Butte County CA Archives History - Books .....Oroville And Vicinity 1882 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ca/cafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com January 26, 2006, 8:55 pm Book Title: History Of Butte County OROVILLE AND VICINITY. The first discoveries of gold in this vicinity were made in the fall of 1849. The precious metal was almost simultaneously found to exist at Ophir, White Rock, Long's bar and many other places along this part of the river. The earliest settlements were made in this region in the beginning of the month of October, 1849. Great numbers of miners flocked hither. For several miles along the river they staked off their claims, and but a few days sufficed to change the silent wilderness into a peopled tract of bustle and industry. Active, energetic life was found everywhere. Some time during the month of October, the Long brothers opened a store at the bar two miles above the present site of Oroville, and from them the place took its name. This was a general establishment to supply the people with the necessities of life, and some of its luxuries; being grocery, saloon, hotel and bakery all in one. Long's bar was for some time the most important of the mining camps in this region, and had a considerable population. The diggings were very rich, and the country around was dotted with hundreds of white tents and rude cabins. On the first of November, 1849, J. M. Burt arrived from below with several loads of provisions and opened another store. Both of the mercantile concerns did a heavy business—principally in prices. Flour and provisions were sold at the uniform price of $ 1.25 per pound, a drink of whisky was valued at a pinch of gold-dust—quite a precious pinch, by the way, which rarely fell below a dollar and a half. A barrel of whisky in those days was no inconsiderable piece of property, for it usually brought to the vendor thereof a good four thousand dollars. Gold-dust soon became far more plentiful in proportion than the things it would buy. Molasses and sugar were in great demand, but as the winter came on the supply grew very limited, in consequence of the difficulty of getting it to the consumer. The winter of 1849 was very severe in the •way of floods and heavy rains, and loads of goods frequently became mired down the river, which had to be packed to the bar on the shoulders of men, the roads being impassable for even beasts of burden. At this time another mining-camp was established opposite Long's bar, which was known as Adams-town, after a man named Adams, who kept a store there. There were rich diggings surrounding the place, and hundreds of miners were working there. In the spring of 1850, Mr. Burt bought out the Longs, and another store was started by Dr. Smith and J. W. McCorkle. There was one little iron safe in the place, where many of the miners deposited their dust. In a very short time it became so full that not another ounce could be crowded into it, and the banker had to refuse more deposits on account of the bank's too great solvency. Some few reminiscences of that interesting period come down to us, which are illustrative of the peculiar customs that prevailed in all mining camps. A negro who had one day stolen goods to the value of fifty dollars from a store, was tried before an examining bureau, and the evidence being greatly in preponderance against him, his back was bared and a severe castigation administered. The effect was a complete reformation in the man's character. Considering the state of society that then existed, crime was exceedingly scarce. To us, accustomed to bolts and bars for every article of value, it seems almost incredible that men could have exercised so much honesty towards each other when the opportunities for theft were so numerous. Gold-dust was about as safe, lying unprotected in a tent, as it is now in a bank-vault behind a time-lock and iron doors. Not unfrequently thousands of dollars were left exposed to the public gaze while the owner was away from his premises. Gambling-halls and saloons soon became very numerous at Long's bar. Great heaps of gold were won and lost every day. One bright Sunday morning in the summer of 1850, a gentleman rode into camp and began to inquire for a place where he could hold religious services. The only suitable place he could find was a room devoted to gambling. As he entered the play was running high, and $10,000 in gold were stacked upon the table. When the men seated around discovered the preacher's wish, they stopped the game and listened to the clerical discourse. At its close the hat' was passed around and three hundred dollars were deposited therein. Thanking them, the preacher, Rev. S. V. Blakeslee, now of San Francisco, mounted his horse and rode away. At his departure the game was continued with renewed zest. The first ferry license granted by the Butte county board of sessions was to Cross & Foster, to establish a ferry across Feather river at Long's bar, July 22, 1850. On November 22, 1850, it was reissued to George Edmondson, and subsequently various other well-known parties took periodical turns at Charon's labors. Long's bar declined in importance in 1852, and never afterwards regained her old prestige. Several extensive fluming operations have been earned on here, but as a mining camp she became extinct. It was at Long's bar that the first Masonic lodge was opened in Butte county. In the fall of 1849, Mr. Morse called the resident members of the ancient order together, and opened a lodge under dispensation of the grand lodge of the state of Illinois, of which Mr. Morse was a member. The convocations were held in a shake shanty with walls so thin that the secrets of the fraternity might have been seriously endangered had not the worthy tyler been stationed on the outside to warn off the inquisitive. The "whole of outdoors" was also the ante-room or vestibule of the temple. No lodge was ever chartered at Long's bar. The original title borne by the town of Oroville was Ophir City, christened at its inception after the ancient mines of that name. In the year 1855, when a postoffice was established here, it became necessary to change the name, as there was another postoffice called Ophir, in Placer county. In the selection of Oroville the characteristics of the first name were preserved. Judge J. M. Burt is credited with the honor of having bestowed both appellations upon the place. From the first Oroville has been in every sense a mining town. The first store in Ophir was started in the winter of '49 and '50, by Alexander G. Simpson and James Law, who were in partnership for nearly two years. In 1857, the firm was Simpson & Long. At first Ophir was not considered so important a mining locality as Long's bar, and the rush of gold-seekers here was not so great; yet in the fall of that year the shake cabins on the present site of the town and on the bluffs could be counted by the score. During the winter the Troy Wing-Dam Mining Company was organized, which numbered Hon. C. F. Lott, Col. John Tatham, Alexander Simpson and several other well-known pioneer settlers among its members. A wing-dam was put in on the opposite side of the river, which paid well. One thousand dollars a day were frequently taken out. The company was not incorporated and never paid any dividends, most of the proceeds being used in erecting new works. The cost and difficulty of getting lumber to the spot were very great. The original locators of the present town-site were John Tatham, Ralph Bird, Benjamin F. Myers and ___ Carlton. Col. Tatham claimed, and held by squatter's title, 160 acres of land, which embraced the northeastern and eastern part of the town as it was afterwards platted. Carlton's claim held considerable of the lower part of town, and Captain Bird and Myers claimed the remainder between them. These claims being mineral land, were of course subject to temporary occupation by miners, and did not conflict at all with their operations for this purpose. The slender titles under which these parties held the land were transferred from one to another, and given to citizens as the town grew up and improved. It was not till 1873 that a government patent was obtained on the town-site of Oroville. On the twenty-first of November, 1853, Colonel Tatham executed a deed to Peter S. Garlow and DeWitt C. Downer, transferring the quarter-section above mentioned. In 1853, George J. Vaughn had an interest with Carlton in the lower part of the town. In 1854, Ralph Bird and Jacob S. Morris, under the firm name of Bird & Morris, secured title to most of the town-site and laid out the town, selling lots to citizens in 1855. Carlton & Vaughn's portion was afterwards made an addition. The present site of Oroville lies on the left bank of Feather river, fifteen miles from the southern line of the county, forty-five from its most northern extension, and nearly equi-distant from the eastern and western boundaries. It lies in sections 7, 8, 17 and 18, of township 9, range 4 east of the Mount Diablo meridian. In 1852, Ophir City became nearly depopulated because of the great gold excitement at White Rock, four miles above. The richest river-mining done in this region was carried on at White Rock that year, and the hill diggings were unusually rich. The number of houses in Ophir in 1853 was extremely small. The business was carried on by Downer & Garlow and Rodgers & Son. The Chinese were, however, quite numerous, and an issue of the Butte Record, published at Bidwell, contained an item in November, which said that the celestials covered the whole plain of Bagdad. This was the settlement south of town, having received the name from A. G. Simpson, who discovered gold in one of the bluffs. Owing to the great lapse of time since that period it is impossible to obtain sufficient reliable information for a succinct narrative of all that occurred during these early years in and around Ophir. New discoveries were made continually in different places, and the people were moving hither and thither in quest of richer diggings. The pan andl shovel were more indispensable to the miner than his blanket or his cooking-utensils. Gold was abundant and prices for commodities were enormously high. For a large part of the year the Feather river was quite a formidable stream. The channel being free from the vast amount of debris from the mines that now encumber it, was deep and impassable for wagons and pack-animals. In extreme high water the floods found another channel back of the settlement, and at such times Ophir was an island. The necessity of a regular ferry to transport vehicles and men across the swift current was early felt, and in 1852 John Elder made application to the court of sessions for a license to keep a public ferry at Ophir, which was granted on April 6th of that year. George J. Vaughn also had a private boat which he used in passing to and from his claim on the opposite side. This was in great requisition by those who wished a free ride, and Mr. Vaughn soon found that he was accommodating the public at a considerable sacrifice to himself in the way of making repairs on his river-craft. So he also applied to the court of sessions for a ferry license, and it was granted to him on the seventh of June, 1853. His ferry was established a few rods above the present bridge-site. Both of these ferries continued to be operated by various parties until the erection of the noble structure which now spans the stream. As far back as 1850 a ferry had been established by James Watts, halfway between Hamilton and Ophir. The turning point in the destiny of Ophir city was the organization of the Feather River and Ophir Water Company, which was incorporated February 6, 1855. The incorporators and trustees of this enterprise were Lewis Cunningham, John C. Fall, C. B. Macy, O. M. Evans and A. Fargo. The capital stock was $100,000. The object was to construct a ditch from the south branch near String-town and Enterprise to foot of Red Hills at Ophir, a distance of over fourteen miles. As soon as the work was begun, and it became evident that it would terminate here, the effect on the little settlement was like a magic transformation scene. Hundreds flocked in to take advantage of the dry diggings, which it was thought only needed the influx of this water to make exceedingly profitable. The surrounding mining camps were livelier than ever, houses of a more substantial character began to be erected in Ophir, and the town suddenly became the trading center of quite a large section of country. Previous to the organization of this company, A. F. Williams, Charles Marsh and a few others formed a company and located the water route. They sold out their rights to the Feather River and Ophir company, who carried the work to its completion. A. F. Williams was general superintendent of the ditch, and J. E. Meacham contractor. Lewis Cunningham was made president of the company. It was designed to get the water to Ophir in the fall of 1855, but owing to several accidents and unavoidable delays the ditch was not completed till far into the winter, and the water did not get through till April, 1856. The original cost of the ditch was in the neighborhood of $280,000. The capital stock of the company was increased to $200,000, and again to $300,000, at which figure it now stands. In the fall of 1857, Mr. J. B. Hewitt was made general superintendent, a position which he still holds. The entire length of ditch is about twenty-five miles; its depth is three feet and width six feet at the bottom. The surface indications in this neighborhood at that time were very promising, but the yield was far less than anticipated. The sinking of shafts to reach a lower stratum of gold-bearing dirt was finally inaugurated, and the earth was soon pierced on every side with holes of varying depth. The first good prospects were struck at Carpenter's flat. Then the ground in some places became honey-combed with shafts and tunnels, and a rich harvest of gold was the result. Several brick houses were in course of erection during the fall of 1855, but the first one completed was owned by James McWilliams, who, with Mr. Tymeson, started the pioneer banking-house of Oroville. The building was situated on the corner now occupied by the banking-house of Rideout, Smith & Co. McConnell Brothers had a short time before started the manufacture of brick at the bluff on the south side of town. Among the more important buildings then in existence in Oroville may be mentioned: the Huntoon Exchange, a hotel kept by Mr. Huntoon himself, situated on the site of the St. Nicholas. The Orleans hotel, owned by William Nutter, was on the south side of Montgomery street, in the upper corner of Clemen's livery-stable lot. The Empire hotel occupied ground a little south of the present United States hotel site, while the United States hotel of that period entertained the public on the corner where Perkins' mammoth establishment is now located. The Harris building, erected by D. D. Harris, stood on the Union-hotel corner, and was afterwards known as the old Bank Exchange. The North Californian office, and the express office of Wells, Fargo & Co. were on Montgomery street. The Metropolitan theatre opened its Thespian shrine on the corner of Bird and Huntoon, now the site of the Register office. The soda factory was situated on Robinson street, two blocks below Court-house square. Deamer & Bordwell had just started it, and the manufacture of soda had been carried on continually in Oroville from that period. The steam saw-mill, owned by George W. Garriott, was in full operation on the flat under the bank on which the flouring-mill now stands. It was during the fall that a postoffice was established here and the town received a new name. H. B. Lathrop, senior, was the first postmaster, and had the postoffice in a room adjoining the Metropolitan theatre. For many years the office 'was held in various parts of the town, but has finally come back to its original place. From its establishment to the present, the office has been held by the following postmasters: H. B. Lathrop, Sen., 1855; DeWitt C. Downer, 1856; Joseph Kimmell, 1859; J. G. Downer, Sen., 1861; H. P. Downer, 1865; John Lytle, 1866; John J. Smith, 1869; Wm. Sharkey, 1881. The amount of business transacted by the Oroville postoffice during the first years of its existence was very large. Stages ran from this place to a great many mining-camps, their mails having to pass through this office. The streets of Oroville looked like those of a great city. The thoroughfares were crowded day and night with people passing to and fro, and by heavily-laden wagons and pack-animals. Scenes of great animation and life were present everywhere. Every other door opened into a saloon or gambling-house. The amount of business transacted by merchants and hotel men was enormous. A gentleman who was in the drug business at that time, recently remarked to us that three months of the business he did then would make him rich now. Vast quantities of gold-dust were taken out every week within a mile of the town, irrespective of the stream of wealth that poured in continually from other quarters. Those were "flush times" in Oroville. The movement to change the county-seat from Bidwell to Oroville was made at a most opportune period. The town had become the centre of trade and population, and the success of the undertaking was a foregone conclusion from the start. In addition to the account of this event which occurs in another part of this work, may be noted the vote cast in Oroville precinct at the election of April 19, 1856. The total vote in Oroville was 995, and in the township of Ophir, 1,830. Of the former 978 were for Oroville, 15 for Bidwell, 1 for Wyandotte, and 1 for Lynchburg. At the presidential election on November 12, 1856, Oroville precinct alone cast 1,703 votes, and within a radius of three miles there were deposited 2,200 ballots on that day. The population of the town was estimated at more than 4,000, while within a radius of five miles at least 6,000 white people resided. Oroville was then the fifth town in the state in point of population, and the third as to voting numbers. In less than a year she had more than doubled her size. Early in 1855, Lynchburg was considered a better place than Oroville, and had a greater number of inhabitants. Chinatown also was more populous than this place. The feasibility of navigating Feather river during a portion of the year while the water was high was thoroughly demonstrated in the spring of 1857, but through the determined opposition of Marysville, she never realized any benefit from that discovery. A bill declaring Feather river navigable to Oroville was introduced in the legislature by John B. McGee, and passed the assembly in February. Strenuous efforts were made by the lower town to defeat the measure in the senate. As a preliminary obstacle they had begun the erection of a bridge, which, when completed, would stop the further progress of all vessels up the river. However, in the following month the bill passed the senate. While it was pending before that body, a man named Ferris made arrangements to run the steamer Oroville up here, but was deterred from doing so because Marysville threatened to give him no more business. The California Steam Navigation Company sent up the Gazelle, which arrived on the fifth of March, 1857, and there was great rejoicing thereat. The Gazelle departed in two days and came back no more. On the thirteenth the steamer Sam Soule arrived at the landing. Her commander proposed to make regular trips to Oroville, bringing freight and passengers. It was shown that by loading at San Francisco or Sacramento freight could be brought to this place for one-half what it required when teamed from Marysville, and a saving of sixteen hours could be made in the time of transportation. Great expectations were aroused; a large meeting was held in the court-house and resolutions adopted, urging the senate to pass the navigation bill, which it did on the following day. It is strange that nothing came of all these seemingly effective measures. The Navigation Company did not fulfil its promises, except for about three months, and the project to connect Oroville by water with the lower towns fell through entirely. It was proposed to have the people build a steamboat-of their own, but that scheme did not apparently receive much support, for it was never acted upon. A long time afterwards, the steamer Confidence came up with a calliope on board, and discoursed music to the citizens. That was the last vessel propelled by steam which ever visited this locality, and doubtless the crack of doom will sound before another succeeds in getting here. The Oro Telegraph Company was incorporated November 25, 1856, for the purpose of constructing a line of telegraph to connect Oroville with Marysville. The company was to have an existence of twenty years. The incorporators were George W. Garriott of Oroville, and T. B. W. Stockton and William Gwynn of Marysville. The line was completed before the beginning of the year 1857. Considerable of the stock was taken by citizens of Oroville, but the venture never proved a financial success, la a few years the Western Union Telegraph Company ran another line up from Marysville and finally the Oro company's line was abandoned altogether. Other lines were afterwards established. One between Oroville and Chico was in operation for a long time, but, as considerable wire could be saved by running it to Biggs, a portion of it was used for that purpose, and the remainder sold to a company who connected Cherokee with Oroville. The Oroville and La Porte telephone line has stations at Oroville, Robinson's mills, Woodville, Brownsville, Strawberry valley, La Porte, Gibsonville, Howland flat and Hepsidam. Oroville had some experience with gas long prior to the establishment now in successful operation. The Oroville Gas Light Company, which was the first venture of the kind, was incorporated March 15, 1862, with a capital stock of twenty-five thousand dollars. The incorporators were A. McDermott, George E. Smith, David Nye, Jr., J. M. Brock and M. J. Miller. George H. Crossette, M. H. Darrach and George Faulkner composed the managing board for the first three months. They proceeded to erect gas-works on a lot near the United States stable, on Montgomery street. It was a whole year before the works were in operation, owing to delays in procuring necessary machinery and pipes. The latter were of wood, bored lengthwise and saturated with tar. The coal used in manufacturing the illuminating fluid was brought from Table mountain, six miles distant. Oroville was first lighted by gas on the twenty-eighth of March, 1863, but she did not long enjoy the benefit of such improvement, for the venture proved a failure financially, and was continued for only a year. The works and apparatus were sold, a long time afterward, to Mr. Clemens. The Pacific Pneumatic Gas Company had the privilege granted it, in 1870, of laying gas-pipes in Chico and Oroville, but did nothing at this place. The gasworks now owned and operated by A. Pierce, of San Francisco, were built in 1878, and gas was supplied the town in the fall of that year. Pipes were laid on all the principal streets. Unfortunately, the works were built close to the bank of the river, and the flood of February 4, 1881, swept everything away except the gas-holder. One hundred tons of coal and a large amount of shale and pitch-pine wood were lost. The total loss to the works was not less than eight thousand dollars. Mr. Pierce immediately rebuilt on higher ground. The gas-holder has a capacity of twelve thousand cubic feet, which amply supplies all the business houses and many private residences with the illuminating fluid. H. G. Dorsh is general manager. In the winter of 1854-55, quite a large settlement sprang up one mile southeast of Oroville. Of course, gold was the attraction which induced men to locate there. George H. Lynch started a store in the camp during that winter, and it soon began to be called Lynchburg. The place flourished mightily for a few months; people put up a large number of wooden buildings, and it grew to be a formidable rival of Ophir City. During 1855, it actually had a greater population, and was considered by many a better location for a town. The rivalry that existed necessarily created much animosity between the denizens of the two places, and, when the county-seat movement was started, Lynchburg became a candidate of considerable importance. Prior to the county-seat contest, however, the Lynchburg boom was a thing of the past. The completion of the water-ditch to Ophir caused the business men to make the latter place their basis for business operations, and the emigration down to the river was considerable. Emigration, in those days of shake shanties and frame stores, meant more than the mere loss of inhabitants. It implied the complete demolition and removal of all structures, domiciliary or commercial—the nomad not only taking up his bed, scripture-wise, but even taking his house with him when he walked. So many had done this by 1857, that in that year but a very few houses or men remained of the once prosperous mining camp. In the month of January, 1857, the county government having need of some place in which the indigent sick of the commonwealth might be properly cared for, selected the Western hotel, then owned and run by William Thurber, at Lynchburg, for such a refuge, and purchased it for that purpose. Immediately after the establishment of the county-seat, and while elated over the victory thus obtained, a movement was made to have Oroville incorporated, and a bill was prepared to that effect arid presented to the legislature. It was passed during the winter of 1856, and approved by Governor Bigler, March 14, 1857. The first municipal election was held on May 4, 1857, at which time 769 votes were cast. The following officers were elected: Trustees—G. W. Garriott, Thomas Wells, Dan Otterson, A. F. Leavy, C. A. Smith. Marshal—Jesse Beene. Treasurer—James McWilliams. Assessor— William O'Shea. The board appointed Thomas Wells its President, and J. S. Hemming, town surveyor. A very large police force was needed for the protection of the citizens, and six men were invested with that official duty. The chief of police was J. H. Preston. The assessment-rolls of 1857 show the valuation of city property to have been $732,277. The board that year levied a city tax of one per cent, to defray the expenses of the municipal government. There were but two municipal elections. A city government was found to be a costly luxury, especially as the "flush times" were passing away and the heavy taxes were becoming somewhat burdensome. The second election was held on the third of May, 1858, and a marked decrease in the vote is noticeable. The number cast was 553, being 216 less than the preceding year. Trustees—Seneca Ewer, J. W. Buffum, J. M. Clark, H. W. Bordwell, Timothy Fogg. Treasurer—J. M. Brock. Marshal—S. W. Gambrel. Assessor—John W. Miller. Seneca Ewer became president. The first act of retrenchment was to abolish the police force. The valuation of the city was but a trifle less this year, being $716,073. No city tax levy was made. One of the benefits expected from the municipality was the organization of an efficient fire department and the purchase of an engine, but little or nothing had been done in this direction on account of the heavy expenditures. This board had been in existence but a short time when the opinion was unanimously held that the town would be better off without incorporation. Nothing was done, however, until the latter part of the year, when a pro rata subscription was made to pay off the city indebtedness, and the legislature was asked to repeal the Act of March 14, 1857, incorporating the town. This was done and the repealing act was approved February 18, 1859. From this period Oroville began to retrograde, as did the rest of the county. Her "boom" was past, hundreds moved away, and the place settled back into the condition so common to towns that have grown too fast and enjoyed too much prosperity. The Fraser river excitement, and rumors of imports ant discoveries in other localities, drew a great many away, while the added calamities of the great fire of 1858, and the belief which became current that the mines of Butte county were worked out, did their part towards the general depreciation of business and the decrease of population. In one year the population dropped off one-half, and declined for a long time. Empty houses were on all sides, and mournful gaps marked for years the progress the devouring element had made when it spread over the beautiful town. For several years the question of proving up on the town-site of Oroville, and obtaining a patent therefor, was considerably agitated. It was thought by some that under the mineral land act permanent titles could not be obtained to lots in the town, as they were generally considered to be mineral land. The first application for a patent was made by Judge W. S. Safford, in 1868. On the tenth of May, 1871, Judge Safford, in behalf of the citizens of Oroville, made another application before the land office at Marysville for a title to the town-site. This was contested by the owners of the Feather River and Ophir ditch, on the ground that the town-site was mineral land, and should always be open to claimants who might wish to work it. The opposition was finally withdrawn, and the measure succeeded. On the first day of June, 1872, a United States patent was issued to Judge W. S. Safford, in trust for the several use and benefit of the inhabitants of the town-site of Oroville. It embraces the following land: "The lots numbered five and six of the southeast quarter of section seven, the lot numbered seven and the south half of the southwest quarter of section eight, the northwest quarter of the northwest quarter of section seventeen, and the north half of the northeast of section eighteen, in township nineteen north, of range four east of Mount Diablo base and meridian." The township contains two hundred and eighty-one and sixty-one hundreths acres. The old Metropolitan theatre, which stood on the corner of Huntoon and Bird streets, deserves a passing mention. It was originally a frame structure, and was erected in the fall of 1855. On the afternoon of April 6, 1857, it was burned, together with eight other buildings, involving a loss of $15,000. The fire was confined to the corners of the plaza and Huntoon street by the untiring energy of the Butte Engine Company. The Metropolitan was soon replaced with a fine brick edifice, by D. C. Downer, John S. Morris, and Seneca Ewer. It was fitted up with the appointments and scenery of a first-class theatre, and had private boxes and a gallery. Oroville being quite a metropolitan place, was frequently favored with dramatic and operatic entertainments of a high order. In the spring of 1$59, Edwin Booth visited Oroville, and played in the Metropolitan to a crowded house. The boards have also been trod by Murdoch, Stark, Julia Dean Hayne, Mademoiselle Annette Inez, and many other stars of the Thespian galaxy. The great fire of 1858 spared this building, and it was principally used as a theatre for eight years afterwards. During the war the Oroville Guards occupied it as an armory. On the third of February, 1866, George C. Perkins and Max Brooks purchased of Seneca Ewer the theatre building and lot, put in a large amount of milling machinery, and turned it into a steam flouring-mill, which ran as such till it was a second time baptized with fire, in 1878. The month of July, 1858, was fruitful in disasters to the city of Oroville. On the second of the month Chinatown took fire and was completely consumed. Over a hundred houses were reduced to ashes, and the loss to the celestial portion of the community was considerable. Following close upon the heels of this occurrence came the great fire of 1858, which is vividly remembered by all the old residents. Nearly the whole of the business portion was swept by the conflagration which left but a few buildings here and there, as land-marks to indicate the extent of the damage done. At one o'clock on the night of Monday, the fifth of July, or rather upon the morning of the sixth, a fire broke out on Montgomery street opposite the Orleans hotel, in a Chinese wash-house, and from there rapidly communicated to the buildings adjoining and opposite. A high wind soon spread the flames far and wide, and not the combined efforts of all the citizens could stay their progress until they had laid in ruins the fairest portion of the city, and struck a blow at her prosperity from which it took many years to recover. The Butte Record estimated the loss at nearly $400,000. Montgomery street, from Garriott's saw-mill to Oak street, a distance of half a mile, was a scene of ruins, with the exception of a few fire-proof brick buildings. From the head of Montgomery street, past Downer, Myers, Huntoon and Lincoln streets, there were only eight buildings left standing. From thence the fire extended on the north side of Montgomery to the burned district of Chinatown, leaving only two buildings on that side, one of which wag McDermott's drug-store. The following diagram of the burned district appeared the next day in the Record: [hand drawn map of MONTGOMERY ST.] In this great calamity the people had no means of combatting the devouring element, the waterworks failing to supply any water below Myers street. The number of losers by this conflagration was very large. It is impossible for us to mention more than a small portion. C. Scriber, store and house, $3,000; C. H. Mason, furniture-store, $3,000; ___ Becker, gunsmith-shop, $2,000; J. M. Brock, hardware, $2,500; ____ Hirshey, furniture, 13,000; Amelia Muller, hotel and buildings, $4,500; F. P. Boehm, restaurant, $2,000; _____ McLaughlin, hotel and block, $6,000; St. Nicholas Hotel, $10,000; _____ Albro, hardware, $5,000; U. S. Hotel (Sparks & Smith), $10,000; Hedges & Hannon, bank, $4,000; ____ Friezeholdtz, boots and shoes, $2,500; Empire Hotel, $4,000; Seneca Ewer, dwelling, etc., $3,000; E. Durham, boots and shoes, $3,000; Hedley & Co., merchandise, $12,000; Day & Ethridge, $2,500; T. M. Turner, stable, $2,500; Orleans Hotel, $3,000; Toland, bakery, $2,500; City Hotel, Maine House, $2,500; D. A. Brown, stable, $2,500; California Stage Co., stable, $3,000; Universal Restaurant, $3,500; Marchella & Zambolich, building, $4,000; Cannon & Fall, building, $4,000. All the buildings spared by the flames were for many days packed full of articles saved from the five, and the town presented a mournful spectacle of desolation and confusion. Eighteen persons caught plundering goods were lodged in jail. Immediately after the conflagration had ceased, new buildings of a more substantial character than the old began to be erected, nearly all of which were fire-proof. At noon on Saturday, July 2, 1870, another great conflagration occurred in Oroville, which again threatened the destruction of the town. It originated in the planing-mill of Charles Caulkins, from a defect in the furnace at the rear end of the boiler. The building was filled with sawdust and shavings, and the flames rapidly consumed it, and communicated with Mr. Caulkins' house, which succumbed so rapidly to the devouring element that the family barely escaped with their lives. A high wind carried the flames more than a quarter of a mile upon the bluff, and burned the dwelling-house, store-house and lumber-yard of George Miller, a barn of Mr. Stevens, and the residence of Henry White. The flames swept the entire block bounded by Montgomery, Bird, Lincoln and Pine streets, taking, also, all the buildings on the north side of Montgomery, between Lincoln and Pine, except the sash-factory of Sovereign & Hamilton, on the corner of Montgomery and Pine. Half the block between Lincoln and Huntoon streets was also consumed, but the flames were checked by the mill on Bird street, and at the brick buildings on Montgomery. So fierce was the fire as it attacked the wooden buildings near the mills, that the court-house fence, across the street, was burned for half the distance across the plaza, and the grass in the yard was badly singed. Near the mill were one hundred and fifty cords of wood, and there the fight to save the mill was long and persistent. Many members of the large bucket brigade became exhausted from the intense heat, and, as they fell in line of battle, were borne off the field. It was four hours before the devouring element could be subdued. The chief losses were as follows: George C. Perkins. $6,000; D. N. Friesleben, $4,000; St. Sure & Hoops, $7,600; George Miller, $2,000; Charles Caulkins, $3,000; Louis Garrisien, $1,000; William Taylor, $2,000. The aggregate loss was $36,950, on which there were $6,400 of insurance. Late in the year 1855, George W. Garriott began to establish a system of water-works to supply the town of Oroville with water. He erected a reservoir on Pike hill, east of town, with a capacity of 500,000 gallons. Water was pumped into it from the river, and afterwards it received part of its supply from the Feather river and Ophir ditch. The fall was only thirty-eight feet. Pipes were laid on some of the principal streets, and water was first supplied the town during the year 1856. Somewhat later the works passed into the hands of Joseph Gluckauf, who conducted them for many years. In 1877, Mr. Gluckauf's property was sold at an administrator's sale, and the water-works were purchased by several members of the present company. A few months afterward the Oroville Water Company was incorporated, with a capital stock of $50,000. The company was composed of John J. Smith, E. W. Fogg, R. Parker, J. C. Logan and D. N. Friesleben. Mr. Smith became president and Mr. Logan secretary. The pipes were connected with the water-mill pipe, and water drawn, for a time, from the mill reservoir, east of town, which has a fall of one hundred feet. The Topping Water Company was incorporated May 17, 1S78. Previously, Mr. Topping had erected a tank on Montgomery street, near his house, and pumped water out of a well to supply it. The company had a capital stock of $10,000, and the incorporators were James C. Gray, C. T. Topping, G. W. Sovereign, Thomas W. Reece and D. F. Fryer. A portion of the town in that neighborhood was supplied from the Topping tank for a period of six months, when the Oroville Company bought the franchise. The Oroville Company proceeded to erect new works, the Pike-hill reservoir not having sufficient pressure for the needs of the town. They built a new reservoir one mile from the city, on the opposite side of the river, which has a capacity of 1,500,000 gallons. This is supplied from the Oroville Mining and Irrigating Company's ditch (Power's ditch), which flows by the reservoir. Water is brought over the river on the bridge by an eleven-inch pipe. Eight-inch mains run nearly the whole length of Montgomery, Bird and Robinson streets. Five-and-one-half-inch branches are on Downer, Myers (nearly to the depot), Lincoln to High street, and on Pine back to Robinson. There is also a branch, 641 feet in length, to Chinatown. In all, there are five miles of pipe. The fall from the company's reservoir to the corner of Myers and Montgomery is 155 feet. The works, as they now stand, cost something over $25,000. There are places at different corners and on the principal streets for forty fire-plugs. The city, by a special tax, has just put in twenty of these plugs. Oroville has now water advantages that but few towns possess. The people of Oroville, early recognizing the necessity of an organized resistance to the inevitable attacks of the fire-fiend, formed an association, called the Butte Engine Company, in the summer of 1857. A subscription-paper was circulated, and liberal donations made to purchase a hook-and-ladder truck together with the necessary accompaniment of buckets, etc. Many of the early residents of the place belonged to the company. This company did, on divers occasions, do valiant service to protect the property of the town. It was kept up, with more or less completeness and regularity, for many years, until the present admirable association took its place. The Oroville Hook and Ladder Company is an institution of which she is justly proud. It was organized November 1, 1873—a subscription-paper having been circulated, and considerably over two thousand dollars raised. The original officers were: A. Maurice, Jr., president; E.W. Fogg, secretary; Thomas Callow,, treasurer: D. N. Friesleben, foreman; Dr. Mansfield, first assistant foreman; W. L. Perkins, second assistant foreman; H. P. Downer, steward. With the money raised, the company purchased a fine hose-cart and many other appurtenances. They also bought the building on Bird street now occupied by them, and the lot on which it stands. The company now has two hose-carts, the use of one thousand feet of hose, and a large hook-and-ladder truck. The recent introduction of fire-plugs in the city is a great improvement, and, as considerable drill has already been had in the rapid attachment of hose, it will have to be an obstinate blaze that they cannot quench. The present officers of the fire company are: C. N. Sandowski, foreman; D. N. Friesleben, first assistant foreman; A. P. Waugh, second assistant; C. E. Kusel, third assistant; H. J. Brock, secretary; E. W. Fogg, treasurer; W. L. Perkins, E. W. Fogg and Thomas Callow, trustees. As early as 1866 the papers were earnestly discussing the advantages of a free bridge across the Feather river at Oroville. The preliminary steps for the erection of such a structure were taken by the board of supervisors, in November, 1870, and contractors and bridge-builders were invited to examine locations and make estimates. In a few days several contractors visited Oroville for this purpose. Two places were proposed as suitable bridge sites—the foot of Huntoon street, and the present location; the latter being selected because of a firm bed-rock for piers at the surface, and also because it was thought only half the length of bridging would be required. The contract was let to the Pacific Bridge Company of Oakland, in April, 1871, for the sum of eighteen thousand dollars, which included the erection of two spans, one of 180 and another of 218 feet. Of this amount the citizens of Oroville contributed over $11,000. Subsequently $2,200 more were subscribed by the citizens towards building approaches and grading the road leading thereto, which, with the additional appropriations made by the county, bring the cost of the structure to the neighborhood of twenty-five thousand dollars. It was completed in the middle of February, 1872. On the fourth of February, 1881, the north end of the bridge was swept out by the terrible floods. Perkins & Brooks built a temporary bridge to the north bank, which was purchased by the county for $550. The supervisors advertised for proposals for an arch-truss bridge of stone, with one span of 160 feet and approaches, to supply the vacancy left by the destroying waters. Bids were made by five parties, all of which were rejected. It was then proposed to erect a wrought-iron bridge across the river, and the contract to build two spans, one of 180 feet and the other of 218 feet, together with an iron cylinder pier at the north side, was let to the Pacific Bridge Company, of Oakland, for the sum of $16,200. On the thirteenth of August, 1881, the bridge was completed as it now stands. The building of the California Northern Railroad from Marysville to Oroville was an enterprise which interested closely every property-holder of the town, and had a visible effect on the prosperity of the whole county. The very liberal aid given to it by the people in voting bonds to the amount of $200,000, showed how they realized the immense advantages gained by rail communication with commercial centers. The road was commenced in the spring of 1863, and early in February, 1864, the track was finished. On the ninth of that month the first regular passenger train ran into the Oroville depot. On the fifteenth, a grand celebration and jollification meeting was held, which was attended by a vast concourse of people. The excursion train from Marysville brought the mayor and council and two military companies. At noon Thomas Wells, the orator of the day, delivered the reception address. At the conclusion of the address, a large procession was formed on Myers street, under the supervision of the marshal of the day, George H. Crossette, and paraded the streets for some time, and then sat down to a free collation. A military review was held in the afternoon, by General Bidwell and his aids, Major A. Gr. Simpson and Captain George C. Perkins. The exercises closed, in the evening, with a grand military and civil ball. In the last decade Oroville has steadily improved. Year by year, she has added not only to her population, but to her wealth; and her business, subject no more to the varied fluctuations of mining enterprise, becomes more and more firmly established on a sound commercial basis. Stores have developed into heavy mercantile establishments, transacting both wholesale and retail business. A large extent of territory is dependent on Oroville for supplies, and her trade is remarkable for that evenness and equilibrium indicative of permanence and stability. Far otherwise were the "flush times" which made her a town. Money was made without effort, and spent without regard to the future. Few could wish for a recurrence of that period. The latter prosperity is better in every way than the former, and evidences show that it will sometime be greater. A spasmodic influence was brought to bear on the place in 1874, and for a year or two thereafter, by the discovery of somewhat rich diggings a short distance south of town. These diggings received the name of the lava-beds, taken, probably, from the notorious stronghold of Captain Jack and his Modoc warriors. The claims in this region were all discovered and prospected by white men, who, having no desire to work them themselves, sold the property to Chinamen. Thousands of claims were taken up in this way and transferred to their more painstaking Asiatic brethren. The Chinese flocked to the lava-beds in great numbers. It is estimated that, at one time, no less than five thousand of them were working in those mines. They were content with small individual returns, such as an old Californian would not consider worth striving laboriously for. The result was that, in the aggregate, the Chinamen brought an immense amount of gold-dust into the market, and conduced materially to the advancement of Oroville. The leading business firms of the town may be summarized as follows: Groceries and provisions— The big wholesale and retail establishment of Perkins & Co. was established in 1860. It is the largest institution of its kind in the county. Governor George C. Perkins and D. K. Perkins, his brother, are the principal proprietors. H. C. Bell & Co. have another wholesale and retail establishment on Montgomery street. Charles St. Sure is in the retail business. Dry-goods and clothing are represented by Hecht & Ephraim, K. Goldstein, S. Ostroski, A. Goldstein, B. Marks & Co. and Matthews & Irwin: all of whom carry large stocks. In the line of drugs are engaged Arthur McDermott, the pioneer apothecary, established here in 1855; R. Parker, one of the old settlers, and D. L. Fryer. All of these have first-class drug stores. The hardware stores of Brock & Taber and James C. Gray are very extensive in their business operations. Boots and shoes—Fred. Hecker and C. F. Miller & Co. S. S. Boynton and E. A. Kusel have elegant variety stores, while the former is also engaged in the manufacture of confectionary. The bank of Hideout, Smith & Co., on Montgomery street, is an important place. E. W. Fogg is the efficient cashier. The first flouring-mill in Oroville was erected by Derville Bequette, in 1858. It was propelled by water and had one wheat and one barley stone. The mill was located just above Preston's stable. It was run under its original management for about two years, when Max. Brooks and Abe Goldstein purchased the property. It was continued for a mill for about six years. In 1866, Mr. Brooks and George C. Perkins (now governor of California), purchased the old Metropolitan theatre, on the corner of Huntoon and Bird streets, put in a complete outfit of milling machinery, together with a large steam-engine, and changed the play-house to a busy manufactory of flour. The mills were still in a flourishing condition when they took fire, in the summer of 1878, and were destroyed. During the fall the present Oroville water-mills were erected by R. Parker, John M. Ward and John J. Smith. The mills have fire run of stone, besides two barley rolls, with a capacity of grinding one hundred and fifty barrels of flour every twenty-four hours. Water is obtained from the Feather river and Ophir ditch. Twenty-five thousand dollars were expended in its construction. The Oroville brewery, owned by William Schneider, manufactures an excellent quality of beer, great quantities of which are consumed in the county. There are seventeen regular saloons, doing a large business. OROVILLE LODGE, No. 103. F. & A. M., received its charter May 8, 1856. For some time previous it had been running under dispensation of the grand lodge of the state. The first meetings were held in a building on the corner of Myers and Montgomery streets. After the fire the second story of McDermott's drug-store building was fitted up for a lodge-room and occupied for many years. In 1869, the lodge purchased at a mortgage sale their present building on Myers street. It was then shorter by forty feet than now. The extension was built a few years later, giving them a large and commodious hall, together with numerous ante-rooms and closets. The lodge is in a most flourishing condition. FRANKLIN CHAPTER, No. 20, R. A. M., was organized under dispensation of the grand chapter, August 7, 1857, and received a charter in May, 1858. OROVILLE COMMANDERY, No. 5., K. T., held its first meeting November 18, 1858. The charter was received July 13, 1859. TABLE MOUNTAIN LODGE, No. 124, F. & A. M., was instituted in Oroville, under dispensation of the grand lodge, in 1858, and received its charter during the following year. There were eighteen charter members. In 1875, the lodge was moved to Cherokee, where it has since existed in a very flourishing condition, and has a large membership. OROVILLE LODGE, No. 59, I. O. O. F., received its charter August 11, 1856. The lodge first met in J. M. Clark's building, corner of Myers and Bird streets, but in 1869 they purchased the building now occupied by them on Montgomery street. The lodge-room is elegantly fitted up. The present membership is ninety-six. ORO ENCAMPMENT, No. 22, I. O. O. F., received its charter September 26, 1861. BUTTE LODGE, No. 1687, KNIGHTS OF HONOR, was instituted in Oroville, July 9, 1879. The lodge has a membership of fifty-six, and meets in the Odd Fellows' hall. OROVILLE LODGE, A. O. U. W., received its charter July 11, 1878. Meetings are held in Odd Fellows' hall, and the lodge has a membership of sixty-nine. ARGONAUT PARLOR, No. 8, N. S. G. W. (Native Sons of the Golden West), was chartered May 14, 1881. The Parlor numbers twenty-five members, and is constantly increasing. TABLE MOUNTAIN COUNCIL, No. 43, Chosen Friends, was established in August, 1881. The membership is thirty-seven. NORTHERN STAR LODGE, No. 107, I. O. G. T., was chartered February 13, 1880. SHERMAN POST, No. 15, G. A. R., was organized December, 1880, with the following members: Josiah Harold, J. M. Newhard, E. S. Derrick, Jack Roberts, W. Y. Bliss, F. A. Davis, J. C. Bier. W. T. Davis, Charles Wyckoff, A. Conant, J. E. Southworth, John Marcovich, Thomas Cress, A. J. Pickering, Thomas Welsh, D. F. Fryer, and Jacob Whittaker. It is in a flourishing condition. THE OROVILLE GUARDS were mustered into the state of California July 8, 1861, and formed Company A, Fifth Brigade, California Militia. A. H. Connelly was the first captain. His lieutenants were H. B. Hunt, D. C. Burlingame, and George C. Moore. J. H. Simmons was the first orderly sergeant. In 1863, H. B. Hunt became captain, and held the position for three years, when he was succeeded by Alexander G. Simpson. The highest enrollment occurred in 1865, when the company numbered sixty, aside from the commanding officers. The guards remained in service till March 22, 1869, when they disbanded. At the time of their dismemberment as a military body, they had $112.50 in their treasury, after paying all indebtedness, which sum was donated to the public-school library. In 1866, the guards donated to the new school-house $500, which they had earned in a shooting-match at Marysville. COMPANY-A, 1ST CAL. CAVALRY VOLUNTEERS, was organized in February, 1865. E. C. Ledyard was captain, Thos. S. Dean first lieutenant, and J. D. Givens second lieutenant; 103 men were mustered into service during the month. It was recruited in Oroville, and all the men lived in the county. The company was ordered to Arizona, and was selected as the escort of Gen. John S. Mason. It traversed the whole territory, and was finally stationed at Prescott. Before leaving here the citizens presented them with a magnificent battle-flag. UNION HOTEL. —In 1855, D. D. Harris erected on the corner of Montgomery and Myers streets a brick building, nearly the first in town, which was used as a store for several years. In 1864, a stock-company was formed, with a capital stock of $20,000. The stockholders were D. D. Harris, P. S. Garlow, George C. Perkins, J. M. Clark, M. Schwein, M. Raymond, D. N. Friesleben, J. M. Brock and John Lytle. For his lot and one-story brick house Harris received $3,000 in stock. A building was erected, which run the company in debt. Liens and notes were outstanding, and frequent assessments were made to pay them off. In 1865, several parties, tired of paying assessments, gave their stock to Mr. Freisleben, and in 1867 he purchased that of Garlow's. In 1871, he bought out Lytle and Brock, and became the sole owner. At the time of building, in 1864, Captain Bird and one Miller rented the hotel. They were succeeded by W. L. Hopkins, and he by Frank Jones. W. L. Perkins took the house in 1868, and ran it for three years. In 1871, Freisleben refurnished the hotel and ran it himself until 1878, when R. L. Patton took charge. Hiram Arentz succeeded him. In February, 1880, Mr. Freisleben again took charge, and at present conducts and manages it himself. Under the joint-stock company the Union hotel had thirty-two rooms, besides a hall for balls and theatrical entertainments. Under Mr. Freisleben's management the house became very popular. Travel increased to such an extent that the hall was partitioned off into ten large sleeping-rooms. In the spring of 1880, another enlargement was made by the erection of a two-story brick building on Montgomery street. Two stores were added to the block, and nine suites of rooms to the hotel. There were then fifty-one rooms on the second floor. All of the family and lower rooms are lighted with gas. The dining-room is 40x60 feet in size, neatly furnished. At one end are two large French-plate mirrors, and the room has a cheerful appearance. The kitchen, erected in 1880, is 18x60 feet. Jerome Foster, one of the pioneers of Oroville, is superintendent of the house; H. Arentz, formerly of the old Chico hotel, is clerk; A. P. Waugh, founder of the Daily Butte Record, has charge of the billiard and reading-rooms; J. B. Rider is night clerk; Thomas Brown, steward. The stage office for all the lines of stages running from Oroville is in the office of the hotel. Mr. Jackson Bean is the agent for them all. A view of the hotel may be seen on another page. Additional Comments: Extracted from: HISTORY OF BUTTE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA, IN TWO VOLUMES. I. HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA FROM 1513 TO 1850. BY FRANK T. GILBERT. The Great Fur Companies and their Trapping Expeditions to California. Settlement of the Sacramento Valley. The Discovery of Gold in California. BY HARRY L. WELLS. II. HISTORY OF BUTTE COUNTY, From its Earliest Settlement to the Present Time. BY HARRY L. WELLS AND W. L. CHAMBERS. BOTH VOLUMES ILLUSTRATED WITH VIEWS AND PORTRAITS. HARRY L. WELLS, 517 CLAY STREET, SAN FRANCISCO 1882. Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1882, by HARRY L. WELLS, in the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C. FRANCIS, VALENTINE & Co., Engravers & Printers 517 Clay St., San Francisco File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ca/butte/history/1882/historyo/oroville163nms.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/cafiles/ File size: 57.2 Kb