on the old American line, between that city and Boston; the office at that time being situated at No. 5 Hanover street, corner of Beaver; here he remained until the Spring of 1850, when he returned to the HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 565 Boston office, and after working for a few months was offered th ^ manage- ment of the Bangor, Mame, office, which he accepted and filled for one year; he was afterwards manager of the Syracuse, New York, and other office", until 1853, when he left the business and entered upon the practice of den- tistry in Massachusetts and New York States, in the latter of which, in 1855, he was married to Miss Kate Hutton, of Malone, Franklin county; he continued the practice of dentistry till 1863, when he came to California, and settled in Petaluma. Soon after his arrival here he was offered the management of the telegraph office, then just opened, which he accepted and held fourteen years, resigning in the latter part of 1877, and resuming the practice of dentistry, which he still continues. Dr. Lovejoy is in politics a Republican of the pronounced type (which is not a matter of wonder, when it is known that he is a blood relation of Wm. Lloyd Garrison), but during the exciting times of the rebellion he managed the business of his office with such impartiality as to command the respect and confidence of both political parties. McClymonds, John W. A native of Butler county, Pennsylvania, born December 28, 1850. Here he attended the common schools for a num- ber of years. Being desir'ous of obtaining a good and thorough education, he looked to something higher than the common school-i, and in due time entered the Westminster College, from which institution he graduated in the Spring of 1871. Soon after he proceeded to Garnett, Anderson county, Kansas, and was made Principil of the Garnett College, which position he held until the Summer of 1873, when he came to California, and located in this county; taught school, and was Piincipal of the Petaluma High School for three years. In 1876 he commenced the dry goods bu.siness, which he has continued since. Mr. McClymonds married Virginia M., daughter of George K. and Harriet Smith, of Detroit, Michigan, on March 13, 1876. Ethel H., born December 27, 1876, and Roy Smith, born February 18, 1879, are the names and births of their children. McLaughlin, Michael. Born in Ireland, August, 1826. Came to America in 184-9. The time intervening between 1849 and 1853 was spent 'in the Southern States. January 6, 1853 found him a resident of San Fran- cisco, remaining here, however, but a short time. In June, 1853, he proceeded to Sierra county, where he prosecuted mining until 1856, when he came to this county, purchased his present farm and returned to Sieri-a county. In October 1857, he repaired to this county the second time and settled upon his present estate of one hundred and seventy acres of land. Married Sep- tember 19, 1861, Miss Anna Marlow. She is a native of Ireland, born July 12, 1832. Are members of the Catholic church. Catherine T., born Decem- ber 28, 1862; James, October 31, 1864; Mary, December 26, 1866; John Charles, August 20,1869; William J., November 27, 1871; Sylvester G., February, 27, 1875, are the names and births of their children. 5,66 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOENIA. McLaughlin, Patrick. Bom in Ireland, July 15, 1810. Came to America December 7, 1856, and settled on his present farm, being one of the old settlers of this county. He is living in the full enjoyment of single blessedness. McNear, John Augustus. ^The subject of this sketch, whose portrait appears in this work, was born in the town of Wiscasset, Lincoln county, Maine, December 23, 1833. He was educated in the schools of that town, and graduated from the Pittston Academy. His father was a sea captain, and the young lad took occasional trips to sea with him, thus becoming an adept at an early age in the lore of seamanship. In 1852, at the age of nineteen, he shipped before the mast as a common sailor, on the new ship " Cape Cod," Captain Hopkins — Gears, mate — bound from Boston to St. John's, New Brunswick, thence to Liverpool. On this voyage he made the practical business of sailing a vessel a thorough study, taking his observations when off duty, and computing the longitude and time a3 regularly as did the officers, and foretold the exact time for sighting land. It was not until after his return from this voyage that he graduated at the Academy, which event occurred in 1853. Immediately after he graduated, while he was yet only twenty years of age, he was tendered the position of master of the brig " Tiberius." He accepted this position, having educated himself for the sea, and made one voyage on her, at the end of which he disposed of the vessel as well as the cargo on very advantageous terms, with all of which the own- ers of the vessel were greatly pleased. Thus early in life were developed those traits of character which have ever characterized him as a shrewd and prosperous business man. He spent the remainder of that season on the square-rigged schooner " Corinthian," as master, sailing between the various ports on the eastern coast. That Fall he went South in the new ship " Tha- l.ata," from Bath to New Orleans, and engaged in sailing a vessel from New Orleans to Pascagoula, Mobile, and other Gulf ports. He continued here in this business until 1854, when he became one-third interested in a large ■ steam saw-milling business, with Plummer, Williams & Co. in Pascagoula, Mississippi. He remained in this business for the ensuing two years. In the Fall of 1856 he started for California on the steamer " Illinois,", stopping at Kingston, coming by the Panama route. He arrived in San Francisco on the steamer " Sonora," November 3, 1856, and came to Peta- luma November 6th. Upon his arrival he began to deal in real estate more or less. In 1857, he bought the Washington livery stable property, associ- ating with him P. E. Weeks, to whom he sold out January 9, 1860. In 1859 he erected the warehouses which stood near the present site of the woolen mills in East Petaluma. Here he did a general warehouse and shipping business, in all of which he prospered very well. During the Fall of 1860, his brother, G. W. McNear, arrived from the East, and at once entered into partnership with John A., G. W. going to San Francisco in the Spring of HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 567 1861, to attend to the large business established there. They bought a stock on the Yuba river. During the winter season there were quite a number of miners in the vicinity who were idle, and "Poker Flat" was their head quarters. As the poker game, from which the town is supposed to have taken its name, had become somewhat monotonous, by the paste-board manipulators, it was decided to introduce something new in way of amuse- ment. As Mr. Tupper had a good deal of the Yankee ingenuity in his com- position, he was not long in supplying the demand. A large sugar pine tree stood in the center of the principal street, and being of no value in its rough and perpendicular form, was laid low, one cut sixty feet in length, sawed open, placed upon mother earth, flat side up, and he soon had an artistic bowling-alley. The balls and pins he procured at Marysville, packing them on his back seven miles, this being the distance from the stage line. There was not only a fund of amusement abstracted from this antiquated^ game, but our yankee friend derived quite a source of revenue therefrom. In October, 1852, he came to this county and located in Petaluma. In 1855-6 he pros- pected on the Humboldt, but returned in the Fall. In 1857 he engaged in farming in Analy township, on Russian river, In 1864 he took up his resi- dence again in Petaluma and has remained ever since, working at his trade, that of a carpenter. Married, in San Francisco, February, 1864, Martha Douglas. She died in October, 1867. By this union they have, Martha E., John B., Etta J., Susan E., Edwin E., (now dead), Carrie B., and Emma. Married his present wife, Mrs. Elizabeth Tupper, on April 11, 1876. She has two sons by first marriage, Kimball and Otis Tupper. Tuttle, Honorable B, F. The subject of this sketch, whose portrait appears in this work, is a native of the town of Paris, Oxford county, Maine, having been born August 29, 1827. Here he resided and attended the com- mon schools until he attained the age of seventeen years. At this time he went to reside in the town of Skowhegan, in Somerset county, where he applied himself to those branches of learning at Bloomfield Academy which have since stood him in such good stead. During his residence there he also acquired the knowledge of furniture manufacturing in all its details. On October 2, 1849, he sailed from the port of Bath, Maine, on the bark " James A. Thompson," for California, and after a voyage of one hundred and seventy-eight days, including a halt of ten days in Rio de Janeiro, and another of six days at Valparaiso, arrived at San Francisco March 28, 1850. Following the example of most of those arriving in California at that time, he proceeded at once to the mines of Nevada county. Pitching his tent on what is now a part of Nevada City, he followed the business of placer mining until October of that year, when he returned to San Fran- cisco. In that city Mr. Tuttle commenced the business of manufacturing 596 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. furniture, and followed it until June 1851, when he went to the mines of Amador county near the town of Volcans, where he remained until Novem- ber of that year. Mr. Tuttle then returned to San Francisco, and here again his mechanical knowledge enabled him to become interested in the construc- tion and equipment of steamboats, to which business he applied himself. Daring the years 1851-2 he became interested in the steamer " Gazelle," a part of the construction and equipment of which was under his immediate supervision and control. This steamer ran on the Sacramento and Feather rivers. He still continued the business of steamboat building until June, 1855, when he made a trip to his former home in New England, via Panama, crossing the Isthmus on the cars of the Panama railroad — the first trip made with passengers from the Pacific to the Atlantic oceans. During his stay in the East he visited the principal places of interest in the eastern states, and Canada. In September, 1857, Mr. Tuttle was married to Miss Annie Maria Russell, daughter of Dr. Leonard White Russell, all natives of the same State; and shortly thereafter with his wife returned to California via Panama. During his visit to his old home in 1857, although openly avowing his iaten- tion of returning to this State, and not having even voted there, his old friends insisted on nominating him for the Legislature of his native State, from a district having a large partizan majority in opposition to the party with which he afiiliated, and although he specially requested his personal friends not to vote for him because of his inability to serve, his opponent had but a small majority on the final count. On his arrival in San Francisco he again commenced the manufacture of furniture, which occupation he fol- lowed until 1859, when he permanently settled in Petaluma, and commenced the business of manufacturing doors, sash and blinds in connection with the lumber business. This he continued until the Summer of 1863, when he opened a furniture and carpet store in that city, which he carried on tUl 1875. From this time until 1878 he was connected with the California Fur Manufacturing Company of San Francisco. Between the years of 1861 and 1867 Mr. Tuttle served as Trustee four years. Was once elected Justice of the Peace of Petaluma, which office he declined to fill, and between 1869 and 1871 was elected a member of the City Board of Education, and served as its President two years. The issues forced to the front during the latter part of the State administration of Governor Haight, and the decided stand taken in support of his administration by Mr. Tuttle, pointed him out as a worthy successor of the lamented Senator, Dr. William Burnet. In June 1871, Mr. Tuttle was nominated by the democratic party as State Sen- ator, to succeed and serve out the unexpired term of the late Senator. In September following he was elected. At the session of the Legislature follow- ing his election, Mr. Tuttle served on three important standing committees, beins chosen chairman of the Committee on Education. During the session of 1871-2, the issues which were so prominent in making him a candidate for HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 597 the Senate were again brought into prominence. Mr. Tuttle on this occasion displayed a tenacity of purpose in adherance to principle regardless of con- sequences to himself, which is a distinguishing characteristic of the man. In 1873 Mr. Tuttle was again nominated and elected for a full term, a Sena^ tor of Sonoma county by an increased majority. During the session of 1873-4 he was a member of four standing committees, education and finance being two of them. During this session the act popularly known as the Tuttle School Bill, providing school revenue for the support of the common schools, was re-iutroduced by Mr. Tuttle, and passed into law by receiving the Governor's approval. This law is still in force, and under its operation many school districts which formerly could not maintain a school three months out of twelve are now maintaiued from seven to eight months. In the session of 1875-6 Mr. Tuttle was chosen President pro tem of the Senate, receiving the support of the members of his own party and a majority of the members of the Independent party for that position, still serving on four standing committees. In June, 1877, he was nominated for the Assembly, and in September following was elected. At this session (1877-78) he served as chairman of the Committee on Corporations, member of Ways and Means and Education committees, and special committee on Banks and Banking. Near the close of this session was nominated and confirmed Insurance Com- missioner, which position he did not accept. He resigned his position of Assemblyman, and on the 10th day of April, 1878, was appointed Commis- sioner of Transportation, which position he will hold until January, 1880. There have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Tuttle three children: Harry Franklin, Alice Maud, and Leonard Russell. His residence is in Petaluma. Van Doren, John Suydam. The subject of this .sketch is the .second child of William L. and Sarah Van Doren, and was bom in Sangamon county, Illinois, April 29, 1836. At the age of eight years he moved -^ith his father's family to St. Louis, Missouri, and in April, 1850, accompanied his father to California, arriving in the Territory of California before it was admitted into the Union as a State. He first settled in Nevada City; attended school for three months in 1851 in Sacramento, and for a like period at Marysville during the Summer of 1852. From 1852 to 1856 he followed mining in Nevada county, California, until November of the latter year, when he moved to Petaluma, where he still resides. Engaged in the hotel business with his father until January 27, 1861, and in the following June rented the Eureka Hotel at Santa Rosa, which he kept until April 2i, 1862, when a disastrous fire left him to recommence his business career. In June, 1862, he was appointed by County Assessor Alonzo Walker, Deputy, to as.sess Santa Rosa township, a dutj- he completed in the month of August. In September of the same year he assisted Hon. W;. A. Eliason, United States Assessor, to organize the Fifth Internal Revenue District of this State, as Assistant Assessor of the first division, which embraced Sonoma and Marin 598 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. counties. This position he resigned in December, and in January, 1863, was elected Minute Clerk to the State Senate, again filling the same appoint- ment for the session of 1863-4. In September, 1864, he "was once more appointed United States Assistant Assessor, on this occasion to take charge of the second division of the Fifth California District, comprising Marin county, and Sonoma, Vallejo and Petaluma townships of Sonoma county, which office he filled until April 28, 1868, when he was elected Cashier of the Bank of Sonoma county, in Petaluma, in the place of E. Sprague, who was compelled to resign from ill health. Mr. Van Doren married, first, Martha, second daughter of the late Alexander W. Barnes, on January 27, 1861, who died January 29, 1873, leaving one daughter, Mary Frances; married, January 2, 1877, Frances Maria Rawson, daughter of Roswell and Loretta Rawson, of Galesburgh, Michigan. Van Doren, William Lawson. Bom in Somerset county. New Jersey, June 2, 1810, and is the first son of Joseph Van Doren and Marie Conover. When sixteen years of age his parents moved to Warren county, Ohio, and there farmed. He married, December 10, 1833, Sarah Ann Hageman. In October, 1835, he moved to Sangamon county, Illinois, and settled nine mUes west of Springfield, on the south side of Spring creek. In September, 1845, he moved to St. Louis, where his wife died, October 20, 1847. In 1850 he crossed the plains to California and settled in the town of Nevada, and remained some time engaged in mining. In October, 1851, he bought a ranch on the north side of American river, two and a half miles from Sacra- mento. In March, 1853, Mr. Van Doren married Mrs. Cornelia Fulkerson. In 1864, after a visit to the Eastern States, he went to the city of Nevada, and stayed in that county till July, 1856, when he came to Petaluma and kept hotel eight years (Petaluma House and Washington Hotel), till April, 1863, then went over to Nevada Territory and took charge of the White House, Carson City, where he r'^mained during the exciting times of changing the Territory to a State and through the first session of the Legis- lature. In 1864 he returned to Petaluma and built a home, and the following year sold out and went to Brooklyn, New York. In 1866 he bought in the Chenery House in Springfield, Illinois, which he kept till 1869, returning again to Petaluma, as his home, and went into stock raising on Austin creek in this county, remaining there till 1877. After the death of his wife, February 5th, Mr. Van Doren sold out and came to Petaluma to live. He has five children by his first wife: Joseph, born in Warren county, Ohio, October 3, 1834; John S., born in Sangamon county, lUinois.April 29, 1836; William Henry, same place, September 19, 1839; Anna Maria, same place, March 4, 1845; Lewis, born in St. Louis, Missouri, February 25, 1847. Joseph is married and lives in Ouray, Colorado; no children. John S. is in Petaluma and has a daughter about seventeen years of age. William H. married, in Jacksonville, Illinois, a daughter of Dr. Jones, who lived about HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 599 two years and died November 17, 1869. Anna Maria married Oliver Q. Rogers, and lives in this county and has two children, a daughter and son. Lewis resides near Rio Vista, Solano county, and is unmarried. Vestal, Lewis. A native of Surry county. North Carolina, born Jan- uary 31, 1824. When about thirteen years of age he, with his parents, moved to Jackson county, Missouri, where he received his education and worked on a farm. In 1852, he crossed the plains with ox-teams to Cal- ifornia. He spent the followiug Winter in Grass Valley, Nevada county, and in the Spring proceeded to Bear river, where he remained during the Summer and Winter. In 1854, came to this county and settled on a farm at Bloomfield, where he remained about four years, seUing out and buying another farm about two miles below. After residing here about two years, he moved upon another farm about three miles north from Petaluma, remaiaed one Summer and then bought the farm which H. B. Hasbrouck now owns, where he remained about three years, when he settled on his present place, comprising four hundred and eighty-seven acres, located in Two Rock valley. Married Miss E. M. Cowles March 19, 1848. She was born in Surry county. North Carolina, April 1, 1829. Thomas W., born June 23, 1851; Anna A., born May 3, 1858; Martha J., born May 29, 1859; Abby D., born June 15, 1867; are the names and births of their living children. M. E., Arthur W., Etta B., and Edney T., are the names of those who are deceased. Neil, Washington. Born in the city of Glasgow, Scotland, June 22, 1836. In the year 1843 moved to Liverpool, England. Emigrated to Cali- fornia, with a younger brother, January 9, 1850; arrived July 9, 1850. Their father at this time was engaged in iron house building, San Francisco, at which the subject of this memoir also engaged until 1853, when he moved with his parents to this county. He then engaged in running a schooner between San Francisco and Petaluma. The high fares at this time (1865) induced a number of the citizens to form a company, which was composed of the following gentlemen: Henry Mecham, Caleb Railsback, W. R. Roberts, W. Neil, and McNear Brothers. The last named firm owned the controlling interest in the steamer, which was called the "Josie McNear." The subject of this memoir was chosen master. To this company credit is due for the low fares. After running about one year the boat was sold to Captain Crosby, of Olympia, Washington Territory, to which place she sailed in 1872. Mr. Neil then engaged in the milling business, which he successfully carried on until 1876, when he embarked in the grocery and feed busmess. In February, 1877, Mr. J. L. Winans joined the firm, which is now known as Neil & Winans. Married Juha A., daughter of J. L. Mock, January 3, 1865 ; she is a native of Missouri, born January 3, 1845. Their children are: Francis, born April 2, 1867; Daniel Gilman, 600 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. March li, 1868; Charles Henry, April 8, 1871 ; Washington, May 18, 1873; Walter Scott, July 9, 1875; Sonoma, August 10, 1877; Alfred, March 2, 1879. Wells, Thomas H. Attorney and counselor at law, Petaluma, Sonoma county ; was born in Lincoln county, Missouri, on the I7th day of December, 1823; was educated in his native State; came thence across the plains to California in 1849. Located in Butte county, where he resided from Octo- ber, 1849, till May 1864, when, in consequence of protracted ill-health, he removed to Carson, Nevada, where he remained until April, 1879, when he changed his residence to Petaluma. He represented Butte county in the Assembly during the Legislative sessions of 1853 and 1855. He commenced the study of the law in 1852, and was admitted to the bar in June, 1855, when he began to practice. In 1857 he was elected County Judge of Butte county, and served one fuU term in that ofBce. When Governor H. G. Blaisdell was first inaugurated as the Chief Executive of the then new State of Nevada (December 5, 1864) Mr. Wells was appointed by him his Private Secretary, and remained in that office until Governor Blaisdell was succeeded by Governor L. R. Bradley, January 9, 1871, since which time he has been engaged in the practice of law. Weston, Henry L. Was bom in Bremen, Lincoln county, Maine, October 6, 1826. When about fourteen years of age, he left the paternal roof 'and went to Augusta to live with his eldest brother, William K. Weston, who subsequently came to California and at the time of his death was serving his second term as County Judge of Solano county. About one year after his arrival at Augusta the subject of our memoir entered The Age office, in which he served a six years' apprenticeship. Very soon after arriving at the age of twenty-one, he entered upon the profession of journalism, locating at the neighboring city of Gardiner, where he remained until the Summer of 1851, when he removed to Boston, taking a, situation in the office of the i^^ew England Railway Guide. In this same office Charles F. Brown, who in after years achieved a world-wide reputation as " Artemus Ward," the showman, was then serving an apprenticeship. Here also was enjoyed the companion- ship and intimate acquaintance of Benjamin P. Shillober, the inimitable " Mrs. Partington," who at that time was ventilating the old lady's idiocyncrasy and Ike's tricks through the columns of that racy but short-lived weekly, the Carpet Bag. The climate of Boston proving too severe for a not over robust constitution, Mr. Weston determined upon a trip to California. Accordingly, on January 20, 1853, in company with his brother Samuel T., who had before been there (to California) and was then East on a visit, and his youngest brother, Seneca K., who was likewise a printer, he took passage on the clipper ship "Flying Arrow," Charlas T. Treadwell, Master. Mr. Weston's experience of "a life on the ocean wave" must have been any- HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNLi. 601 thing but agreeable, for in less than twenty-four hours after leaving Boston harbor, the ship was dismasted and came near foundering with all on board, for every boat belonging to the ship was either washed overboard or crushed by the falling spars. To the great relief of the entire ship's company, the port of St. Thomas, West Indies, was finally reached on the morning of the twenty-sixth day after the disaster. The arrival in their harbor of a first- class clipper ship and in distress was an event of no small degree of interest to the people of the little island, and this interest was in no wise lessened when the report became circulated that the passengers on board had a print- ing-press and at the hour of their arrival were printing and circulating among the officials and visitors to the ship, the initial number of the Ocean Spray, a little paper containing a full account of the disaster. To Mr. Weston, we believe, belongs the honor of being the first person to print and publish a newspaper at sea. After a stay of a few weeks at St. Thomas, Mr. Weston and his brother Samuel, together with several others of their fellow- passengers, took passage via Aspinwall and Panama for San Fran- cisco, arriving at their destination in March. Their brother Seneca, who had determined to remain at St. Thomas and await the repairing and refitting of the ship, took sick of the yellow fever and died two weeks after their departure. The voyage of the "Flying Arrow" appears to have been peculiarly unfortunate. Before the completion of repairs upon the ship, a large proportion of her officers, passengers and crew died of the fever, and nearly everyone had been down sick with it. So reduced had the crew become when the vessel was ready for sea, that it was found necessary to proceed to New York for more men before proceeding on her voj^ace to California. The vessel finally reached San Francisco in the early part of 1854. The first two years of Mr. Weston's residence in this State were spent in clerking and mining. In July, 1855, accepting a proposition from, T. L. Thompson, Esq., he came to Petaluma, accompanying the first press and types brought to this place. Here he has almost uninterruptedly con- tinued to reside from that date to this, with the exception of a business trip made to the then Territory of Nevada, in the Spring and Summer of 1864, and where he started, and as he then hoped successfully established, the Lyon County Sentinel, at the town of Dayton. The entire establishment, how- ever, was completely destroyed by fire in July of the following year, entailing a heavy pecuniary loss to its enterprising projector. The history of the Petaluma Weekly Argus and that of its senior proprietor is so inti- mately allied that his career for a period of years, covering nearly a quarter of a century, is therein faithfully recorded. We believe we but express the common sentiment of all the old residents of Petaluma and Sonoma county, when we say that during all this time he has uniformly manifested that deep interest in the well-being and prosperity of the home of his choice which is peculiarly characteristic of the liberal and public spirited journalist. Mr. 602 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOKNIA. Weston [married Miss Caroline H. McCardy, of Gardiner, Maine, December 18, 1850, who joined him in California in the Fall of 1857. The result of the union has been four children: Caro F. (deceased), Kate C, Harry McC. and Samuel P. Mrs. Weston is a woman of marked ability and great artistic talent. She has ever'been found among the foremost in the community in all matters of a public or private character iu which the gentler sex usually take a part. In the ornamental branches, such as music, painting, drawing, etc., she deserv- edly takes .high rank. Exhibits of the works of her hands made at the annual fairs of the District Agricultural Society in years past always attracted much attention and commanded a public recognition for their excellence. In embroidery she is particularly clever, producing a picture which for shading, coloring and good effect is rarely excelled by oil paintings coming from the hands of artists of note. The walls of her parlors are ornamented with two at least of the largest and most artistically wrought pieces of tapestry to be found in the State, if not indeed in the United States. "Whitney, Hon. Albion Paris. The subject of this memoir, whose portrait appears in this work, is the son of William and Olive Whitney, and was born in Corinth Penobscot county, Maine, September 15, 1825. In 1840 his parents removed to Aroostook county, in the northern part of the State. His education was obtained in the common schools of the State, and at the age of twenty he engaged in the lumber and milling business, pur- suing the same at Fairfield, and at Kent in the same county, until 1856, when he removed with his family to Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he remained one year, and then removed to Meeker county, in the same State, and laid out the town of Kingston, erecting mills, and engaged in flouring and lumbering business. At the same time he commenced a general mer- chandising business to meet the wants of the new settlement then on the frontier. Here he soon succeeded in building up a large business and securing the esteem of his fellow citizens. In 1858 he was elected by the Republicans and Douglas Democrats to the State Legislature to represent Meeker, Benton and Stearns counties. In 1859 he removed to California, making the trip overland, and spent the first two years in the mines, until 1861, when he removed to Petaluma and engaged in the grocery, business with Mr. Cross, in the old store on the corner of English and Main streets, opposite his present location. From this small beginning he has worked his way steadily upward, until his business has become the largest in the county. He has united warehousing, commission and shipping business with his other vocation, having six large warehouses and employing several packets between Petaluma and San Francisco. He has ever taken a deep interest in all movements for the development of the resources of the county and the welfare of the people. He has been one of the most zealous supporters of the Sonoma and Marin District Agricultural Society, and its President for the last two years. He was a delegate to the National Convention at Cincin- HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 603 nati in 1876, which nominated President Hayes, and Ln 1877 he was elected State Senator from Sonoma county, hitherto largely Democratic. During the time he was in the Legislature, he was upon several important com- mittees, and was a laborious and prominent member of the Senate. On February 21, 1850, he married Susan D. Eastman, a native of Jackson, New Hampshire. Mr. Whitney has seven children living, the oldest of whom is in business in San Francisco; the second son is in the University of California; the eldest daughter is married and happily settled near Petaluma. "Wickersham, Isaac G. No man has held a more prominent position in Sonoma than he whose name appears above and whose portrait has a place in this work. He was born of respectable, well-to-do Quaker parents at Newberry, York county, Pennsylvania, on the 26th of August, 1820, and is the youngest son in a family of eleven children — his father died in 1825 — - of rather delicate physique, but of an active nervous temperament. At the age of fifteen he left the confortable home of his mother and commenced the battle of life on his own account, meeting with many hardships and travel- ling much over the United States and Canada. Engaged in various honor- able employments, by industry and economy overcoming all obstacles in his youthful career, avoiding bad company, with a fixed determination that his name should never be coupled with a dishonest or dishonorable act, and wherever he is known, either in his youthful wanderings or latter life, he has enjoyed the confidence of all. In 1840, we find him Secretary of the Indiana State Anti-Slavery Society, and taking an active part in the Har- rison presidential campaign, and a law student in the office of Judge Elliott at Newcastle, Henry county, Indiana, where he remained until the Spring of 1843, having been admitted to the bar. He resolved to go farther west, and located at Keokuk, Lee county, Iowa, where he engaged in the practice of his profession with reasonable success. In the Spring of 1853, being in poor health, and having travelled over much of the United States and Canada, and having accumulated ample means to entitle him to a little recreation, he conceived the idea of a tour through Mexico and California. Proceeding to New Orleans, thence to Vera Cruz, where in company with others who had joined, him they purchased horses and proceeded north to the City of Mexico, where he remained about ten days, and thence on horse-back to Acapulco, not having slept in a house or on a bed, except while in the city of Mexico, since leaving Vera Cruz; thence by steamer to San Francisco, from there to Sacramento, where he purchased a horse and blankets and started alone to inspect the mines. Finally he crossed the Sierra^Nevada mountains, meeting the emigrants at Carson sink. His active temperament could not allow of his being idle and, having some ready means, he commenced purchasing cattle and cutting hay. In November, 1853, he arrived with his cattle at Petaluma, but not finding a desirable 604 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. market for them in that Fall he determined there to await the Spring. During the Winter, he occupied his time in the erection of a house in. the then infant city of Petaluma, but with no intention of permanently locating there. In 1854, he cut about three hundred tons of hay on the flat imme- diately north of the city, where he used the first mowing machine operated on the Sonoma side of San Francisco bay. Shortly after this event, he commenced the practice of his profession; in 1855, he was elected District Attorney, an office he filled with much ability for two years; with his legal business he combined that of Notary Public, and also engaged in the lending of money. In the year 1865, he established the private banking firm of I. G. Wickersham & Co. in Petaluma and in 1867, erected the first bank building in that city, while, on January 1, 1875, the banking house of I. G. Wickersham & Co. was organized as a National Gold Bank. Mr. Wicker- sham has been inseparably connected with many benefits conferred upon the city where he has made his home, as may be attested by a reference to our history of Petaluma township. It is a pleasure to look upon such a career rewarded with comfort and plenty. He has taken and is taking a great and leading interest in the affairs of the Episcopal church in his town, and though of a modest and retiring disposition, his knowledge of the world and keen acumen will stand him, we hope, in good stead for many years to come. Mr. Wickersham married May 21, 1867, Lydia C. Rickett, a native of Fall River, Massachusetts, by whom he has now living four children, two boys and two girls. Wigand, Theodore. Native of Pyrmont, Waldeck, Germany; was born November 26, 1846. After having attended Dr. Damann's cosmo- politan school in Hameln, Hanover, for two years, he commenced in 1863 the preparatory course of studies at the Gymnasium of Lemgo, continuing the same afterwards at Corbach, where he passed the regular examination required by law for admittance to medical courses at a uni- ver.sity, September, 1868. He then ,studied medicine at the University of Marburg, Prussia; there passed the first medical examination in 1870, and took the degree of M. D. October 15, 1873. During the Franco-German war he entered the Prussian army as volunteer assistant surgeon. After having spent about twenty months in visits to the ilniversities of Wurzburg, Heidelberg and Berlin, attending lectures and visiting hospitals, he came to the United States in the Winter of 1875, landing in San Francisco. He practiced his profession for a short time in Yreka, Siskiyou county, but soon went back to San Francisco, and finally settled in Petaluma in May, 1878. Doctor Wigand is married to Sophia, daughter of the late merchant and mayor of Mengeringhausen, Waldeck, Germany, Ludwig Schluckebier. Williams, George B. A native of Lincoln county, Maine, born December 5, 1809. Here he received his education, and was reared a farmer. HISTOEY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOENIA. 605 At twenty-one years of age he managed and conducted a farm on his own account. On December 18, 1849, he emigrated to California, on board the schooner "Danascone," and arrived July 12, 1850. After disposing of the cargo, he being one of the owners, he proceeded to the mirles at Pine-log crossing. Here he found his brother, John M., who had emigrated to the State previously. In 1850, in company with his brother and two other gen- tlemen, erected a building on Commercial street, San Francisco, known as the Globe Hotel; here he conducted the hotel business for one year. In November, 1851, Mr. Williams came to Petaluma, and purchased a pre- emption right, in company with Capt. H. Luce, of Massachusetts, which com- prised about one-half of the present site of Petaluma, but lost it by litigation. On March 14, 1853, he and W. M. Wright purchased a ranch of Major Singley, one mile north of this city, where he resided until 1855. June 1, 1855 Mr. Williams' wife arrived from the East, while he had departed but a few days previous to accompany her to this State. The fact of her being in California he did not know until he reached Boston. He soon found his way back, joined his wife, and on December 25, 1855, took up their resi- dence in Petaluma. In the Spring of 1854 he commenced the erection of the Washington Hotel, hauling the lumber from the redwoods. He was proprietor of the Washington Hotel for one year, after which he teamed for some time. Mr. Williams has done much toward the advancement of the town in the way of building, and has ever manifested a spirit of thrift and enterprise, and has lived to see the fruits of his labor crowned with success, which will ever remain in remembrance of him who did not weary in well- doing. Married Miss Mehetable, daughter of George and Johanna Lilly, November 20, 1834. She was born in Lincoln county, Maine, February 17, 1807. George R., born February 20, 1839 (residing in East Oakland) ; Rosa Lilly, bom December 24, 1840 (widow of P. E. Weeks); Laura J., bom November 26, 1842, are the names and births of their living children. Winans, David M. A native of Elkhart county, Indiana, was born September 11, 1838, where he received his education and resided upon a farm until 1856, when he emigrated to California via Panama, arrivmg at San Francisco the latter part of November of that year. After spending about three weeks in Alameda bounty, he proceeded to Marin county, and after spending three years as a common laborer, he engaged in dairying, which business he pursued seven years ; he then came to this county, remaining only a short time when he went East, remained about two months, when he returned to this county and purchased his present estate, about two miles north of Petaluma. During his residence in Marin county he fiUed the office of road master one term. He married April 7, 1870, Miss Mariah E. Newell, a native of Elkhart county, Indiana, born December 19, 1848. By this union they have two children, Annie M. and William J. 606 HISTORY OF SONOMA COXINTT, CALIFORNIA. Zartman, "William. Was born in Northumberland county, Pennsyl- vania, October 20, 1829. When a child his parents moved to Schuylkill county in that State, where William was educated and resided until 1848. Previous to this date both his parents had died, and he determined going West, which he carried out by settling in Chicago, Illinois, where he was engaged La clerkiag for one year. In the Spring of. 1849 he engaged as an apprentice to the wagon-maker's trade, and at the completion of his engage- ment, on December 1, 1851, he came to this State on the steamer "Falcon" to Panama, and on the steamer " Isthmus " to San Francisco, arriving at the latter place January 14, 1852. He at once proceeded to Calaveras county, where he engaged in miuing until the end of June, when he became a resident of Petaluma. In July following he, iu company with John Fritsch, opened a wagon and blacksmith shop. In 1861 Mr. Zartman, Fritsch and others built a quartz-mill at Gold Hill, Nevada, and the subject of this sketch was selected as its superintendent until 1864, when the mill was disposed of. In 1865 Mr. Zartman took passage on the steamer " America " for the East via Nicaragua. On the east side of the Isthmus he took passage on the " Golden Rule." After visiting most of the Eastern and middle States, he took passage on the " Golden Rule " for California in May, 1865. He was delayed on the way, being wrecked in the Caribbean sea. Two days after the wreck the passengers succeeded in reachiug an island, and after inhabiting this lonely spot for eleven days they were rescued by United States gunboats. Out of seven hundred passengers, only one was lost. After crossing the Isthmus he took the steamer " America," and arrived at San Francisco July 1, 1865. Mr. Zartman went direct to his previous home in Petaluma, where he has since resided. In 1867 he built his present carriage shop, where he has since conducted business. He married, January 1, 1854, Miss Rhoda Carothers. She was bom in Indiana March — , 1829. By this union they have five children : William H., George W., Benjamin F., Katie A. and Mary B. Allen, Olliver.* The subject of this memoir, whose portrait occupies a position in this work, was born in Windham county, Connecticut, on the 29th day of January, 1804. Here he received his early education and learned the trade of a cabinet-maker from his Jather, who was a large manufacturer of furniture. At the age of sixteen years he was sent to the Southern States as a traveling agent for his father's manufactured goods, in which agency he was quite successful. Returning after an absence of about a year, he went to work again at his trade in his father's shop, and at the age of twenty -one went to New York to per:£.ect his knowledge of the furniture busiaesa; on the completion of his time in the city, he established himself in the furniture^^ business at Norwich, Connecticut, in which he con- tinued for several years. He then opened a machine shop, which was ' This sketch was received too late to he inserted in its proper order. HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 607 destroyed by fire. After the catastrophe which had deprived Mr. Allen of all his property, he was appointed Inspector of steamboats, boilers and engines for the State of Connecticut, under the first United States law pro- viding for such inspectors. He was also employed by Colonel Potter, of the United States engineering corps, who was then engaged in improving the channels of the river Thames and the Connecticut river. The surveys for this work were performed by Mr. Allen, and while he was engaged in this and similar work at other points for about two years, he made important discoveries affecting machinery used in steam di-edging which became of great practical use and value. At this period he entered into a partnership with Messrs. Kandall & Haskell, of New Bedford, Massachusetts, and E. H. Holmes, of South Windham, Connecticut, for the purpose of carrying on the business of steam dredging, the deepening of channels, canals and other work requiring submarine excavations. During the next few years in which Mr. Allen was engaged in the business, he received several patents for improve- ment in dredging apparatus which he had originated and perfected. He caused to be constructed a number of dredging machines with many novel and improved patterns. The businass of this company was carried on quite extensively and successfully, both in the United States and Canada. Mr. AUen afterwards disposed of his interest in this business, and his attention being called to the many risks and dangers incurred by the whalemen, he determined, if possible, to furnish them with some implement or method whereby many of their difficulties might be avoided, and, after considerable study and many experiments, he succeeded in producing a " bomb-lance," which was the first explosive projectile ever used in killing whales. Thes6 bomb-lances have been, and are now, used almost universally by whalemen in all parts of the world, and have been the means of saving many valuable lives, as well as being a great aid to a very important industry. In April, 1849, the subject of this sketch joined a company of sixty members who bought the "May Flower," and, after loading her with an assorted cargo, started for the then new gold region of California; they had a fair passage, with the exception of a very severe storm which occurred off Cape Horn on the 4th of July, arriving at San Francisco in September, 1849, having made the trip from New Bedford in five months and thirteen days. Before leaving the East, the company had purchased the river steamboat "Lawrence," which, under the superintendence of Mr. AUen, was taken apart and with all of her machinery stowed away in the hold of the " May Flower," and after their arrival at S^ Francisco the ship sailed to the mouth of the San Joaquin river, at a point known as New York, where the steamer was taken out and rebuilt under the direction of Mr. Allen, and was the first steamboat that ever reached Stockton. The company above referred to retained its organization for some months after their arrival in California, during which time they carried on different mining operations in both the northern and 608 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. southern mines, in each of which they were only moderately successful. The property of the company was finally sold and the proceeds divided among the members, to the satisfaction of all. During the Winter of 1849-50, Mr. Allen was employed by Col. Stevenson on certain surveys at the mouth of the San Joaquin river, after the completion of which he spent some time in the mines of Tuolumne county, but after a while found his way back to San Francisco and very soon went into a farming operation in Tuolumne county, but after losing three crops in succession, two by floods and one by drouth, and having his house and about all that he possessed destroyed by fire, he concluded to abandon that enterprise and make a trip East, which he did by way of the Isthmus, in the Summer of 1852, and after spending some four or five months with his family, returned to California. He was soon after engaged to reconstruct two saw-mills at Bolinas, Marin county, which was done to the entire satisfaction of the owners. At about this time his family, consisting of his wife and two sons, arriving from the East, he bought a house and claim to a piece of land and mill-site on Daniel's creek, Marin county. This place was afterwards sold to Messrs. Taylor & Post, who built thereon the Pioneer Paper Mill, the first paper mill ever operated on this coast. Mr. Allen aided in the construction of the mill, and for about two years following was engaged in various ranching and mechanical operations, and in 1859 moved with his family to Point Reyes, Marin county, and engaged ia the business of dairying. In the year 1865, he purchased, in company with his son Charles D. Allen, a tract of land of al:iout two thousand acres in Nicasio township, Marin county, which they improved and made one of the best appointed dairy ranches on this coast. In 1875 he sold his interest in the ranch to his son Charles and moved to Petaluma, where he has since been and is at present residing. While in the dairy business, Mr. Allen was the inventor of an improved butter worker and a butter mold, both of which are now in general use among the dairy- men of this State and elsewhere. He is also the patentee and manufacturer of Allen's improved fracture bed, which has proved a very useful and com- plete appliance for the treatment of fractures of the thigh, and is also of great service in the treatment of other surgical cases. Mr. AUen was mar- ried March 18, 1827, to Miss J. C. Goodspeed, of East Haddam, Connecticut. There were born to them five children, two daughters and three sons, only two of the children, the two youngest boys, reached the age of manhood and only the youngest, Charles D., is now living, his eldest brother having died' at Point Eeyes at the age of twenty-five. Mrs. AHen died at Petaluma March 23, 1879, at the age of seventy-five years, and after a married life of more than fifty-two years. Allen, Charles D.* Was born in Norwich, Connecticut, September 24, 1842. Moved from there to California at the age of eleven years, arriving * This sketch was received too late to be inserted in its proper place. ,if' ''(T^c^L^^t'' HISTOET OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 609 in San Francisco in January, 1854. Was educated in this State for the profession of an assayer, which calling, however, he was obliged by circum- stances to abandon. He was married to Miss Florence Giuevra Johnstone, of Santa Rosa, October 26, 1873. They have two children living: Charles Leslie, born September 15, 1874, and Florence Imogene, bom August 24, 1879. Mr. Allen has spent nearly twenty-five years of his life in Marin county, and was for a number of years the sole proprietor of that finely improved dairy farm in that county known as the " Green Valley Rancho." He represented Marin county in the Assembly during the twenty-second session of the Legislature. He is at present residing in Petaluma. REDWOOD. Bell, Bradford. Was born in Lewis county. New York, December 20, 1842. In 1853 he accompanied his parents to California, and with them settled in Windsor, where they still reside. In January, 1874, the subject of this sketch moved to Guerneville, where he now is located in business. In 1868 he made a trip to the Sandwich Islands, thence to San Francisco and New York. On his return he proceeded to Oregon, and afterwards came back to Windsor, where he remained for two years, when he moved to Healdsburg and started as a butcher, finally locating, in 1874, as above stated. He married, January 7, 1873, Lucy Hall, and has no issue. Florence, Marshall. Was bom in Caswell county. North Carolina, October 1, 1843. When an infant he was taken to Missouri, in which State he resided until 1861, in which year he crossed the plains to California and settled in Placer county. Here he followed mining until 1863, when he transferred his location to Nevada county, still being engaged in the mines, and finally, in 1865, came to Sonoma county and settled in Mendocino township. In this locality he was engaged in the manufacture of chairs until 1870, when he removed his afiairs to Forrestville, and there resided until 1877, the period of his establishing himself in his present place of business. He married, February 4, 1868. The names of his children are: Carrie B., Dora F., Eva G., Arthur, and Lolo A. Heald, Thomas T. Was bom in Belmont county, Ohio, December 10, 1825, and there received his early education. In the Spring of 1844 he moved with his parents Co Jackson county, Missouri, and there resided until 39 610 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 1849, in which year he started across the plains for California, arriving t;ia the northern or Lawson route, and the Lawson ranch in the Sacramento valley. After a short time he went to the Deer creek mines on the south fork of the Yuba river, and pitched his tent in the heart of what is now Nevada City, where he remained until the Spring of 1850, at which time he changed his locality to the north fork of the Yuba river, and still further prosecuted his mining labors, which he continued near .Downieville, Sierra county, until the month of September, 1850. In this year Mr. Heald came to Sonoma county and worked at the Mill creek mill, near Healdsburg, then owned by his brother Samuel and William J. March. . At this occupation he continued for one year, at the end of which he purchased the ranch opposite Wahler's place, settled by William Potter, where he commenced farming (the farm is now leased to J. R. Simmons) and resided till 1871, when he located permanently in Guerneville. Mr. Heald is one of the charter members of the Redwood Lodge of Odd Fellows, and also of the I.O. G. T., and is a member of the Methodist church. He married in 1860 Julia Guerne, who died in 1870. By this union there were six children, of whom George H., Henrietta Elizabeth, and Amelia Josephine are now alive. Johnson, Sanborn, Is a native of Waldo county, Maine, and was born April 4, 1825, in the common schools of which county he received his early education. When twenty-one years of age he embarked in the lumber trade in the town of Frankfort, in his native county, a business he conducted untU 1849. In December of that year we find him in Boston, Massachusetts. From that city he took passage to this State on the " California Packet," via Cape Horn, on March 4, 1850, and landed in San Francisco on the 27th September of the same year. On his arrival Mr. Johnson, in company with L. A. Webber, John B. Tupper, and Mr. Back, proceeded to Bodega, where they were employed by Hand and Duncan to cut and roll logs for a period of two months. They next proceeded to the mill of L. B. Hanks, on the ranch of Captain Stephen Smith, about three miles from Bodega Corners, and there worked at cutting logs until March 16, 1851. Mr. Johnson then proceeded to Tomales, Marin county, and in partnership with L. A Webber, Levi Chapman, and Josephus Bradford, began farming. After their first crop was secured, on March 21, 1851, Mr. Johnson proceeded to the mines at Willow Bar, on the north Yuba, and prosecuted "digging" with moderate success (making one hundred and twenty-five dollars on the first day) for three months. After prospecting for a further period of six weeks, he returned to his ranch in Marin county and continued the partnership men- tioned above for a period of one year more. He then severed his connection with Webber, Chapman, and Bradford and farmed in that county on his own account untU 1864. Mr. Johnson was one of the unfortunate passen- gers on board the ill-fated steamer " Secretary," when she blew up near the Brother and Sister rocks on April 15, 1854. Most of those on board at the HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOKNIA. 61^1 time were killed; Mr. Johnson, however, fortunately succeeded in gaining the shore, though severely wounded. In the year 1863 he was elected to represent the Republican wing of Marin county in the lower house of the Legislature, a position he fiUed with much satisfaction for one term. In 1864 he moved to LakeviUe, Sonoma county, where he embarked in agricul- tural pursuits, and there remained tiU 1877, in which year he settled on his present farm of five hundred acres, situated in Redwood township, near Forrestville, where he is now engaged in farming and stock raising. Mr. Johnson married. May 14, 1860, Jennie 0. Chandler, a native of Portland^ Maine, by whom he has living : Hattie C, born in Marin county May 16, 1861 ; Annie T., born in Sonoma county January 10, 1868; Abbie S., born January 10, 1872; Jennie J., born December 3, 1873, and Walter E., bom September 23, 1879. The children deceased are: Alice M., born May 1st, died October 10, 1864, and Lizzie C, born September 10, 1866, died June 12, 1868. Manning, John. Born in Kentucky, July 8, 1801. Started for himself in life at the early age of nineteen, he at that age being married to a Miss Collyer ; was truly a pioneer, having always kept in advance of civilization, being foremost in the settlement of Illinois and Missouri; was one of the volunteers in the Black Hawk war, and also was in the raid on the Mormon settlement at Nauvoo. By his marriage with his first wife. Miss Collyer, he had nine children, only two of which are living. About the year 1839 he married the second time to Miss Almeda Boyd, of Zanesville, Ohio, by whom he had six children, only two of which are now living, W. H. and N. E. Manning, who now live in Guerneville, Sonoma county. In April, 1843, he started with the first wagon train that ever jcrossed the plains to the Pacific Coast. His family and four other persons, undertaking to go in advance of the wagon one day, on horseback, lost their way, and were lost eight days in the mountains, where they had to subsist on dried salmon skins and coflee, but finally succeeded in gaining the train after surmounting difficulties that were almost overwhelming. They finally arrived in the Willamette valley about the 28th of December, 1843. He lived in the Willamette valley until the Spring of 1849, when he again started on the move and arrived in California, at some point of the mining region, in June, and at Sacramento City July 4, 1849, when he engaged in buying and selling real estate; he also built the original Golden Eagle Hotel, which was a two- story frame building, occupying the site of the present hotel of that name. In the Fall of 1850 he moved with his family to Green valley in this county, where he bought a large tract of land, and engaged in farming and stock-raising. He resided in Green valley until the Fall of 1857. When the valley became too thickly settled he disposed of the land and moved to the lagoon on the edge of the Sautako plains ; he resided here until 1865, when he sold out his ranch and stock and moved to Petaluma, where he and his son, N. E. Manning, in connection with J. L. Wats, opened a grocery 612 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. store, which proved very disastrous, as it was the means of his losing all that he had accumulated during the early days of prosperous times. Left Petaluma and again tried to retrieve his fallen fortune hy agricultural pursuits, but could not gain a foothold, his friends that he had helped when he had plenty forgetting him in his adversity. His wife died October 6, 1872, after a long and painful illness, with cancer in the breast. He only survived her until August 13, 1873, when he died -at his son's house, after a short illness of ten days, at the age of seventy -two years and one month. He was a man of indomitable will and perseverance, as is evidenced by his alwaya being in advance of civilization, surmounting all obstacles that came in his way; liberal in his views, both religious and political; always a friend to the needy and deserving; consequently was widely known and respected by all who knew him. He always took an active part in all public improvements, and helped with his influence and means, as is instanced by assisting in building two school houses in Green valley, and one church near Stony Point, besides making liberal donations to churches and public improvements in other parts of the county ; also assisted E. A. Scott in building the first high-school building in Santa Kosa, known as the Santa Rosa Academy; he was also a life member of the Sonoma and Marin Agricultural Society ; he also took stock in the first railroad enterprise in this county, known as the San Francisco and Humboldt Bay Railroad Company; he was also at one time a member of the Association of Pioneers of Sonoma county. His son desires us to say, "that at the time they failed in business his father gave up everything he had, even to releasing and giving up his homestead, to satisfy their creditors, so that after paying the debts of the concern, they had nothing left, not even what the law would have allowed." Manning, Nathaniel E. Bom in Franklia county, Missouri, December 3, 1842, youngest living son of John and Almeda Manning; was taken across the plains to Oregon in 1842; thence to California in 1849, with his father's family; received his first instruction in letters in a log schoo.l house in Oregon; next attended the first school that was ever taught in Sonoma county, in Green valley, taught by a Baptist minister named Lindsley; attended the Santa Rosa Academy in 1858-59, three terms of five months each. Then procured a certificate for teaching, at the age of eighteen years, and taught a three months' term of school in Stony Point School District. The Nevada mines at that time creating considerable excitement, he quit school teaching, and went in the Summer of 1861 to Virginia City, and from there to the Humboldt mines, but being very successful at mining, returned to Petaluma in 1865, when he engaged in business with his father and J. L. Waters; was also a member of the San Francisco and Humboldt Bay Rail- road Company. After the failure of the business firm of Manning & Son, tried various kinds of employment, until finally engaged with Messrs. Heald & Green in their saw-mill at Guerneville, in October, 1871, where he HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOEXIA. 613 filled various positions, and finally that of book-keeper, which position he held for two years. Mr. Manning is a member of the Masons,-Odd Fellows, and Good Templars. Was run on the Temperance ticket for County Eecorder in the Fall of 1864, and was of course beaten. He took a very active part in the adoption of the New Constitution in 1879, and was brought before the New Constitution Convention for Representative in the Legislature. Was married, April 3, 1867, to Miss Kate R. Stanly, of Petaluma, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Harry Stanly. He has grown up with Sonoma county, as you might say, from a state of barbarism to one of high culture and civili- zation ; has seen its schools rise from a primitive condition to be among the best in the State; the places that were once the haunts of the ferocious grizzly bear, covered with wheat and corn ; and where once bounded the wild deer, are seen bountiful orchards, comfortable farm houses, churches and school- houses. RUSSIAN RIVER. Barnes, E. H. The subject of this sketch was born in Livingston county, Kentucky, December 26, 1827. He with his parents moved to Scott county, Missouri, in 1833, where Mr. Barnes received his primary education, complet- ing the same in an academy in Cape Girardeau county in that State. The occupation of our memoirist was that of a farmer during his entire residence in Missouri. In 1849 there was a company of seventeen formed to emigrate to California, Mr. Barnes being one of the number, and accordingly left on the 10th of April, crossed the plains and arrived at Bidwell's Bar on Feather river, where they remained about six weeks; thence to Sacramento and San Francisco, Mr. Barnes coming at once to this county and settling in Mendocino township on Russian river, residing there about ten months. He then located on the opposite side of the river, in Russian river township, opening the first trading post north of -Sonoma, in company with William Potter in 1851. In 1854 he returned via Nicaragua to Missouri, where he pur- chased a drove of cattle, and brought them to the ranch he then owned in Russian river township. During the early part of the year 1855, his inter- est in the store was purchased by Lindsay Carson, and Mr. Barnes once more turned his attention to farming, following the same till 1865, when he bought a one-half interest in a store at Windsor of James Kruse, associating with hira as partner R. A. Petray. After three years they closed out the 614 HISTORY .OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. business, and Mr. Barnes returned to his farm, where he has since resided. He is now, and has for a long time been a stockholder in the Santa Rosa Bank, and after the organization of the Farmers' and Mechanics' Bank of Hcaldsburg on September 1, 1877, he was elected its president, which posi- tion he now fills. Married Miss Mary M., daughter of J. D. Thompson, on September 20, 1855. She was bom in Howard county, Missouri, on Febru- ary 14, 1840. Bedwell, Franklin. Was born in White county, Tennessee, August 21, 1810. At the age of nine he moved to Missouri, his father being one of the first pioneers of the State. Franklin's father died in 1825, leaving to him the care of a large family, which was in almost a destitute condition. Seeming almost impossible to get better of the prevailing ague, in 1833 he started for the Rocky mountains, hoping in that salubrious climate to regain his health. He joined a company under the command of Alexander Camp- bell, went as far west as Fort Laramie, and, meeting two trappers, went with them to Green river. Here several were bitten by a mad wolf, but Franklin escaped. He joined a Rocky mountain company of thirty men, which was divided into small parties. Franklin joined a party taking a south-westerly course to Bear river, where they camped a few days preparing buffalo meat- Going as far south as Humboldt river, the party again divided, part resolving to go to California; but some of the men becoming intoxicated, a quarrel ensued, and one man was killed. The whole party returned to Snake river. In the Spring of 1834 they went a hundred miles down Snake river, and, taking some Indians with the party, went as far west as Fort Walla Walla. Dividing into small parties, they passed several weeks in trapping. While returning, they met men coming from California with horses, and all joined the trapping party, going as far as the Yellowstone river and west to the Madison forks of the Missouri, and then returned to Snake river for winter quarters. Here Franklin, with a small party, went in search of Bufialo, and the snow beginning to fall, he got lost from his party. Knowing he would be frozen to death by remaining where he was, he resolved at all hazards to seek the trail that would take him to camp. About midnight he waded a stream, the water being up to his waist. After crossing, his clothes became frozen, and he almost gave up hope of reaching his friends; but an ever- watchful Providence guided his footsteps to a warmer stream, which, in crossing, thawed his frozen clothes. Then being within a mile of camp, he pressed on until he reached it, where his friends had given him up for lost. In March, 1835, while preparing for the Spring expedition, the horses were stolen by the Indians. In recovering them one man was wounded by the name of Kit Carson, who was then just beginning a career that has since made his name renowned. The party took a north-westerly course, and, after an absence of three months, returned to wait for supplies. Becoming impatient, Franklin, with six others, started east to meet the supplies. This persevering little HISTOKT OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 615 party, three having returned, traveled on, crossing the South Platte, and reached the Arkansas river, where they sold their furs, and, obtaining sup- plies, returned to the north side of Cherry creek, near where Denver now stands, and spent the remainder of the Winter trading with the Indians. In the Spring of 1836, they attempted to make flat-boats to take their goods down the river, but, failing in this, went to Big Islands, remaining until parties from the East came after their goods. While here they were often on the verge of starvation. After their goods were sold, the rest of the sum- mer was spent in trapping, enduring all the hardships that fall heir to men who explore the " western wUds." In the Spring of 1837, while returning to camp, a storm came up, making it impossible to travel. Wrapping their blankets around them, they laid down by the banks of a swollen stream to wait for the storm to abate. Morning came, but the storm eontraued to rage in all its fury, and was so severe that one of the mules was frozen. On the third morning they succeeded in getting across the stream^ and, on the even- ing of the fourth day, reached camp, where they could relate the sufferings of the " starving time." In the Spring of 1838, Franklin, with one morC) went as far south as New Mexico, and on the route the Indians attempted several times to take their lives; but after two months a company was sent out to fight them, and captured some prisoners and horses. Then, going to the east side of the mountains, he remained two years trapping and trading with the Indians. In the latter part of the Summer of 1840, he started for California, taking three months to make the journey. He located in the San Joaquin valley, and remained six months trapping. Stopped the first Summer near San Gabriel Mission, and in the Fall started on a trapping expedition with three Mexicans. About Christmas left them and started north alone, and having met some Indians who were altogether " too friendly," in order to escape, deceived them by saying a large company of Americans were coming, and the Indians, becoming alarmed, allowed their prisoner to go. Camped that night with only a dry biscuit to eat; next morning, how- ever, had a sumptuous breakfast on a wild hawk and bread bought from some passing Indians. Went through the Santa Clara vaUey to San Fran- cisco, then comprising a few Spanish huts. After selling what beaver he had, went back to Santa Clara and worked in the redwoods until Spring, and then started for Oregon ; but having been taken sick at Sacramento, gave up the trip. In the latter part of that Summer went to Sonoma county, locating on the Russian river, on a tract of land bought from Cyrus Alexan- der, Esq., and remained until 1846, at which time the Mexicans took up arms against the inhabitants of Sonoma. Franklin joined a small party going from Russian river to Sonoma. The first engagement took place in June, 1846 ; the Americans compelled the enemy to surrender, and took some of their officers to Sacramento as prisoners. Thinking all danger over, they returned to Alexander's ranch; but four days had not passed when they 616 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. learned the Mexicans were not subdued. A force was sent out to find a missing party who had been out for supplies, and traveled through Guillico's valley. Arriving at the old Santa Rosa house (east of the present city), they learned from the Indians that the enemy had captured some of the lost party, and so Franklin and his comrades traveled south to San Antonio creek, where they captured some prisoners. Soon the American army was march- ing (in very imperfect order) towards the enemy. _ The Americans retreated to some bushes near by, and, after a spirited contest, the Spaniards retreated, with the loss of six men killed and more wounded. The Americans gained the victory without the loss of a man. Returniag to Sonoma, they found Colonel Fremont had arrived with seventy-five men, and that evening went to San Rafael under the command of Colonel Fremont. After a short engagement the Spaniards evacuated the mission. After threatening Sonoma again, the enemy got on board a schooner and crossed the bay. The little army went to Sacramento, whence, being joined by Fremont, they all pro- ceeded to San Diego, to keep the Spaniards from landing. After recruiting and procuring horses, they started for Los Angeles, leaving about thirty to guard San Diego — among whom was Franklin. After two weeks they joined the rest of the company at Los Angeles. The Spaniards constantly made attacks for two months, but were each time repulsed. The contending forces had a skirmish on the hill near Los Angeles, the Americans having to retreat to a vessel; but the next morning an American man-of-war came into port, and the captain decided to make an attack on Los Angeles, as he had about three hundred sailors and marines. That night the Americans camped on the shore, and at day-break marched two miles, encountering the enemy drawn up in line of battle. Bravely did that little army fight, but were compelled to retreat to the vessel, and ordered to San Diego. Two months after this, thirty men joined Colonel Kearney, and made another attack, driving the Spaniards back with a loss of thirty. Resuming their journey to San Diego, they were attacked by the Spaniards, and sent to San Diego for assistance. After the wounded got well, under command of General Stockton, they started for Los Angeles. Two days later, Colonel Fremont came from Monterey and made a treaty with the Mexicans, which ended the strife, (December, 1846.) Franklin remained there till Spring, and spent the Summer in improving his farm. In 1848, during the gold excitement, he went to the min&s, but returned in the winter, and met a brother he had not seen for thirteen years. Having given up a roaming life, he begaa to think more of home and friends. After trying in vain to find where his mother was, he started for Sonoma, and met her on the way to Russian river. It was a happy meeting. Separated for fourteen long years, and knowing the hardships the son must endure, many, many were the sad thoughts the mother had for her absent son. She returned to the home of her wandering son, and lived with him for years. In 1 858, Mr. Bedwell married Miss Seliaa HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 617 McMinn, of Tennessee. Not having any children, " they lived for each other." He is now living on his well-improved place — a hale and hearty old man, as is plainly seen in his portrait in this work — surrounded by many friends, and ever taking a deep interest in the .welfare of his State and country.. Bell, Henry. Was born in Lewis county, New York, January 1, 1824, where he received his education and learned the cabinet-makers' trade, which business he followed in connection with farming until 1850, when he emi- grated to California via Panama. Taking up his abode in Sacramento, he followed the business of manufacturing cradles for washing gold, for about seven months, when he proceeded to Placer county, where he engaged in quartz mining for five months; returning to Sacramento he worked at car- pentering during the Winter, and the following Summer was spent on the Yubariver mining. He then returned' to Sacramento and remained until February 1853, when he proceeded to this county and located at Wkidsor, where he at present resides, being engaged in the lumber business, farming and wagon-making. Married Miss Catherine Keyser in 1845, who was born in Germany, April 3, 1826. The following are the names- and births of their children: MaTy, born March 21, 1847; Meliasa E., August 25, 184,8; Emily, October 5, 1850; Nancy, February 21, 1855; Warren, December 23, 1856; Noah, January 10, 1864; Luther, March 15, 1866; Lucinda, June 3, 1868; Genevia, April 11, 1873. Davis, L. T. (Physician and Druggist). Wa.s born in Kentucky in 1814. Moved to Clermont county, Ohio, in 1826. Went to New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1835. Returned to Ohio in 1836, and commenced the study of medicine under Dr. A. F. McCall in Bethel, Clermont county, Ohio. In 1840, went to Madison county, Indiana, and commenced the practice of medicine. -Moved to Delaware county, Indiana, in 1844. Started to Calif- ornia in 1848, and landed in San Francisco in February, 1849. Returned to Indiana in October, 1851, and from there moved to Henry county, Iowa, in 1853. Was in the Confederate service from 1860 to 1863. Came to Calif- ornia the second time in 1863. Went to Josephine county, Oregon, in 1863; thence to Jacksonville, Oregon, 1864. Left Jacksonville in 1872, and settled in Windsor, Sonoma county, where he at present resides. Was made a Master Mason on the road to California in October, 1848, and has been an affiliating member of several lodges since. He is now a member of Santa Rosa Lodge by afiiliation. Faught, Willis. A native of Franklin county, Kentucky, born October 14, 1819. When but a mere child, his father moved to Shelby county, where he remained until Willis was ten years of age, when he took up his residence in Hendricks county, Indiana, where in March, 1833, the father died, leaving a widow and three sons. The subject of this sketch married gi8 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY. CALIFORNIA. Miss Nancy E. Lockman June 30, 1842, and in 1843 they took up their residence, in company with his mother and two brothers, William and Jabe2, in Davis county, Iowa. Here they endured a great many hardships, for at that time they were on the extreme frontier. In April, 1854, he, in company with his two brothers, crossed the plains to California, arriving in this county September, 1854. His first settlement was on a farm about four miles west of Petaluma. In 1860, he moved and took up his residence on a ranch at Mark West Station, where he remained until November, 1877, when he located upon his present estate about one mile east of Mark West Station. Mr. Faught has held the office of Justice of the Peace in this county for two years. Their children are : Mary J., born April 22, 1843 ; Thomas J., born December 12, 1844; Carrie, born August 6, 1847; Sarah E., born November 7, 1852 ; John H., born November 26, 1855 ; William Francis, born February 19, 1857; Willis, born February 19, 1857, died May 5. 1872; Ellen, born June 12, 1861; Edwin M., bom January 17, 1865. Graham, J. W. Bom in the English Channel on August 25, 1835, and is of Scotch and Irish descent. His father being a sea-captain for twenty years, the subject of this sketch spent the early part of his life with relativesi and resided in the cities of Glasgow, Scotland, and Belfast, Ireland. When he arrived at the age of twelve he became convinced that he would like the life of a sailor. The fond parents at once decided in the negative, and refused to release their son or give their consent. Accordingly the next morning the youthful son came up missing, having run away in company with another lad of about the same age. They proceeded to Belfast, Ireland, bound themselves as apprentices to a ship, and on the following morn- ing were shipped by steamer to Liverpool, where they boarded a vessel bound for New Orleans. He followed the sea about two years— some of the time he served as cabin boy, but most of the two years was before the -mast. He soon learned to box the compass, and could steer the ship as safely as any sailor, except in stormy weather. In New Orleans he and his companion ran away from the ship on account of ill treatment from the mate. After remaining two weeks ia a sailors' boarding house, they shipped on an Ameri- can vessel bound for Liverpool. Remained on this ship until she drew off from this line of trade and was about to start for the Arctic seas on a whaling expedition. Not having any desire to grapple with the king of the finny tribe he left the ship at New Orleans in 1849, and proceeded up the Missis- sippi river to St. Louis, with the intention of prolonging his trip to the Lakes but while at St. Louis he came across a gentleman from Illinois Hy the name of Samuel Rannels, who persuaded him to go to the country and stop with him, saying that he was too young to be a sailor, and after a good deal of per- suasion he accompanied him, with the understanding that he would take him back to St. Louis. After remaining one year, he served three years' appren- ticeship at the blacksmith's trade with Mr. J. W. Manson, of Morgan county' HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 619 flliiiois. About six months after finisKing his trade, on March 29, 1854, he started in company with Mr. J. O. Hamilton, a brother-in-law of Mr. Man- son, for California, driving five hundred head of cattle across the plains; atid arrived at Sacramento on September 6th. He immediately proceeded to the mines on Sly creek; he prosecuted mining for a short time only, as the weather was very severe, and he had no shelter and was obliged to make his bed on mother earth, often awakening in the morning finding himself buried under two feet of snow. From here he went to Marysville and found employment in a blacksmith's shop at five dollars per day. In the Summer of 1855 we find hinr. again at Galena Hill, engaged in blacksmith- irig, about six months, then sold out and purchased a gold mine, which he worked until the following Fall, when he came to Windsor, this county, and visited Mr. Hamilton, the gentleman he crossed the plains with. Here he worked at his trade for G. P. Hubbard, a gentleman who was well acquainted with his old blacksmith boss, J. W. Manson, of Illinois. In the Fall of 1856 we find him working at his claim, where he extracted eighteen dollars per day. In 1857 he sold his claim and returned to Windsor, and purchased a one-half interest in the blacksmith shop of Mr. Hubbard. In the Fall of 1858 he purchased his partner's interest, and has been engaged in the above business ever since, with the exception of three months, when he sold to a Mr. AUard and at the expiration of that time bought the business back, this being in 1860, and has conducted the busiaess continuously ever since. He was married January 2, 1860, to Miss H. C. Means, of Windsor. Hotchkiss, Benoni. Was bom December 20, 1833, in the old Hotchkiss homestead, known far and wide by the stately balm of Gilead trees, which, from their age and growth, had long since hidden the topmost chimney from view. His parents were among the first settlers of Kentucky, and Camp- bellsville, the place of his birth and county seat of Taylor county, was founded by and received its name from his grandfather, Andy Campbell. Benoni Hotchkiss senior, father of the subject of this sketch, was one of the first merchants of central Kentucky, and continued in that business up to the time of his death, which event took place in 1849. Young Benoni, thus left to his own inclinations and an indulgent mother, followed the divers pursuits which most settlers fancy until he became of age and acquired his patrimony. On January 8, 1857, he was married to Virginia, daughter of Jane and Barrett Edrington. With a number of others he crossed the plains in 1860, and first settled in Yolo county, near Knight's Landing, on the Sacramento river. Here he bought a farm, but soon after some parties succeeded in floating a grant over his land, and he was compelled to abandon it. He then moved to Woodland, and built the first hotel in that town, which he kept until 1864, when he came to Sonoma county and bought of the Fitch heirs the land on the lowest southern boundary of the Sotoyome Rancho, on which he has since lived. Mr. Hotchkiss' farm comprises about 620 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. three hundred and seventy-five acres, one-third of which is in the Kussian river bottom. The principal products which he sends to market are corn and potatoes, being at one time the largest producer of those articles on the river. His family consists of two children, William Joe and Mary Jane, both born in Kentucky. Jeffress, J. T. The subject of this sketch was born at Deptford, England, February 17, 1824. At the early age of sixteen he emigrated with his parents to Australia, where he was engaged in sugar refining. In 1850 Mr. Jeifress came to California and entered the employ of the San Fi'ancisco Gas Company, with which he was connected for about six years. It is worthy of note, that the first gas used in this State was manufactured under the superintendence of Mr. Jeffress. He was next engaged in sulphur mining at Clear Lake, on the ground now occupied by the celebrated Sulphur Banks quicksilver mine. The discovery of quicksilver in that vicinity is due to him. In 1867 he assisted in building the Golden Gate Sugar Refinery at San Francisco, and for a number of years was superintendent of the works. Since that time he has been connected with sulphur mining and refining, and is at present interested in the sulphur mines of Humboldt county, Nevada. In 1878 he became a resident of Sonoma county, and purchased the charming country seat known as the Riverside Farm, which is situated on the Russian river, about two miles below Healdsburg, and which he has since occupied as a family residence and private resort. He married Miss Elizabeth Kennedy, who is a native of Scotland, August 12, 1845. The following are the names of their large and interesting family : Mary E., Thomas W., Agnes W., Robert, James V., John K., George H., Walter F., Alexander M., and Egbert F. Kennedy, A. E. Born in Scotland, February 21, 1827; moved to Canada in April 1842; thence to the State of Wisconsin in the Fall of 1846, and on January 2, 1849, started across the plains for California. Made this trip in eight months and three days; arrived in California on the 5th of September. Mined a short time near Hangtown (now Placerville) El Dorado county; thence to Sierra county, and mined near Downieville tUl July, 1859; then went to Virginia City, and followed the same occupation until April, 1860, when he went back to Scotland, the 'place of his birth After an absence of one year he returned to Virginia City, being at the time interested in several of the mines on the Comstock, On September 22, 1862, he married Miss Maggie Drummond, of Boston, Massachusetts. He remained in Virginia City, actively engaged in mining, until October, 1868, when he returned to California, to take charge of mines in Calaveras county, where he resided until May, 1878, and on the 5th of the following July settled on his present estate, about one mile south of Windsor. His children are: Annie E., born December 15, 1864, in Virginia City; Maggie E., July 30. 1866, in Virginia City; Charles H., October 6, 1868, in N^irginia City; Eva HISTOEY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 621 G., September 10, 1870, in California ; Alexander E., September 22, 1872, in California; Mabel, December 24, 1875, in California; John W. M. November 28, 1878, in California. Kruse, James. A native of Europe, bom November 12, 1828. At the age of nineteen years he visited St. Petersburg, London, Italy and Belgium, whence he went to Philadelphia. Traveled all through the Southern States, and when in New Orleans was stricken down with the yellow plague, but under good treatment recovered after an illness of two months. He then took up his abode in New York City, and followed clerking for six months. In 18-50 he emigrated to Calif ornia, arriving in San Francisco November 23d. About two months later he went to Sacramento, where he was engaged in a storeship for about eighteen months. He then came to this county and settled in Russian River township, where he has since resided. He owns four hundred acres of land, two dwellings and one store in the town of Fulton. Married Miss Rabrckt August 31, 1857; she was born in Germany March 18, 1837. Their children are: John, Annie, Freddie, Charley, James, Henry and August. Have lost one child, Carrie. Laughlin, James H. Was born in Rutherford county, Tennessee, January 11, 1819. Here he received his education and lived on a farm until nineteen years of age, when he accompanied his parents to Van Buren county, Iowa. At this place Mr. Laughlin married, December 22, 1853, Frances E. Briggs, a native of Windsor county, Vermont. He followed farming in this locality until AprU, 1854, when, in company with his wife, mother, and a brother and sister, he crossed the plains to this State, bringing with them a drove of two hundred head of cattle. They arrived on Cache creek October 10, 1854. Here Mr. Laughlin engaged in farming untU the following September, when he came to Sonoma county and settled on his present place, at Mark West station. Here the subject of our sketch and his belongings camped, using the same gear as that which had 'been brought into requisition on the plains. Necessity compelled them thus to be housed, for lumber had yet to be cut out of the forests and transported to the spot. This was done in about three weeks, and soon a simple, clapboard house sprung into existence. To-day, on the old site, there stands a finer dwelling than is to be found in the county. Mr. Laughlin has large interests in Men- docino county, and is also a large stockholder in the Santa Rosa Bank, as well as being a director of that institution. His living children are: Sarah, born January 20, 1856; Annie A., born January 23, 1863; James H., bom July. 24, 1866; Frank W., bom November 15, 1869; Grant A., bom July 23, 1870; Clyde B., born December 1, 1871. Two children have died, Francis M. and Albert. Laughlin, Lee. Son of Nancy and Thomas LaughUn, was born in Louden county, Tennessee, January 28, 1833. HLs father having a large 622 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. family to support, four boys and six girls, young Lee left home early in 1854 and arrived in California on June 1st of the same year, having taken steamer by way of Cape Horn. He first proceeded to Nevada and engaged in mining, but not being satisfied with that section, he came to Russian river township in April, 1855. He was engaged in various enterprises until 1858, when in March of that year he purchased a farm, and was married on the 3d of May following to Mary A. Shinn. In 1862 he was seized with the Salmon river excitement, over the stories of whose fabulous wealth the whole country went wUd, and with a company of four or five hundred men he proceeded to that place, but met many disappointed men on their way back, who reported the diggings a failure. After traveling over a great part of Oregon, he returned to his family on Russian river. In 1865 he visited the home of his childhood in Old Tennessee, from which he returned the following year. In 1873 he bought the place known as the old Hewlett farm, where he has since resided. This farm comprises three hundred and seventy-five acres, and is one of the best on Russian river. Mr. Laughlia is a large producer of com and potatoes, having also an extra good orchard and fine vineyard, with a first-class press and apparatus for making wine. His family is composed of three girls — Josie, Ella, and Cynthia — and four boys — Albert, Robert, Burton, and Ernest. Lindsay, J. J. The subject of this memoir was born on the 25th day of December, 1828, in Ripley county, Indiana. When he was but a small boy, his father, with a family of nine, crossed the plains to Oregon, arriving there in the Fall of 1848, where they remained during the Winter, and in the Spring of 1849 came to Green valley, Sonoma county. Owing to the advanced age and ill health of Mr. Lindsay's father, they did not go to the mines, but located on a ranch in the valley, where Mr. Lindsay, Sr., died in the Summer of 1851. The subject of this sketch remained with his father's family, assisted in working the farm, and a portion of the time attended school, till the Spring of 1862, when he left home and proceeded to Nevada; worked at various kinds of mining, and finally piit up a quartz-mill, which for a time proved a success, but mining speculations eventually proved disastrous to him financially, and, after four years, he returned to this county, and commenced general merchandising in the town of Wiudsor in the Fall of 1866, where he still continues doing business. He was appointed Postmaster of the town in 1869, which position he still holds. He married, on the 5th day of May, 1869, Miss Esther A. Clark, a resident of Windsor. We now quote Mr. Lindsay's own words, in a letter to us, which says : " The most I have to feel proud of is my two children. The eldest, a boy, Walter C, was bom September 10, 1871 ; the other, a girl, Estella Blanch, bom July 31, 1874." No man who looks upon his family with such feeling of pride and honor can be other than a noble-hearted gentleman, respected by his fellow-citizens in all places and under all circumstances. HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. McCuUough, Michael. Farmer in Russian River township, was bom in County Tyrone, Ireland, September 27, 1826; came to America in 1839,; first settling in Philadelphia. In March, 1854, he came to California, and settled in Tuolumne county, where he resided till July 6, 1863 (in 1858 he visited British America, and spent five months among the Indians), when he moved to Mono county, on the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada moun- tains, and here he resided till April 9, 1878, when, in May of that year, he settled on his present fruit ranch of forty acres, where he has since resided. Married Mrs. Ellen Carsgra June 29, 1872. McCutchan, J. B. Was born in Augusta county, Virginia, May 19, 1810. When twenty-two years of age he moved with his parents to Rush county, Indiana, where he engaged in farming until 1845, when they moved to Van Buren county, Iowa, where he buried his father and mother, brother and sister. In April, 1863, he emigrated to California, crossing the plains with horse-teams. After spending about eleven months at Fairfield, Solano county, he came to this county, and settled upon one hundred and sixty acres of land, about one and one-half miles from Windsor. He married Miss Rachel H. McClure, January 12, 1832, a native of Virginia, who died September 8, 1871. William C, born December 29, 1833; Elizabeth V., June 19, 1836 ; Samuel H., July 26, 1838 ; Daniel, October 11,1840; Rebecca E., September 20, 1845, are the names and births of his children. Samuel H. died December 10, 1862. McCutchan, William C. A native of Rush county, Indiana, born December 29, 1833. In 1845 his parents and grand parents moved to Van Buren county, Iowa, where his parents lived seven years, when they took up their residence in Davis county. The subject of this sketch married Miss Mary J. Liggett in Livingston county, Missouri, December 11, 1859. She was born in Carroll county, Ohio, November 21, 1834. They came home and wintered under the parental roof. In the Spring of 1860 they lived by themselves on a piece of property near by, where they remained until the Spring of 1863, when, in company with his parents and others, they emi- grated, starting on the 21st of April with horse-teams, and arriving at Fair- field, Solano county, California, on the 21st of August, of the same year. They resided on a ranch near Fairfield until June, 1864, when they moved to this county and settled on a farm one and one-half miles south of Windsor, where they remained six years, when they settled on their present estate, one and one-fourth mUes west of Windsor. The following are the names and births of their children: George F., born December 22, 1860; James B., bom December 4, 1863; William H., born February 22, 1866, Sarah. J., born January 5, 1871, and died March 1, 1875. Matson, Captain Jacob. Native of Halsteren, bom November 27, 1811. When he arrived at the age of fifteen years, he was apprenticed for a 624 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. term of four years to the trade of ship carpenter, at the expiration of which time he became a sea faring man. In 1829 he emigrated to New York, arriving March 1, 1830. He then engaged in running a packet ship by the name of " David Clinton," from New York to New Orleans, for about six months, after which he followed steamboating on the Mississippi for some, time. In 1835 he sa;iled for Europe. After an absence of about five months he returned to New Orleans and worked at his trade for a year or so, when he built a schooner and made a trip to Central America, returning in about three months. In 1837 we find Mr. Matson in Galveston, Texas. In 1838 he built a sloop called " Thomas Jack," this being the first vessel ever con- structed in Texas, which he sailed for three years. He then built a second schooner, known as the " Native of Texas," which was used in the Quarter- master's Department during the Mexican war of 1846-7-8, carrying troops and provisions from New Orleans to the Rio Grande. This was the first vessel that ever sailed from the port of New Orleans under the Texas flag In 1857 he built the schooner " Union " at Texas. In 1861 he entered Pensacola just as the war broke out, and was there blockaded, and had the misfortune to have his vessel destroyed by fire on the 11th of March, 1862, by confederate troops. He then remained on shore until 1866, when he raised that portion of the vessel which escaped being burned (the hull), and rebuilt the craft. In 1868 he took a load of lumber to Havana, Cuba, and from that point proceeded to New York with a cargo of sugar, sold the same and emigrated to California via Panama, arriving in San Francisco August 20, 1868. Mr. Matson has been master of different vessels for thirty years. He settled in this countv September 9, 1868, upon his present estate comprising fifty acres of land. Here, beneath his own vine and fig-tree sheltered from the fierce storms and the lashing waves of the trackless deep, he has settled, to live in peace and quiet until summoned to guide the bark over smoother waters into a fairer land. Mr. Matson married Mrs. Mary M. Porter, August 12, 1861. She is a native of Mississippi, born December 20, 1824. Mitchell, R. T. Whose portrait appears in this work, was born in Sumner county, Tennessee, October 31, 1833. When ten years of age he with his parents moved to Todd county, Kentucky, where they remaiaed six years; thence to Washington county, Illinois, where he remained four years. In March, 1853, being twenty years of age, he crossed the plains with Mr. Wilson White, who brought a drove of cattle and ox-teams, arriving in this county in October of the above year, located permanently in the Fall of 1854 on his present estate, about one mile from Windsof. Married Miss Sarah J. Carter, October 1, 1854. She was bom in Sumner county, Tennessee, December 17, 1831. Their living children are : Emma C, Bertie and Wil- liam. They have lost two, Johnnie and Robert J. ^^^^ HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 625 Van Winkle, Thomas. A native of Perry county, Indiana; born April 4, 1817, where he resided until 1842, when he moved to Jefferson county, Iowa, residing here one year, he moved to Davis county and remained until 1854. In April of this year he emigrated to California, crossing the plains with an ox-team, being nearly six months on the road. He first set- tled in this township, near the town of Windsor, where he resided one year, when he moved to Santa Rosa township, residing two years, and thence to Petaluma township where he remained three years. In the Fall of 1860 he settled upon his present ranch, comprising three hundred and twenty acres of land. He now holds the ofiice of School Trustee. Married PoUie Ann Faught, June 18, 1848. She was born in Hendricks county, Indiana, Novem- ber 24, 1831. By this union they have nine living children: Amanda born April 4, 1849, died June 17, 1853; Mrs. Samantha Mead, born November 25, 1850; William P., born December 13, 1852; Mrs. Nancy Near, born February 26, 1855; Louisa, born February 7, 1857; Isaac Mil- ton, born February 22, 1859; Ida May, born June 10, 1861; Alice, born December 23, 1863; Olive, born May 24, 1866; James Thomas, born April 22, 1869, died February 23, 1878; Evelina, born March 11, 1875. SALT POINT. Gall, G. W. Whose portrait appears in this work, was born in 1829, in what is now Lake county, Ohio. After liviug in several of the Western Statas, he in 1851 left his home in Illinois and went to Missouri, from which StaLe he crossed the plains to California, in 1852. After remainiag one year in the mines he went to San Francisco, thence to Oregon and Northern Cali- fornia, and finally went into the lumber or rather the logging business at Humboldt bay. In 1855 he left Humboldt, and the next year, while at San Francisco, he became acquainted with Mr. Adams (generally knowm as Grizzly Adams), who was then exhibiting some grizzly bears on Clay street, ^nd they made an arrangement by which Call furnished Adams with money to start the museum and menagerie on the comer of Clay and Kearny streets. This institution soon became quite celebrated, and the receipts were large ; but the expenses were also heavy, and for over two years Mr. Call, being unable to withdraw from it, remained ostensibly the financial agent, but xeally the owner of that establishment. In 1858 he went to Puget Sound 40 626 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. and Vancouver Island, and in February, 1859, sailed from San Francisco for South America; and as his business called him to all the principal cities and towns of that country, he chartered a schooner and visited most of the ports- between Panama and Patagonia. He afterwards traveled for about two years, mostly in the interior of Peru, Bolivia, Chile, and the Argentine Republic. He also spent two years as a sub-contractor on one of the South American railroads. In 1865 he established a business in Valparaiso, Chile, which business he continued until 1872. During the same period he also took several contracts on the government works then in progress in Valpa- raiso, bought, improved and sold real estate, etc. Soon after settling in Valparaiso he married Miss Mercedes Leiva, of San Fernando, Chile. In 1872 he sold his property and business in Valparaiso and returned with his family to^California. He soon after bought some real estate on Hampton Place, San Francisco, where he lived for one year; and in 1873 he bought and moved on the place where he now lives, at Fort Ross, Sonoma county, California. Fisk, John Colt. This pioneer saw-mill man was born in Brookfield, Orange county, Vermont, September 13, 1825. His father's name was James and his mother's maiden name was Eliza Colt. Both were to the manor born. He received his education in the common schools and at the Brookfield Academy. At the age of eighteen he went into the business of contracting and building railroad bridges, on his own account. He continued at this till he was twenty-four years of age. On the 13th day of November, 1849, he left Boston on the clipper ship "Reindeer," bound for San Francisco. He arrived in April, 1850, and went direct to the mines, locating at James- town, Tuolumne county. He engaged in mining in different parts for about two years, and then went into Suisun valley in Solano county, and raised the first general crop of grain ever grown in that valley. He procured the seed from Captain Yount, in Napa valley. In November, 1852, he started for a visit to his old home, returning in April, 1853. Upon his return, he purchased a tract of land in the southern part of Vaca valley, Solano county. He remained here till the Fall of 1858, when he moved to Napa valley and erected a steam saw-mill. Here he remained two years. In 1860, he located on the coast of Sonoma county, at the point which still bears his name — Fisk's Mill. Here he leased a large tract of land from Mr. A. Duncan, and in the Winter of 1860, he constructed his mill. He conducted the mill business at this place till the Fall of 1864, when he disposed of it to F. Helmke. He remained in charge of the business, however, for the next three years. In the Spring of 1867, Mr. Fisk went to Fisherman's Bay and, associating his brother A. J. with him, under the firm name of Fisk Bros.„ engaged in the merchandise, shipping, hotel and blacksmith business. His brother died in 1874, since which time Mr. Fisk has conducted the business. In 1855, Mr. Fisk was appointed a member of the first Board of Super- visors of Solano county. He was appointed Postmaster at Fisherman's HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 627 Baj' in 1874, holding the office ever since. He is also agent for "Wells, Fargo & Co. John C. Fisk was married June 19, 1853, to Miss Sarah M. Hubbard, a native of Thetford, Vermont. Her father's name was Orange Hubbard, a native of the same town and State, and her mother's maiden name was Lorane Boardman. They have had eight children, six of whom, Walter W., Eugene F., George S., Charles B., A.ndrew J. and Frederick H. are now living. Haigh, Robert. Born in Washington county, Missouri, February 2.3, 1847. When he was but six years of age, his parents emigrated to Califor- nia by way of the plains, and on arrival settled on a farm in Santa Clara county, where they remained -until 1856, in which j^ear they removed to Sonoma county, and settled on a farm near Litton Springs, where his father and mother still reside. The subject of this sketch was educated at the Sotoyome Institute in Healdsburg. In 1871, in company with his brother George, he embarked in stock-raising, which business they have since followed. Their stock range comprises about three thousand acres, and is situated in the mountains, about twenty-five miles north-west from Healdsburg. Mr. Haio-h married, October 23, 1872, Elizabeth Rogers, a native of Jackson county, Missouri, by whom he has: Estella, born January 31, 1874; Robert C, born December 21, 1875 ; and Leonora, born April 3, 1878. Schroyer, Aaron. This gentleman was born in Bunker Hill, Bucks county, Pennsylvania, March 26, 1828. When he was two years of age his parents moved to Germantown, about six miles north of Philadelphia. Here they resided for the next six years. They then moved to the city of Phila- delphia. Young Schroyer received his education at the Germantown Acad- emy, from which institution he graduated at the age of seventeen. He then engaged in the grocery business, in which he continued during the next four years. July 3, 1849, he sailed from Philadelphia, on the ship " Europe," for California via Cape Horn, and arrived in San Francisco February 8, 1850. He at once engaged in the business of lightering, and continued in it for a few months. He then went to the mines in El Dorado county. He remained in the mines for two years. He then started a trading post four miles south of Mud Springs, El Dorado county, where he remained for about two years, when he went down into the valleys for the purpose of engaging in ranching. He located on the Cosumnes river, where he remained until 1856, at which time he went over into Marin county, locating on the Nicasia rancho in 1863, where he carried on the business of dairying until 1873. At that time he sold out and moved to his present location. His ranch lies just south of Fort Ross, and is very well adapted to the purposes of dairying. It contains two thousand and two hundred acres. He does an extensive business, milk- ing upwards of one hundred and fifty cows, and from December 1, 1878, to October 1, 1879, he made nineteen thousand five hundred and sixty pounds 628 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. of butter. While in Marin county he was Justice of the Peace for eleven consecutive years. January 22, 1864, he was married to Mary E. Fitzger- ald, daughter of James R. and Elizabeth Jane Routledge. She is a native of Boston, and was born August 25, 1836. They have had one daughter, now living, Anna Elizabeth. SANTA ROSA. Acton William. Was bom in Manchester, England, February 26, 1848. Started with his father's family for California, in May, 18.53, leaving Liver- pool on the 15th of that month, and after a stormy voyage around Cape Horn, arrived in San Francisco October 15th of the same year. In May 1854, his father came to Petaluma, and shortly afterwards went into busi- ness there; subsequently he removed to New Windsor, and in 1856, opened the first store in Ukiah valley, which was then included in Sonoma county, near the present site of the city of Ukiah. In 1859, the family returned to Petaluma. January 4, 1865, Wm. Acton enlisted in Company D, Eighth Infantry, California Volunteers, and on the 28th of October of the same year, was honorably discharged. He then returned to Petaluma, and served an apprenticeship at carriage making, and was the first apprentice that served his full-time at any trade in Sonoma county. He afterward taught school iu various districts in this and adjoining counties until November 20, 1877, when he became connected with the Sonoma Democrat, as local editor, which position he still retains. Aikin, Matt. The present Treasurer of Sonoma county; was born in Ireland in the year 1831, and emigrated to America in 1848. His first settlement was in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, where he resided until January, 1852, in the month of February of which year he sailed in the steamer " Daniel Webster " for the Golden State, arriving in San Francisco on the 28th of March of that year. Mr. Aikin did not allow the grass to grow under his feet, if such a thing were possible in San Francisco, but at once started for the mines in El Dorado county and entered upon the labor of prospecting for the precious metal until July, when he moved his camp to Calaveras county, and there remained until 1866, at which time he came to Sonoma county and located at Bodega. Here Mr. Aikin started a mercan- tile business, which he prosecuted until November, 1877, when he was HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 629 appointed by the Supervisors of Sonoma county to his present honorable and onerous duties, in the place of T. N. Willis, who had resigned. In September, 1877, Mr. Aikin was confirmed in the office by the suffrages of the people, and took his seat in March of the following year; was re-elected in September, 1879, for another term. He is unmarried. Austin, James. The subject of this sketch, whose portrait appears in this work, was born in the province of Quebec, Canada, December 2, 1824. After attending the common schools, he was sent, at the age of nineteen, to the Derby Centre Academy, in the State of Vermont. His studious habits and manly conduct won the esteem and approbation of his teachers and fellow students, and at the expiration of the second term he accepted an opportunity to teach. After teaching one term, he was enabled to enter ShefFord Academy ia Canada. Here he studied diligently for two terms, and in the Fall entered the St. Hyacinth College. The following Winter he taught again, but resumed his studies in the college at the end of one term. His next step was to teach the English branches at Beloeil College, where he studied the French language. In 1848 he returned to his father's home, and on May 22, 1849, married Miss Anna, daughter of Osgood Peasley. This lady was born in the Province of Quebec January 6, 1828. Mr. Austin was elected Mayor of the township of Bolton in 18-58, which office he held until his removal to the United States in 1868. During the latter terms of his office he was appointed Warden of the Board of Mayors. It will be well here to explain that the office of township mayors in Canada is similar to the Board of Supervisors in our counties, and the Warden is the Chairman or President of the Board. The office of Mayor clothed him with the dignity and power of a magistrate; but as he was regularly appointed to the office by the Crown, he became, therefore, one of the " Crown's Magistrates." For ten years he was one of the Board of Directors of the Stanstead, Sheffijrd, and Chambly Eailroad, holding the position as an ex-offi,cio officer. He was twice nominated by the Liberal party for the Provincial Parliament of Canada, and at the first election received an almost unanimous vote in his own township. The entire number of votes in the township was a little less than eight hundred, and all but thirty were cast in favor of Mr. Austin, and he was beaten in the county by only eighty votes. As before stated, he emigrated to the United States in 1868 and settled in American caiion, Green Valley township, Solano county, California. Here he remained three years, when he removed to Santa Rosa. His present residence is a fine ranch of one thousand, four hundred and eighty acres in the outskirts of the town of Santa Rosa, and is one of the most delightful homes in that vicinity. We here give the names and births of Mr. Austin's children: Howard J., born September 3, 18.52; Herbert W., born August 2, 1854; Malcolm O., bom July 25, 186.3; Sewell S., born May 21, 1865, and Ashton E., born June 29, 1874. Three children have died: Lyman P., born October 22, 630 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOENIA. 1850, and died July 10, 1876; Osgood E., born March 25, 1856, and died January 14, 1861; Florence Anna, born June 7, 1860, and died January 24, 1861. Sallou, Isaac A. Bom in Adams county, Massachusetts, April 13, 1806. When' four years of age he moved with his parents to Herkimer county. New York, where he resided until 1818, when he went to Saratoga county. New York. April 23, 1826, he married Miss Hannah Allen. She was born February 2, 1807, in the above county. In the Fall of 1832 he moved with his family to Summit county, Ohio, residing in that and Cuya- hoga county until 1853, when he took up his residence in Du Page county, Illinois, living there untU 1874, when he came to California. Mr. Ballou was one of a party who visited this State in 1852, but remained only thirteen months, when he returned to Illinois. The children born to them are Vol- ney J., born May 20, 1827; Sylvester A., born October 19, 1828; Amelia W., born August 20, 1830; William N.,born May 29, 1832; Orlantio, born Decem- ber 19, 1833; Hosea, born December 5, 1835; Daniel W., born February 26, 1837; Malina, born December 17, 1838; Morgan, born January 2, 1844; Henri- ietta, born January 3, 1846; Malvina M., born May 29, 1847; Zella, born December 3, 1850. Have lost five — ^Volney J., William N., Malina, Hosea and an infant daughter. Mr. Ballou had four sons in the late rebellion, three of whom served in the field until the close of the war, and were honorably dis- charged. The other one served in the Quartermaster's Department, and was also honorably discharged from duty. Sylvester A. ranked as Major and A. C. S., Daniel W. as Captain of the Tenth Missouri Cavalry, and Volney and Morgan as privates. Company B, Thirty-third Illinois Infantry. The subject of this sketch, with his wife Hannah, are residents of Santa Rosa. This aged couple have been married over fifty-three years, and are honored and respected by their associates. Ballou, Volney James (deceased). The subject of this sketch, whose portrait appears in this work, was born in Saratoga county, New York, May 20, 1827. Here he attended the common schools. In 1839 his parents emigrated to Cuyahoga county, Ohio, where Volney finished his education, after which he sailed around the world, and was absent from port thirty- three months, on a whaling voyage. During the California gold excitement in 1849, he returned to Ohio, and being possessed of more than an ordinary adventurous spirit, and enured to the hardships incident to a roving life, he at once emigrated to this State and commenced mining in El Dorado county, continuing in this pursuit until the Fall of 1853, at which time he settled in Santa Rosa valley, on the farm where he died. In 1864, he returned to the East, enlisting iu the Subsistence Department, and was detailed as clerk in the commissary depot at Johnsonville, Tennessee, serving in this capacity for nuie months, when he was honorably discharged, returning to Du Page county, Illinois. On March 29, 1867, he mar- HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 631 ried at Naperville, in that county, Mrs. Michael Leonard, whose maiden name was Kosia A. Mayer. She was born in Northampton county, Pennsylvania, November 2, 1839. Immediately after their marriage, they returned to this State. During his long residence in this county — from 1853 to the time of his death on June 4, 1877 — it can be truthfully «aid of Mr. Ballon that he was an honorable, upright gentleman. Starting out in life as he did, for himself when quite young, he has achieved all his successes single-handed, and in the presence of obstacles which only the most indomitable energy and courage could have surmounted, has given him an honorable position among his fellow men. Barnes, William Perry, Farmer ; was bom in Monroe county, Mis- souri, March 8, 1847, where he resided till 18.50, when his parents crossed the plains to California, first settling in Yuba county, where he resided till 1857, when he came to Sonoma county and settled in Analy Township, where he resided till 1868, when he moved to his present farm, consisting of one hun- dred and sixty-five acres, upon which are good improvements. Mr. Barnes married, April 22, 1866, Elizabeth A. Raden, she being born in Van Buren county, Iowa, October 9, 1847. By this union they have five children : Elizabeth Caroline, born February 13, 1868 ; Lydia Ann, born January 17, 1871 ; Mary Jane, born November 28, 1872 ; Cora Belle, born August 12, 1875, and William Aaron, born November 17, 1877. Baum, John. Farmer, was born in Richland county, Ohio, August 12, 1823, where he remained till 1835, when he removed with his parents to Porter county, Indiana. Here he remained till the spring of 1847, when, with an ox-team he started across the plains to Oregon, being two hundred and twenty -two days making the journey. The stories told by Mr. Baum ■of his hardships on this journey are very interesting, but for want of space will have to be omitted. His first settlement in Oregon was at Salem, where he remained till September 1848, when he came to California in search of gold. He first began mining on the middle fork of the American river, where he continued two months during the Winter of 1848. Then in November, 1848, he went to Napa City, where he worked at his trade (that -of carpenter). Then, in the Spring and Summer of 1849, he went to Yolo •county, where he remained herding stock, and in the Spring of 1850 went into the mines again in Shasta county, where he remained a month, and then went back to Oregon; here he worked at his trade during the Summer of 1850. Mr. Baum married Miss Phoebe S. Tieters, July 20, 1851, who died on July 27, 1873. By this marriage he has Veronica M., born Auo-ust 24, 1854 ; Sarah J., born June 17, 1856 ; James^T., born May 15, 1858 ; Aryilla. born May 2, 1860 ; Addie, born November 13, 1863 ; Eva L., born December 29, 1866; John N, born February 16, 1869; Edgar C, born Janu- ary 1, 1871, and one daughter, Clara L, born July 11, 1862, and died in 1863. 632 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. Bloomington, Louis J. Was bom in Prussia, Germany, on April 9, 1844. Here he resided till 1858, then emigrated to the United States, settling- in New York City, and there worked at his trade, that of a tailor, until 1862, when he established a crockery trade in that city, which he carried on till 1864, when he opened a merchant tailoring establishment, remaining in this business till 1871. During this year he moved to Chicago, Illinois, where he resided till 1876, and was engaged in mercantile pursuits, then emigrated to this State, settling in San Francisco, and on April 11, 1878, came to Santa Rosa, and immediately opened his clothing and merchant tailoring establish- ment, where by close attention to business and good workmanship he has in- creased his business till it is second to none in the county. Mr Bloomington married on June 16, 1864, Miss Henrietta Aaron, who was born in Prussia, Germany, on January 9, 1844. Their children are Sarah, Lilly, Lizzie, Jose- phine, Millie, Addy, Morris, Henry and Hayme. Brown, Major John, Of Santa Rosa, was born in Tennessee in the year 1827, and remained there until the beginning of the year 1846. He then went into the Mexican war with the Tennessee troops, and remained there until after the Treaty of peace was made and ratified. He was in the battle of Monterey under General Z. Taylor, and from there he went to Tampico in the command of Generals Pattens and Pillow, where General Winfield Scott took command, General Taylor having gone to Buena Vista. From Tampico he, in General Scott's command, embarked for Vera Cruz, and was among the veiy first troop? who went ashore on the sand beach about four miles east of the city of Vera Cruz, under the cover of the United States gun boats " Ohio " and others, and was in the siege of Vera Cruz six- teen days, and saw the city and land fortresses bombarded from land ty Gen- eral Scott's command for sixteen days and nights, when the city surrendered to the land forces and the impregnable Fort San Wande Aloa struck her colors to the United States gun-boats. During the siege he became acquainted with a great many young officers, he being a Lieutenant him- self, among others Lieutenant U. S. Grant, Lieutenant George B. McClellan> and last but not least, Lieutenant Beauregard and Captain Robert E. Lee, all of whom have since filled the highest official positions in the army, and some of them civil departments in our government. From Vera Cruz he went in General Scott's command to the city of Mexico, and engaged in all the battles and skirmishes on the line of march, the chief battle being Cerro Gordo, where he saw many of his comrades fall never to rise on earth again. We would here say that the last year of the war he was Acting Quarter- master and Commissary, and after the treaty of peace was signed and ratified he left the city of Mexico among the very last of the American troops, in charge of the Quartermaster and Commissary Department of the division to which he was attached, and when he reached Vera Cruz; on his return out of Mexico, he received two hundred and fifty thousand dollars HISTOEY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOENIA. 633 in silver coin, which he took across the Gulf of Mexico and there tried to turn it over to General Jessup, the Commissary General of the United States, then at New Orleans, but the General told him to take the money to Memphis, Tennessee, where the western troops would be paid off. So he took it to Memphis and turned it over to Major Reynolds, United States Paymaster. This was in the Fall of 1848. He then returned home to East Tennessee, and remained a few days, and then went to "Washington, D. C, and settled his business as Commissary and Quartermaster. In the early Spring of 1849 he crossed the plains and the Rocky Mountains to California, and located at Ringgold, El Dorado county, near Weavertown and creek of same name, and about two miles east of Placerville, and engaged in merchandis- ing with a man by the name of Houcks, from New York State. There he paid seven hundred dollars per thousand feet for lumber sawed by hand, and built a two story frame house adjoining the log store house, for a hotel, it being the first house built of sawed lumber in the mines. This was all done in 1849. Then flour was selling for a dollar per pound; sugar, coffee, rice, potatoes, and everthing to eat for one dollar per pound. He was making money very fast. In 1850 the "Indian War" broke out all over Califor- nia, and he was commissioned by John McDougal, then Governor of Califor- nia, as Commissary foi' the northern division of California, and went into the Indian wars of 1850 and 1851, arid he says after the two years were over, and the smoke of battle was wafted away by mountain breezes, so one could look over the ground, it was summed up that the Indians had killed in his division of California about four white men, and the army of white men had killed a few old squaws and papooses, and California was thereby involved in a debt of millions of dollars, every cent of which was paid with interest by the people of California. He was a whig then, and in 1850 was nomi- nated by a few whigs for the office of County Clerk of El Dorado county, and made the race and was beaten three votes by Major McKinney, the Democratic candidate from Georgetown. His name was on the ticket with the name of Milton S. Latham of Sacramento, the Democratic candidate for District Attorney, El Dorado county being then in the same district with Sacramento, and every Democrat being elected, he was beaten three votes and his friend Latham was elected. He says that the people who came to California in 1849 and 1850 were generally honest: they all came for the same purpose — that was to dig a fortune out of the mines and go back home. The people who came then could not think that California was the agricul- tural country that it has been proven to be. They did not want laws here, and would not have taken them as a gift at that time. He knew the most of those who came here when he did, and voted for delegates to a constitu- tional convention to frame a constitution for California, and then voted for the adoption of the old constitution, and then he voted for the adoption of the new constitution; he also voted for the amendment to the constitution 634 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. and against repudiation. After he left El Dorado county, in 1852, he went to Sacramento and -went into the hotel business, and was Sergeant of the police force, and feeding the prisoners on the prison brig. The fire of 1854 burnt his hotel and contents, and in the Winter of 1855 he came to Sonoma county, and in March 1856 he came to Santa Rosa, and has not been away since. He has held some public office ever since he has been in Sonoma county. Was Deputy County Clerk and Recorder from the sixth day of March 1856, for two years, and was Notary Public for eight years thereafter, and has been elected and held the office of Justice of the Peace for sixteen years last past, and now holds it. He is by profession a lawyer, and been in practice in Santa Rosa over twenty-one years. Was married to a daughter of General Murray Whallon of Sonoma, in 1866, and has four children; is the President of the Society of the Mexican War Veterans, of this district and has been for three years; he is a member of the Pioneer Association of California; has been in California over thirty years, and in Santa Rosa twenty-four years ; has not been off the Pacific coast since he came to it, but has been down the coast to Central and South America, to see the countries; was gone about five months. He has been all over California, in most of the Eastern States, all over Mexico, through Central America and a large portion of South America, and thinks, after all, that Sonoma county, considering the climate, scenery, water, soil and sure crops every year, is the garden spot of all the countries and localities he has seen, and the " city of roses " (Santa Rosa) is the very center of the garden. Campbell, John Tyler, Lawyer, Santa Rosa, California. John Tyler Campbell was born in Bowling Green, Pike county, Missouri, soon after the exciting presidential contest which resulted in the election of William Henry Harrison as President, and John Tyler as Vice-President of the United States. Harrison died in one month after his inauguration and Tyler became President. In those days President Tyler was called the " lucky man," and it was the subject of remark that nothing could successfully stand in his way. From his youth up fortune had smiled upon his every undertaking. In those days slavery existed at the birth-place of the infant Campbell, and while a baby he was placed in charge of . an old colored woman, who drank in the superstitious idea of the "luck" of the President of the United States, and at her earnest solicitation the boy was christened John Tyler, in the confident expectation that the same good fortune of the lucky president would fall to the lot of his namesake. The grand-father of the subject of this sketch was the first settler in Pike county, having removed from Tennes- see to near the present town of Bowling Green, in 1817, and, like Jacob of old, he was the father of twelve sons. About the year 1827 one of those sons, James W., married Sophia A. Henry, the youngest daughter of Colonel Malcolm Henry, an officer in the Revolutionary war, and a cousin of the famous Patrick Henry. John Tyler was the seventh child of this union. HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOENIA. 635 As soon as he arrived at suitable age he was furnished with Webster's old " Elementary Spelling-book," and sent to the district school, taught by an old Presbyterian preacher — the maximum length of the term being three months. He attended this school each Winter, and progressed about as others of the same age. This partial education developed a taste for liter- ature ; unfortunately the source of supply was small. He read the " Scottish Chiefs," the " Life of General Francis Marion," " Pilgrim's Progress," " Ten Nights in a Bar Room," and many works of fiction, besides reading the county newspapers. In 1857 he attended McGee College one year, but being stricken down with a severe spell of sickness, he did not return at the next session. He again returned in 1859-60. He was a member of the ■literary societies, and participated in the debates with others of the college. The Presidential election of 1860 left the political sky as black as night. The excitement kept up at fever heat. The booming of cannon was heard at Fort Sumter, and war between the States was inevitable — it had begun. The shrill clarion of the warrior's trumpet was heard, and the patriotic songs of both sides filled the souls of the young men with ecstasy and delight. Young Campbell, yet in his " teens,'' fell into line on the Union side, wear- ing the chevrons of a sergeant in a company of cavalry in Colonel Smart's Third Cavalry Regiment of Missouri Troops. Frank Blair had been com- missioned to recruit a Brigade of Infantry, and Campbell was ordered to Troy, to recruit men for the Thirty-second Missouri Infantry of Blair's Brigade. Having recruited a squad of men, he took them to St. Louis; where he was mustered in as Second Lieutenant, having been previously discharged from the cavalry company by special order of Major-General Halleck, at the request of General Blair. Company B, of the Thirty -second Infantry was officered as follows: Jesse E. Hardin, Captain; Joseph O. Butler, First Lieutenant, and John Tyler Campbell, Second Lieutenant. Lieutenant Campbell was the youngest commissioned officer in the regiment, and indeed in the corps. Lieutenant Butler died, and Captain Hardin resigned, soon after the Company was mustered in, and Lieutenant Campbell was promoted to First Lieutenant and then Captain, and remained at the head of his company until finally mustered out at the beginning of the year 1865. He was tendered the appointment as Cadet to the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1863, but being in active service as captain, commanding a company, he declined. He served in the war with the Army of the Tennessee, and participated in all the great battles of that command, including Vicksburg, Chattanooga, Lookout Mountain, and the Georgia campaign. The war over, he returned home, studied law, and was admitted to the bar, and elected Corporation Attorney of Louisiana City. Was nominated Circuit Attorney for the First Judicial Circuit of Missouri in 1868, by the Democrats, but was defeated with the ticket by reason of the "test oath" and an unfair registration of voters. In 1869 he was 636 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. elected captain of a militia company. In 1871, having removed to Kansas City, he was elected City Attorney by a large majority. His health failing he removed to California, settling in Santa Rosa, where he has since resided. In 1875, Hon. John G. Pressley, then City Attorney, having been elected Co inty Judge, resigned as City Attorney, and Campbell was appoiated to fill the vacancy. He was elected for the full term, without opposition, and at the end of his term declined a re-election. In June, 1879, he was nom- inated by the New Constitution party as a candidate for the Assembly, ffe has been an occasional contributor to newspapers, and has written stories for magazines, etc. In 1868 he was married to MoUie Reed. They have two children, a girl and boy, aged nine and seven years respectively. Chapman, La Fayette. Was bom in Exeter, Rockingham county, New Hampshire, June 10, 1826, where he was educated. Here he served his ap- prenticeship to the trade of a cabinet-maker, and in 1847 commenced a fur- niture manufactory in his native city under the style of D. B. & L. Chapman, which he continued to manage until March 4, 1849, at which date he sailed from Boston in the ship "Charlotte", via Cape Horn, and, after touching at Rio de Janiero and Valparaiso, arrived at San Francisco on September 15 th of that year. Having brought with him an open boat, on arrival, Chapman, with two others, set sail iu their little craft for the Sacramento river. On arriving at the end of their voyage, they purchased an ox-team at Sacra- mento City, and conveyed their baggage to Hangtown, now Placerville, and made their first essay in mining which was prosecuted for one year. In the fall of the year 1850 Mr Chapman opened a general store in Weaverville, Trinity county, doing a trade there until the autumn of the followiug year, when he returned to San Francisco, and eventually made his home there and in Alameda county. On July 1, 1853, we find the subject of our sketch in Petaluma. Here he commenced farming about two miles from the then ris- ing town, but only harvested one crop, and then moved into the corporation limits and opened the first furniture store in Sonoma county. This business he continued until 1857; his store having been destroyed by the falling of a building during the previous year. In 1857 he once more undertook the con- trol of a farm, an occupation he followed for ten years, when he again went into the furniture trade in Petaluma, continuing there until 1871, in which year his establishment was destroyed by fire. In 1872 he moved to his present home, six miles from Santa Rosa, on Mark West creek, where he owns one thousand and eighty acres of valuable grazing and farmino- land. Mr Chapman married at Petaluma, November 26, 1854, Fannie Carpenter, a native of England, and have four children, George, Lizzie, Abbie and Frank. Clark, David. A native of Ross county, Ohio, born January 30, 1814, where he resided until 1837, when he moved to Fulton county, Illinois. In HISTORY OK SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 637 1840 he emigrated to Menard county, same State, and remained until 1863, when he came to California and settled in this county, where he has con- tinuously resided. Has lived in Santa Eosa since 1872. Married Martha Ann Berry December 12, 1837. She was born in Winchester, Tennessee, July 11, 1819. The following are the names and births of their children: Elizabeth Ann, born October 26, 1838; Mary Ellen, born October 12, 1840; Margaret M., born February 19, 1843; Thomas E., born October 26, 1845; Sarah Jane, born November 6, 1847, died July 27, 18.58; N. Arminda, born February 1, 18.50; Samuel Berry, born January 8, 1852; Emma F, born August 24, 1854; David Curtis, bom January 23, 1857; John Edwin, born October 26, 1864, died December 4, 1875. Clark, D. Curtis. The subject of this sketch, a teacher in the public school of Healdsburg, Mendocino township, was born in Menard county, IlHnois, on January 23, 1857. In the year 1863 he accompanied his parents to California, and settled on a farm near Santa Rosa. Mr. Clark was educated at the Pacific Methodist College at Santa Rosa, from which he graduated on May 18, 1876, when he commenced teaching in the country districts, pursuing this calling until July 29, 1878, at which time he was chosen to fill his present position. He married, on September 20, 1877, at Santa Rosa, Miss AUie Crump, a native of the State of Arkansas. Clark, Samuel B. Born in Menard county, Illinois, January 8, 1852, where he resided until 1863, when he came with his parents to California and settled in this county. Since arriving at manhood, he has had the entire control of his father's farm, which consists of three hundred acres. Mr. Clark is unmarried. Cralle, L. J. The subject of this sketch, whose portrait appears in this work, was born in Campbell county, Virginia, September 12, 1818. In 1836, he moved to Union county, Kentucky; thence in 1849, to California, crossing the plains with an ox-team as far as Salt Lake City, then with pack- animals over the mountains, arriving at Lawson's Ranch, September 6th, of that year. Not unlike others who came to this coast at that time, he com- menced operations as a miner on the White Rock claim, in Butte county, prosecuting this business three years; then went to Oakland, where he engaged in farming five more years, then settled at King's River, Fresno county. In 1860 he again commenced mining at Mono and White Mountain, till 1864, when he settled near Petaluma, in this county, but in 1869 took a residence in Santa Clara county; thence in 1872 to his present home in Santa Rosa township, where he owns three hundred and twenty acres of land. At an altitude of several thousand feet above the sea, among the mountains, is the home of Mr. Cralle. It is one of the most lovely and picturesque places in the county. As we stood on one of the more prominent peaks a little beyond his house, what a grand panorama opened out to our view ! Mountain 638 HISTOEY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOENIA. after mountain rose in every direction, while the intervening valleys vrere covered over with trees and underwood of varied kinds and shades, and down which glide the creeks and rivulets, ripple after ripple, dancing in sun- light like ribbons of silver, as they hurry on to the mighty ocean. Then add the further fact that in the valleys, on the hills and over the mountains, six hundred and fifty Angora goats — the property of Mr. Cralle — are scattered here, there, and everywhere, giving the landscape an appearance of snow-balls among the evergreens, and the reader has the outlines of a picture which their imaginations must fill. We feel assured we will be pardoned by the reader for digressing from the events of Mr. Cralle's life to give a slight description of his home among the mountains, when we say no scenery, in Sonoma county, has impressed us so favorably as this. But to resume. Mr. Cralle married Mrs. Nancy J. Middleton, iiee Farley, October 27, 1863. She was born in Warren county, Pennsylvania, February 18, 1833. She has one daughter, Lillie Middleton, by a former marriage, who was born February 12, 1857. Crane, Robert. Was born in Mercer county, Kentucky, December 8, 1822. When but a child his parents moved into Washington county, and here Robert received his education, residing on a farm until about seventeen years of age, when he with his parents removed into Marion county, Missouri, remaining there for about nine years. He then emigrated to California, crossing the plains with ox-teams in company with about thirty others. After a six months' trip he arrived at Cold Springs, El Dorado county, October 13, 1849. He remained in this county about two years and a half, being engaged in mining and merchandising. On July 31st he came to Sonoma county and settled on his present place, consisting of four hundred and eighty-six acres, located in Santa Rosa township, about seven miles from Santa Rosa, where he has since resided, being engaged in farming and stock raising. In 1856 and 1858 he served as Constable of Vallejo township, and from 1858 to 1860 as a Justice of the Peace. He is now a Supervisor of Sonoma county. Mr. Crane married, November 3, 1853, Miss Susan C. Davidson, a native of Kentucky. By this union they have ten living children: Mary J., born August 19, 1854; George S., born February 16, 1856; Charles B., born September 30, 1857; Martha K., born May 1, 1859; James A., born November 5, 1860, Hettie F., born May 8, 1862; Thomas J., born May 26, 1864; Robert L., born April 21, 1866; Stella H., born January 16, 1871; Wade H., born March 18, 1875. They have lost two children, Archie R. and Smith H. Mr. Crane is a man worthy of the high confidence placed in him by his fellow citizens. He has risen from the ranks, but is one of nature's truest noblemen. Mr. Crane's portrait appears in this work. Curry, J. L. Retail dealer in cigars and tobacco. No. 187 Fourth street, Santa Rosa. Born in Hancock county, Indiana, January 26, 1850, where HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 639 he resided with his parents until 1869, when he came to California and settled in Green valley, Analy township, and followed farming until the Spring of 1876, when he took up his residence in Santa Rosa and engaged in keeping a variety store, which he continued for a period of six months, when he disposed of his business, and in the Fall of that year returned to his birthplace in Indiana and spent the Winter of 1876-7, returning to Santa Rosa in the Spring. In January, 1878, he entered into his present business. Dimmick, Rev. F. M. The subject of this sketch, the Rev. Francis Marion Dimmick, is a descendant of the old Puritan stock of the " Pil- grim Fathers," whose ancestors came from England somewhere between 1620 and 1630, and settled in the immediate vicinity of Plymouth Rock, at Barnstable and Scituate. His father's name was Martial Dimmick, who came with his father, Edward Dimmick, from Windham, Connecticut, to Susquehanna county, Pennsjdvania, in 1808, when that county was an almost unbroken wilderness ; and his mother's father, Ransford Smith, came also from Connecticut two years later. His father and mother, Martial Dimmick and O'Shea Smith, were the eldest children of these two families, and were married in 1812. Of the children who lived to an adult age, he was the fourth son, and was born in Uniondale, Susquehanna county, Penn- sylvania, January 23, 1827, and his earlier life was spent on his father's farm, which lay on both sides of the east branch of the Lackawanna. In 1842 he first went from home to Harford Academy, where he remained nearly.a year. In February, 1844, he went up to Hampton, Oneida county. New York, and attended the Delancy Institute about five months. In Sep- tember of that year he commenced teaching a public school at New Troy, in Wyoming valley, where he remained seven months, and then went to the Wyoming Seminary, at Kingston, under the care of Rev. Reuben Nelson, D. D., who held that position twenty-eight years, until elected Superinten- dent of the Methodist Book Concern in New York in 1872 ; he died Febru- ary 20, 1879. Mr. Dimmick subsequently taught a Winter at Providence, near Scranton (1845-46), also a Winter at his old home in Uniondale (1846 and 1847), and then a year and a half at Oxford Meeting House, near Bel- videre, in New Jersey, and began a term at New Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1849, after having spent a Summer at Harford Academy. After having taught one month he was prostrated by a very malignant attack of typhoid fever, from which he barely recovered. He was not able to return home till the Spring of 1850. In the Autumn of that year he began in earnest to carry out the felt necessity of his life, and the early plan and desire of his heart, i. e., to prepare himself for the Gospel Ministry, and consequently went to Marietta College, in Ohio, by the way of Buffalo, Sandusky and Cincinnati. He graduated with honor, having supported himself by his own efforts, July 27, 1854 ; and thereafter taught two years in Marietta and one 640 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. year in XJrbana, Ohio, having charge at each place of the Public High School. He delivered the Master's oration at the commencement at Marietta, July 2, 1857, and received the degree of A. M. In the Autumn of 1857 he went to the Lane Theological Seminary, at Cincinnati, where he remained three years. In 1857 he had published his work called Ann Clayton, or the Inquirer After Truth, which is now published by the Presbyterian Board of Publication, in Philadelphia. He was licensed to preach April 6, 1859, graduated at the Seminary, May 10, 1860, and spent the Summer at his old home in Pennsylvania, and returning, was ordained to the Gospel Ministry, November 7, 18G0, by the Cincinnati Presbytery. Immediately after his ordination at Cincinnati, he started for Omaha, Nebraska Territory, then only a village of about fifteen hundred people. He there organized the Pres- byterian Church, and labored with it twelve years. He delivered the funeral oration on the death of Abraham Lincoln, at the Nebraska Capitol, before an immense audience, and yielded to the unanimous desire to have it pub- lished. In 1868 he was one of the party under the auspices of the Young Men's Christian Association of the United States who went out over the Union Pacific Railroad as far as the road was completed. After, he had been at Omaha three years, he returned to Cincinnati and was married, Septem- ber 15, 1863, to Miss Kate G. Wright, the only daughter of Sylvanus Wright and Fanny P. Goodman Wright. Mr. and Mrs. Wright followed their daughter to Omaha in 1866, and to Santa Rosa in 1874, where they still reside. Mr. Dimmick's health having failed in Omaha, he sought a milder climate, and after having spent the Summer in California, he came to Santa Rosa the last Sabbath of 1872, and accepted a call to become the acting pastor of the Presbyterian Church there, and was installed Pastor June 11, 1876, which position he still retains. Downs, Vernon. Farmer and stock-raiser. Born in Hancock county, Maine, May 3, 1829, where he resided until 1846, when he went to Talla- hassee, Florida, where he resided until March, 1850, when he emigrated to California, via Panama, and after about two months travel landed in San Francisco. He immediately proceeded to Placer county and engaged in mining, which he followed for three years when he came to Santa Rosa, and was one of the parties who built the Santa Rosa Flouring Mills. In 1863 he went to Idaho and followed mining for four years; the remainder of the time, excepting one year spent in Mendocino county, he has made this county his home. Married, in 1858, Miss Elizabeth Rawles, who died in 1859. Married his present wife, Miss Martha Jane, daughter of Judge William Churchman, October 29, 1867, she being bom in Washington county, Iowa, December 1, 1845. Lillian, born August 14, 1868; Vernon, born November 3, 1870; Carrie, born December 3, 1873; George Hancock, born March 26, 1876, and an infant son, Henry Augustine, born May 19, 1879, are the names of their children. HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 641 Farmer, C. C. Was born La Meigs county, Tennessee, on March 4, 1837. When quite young his parents moved to Cass county, Missouri, -where the subject of this sketch received his education. On May 15, 1857, the family started for California; crossed the plains with ox -teams, bringing with them a drove of cattle. After a journey of four months they arrived in this township, and settled on a farm bordering the banks of Santa Rosa creek, south-east from the city of that name. The first business enterprise of Mr. Farmer in California was that of raising stock in this and Mendocino counties, commencing in 1857. He abandoned this pursuit in 1860, and began clerking in a dry-goods store for his brother, E. T. Farmer, where ha laid the foundation of his business education, which has ripened with experi- ence and is crowned with success. During the year 1863, and till the Fall of 1864, he was engaged in mining and prospecting for mines in Nevada, but returned to Santa Rosa, joining partnership with E. T. Farmer in the mercantile trade, which was continued until 1871, when his brother's interest was bought by F. B. Tyle. The busine-ss was conducted by them one year and six months, when the co-partnership became Farmer, Tyle & Crane. In 1874 these latter disposed of their share to Riley and Hardin. Since 1878 the firm has been Riley & Farmer. For fifteen consecutive years has Mr. Farmer been one of Santa Rosa's business men. That these years have been Teplete with the toil and struggle incident to a business career there is not a doubt, but that all transactions with his fellow-men have been honorable cannot be better illustrated than by the fact of the position which he now holds among his compeers. He married, on May 15, 1871, Miss Mary F., daughter of D. C. Young, of Sonoma county. Mary F., Carrie Josephine, .and Eugene C, are the names of their children. Farmer, E. T. In such a work as this is, it is a pleasure to perpetuate, though even in a disconnected way, the doings of such a man as he whose name appears at the head of this sketch, and whose portrait will be found vp. another portion of this work. He was born in Knox county, Tennessee, August 1, 1832. When but five years old he was moved by his parents to €ass county, Missouri, where they resided until the Spring of 1857, at which time they started for California, with ox-teams by way of the plains, the tedious journey occupying six months. They came direct to Santa Rosa township, Sonoma county, and have since resided within its boundaries. In 1859 Mr. Farmer purchased mto the busiuess conducted by Doctor John Hendley, when the firm became Hendley & Farmer; the partnership was eventually carried on by Mr. Farmer alone until the year 1873. In 1865 he was elected County Treasurer for a term of four years, an ofiice he filled with marked ability. In 1867, he was appointed the first Treasurer of the newly incorporated town of Santa Rosa. In 1870, he extended many facilities to the removal of the Pacific Methodist College to Santa Rosa. On August 11, 41 642 HISTOEY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 1870, he took a prominent part in the founding of the Santa Rosa Bank, and was chosen the tirst President of that institution. He is also a large and principal owner in the water works, gas works, woolen mills — indeed there is hardly an enterprise tending to add to the advantage of the city of Santa Rosa with which Mr. F armer's name is not associated. He is a man of the pro- foundest integrity, upright in his dealings, just in his decisions, true in his instincts and honorable in his actions; above all others he is a man of keen ' business capacity, which he is never behindhand in putting forward for the- benefit of his adopted county. Mr. Farmer married Rebecca W., daughter of William E. Cocke, of Santa Rosa, October 3, 1858, she being a native of Jackson county, Missouri, by whom he has Sarah, Angeline, Charles R., Henry T., Fannie May, and an infant daughter. There are two children deceased- Farmer, William. This worthy old settler was born in Anderson- county, East Tennessee, on September 1, 1800. Went from Anderson to Knox county in 1807. He resided in these counties till 1818, when he, with his parents, moved to Marion county in the same State, where the subject of this sketch lived until 1826, when he went to Meigs county, East Tennessee,, where he made it his permanent home till 1837; then emigrated to Cass county, Missouri. From this place, on May 12, 1857, he came to California,, crossing the plains, accompanied by his family, and arrived in Sonoma county, on October 10th of that year, and at once settled in this township on his present farm, where he has since made a permanent residence. He married Miss Nancy Hudson on March 13, 1823, in Marion county, Ten- nessee. She was a native of Bledsoe county in that State, and born August 15, 1804. She died at her home ia Sonoma county on March 27, 1867. Mrs. Mary Wilson, born January 5, 1824; Mrs. Rebecca Wilson, born Novem- ber 21, 1825; John H., born January 28, 1828; E. T.. born August 1, 1832 ^ C. C, born March 4, 1837; William H., born April 19, 1840; J. A., born February 3, 1844, and Malinda, born June 29, 1850, are the names and births of their living children. They have lost two sons and one daughter.. Ferguson, Russell. Was born in Lincoln county, North Carolina, February 22, 1822. At seven years of age he, with his parents, moved to Ray county, Tennessee, where they resided for twelve years, when they moved to Lawrence county Missouri, where he remained till April 22, 1849, when he started with an ox-team across the plains to California, arriving on October 12th of that year. He first settled at Bidwell's Bar, on Feather river^ where he prosecuted mining till 1852, in which year he came to Sonoma- county; first settling on Santa Rosa creek, where he remained till 1868, when he settled on his present estate of one hundred and fifty-six acres. Mr Ferguson married Mrs. Amelia McMinn, formerly Miss Amelia Ainsworth on October 6, 1868, she being born in Missouri, on July 15, 1838. Their children are James F., born July 17, 1869 ; William R., February 13, 1872 ; HISTORY OP SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 643' Thomas J., November 1, 1874; Edward, June 19, 1877, and Addie Mary, January 8, 1879. Mrs. Ferguson has* by her former marriage Sarah E., born March 7, 18.59; Mary F., October 22, 1860; Charles V., February 7, 1863, and Joseph A., December 22, 1864. Fox, Charles M. Was bom in Washington, Mason county, Kentucky, October 19, 1850, where he resided until August, 1853, when his parents moved to Lexington, Missouri. In 1863 they returned to Kentucky, settling in Maysville. From this place he was sent to the Western Military Academy at New Castle, Kentucky, but left in 1869, returning to Maysville. During the year 1871, he took a trip to Salt Lake City, Utah Territory, and after a residence of a year and a half, he went to San Francisco, only remaining a short time and returned to Kentucky, sojourning three months, then stopped in Lexington, Missouri, for five months; thence to Kansas City, Missouri, where he engaged as clerk and cashier for a dry goods firm for eighteen months; thence returned to Lexington, but only remained a short time, when he emigrated to this State, living in San Francisco ten months, and came to Santa Rosa, arriving in March, 1877. Commenced clerking for W. B. Shively November 7, 1878, and continued till January 1, 1879, when the partnership of Shively & Fox was formed. Frehe, Louis. Was born in Germany, on the 6th day of January, 1848, where he received his earlier education, and served an apprenticeship to the shoemaker's trade; thereafter enlisting in the fourth company of the Second Hanover Dragoons, with which regiment he served during the Franco- German war, and was wounded in the left arm at the battle of Metz, the scar of which he still bears. On the cessation of hostilities he emigrated to America, landing in New York June 20, 1872, and immediately set out for California, arriving in Petaluma, this county, on July 1st of the same year. He here remained eight months, then went to San Francisco and resided in that city until August, 1873, when he removed to Santa Rosa and followed his trade until 1877, in which year he opened his present store. He married in Santa Rosa, July 2, 1876, Minnie Fritz, a native of Frankenhausen, Germany, by whom he has Alfred, bom April 3, 1877, and Reichart, born December 25, 1878. Frost C. W. Born in Detroit, Michigan, March 7, 1838, where he received his education and resided until March, 1852, when he came to California, first settling in El Dorado county, where he remained about four years. He then proceeded to Klamath county ; thence, in AprU, 1862, he went to the mines in Idaho, where he resided untU the Fall of 1865, when he proceeded to Montana, and after a residence of nine years, settled in San Francisco. In June, 1875, he came to Santa Rosa, where he has followed the business of a mine expert, in connection with which he has a real estate office. Married Kate H. Patterson November 5, 1873. She was born in >;644 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. Mercer county, Pennsylvania, July 21, 1852. Emma Jane, born December 4, 1874; Walter C, born September 11, 1876, are the names and births of their children. Fulton, James. The subject of this memoir, whose portrait appears, in this work, was born in Lawrence county, Indiana, on January 28, 1827, remaining at his birth-place till 1839, and where he received his primary education. .His parents moved to Buchanan county, Missouri, where they resided until May, 1849, when the family emigrated across the plains to California, arriving in what is now Nevada county, on September 13th of that year. They immediately proceeded to San Jose, where, in connection with his brother Thomas Fulton, he embarked in the lumber trade, which they carried on one year. After disposing of their business, they Went to Nevada county, there followed mining one year, then returned to San Jose, and was engaged in farming. In 1852, Mr. Fulton visited Missouri, and while there, purchased a drove of cattle, which he brought to their ranch near San Jose. In 1855, accompanied by his brother and father (his mother died when he was quite young), he came to this county, bought a tract of ,land north from Santa Rosa, which was known as Fulton's Cross Roads until the building of the railroad, when a town-site was laid out and named Fulton Station in honor of this family. On their arrival in what is now Fulton Station, they pitched a tent under the branches of a tree until lumber could be procured from the redwoods, with which they built a house. This was the beginning made by these brave pioneers who have been spared — except their father — to see a flourishing town built near the place occupied by their tent twenty-four years ago. Mr. Fulton married Malessa Wilson, a native of Indiana, on January 9, 1853. She died in Santa Rosa February 22, 1877. Mary, James Wilson, Retta, Summers B., Albert L. and Laura A., are the names of their children. This family are now residents of Santa Rosa, to which they moved in 1873. Gregg, George Timmons. Born in Ross county, Ohio, October 25, 1829. On October 12, 1838, he, with parents, moved to Logansport, Indiana. On July 25,' 1839, he, with parents, moved to Polk county, Missouri, where he remained until 1854. In April, 1864, he started across the plains fpr California. He resided about one month at a point some eighteen miles east of Sacramento, and on October 26th of the above year came to this , county, first locating on a ranch at Mark West, at the springs now owned ,by'.Louis Lemay and others, this being in the Winter of 1855-6. September 1856, he leased H. Beever's farm and raised two crops there (it, now being in.tl;iat part of the city of Santa Rosa, known as the E. T. Farmer and C. Ames Additi^ji)- Optober, 1858, he located on .tihe farm now owned by Winfield Wrjght. Jlere he remained for two years. In October 18 60,, he , moved to, his, present, j;anch of nin,ety ?icres, , i^yhere he. has sincer made,]bis HISTORY OF SOlSfOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNrA; G^S home. In 1871 he returned to his native home, where he' arrived April 2%! 1871, and on October 3, 1872, he married Susan Charlotte Cunningham. She was born in Hopkins county, Kentucky, February 17, 1849. On Octo- ber 26, 1874, he again settled on his place in this county, where he expects to remain. Isaac Augustus, born October 23, 1873, Charles Wesley, born October 12, 1875, and George Nelson, born March 29, 1878, are the names and births of their children. Grosse, Guy E. The subject of this sketch whose portrait appears in this work, was born in Berne, Switzerland, in 1839. He emigrated to the United States in 1852, first settling in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. He com- menced life on his own account, first as an errand boy in a store, and was afterwards promoted to clerk. In May 1856, he made a trip to California, but only remained six months, then returned to Pittsburg. In 1859 he went to Europe and remained there till the breaking out of the Rebellion in 1861, when he enlisted in the three months service and joined the Pittsburg Zou- aves, but before the expiration of his service he re-enlisted for three years in Company D, Sixty-third Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, as a private soldier, and passed through all the grades of non-commissioned and commis- sioned officers .to that of Captain of his company. He was severely wounded at the battles of Fair Oaks and Gettysburg. He was honorably discharged on account of his wounds, after three years service. After his return from the war he moved to Oil City, Pennsylvania, thence, after six months, to Canton, Ohio, and then permanently located in Massillon, Ohio, where he again took the position of clerk, but soon engaged in business on his own account, associating himself with Allman & Wetter, under the firm name of Allman, Grosse & Wetter. This firm were the founders of the "Beehive Store", which is still in existence, and one of the largest mercantile houses in Ohio, and extensively known throughoiit the West and East. In August, 1876, he sold his interest in the above establishment, and came overland to California, traveling in this State till October of that year, then located in Santa Rosa, where he now resides. On his coming to this city, he bought lots and on them commenced the erection of stores and other buildings, for several years, when he drifted into the real estate business, and is no w one of the largest dealers in landed estates in Sonoma county. He married Miss Emma Estep.daughter of Dr. J. H. Estep, on March 28, 1868. She was born in Canton, Ohio. Joseph Estep is his only child. Harris, Jacob. Born in Grayson county, Kentucky, August 24, 1827. When quite young he emigrated with his parents to Fountain Center, Indiana, where they remained but a short time, when they moved to Mont- gomery county and resided for four years, when they took up their residence in Vigo county, Indiana. In 1841, they moved to Crawford county, Illinois, where they remained two years, then returned to Vigo county. In 1846, 646 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOBNIA. they went to Davis county, Iowa, and in 1854, the subject of this sketch emigrated to California, being about five months making the trip. He first located in this county south of Santa Rosa on the ranch now owned by Winfield Wright, where he held forth for two years, when he moved north, of Santa Rosa, on the ranch owned by G. W. Moore, and resided four years, when he moved to Sutter county and engaged in farming for three years. In 1863 we find Mr. Harris back in this county, residing upon his present farm of four hundred acres. Has held the office of Road Overseer for seven years. Married Phoebe Fulkerson December 7, 1848. She was born in Montgomery county, Indiana, on November 17, 1830. By this union they have four living children, viz.: Thompson M., born October 29, 1849; Isabel, born August 28, 1851; Alice C, born on the plains June 1, 1854, and died April 6, 1860 ; Richard A., born April 6, 1856 ; Florence, born May 20, 1858. Heisel, Paul. Manufacturer of boots and shoes. Born in Nassau, Germany, January 3, 1829, where he learned his trade and resided until 1849. On January 7th of this year he emigrated to America, first settling in New York City, where he remained until 1853, when he took up his residence in Boston, where he lived until 1856. Emigrated to California, landing in San Francisco May 1, 1856, and immediately came to this county, resided a short time in Petaluma, and then proceeded to Santa Rosa, where he opened a boot and shoe store, which he conducted until 1874, when he closed out his store and has since conducted his shop only. He also owns a snug little ranch of forty-seven acres, and considerable real estate in the city. Married August 2, 1858, Miss Ellen Hennesy. She was born in county Kilkenny, Ireland. Holmes, Henderson P. Was born In Bedford county, Tennessee, November 21, 1821. When two years old, his parents moved to Carroll county in that State, where they resided till 1836, when the subject of this sketch went with his father's family to Benton county, Arkansas. In the Spring of 1849, he crossed the plains to California, and was five months making the journej'. He first located at Long Bar, on the north side of Feather river, and was engaged in mining until the Fall of 1850, then moved to Yuba county and pursued farming and stock-raising. The following year he returned to the mining country and carried on the butcher business. In the Fall of 1851 he went to the State of Arkansas, where he purchased a drove of cattle, bringing them across the plains to the place where he now lives in 1852. He was successful to a small extent in the speculation, and the following year he again visited Arkansas and Texas, returning with a larger drove of stock. Several years alter this he bought a tract of land and has since made it his permanent home. He made a visit to Arkansas in 1856 and again in 1859, when he married on July 13th Mary E., daughter of Presley R. Smith, then Clerk of Washington county, Arkansas. She died July 19, 1869. Their living children are: Rachel, born October 27, HISTOET OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 647 1862, and Frank H., born March 13, 1865. In 1869, he, in partnership ■with T. N. Willis, then of Santa Rosa, returned to Texas and bought some twelve hundred steers for the beef markets of California. The great drouth of 1870-71 caused the enterprise to be somewhat disastrous. While on this trip to Texas, was married to Mrs. Rebecca Oldham, formerly of Louisville, Kentucky, but living then, July 4, 1869, in Fort Worth, Texas. They have one child, Ella Elizabeth, born May 17, 1873. Hood, George. This pioneer settler was born in Fifeshire, Scotland, on February 12, 1823. He was educated in his native country, and worked at various pursuits, and, withal, learned the watch-maker's trade. He emi- grated to the United States in 1853, settling in San Francisco; thence to to Guilicos valley in October of that year, and followed farming. After twelve months he returned to San Francisco, working at his trade for three years. After the death of Gapt. Stephen Smith, in the Fall of 1856, Mr. Hood rented the ranch formerly occupied by that gentleman, remaining there two years. After the expiration of his lease he moved to the valley near Santa Eosa, and afterwards to that city, and commenced the jewelry business in 1858, where he has since continuously followed that occupation. He is also possessed of a rancho in Knight's Valley township. Mr. Hood was married in Dundee, Scotland, by Professor Tulloch, to Julia Galloway, on November 28, 1848. She was born in Collinsburgh, Fifeshire, Scotland. Isabella, James, Robert (the latter was born in the British bark " Clymene," while off Cape Horn), John, William, Margaret, George, Alexander and Benjamin Henry, are the names of their children. Hudson, Martin (deceased). Was born in the State of Virginia, on July 24, 1807, and after removing to Tennessee, where he married Miss Elizabeth McAlroy, on May 24, 1832, he left for California in May, 1848, starting from Missouri, and arriving in Sonoma county in the Fall of that year, coming across the plains by ox-teams, accompanied by his wife and five children. Having stayed with his brother, William Hudson, a pioneer of an earlier date, during the first Winter, in the Spring they settled in Los Guilicos valley, on a ranch still owned by the family. Saving a few trips to the mines Mr. Hudson remained at home looking after his interests, culti- vating the soil and raising stock. His widow is still living. Their family consists of Lydia T., Michal E., John Wilham, David Alvin, Mathew Taha- fero, Martin Perry, and Henry W. Mr. Hudson died in 1871. Johnson, Hon. G. A. Born at Salisbury, Maryland. He graduated at Yale College in 1853; was President of the Board of Editors of the Yale literary Magazine; contested for the highest honors, the DeForest Gold Medal Prize, with A. D. White, the present Minister to Germany; was Pro- fessor of the Ancient Languages at the W&stern Military Institute, Kentucky; was appointed by Governor Hendricks Judge of the Seventeeth Judicial 6'48 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. Circuit Court of Indiana; delivered the annual address before the literary" societies of the Indiana State University in 1867; was Senior Warden of the Grand Comraandery of Knights Templar of Indiana for two years. On hia removal to California became a member of the law firm of Johnson & Henley, at Santa Rosa. Was elected Mayor of Santa Rosa. Was a dele- gate to the Constitutional Convention from Sonoma county, and took an active part in the debates. On his motion, the address to the voters accompanying the New Constitution was adopted. Was selected to present one hundred standard works of the best authors to President Hoge, and delivered the presentation address. Was nominated by the State Conven- tion of the Workingmen for one of the Justices of the Supreme Court,, but declined. Kerr, R. A. Manufacturer of boots and shoes. Born August 25, 1846,. in Ontario, Canada, where he resided until 1861. He served his time at the shoemaking trade in Huevelton, St. Lawrence county, N. Y., then went to Canton in the same State, remaining there some time, then went to Pres- cott, Ontario, Canada. After remaining there about six months, he went to Bellville, Ontario, there learning photographing. He then went West^ living in London, St. Mary's, Mitchell, Wroxeter and Seaforth. Then leav- ing Seaforth he came to California, in April 1873, first settling in Healds- burg, where he remained only eight months, when he took up his residence in Cloverdale and remained two and a half years. In 1875, in company with his wife, he returned to Canada on a visit, returning in the Fall and settling in Santa Rosa, where he has established a business in the boot and shoe trade. Married, Mary J. Beatty, July 4, 1875. She was born in Canada. They have one child living, Laurena, born May 31, 1878. Kessing, Clemens. The subject of this sketch was born in Germany, January 22, 1839. In 1844 his parents emigrated to the United States, settling in Cincinnati, Ohio, where Mr. Kessing was educated, and from which place he moved to California, in 1858. After three months' residence in San Francisco, he came to Santa Rosa, arriving in September, 1858. Here he at once joined partnership with Mr. Russell, under the style of Kessing- & Russell, carrying on a general merchandising business till April, 1859,. when the firm was changed to Kessing Brothers, Mr. Russell retiring. Again in November, 1863, the firm was changed to Kessing & Tupper, which con- tinued until August, 1877, when the subject of this sketch bought the entire interest, and is at the present writing the sole proprietor, doing business on Main street. Lewis, Martin. Bom in Manchester, Clay county, Kentucky, Januairy^ 15, 1816. When six years of age his parents moved to Lawrence county,. Indiana. From 1833 to 1840 he spent in traveling, and finally settled in Wapello county, Iowa, in 1841, where he resided until 1849, when he started!. HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALirOENIA. 649' in April for California, crossing the plains with ox-teains, arriving in Sepi- tember. He immediately commenced mining ou Weaver river, El Dorado county, where he labored until the Spring of 1850, when he proceeded to the north fork of the American river, and followed mining until September fol- lowing. He then returned to Iowa. In the Spring of 1852 he again settled in this State, this time with his family, taking up his residence in Tehama, Tehama county. In the Spring of 1853, he moved to the American river, and in the Fall of the same year he came to this county, settling in Two Eock valley, between Bloomfield and Petaluma, where he resided until 1869, when he located on his present ranch, comprising one hundred and sixty acres. Married Nancy Ann, daughter of William T. Lewis, October 19, 1854. She was born in Jefferson county, Indiana, July 12, 1827. The following are the names and births of their children: Margaret Adaline, born November 28, 1857; Lucinda, born December 2, 1861; Isabelle, born March 23, 1864; Carrie E., born October 1, 1868; Ulysses Grant, born July 18, 1869. McConnell, William E. The subject of this sketch was born November 23, 1839, in Blount county. East Tennessee. His father with his family emigrated West, arriving in California the first of September 1850. The family remained in the mines until the spring of 1853 when they settled on a farm near the site' of the town of Woodland, Yolo county. Good schools at that early day were scarce, and the father being a man of limited means, could afford no better facility for education than the, then, very poor common country school. In the year 1858, the subject of our sketch having by economy accumulated a few hundred dollars and feeling the need of education, came to the town of Sonoma, where there was at that time a flourishing academic school, and entered upon a course of study. He remained there in school until the latter part of 1862, when he left and commenced the study of law, at Santa Rosa, in the office of Judge C. P. WUkins. In 1864 he was admitted to the Bar and has been engaged in the practice of his pro- fession in Sonoma county ever since. He has been twice honored by the people of Sonoma county by an election to the office of District Attorney. McGee, James Henry. This well-known attorney of Santa Rosa is a native of Camden, Ray county, Missouri, where, he was born on October 10, 1847. In 1852 he came with his parents across the plains by ox-team to California, and reached Sacramento after a long and adventurous journey of six months. Remaining at this halting-place but a few weeks, they proceeded to the Suscol ferry, in Napa county, and after a short stay continued their journey to Sonoma. In 1856, after several visits to the mines, they made a permanent settlement in this county. The subject of this sketch received his early education in Santa Rosa, and becoming a student in the law office of La'timer and MeCullough, was admitted to the Bar in the Spring of 1868, 650 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. since when he has practiced his profession in this city. In 1872 Mr. McGee was elected a Justice of the Peace, which office he held for two terms and a portion of a third. He has occupied for four years the onerous position of City Recorder ; is now City Attorney, having been elected to that office in AprU, 1878, and has been for four years a Court Commissioner for Sonoma county. He married, April 19, 1868, Mrs. Cerro Gordo McMinn, by which union they have William M., born January 18, 1869, and Irene, born December 29, 1877. , McMinn, John, Whose portrait appears in this work, was born in Dallas county, Missouri, May 2, 1839. Here he received his primary educa- tion, and in 1852 he with his parents emigrated to California, crossing the plains with an ox-team, arriving in Sonoma county October 15, 1852, settling in Santa Rosa township, on the farm now owned by his father, Joseph McMinn, two miles south-west from the town of Santa Rosa. He attended the public schools until 1858, when he completed his education at Scott's Academy in Santa Rosa. In May, 1876, he moved to and has since contin- uously occupied the place where he now resides, consisting of three hundred and fourteen acres of land. In a south-westerly direction from Santa Rosa stands Mr. McMinn's handsome residence. The location is one of the most picturesque and attractive to be met with in this part of the county. It commands a magnificent view of the valley, dotted with live oaks and culti- vated fields. The building is of wood, two stories high, constructed in a most substantial manner, and in an unique and highly attractive style of architecture. It is finished and furnished in a manner appropriate to such an enterprise. It is a beautiful, inviting, convenient and cheerful home. Since Mr. McMinn's twenty -seven years' residence in this county, his life has been marked with kindly deeds, and he is known to be worthy of the highest esteem and respect. He married Elizabeth, daughter of the Rev. Jonathan Blair, on February 28, 1861. She was born in McDonald county, Missouri, June 12, 1840, and came to this county from her native State with her parents in 1857. Jonathan, Mary M., Etta May, Rosalee, Joseph, Clara Jane, Allette, Nancy Bessie, and John Frederick, are the names of their children. McMinn, Joseph, Whose portrait appears in this work, was born in Washington county, Maryland, June 11, 1795. His parents moved to Haw- kins county, Tennessee, when 'Joseph was quite young, and where they resided till 1830, thence to Madison county, Illinois. After five years here, they took up their residence in what is now called Dallas county, Missouri. April 27, 1852, the subject of this sketch came to California, crossing the plains and settled in this township on his present] farm on October 15th of that year, where he has since resided. He married for his first wife, Charlotte Derrick, in Hawkins county, Tennessee, on April 20, 1820. She was a native of that county, and was born February 7, 1800; and died April 18, 1836- HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 651 Lucretia, Alzira, Selina, Pascal and Joseph are the names of the children by this marriage. He married for his second wife, Mary Martin, in May 1837. She was born February 7, 1802. Mary, Ann and John, are their children, and reside in this county. Mr. and Mrs. McMinn are the oldest couple living , in Santa Rosa township, now being respectively eighty-four and seventy- seven years old. Mrs McMinn is the great -grandmother of forty-four children, and grandmother to forty-three. In 1858, while residing on another portion of their farm, the old lady received an injury which it is not out of place to record. There was a loaded gun of the ancient flint-lock kind left in the house, and in order to have it in a secure and out-of-the-way place, Mrs McMinn placed it underneath the bed. A little negro boy about six years old who was living with the family, found the gun, and in playing with the weapon, it was accidentally discharged, the ball passing through a wooden partition and into Mrs. McMinn's ankle, which caused the amputation of her limb. She is now using an artificial leg and moves around in a remark- ably sprightly manner. Miller, Thomas B. Was born in Rhea coimty, Tennessee, December 31, 1826. At four years of age his parents moved to Gaylesville, Alabama, where they remained until Thomas was between eight and nine years of age, when they removed to Benton county, Arkansas; here he lived until 1849, when he started for California with an ox-team across the plains, being some five months in making the journey. After stopping a few days in Sacramento he proceeded to the mines in Placer county, where he engaged in mining during the Winter of 1849-'50. In the Spring of 1850 he went to Gold Run, near Nevada, and there prosecuted mining for about two months; thence to Yuba, where he was engaged during the Summer in mining in the bed of the river, and finding but very little gold, he then proceeded to the south Yuba, and remained but a short time, when he went to Cache creek, in Yolo county, and engaged in farming, but on account of the dry season he left, and in the Fall of 1851 came to this valley and began farming, about three miles south of Sebastopol, where he continued till the Winter of 1853, when he moved near to Tomales, in Marin county, where he prosecuted farming until 1855, when he moved to Russian river, four miles above the city of Healdsburg, and farmed until 1874, when he came to Santa Rosa and purchased property, which he still owns; residing in Santa Rosa until May, 1877, when he removed to his present farm, consisting of three hundred and twenty acres. Married, April 17, 1853, Mary Ann King, a native of Jackson county, Missouri, born February 14, 1835, by which union they have ten children: James P., born May 18, 1854; Charlotte E., February 24, 1857; Thomas B., January 6., 1859; Louisa H., January 8, 1861; Mary A., December 19, 1862; Irena B., November 1, 1864; Josephine, November 14, 1866; Laura E., August 27, 1868; Henrietta. October, 27, 1870, and Robert L., June 25, 1875. 6^2 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. Mizer, Henry C. (deceased). A nativeof Bledsoe county, Tennessee, bom' July 30, 1827 ; re&ided in that county until fourteen years of age, when he, with his parents, moved to Benton county, Arkansas, where he received his education and resided until 1'852. On April 22d, of this year he, with his wife, emigrated to California, crossing the plains with ox-teams, and arrived in Sono- ma countyOctober 8, 1852. He immediately engaged in the business of farming and stock-raising, which he continued until the time of his death, December 19, 1877. The first year in this county Mr. Mizer spent in Sonoma valley; in 1853 moved to Two Eock valley and resided five years; in 1858 moved on a farm near Sebastopol, in Santa Rosa valley, and in September, 1863, located on Mark West creek, where he remained until April, 1877, when-hfe moved to Santa Rosa, where Mrs. Mizer still resides. Married January 22, 1851, Sarah P. Forsyth, of Benton county, Arkansas. Members of the Methodist church. STeblett, Edward. Was bom in Prince George county, Virginia, on July 18, 1818, where he resided until the year 1834, when he moved with his parents to Cincinnati';^ Ohio, and here served an apprenticeship to the hatter's trade, under J. S. Bates & Co. In 1843 he proceeded to Louisville, Kentucky, there engaging in mercantile pursuits, remaining there till 1849, and then in company with about fifty others, with Edwin Bryant as Captain, started across the plains to California, and after a journey of eighty -seven days reached the mines, where he remained until 1852. In this year Mr. Neblett was appointed Deputy under William M. Lowe of Texas, Sheriff of Trinity county, and in 1854 was selected by the Whig party for Sheriff of the county, taking up his office in 1855. In 1857 he was elected to the State Legislature on an independent ticket, and was the last Whig chosen for that august body. After the expiration of his term of office he opened a banking business in Weaverville, Trinity county, which he continued till his settling in Sonoma county, in 1868. Here he began the hardware trade, under the style of Stanley & Neblett, which was changed in 1872 to Stanley, Neblett & Co., and afterwards to Stanley & Thompson, the firm being now C. W. Thompson. Mr. Neblett was elected on April 5, 1876, the first Mayor of the city of Santa Rosa, which distinction he held until April 5, 1878. He married, December 13, 1842, Mrs. McClary. They have no family. Nickels, Thomas A. Native of Union county, Indiana. When sev- enteen years of age he went to Andrew county, and followed farming for eight years. In 1857 he emigrated to California, crossing the plains with an ox-team, and settled in Alameda county in September of the above year, where he followed farming for nearly two years, when he came to this county, October, 1859, settling near Petaluma, and in 1870 he moved upon a tract of land adjoining the place where he now resides. Aitet remaining here for about three years, he sold his improvements and purchased HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 653 the present ^^nch where he now resides, cpmprising one hundred apd fifty acres. Married Miss Mary Merritt, March 19. 1872. She was bpi^n August 19, 1837, in Bridgeport, M^'rion county, Indiana. Eva May, born August 6, 1877, is their only child. Peterson, Augustus. Was born in Missouri, October, 1833, where he remaiaed till 1850, when he crossed the plains with an ox-team to California being four months and twenty days making the journey. His first settle- ment was on the South Yuba, eight miles from Nevada, where he engaged in mining during the Winter of 1850-51. In the Spring of 1851 he participated in the Indian war, under Captain Tracy and Colonel Kodgers. Early in 1852 he came to Sonoma county, where he has since resided, and now ranks as one of the leading farmers of the township. He was married, on April 5, 1855, to Miss Polina Ann Steel, by whom he has a family of eight children : Frank B., born July 9, 1856; James B.,born Fubruary 18, 1859; Allen, born July 2, 1861; Sarah C, born October 14, 1864; Jane Ellen, born July 22, 1866; Josephine, born August 20, 1868, and died October 13, 1869; Sonoma, born May 24, 1871; Dora A., born March 16, 1873; Libbie, born December 16. 1876. Peterson, William. Was born in Henry county, Tennessee, February 15, 1828. When quite young his parents moved to Washington county, Missouri. In 1847 Mr. Peterson participated in the Mexican war, being mustered in at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, in Captain Jones' Company William Gilpin's Battalion, and after serving fourteen months wa.s honorably discharged at Independence, Missouri. In 1850 he crossed the plains to California, being four months in making the journey. He first began mining on the South Yuba, near Nevada City, where he continued during the Winter of 1850-51, when he proceeded to San Francisco, and from thence to Cold Springs, where he engaged in mining, livery and hotel busine&s. During the year he also participated in the Indian war of 1851, under Captain Tracy. Early in 1852 he came to this county and settled on land now known as the Clark Ranch, where he only remained a short time, and in 1855 moved to his present farm, consisting of one hundred and sixty acres. Married Martha L., daughter of J. H. Steel, of Polk county, Missouri, on September. 21, 1854, she being born February 22, 1837. Their children are: Bellariah J., born January 8, 1856; Verlema, born February 14, 1858; Columbus, born March 31, 1860; Susan, born February 16, 1862; John Lee, bom April 1, 1864; Willie, born March 12, 1866; August, born September 28, 1871 ; James C, born February 12, 1874; Eleanor, born February 11, 1877. Pfister, Conrad. A native of Switzerland, born July 28, 1832. Emi- grated, to Anjei^'ica, settling ,in Philadelphia, and after one year's residence ^er,e,,w,ent.to Chicago, Jlljnois. He leftothat city in March, 1860, and caijae ,t0;this State„liYing }n,^an, Jose ,till .13,68, thence to t-his county, Ijuying his 654 HISTOEY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. present farm of one hundred and sixty acres in Santa Rosa township. Mar- ried in Du Page county, Illinois, on January 12, 1860, Miss Mary Hoyer. She was born in Northampton county, Pennsylvania, December 25, 1836. Their children are: Julia A., John, Lewis M., Henry, Conrad, Volney J., Nelson B., Franklin P., Mary R., Oliver F. and Bertha E. Proctor, Thomas J. Was born in Jessamine county, Kentucky, April 12, 1825. Here he was educated. At the age of twenty-one he was com- missioned Third Lieutenant of Company F, Second United States Volunteer Infantry, under Captain Willis, the regiment being commanded by McKee and Clay, serving in the Mexican war in ijie department under command of General Taylor. He was discharged after a service of fourteen months and returned to his home in Kentucky, where he married Joanna P., daughter of Pendleton Thomas, on May 4, 1848. She was born in Mercer county, Kentucky, September 10, 1829. They resided in Harrodsburg, in that State, till 1851, then moved to Trenton, Grundy county, Missouri, and left this place on May 4, 1862, for Oregon, crossing the plains with teams, arriving on the 7th September following and settling in Powder River valley, in Baker county. Here Mr. Proctor built a hotel and was its proprietor for four years, then sold out and came to Sonoma county, locating in Santa Rosa, where he has since resided. Was engaged in various branches of business till 1875, when he entered the real estate agency which he is now conducting. He was appointed Mayor of Santa Rosa September 24, 1878, to fill the unexpired term of Hon. George A. Johnson. His children are : Thomas A. and William M. ftuackenbush, Uriah Piatt. A native of Cambridge, Washington county. New York, and was born March 15, 1823. When but three years old he, with his parents, moved to Greenbush township in that State, and at the age of ten removed to Williamstown, Massachusetts, residing two years with his uncle, Stephen Bacon, after which he removed to Nassau, New York, here attending the common schools. In the Fall of 1857 he emigrated to this State, making the trip by steamer, via Panama, arriving in San Francisco in September of that year, going immediately to Tuolumne county, where he engaged in mining for about six months, then started for Fraser river, but on his arrival in Oakland, he concluded to abandon the trip, and remained in San Leandro for six years. From thia place he made a visit to the State of New York, going via Panama, but only remained one month when he again came to California, crossing the plains, and settled in VaUejo township, Sonoma county, September, 1864. In August, 1873, they came to their present home in Santa Rosa township, where he has since perma- nently resided. He married Sarah Ann, daughter of Charles Offutt, who is a native of Jackson county, Missouri, and was born on December 30, 1847. It can be said of Mrs. Quackenbush, that she is a lady of culture HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 655 and refinement, and has been inseparably connected with all those higher and better qualities of womanhood, which have gone far to make her home one of the most enjoyable and pleasant in the county. Mary Luella, born December 5, 1870, and Sarah Alice, born January, 19, 1873, are the names and births of their two lovely daughters. Mr. Charles OfFutt, father of Mrs. Quackenbush, was born in Fairfax county, Virginia, April 1, 1817, crossing the plains in 1853, and came to Vallejo township, Sonoma county, with his family, in the Spring of 1854, where he died August 20, 1879. Ragsdale, J. W. Editor and publisher. Born in Fairfax, Indiana, February 12, 1848. When a year and a half old, moved with his parents to Chariton, Iowa. In the year 1863, while yet under sixteen years of age, he enlisted in Company C, Thirteenth Iowa Infantry. Was with Sherman in his memorable march to th^ sea, and participated in many of the severest engagements fought during the civil war. Was honorably discharged August 28, 1865. On returning home he entered Cornell College, where he remained for three years, earning his way by sawing wood morning and evening, and in the harvest and cornfields during vacations. In 1868 he purchased a half interest in the Chariton, Iowa, Patriot, since which time he has been connected with newspapers published in Albia and Corning, Iowa, and in Walla Walla, Washington Territory. In 1873 he lost all he had through bad debts, and landed in San Francisco with but ten cents to his name. He engaged in the dairy business near Petaluma, and in May, 1878, purchased an interest in the Santa Rosa Times, one of the most promising papers in the State. In June, 1879, the Republican Convention for the Twentieth Senatorial District met in Sacramento, and by the unani- mous vote of that body, chose Mr. Ragsdale as their candidate for State Senator. This nomination was entirely unsolicited and was a greater sur- prise to Mr. Ragsdale than any one else. The district, however, being largely Democratic, and the opposing candidate having received the endorse- ment of the new Constitution party and the Workingmen's party, was eteeted, Mr. Ragsdale running nearly one thousand votes ahead of his ticket. Rand, William J. The subject of this sketch was born in San Fran- cisco January 20, 1857. When quite young his parents moved to this county, where he received his education. At the age of eighteen he was apprenticed to the engineer and machinist trade, in which business he is still engaged. Range, Charles. Is a native of Washington county, Tennessee, where he was born June 30, 1819. He resided here until 1843, and then removed to Macoupin county, lUinois, and there remained until 1862, in which year he came to California and resided in Solano and Sonoma counties for four years. He then returned to Illinois, and disposing of his property remained there one year, when he returned to this county and settled on his present 656 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. estate, where he has since resided. He married, September 3, 1840, Eiiza- beth Clipper, of Washington county, Tennessee, by whom he has: Louisa, born December 6, 18 41; John, born June 24, 1843; and Columbus, born July 4, 1849. ' Roney, J. M. Tne subject of this sketch was born in Warren county, Pennsylvania, March 6, 1833. Here he resided until March, 1854, and on the Gth of that month he left the city of New York on the steamer " Northern Light" to the Isthmus, and from there on the steamer " Sierra Nevada " to San Francisco, arriving on April 2, 1854. He immediately went to the mines in Nevada county, where he was engaged in mining for one year; then he moved to Sierra county, remaining till 1856, and returned to Nevada county. In 1858 he again went to Sierra county, working at the black- smith's trade until 1859, and then at Orleans Flat, Nevada county, till February, 1862; thence to Santa Rosa, and commenced the retail liquor trade, together with the real estate business, until 1873, when he opened the wholesale liquor trade. Mr. Roney married on October 14, 1870, Mary Fitzgerald. Maggie M. and Edith E. are the names of his living children. He has lost one, Alice M. Ross, H. J. A native of Hamburg, Erie county, New York ; born April 12, 1843. Here he resided until 1853, when he went to Chatauqua county, New York; in June, 1863, he emigrated to California, landing at San Fran- cisco, July 22d. He soon became a resident of San Joaquin county, where he worked for a brother for five years, after which he proceeded to. Stanislaus county, bought a six hundred and forty acre tract of land, and engaged in farming, livery and hotel business. In 1877 he came to this county and engaged in the livery and feed business at Santa Rosa, still retaining his land in Stanislaus county. Mr. Ross married, on September 12, 1869, Miss Martha A. Calahan, by whom he has one daughter, Belle D. Ross, born June 7, 1872. EiUe, James B. Was bom in Mercer county, Kentucky, October 30 . 1830. At the age of eighteen years he entered Center College, Danville, Kentucky, and graduated therefrom in 1853 ; was Professor of Languages in Columbia College, Kentucky, until 1856, in which year he emigrated to Iowa, and settled at Council Bluffs. He was employed as teacher in the schools of that place for a period of eight years, when he began the furniture and queensware business. This he continued for eight years; was a member of the City Council and School Board; was an Elder of the Presbyterian church for twenty-one years. In 1872 he took charge of the Grammar School in Council Bluffs, a position he held for four years. During his residence here he was elected County Superintendent of Schools for Pottawattamie In 1877 he came to California, and settled in this city. Mr. Rue is now the superintendent of the Santa Rosa Water Works. He married, in Washing- . HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOENIA. 657 ton county, Kentucky, on December 21, 1854, Parthenia Peter, by whom he has Edmond, Mary C, James O., Harry H., Herbert R., Gertrude A., and ■one child deceased. Shepherd, Rev. J. Avery, S. T. D. Rector of the Episcopal church. This gentleman is a native of Vermont. In his earliest childhood he was taken to Brazil, his father having gone there to superintend certain engin- eering works in that country. The Portuguese language became vernacular, while his "mother tongue" was learned by means of Webster's spelling book, an old almanac of the States, several years out of date, and the Bible, which he read aloud for some hours daily. Among his early recollections is the chase, on the coast of Brazil, between Rio de Janeiro and Bahia, which a pirate gave the merchant vessel in which his father was sailing. The pirate was well armed. The merchant ship had six guns; these were occasion- .ally fired, and the American flag was flying. After coming near enough to see that the American sailors " meant business," the pirate after a delibera- tion of more than two hours, and a chase of six, thought it prudent to retire. After his father's death in Rio de Janeiro the mother and son returned to his native State. He graduated at Middlebury College, and shortly afterwards went to the South, where much of his life was spent. At the solicitation of Bishop Green he removed to Mississippi to take charge of St. Andrew's ■College at Jackson. He there married Miss Evelyn M. Turner of Baltimore, and subsequently removed to California. In San Francisco he established a private seminary for young ladies, which not only proved successful, but it became one of the most select schools ever opened on the Pacific coast. Not a few of the leaders in society in San Francisco and Oakland, wiaose resi- dence dates from early times, were distinguished pupils of Dr. Shepherd's seminary. In 1858 he returned to the Atlantic States, and established a large female seminary in Montgomery, Alabama. Here he continued until the end of the war. Just at its close, he accompanied the Mayor and Council of the city by invitation, carrying a flag of truce for the surrender of Montgom- ery, which was the last town surrendered. Dr. Shepherd then removed to Elli- cott City, near Baltimore, where he intended to make a permanent home. He erected a large building for a high school for boys. This was eminently successful. First-class professors were engaged at liberal salaries, and no school in the country enjoyed a better reputation for the intellectual train- ing and manly development of the pupils. This was in a flourishing con- dition for many yeai's. Dr. Shepherd's son received an appointment in the assay department of the new mint in San Francisco upon its first opening. Contemplating in consequence an ultimate removal, Dr. Shepherd disposed of his school at Ellicott City and entered upon the charge of a large church in Baltimore, and finally removed to this State, leaving the East for no pur- pose but to be near his son, who was settled here. San Francisco was the 42 658 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. first home of Dr. Shepherd's married life, and after an absence of twenty- years he has returned to make the Pacific coast his permanent home. Dr. Shepherd has the reputation of being among the foremost in the ranks of scientific readers and Bible students. Shively, D. C. Is a native of Marshall county, Indiana, and was born February 16, 1851. Here he resided till 1864, when his parents moved on a farm in Muscatine county, Iowa; thence, in 1870, to Dodge county,. Nebraska; but after one year's residence returned east, settling in Branch county, Michigan, where he engaged in mercantile business six years. From this county Mr. Shively came to California in January, 1877, making Santa. Rosa his home, and was engaged in business with W. B. Shively for one year, after which he went to Healdsburg, doing business on his own account, but returned to Santa Rosa after eleven months, engaging in general mercantile- business with Mr. Fox, under the style of Shively and Fox. Smith, Robert Press, M. D. The subject of this memoir was born in Charleston, South Carolina, on October 10, 1839. He received his primary education at his home, then graduated at the Military Academy in his native State in March, 1859. He immediately commenced the study of medicine^ and in March, 1861, graduated at the South Carolina Medical College. At the breaking out of the War, be was commissioned Captain of Company E, First South Carolina Regiment of Infantry, serving most of the War in fortifications around the city of Charleston. He served with distinction until the close of the War, when he returned to the place of his nativity, and soon after practiced his profession near Charleston. He emigrated ta California in March, 1868, settling in Santa Rosa, where he has not only prac- ticed medicine with marked success, but has been identified with the busi- ness interests of the city. Stanley, W. B. Born in Indiana. Came to California in 1852. Settled in Sacramento, being there during the great fire in November, 1852, and soon after the flood in the same year, he took up his abode in San Fran- cisco, and after a residence of three years, returned East on a visit. In 1856 he came back and went direct to the mines, where he was engaged for six years, when he moved to Napa City, and remained about six years. In August, 1868, he came to this county, and is a resident of Sfota Rosa. En- .gaged in the hardware and tin business. Remained in business until 1879,. when he sold out. The amount of business done the first year was on& thousand seven hundred dollars, which increased to ninety thousand dollars. Mr. Stanley has been prominently identified with nearly all the public enterprises of Santa Rosa for the past seven or eight years. Was Presi- dent of the Woolen Mill Corporation for some time, and is at. present act- ing as Secretary; has been City Councilman for four years; was one of' the first incorporators of the Gas Company, 'and remained in the company^ HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 659 over three years as one of the Directors. It will thus be seen that Mr. Stanley has been quite an active citizen. He married in Sierra county Miss Jennie Roach, on October 6, 1859. They have two children. Taft, Rev. S, A., D. D. Whose portrait appears in this work, was born in the town of Mendon, county of Monroe and State of New York, on the 6th day of January, 1825. His father's name was Adon Taft, who was born and raised in the same place as the son. His grandfather, Caleb Taft, was a Revolutionary soldier, who soon after the close of the war, moved from Massachusetts into western New York, where, as a pioneer, he endured all the hardships and experiences incident to pioneer life. He lived to a good old age, being upwards of eighty at the time of his death. Adon Taft moved with his little family, consisting at the time of a wife and three infant sons, of whom the subject of our sketch was the eldest, in 1830, into what was then the wilds of the Territory of Michigan, and settled about thirty miles north of Detroit, in Macomb county, township of Washington. Here he remained until the time of his death. May 8, 1879. Dr. Taft was reared on the farm, and inured to manual labor, availing himself of the common school and such private schools as then existed, the chief of which in all that locality was what was known as " Romeo Academy," of which Professor Nutting was then the principal or chief, until he was of age. He then commenced a regular course of study under Peter Moyres, a graduate of Western Reserve College, Ohio. Having completed his preparatory course, he entered the Freshman class in Michigan University in the Spring of 1849, where he remained to the close of the college year in 1851. Then he went east to Rochester, New York, and entered Rochester University, and graduated from the platform in Corinthian Hall, with the class of 1852. He then entered upon his theological studies in Rochester Theological Seminary, with the class tfiat graduated in 1855. After his graduation in July, 1852, he came back to Michigan and was married to Miss Viletta Curtis, daughter of Jeremiah Curtis, a principal citizen in Shelby township, Macomb county, Michigan. The marriage took place in the Baptist Church, Mount Vernon, July 18, 1852, Rev. Z. Coleman being the officiating clergyman. In Septem- ber following, he with his wife returned to Rochester and entered upon the work of his theological course of study. Meanwhile he was preaching almost every Sabbaih without abatement, having commenced preaching when he was only eigliteen years of age, and was then known as the " Boy Preacher;" and boy preaching it must have been, sure enough. And yet the people would flock to hear him in crowds and multitudes from far and near. He was first pastor of the Stony Creek Baptist Church, then of the Mount Vernon Baptist Church. These churches he served while preparing for college. Then after he entered Michigan University, and while a student there he became pastor of the Ypsilanti Baptist Church, and served them until he went East. After entering upoq his work in Rochester University he became pastor of the 660 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTT, CALIFORNIA. Webster Baptist Church, which position he filled, while prosecuting his studies in the university and the seminary, until his return to Michigan, when he became a second time the pastor of the Ypsilanti Baptist Church, and after that again of the Mount Vernon Baptist Church, the same place where he was married in 1852. In the Fall of 1857, he became Principal of the " Oxford Institute," where he remained until the Spring of 1861, when he moved to Fentonville, Genessee county, Michigan, and became pastor, or supply, rather, of the Baptist Church of that place. He then became Principal of the Fenton High School, which position he filled until the close of the Spring term in 1866, when he resigned and became pastor of the Old First Baptist Church, Quincy; Illinois, where he remained until the Fall of 1870, when he became president of what was then known as " The Bap- tist Male and Female College," of Palmyra, Missoari. During his term of teaching in Fentonville, Michigan, for the most part, the subject of our sketch was pastor of the Holly Baptist Church, at Holly, a town on the D. & M. R. R., not far distant from Fenton. Also, while he was in charge of the Institution at Palmyra, Missouri, he was preaching for the Bethel Baptist and the Palmyra Baptist churches. November, 1873, Doctor Taft became pastor of the Macon Baptist Church, Macon, Missouri. While there he received an invitation to visit the Santa Rosa Baptist Church, this county. He resigned his pastorate in Macon and came to Santa Rosa, reaching here the 23d day of July, 1875, and preached his first sermon in California, Sabbath morning, July 25th. On entering the pulpit, his first utterance was significant; it was this: " There is such a thing as the gospel of Jesus Christ, and the one great end of the pulpit is to make it known." And most faithfully did the doctor stand by that text in his relation with the Santa Rosa Church and people, until his brethren called him to the presidency of " California College," a Baptist institution, most unfortunately located at Vacaville, Solano county, this State. He entered upon his duties as President of the College in August, 1877, where he remained until the dose of the Fall term, December, 1878, when the class work of the colleoe was suspended, and the doctor returned to his old charge in Santa Rosa, where he is at this present writing. The doctor is a bold, earnest man, of liberal feelings and sentiment, yet most decided and fixed in his own convictions. He manifestly believes in the gospel of Jesus Christ, for he preaches it and urges it upon the attention of all. In politics he is a Democrat of the State's Rights school, within the limits of the Federal constitution. He does not believe that we are exclusively a nation, nor that we are exclusively a confederation of States, but that we partake of the nature of both. We are both federal and confederate. We are a federate nation — not a nation simply, but a nation of people and States in federation. And this condition of things, he maintains, must be qpheld and continued, or the true genius and nature of the American system of HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CAHFOENIA. 661 government will have been destroyed. In religion he is an enthusiastic Baptist, of the millenarian school. He has a good physique, of Scotch descent; florid complexion ; height, five feet ten inches, and greatest weight two hundred and twenty-five pounds. He is manly, dignified and noble in appearance, and urbane in manners. He has had five children, three sons and two daughters. Two are dead — died in infancy — one, Daton DeGarmo, was born in Oxford, Oakland county, Michigan, April 20, 1860, and died January 2, 1863; the other, Rittie Italia, was born in Fenton, Genesee county> Michigan, July 25, 1861, and died January 1, 1863. Three are living, Her- bert DuFay, born in Webster, Monroe county. New York, November 26, 1853 ; Luie Luella, born in Fenton, Michigan, November 8, 1864, and Anson Curtis, born in Palmyra, Missouri, April 26, 1871. Mrs. V. C. Taft, the mother of these children, was born in Middlebury, Wyoming county, New York, December 23, 1827; a woman of good constitution, most conscientious and devoted. May God bless and keep the family, and long may it live to perpetuate and enoble the family name, honor God, love mankind, and do good in the world. Taft, H. D. Was born in Webster, Monroe county. New York, Novem- ber 26, 1853. To ascertain the different places in which the subject of this sketch has lived up to the time of his arrival in Quincy, Illinois, in 1865, we refer the reader to the biography of his father, S. A. Taft, D. D., directly above. At Webster, New York, and other places he received his primary education, finishing the same at Quincy, Illinois. During his residence in the latter place, he was engaged in the wholesale boot and shoe house of Messrs. Blasland, Coburn & Co., from 1869 to January 1, 1873, when he moved to Hannibal, Missouri, where he was placed in charge of a retail hoot and shoe store during the Summer of 1873, after which he accepted a situation as traveling salesman for a Boston wholesale boot and shoe house, making regular trips through the Western States till the Summer of 1875. when he emigrated to California, settling in Santa Rosa on October 26th of that year. Here he was bookkeeper and salesman for Riley & Farmer till July, 1879, and has since been in the employ of Messrs. Morrison Bros, as salesman in their dry goods store. He married Belle, daughter of Rev. P. K. Dibble, a native of Indiana, on the 19th October, 1875, by whom he has two children: Fancher De Garmo, born August 8, 1876, and Mabel, born November 11, 1878. Talbot, Coleman, We commence the genealogy of the Talbot family with the grand-fathei' of the subject of this sketch, who was christened Sam- uel, and was born in Virginia on March 17, 1756. He married Constantine Ragen, daughter of Nicholas Ragen, a native of Virginia, in 1775. Nicholas Talbot was their only son, and was born November 10, 1776; he married in Bourbon county, Kentucky, on May 19, 1799, Miss Aria Kennedy. She was born May 11, 1781. Her father, John Kennedy, was taken prisoner by the 662 HISTORT OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. British at the battle of Guilford Court-House, in North Carolina, on the 15th of March, 1781, and died soon after from the bad treatment he received on board a British prison ship. The letter he wrote the day before he was sum- moned into the army, is a very interesting one. It contains a fervent spiiit, of patriotism, and a prayer for the success of the Colonies, and, from its gen- eral tone, its author, if the spirits of the departed are permitted to look upon the scenes of this world, must have looked down with pride and exultation upon the sturdy and unflinching patriotism of four of his grand sons, in the late bloody struggle, to maintain what he died to achieve. Sophia, Louis, Courtney, Tabitha, Coleman, Willis, Charles P., Mariah Louisa, Helen, Rufus and Nancy, are the names of the children who comprise the family of Nicholas and Aria Talbot, spoken of above. Mr. Talbot's father, Nicholas, died May 1, 1828, and his mother, Aria, January, 1862. The subject of this memoir, whose portrait appears in this work, is a native of Bourbon county, Kentucky, born July 13, 1809, and there married, April 27, 1830, Drusella daughter of Jesse Bowles; her mother's maiden name, was Cloe Parker. His wife Drusella was born in Bourbon county, Kentucky, May 4, 1812. In 1830 they moved to Adams county, Illinois. During his residence here he enlisted in Captain David Crow's company, and served in the Black Hawk war of 1832. In 1850 he crossed the plains to California, and spent a few months at the mines in Hangtown, Coloma, and Diamond Springs. On April 15, 1851, he came to Sonoma, this county, and made some farm im- provements. The following January he took passage on the steamer " Cali- fornia," to Panama, and from there on the "El Dorado" to New York; and thence proceeded to his birth-place, in Kentucky, visiting for the last time his aged mother. Again, on April 20, 1852, he started across the plains for California, in company with J. M. Bowles, T. H. Tate, M. Britton, and others, and arrived in this county in October. In July, 1853, he settled upon his present estate. Mr. Talbot springs from a family noted for longevity and great power, and family tradition states that remarkable feats of strength performed by a great uncle of his are on record in Fairfax county, Vir- ginia, The following are the names and births of his children: Kennedy Bowles, born May 1, 1831; America Helen, who married Hon. A. P. Over- ton, born March 1, 1833, (deceased); Holman, born May 10, 1835; Courtney, born April 7, 1837; Jesse Nicholas, born August 15, 1840; Aria, born Sep- tember 17, 1842, and married William Ordway of Petaluma, February 22, 1860, and died September 1878; Eliza P., born December 6, 1845; Cloe A., born December 29, 1848; Joseph Martin, born November 6, 1854. Mr. Talbot is one of Sonoma's pioneers, and a more hospitable couple is not to be fonnd than Coleman Talbot and his estimable lady. Coleman Talbot is the author of the following fireside or social play: Some one in the circle speaks a sentence and it passes around, each one criticising, amending or correcting, until some one gets tired, when that one must start something HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNtA. 663 new. If the sentence should pass three times around without change, the last one may change the sentence or subject. Each one has the right to either approve or amend. This play is designed to include geography, his- tory, graminar, mental arithmetic or orthography. The following is a speci- men : Number one says, " A Monk when his rites sacerdotal were o'er." Number two says, " A Monk when his rites sacerdotal were o'er.'' Number three says number two is right; number four says number one is right; number five says the accent shonid be placed upon sacerdotal, etc. This play is called by him Criticism. Temple, Judge Jackson. Whose portrait appears in this work, was born in Franklin county, Massachusetts, August 11, 1827. He removed with his parents to Berkshire county when quite young, .attended the common schools, and there laid the basis of a liberal education, which he completed at Williams College, entering this institution at the age of nineteen years. After graduation, he studied law in the office of Judge Whitehead of Newark, New Jersey. He afterwards taught a Latin and Grammar class in & young men's boarding school in Monmouth county — very wisely employing an interval of time between his collegiate and regular professional course in teaching, an admirable mental discipline. Mr. Temple next attended a law school in New Haven, Connecticut, completing there his professional studies, so far as they were to be acquired from text books and regular instructors. He did not, however, cease to be a student, fully realizing the important fact that he had only laid the foundation for and had not finished his education. In the. Spring of 1853 Mr. Temple determined to seek his fortune in Cali- fornia, then the Mecca of the hopes of so many enterprising and ambitious young men. Some of these adventurers were destined to win favors of fortune, which rival in reality the fabulous transformations wrought by the ■" Slave of the Lamp " for its fortunate owner. More of them, alas ! how many thousands more, were doomed to meet with countless difficulties and disappointments, or to disappear in a whirl of unaccustomed dissipation. To neither of these extreme classes does the subject of this notice belong. Mr. Temple arrived in San Francisco, via the Isthmus of Panama, on the 15th day of April, 1853. In October of that year he went to reside with Ms brother, since deceased, on a farm in Vallejo township. There was at that time but little inducement in the sparsely populated county of Sonoma to engage in the practice of law, and Mr. Temple remained on the farm .about a year. He then moved to the town of Petaluma, and there estab- lished himself as an attorney. The year 1855 marked a new era in the history of Sonoma county. After ■a hot contest the county-seat was removed by a majority vote of the people, 664 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. from the town of Sonoma to Santa Rosa, then only a city of " great expect- ations." Mr. Temple changed his residence from Petaluma to the new county-seat, and formed a co-partnership with the late Judge William Ross, an able, experienced, and successful attorney. Two years later, in 1857, he formed a partnership with Ex-County Judge Charles P. Wilkins, a man of rare genius, to whom forensic debate was a. congenial field, whether he contested with an opponent an intricate question of law, or swayed the minds of men by a masterly command of words- irradiated with brilliant imagery. This partnership continued until 1860. Mr. Temple then practiced his profession with Judge A. Thomas, still an. eminent lawyer in Santa Rosa, continuing this connection until 1867, when he determined to remove to San Francisco. The high reputation of Mr. Temple as a lawyer preceded him to his new home, and he was invited to a partnership with H. H. Haight, then among^ the foremost lawyers at the Bar in San Francisco. Shortly after Mr. Haight was elected Governor of the State of California, which terminated for the time this professional connection, Mr. Temple continuing the business alone until 1870. A vacancy occurred in the Supreme Court during the administration of Governor Haight. The appointment was tendered to Mr. Temple, an appre- ciation of his legal attainments, and his worth as a man, as creditable to the Governor, as it was to his former professional associate. Judge Temple fulfilled the duties of the high position to which he had been assigned with signal ability. His reputation as a jurist is second to none of his predecessors, nor is it surpassed by any of the eminent gentlemen who have succeeded him. On the expiration of his term of office. Judge Temple resumed the practice of law with his former partner, Governor Haight, continuing with that firm until 1875 when, on account of the health of his wife, he returned to, and resumed the practice of law in Santa Rosa. In March, 1876, the Twenty-second Judicial District, composed of the populous and wealthy counties of Sonoma, Mendocino and Marin, was created by act of the Legislature, Judge Temple was appointed by Governor William Irwin, Judge of the new district. He served two years under this^ appointment, and succeeded himself, having been elected at the regular judicial election, without opposition, for a full term of six years. He had served two years of this term, when the new Constitution was adopted. Under its provision the Courts were re-organized, the County, and District Courts were abolished, and Superior Courts created. Judge Temple was nominated for Superior Judge by the Democratic party; the Republicans made no nomination, he was supported without regard to party,, and was elected by the largest majority of any candidate on the county ticket. The question of the adoption or rejection of the new Constitution had HISTORY OF SONOMA' COUNTY, CAilFORNIA. 665 created unexpected, and unprecedented excitement. The fact that the people of all parties supported Judge Temple without regard to their own, or his views on that question, is a high tribute to his ability and integrity. Judge Temple is well read in standard, and current literature. He is partial to the study of Political Economy, and is well versed in that science. His high conception of the standard of thoroughness will in all probability limit his acquired knowledge and original thought on this subject to the circle of his acquaintance, though well worthy of much wider discrimination. As a lawyer, Judge Temple is best known. He has an exact and thoroughly disciplined mind, is quick of apprehension, and goes to the root of a principle of law or question of fact submitted for his determination, with a directness that is very embarrassing to those who have only examined superficially the subject at issue. As a speaker, he is argumentative and logical, relying on a forcible presentation of the strong points of his case rather than oratorical display. He exhau.sts his subject, and concludes without peroration when he has nothing more to say. Judge Temple is a positive man. He has not, nor will he assume that sleek and supple manner which passes with the credulous for good nature. He is sometimes thought to be reserved, but only by those who do not know his true character. He has many friends, because, once made, his sterling worth retains them. Sonoma county is fortunate in having at the head of its judiciary a man who in private life is without spot or blemish; who is learned in the law; incorruptible and fearless in the discharge of his public trusts. It is not too much to say that all these excellent qualities are combined in the subject of this notice, Jackson Temple. Thompson, Thomas Larkin. The subject of this sketch is a native of Kanawha county, Virginia (now West Virginia), having been born there on May 31, 1838. At the early age of twelve years he entered the office of the West Virginian, then published at Charterton, and there attained a fair knowledge of the printing business. He attended the Buffalo Academy, in Putnam county, West Virginia, during the years 1853-54, and in 1855 came to California by the Panama route, arriving in the month of April. On arrival Mr. Thompson worked for a short time at a case on the San Fran- cisco Herald ; he then located in Petaluma, and when but seventeen years old established the Petaluma Journal. In 1856 he sold out the Journal office, returned to San Francisco and resumed work at the case on the Herald. In 1858, without solicitation or influence, was appointed to a clerkship in the San Francisco Postoffice, where he served for two years under the administration of Colonel C. L. Weller, when he resigned to re-engage in the newspaper business. In 1859 he married Miss Marion Satterlee, daughter of William Satterlee, of San Francisco. In April, 1860, he purchased The Sonoma Democrat, and located permanently in Santa 666 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. Rosa. Published the Democrat until 1868, then sold it to Peabody, Ferrall . & Co., and in anticipation of the construction of a railroad from Santa Rosa, to Vallejo, Solano county, moved thither. Published at Vallejo the Solano Democrat and Vallejo Daily Independent, both issued from the same office. In 1871, re-purchased The Sonoma Democrat and established the first steam printing house in the county. In 1873, disposed of all interests at Vallejo and relocated with his family in Santa Rosa. In 1875, in addition to The Sonoma Democrat (weekly), established the Daily Santa Rosa Democrat, which was published as a first-class paper, with Eastern and Coast tele- graphic reports, four years, until August, 1879, when, on account of the general depression prevailing in business circles it was temporarily suspended. Mr. Thompson is at present engaged in publishing The Sonoma Democrat in Santa Rosa, where he resides with his family. No man throughout the length and breadth of Sonoma has done more to forward the interests of the county. When necessary he has never flinched from exposing existing evils; he is just in his dealings, true to his instincts and honest in his convictions. He is a man of great information, genial in his manners, and no better friend or companion exists than Thomas L. Thompson of the Democrat. Tripp, H. L. Born April 9, 1848, in Chester, Warren county. New York, where he received his education, and resided until twenty years of age. He was then employed as clerk in a general merchandising store at The Glen, in same county, for about two j'ears. He then embarked in busi- ness at North . Creek, under the firm name of Hall, Tripp & Co., where he did a lucrative business for eighteen months, when Mr. Tripp sold his inter- est and went to Glenn's Falls and followed clerking until February 1875, when he set out for California, and landed in San Francisco, March 15, 1875. He soon found employment as a clerk in a general merchandising establish- ment, but owing to the push and energy that make the smart business man, he could not content himself with clerking, and soon engaged in business again, this time under the firm name of Palmer & Tripp, where he remained about two years, when he sold his interest to his partner. On June 1, 1878, he came to Santa Rosa and opened a clothing and furnishing store on Fourth street, where he still remains. The subject of this sketch is a young man, whose life has been an eventful one, as he started out in life early, and has battled his way through, and has at last succeeded in gaining for him- self a good reputation and a prosperous business. Underbill, J G. Born in Marshal county, Tennessee, April 11, 1831, where he resided until 1843, when he moved with his parents to Green county, Missouri, where he lived until 1852 when he emigrated to California, crossing the plains with an ox-team, being six months on the road, and locating on his present farm in 1863. Mr. Underbill built the first house ever erected in Rincon valley. This house was constructed for a man*by the name of Armsby Elliott in the Winter of 1852 and 1853, and is now used by HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 667 Mr. Underbill as a barn. He also planted the first orcbard in tbe valley. Has held tbe office of School Trustee for ten years. Married Miss Millie Dunbar August 9, 1855. She was born in Dade county, Missouri, in 1841. WUliam, . born May 29, 1856; Charles, born September 20, 1857; Katie, born Novem- ■ ber 9, 1858; Mary, born March 16, 1860; Sarah, born October 7, 1861; John, born January 16, 1870; Neva, born June 9, 1877; are the names and births of their children. Wall, E T. Farmer, was born in La Fayette county, Missouri, on Jan- uary 8, 1849. In the Spring of 1852, he, with his parents, emigrated to California, first settling in San Jose, Santa Clara county, where they resided till the Fall of 1857, when they moved to Sonoma county, residing till the Fall of 1858 on Russian river, at which time he moved to his present estate , of fifty-one and one-half acres of land. Married October 14, 1867, to Miss Emily Florence, she being a native of Webster county, Missouri, born Sep- tember 5, 1851. By this union they have the following children : Edward E., bom December 21, 1868; Charles W., born May 25, 1870; Minnie, born April 20, 1872; Nora, born April 17, 1874; Walter, born April 20, 1876, and Homer, born February 17, 1879. "Wall, Thomas H. Born in Mecklenburgh county, Virginia, August 10, 1807. In 1825 he moved to North Carolina and remained until 1834, when he took up his abode in La Fayette county, Missouri. In 1852 he crossed the plains to California, first .settling in San Jose valley, Santa Clara county. Here he resided until 1857, when he came to this county. After spending one year on Russian river, he moved on his present farm . Married Sarah Elizabeth Shore, December 25, 1827. She was born in Stokes county. North Carolina, August 1, 1813. By this union they have nine living children : John B., born October 24, 1828; Henry C, September 7, 1830; Mary A., February 3, 1833; Martha J., February 3, 1836; Lucuida E., October 11, 1839; Sarah E., March 14, 1841; Ginsey L., July 11, 1843; William T., November 11, 1846 ; Edwin T., January 8, 1849; two children deceased. Warner, James J. Born in Van Buren county, Iowa, March 4, 1853. His parents emigrated to this State when he was but an infant. They first settled on Russian river, but in the Spring of 1854 he located on his present estate, where his parents resided up to the time of their death. Mr. Warner married Miss Carolma Gruenhagen on May 31, 1876. She was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. They have one child, Lina, born April 28, 1877. Weeks, Parker E. (deceased). Whose portrait appears in this work, was born in China, Kennebec county, Maine, in October, 1823. Here he remained till he was seventeen years of age. His parents then removed to Penobscot county in the same State. In 1848 he engaged in the lumber trade on the St. John's river, which he followed two years, and then came to California. His first business enterprise was farming in Fremont, on the 668 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. Sacramento river. A few year.s later he went to Yuba county near Forbes- town, and once more engaged in lumbering, and at the same time carried on a trading-post. During his residence in that locality he drove cattle from Oregon. In 1858 he settled m Petaluma, Sonoma county, and embarked in the livery business. Here he resided until 1871, when he removed ti> Santa Kosa township. Mr. Weeks was married to Miss Rosetta L. Williams on May 3, 1859. He died June 3, 1877, leaving his wife and one son, Frank P., who was born June 11, 1862. Mr. Weeks was universally respected in the different localities where he resided. Wendt, Frederick. Farmer and stock-raiser. Born in Germany January 12, 1837, where he resided until fourteen years of age, when he emigrated with his parents to America, first settling in New Jerse3^ where they remained till 1860, when the subject of this sketch came to California and settled in this county, where he has since resided, with the exception of one year, 1863, which he spent in Arizona. He married Miss Paulina Lang on January 14, 1864. She was born in Germany September 6, 1838. The following are the names and births of their children: Willie, born October 27, 1865; Amelia, born August 26, 1869; Leonard, born September i; 1870; Pauline, born May 4, 1872; Frederick, born February 1, 1875, died March 2, 1875 ; Catherine, born February 17, 1876. Whitaker, G. W. Whose portrait appears in this work, was born in Indiana July 27, 1 834. When he was but two years old his parents moved to the then Territory of Iowa and settled in what is now Union township. Van Buren county, where Mr. Whitaker received his education. He did not attend any college, only a high school. He claims the honor of being principally a self-educated farmer, having been a constant reader of all agricul- tural works since the Winter of 1853. In the Summer of 1853 he crossed the plains to California in company with an elder brother, W. S. Whitaker, and Mr. Robison. He engaged in mining in El Dorado county for three years, in partnership with his brother and Mr. Robison. He then returned to Iowa, via Panama and New York. While at his old home in Iowa he married Miss Elmira E. Day on October 28, 1856. She was born in Hamilton county, Ohio, on April 13, 1836. They remained in Iowa and engaged in farming till the Spring of 1862. He then crossed the plains with his family to this State, partly for his health and to follow his occupa- tion of farming, and in November, 1866, settled in Bennett valley, Sonoma county, where he has since resided. Duriug his residence in this county he has been identified with many public interests, being one of the foremost to organize the Sonoma County Farmers' Club, which gave the county's agricultural interests such wide circulation, and the first to advocate the grange interest and the advantages of their organization, the first grange in the county being organized at his residence on May 27, 1873. He is a HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 669 firm advocate of public schools and education, and a strict moral and parental training of the young. During the last election he was a candidate for the Lower House of the State Legislature. The names of his children are: Willson K., John B., James P., William H., Kate R., Arthur S., Walter L., Rhoda M., Mark S., and Rosa A. Three were born in Iowa, and four at his present home in Bennett valley. Wood, Ben S. County Recorder and ex-officio County Auditor of Sonoma county; was born in Jackson county, Missouri, October 18, 1847. He emigrated with his father's family to California and settled in Napa City in 1853. In the Spring of 1854 he moved with the family to Petaluma in this county, at which place he continued to reside until 1864, when he was sent to the Pacific Methodist College. He graduated from that institution with the degree of A. B. in the Class of 1869, the degree of A. M. being conferred by the same institution two years later. After spending almost two years in the Coast Range mountains, he was appointed Deputy County Surveyor by his father, John B. Wood, who was then living in Healdsburg, and holding the position of County Surveyor for the fifth term. This appointment he continued to hold, engaged principally in oflice work, until March, 1874, at which time he moved to Santa Rosa, having been elected on the Democratic ticket at the Fall election of the preceding year to the office of County Recorder and ex-o_fficio Auditor. In March, 1876, he was appointed Deputy Sheriff under Joseph Wright, and resigned the same after serving as deputy for nineteen months. He was again elected on the Democratic ticket as Recorder and Auditor at the general election in 1877, which term he is now filling, having been elected for the third time for the term beginning January 1, 1880. Mr. Wood is married, and has two children. SONOMA. Biggins, James. Born in county Cavan, Ireland, in 1825, where he resided until 1844, when he came to America. After spending a few months in Philadelphia, he took up'his abode in Burlington, New Jersey, where he was employed as salesman in a wholesale and retail grocery store until 1851. On May 9th of the above year he sailed from New York on the steamer " Brother Jonathan," to the Isthmus, and from this point he took passage on the steamer " Pacific " to San Francisco, arriving August 1st. Was engaged 670 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. in running an express wagon in San Francisco until November 1st, when he came to Sonoma, having been brought hither through the influence of Haven and Smith, to transact business for them on their ranch in this county. After taking charge of their affairs one year, he purchased their interest, and then formed a partnership with John A. Hill. In 1854 they bought of General Vallejothe ranch now known as the Lawler ranch, which they sold to Lawler in 1857, when they dissolved partnership. The subject of this sketch was then engaged in a milk ranch, in San Francisco county, until 1861, when he returned to this county, and engaged in stock-raising until 1864, when he purchased his present estate of three hundred acres of B. B. Munday. He also owns some property in the city of Petaluma, and a tract of land known as the Fowler ranch, and purchased from W. D. Bliss a part of his Sonoma valley ranch in 1878. In 1876 he visited the Centennial Exposition and his sisters and friends in the city of Philadelphia, and the scenes of his youthful days at Burlington, New Jersey, the Gazette of that city noticing his arrival in the following complimentary manner : " James Biggins, who resided in Burlington twenty-five years ago, arrived here this week from California, whither he went in 1851 to seek his fortune. This is his first visit to the scenes of his boyhood since he went west. He lives near San Francisco, and owns about six hundred acres of land. He gives an interest- ing and fiattering account of the resources and productiveness of California, and says men who are skilled in their trade or profession can always find employment for their talents, while the true inwardness of those who profess to be what they are not is soon discovered." Mr. Biggins returned home in December following. He has held the office of School Trustee for six years. Married Miss Annie Brady, April 18, 1860, in San Francisco, and has had five children, two of whom, a girl and a boy, are dead. Mary A., born January 13, 1861; Maggie T., born December 11, 1863; and Annie L., bom August 10, 1864, are the names and dates of birth of their three living children. Burris, David. The subject of this memoir, whose portrait appears in this work, was born in Old Franklin, Cooper county, Missouri, January 6, 1824. When only one year old, his parents moved to Jackson county; thence, in 1831, to Cass county, and in 1842 settled in Johnson county, and during their residence in the two latter counties, the subject of this sketch received his education in the common schools. In the latter part of the Sum- mer of 1846, during the Mexican war, Mr. Burris was engaged in hauling provisions to Mexico, from Fort Leavenworth, for the United States army. He arrived at Santa Fe in October, and after remaining there about two weeks, left in company with one hundred and fifteen men, to return to Fort Leavenworth. Before they left the Spanish settlements, a number of his comrades were taken sick, and it was necessary to select from the ranks, men to remain with those who were ill and see to their wants; the balance HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 671 of the company proceeding on their way. They were next afflicted with the measles, and upon their arrival at a town called Picketwirey, a man by the name of Joseph Read, was taken with the disease and died, and at Bent's Fort, Arkansas, they left several more men, worn out with fatigue and cold, a number of whom died. A few days after leaving their comrades, they encountered a heavy snow storm, which impeded their progress very much. They started with provisions enough to last them, provided they traveled every day, but as they were snowed in, they were reduced to about one- quarter rations — except they had plenty of buffalo meat, but were without that even for six or eight days. Learning of a wagon load of pork, that had been cast away some twenty-five miles distant, a number of the party hastened on at break of day the next morning, making the distance and gaining the much coveted prize, late in the evening. No sooner had they arrived than a tremendous storm from the north arose, and to add to their misfortune and misery, there was no fuel nearer than seven miles. They were then informed that the teams, which were left in the rear, were ten miles back, and had been turned loose upon the snow by their disheartened teamsters to perish. The company then divided, one-half going back to the wagons. Night had now thrown her sable mantle over the earth, and soon all was darkness. The subject of this sketch was one of the party who started out, facing the merciless storm in search of wood, with great diffi- culty, for he was weak from hunger and long suffering. Two men rode with all the possible speed of their animals in advance of the company, in order to build a fire for their approaching comrades. By this time Mr. Burris, who was sorely afflicted with rheumatism, and his three comrades, were far in the rear. Breaking open a barrel of pork and helping themselves to the "rare" dish, they pressed onward. Soon all traces of the trail were obliterated by the drifting snow. At last they saw a fire, which they supposed was a camp of hostile Indians, for it seemed to be in quite a different direction from where they expected to find the party who preceded them. Knowing that they could not possibly survive the storm, they determined to push on in the direction of the camp-fire and leave their fate to the supposed hostiles. Upon their arrival, however, they were surprised to find that it was their own company, and there was much joy on their arrival, as it was feared they were lost. The wind blew from the north a perfect hurricane, and in order to get the benefit of the fire, and prevent being frosen to death, it was necessary to stand or lie on the opposite side of the welcome fire, which rendered it extremely obnoxious on account of the smoke and ashes above and the snow and water beneath. About midnight some of the party became stupid and lay down in the mud and water, while the smoke passed over thern ; the only resort to keep from freezing. Mr. Burris and two other men had each an ax which they kept in constant use all night— chopping wood by guess, as it was very dark. The 672 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. next evening the wagons arrived on the Paw^nee Fork in Arkansas, about three miles from camp. When they approached the wagons it was dark; they were very much delayed, as they only had one shovel with which to clear the snow away for six camps — and it was about midnight before they got their supper. Soon after, all of their teams died from cold and hunger, and the men were turned out on foot, almost destitute of rations and three hundred miles from the nearest settlement. The express train conveyed the news relating to their condition, and wagons and provisions were immediately forwarded. They were met at Council Grove, and returned home last of February, 1847. Mr. McGuire, a resident of this county, was captain of the company. To enter into the intricate details of the hardships that were endured by Mr. Burris and party, would be too voluminous to relate. In May, 1849, the Pleasant Hill company was formed to emigrate to California, Mr. Burris and his eldest brother being members of the company, crossed the plains on what was then known as Lawson's route. After leaving the Humboldt Sink, they traveled seventy miles over a sage-brush desert with- out water, losing many of their cattle, and the party suffering very much from thirst and hardship, which few can realize Unless having passed through a like experience. The party reached Lawson's rancho on or about October 12th of that year, remaining there one week, when the subject of our sketch and his brother went to Bidwell's Bar, on FeaDner river, engaging ia mining. The Winter of ] 849 was an unusually rainy one, and Mr. Burris, having no tools with which to build a house, was compelled to live in a tent, which was a meagre protection from the cold and- storms. Notwithstanding the inclemency of the weather, and the hardships which perforce of circum- stances he was compelled to undergo, Mr. Burris was not idle, but engaged in mining. Provisions of every kind were dear ; beef and flour one dollar and a half per pound, and other kinds of provisions in proportion. Wages were sixteen dollars per day. In the Fall of 1850 he > changed his residence to Huncut diggings, Plumas county, California, where he met with fair suc- cess in his search after the shining metal. From here he moved to this county in the Fall of 1851, settling in Sonoma valley, thence to the red- woods, where he was employed till December 20, 1852, when he returned to Missouri, via Panama, and engaged in farming and trading in stock. Again in the Spring of 1856 we find him on his way to the Pacific slope, once more crossing the plains, and bringing with him a herd of cattle. On their arrival at Humboldt creek, near the gravel ford, they were attacked by sixteen well- armed and well-mounted Indians, who attempted to dash in between the camp and the horses and cattle, but Mr. Burris was too quick for them, and followed by one of his men dashed between the Indians and the herd. One Indian fired, missing Mr. Burris, but shooting his comrade's mule, when he made a hasty retreat to camp. The Indians charged Mr. Burris, but when they would come within range he would present his weapon and they ^, ^ , J^a^ ^ HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 673 -would throw themselves on the side of their horses and retreat out of gun- shot ; thus he kept them off till he was reinforced by his company. In the meantime two Indians dashed up to within one hundred and fifty yards and ■one of them fired into camp, shooting two boys at one shot, William Hopper .and Harvey Pleasants. The wounds were not serious and both recovered. Our emigrants proceeded o* their way. On his arrival in this State in the Winter of 1856-7, the subject of this sketch settled in Napa county, but moved in the Fall of 1857 with his stock to King's river, Tulare county, California. This river has its rise in the Sierra Nevada mountains, and ■empties into Tulare lake, running through a valley from forty to seventy- five miles wide, which at that time was occupied by wild horses and ante- lope, with plenty of elk and bear about the lake. His comrades consisted of A. Young, wife and little brother, and five families, scattered from one to twelve miles apart. Here he commenced raising and trading in cattle till the Spring of 1869, when he once more came to Sonoma valley, this county^ :settling on his present farm, and is now one of the great land owners of the county, besides being largely interested in banking. He was one of the founders of the Santa Rosa Bank, and is now President of the Sonoma Val- ley Bank. Hewas married in Sacramento City, California, on October 19, 1860, to Miss Julia Ann Wilburne. She was born in Buchanan county, Missouri, June 24, 1841. The following are the names and births of their children: Mary F., born October 19, 1861; Walter S., born Decembers, 1862; Joshua S., born September 1, 1865; Edward E., born October :26; 1867; Alice, February 14, 1870; Henry C, July 4, 1872; Laura B., October 11, 1874; M. F., November 16, 1876; Eudora, May 15, 1879. Burris, William. Bom in Boonville, Cooper county, Missouri, March '29, 1820; when about three years of age he, with his parents, moved to Independence, Jackson county, Missouri, where he resided until about twenty- three years of age. In 1843, the subject of this sketch took up his residence in Van Buren county, Iowa, where he remained until the Fall of 1849. In May 1850, he in company with his father-in-law. Colonel Davisson, started •across the plains for California, but after some delaj' on the road they pro- ceeded on their journey, arriving in Sonoma in November. Here he remained until they erected a dwelling on the ranch where he now resides, into which he moved on or about Christmas, 1851. Married Elizabeth Davisson, March 28, 1843. She was born February 27, 1826. Nancy Ann, born May 30, 1844, and died October 2, 1845; Martha M, born Jnly 19, 1847, and died April 1, 1860; Jesse D, born January 19, 1850; William L, born April 14, 1852; Elizabeth Ellen, born May 11, 1854, and died May 19, 1854; Daniel, born April 30, 1855; are the names and births of their children. Carriger, Nicholas. Whose portrait appears in this work, is one of the patriarchs of Sonoma valley, and was born in Carter county, Tennessee, 43 674 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOENIA. March 30, 1816, where he remained, attending school and working in a flour mill and distillery, until he reached the age of nineteen years, when h& volunteered into the First Regiment of Tennessee Mounted Volunteers,. Captain J. Powell's company, being mustered into service by General John E. Wood, of the United States army, at Athens, Tennessee. This was on June 26, 1835, receiving an honorable discharge"* therefrom one year after. He then went into the iron manufacturing business on his father's property in his native county, where he continued until November, 1840, then emigrating to Warren county, Missouri, where he engaged in the stemming of tobacco and other affairs. He then moved to Jackson county, Missouri, and remained in employment there for one year, when he transferred his- field to Buchanan, and then to Holt and Andrew counties, finally settling at Round Prairie, where he took up a quarter-section of land, fenced it, entered into the cultivation of hemp, tobacco and cereals, and there remained until 1846, when he once more was on the move. On April 27th of the above year the subject of this sketch started from Round Prairie for California, and was joined at Oregon City, Holt county, by Captain Grieg, their number being further augmented on the journey bj- the addition of Major Cooper, the Indian agent at Council Bluffs. This is the same Major Cooper who is now a resident of Colusa county, and was Judge of the Court of First Instance for the district of Sonoma in 1848, a gentleman well known in Solano county. With Mr. Carriger were his parents; only his mother, however, survived the voyage, his father having died when crossing the Sierra Nevadas. We make the following extract from a diary kept in the family during their journey: "21st September, 1846. — We struck the mountains. Distressing bad road; eight miles to the high California, mountains, and got eight wagons up. 22d. — Made a roller and fastened chains together and pulled the wagons, with thirty -two yoke of oxen at the bottom and twenty-five at the top. 23d. — Hauling wagons. 24th. — Traveled eight miles to the lake; distressing bad road. 2.5th. — Laid by. 26th. — ^Christian Carriger died, the father of the subject of this sketch. On the same day, Joseph W^ardlow's wife died. On the same day, Mr. N. Carriger's daughter Catherine was born." Such is the sad story of endur- ance and suffering told in honest and simple words, that appeal to sympathy far more forcibly than if clothed in the moat affecting imagery. The first place at which this emigrant band arrived in California was Johnson's Ranch on Bear river, the stream being ferried at the spot now known as Fremont, situated at the mouth of the Feather river. Their place of desti- nation was Sonoma, and the route lay by William Gordon's, now in Yolo county, John R. Wolfskill's on Putah creek, Solano's Rancherie at Rockville, George Yount's in Napa, where they halted a few days, and thence by Spanish trail into the valley of their hopes or fears. At the time of Mr. Carriger's arrival, all the young and able bodied men had joined Fremont;^ HISTOEY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOENIA. 675 indeed, on the route it was no uncommon event for the younger male emigrants to flock to the standard of the Pathfinder. On his arrival, there- fore, he was not to be behindhand, and as all available soldiers had been dispatched to join the gallant colonel and his California battalion, our new- comer entered the ranks of the navy, a company of which were then quartered at Sonoma under Lieutenant Revere. Mr. Carriger served in this branch of the service under Lieutenant Maury, who succeeded Revere, and after being with them for some months, finally got his honorable discharge from Captain John B. Hull, United States navy, in March, 1847. It should be mentioned that, during his term of service, Mr. Carriger, in the ordinary routine of duty, carried the mail on horseback between Sonoma and San Rafael, and was also present on duty when the stones placed at the boun- daries of the city of Benicia were put into position by Doctor Robert Semple. In 1848, when the whole world was set wild with the news of the discovery of gold in California, Mr. Carriger was one of the first to leave for the mines to try his luck. He started in company with Joseph Wardlow, Elias Graham, Henry Thornton and others, for Mormon Island, and there found certain Mormons before them, who claimed all the land and the right to mine there, by priority of residence. The difficulty was, however, soon overcome by their being allowed to prosecute their work beyond a certain limit, and there, having been successful, they con- structed a skin boat, and crossing the stream proceeded to the south fork of the American river, staying there eleven days, when intelli- gence was received that the Spaniards and Indians had broken out into open rebellion in Sonoma; he therefore at once repaired thither, to look after his family, and was the first to return from the mines with dust to that city or valley. In this year Mr. Carriger removed his family to Coloma, where the precious metal was first discovered, but he only kept them there for six weeks. He was the lucky discoverer of the Northern Kelsej' and Auburn mines, and was, with his associates, the first to find gold in the Auburn district. We next find our hero prospecting on Sutter creek, but they soon had to leave the vicinity on account of Indians, who had become troublesome, they therefore proceeded high up the middle fork of the American river, where they came across very rich diggings, three men in one day taking out as much as fifteen pounds weight of gold. A serious acci- dent now necessitated his leaving the mines, when he returned to Sonoma. In March, 1849, taking several Sonoma Indians with him, he returned to the mines at Auburn, and met those aboriginals who were implicated in the death of Mr. Hollingsworth and a preacher in Oregon, they at once gave chase, and not one escaped. When caught they were tried, found guilty and hanged to a limb close by on Bear river. At Auburn Mr. Carriger was fairly successful. He next went to Bear river and pursued his mining at Steep Hollow, and ultimately returned to Sonoma in 1849. In 1850 he took a 676 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. drove of cattle to Trinity county, the party being composed of Mr. Carriger, his two brothers, Solomon and Caleb, and Dr. Storer, with eleven Indians; remained there until June, when he came back to Sonoma, and has since resided on his ranch, about three miles to the west of the town. Much of Mr. Carriger's reminiscences are a portion of the county history, these therefore will be found in that part of this work. A. more genial friend, hospitable host, or upright man does not exist than Nick Carriger. He married, Sep- tember 29, 1845i, in Andrew county, Missouri, Mary Ann Wardlow, a native of Highland county, Ohio, by whom he has Elizabeth Jane, born July 28, 1843, married to Otto Schetter, of Sonoma; Louisa, born January 22, 1845, married to L. L. Lewis, of Sacramento; David W., born December 20, 1847; Albert Boggs, born February 13, 18.50; Louisa L., born January 23, 1852, married to M. Powell of Mark West; Eva N., born March 13, 1854, married to C. A. Tufts, of Sacramento; William W., born August 25, 1857; Emma, bom July 8, 1858, married John Carriger, of Kansas ; Solomon H., born May 11, 1862; and two deceased, Sarah Catherine, born in the Sierra Nevadas, September 26, 1846, died December of the same year, and John, born February 11, 1856, died September 5, 1857. Craig, 0, W. Born in Rumney, Grafton county, New Hampshire, April 3, 1809, where he resided until sixteen years of age. He spent several years in traveling through the Middle States, and on July 6, 1849, brought up in San Francisco. He immediately proceeded to the mines in Placer county, where he remained for two years. In 1851, came to Sonoma and settled upon his present farm of three hundred acres, where he has since resided. Manufactures from twenty thousand to thirty thousand gallons of wine, and from two thousand to six thousand gallons of brandy, annually. Married Sophia T. Clark, February 14, 1849; she was born at Rockport, Massachu- setts, October 8, 1820. Cutter, Captain E. P. A native of Boston, Massachusetts, born Sep- tember 16, 1835. When quite young his parents moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he received his primary education, and fitted for Har- ford College. In 1851 he went to sea, his first trip being to AustraUa on board the " Sea Bird." Became master of a vessel in 1856, which plied between Australia and New Zealand, which he commanded for two years, when he returned to his home in Cambridge, after which time he made foreign voyages until 1863, when he came to California. He was next engaged as Freight Agent for the Oakland and San Francisco Railroad for a period of nine months, after which he was employed by an oil firm in San Francisco for a few months. He then came to Sonoma valley and com- menced farming and fruit growing, which business he continued until March 30, 1871, when he was chosen superintendent of the Buena "Vista Winery, which position he now holds. Married Mary C. Morton, April 16, 1865, she HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 677 being a native of Boston. Ephraim M., born August 1, 1866, and Charles S., born August 1, 1873, are the names and births of their children. Domeniconi, A. Was born in Switzerland, September 8, 1841. He came to America at the age of eighteen years, and afterwards to San Fran- cisco, where he was employed until 1863. From there he proceeded to Vir- ginia City, Nevada, and returning purchased a ranch in Napa valley. At the end of three years he went back to San Francisco, and came to this county May 21, 1874, and purchased the winery and distillery he now con- ducts. Married March 3, 1877, Amelia Gazzolo, and has one child, Severino, born May 9, 1878. Haubert, Jacob. "Was bom in Germany October 20, 1831. Came to America in 1848, first settling in New York City, wheie he sojourned for a few months, when he went to Brooklyn, and in the Fall of 1851 came to California via Panama, arriving in San Francisco November 10, 1851, where he began the bakery business which he followed until 1858, when he moved upon his present estate of two hundred and sixty acres. Married Miss Mary Gerstung on January 3, 1854. She was born in Germany January 3, 1828. Henrietta, born September 26, 1855; Mary, born May 2, 1857; August, born August 2, 1858; Emma, born September 23, 1861, are the names and births of their children. Hooper, George F. The subject of this memoir, whose portrait appears in this work, was born at Old Point Comfort, Virginia, on August 12, 1826. Served in the Mexican war of 1846, and was with Colonel Doniphan when he effected his famous march. At the close of that expedition he was appointed a Lieutenant in the Fifteenth United States Infantry, with which regiment he served till the close of hostilities, when he was appointed a sub- assistant surveyor in running the boundaiy line in accordance with the terms of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, between the territory of the United States and Mexico. In 1852 he established the first trading post in Fort Yuma in the south-east corner of the State, and there started the house of George F. Hooper & Co., which he continued until 1860 when he removed to San Francisco. In 1867 Colonel Hooper retired from business and visited the Eastern States, came back after a short stay, and on the establishment of the First National Gold Bank in San Francisco was elected to the presidency, a post he resigned in 1876, on coming to reside on his remarkably beautiful ranch in Sonoma valley, wher'e he has since lived and taken a prominent share in the introduction of choice vines and rare fruits, all of which sur- round a noble mansion of great beauty, the verandahs of which command a prospect of wonderful splendor. Colonel Hooper married Frances Mary, daughter of the Honorable William Halstead, of Trenton, New Jersey, who died on February 17, 1879. 678 HISTORY OF SONOaiA COUNTY, CALIFOENIA. Johnson, Orrick. Bom in Baltimore county, Maryland, on January 18, 1823. Resided in the city till 1831, when he left for Zanesville, Ohio. Re- turned to Baltimore in 1833, and in 1837 went to Princess Anne, Somerset county, Maryland, returning to B.altimore in 1844; was clerk for Sangster & Co. till 1849. On January 19, 1849, left Baltimore on the ship "Jane Parker," via Cape Horn, arriving in San Francisco July 21st of that year. He was a member of the Howard Mining Company, and on their arrival in San Francisco they abandoned the idea of mining, and the company dis-. banded. Mr. Johnson, however, remained in the city, and began teaming, which he carried on extensively till the winter of 1849-50. The prices they received for hauling goods were enormous, receiving as high as ten dollars for hauling one package of London Porter a distance of one block. In the Winter of 1849-50 he embarked in the restaurant business, keeping the Globe Restaurant, where he continued until the May fire of 1850, when his property was burned. But he immediately rebuilt and rented the same for seven hundred dollars per month, but his property was again destroyed by fire in the January following, and he again rebuilt and rented for six hun- dred dollars per month. In a short time his property was for the third time destroyed by fire. In 1851 he was nominated by the Whig party for Street Commissioner and was elected by two hundred and sixty-three majority, but counted out by T. McGuire, E. McGowan and Cyrus Shay, and Dennis McCarthy declared elected. In 1850 he engaged in the Livery business in San Francisco on the north-west corner of Kearny and Pine streets, which he continued until 1860 ; he then moved to Kearny and Summer streets. October 1st he opened the Pioneer Riding Academy on Montgomery, between Jackson and Pacific streets, which he kept two years, giving riding lessons to three hundred and twenty scholars, and also doing an extensive livery business. In 1862 he made a business tour to Virginia City, and was induced to return to San Francisco and dispose of his single teams at auction. In August, 1863, with his family and stock went to Virginia City, and there erected a livery stable at a cost of seven thousand dollars. Being in poor health, he in a short time removed to San Jose, where he resided for four years, when he returned to San Francisco and engaged in the stock brokerage business, which he followed till 1868. In April, 1869, he com- menced the auction and commission business on Market street, opposite the Market and near Second street. Sold out September 1st of the same year. July, 1879, purchased his present home in Sonoma county, where he and his family now reside. Mr. Johnson married Miss Mary Alice Miller on Decem- ber 31, 1856, she being born in New Orleans, Louisiana, July 10, 1849, by which union there are nine living children : Orrick, born October 19, 1857; Henry Clay, April 19, 1861, and now Assistant Librarian of the Indepen- dent Order of Odd Fellows in San Francisco ; Alice L., February 9, 1863; Lucian Herman, April 28, 1864; Grace A., June 7, 1866 ; Claude 0., April HISTOBY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOENIA. 679 20, 1869 ; Leonide B., May 15, 1872 ; Stella C, July 8, 1876, and Zelma, June 3, 1879. Justi, Charles. Was born in Saxony, Germany, on September 1, 1806, and was educated in the German language. Here, too, he served an appren- ticeship for nine years to the machinist's trade. In 1835, he emigrated to the United States, first settling in New York, where he resided until 1837, and then moved to Charleston, South Carolina, engaging in the watch-maker's •trade till 1849, thence, via Cape Horn, to California, arriving in San Fran- cisco November 7th of that 5'ear. Here he at once proceeded to manufacture watches, continuing in this business until 1853, when he bought the steamer " Georgia," running her between the points of San Francisco and the Embar- cadero in Sonoma township. After engaging in this business till 1854, he sold out and came to this township, settling on his present farm at Glen Ellen, and was appointed Post Master for that place in 1872, and is the present incumbent. Married Mary Meyer in Charleston, South Carolina, on September 2, 1846. She was born in Bavaria, Germany, January 27, 1826. Charles, born July 14, 1847; August, born May 4, 1849; Hulda, born Feb- ruary 9, 1855; Hannah, born November 4, 1859; Tillie, born March 20, 1861; Leopold, born October 21, 1865; and Freddie, born July 19, 1867, are their living children. Lost four — -Alinda, Otto, May and Laura. Leiding, C. F, A native of Bremen, Germany, born May 28, 1824, where he received his education and resided until 1850, when he sailed around Cape Horn to California, arriving in San Francisco in 1851. He came to Sonoma in May of* the above year, and was engaged in raising vege- tables for a few years. In 1858 he began merchandising in Sonoma city, which he continued until 1872, when he visited his native country, returning in 1873. In 1875 he moved upon his present estate, of forty-two acres, adapted to fruit growing. Married Miss Minnie Mondigel, November 29, 1859, she being a native of Germany. Mayer, Lewia W. Was born in Wurtemberg, Germany, August 18, 1823. His father was a weaver by trade, but followed manufacturing wine, grape-growing and farming. Lewis W. Mayer emigrated to America in 1840, arriving in Philadelphia on July 4th of that year, where he found employ- ment in a weaving establishment, until the Mexican war broke out, when he enlisted, in Philadelphia, for the regular army, being one of the company of artillery, commanded by Captain Tompkins, which were then attached successively to the corps of Generals Sherman, Ord and Halleck. July 12, 1846, he embarked in the "Lexington" for California, via Cape Horn; landed at Monterey on January 28th of the following year, and was there quartered until the close of the Mexican war. In 1849 he proceeded to the mines, and in 1850 visited his home in Philadelphia, shortly after coming back to California. In 1852 he once more returned to Philadelphia, and on 680 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 29th of May, married Johanna S. Etzel, a native of that city, who wa» born July 31, 1833. He here pursued mercantile affairs for some time, but finding that the climate of California was more suited to his health, accom- panied by his wife, he once more proceeded to that State, and on arrival located in El Dorado county, there combining mercantile pursuits with mining and grape-growing. In 1864 he transferred his location to Sonoma county, and, after acting as superintendent of vineyards and wine-makingr for five years, in 1871 settled on his present property, being now engaged in the culture of vines and the making of wine. Mr. Mayer is a member of the California Pioneer Association. His children are: Frederick D., born March 3, 1853; Rosina H., March 16, 1857; Corinna A., March 12, 1860; William J., August 31, 1862 (died the same day); Theresa S., Decem- ber, 6, 1869 ; Lewis B., February 29. 1872, and Bertha Cornelia, July 27, 1874. Morse, E. E. Was bom in Hanover, Grafton county. New Hampshire,. August 17, 1823. Here he was educated' and resided until 1844, and then removed to Boston, Massachusetts, where he was engaged in the common avocations of life, until the year 1849. On November 22d of that year, h& sailed from Boston, on the brig " Kate Heath," for California, arriving in San Francisco May 1, 1850. He immediately proceeded to the mines in Cala- veras county, remaining eleven months, and returned to San Francisco and began teaming, pursuing the same until 1871, then moved to Sonoma town- ship, this county, settling on his present farm, where he has since resided. Mr. Morse married Sarah M. Wiederhold, in the Island of Nantucket, on June 20, 1855. She was born on that Island, September 14, 1834. Their children are: Emma L., born February 24, 1856, and Nellie A., born May 23, 1868. Pauli, G. T. The subject of this, sketch whose portrait appears in this work, was born in Australia, August 18, 1827, but moved with his parents to Hamburg, Germany, when quite young, and there received his education. At the age of twenty-one he proceeded to Rio de Janeiro, but, on hearing of the discovery of gold in California, he transferred his location to Valpa- raiso, there to await a confirmation of the intelligence. In January 1849, he left that city for the land of gold, and arrived during the last days of May of that year in San Francisco. His first employment was as clerk for Lewis. Adler, in Sonoma. In November 1849, he left that position and established a business of his own there, in partnership with Francis Schultze, which was continued until 1852, having branch stores in Napa and Santa Barbara, with an office in San Francisco. In December of that year Mr. Pauli became the sole proprietor of the Sonoma establishment, which he managed until the Summer of 1855, when, • disposing of his interest to L. Kamp, he com- menced a wholesale grosery business in San Francisco, having associated with Mr. Janssen; this firm was dissolved in 1857. After residing on his farm in. HISTOET OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 681 Sonoma valley for a space, in 1858 he re-opened a store in the town of Sonoma, which he still continues. In 1869 he was elected by the Demo- crats to the office of County Treasurer for two years. In 1871 he was re-elected by the same party; in 1873 he accepted the same nomination, and was the only one elected on the tax-payers' Ticket; in 1875 he was defeated for the same office on the Independent ticket, and in 1879 received the nom- ination on the Democratic ticket for the State Treasurership, which he declined on account of failing health. He is still a resident of the town of Sonoma, though in 1876 he moved his residence to Santa Rosa while hold- ing office. Mr. Pauli married, January 14, 1852, Eliza Silva, a native of Chili, who died March 17, 1872, by whom there was a family of six children, three of whom are now alive. Schetter, Otto. Born in Baltimore, Maryland, December 27, 1832. After receiving his education he remained on his father's farm till the death of both his parents in 1851. Emigrated to California in December 1852. Arrived in San Francisco about the 1st of February, 1853, and spent a few months mining near Grass Valley. Came to Sonoma in July, 1853, and has resided there at intervals ever since. In the Spring of 1854 he went into the hay and grain business in San Francisco, having considerable trade with Sonoma. In 1857 he returned to Sonoma and engaged in sheep-raising. In 1861 he returned to San Francisco and engaged in a general commission and grain business, and with the exception of a three years' absence, princi- pally in Alpine county, California, he continued in that business until 1870, being the fir.st of the firm of Schetter & Pearse, and afterward of the firm of Schetter & Piquet. In 1870 he returned to Sonoma, and the same year engaged in farming and sheep-raising in Berryesa valley. Napa county, return- ing to Sonoma in 1874. In 1877 he was appointed United States Internal Revenue Store-keeper, at Sonoma, which position he resigned in June 1879. In 1878 he was appointed by the Legislature one of three commissioners for the Pueblo of Sonoma, to settle its afiairs and procure a patent for its lands, which office he now holds. He is at present and has for some years been engaged in the livery stable and staging business in Sonoma, the firm being Schetter & Carriger. He was married in Sonoma, April 11, 1860, to Eliza- beth J., daughter of N. Carriger of that place; they had nine children: Mary J., Rosina E., Nicholas H., Delia, Cynthia L., Ada, May, David T., and Francis E.; lost one, Nicholas H., died in May 1870. Sears, Franklin. Bom in Orange county, Missouri, June 28, 1817, At the age of ten years with his parents he moved to Saline county, where they resided until June 10, 1844, when he emigrated across the plains and settled in Oregon. In 1845 he proceeded to California, and in 1846 came to this county, where he has resided almost continuously ever since. His farm comprises seven hundred and forty acres in the Sonoma valley, and is under good cultivation. Mr. Sears, like all old pioneers, has been engaged in many 682 HISTOEY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. occupations, but has made farming his principal business. He has been prominently identified with all the interests of the county, and is always ready and willing to do anything that will tend to advance the interests of the county of his choice. Married Miss Margaret Swift July, 1851. Rachel J., widow of J. R. Snyder, and Granville C. P. are the names of his living children. Shattuck, David Olcott. Whose portrait appears in this work, is a native of Colchester, New London county, Connecticut, born March 21, 1800. Here he received a common school education. In 1820 he proceeded to South Carolina, where he found employment for a short time on the canal above Columbia. After drifting about for some time, he found his way into North Carolina and in the Spring of 1821 he taught one term of school in Mecklenburg county, when he proceeded to Chatham county and there engaged in school teaching until 1823, and while here he was licensed to preach in the Methodist Episcopal church. He then returned to the place of his birth and taught school one term. During this time his name had been proposed to the Virginia Conference and accepted, and he was appointed to the Hanover Circuit in Virginia, which position he held three years. He married in Wake county, North Carolina, on May 7, 1827, Miss Elizabeth Ann Saunders, at which time he was engaged in teaehiug school in Johnson county. Late in the year he moved to Duplin county, North Carolina, and followed his former occupation until 1829. In December of this year he emigrated to Haywood county, in the Western District of Tennessee. Here he was admitted to the Bar and practiced his profession in Brownsville for four years. In 1833 he took up his residence in Carrolton, Carroll county, Mis- sissippi, where he practiced law until 1837, when he was elected District Judge of the Seventh Judicial District. In 1841, while still officiating as Judge, he was nominated by the Whig party for Governor. The all- important question was at that time " Shall the State pay its bonds ? " The Whig party said yes in decided terms, while the Democracy said no empha- tically. The Democrats were successful, however, and elected their man, Mr. Shattuck being defeated by only two thousand votes in the State. He then resumed the practice of law until 1843, when he was 'elected Professor of law in the Centennary College at Brandon, Rankin county, Mississippi. After holding this position for one and one-half years, the Trustees found it necessary to remove the president, which they did, and elected Mr. Shattuck to fill the chair made vacant by the former president. On account of finan- cial difficulties and a poor title, the college had to be abandoned. Soon after they purchased at auction the Louisiana State college buildings, which were afterwards known as the Centennary College of Louisiana. He resigned the position of president in 1849. Under his management the college was in a flourishing condition, and was entirely freed from debt, with two hundred students in attendance. Soon after his resignation, he took passage on a HISTOEY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOENIA. 683 schooner to Panama and from there on a sailing vessel to San Francisco, arriving in April, 1850. He immediately began practicing law in San Francisco, and in the Fall of 1850 was elected Judge of the Superior Court. At this time the business of the court was managed by three Judges, and Mr. Shattuck, believing this a useless expense, as one Judge could do all the its business, accordingly, in 1852, petitioned the Legislature that the same should be remodeled and one Judge perform the whole duty, which was accomplished, and he therefore resigned the Judgeship and practiced law. In 1854 he was elected Judge of the Superior Court, as remodeled, and discharged the duties of that office until 1857, when the act establishing said court was repealed upon Mr. Shattuck's petition. He again resumed his profession. In 1861 he was defeated on the Democratic ticket for Con- gress. In 1862 he came to this county and settled upon his estate in Sonoma valley (purchasing it in 1850), where he has since resided, with the exception of three years he spent in Mexico. Returning in 1867, he retired from business and political life. His wife, who died July 9, 1875, was born in Wake county. North Carolina, January 6, 1804. As is seen by the fore- going, Mr. Shattuck has lead a very active life, is an ornament to society and possesses those traits of character that are elevating and ennobling. He is now nearly eighty years of age, but remarkably well preserved. Mr. Shattuck claims the credit of never having sought a nomination for any office, from any Convention. That while in office he never received a gift from any person, "to blind his eyes withal," and that he has performed the duties of every office held by him with conscientious assiduity and fidelity. He reflects with pleasure upon the four months' campaign he made in 1841 in Mississippi against the repudiation of her debts, and justice and truth require him to say that while by the popular vote of that State a majority of two thousand were in favor of repudiation, yet the repudiation in the main was voted by those who had nothing to pay — all of the wealthy counties gave a majority for payment. Mr. Shattuck looks also with satis- faction to the conservative course taken by him in the various mobish excite- ments and Vigilance Committees of San Francisco ; in saving Barden from violent death; in preventing a colUsion of forces in 1856, and in pouring oil upon the troubled waters generally to the extent of his powers. He looks with sadness upon his many errors, but they have taught him to view with charity the shortcomings of others. Their children are: Fiank W., born February 14, 1828; Dickson P., bom November 2, 1829; David 0., born September 17, 1831; John S., born October 1, 1833; Mary E., born August 17, 1835; James W., born October 15, 1837; Jane T., born December 27, 1839; Albert, born November 17, 1841; Elizabejth S., born December 22, 1843; Robert P., born March 4, 1847. Snyder, Jacob B,. (deceased.) The subject of this sketch was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the year 1812. During the memorable 684 HISTOET OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. struggle of that year his father, John Snyder, carried on the business of a flour merchant, but the British squadron in the Chesapeake having captured three cargoes of his flour while bound from Philadelphia to Baltimore, he was unable to meet his liabilities, and consequently became bankrupt Shortly after the close of the war he turned his attention, with renewed energy, to brickmaking, a business he successfully followed up till the day of his death. John Snyder was no ordinary man. Taking for his motto that of the philosophical Franklin, that a trade was a fortune to its possessor, and having experienced in his more youthful days the wisdom of the sage's maxim, he brought up each of his sons to some useful branch of mechanical labor, earnestly exhorting them to have a laudable ambition, each to excel in his particular business. At an early age, Jacob R. Snyder was apprenticed to a house carpenter, but his foresight soon induced him to cast a longing eye to the beautiful West, and during his probation he matured a plan for emigrating to the land of his ardent desire. In the year 1834 we find him settling on the banks of the Ohio river, where the present town of Albany, Indiana, now stands, but which was then an almost unbroken forest. Here he remained for some time, but being thoroughly imbued with that restless spirit of enterprise so essentially American, in 1845 he determined to remove to California. In pursuance of this project, in company with nine others he proceeded to Independence, from whence, after having made the necessary preparation for so arduous a journey, he finally started for California. Having suffered incredible hardships, the little band separated on reaching Johnson's Ranch, on Bear river, on September 23, 1845, Mr. Snyder con- tinuing his travels till he reached San Francisco, where he remained some time. At this juncture, the Calif ornians manifested a strong desire to resist the tide of immigration that now commenced to flow in from the United States, and to drive out those who already occupied the country. Mr. Snyder, therefore, in 1846, organized an expedition to meet the opposition of the natives, and applied to the Governor for a grant of land, with the view of building a fort for the protection of immigrants. The Governor, however, being somewhat suspicious of the designs of the Americans, and fearing their restless energy, refused to make the grant. Mr. Snyder subsequently joined Colonel Fremont's expedition at Monterey, and from his knowledge of the country and his acquaintance with the manners of the people, he was of essential service in bringing that expedition to a successful issue. He was connected with military affairs for some time, being commissioned as Quartermaster of Fremont's California Battalion, an ofece he held until the conclusion of the Mexican war, when he was appointed by Governor Mason Surveyor-General of the Middle Department of Califor- nia.In the exercise of the arduous duties attached to this office he acquired the esteem and confidence of the people, and resigned it, amid universal regret, to enter into business in Sacramento. In 1849 he was chosen a Delegate to the HISTOKT OJT SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 685 Convention called by Governor Riley for the formation of a Constitution, His firm and decided course, his clear and pertinent suggestions, and above all his manifest desire to honestly serve the interests of the people, and faith- fully perform his duty, independent of party trammels, again acquired for him universal applause. In 1851 Mr. Snyder received the Senatorial nomi- nation from the city of San Francisco, and was elected by a large majority. While their Senator he did much excellent work. In the previous year he had become a member of the well known banking firm of James King & Co., and in 1853 he was appointed, by President Pierce, United States Assistant Treasurer at San Francisco, a responsible position which he held with much credit during the Presidential terms of Franklin Pierce and James Buchanan. In 1862, he retired from the cares of ofiice to live in his beautiful residence in Sonoma valley, where he passed the remainder of his days, and died on April 29, 1878, much revered and respected by all who knew him. In his long life of usefulness no one perhaps had died leaving behind so long a record of California experiences; few lives were so varied as his was, a» he passed through the varied phases from a lumber merchant when first coming to the country to the Presidentship of the Wine Growers Association of the State, which post he filled shortly before his demise. As soldier or civilian he ever did his duty, and his memory to-day is fresh and green as his favorite valley of Sonoma. Mr. Snyder married, in 1850, Miss Susan H. Brayton, of Massachusetts, who died June 20, 1871; and secondly, Eachel J., daughter of Frankliu Sears, of Sonoma, on April 20, 1874. Thompson, Peter H. Bom in Russia, December 15, 1834, where he received his education, and worked on a farm until the Spring of 1854, when he sailed for California via Cape Horn, arriving in San Francisco, in Novem- ber of the same year. He immediately proceeded to the miues in Butte county, and prosecuted mining at Thompson's Flat one year, when he went to Nevada county, and mined until 1867. He then resided in San Francisco about eight months, thence to Contra Costa county, and engaged in stock raising until 1870, when he made a trip to Europe with his family, and after an absence of one year, returned and located for one year in Napa City. In 1873 he came to this county and settled on his present estate of one-hundred and seventy-seven acres. Married August 25, 1864, Miss Eveldene C. Jepsen. She was born in Russia, November 3, 1846; Eva, born July 3, 1868; May, born March 17, 1870; Henry, born July 18, 1872; Frank, born April 27, 1874; Florence, born January 5, 1876; and an infant son born August 22, 1879 ; are the names and births of their children. Tivnen, John. Native of New York City, born August 23, 1832, and when fourteen years of age, in 1846, he began the apprenticeship to the baker's trade, which he followed in that city till 1854. On February 4th of that year he sailed on board the " Northern Light " to Nicaragua, and from 686 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. there took passage on the ship " Cortes," and arrived in San Francisco March 4th. He soon found employment at his trade in San Francisco, and remained there until the Spring of 1859, when he came to Sonoma and em- barked in the bakery trade, which he prosecuted until January 1878, when he sold his business, since which time he has been engaged in insurance matters. On November 13, 1878, he was appointed Notary Public, and on September 3, 1879, was elected Supervisor from the first district, which includes Sonoma and Vallejo townships. Watt, Richard L. Born in Dunbar, Scotland, November 1, 1844, where he learned the hardware trade and remained eighteen years. In 1862 he went to the county of Fife, Scotland, and remained two years, working at his trade. In 1864 he emigrated to America, and resided in San Fran- cisco four years. In the Fall of 1868 he came to Sonoma county, and in January 1877, in company with his brother John, purchased their present fruit ranch comprising twenty-five acres. Married Miss Ella Brighton, June 7, 1872. She was born in Lawrence county, Missouri, November 14, 1849. Watt, John. Bom in Belhaven, Scotland, May 6, 1842. Emigrated to California in 1868, first settling in San Francisco. Came to this county in 1877, and purchased, in company with his brother R. L., the ranch upon which he now resides. Weise, Christian. Native of Germany, born January 2, 1824, where he resided until 1848, when he came to America. Resided in New York until 1849, when he came to California via Cape Horn, arriving in San Francisco June 1850. His first business was driving stage from San Fran- cisco to San Jose, which occupation he followed six months; he then followed hunting as a business. During the year 1851 he camped several times where the city of Petaluma now stands. In 1852 he settled on a ranch known as- the Warfield & Stewart property, but in 1860 he disposed of the same, and moved upon his present estate. Has eighteen acres in vineyard ; manufac- tures annually about ten thousand gallons of wine. Married Susan McKinley, May 12, 1856. She was born in Ireland in 1818; they have five children: Eliza, Frederick, Hattie, Henry and Charles. Winkle, Henry. Born in Germany, March 10, 1821. In 1840 he emigrated to the United States, first settling in New York, where he resided until the Fall of 1843, when he went to Florida, there keeping a hotel, where he remained one year; thence to Fort Gaines, Early county, Georgia, and engaged in the bakery business for two years. In 1846 he went tO' Pensacola, Florida, and remained there until 1849, keeping a bakery and grocery store, when in October of that year, he proceeded to Panama, where he remained about three months; whence he proceeded to California, arriving in San Francisco in March, 1850. He soon became a resident of Sacramento, where he carried on a bakery and cofiee saloon, also operated in real estate. HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 687 which he followed until the Spring of 1852, when he began the manufacture of soda, which he prosecuted until late in 1853. In January, 1854, he returned to San Francisco, and followed the bakery business until 1873, also operated in real estate, when he engaged in the wine and liquor business. In 1876 he came to this county, and settled on his present estate, one hun- dred and ten acres. In 1858, Mr. Winkle manufactured cement in Benicia, Solano county, which was the first manufactured on the coast. Married Miss Emma Steudeman April, 1864, she being born in Germany, October 15, 1826. VALLEJO. Adamson, Jacob. The subject of this sketch is a native of Jefferson county, Tennessee, born November 7, 1817. When twelve years of age he, with his parents moved to Ray county, Missouri. After a residence here of three years, they took up their residence in Caldwell county. On September 9, 1840, Mr. Adamson married Miss Nancy J. Farley, and in 1841, he moved to Washington county, Iowa, and carried on farming until 1850, when he emigrated to California, crossing the plains with ox-teams. Soon after arriviag in this State he purchased a farm in Sacramento county, farmed for three years, and in the fall of 1854, came to this county and settled on his present farm, located about five miles from Petaluma, where he has since made his home. Emma J.. William H., Edward F., Mary E., John M., Isaac N., Charles W., Thomas M., and Rena Lillian, are the names of their children. Barnes, Jehu. Whose portrait appears in this work, was born in Warren county, Tennessee, January 29, 1829. When but a mere child his parents moved to Missouri, where they resided one year, and thence to Pike county, Illinois, where the subject of this sketch received his education and was reared a farmer. In 1856 he left his parents and emigrated to Cali- fornia by the Panama route, landing in San Francisco December 16, 1856. He came direct to this county and located upon his present estate in Vallejo township, where he has since remained, except one season, 1859, which he spent in Mendocino county. Mr. Barnes has held the office of Road-master for the last eight years. He married April 26, 1851, Miss Sarah A. Veal, a native of Missouri, born February 5, 1831. By this union they have four children: Mary E., Henry, Henrietta and Martha. 688 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. Benson, Josiah H. The subject of this sketch, whose portrait appears in this book, is a native of Somerset county, Maryland, born March 12,J819. When three years of age his parents moved to Sussex county, DcJaware. In 1832 they took up their residence in Preble county, Ohio, where they remained until 1837, when we find them in Pike county, Illinois. In the Spring of 1850, he proceeded to St. Joseph, Missouri, and on May 1st, started in company with three other gentlemen, to cross the plains with horse-teams to California. The journey was made to Humboldt Sink in good time, and with but few hardships, save those incident to this mode of traveling. At this point they met with no small misfortune: their horses had become so weary and weak that they were obliged to leave them, and, of necessity, were compelled to heap burdens upon their own backs, which consisted of provisions, cooking utensils, and articles of value, and trudge on afoot to the land of gold. When they arrived at Placerville, Mr. Benson found his purse very much depleted — it only contained five dollars. He was not long in finding employment, and with that industry and perseverance which will in time be crowned with success, succeeded in the spring of 1852, in purchasing a one-half interest in the grocery and clothing store known at that time as the firm of Cheap, John & Co., where he continued until October of the above year, when he was summoned home to Pike county, Illinois, on account of the illness of his daughter. Here he accepted the situation of clerk with Hicks & Smith, in the dry goods business in Pittsfield, in that county. In the Spring of 1854, he took up his residence in Appa- noose county, Iowa, where he engaged in farming until 1865. He then sold his property, and returned across the plains to California, and settled in Vallejo township, near the old adobe building, where he remained one year, when he located upon his present estate of one hundred and eighty acres, two and a half miles from the city of Petaluma. Mr. Benson married Rebecca A. Magness, December 3, 1840. She was a native of Ohio, bora September 20, 1822, and died March 19, 1848. By this union there is one child living, Albert, born March 17, 1847 — two children deceased, namely: Francis H., born November 29, 1841, and died December 8, 1852; and Sarah E., born May 12, 1844, and died April 20, 1846. He married secondly, Mary Veal, widow of Mr. Corbon, on March 21, 1854. She was born in Missouri, November 25, 1829, and died October 9, 1869. Henry, born January 31, 1855; William, born April 21, 1856; Jonah H., born October 22, 1857; Nathaniel W., born October 10, 1859; Martha E., born February 5, 1862; Laura E., born February 8, 1864; Louis E., born Novem- ber 6, 1865, are the names and births of his children by this marriage. Bihler, William. Born in Eppingen, Baden, Germany, May 16, 1828. Emigrated, with parents, to America, when only nine years of age, and settled in Baltimore, where he was educated. Early in life he embarked in business, as butcher, which he continued until 1848, when he came to cxyi^-wx.,^^ HISTOKT OP SONOMA COtTNTT, CALIFORNIA. 689 California, via Cape Horn, arriving in San Francisco in October of the above year. Here he followed his former occupation until the Fall of 1850, when he came to this county. About one year later he purchased a ranch in Sonoma valley, where he remained until 1859, when he purchased his present ranch of eight thousand acres, located in Vallejo township, in an easterly direction from Lakeville, where he has since resided, carrying on farming, stock-raising and dairying, on a very large scale. He also owns two and one-quarter leagues of land in Salt Point township. To Mr. Bihler belongs the honor of bringing to this county the best bred stock in the country. The first importation from England was his draught stallion, "Young England's Glory," in 1858; the second importation was in 1870, when he brought, in connection with some other fine stock, four full-blooded Durham heifers, and a Durham bull. In 1861 he imported four fine jacks, known to be of the best blood of any in the country. Mr. Bihler has done more to advance and elevate the interest in blooded stock in this county than any other man, and all praise is due to him for his labors in this direc- tion. Bodwell, C. A. Bom in Farmington, Hartford, county, Connecticut,, November 24, 1822; received, his education at the Farmington Academy. At the age of sixteen entered a drug store as clerk in Hartford, where he remained until March, 1849, when he started across the plains, in company with Livingston & Kinkead, who were on their way to Salt Lake with a large stock of goods. The subject of this sketch spent the Winter in Salt Lake, and in the Spring returned to Missouri, where he remained a short time, when he again made a trip to Salt Lake and spent a second Winter. In the Spring of 1850 he crossed the plains to Kansas, and established a trading post on the road from Fort Leavenworth to Santa Fe. About one yeir later he crossed the plains to California, bringing with him a drove of cattle. Engaged in the stock business one year in Butte county, and in December, 1854, we find him in San Francisco. In October, 1856, he became a resident of this county, purchasing a farm in Vallejo township. Here he farmed until 1864, when he settled upon his present estate of two hundred and fifty-five acres, located at Lakeville, where he has since main- tained a continuousVesidence. Mr. Bodwell is the postmaster at Lakeville, and ia also agent at this place for the San Francisco Steamboat and Transporta- tion Company. Married, January 5, 1864, Miss Charlotte F. Chadbourne, a native of Maine. By this union they have two children: Charles A., and Charlotte E. Campbell, George. Bom in Monmouth county, New Jersey, February 19, 1818. At fourteen years of age he went to Trenton, and was there employed by Q. H. Shreve & Co. as clerk in a general merchandise store for six years, at the expiration of which time he purchased an interest in the 44 690 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. store, and the firm name was known as Shreve & Campbell. After being in business one year, Mr. Campbell sold his interest and proceeded to New York City, and acted in the capacity of cashier and book-keeper in a silk and fancy goods store, where he remained for two years. He then went into partnership with J. Fountain, and conducted a dry goods store under the firm name of Fountain & Campbell. Two years later Mr. C. purchased his partner's interest and moved the stock of goods to McConnellsville, Ohio, where he conducted the business for four years, when he returned to New York City and was engaged by Lord & Hathaway as salesman in a whole- sale house until 1849, when he emigrated to California via Cape Horn, and arrived in San Francisco October 10th. He immediately proceeded to the mines, and followed mining at difierent points until 1851, in which year he came to this county, rented a farm in Analy township, where he prosecuted farming for seven years. We next find him a resident of Petaluma, where he was instrumental in building the steamer " Rambler," which plied between Petaluma and San Francisco, and acted in the capacity of clerk on board the above steamer for two years. He then sold his interest in her and engaged in the commission business for one year, after which he gravitated back into merchandising; and three years later we find him once more engaged in tilling the soil, and is now classed as one of Sonoma's thrifty farmers, owning four hundred and twenty-three acres of land, three miles from Petaluma. Mr. Campbell married on June 5, 1860, Miss Lucy Judson, a native of Bristol, Indiana. George D. and Charles J. are the names of their children. Chapman, T. M. A native of Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, was born February 10, 1828. He received his education in his native State, and resided there until sixteen years of age, when he accompanied his parents to Adams county, Illinois, and there resided for nine years. Having emigrated, he came to California by way of the plains and arrived in Placerville, then Hangtown, on August 27, 1852, and there commenced raining, which he prosecuted for five years, at the end of which time he transferred the scene of his labors to Sonoma county, and bought a farm in Two Rock valley, which after a time he leased, and returned to the "States." Mr. Chapman married in Vermont, March 1, 1858, Mary Colby, and with her returned to this State and settled on his farm, and there remained until 1862, in which year he removed to Point Reyes, and was occupied in agricultural pursuits for two years, when he settled on his present ranch of four hundred acres, located in Vallejo township, about three miles from Petaluma. By their union Mr. and Mrs. Chapman have five living children : Edwin A. ; Harry ; Elliot C. ; Phoebe ; and Mary L. Clark, A., Whose portrait appears in this work, is a native of Susque- hanna county, Pennsylvania, bom September 17, 1821. When ten years of age his parents moved to Bradford county, where he received a portion of HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 691 his education, and at seventeen years of age emigrated to Illinois, where he finished his education. In 1850 he emigrated to California, crossing the plains and arriving at Placerville September 10th. Here he engaged in mining until the Fall of 1852, when he came to this county, and in June, 1853, located in Vallejo township, where he has been engaged in farming ever since. Mr. Clark married on March 1, 1855, Miss Rachael J. Hurry, a native of Cole county, Missouri, born April 27, 1836. By this union they have three living children : Mary J., George and NelUe. They have lost two, Barbara E. and William A. Gregory, John, A native of England, born June 7, 1823, where he received his education, and was reared a farmer. At twenty-one years of age he emigrated to California, arriving in December, 1844. After remaining here about three years, being engaged at different occupations, he went to Detroit, Michigan, where he was employed as steward on a steamboat until 1855, when he returned to California, via Nicaragua, arriving at San Francisco in the Fall. He proceeded at once to Shaw's Flat and mined about two years, when we again find him in San Francisco, engaged in the water business, which he continued until 18C1, when he came to this county and settled on his present ranch, comprising one hundred acres, located in Vallejo town- ship. Married November 21, 1866, Miss Catherine Casey. By this union they have three children : Susiana S., Edwin S. and Harrie. Has two children by his first wife, George H. and Francis A. Hopper, Thomas. Was bom in La Fayette county, Missouri, September 21, 1820. At a very youthful age he was taken by his mother — his father was killed accidentally — to Lawrence county, Indiana, where he remained until fifteen years of age, and then returned to La Fayette. We should here mention that Mr. Hopper commenced to battle with life on his own account at the early age of eleven years, and when he returned to Missouri he comr menced to work on monthly wages. July 14, 1844, he was married to Minerva Young. In that year he purchased a small farm in John.son county, Missouri, and there continued until the Spring of 1847, when he started. May 9th, with ox-teams, accompanied by Charles Hopper of Napa county, across the plains to California, arriving at Sutter's Fort on September 5th of the same year. Having only stayed a few days here, he moved to San Jose, and while there concluded to erect a mill in the Santa Cruz moun- tains, an enterprise which was not carried out, however. He, with his wife, then worked at a mill on Soquel creek, for one dollar a day per piece. He next proceeded to Santa Cruz, and there purchased a thirty-acre lot of land adjoining Charley Hopper's place, on which he built a redwood house, and in it passed the Winter of 1847-8. On May 20fch of the latter year, oon after the discovery of gold, he started for the mines on the American river, immediately above Sutter's old mill and there commenced operations. 692 HISTORY OP SOJTOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. which he followed with success, making from fifty to seventy-five dollars per day; continued there until July, and then removed his family to the rancho of George Yount in Napa valley, where he left them and returned to the mines in August, on this occasion proceeding to the dry diggings. Here he con- tinued until October 10th, when he returned to his family, and there remained in Napa valley until the Spring of 1849. At this time we find Mr. Hopper once more mining about the region of Sutter's mill, between the north and south forks of the American river. Here he remained but a short time, ultimately going to the north fork, and there continuing until June 15, 1849, when he once more returned to his wife and children. Ho afterwards took part in the Walker expedition, which turned out a failure, Walker himself, after going from Sacramento up the San Joaquin river, thence to King's river, went on to Montana, leaving the greater number of his party to return Of these was Mr. Hopper. On his return to Sacra- mento he parted his connection with the members of the expedition and returned home. Shortly after he removed to Sonoma township where he purchased a thirty-acre lot and erected a house, and commenced farming, and here resided until the Spring of 1850, when he disposed of the property to Mr. Grifiy and bought a lot in the city of Sonoma, whereon he constructed a residence; this, however, he soon sold to Dr. Tennant for a thousand dollars. He then took up a claim at the head of Green valley, which he sold to Mr. McRcynold.s in the Fall of 1852, at which period he settled on the Cotate grant and took up a claim of one hundred and sixty acres, and erected a small house, which he sold in 1853, and purchased one hundred acres on the same grant, about three-fourths of a mile from his former land. Here he resided until December 28, 1878, when he moved to Santa Rosa, where he resided till November 1879, when he returned to his old residence, where he still still resides. Mr. Hopper is the owner of a grant of six thousand six hundred and seventy acres in Monterey county, five thousand six hundred acres of the government land and Knight's Valley grant in Knight's Valley and Russian River townships, two thousand one hundred and sixty acres in Vallejo town- ship, three hundred and seventy-one acres in Green Valley, Analy township, four hundred and forty acres in Mendocino county, forty acres in the red-woods, and one hundred and sixty acres near Windsor, in Russian River township, making the total of his landed possessions to be fifteen thousand four hun- dred and forty-two acres in the State of California. Besides this vast estate Mr. Hopper is interested in no less than five different banking establishments in Sonoma and Mendocino counties. He has children living, their names being: Eliza, John, William, Wesley, Mary, Henry and Rosa. His portrait will be found in this work. Jackson, Lorenzo. Bom in New Hampshire on December 8, 1810. When but four years of age he was taken with his parents to New York, settling eighteen miles from Sacket's Harbor, where he resided till 1832, when HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 693 he emigrated to Illinois, and located in Pike county, and prosecuted farming until 1853. In the Spring of that year accompanied by his wife and six children, he started for California by way of the plains to Salt Lake, winter- ing on South Willow creek, twenty miles south of Salt Lake City. In the Spring of 1854 the journey was continued and on arrival in California first settled on land thirty miles north of the city of Sacramento, where they remained until the Fall of 1855, at which time they came to Sonoma county and occupied their present farm of one hundred acres. Mr. Jackson died March 24, 1867. Mr. Jackson married Eunice Clausen on March 17, 1840, a native of the State of New York, by whom there are now living, Anna, born Novembsr 23, 1854; Mary, born February 8, 1857; Lorenzo, born December 15, 1859; Francis, born January 14, 1862; and Eunice, born July 2, 1866. There are six of the family dead, one of them, Emily, was killed by a fall from her horse at Point Reyes, under very distressing circumstances. Kelsey, Richard. A native of England, born August 15, 1833. When but a mere child his parents emigrated to the United States, and after spending about two years in Illinois, they moved to Indiana, thence to Quincy, Illinois, resided two years, and from there to Alton, same State, where the subject of our sketch received his education. In 1854 he emi- grated to California, but immediately went to Nevada and followed mining, where ho remained until 1873, making altogether nineteen and one-half years in the mines. He came to this county in June 1873. After a residence in. Petaluma of about three months, he settled upon his present estate of one hundred and sixty acres. He married, on November (3, 1861, Miss Mary McCarthy, a native of Ireland. By this union they have five living children: Eicharil, Mary H., Daniel M., Thomas and Anna R. Have lost two: Edward and Johnnie. Mock, William. A native of Davidson county. North Carolina, born March 24, 1811, where he received his primary education and lived upon a farm until he reached the age of twenty-one years. He then attended the Military Academy at West Point, from which institution he graduated in 183C. He then took part in the Florida war as second Lieutenant and was soon promoted to first Lieutenant, serving in all five years, when he resigned and proceeded to La Fayette county, Missouri, where he followed farming. Also held the office of County Surveyor in the above county, but in 1849 resigned the office and emigrated to California, crossing the plains with ox- teams. They arrived at Lassen's, two hundred miles above Sacramento, on the Sacramento river, November 1st of the same year. He soon proceeded to the mines on Feather river, where he remained until 1853, when he came to this county and settled on his present farm, comprising one hundred and twenty-seven acres, located in Vallejo township, about five miles from Peta- luma. Mr. Mock held the office of County Surveyor in this county in 694 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 1856-7 and surveyed and established the present county line between Sonoma and Marin. Has also held the office of Magistrate of Vallejo township and has made himseK a useful man in the neighborhood where he lives. Married, May 25, 1858, Mrs. Mary B. Goodwin, widow of John T. Goodwin, who died in this county February, 1856. She was born in Maine, July 29, 1818. Ormsby, J. H. Bom in Lake county, Ohio, December 16, 1817, where he was educated. When nineteen years of age his parents moved to Missouri, where the subject of this sketch lived for about two years, when he left the paternal roof and took up his residence in Quincy, Illinois, where he learned the trade of a brick-mason, which he followed for four years. From Quincy he went to Dane county, Wisconsin, where he farmed for eight years. We next find him in Marquette county, where he was engaged in the flouring-mill business for fourteen years. In April, 1862, he left for California, crossing the plains with ox and mule-teams, arriving in this county in October. He first located on a farm near Valley Ford, where he farmed until the first of the following April, when he prosecuted mining in Amador county for a few months. He then went to Idaho, prospected some, and after being absent from the county for about one year, he returned and settled on a farm in the upper end of Vallejo township. In 1875 he settled on his present place, coii prising ninety acres. Mr. Ormsby married Miss Betsy CarrUl, a native of New York and born March 26, 1818. They have four children living, John W., Mary P., George W. and Martin P., and have lost two, Warren G. and Julia F. Fatton, Robert. A native of Sonoma county, California, born June 25, 1850, where he attended the common schools until 1862, when he proceeded to Yolo county and attended the Pine Grove Seminary, and in 1864 entered St. Mary's College in San Francisco, where he remained eight months. At the expiration of this time he returned to Yolo county and completed his education at the first-named institution. In 1866 he returned to this county, since which time he has prosecuted farming. In 1875 he settled on his present estate, located about eight miles from Petaluma. Mr. Patton married, December 20, 1871, Miss Susie Todd, a native of California, born August 2, 1855. Peoples, Nathan. Was born in Sullivan county, Tennessee, October 31, 1811, where he was educated and raised as a farmer. In 1887 he moved to Shelby county, Missouri, purchased a farm and followed this industry untU 1850, at which time he started across the plains with ox-teams. Immediately upon his arrival in this State he proceeded to the mines in Coloma, but owing to ill-health his search for gold was of short duration — about three weeks — when he returned, via Panama, to Missouri and engaged in tilling the soil, adding stock-raising to the industry. In 1864, being a heavy loser by the war, which spread devastation aU about him, he resolved HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOKNIA. 695 once more to try his fortune in the Golden State. He crossed the plains the second time with ox-teams, bringing his family with him. As he had a band of mules and horses, he found it necessary to stop in Nevada on account of the scarcity of feed, where he remained until the following May. By this time the Indians became so troublesome that he concluded to move on to California. He came direct to this county, arriving in June, 1865. After residing on a ranch near Sebastopol one Winter, he settled upon his present estate, comprising one hundred and ninety-one acres, located in Vallejo township, at Donahue Landing. He married, November 5, 1835, Miss Rachael Bachannan, a native of SuUivan county, Tennessee, bom January 8, 1809. The following are the names and births of their children: Nathan W., born September 15, 1836; Hannah B., born October 28, 1838; Sarah M., born May 27, 1840, and Jackson M., born July 1, 1843. Peters, A. N. Bom in Franklin county, Vermont, June 2, 1827. When only four years of age his parents moved to Macomb county, Michigan, where the subject of this sketch received his education, and labored on the farm until twenty years of age, when he left and took up his residence in Linn county, Iowa, where he engaged in farming about two years, when he emigrated to Sheboygan county, Wisconsin. On January 28, 1849, he started for California, but remained in St. Louis until April 2nd, when he joined a company of twenty -five men, and with three ox-teams set out on their journey, headed by Captain Warncastle, of Atchison county, Mis- souri. They arrived at Sacramento August 25th. Mr. Peters located at Cold Springs, on Weaver creek, near Placerville, and followed mining for about one year. He then went to Salmon creek, and was engaged running a pack train between the above point and Port Trinidad for about seven months, and was then obliged to abandon the business on account of the hostility of the Indians. He then proceeded to El Dorado county and engaged in the mercantile business with Isaac Ricketts, and was also engaged in mining on a claim owned by himself and other partner, which lay just across the river in Placer county. On November 2, 1851, the sub- ject of this sketch returned to Wisconsin, where he remained until 1852, when he again crossed the plains with ox-teams, arriving in Sacramento in October of the above year. He then spent about two years in farming in Colusa and on Grand Island. In the Fall of 1854 he took up his residence in Amador county, and engaged in farming and dairying, but remained here only about five months, when he transferred his dairy to Sacramento county and furnished the city with the lacteal fluid. As this business was not congenial to his taste, he soon disposed of the dairy and followed min,ing at Georgetown, El Dorado county, until July, 1860, when he came to this county and engaged in his old business, dairying, for four years, when he settled on his present estate, comprising one hundred and sixty acres of land 696 HISTOET OF SONOMA COXINTY, CALIFORNIA. located in Vallejo township, about three miles from Petaluma, where he has since resided, carrying on farming and dairying. The subject of this sketch is a man who has met with adversity on many occasions, but being so thoroughly imbued with that pluck and spirit which will not succumb to misfortune, he has succeeded in securing for himself and family a good com- fortable home, in close proximity to the best schools in the county, where he can educate his children in all the branches, and not be deprived of their company while growing into manhood and womanhood, as is often the case when children are educated abroad. Mr. Peters married in Marysville, October 6, 1852, Miss Eleanor Lowe, a native of Nova Scotia, born May 3. 1828. By this union they have nine children, as follows : Johannah, Charles R., Frances A., Cassius M. C, Emma J., John L., Clara B., Nellie and Jesse S. Pierce, H. L. A native of Rhode Island, born July 7, 1825. Here he received his education, and worked in a cotton mill until he became nineteen years of age. In July 1844, he went on a whaling voyage-sailed from New Bedford aboard the "Barkley" around into the Pacific ocean, and after follow- ing the sea for four and one-half years returned to his home. About ten months later, in January, 1849, he emigrated to California via Cape Horn, arriving at San Francisco, August 9, 1849. He immediately left for the gold fields on the Yuba river, where he mined for two years. We next find him on his way to Valparaiso. After visiting this point and Chili he took passage on a Liverpool vessel for Peru, thence to Panama, and from this point to San Francisco. After spending two years in San Francisco as a drayman he departed for the South Sea Islands for a cargo of oranges, and after a trip of four months found his way back to San Francisco. Soon after, he repaired to the mines, remained two years, then followed steamboating one year on the Sacramento river, after which he engaged in farming in Tehama county, where he remained until 1868, when he came to this county and settled on his present estate in Vallejo township, about two and one-half miles from Petaluma. Rose, James Russel. The subject of this memoir, whose portrait appears in this work, was born in Richland county, Ohio, October 22, 1822. He is of Scotch descent, his ancestors having emigrated from Scotland during the early part of the seventeenth century. Both of his grand-fathers were veterans in the revolutionary war, James Harkness, his mother's father, serving six years, and his grand-father Russel Rose, seven years. When James R. was a child, his parents moved to Bradford county, Pennsylvania, where he received his primary education. In 1835 they returned to Ohio, settling in Huron county. At the age of nineteen he completed his schooling, and then learned the carpenter's trade, which he followed untU. his twenty- eighth year. He then engaged in the milling business until his departure HISTOEY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 697 for California. He sailed from New York April 5, 1858, by way of Panama, arriving in San Francisco on the 30th of April. He came directly to this county. The first Summer he spent in Petaluma and Bloomfield, and in October, 1858, he located at Tomales, in Marin county, where he successfully followed farming until 1864, when he returned to this county, purchasing his present farm below Lakeville, but for the purpose of educating his children, his family resided in Petaluma until 1871, when they all removed to their present home. For a part of this time he had also been engaged in milling in Petaluma, but having sold his interest in the mill, all his enterprise and energy were devoted to the culture and improvement of his farm, until now in the careful culture, the fine improvements, the orchards and vine- yards, and the convenient and commodious buildings, it stands one of the model farms of Sonoma county. Since his settlement in the county Mr. Rose has been one of the most enterprising of its citizens. In the organiza- tion of the Sonoma and Marin District Agricultural Society he was one of the prime movers, and its president for the three first years, and ever since has been one of its most ardent supporter.?, having since been its president for two years, and contributing much of his time and means to its perma- nent success. Every public enterprise for the development of the resources of the county, and for the building up of the best interests of society, has always found in him a zealous worker and a hearty co-laborer. During the war he heartily endorsed the Union cause, and gave liberally to the Christian and Sanitary Commission for the benefit of the sick and wounded of our soldiers. In religious belief he is a Baptist, and labored assiduously in Peta- luma for many years to build up that church. Mr. Rose married November 10, 1854, Miss Annie Kennorthy, a native of England, born May 2, 1825. They have two children, Annie E. and Florence L. Smalley, William H. A native of Saratoga county, New York, born August 3, 1823. When but a mere child his parents moved to Herkimer county, where he grew to manhood and received his education, completing his course at the Fairfield Academy. In 1851 he returned to his native county and engaged in farming two years, when he emigrated to California, via Panama, arriving in San Francisco in April, 1853. He immediately sought the mines in Placer county, and after mining a short time, abandoned it and bought a few cows and furnished the miners with milk for a term of one year. He then proceeded to Alameda county, where he was engaged in the same business, supplying the citizens of that county with the lacteal fluid. In 1858 he returned to his native State by water, arriving on December 20th of the same year. He was engaged in farming in Saratoga county until 1863, at which time he returned to California, settling in Oakland, where he resided two years ; thence to Contra Costa county, where he engaged in dairying one year, and in the Fall of 1866 came to this county 698 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. and settled on his present estate, located about two miles from Lakeville. Mr. Smalley married, September 29, 1846, Miss Lydia M. Western, a native of Herkimer county, New York, born February 21, 1825. Frank, born September 18, 1857, and died February 7, 1863, is^the only child they have had born to them. Todd, John W. Bbm in Mercer county, Pennsylvania, June 11, 1825. When twelve years of age his parents moved to Ripley county, Indiana; thence to Rush county. Here he received his primary education, and in 1844, after a residence of seven years, moved to Lee county, Iowa, where he engaged in farming upon his own account in 1850, after serving his parents to the twenty -fifth year of his age. In 1864 he emigrated to California, via Panama, arriving in San Francisco on June 29th. He came direct to this county, and resided in Petaluma until October following, when he settled on his present ranch, comprising one hundred and sixty acres, located in Vallejo township. Mr. Todd married, February 25, 1850, Miss Matilda Snapp, a native of Tennessee. They have one adopted child, Marion. WharffjiDavid. Born in Gloucester, Massachusetts, December 31, 1828, where he received his primary education. When fourteen years of age he proceeded to Boston, learned the carpenter's trade, which he followed until 1849, when he emigrated to California, rounding Cape Horn in a sailing vessel. He arrived in San Francisco August 15, 1849. Here he remained but a short time, when he went to Sacramento, and there worked at his trade for two months ; thence to the mines on Weaver creek, in El Dorado county; remained there one year; thence to Shasta county, where he remained until December 15, 1851, when he returned to Massachusetts, ma Nicaragua, and married February 19, 1852, Miss Olive Densmore. On March 1st, the next month after his marriage, he and his new-made bride started for California, on the ship " Appleton," arriving in San Francisco July 22d. After spending a short time in Sacramento he returned to San Francisco, where he remained until December, 1852, when he came to this county, and located a claim near where he now resides. In 1854 he settled on his present estate, located six miles from Petaluma. Mary L., bom March 31, 1853, and died November 7, 1864; Lucy D., born December 11, 1854; N. P. Banks, born May 12, 1857; Belinda C, born June, 7, 1859; Carrie L., born April 25, 1863, and died February, 7, 1878 ; Hattie H., born December 4, 1868, and died June 20, 1875 ; Effie A., born October 31, 1870, and died February 13, 1878, are the names, births and deaths of their children. HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 699 WASHINGTON. Armstrong, Porter Moore (of Geyserville). Born November 1, 1831, in the town of Ripley, Brown county, Ohio. Mr. Moore's grandfather was a native of Virginia, but removed from that State and settled in Ohio in the year 1800, at which time his father was three years old. He resided with his parents in Ripley until the age of ten years, when the family removed to St. Louis. Missouri, where for the next two years young Moore was sent to school. In the year 1843 his father, who had been for many j'ears running steamers on the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, disposed of his boats and removed to Peoria, Illinois, and engaged very extensively in merchandising, milling, pork packing, etc. At the age of fourteen young Moore was placed in his father's store as junior clerk, where he learned the art of measuring molasses; weigh- ing sugar, and such other duties as usually fall to the lot of juniors. 'The boy was an apt scholar, and rapidly mastered the business, so that it was not long before he had full charge of it. Mr. Moore's father was a man of great energy and business capacity, and at this time was possessed of a large prop- erty and an extensive and lucrative business; but unfortunately a spirit of speculation came over him, which in the end caused him to go to the waU financially. This unexpected catastrophe made it necessary for young Moore to strike out for himself, which he did by starting for California by way of the Isthmus, arriving here in November, 1851 — just twenty years of age. From 18-51 to 1857 he resided in Marysville, Yuba county. Fortunately he had acquired a good business education, and was not long in fi^nding employment as book-keeper in a large wholesale store at a good salary. In the Summer of 1857, having concluded to enter into business on his own account, he removed to Quincy, the county seat of Plumas county, and opened a general merchan- dise store. Here he resided for the next sixteen years, carrying on a large and lucrative mercantile business. During this time he served two years as Asso- ciate Justice of the Court of Sessions and six years as County Judge, filling the position to the entire satisfaction of the citizens of Plumas county. In 1858 he was united in marriage with Miss Anna Mastrn, daughter of Colonel Reuben Mastin of Mississippi. His choice of a partner for life proved judi- cious, in consequence of which his married life has been happy and pleasant. Six children have been born to them, five of whom are living. In 1873, in consequence of failing health and a desire to afford his children better educa- tional facilities, Mr. Moore removed to Oakland, Alameda county. For the 700 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. first year after settling there he was not engaged in any business ; but a life of inactivity not proving congenial to him, he again embarked in mercantile pursuits, and for three years carried on business at the corner of Broadway and Twelfth streets. In June, 1873, he disposed of his business in Oakland, and removed to Geyserville, where he is at the present time engaged in keep- ing a general merchandise store and acting as Postmaster. Mr. Moore is a man who attends strictly to his legitimate business, strives to do everything he undertakes well, is genial in disposition, always glad to see his friends, possesses the confidence of the community in which he resides, of unsullied business reputation, and in all the walks of life an exemplary citizen. Sedwell, Ira. Was bom in La Fayette county, Missouri, August 8, 1829. When an infant he was taken by his parents to Cass county and here he resided until he attained the age of twenty years. At this period of his life he emigrated to California, crossing the plains, and arriving at Hang- town, now more aristocratically known as Placerville, on October 6, 1850. Here he remained a few weeks and thence went to Georgetown, residing there until December, 1851, when he removed to Sonoma county, and, after occupying several different locations, finally settled on his present farm of one hundred, and sixty acres, one mile south from Geyserville, in the Fall of 1877. Mr. Bedwell married in February, 1849, Elizabeth Brooks, who died in 1855, by whom he had: John, James, and Nancy J. He was united,, secondly, November 17, 1858, to Caroline Howard. Bosworth, Calvin M. Was born in Solon, Somerset county, Maine, August 4, 1827. His father was a highly respected and well-to-do farmer, and Calvin's early years were spent on the home farm, assisting him. In the Winter of 1852 the gold excitement of California caused a large emi- gration from the Eastern States, and he, wishing to try his fortune, with the rest, in the far-famed land of gold, in company with three other younw men from Solon, left his home, with the intention of making a trip to Cali- fornia, by the way of Panama. Arriving in New York, they found the tickets for a trip across the Isthmus had all been bought up, for several months ahead ; so, rather than abandon the idea of a trip altogether, or wait for several months, they determined on a trip around the continent, and on the 22d of February, 1852, they sailed from slip No. 2, on the ship " Grecian," bound for California, around Cape Horn. During the voyage, one of the company, a cousin of Calvin's, in a fit of delirium, cause by typhoid fever, from which he was prostrated, jumped overboard and was lost at sea. After a long and tedious passage they arrived in San Francisco on the 11th of the following September, with another one of their little band prostrated by the same fever. He lived but a few weeks after arriving, Calvin staying with him and administering to his wants to the last. While watching over this sick and dying friend, he received much kindness from Hon. Samuel Soule and B. HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFOENU. 701 F. Tuttle, for which he has ever felt the deepest gratitude. This left but two of the once buoyant little company, to try their luck in the gold mines. They went into Sierra county, where they spent about three years in suc- cessful mining; and in May, 1855, Calvin started for Maine, by way of the Nicaragua route, where he arrived the tenth of June. After his return he was prostrated for several months with Panama fever, together with chills and fever. On November 1, 1855, he married Prudence N. Wilson, daughter of Daniel Wilson, of Bingham, Somerset county, Maine, Having bought a farm he once more turned his attention to farming, which he followed until the Fall of 1858, when not finding the cultivation of the soil as remunerative as the mines had been, he decided to again seek a home in California's sunny clime ; and once more bidding adieu to friends and native land, on the 1st day of February, 1859, with wife and two children, sailed from New York for California, by the Panama route. Fond, lingering looks were oast on the receding shore, They sighed to think, perhaps, they'd never see it more. Farewell, a long farewell! thou free and happy land, That we may live to see thy peaceful shores once more. Arrived in San Francisco the 1st day of March, 1859. After remaining in San Francisco a few days ho returned to La Porte, Sierra county, his old mining camp, where he was engaged in mining until the Fall of 1867. Not , being as successful in mining as formerly, he resolved to try the agricultural (' portion of the State, and in October, 1867, came to Cloverdale, Sonoma , county, living there four years; then moved to Geyserville, on to what ia known as the Doctor Ely ranch, where he now lives. Bouton, Andrew. A native of Courtland county. New York, born April 10, 1831, where he remained until twenty-one years of age, when he went to Steuben county, where he engaged in farming, grafting, lumberinw and teaching, in season. In 1858 he emigrated to California. Spending about two months in Yuba county, he proceeded to Napa county and engaged in fruit-growing for ten years. November, 1868, found him in this county. His place is known as the " Heart's Desire " Orchard. Follows fruit-growing as a business. This fruit farm is located in Washington town- ship, about five miles from Healdsburg. CummingS, J. M. Born in Guilford, North Carolina, April 21, 1836, When young his parents moved to Clay county, Missouri, where he lost his mother. His father then took up his residence in Ray county, where he was subsequently killed by the falling of a tree. The subject of this sketch then made his home with his uncle, William Cummings, in the same county until 1853, when he emigrated to California, across the plains with ox-teams, remaining one month at Sacramento, he then came to this county, spent one year, then proceeded to the mines, where he searched diligently for the shining metal for one year, after which he was employed by D. D. Reeves at 702 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. Suisun, Solano county, for two years. He then spent one year in the red-. woods in this county. After prospecting in several different counties until 1862, he went to Oregon, where he remained three years. In 1865 he again returned to this county and settled on his present estate, about five miles north of Geyserville. Married Miss Matilda Flack, February 7, 1877. They have had one child, Walter J., born December 21, 1877, and died May 7, 1879. Long, Isaac. Was bom in Ross county, Ohio, July 1, 1827. When ten years of age his parents moved to Cass county, Missouri. In the Spring of 1853, he, with his parents, emigrated to California, crossing the plains with ox-teams. Arrived in Yuba county October 19th. Here the subject of this sketch engaged in mining, but his parents proceeded on their way and settled in this county in the Fall of 1854, on the farm where they now reside. The ranch contains two hundred and forty acres, located about four miles north of Healdsburg. He married Miss Sarah F. Beech, August 23, 1849. She was born in Marion county, Missouri, February 7, 1833. Their children are: John S., born April 7, 1852; William H., February 12, 18o4; George W., January 27, 1860; Mary A., October 7, 1868. McDonnell, William. A native of Missouri ; born April 29, 1825 When quite young his parents moved to New York city, where he was reared and educated. In 1841 he moved, in company with his parents, to Lee county, Illinois. In 1844 William left his parents and proceeded to Jo Daviess county, and labored at farming and lead mining until 1846, when he crossed the plains to California with ox-teams. After spending about one month near Dr. Bales' mill, in Napa county, he enlisted in the Mexican war under General Fremont. After serving six months, he returned to Napa valley, where he remained until 1850, when he came to this county and settled on the ranch where he now resides. For fifteen years Mr. McDonnell acted as guide to the Geysers, and was one of the first pleasure seekers to that noted and romantic region. He mari-ied in October,^ 1849, Miss Eleanor Graves, who was born in Illinois, July 28, 1831. Mrs. McDonnell, four sisters and a brother were in company with the unfortunate Donner party, and barely escaped with their lives. They have six children: Annie, Charles, Mary N., Henry, Nellie and Louisa J. Stites, A. H. Whose portrait appears in this work, was born in De Kalb county, Tennessee, August 3, 1837. When but a child his parents moved to Illinois, and after a residence of one year they emigrated to Green county, Missouri. It was here that the subject of this sketch grew to man- hood and labored on a farm until 1856, when he left home and crossed the plains to California with ox-teams, arriving in Santa Rosa on September 4th. Here he labored at whatever his hands found to do until 1858, when he purchased a drove of cattle and took them to Humboldt county, where they were nearly all stolen and killed by the Indians. He then returned to this HISTOET OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 703 county and embarked in the livery business at Healdsburg one year, when he settled on his present farm, consisting of one hundred and sixty acres, located in Washington township, about one-half mile from Geyserville. He married Miss Mattie Kilgore, July 25, 1861, who was born in Lee county, Iowa, January 30, 1841. William A., bom May 5, 1863; Effie S., born June 8, 1867; Laura J., born June 4, 1869; Mary E., born April 8, 1871; Addie 0., born October 24, 1873, and Maggie E., born October 10, 1875, are the names and births of their children. Wisecarver, J. R. A native of Green county, Pennsylvania, bom June 6, 1816. Here he remained until .twenty-eight years of age, when he went to Livingston county, Missouri, and engaged in farming and stock- dealing untU 1849, when he emigrated to California, crossing the plains with ox-teams. He engaged in teaming in Yuba county until the Fall of 1850, when he returned to Missouri, via Panama. Here he dealt in stock and farmed until 1862, when he emigrated to Oregon, remaining there until the Fall of 1863, when he came to this county, and settled on a farm in Santa Rosa township; after a residence of one year, he removed to Vallejo town- ship, where he farmed until 1868, when he settled on his present estate in Washington township. He married Miss Jane Black, July 4, 1839. She was born in Ohio, December 18, 1818. Rachel E., born June 16, 1840, and died October 26, 1848; William H., born September 15, 1842; Mary J., born October 9, 1844, and died March 21, 1867 ; Susana F., bom November 4, 1847, and died January 26, 1852; Sarah J., born February 26, 1852; Joseph L., born August 23, 1854; James M., born May 9, 1857; Francis S., born May 9, 1857, and Thomas J., bom September 5, 1863, are the names, births and deaths of their children. 704 HISTORY Of SONOMA COUNTY. CALIFORNIA. ADDENDA. The following histories and biographies not having arrived in time to be inserted in their proper places, we are per force obliged to produce them by themselves: — Bodega. — McCaughey, James. Was born in Canada West February 19, 1839, where he received his education, and at the age of sixteen entered the store of William J. Dyer, of Kemptville, as clerk, remaining until 1859, He then established a business of his own at the same place, where he con- tinued till June, 1864, when he came to California, via Panama, arriving at San Francisco July 20th of the same year, and in October settled at Bodega, where he was engaged in clerking for sixteen months for L. Kowlsky, and for one year for B. Stephenson & Co. He then entered into a co-partnership with Mat Aikin, and bought the business of Stephenson & Co. In January, 1872, he bought Aikin out, since which time he has conducted it alone. In October, 1867, Mr. McCaughey, in company with David Robinson, opened a store at the head of Bodega Bay, which they carried on five years, when they moved the goods to Bodega Corners. On April 1, 1877, Mr. McCaughey started a store at Occidental, which David Robinson manages. Mr. McCaughey married Miss Nancy Carson, a native of Canada, March 18, 1867. By this union they have five children: James W., David E. P., Elizabeth M., Nancy E. and Howard S. Mr. McCaughey is agent for Wells, Fargo & Co., Postmaster, and agent for the Western Union Telegraph Co. Murray, Thomas. Born in England February 4, 1829, where he received his education and resided until about seventeen years of ao-e, when he shipped on the '-Majestic" as an apprentice. He followed the sea five years, visiting the West Indies, and from there he came to California, arriving at San Francisco February 6, 1853, where he left the ship. He then spent six months on a farm in Santa Cruz county, when he returned to San Francisco and remained six months. In July, 1854, he came to this county and settled in Bodega, where he has since resided, being employed at different times in farming, tanning and butchering. He is now engaged in hotel-keeping and butchering. Mr. Murray married, April 25, 1860, Miss Anna Gray. By this union they have seven children: Mary R., Harriet, John, Annie R., Kittie L., Sarah E. and William H. (^^ )a^^X^Uci HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 705 Cloverdale. — Alder Glen Mineral Springs. These charmingly situ- ated springs were discovered about two years and a half ago, but the improvements which have since been effected on them were commenced only as recently as the Spring of 1879, by R. J. Shipley, the gentleman who has taken a lease of them for five years. They are at present owned by John Lewis, of San Francisco. Notwithstanding their want of notoriety, they were visited during the Summer of 1879 by no less than one thousand five hundred visitors from different parts of this and the Eastern States, all of whom were unanimous in the expression of delight with the water, scenery, etc. These springs are located about two and a half miles from the thriving little town of Cloverdale, at the head of Oat valley in the Taylor eaiion. Their situation is in the highest degree romantic. There are fourteen vari- eties of native forest trees surrounding the springs, among them being the far-famed redwoods — which here attain an immense size — alders, ash, etc., making a delightful shade from the rays of the sun during the heated hours. Of the springs, there are seven, each differing in taste and medicinal property ; In one soda predominates, ia another iron, another gives a mag- nesian flavor; add to this no unpleasantness of taste, and we boldly assert that no springs in the State, when known, will have so rare a popularity as these. We predict that ere long those needing good health will flock to the Alder Glen Mineral Springs of Cloverdale. Mendocino. — Mulligan, William. We are unable to give as full and complete a biography of this gentleman as we had desired, as he is a promi- nent citizen of Mendocino township, and a son-in-law of Cyrus Alexander, of Alexander valley. We have gleaned, however, a few facts and incidents, which we give below, regretting that we are unable to give a longer and more detailed sketch of his life. William Mulligan was born in^^Glasgow, Mis- souri, July 23, 1838, and removed, in 1840, with his parents, to his mother's native city, St. Louis, where she died December 15, 1852. His father is a native of New York City, and is now residing in Healdsburg, a healthy, active old gentleman. William was raised and educated in St. Louis untU he was seventeen years old; he was then sent to Germany and France, to complete his education. After having remained four years in Europe, visiting different countries, and acquiring the French and German languages, and seeing and enjoying life as only a German art student can, he sailed once more for home, on an American merchantman, the " Elwood Walter." The war of rebellion having broken out, they were treated to a lively chase by the privateer " Jeff. Davis," but escaped in the fogs on the banks of New- foundland. Arriving safely in St. Louis, he remained nearly a year, when his father and family concluded to move to California, going by steamer from New York, quite a round-about way, as there was no overland rail- road in those days. The family reached California in 1862, and after a 45 706 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. few months' residence in San Francisco removed to Healdsburg, where they have since resided. William was in the employ of Capt. L. A. Norton, whilst he was in the lumber business, and he considers the captain one of his oldest and staunchest California friends. William Mulligan was mar- ried, July 30, 1868, to Margaret, eldest daughter of the old pioneer, Cyrus Alexander, whose life is fully written in another part of this book. Since his marriage he has lived almost entirely on his ranch in Alexander valley, and takes great interest in farming operations. He and L. J. Hall are the largest grain-raisers in this section of the county, and these two gentlemen are also connected in farming on a large scale on the Sacramento in Colusa county. Mr. Mulligan is also one of the directors of the Bank of Healds- burg; his home is still in Alexander valley, which is one of the prettiest valleys in the State, where he has settled down to remain, surrounded by a healthy, happy family, his wife having blessed him with six children, viz: Willie Alexander, Margaret Cecilia, Leo Vincent, Genevieve, Rufina Inez, and George Julian. Petaluma. — Ellsworth, Le Grand. Born in Chautauqua county. New York, on February 4, 1828, and in 1833 his parents brought him to Branch county, Michigan. In 1837 he moved to the then Wisconsin Terri- tory, and settled near Milwaukee, but in 1847 he returned to Branch county, Michigan, and in 1848 again settled in Wisconsin. During the Fall of 1849 he located in La Fayette county, Missouri. In 1852 he crossed the plains to this State, locating in Sonoma county, on October 11th of that year. In 1855 he came to Petaluma, and began working at the carpenter's trade. In 1863 he began the lumber business, which was continued till the Spring of 1875, when he began the furniture trade, and is still engaged in that busi- ness, as well as owning one-half interest in a livery stable with Mr. Brown. Married Charlotte M., daughter of Levi Damon, of Massachusetts, on Octo- ber 1, 1861. Lulu M., Henry L., Leonard F., Fred D., Lottie and Millie, are the names of their children. Santa Rosa. — Methodist JEpiscopal Church South. It was, perhaps, as early as the year 1851 or 1852 when the first Southern Methodist preacher visited the valley in which Santa Rosa now stands. The site of the city was then marked by only two or three houses. In the Spring of 1853 the Rev. Solomon Smith was appointed preacher in charge of the Bodega Circuit, which at that time included Santa. Rosa. He never reported to the Confer- ence. At that time the itinerant had a large parish and preached in the houses of the people, or in such other places as could be procured. For a time in Santa Rosa the herald of the cross plead the cause of truth and righteousness where attorneys plead for justice and human life. In the course of events the Baptists moved their church from the country and located it on Third street, near where the Methodist Episcopal church now HISTOKT OF SONOMA COUNTT, CALIFORNIA. 707 stands. The Southern Methodists were kindly allowed the use of this house, of which kindness they gladly availed themselves. They also at one time preached in the Christian church, prior to the building of their own house of worship. In February, 1854, Rev. B. H. Russell was assigned to the Bodega Circuit. He served it one year. His successor was Rev. Benjamin R. Johnson, who also remained only one year. The Rev. J. L. Sanders was the next preacher in charge. He came in February and left in October, 1856. This is known as the "short year" in the history of the Pacific Annual Conference. It was during this j^ear that the first society was formed in Santa Rosa by the Southern Methodists. It was very small — only three members, it io thought by those best acquainted with the subject. The next preacher in charge was Rev. John T. Cox, with Rev. Samuel Brown as junior preacher. The former remained in charge two years, Rev. I. L. Hopkins being assistant tiie next year. At the Conference in October, 1858, Rev. M. W. Glover was appointed to this Circuit, with Rev. George Sim assistant. They were here only one year together, Glover returning the second year. Rev. J. L. Porter was the next preacher. He remained only one year. His successor was Rev. C. M. Hoge, who also served this charge one- year only. The next incumbent was Rev. O. Fisher, who remaiaed only one year. He was followed by Rev. T. D. Clanton, who was in charge twO' years. In October, 1865, Rev. Samuel Brown was put in charge of this Circuit, which he served only one year. His successor, Rev. J. C. Pender- grast, also remained one year only. Sometime during this decade the Bodega. Circuit was divided and Santa Rosa fell in what was called the Santa Rosa Circuit. During these ten years of toil and vicissitude the church must have grown very slowly, as in the year 1867 we find only fourteen members. In October, 1867, Rev. George Sim was appointed to the Santa Rosa \ Circuit. In his judgment the time had come for building a house of worship. He inaugurated the enterprise which resulted in the building of the church which now stands on Fifth street, betwen B and Mendocino streets, north side. About this time the first Board of Trustees were elected. • It was com- posed of the following persons: William E. Cocke, President; Henry A. Pea- body, Secretary; Henry C. Mizer, Treasurer; Seth Millington and Ira Collier, Rev. George Sim remained in charge only one year. At the Conference in 1868 Santa Rosa and Petaluma were constituted a Station, and Rev. Samuel Brown appointed preacher in charge. Under his supervision the work of building the church was carried foward to completion. At the end of the Conference year such progress had been made, and the membership had increased so as to justify the constituting of Santa Rosa a Station by itself. This was done, and Rev. Samuel Brown reappointed preacher in charge. He continued to serve this charge until the law of limitation removed him in 1872. The Rev. John Anderson was the next pastor. He remained one year, when Rev. 0. P. Fitzgerald, D. D., was put in charge. During his 708 HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. pastorate of two years the membership ran up to near two hundred and fifty. Those were the palmy days of Santa Rosa, and also of the Pacific Methodist College, under the auspices of this church. The church grew -with the city and the college. The next pastor was the Rev. J. 0. Branch, who also served this station two years, as also did his successor. Rev. C. Chamberlin. The church during these last three or four years felt the effects of the receding wave of prosperity, and the removal of many citizens reduced the membership very much. Besides this, many of this number left for a ■" better country " and a more perfect life. Death helped much to deplete the ranks. The present Pastor is Rev. C. Y, Rankin. He was appointed to this charge October, 1879. The present membership is one hundred and sixty or one hundred and sixty-three. The present Board of Trustees is composed of: William E. Cocke, President; James A. Hardin, Abraham Fine, Alexander H. Smith, Wesley Mock, C. H. Bumpas, Charles S. Smyth. The present Board of Stewards consists of: C. H. Bumpas, President; Ferdinand Kenyon, Recorder ; T. F. Hudson, Treasurer ; Wesley Mock, Alexander H. Smith, W. C. Reed, and Charles S. Smyth. The Sunday school at this time numbers about one hundred and thirty scholars. The Superintendent is the Rev. W. A. Finley, D. D.; the Secretary is William H. Layson, and W. C. Reed the Treasurer. Cook, Isaac T. Bom December 7, 1832, in Fountain county, Indiana. When ten years of age his parents moved to De Kalb county, Mi.ssouri, where he received his education and was raised on a farm. In 1853 he emigrated to California, crossing the plains with ox-teams, and after a ted- ious trip of four months, arrived in Petaluma valley, in Vallejo township, on August 26th. Here he remained about two months, when he went to El Dorado county and remained until December 25, 1853. He then returned to this county and spent the Winter in the red-woods, and the following Summer was spent in cutting hay on Petaluma flat. In the Fall he visited Plumas county, and mined until the Fall of 1856, thence to El Dorado county and mined, farmed and teamed until 1861, when he again returned to this county and settled on his present estate, comprising one thousand acres, located in Santa Rosa township, five miles from Santa Rosa. Mr. Cook married on January 20, 1860, Miss Eliza Hopper of Santa Rosa. By this union they have six living children: Thomas G., Jefferson D., Isaac N., •Charles E., Alonzo S. and Andrew J.; three deceased: Virginia L., William H. and John W. Tupper, George A. Was bom in Macomb county, Michigan, November 27, 1833, and there resided until 1850, when he moved to the State of New York. He sailed for California from New York City October 25, 1852, and arrived in San Francisco November 27th of the same year. Like everybody -else he had his turn at the mines, and in 1877 came to Sonoma county, being HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 709> engaged during his residence there in farming, merchandising and hotel- keeping. He is now manager of the Occidental Hotel at Santa Rosa, which; position he occupied on December 15, 1879. He has been a Supervisor of the county. Married, June 10, 1858, Harriet R. Cooper, by whom he haa Emma, Charles, Hattie, Ayvilla and Clinton. ERRATA. Page 24, line 2, for "one-quarter," read "one-third." Page 87, line 34, for " tract," read " track" Page 131, line 18, for " 1879," read " 1849." Page 154, line 20, for " November," read "December." Page 228, line 10, for " F. P. vice Maxwell," read "vice F. P. Maxwell" Page 389, line 27, for " as hotel," read " as a hotel." Page 409, line 37, for "in of each month," read "in each month." Page 505, line 35, for " 1878," read " 1868." Page 529, line 42, for "Van Allen," read "Van Alan." Page 547, Ime 36, for " Miss Isabella St. John," read "Mrs. Isabella St. John. Page 555, line 31, for " Harler, Bloomiield," read " Harter, Bloomfield." Page 560, line 25, for "Alena R. Parker," read "Alma R. Parker." HISTORY OF SONOMA COUNTY, CALrFORNIA. 711 ^ ^ » f^ s? 5^ Ci ri o^ s? S f-H Cb "^ 5>j c O 'W ^-^ if 1^ sq o S,SflS ^ h; ^ |3 ^_5 5^ o •< ph" Q w ai 4 «i ^ i-;td4cMwi?di-;i-;i-; s S s p-g S-2 ^ c S c ^Kl t4 P< O 3 . « o . 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