Contra Costa County CA Archives History - Books .....Early History And Settlement- Part 2 1882
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Book Title: History Of Contra Costa County, California


   We have thus far dwelt chiefly upon the establishment of the Missions; let us
now briefly take into consideration the attempt made by another European nation
to get a foothold on the coast of California.

   The Russians, to whom then belonged all that territory now known as Alaska,
had found their country of almost perpetual cold, without facilities for the
cultivation of those fruits and cereals which go a great way towards maintaining
life; therefore ships were dispatched along the coast in quest of a spot where a
station might be established, and those wants supplied. In a voyage of this
nature, the port of Bodega, in Sonoma County, was visited in January, 1811, by
Alexander Koskoff, 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, the land lying between
Point Reyes, and Point Arena (Mendocino County), and for a distance of three
leagues inland. Here he remained for a while, and to Bodega gave the name of
Romanzoff, calling the stream now known as Russian River, Slavianka.

  The King of Spain, it should be remembered, claimed all territory north to
Fuca Straits; therefore, on Governor Arguello receiving the intelligence of the
Russian occupation of Bodega, he reported the circumstance to the Viceroy,
Revilla Gigedo, who returned dispatches 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 harbor 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 from the Spanish authorities, Governor
Sola proceeded to San Francisco, visited Kotzebue, and, as directed by his
Government, offered 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 occupiers of Spanish territory for five years. Upon
this complaint Don Gervasio Arguello was dispatched 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 October 28th 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, Luis Antonio Arguello, and a naturalist named Chamisso, who
acted as interpreter. No new development was made at this interview, for Koskoff
claimed that 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 with the simple 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 subsequently 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.

   The commandants under the Mexican regime, in later years, organized several
military expeditions for the purpose of marching against the intruders, which
were not actually carried into effect. For more than a quarter of a century the
Muscovite continued to hold undisturbed possession of the disputed territory,
and prosecuted their farming, stock-raising, hunting, trapping and ship-building
enterprises; yet, whatever may have been the causes which led to it, there
finally came a day when it was decided to withdraw the colony from California.
The proposition was first made by them to the •government authorities at
Monterey, to dispose of their interests at Bodega and Fort Ross, including their
title to the land, but, as these officials had never recognized their right or
title, and could hardly do so at that late date, they refused to purchase.
Application was next made to General M. G, Vallejo, but on the same grounds he
refused. They then applied to Captain John A. Sutter, a gentleman at that time
residing near where Sacramento City now stands, and who had made a journey from
Sitka, some years before, in 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 burden, some arms, a five-pound brass field-piece, etc., a price was
decided upon, the sum being thirty thousand dollars, which, however, was not
paid at one time, but in cash instalments of a few thousand dollars, the last
payment being made through ex-Governor Burnett, in 1849. All the stipulations of
the sale having been arranged satisfactorily to both parties, the transfer was
duly made, and Sutter became, as he had every right to expect, the greatest
land-holder in California— the grants given by the Mexican government seemed
mere bagatelles, when compared to his princely domain, but, alas for human hopes
and aspirations, in reality he had paid an enormous price for a very paltry
compensation of personal and chattel property!

   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 bound for the northern fishing grounds had been chartered to convey them
to Sitka. These craft arrived at an early hour in the day, and the orders being
shown to Rotscheff, the commander, he ordered the bells in the chapel towers to
be rung, and the cannon to be fired, this being the usual method of convocating
the people at an unusual hour, or for some especial purpose, so, everything was
suspended 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 dropped his planes and saws on the bench,
with the half-smoothed board remaining in the vise; the tanner left his tools
where he was using them, and doffed his apron to don it no more in California.
As soon as the entire population had assembled, Rotscheff arose and read the
orders. Very sad and unwelcome, indeed, was the intelligence, but the edict had
emanated from a source which could not be gainsaid, and the only alternative was
a speedy and complete compliance, 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 effects with some of the choicest mementoes,
and they were hurried on board ship. Scarcely time was given to those whose
loved ones were sleeping in the grave-yard near by, to pay a last sad visit to
their resting place. Embarkation 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 places—HOME.

   At this stage of our remarks it may, perhaps, be well to introduce the reader
to a few of the characteristics, manners, customs, and mode of living of the
native Californians.

   These were, for the most part, a half-caste race, between the white
Castillian and the native Indian, very few of the natives retaining the pure
blood of old Castile; they were consequently of all shades of color, and
developed, the women especially, into a handsome and comely race. Their wants
were few and easily supplied, they were contented and happy; the women were
virtuous, and great devotees to their church and religion; while the men in
their normal condition were kind and hospitable, but when excited they became
rash, fearless, yet cruel, with no dread for knife nor pistol. Their generosity
was great, everything they had being at the disposal of a friend, or even a
stranger, while socially they loved pleasure> spending most of their time in
music and dancing; indeed, such was their passion for the latter, that their
horses have been trained to cavort in time to the tones of the guitar. When not
sleeping, eating or dancing, the men passed most of their time in the saddle,
and naturally were very expert equestrians. Horse-racing was with them a daily
occurrence, not for the gain which it might bring, but for the amusement to be
derived therefrom; and to throw a dollar upon the ground, ride at full gallop
and pick it up, was a feat that almost any of them could perform.

   Horses and cattle gave them their chief occupation. They could use the riata
or lasso with the utmost dexterity; whenever thrown at a bullock, horseman or
bear, it rarely missed its mark. The riata in the hand of a Californian was a
more dangerous weapon than gun or pistol, while to catch a wild cow with it,
throw her and tie her, without dismounting, was most common, and to go through
the same performance with a bear was not considered extraordinary. Their only
articles of export were hides and tallow, the value of the former being one
dollar and a half in cash, and two in goods, and the latter three cents per
pound in barter. Young heifers of two years old, for breeding purposes, were
worth three dollars; a fat steer, delivered to the purchaser, brought fifty
cents more, while it was considered neither trespass nor larceny to kill a
beeve, use the flesh, and hang the hide and tallow on a tree, secure from
coyotes, where it could be found by the owner.

   Lands outside of the towns were only valuable for grazing purposes. For this
use every citizen of good character, having cattle, could, for the asking, and
by paying a fee to the officials, and a tax upon the paper upon which it was
written, get a grant for a grazing tract of from one to eleven square leagues of
land. These domains were called Ranchos, the only improvements on them being
usually a house and a corral. They were never inclosed; they were never
surveyed, but extended from one well-defined landmark to another, and whether
they contained two or three leagues, more or less, was regarded as a matter of
no consequence, for the land itself was of no value to the Government.

   It was not necessary for a man to keep his cattle on his own land. They were
ear-marked and branded when young, and these established their ownership. The
stock roamed whithersoever they wished, the ranchero sometimes finding his
animals fifty or sixty miles away from his grounds. About the middle of march
commenced the "Rodeo" season, which was fixed in advance by the ranchero, who
would send notice to his neighbors around, when all, with their vaqueros, would
attend and participate. The rodero was the gathering in one locality of all the
cattle on the rancho. When this was accomplished, the next operation was for
each ranchero present to part out from the general herd all animals bearing his
brand and ear-mark and take them off to his own rancho. In doing this they were
allowed to take all calves that followed their mothers, what was left in the
rodero belonging to the owner of the rancho, who had them marked as his
property. On some of the ranchos the number of calves branded and marked each
year appears to us at this date to have been enormous, Joaquin Bernal, who owned
the Santa Teresa Rancho, in the Santa Clara valley, having been in the habit of
branding not less than five thousand head yearly. In this work a great many
horses were employed. Fifty head was a small number for a ranchero to own, while
they frequently had from five to six hundred trained animals, principally
geldings, for the mares were kept exclusively for breeding purposes. The latter
were worth a dollar and a half per head; the price of saddle horses was from two
dollars and fifty cents to twelve dollars.

   In the month of December, 1865, a writer under the caption of "Yadnus " thus
writes to the San Jose Mercury:

   "Not many years ago, in the agricultural counties, or, as they are more
elegantly termed in the parlor language of California, 'Cow Counties,' prevailed
to a great extent the custom which has given rise to the following rough verses.
Until the heavy floods and severe weather of the memorable Winter of 1861, had
more than decimated their herds, it was the practice (in accordance with law, I
believe), for the wealthy rancheros—men who counted their cattle (when they
counted them at all) by the thousands— to hold twice a year, a rodeo (rodere),
to which all who owned stock within a circuit of fifty miles repaired, with
their friends, and often their families. At the appointed time, the cattle, for
many leagues around, were gathered up by the horsemen, or vaqueros (buckaros),
of the different stockmen and driven into a large corral, where the branding,
marking and claiming of stock occupied sometimes a week. At the largest rodeo I
ever witnessed, there were gathered together some thirty thousand head of
cattle, and at least three hundred human beings, among whom were many of the
gentler sex. These rodeos were usually presided over by a 'Judge of the Plains,'
an officer appointed in later years by the Board of Supervisors, and whose duty
was to arbitrate between owners in all disputes that might arise as to
cattle-property, overhaul ,and inspect all brands of stock being driven from or
through the county, and to steal as many 'hoobs as he possibly could without
detection. In fact the 'perquisites' constituted pretty nearly the entire pay of
this valuable officer, and if they all understood their business as well as the
one it was my fortune to cabin with for a number of months, they made the office
pay pretty well."

   The following poetic description of a rodeo is well worthy the perusal of the
reader:

EL RODEO.

Few are the sunny years, fair land of gold,
  That round thy brow their circlet bright have twined; 
Yet, each thy youthful form hath still enrolled
  In wondrous garb of peace and wealth combined. 
Few are the years since old Hispania's sons
  Reared here their missions—tolled the chapel bell; 
Subdued the natives with their priestly guns,
  To bear the cross of God—and man as well.

Oft have the holy Fathers careless stood
  Within thy valleys, then a blooming waste: 
Or heedless, toiled among the mountain flood,
  That rich with treasure, downward foamed and raced. 
Those times and scenes have long since passed away,
  Before the white man's wisdom-guided tread, 
As fly the shades before the steps of day,
  When in the east he lifts his radiant head.

But still thy valleys and thy mountains teem
  With customs common to the race of old; 
Like Indian names bequeathed to lake and stream,
  They'll live while Time his restless reign shall hold. 
'Tis of one such that I essay to sing,
  A custom much in vogue in sections here, 
Till flood and frost did such destruction bring
  That scarce since then was needed a rodere.

Last night, at sunset, down the stream, I saw
  The dark vaqueros ride along the plain, 
With jingling spur, and bit, and jaquima,
  And snake-like lariats scarce e'er hurled in vain; 
The steeds they rode were champing on the bit,
  The agile riders lightly sat their "trees," 
And many a laugh and waif of Spanish wit
  Made merry music on the evening breeze.

Far out beyond the hills their course they took,
  And where there lies, in early-summer days, 
A lake, a slough, or chance a pebbly brook,
  The coyote saw the camp-fire wildly blaze. 
All night they lay beneath the lurid glare,
  Till had upsprung morn's beauteous herald star, 
And then, received each here the needed care,
  Quick o'er the plains they scattered near and far.

They come! and thundering down the red-land slope,
  The fierce ganado madly tears along, 
While, close behind, urged to their utmost lope,
  The wild caballos drive the surging throng. 
At headlong speed the drivers keep the band,
  With yells, and oaths, and waving hats and coats, 
Till in the strong corral they panting, stand,
  And rest is gained for horses and for throats.

Then comes the breakfast; soon the steer they kill,
  And quickly is the dressing hurried through; 
The meat is cooked by rude, yet well-liked skill,
  And—all do know what hungry men can do. 
The Padron sits beneath yon old oak tree,
  Encircled by a group of chatting friends; 
For, at rodeo, all one can eat is free,
  So all around in greasy union blends.

The breakfast finished, cigarettes alight,
  Unto the huge corral all hands proceed; 
The strong-wove cinches are made doubly tight,
  And the riata's noose prepared for need. 
The fire, is kindled, and the iron brand,
  Amid its coals, receives the wonted heat; 
The Padron waves assent, with eager hand,
  And the dark riders bound to saddle seat.

Where yon dark cloud of dust is rising high,
  The swart vaquero like the lightning dart, 
And singling out their prey with practiced eye,
  Rush him from the affrighted herd apart. 
Then whirls the lasso, whistling through the air,
  In rapid circles o'er each horseman's head, 
Till round the yearling's throat is hurled the snare
  Burning like a huge coil of molten lead.

Then, heedless of its struggles to get free, 
  They drag it to the Major-Domo's stand, 
Who, though of tender heart he's wont to be,
  Now, merciless, sears deep in its flesh the brand. 
The Spanish mother, at her youngling's cry,
  Comes charging down with maddened hoof and horn, 
While far and wide the crowd of gazers fly,
  And hide behind the fence-posts till she's gone.

In faith, it is a sight well worth to see,
  For those who like excitement's feverish touch: 
And he who can look on and passive be,
  Has ice within his nature overmuch. 
What frantic bellowings pierce the startled air,
  What clouds of dust obscure the midday sky, 
What frenzied looks the maddened cattle wear,
  As round and round, in vain, they raging fly!

These things, and many more, tend well to fill
  The eager cravings of the morbid mind, 
Akin to passions that full oft instill
  Feelings that prompt the torture of its kind; 
But he who rashly seeks a closer view
  Of tortured calf, to mark each groan and sigh, 
Receives, full oft, rebuke in black and blue,
  Pointed with force to where his brains most lie.

   By the time the rodeo season was over, about the middle of May, the
"Matanza," or killing season, commenced. The number of cattle slaughtered each
year was commensurate with the number of calves marked, and the amount of
herbage for the year, for no more could be kept alive than the pasture on the
rancho could support. After the butchering, the hides were taken off and dried;
the tallow, fit for market, was put into bags made from hides; the fattest
portions of the meat were made into soap, while some of the best was cut, pulled
into thin shreds, dried in the sun, and the remainder thrown to the buzzards and
the dogs, a number of which were kept—young dogs were never destroyed—to clean
up after a matanza. Three or four hundred of these curs were to be found on a
rancho, and it was no infrequent occurrence to see a ranchero come into a town
with a string of them at his horse's heels.

   Let us consider one of the habitations of these people. 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, measuring about eighteen inches square and
three in thickness, these being cemented with mud, plastered within with the
same substance, and whitewashed when finished. The rafters and joists were of
rough timber, with the bark simply peeled off, and placed in the requisite
position, the thatch being of rushes or chaparral, fastened down with thongs of
bullocks' hide. When completed, these dwellings stand the brunt and wear of many
decades of years, as can be evidenced by the number which are still occupied
throughout the country. The furniture consisted of a few cooking utensils, a
rude bench or two, sometimes a table, and the never-failing red camphor-wood
trunk. This chest contained the extra clothes of the women—the men wore theirs
on their backs—and when a visit of more than a day's duration was made, the box
was taken along. They were cleanly in their persons and clothing; the general
dress being, for females, a common calico gown of plain colors, blue grounds
with small figures being most fancied. The fashionable ball-dress of the young
ladies was a scarlet flannel petticoat covered with a white lawn skirt, a
combination of tone in color which is not surpassed by the modern gala costume.
Bonnets there were none, the head-dress consisting of a long, narrow shawl or
scarf. So graceful was their dancing that it was the admiration of all
strangers; but as much cannot be said for that of the men, for the more noise
they made the better it suited them.

   The dress of the men was a cotton shirt, cotton drawers, calzonazos, sash,
serape and hat. The calzonazos took the place of pantaloons in the modern
costume, and differed from these by being open down the sides, or, rather, the
seams on the sides were not sewed as in pantaloons, but were laced together from
the waistband to the hips by means of a ribbon run through eyelets; thence they
were fastened with large silver bell-buttons. In wearing them they were left
open from the knee down. The best of these garments were made of broadcloth, the
inside and outside seams being faced with cotton velvet. The serape was a
blanket with a hole through its center, through which the head was inserted, the
remainder hanging to the knees before and behind. These cloaks were invariably
of brilliant colors, and varied in price from four to one hundred and fifty
dollars. The calzonazos were held in their place by a pink sash worn around the
waist, while the serape served as a coat by day and a covering by night.

   Their courtship was to the western mind peculiar, no flirting or love-making
being permitted. When a young man of marriageable age saw a young lady whom he
thought would make a happy help-mate, he had first to make his wishes known to
his own father, in whose household the eligibility of the connection was
primarily canvassed, when, if the desire was regarded with favor, the father of
the enamored swain addressed a letter to the father of the young lady, asking
for his daughter in marriage for his son. The matter was then freely discussed
between the parents of the girl, and, if an adverse decision was arrived at, the
father of the young man was by letter so informed, and the matter was at an end;
but if the decision of her parents was favorable to him, then the young lady's
inclinations were consulted, and her decision communicated in the same manner,
when they were affianced, and the affair became a matter of common notoriety.
Phillis might then visit Chloe, was received as a member of her family, and when
the time came the marriage was celebrated by feasting and dancing, which usually
lasted from three to four days. It may be mentioned here that when a refusal of
marriage was made, the lady was said to have given her lover the pumpkin—Se dio
la cabala.

   The principal articles of food were beef and beans, in the cooking and
preparing of which they were unsurpassed; while they cultivated, to a certain
extent, maize, melons and pumpkins. The bread used was the tortilla, a wafer in
the shape of the Jewish unleavened bread, which was, when not made of wheaten
flour, baked from corn. When prepared of the last-named meal, it was first
boiled in a weak lye made of wood ashes, and then by hand ground into a paste
between two stones; this process completed, a small portion of the dough was
taken out, and by dexterously throwing it up from the back of one hand to that
of the other the shape was formed, when it was placed upon a flat iron and baked
over the fire.

   The mill in which their grain was ground was made of two stones as nearly
round as possible, of about thirty inches in diameter, and each being dressed on
one side to a smooth surface. One was set upon a frame some two feet high, with
the smooth face upwards; the other was placed on this with the even face
downwards, while, through an inch-hole in the center was the grain fed by hand.
Two holes drilled partly through each admitted an iron bolt, by means of which a
long pole was attached; to its end was harnessed a horse, mule, or donkey, and
the animal being driven round in a circle, caused the stone to revolve. We are
informed that these mills were capable of grinding a bushel of wheat in about
twelve hours! Their vehicles and agricultural implements were quite as
primitive, the cart in common use being framed in the following 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 to prevent the wheels from slipping off. Another pole fastened
to the middle of the axle served the purpose of a tongue. Upon this frame work
was set, or fastened, a species of wicker work, framed of sticks, bound together
with strips of hide. The beasts of burden were oxen, which were yoked with a
stick across the forehead, notched and crooked so as to fit the head closely,
and the whole tied with raw hide. The plow was a still more quaint 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 in order 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
therefore dug, and the crests of the sod covered with the branches of trees, to
warn 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 necessary to thresh it. Now
for the modus operandi. The floor of the corral into which it was customary to
drive the horses and cattle to lasso them, from constant use, had become
hardened. Into this inclosure the grain would be piled, and upon it the manatha,
or band of mares, would be turned loose to tramp out the seed. The wildest
horses, or mayhap the colts that had only been driven once, and then to be
branded, would sometimes be turned adrift upon the straw, when would ensue a
scene of the wildest confusion, the excited animals being urged, amidst the
yelling of vaqueros and the cracking of whips, here, there and everywhere,
around, across, and lengthwise, until the whole was trampled, and naught left
but the grain and chaff. The most difficult part, however, was the separating
these two articles. Owing to the length of the dry season there was no urgent
haste to effect this; therefore, when the wind was high enough, the trampled
mass would be tossed 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 breeze several bushels of wheat could thus be winnowed in the course
of a day; while, strange as it may appear, it is declared that grain so sifted
was much cleaner than it is now, although manipulated by modern science.

   The government of the native Californian was as primitive as himself. There
were neither law-books nor lawyers, while laws were mostly to be found in the
traditions of the people. The head officer in each village was the Alcalde, in
whom was vested the judicial function, who received on the enactment of a new
law a manuscript copy, called a bando, upon the obtaining of which a person was
sent round beating a snare drum, which was a signal for the assemblage of the
people at the Alcalde's office, where the Act was read, thus promulgated, and
forthwith had the force of law. When a citizen had cause of action against
another requiring the aid of Court, he went to the Alcalde and verbally stated
his complaint in his own way, and asked that the defendant be sent for, who was
at once summoned by an officer, who simply said that he was wanted by the
Alcalde. The defendant made his appearance without loss of time, where, if in
the same village, the plaintiff was generally in waiting. The Alcalde commenced
by stating the complaint against him, and asked what he had to say about it.
This brought about an altercation between the parties, and nine times out of
ten, the Justice could get at the facts in this wise, and announce judgment
immediately, the whole suit not occupying two hours from its beginning. In more
important cases three "good men" would be called in to act as co-justices, while
the testimony of witnesses had seldom to be resorted to. A learned American
judge has said that "the native Californians were, in the presence of their
Courts, generally truthful. What they know of false swearing or perjury they
have learned from their association with Americans. It was truthfully said by
the late Edmund Randolph, that the United States Board of Commissioners to
settle private land claims in California, had been the graves of their
reputations."

   They were all Roman Catholics, and their priests of the Franciscan Order.
They were great church-goers, yet Sunday was not the only day set apart for
their devotions. Nearly every day in the calendar was devoted to the memory of
some Saint, while those dedicated to the principal ones were observed as
holidays; so that Sunday did not constitute more than half the time which they
consecrated to religious exercises, many of which were so much in contrast to
those of the present day, that they deserve a short description.

  The front door of their churches was always open, and every person passing,
whether on foot or on horseback did so, hat in hand; any forget-fulness on this
head caused the unceremonious removal of the sombrero. During the holding of
services within, it was customary to station a number of men without, who at
appointed intervals interrupted the proceedings with the ringing of bells, the
firing of pistols, and the shooting of muskets, sustaining a noise resembling
the irregular fire of a company of infantry.

   In every church was kept a number of pictures of their saints, and a
triumphal arch profusely decorated with artificial flowers; while, on a holiday
devoted to any particular saint, after the performance of mass, a picture of the
saint, deposited in the arch, would be carried out of the church on the
shoulders of four men, followed by the whole congregation in double file, with
the priest at the head, book in hand. The procession would march all round the
town (if in one), and at every few rods would kneel on the ground while the
priest read a prayer or performed some religious ceremony. After the circuit of
the town had been made, the train returned to the church, entering it in the
same order as that in which they had departed. With the termination of these
exercises, horse-racing, cock-fighting, gambling, dancing, and a general
merry-making completed the work of the-day. A favorite amusement of these
festivals was for thirty or forty men on horseback, generally two, but sometimes
three on one horse, with their guitars, to parade the towns, their horses
capering and keeping time to the music, accompanied with songs by the whole
company, in this manner visiting, playing and singing at all the places of
business and principal residences; and it was considered no breach of decorum
for men on horses to enter stores and dwellings.

   Some of their religious ceremonies were very grotesque and amusing, the
personification of "The Wise Men of the East" being of this character. At the
supposed anniversary of the visit of the wise men to Bethlehem, seven or eight
men would be found dressed in the most fantastic styles, going in company from
house to house, looking for the infant Saviour. They were invariably accompanied
by one representing the devil, in the garb of a Franciscan friar, with his
rosary of beads and the cross, carrying a long rawhide whip, and woe to the man
who came within reach of that whip—it was far from fun to him, though extremely
amusing to the rest of the party. The chief of these ceremonies, however, was
the punishment of Judas Iscariot for the betrayal of his Master. On the supposed
periodicity of this event, after nightfall, and the people had retired to rest,
a company would go out and prepare the forthcoming ceremonies. A cart was
procured and placed in the public square in front of the church, against which
was set up an effigy made to represent Judas, by stuffing an old suit of clothes
with straw. The houses were then visited and a collection of pots, kettles,
dishes, agricultural implements—in fact, every conceivable article of personal
property was scraped together and piled up around Judas, to represent his
effects, until in appearance he was the wealthiest man in the whole country.
Then the last will and testament of Judas had to be prepared, a work which was
accorded to the best scribe and the greatest wit of the community. Every article
of property had to be disposed of, and something like an equal distribution
among all the people made, each bequest being accompanied by some very pointed
and witty reason for its donation. Among a more sensitive people, some of these
reasons would be regarded as libelous. The will, when completed and properly
attested, was posted on a bulletin board near the effigy, and the night's work
was performed. As soon as sufficiently light, the entire population, men, women
and children, congregated to see Judas and his wealth, and to hear read, and
discuss the merits of his will and appropriateness of its provisions. Nothing
else was talked of; nothing else was thought of, until the church bell summoned
them to mass; after which, a wild, unbroken mare was procured, on the back of
which Judas was firmly strapped; a string of fire-crackers was then tied to her
tail, they were lighted, she was turned loose, and the ultimate fate of the
figurative Judas was not unlike that which we are told occurred to his
perfidious prototype.

   The native Californians were a temperate people, intoxication being almost
unknown. Wines and liquors existed in the country, but were sparingly used. In a
saloon, where a "bit's worth" was called for, the decanter was not handed to the
customer, as we believe is now the case, but was invariably measured out, and if
the liquor was a potent spirit, in a very small dose; while a "bit's" worth was
a treat for a considerable company, the glass being passed around from one to
the other, each taking a sip. The following amusing episode in this regard,
which occurred in the Pueblo de San Jose, in 1847, may find a place here. Juan
Soto, an old gray-headed man and a great friend to Americans—for everyone who
spoke English was an American to him—had come into possession of a "bit," and
being a generous, whole-souled man, he desired to treat five or six of his
friends and neighbors. To this end he got them together, marched them to Weber's
store, and there meeting _____, who tho' hailing from the Emerald Isle, passed
for an American, invited him to join in the symposium. The old Spaniard placed
his "bit" upon the counter with considerable eclat, and called for its value in
wine, which was duly measuired out. As a mark of superior respect he first
handed it to _____, who, wag that he was, swallowed the entire contents, and
awaited the denoument with keen relish. Soto and his friends looked at each
other in blank amazement, when there burst out a tirade in their native tongue,
the choice expressions in which may be more readily imagined than described.

   There was one vice that was common to nearly all of these people, and which
eventually caused their ruin, namely, a love of gambling. Their favorite game
was monte, probably the first of all banking games. So passionately were they
addicted to this, that on Sunday, around the church, while the women were inside
and the priest at the altar, crowds of men would have their blankets spread upon
the ground with their cards and money, playing their favorite game of monte.
They entertained no idea that it was a sin, nor that there was anything
derogatory to their character as good Christians. This predilection was early
discovered and turned to account by the Americans, who soon established banks,
and carried on games for their amusement especially. The passion soon became so
developed that they would bet and lose their horses and cattle, while to procure
money to gratify this disposition, they would borrow from Americans at the rate
of twelve and a half per cent, per day; mortgaging and selling their lands and
stock, yea, even their wives' clothing, so that their purpose should be
gratified, and many unprincipled Westerns of those days enriched themselves in
this manner at the expense of these poor creatures.

   Before leaving this people, mention should be made of their bull and bear
fights. Sunday, or some prominent holiday, was invariably the day chosen for
holding these, to prepare for which a large corral was erected (in San Jose) in
the plaza, in front of the church, for they were witnessed by priest and layman
alike. In the afternoon, after divine service, two or three good bulls (if a
bull-fight only) would be caught and put in the inclosure, when the combat
commenced. If there is anything that will make a wild bull furious it is the
sight of a red blanket. Surrounded by the entire population, the fighters
entered the arena, each with one of these in one hand and a knife in the other,
the first of which they would flaunt before the furious beast, but guardedly
keeping it between the animal and himself. Infuriated beyond degree, with
flashing eye and head held down, the bull would dash at his enemy, who, with a
dexterous side spring would evade the onslaught, leaving the animal to strike
the blanket, and as he passed would inflict a slash with his knife. Whenever by
his quickness he could stick his knife in the bull's neck just behind the horns,
thereby wounding the spinal cord, the bull fell a corpse and the victor received
the plaudits of the admiring throng. The interest taken in these exhibitions was
intense; and, what though a man was killed, had his ribs broken, was thrown over
the fence, or tossed on to the roof of a house; it only added zest to the sport,
it was of no moment, the play went on. It was a national amusement. When a
grizzly bear could be procured, then the fight, instead of being between man and
bull, was between bull and bear. Both were taken into the corral, each being
made fast to either end of a rope of sufficient length to permit of free action,
and left alone until they chose to open the ball. The first motion was usually
made by the bull endeavoring to part company with the bear, who thus received
the first " knock-down." On finding that he could not get clear of Bruin, he
then charged him, but was met half-way. If the bear could catch the bull by the
nose, he held him at a disadvantage, but he more frequently found that he had
literally taken the bull by the horns, when the fight became intensely
interesting, and was kept up until one or other was killed, or both refused to
renew the combat. The bull, unless his horns were clipped, was generally
victorious.

   The custom of bull and bear fighting was kept up by the native Californians,
as a money-making institution from the Americans, until the year 1854, when the
Legislature interposed by "An Act to prevent Noisy and Barbarous Amusements on
the Sabbath."

   The following anecdote in regard to it has been related to us, and may serve
to vary the tedium of the reader. Shortly after the foregoing enactment became a
law, great preparation^ were made for having a bull fight, on the Sabbath as
usual, at the old Mission of San Juan Bautista. They were notified by the
officers of the existence of the new law, and that they must desist from the
undertaking. Doctor Wiggins, a Mission pioneer in California since 1842, was
then residing at San Juan; he spoke Spanish fluently, and was looked upon as a
great friend by the native Californians. He never smiled, nor appeared to
jest—yet, he was the greatest tale-teller, jester and punster on the Pacific
coast. In sallies of genuine wit he stood unequaled. In their perplexity about
the new law, the Californians took counsel with the doctor; he examined the
title of the Act with much seriousness and an air of great wisdom: "Go on with
your bull-fights." was the doctor's advice; "they can do nothing with you. This
is an Act to prevent noisy and barbarous amusements on the Sabbath. If they
arrest you, you will be entitled to trial by jury; the jury will be Americans;
they will, before they can convict you, have to find three things; first, that a
bull-fight is noisy; this they will find against you; second, that it is
barbarous; this they will find against you; but an American jury will never find
that it is an amusement in Christ's time. Go on with your bull-fights." They did
go on and were arrested, to find that the doctor had been practising a cruel
joke on this long-cherished institution. They were sentenced to pay a fine, and
it was the last of the bull-fights. Thus passed away the only surviving custom
of a former civilization.



Additional Comments:
Extracted from:

HISTORY OF CONTRA COSTA COUNTY,
CALIFORNIA,
INCLUDING ITS GEOGRAPHY, GEOLOGY, TOPOGRAPHY, CLIMATOGRAPHY AND DESCRIPTION;
TOGETHER WITH A RECORD OF THE MEXICAN GRANTS; THE BEAR FLAG WAR; THE MOUNT
DIABLO COAL FIELDS; THE EARLY HISTORY AND SETTLEMENT, COMPILED FROM THE MOST
AUTHENTIC SOURCES; THE NAMES OF ORIGINAL SPANISH AND MEXICAN PIONEERS; FULL
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY OF THE COUNTY; SEPARATE HISTORY OF EACH TOWNSHIP, SHOWING
THE ADVANCE IN POPULATION AND AGRICULTURE;
ALSO,
Incidents of Pioneer Life; and Biographical Sketches
OF EARLY AND PROMINENT SETTLERS AND REPRESENTATIVE MEN;
AMD OF ITS TOWNS, VILLAGES, CHURCHES, SECRET SOCIETIES, ETC.
ILLUSTRATED.
SAN FRANCISCO: W. A. SLOCTUM & CO., PUBLISHERS
1882.


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