Butte County CA Archives History - Books .....Wyandotte 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 27, 2006, 3:09 am Book Title: History Of Butte County WYANDOTTE AND VICINITY. The place was first located in 1850, by a party of Wyandotte Indians, who were prospecting for gold. The diggings proved very rich. Four brothers by the name of Rice were the first white men to locate near the present site of Wyandotte. In 1850, there were at least two hundred miners in the vicinity. The first structure was a canvas store, near the site of the present hotel, which was used for gambling purposes. A canvas boarding-house was next erected by a man by the name of Bateman. The first wooden house was built by the Rice brothers. Wyandotte attained its highest prosperity in 1852-3. At this time the place could boast of half-a-dozen saloons and several stores. In 1852, Jacob Benner put up a wooden boarding-house, which is yet used as an addition to the hotel. A twelve-stamp quartz-mill was put up in Quartz-Mill ravine in 1851, by a Mr. Battersby. It was run a short time, when it was discontinued, and the material sold. The chivalric spirit of the early pioneers, though not proverbial, was yet a living sentiment. In 1852, a negro cook, who used insulting language to a young lady, was bound by the enraged miners to an oak tree and severely castigated. Among the early merchants of the place were A. P. Southworth and ____ Nye; and among the landlords Sam Long cuts a prominent figure. In the spring of 1853, a ditch was constructed from the north Honcut creek to Wyandotte, by James S. Long, S. C. Long, John McHatton, Dr. H. B. Sheppard and John S. Morris. The ditch only carried one hundred inches, yet it opened up several valuable mines before useless for want of water. In 1855, the South Feather Water Company bought this ditch and enlarged and improved it. In 1857, it was extended to South Feather, at Forbestown, and its capacity increased to 500 inches, which is now used both for mining and irrigating purposes. William Dunstone was appointed local superintendent in 1861, and has held the position ever since. Another ditch was built from a branch of the Honcut to Wyman's ravine, in 1853, which was owned by A. N. Wyman, A. N. Morris and David Lewis. In 1856, the brick hotel, now owned and run by Mrs. Thatcher, was built. An excitement about the supposed discovery of copper broke out in 1863, and large numbers of men were engaged in prospecting for the metal. Many shafts were sunk, much money was expended, and vast quantities of editorial gas came from the newspapers, but all the ore found was too poor to pay the expense of smelting. In 1861, Wyandotte was made a postoffice, with W. S. Wilkerson as postmaster. Two years after it was discontinued. Three physicians have lived at Wyandotte. Dr. Sheppard practiced from 1852 to 1860; Dr. Kersten, from 1860 to 1863, when he committed suicide while suffering from the effects of a debauch; and Dr. F. S. Snyder, from 1864 to 1872. At the present time, Wyandotte exists but in name, there being but a few houses left. Having only placer mines, they are nearly worked out. A few old miners, however, yet cling to the mines, and, when winter sends a supply of water, manage to pick up enough of the precious metal to eke out an existence. In 1880, a postoffice was again established, and Mr. Dunstone appointed postmaster. The inhabitants of the vicinity are engaged principally in agriculture and stockraising, many fine stock-ranches being run successfully. In January, 1855, the Wyandotte Division, Sons of Temperance, was established, with John S. Morris as W.P. In 1857, a hall was built by this order, but, in 1859, its charter was surrendered. The Gem Lodge, No. 251, I. O. G. T., was organized here with nineteen charter members. J. M. Frost was the first W. C. T. A comfortable hall was built, which was afterwards used for school purposes. In 1870, the lodge disbanded. Evansville was one of the old towns that sprang into existence under the influence of mining, lived and flourished while the mining was good, and hobbled off the theatre of life when the diggings played out. There were others like Evansville in Wyandotte township. Dicksburg, on the Honcut creek, was at one time lively and rich. Natchez, now in Yuba county, was another. It received its name because of a fancied resemblance to Natchez, Mississippi. Evansville was first settled by a man whose cognomen was Evans, in the year 1850. In the year 1854, Elisha Brown, a Forbestown man, owned most of the place. Some of the richest placer-mining in the state was done here. Rich pocket-ledges of decomposed quartz were very frequent, in which the gold was very coarse and heavy. On Yankee flat, at one time, four pieces were taken out, the least of which was worth $1,200. Benjamin Greenwell, step-father of County Treasurer DeLancie, settled near Evansville in 1854. At that time there was a store, hotel, several saloons and shops, and several hundred miners. Where the Greenwell orchard now stands, there were then camped four hundred Indians. Evansville existed as a town for many years. In 1870, the mines gave out, and all the people left. The only resident of the present site is John Wall, deputy assessor. Honcut was one of the earliest camps. It was very busy during the winters, when the influx from the mountains poured in. Not only was the gold-dust obtained in the neighborhood spent freely at this time, but the mountain crop, also. In 1854, the camp had greatly declined, only two families, those of Fox and Wallace, residing there. A great deal of bad blood existed between these families, which at one time culminated in the death of a Fox at the hands of a Wallace. 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. 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