Lassen County CA Archives History - Books .....Nataqua 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 16, 2006, 1:29 am Book Title: Illustrated History Of Plumas, Lassen & Sierra Counties Aside from this reason, they were cast of the Sierra summits, and within the great Nevada basin, and felt that they were a community separate and apart from those in California. They decided to create a new territory, wherein they might have a seat of government accessible at all seasons of the year; and to establish this, they met in solemn convention on the twenty-sixth of April, 1856. After careful and due consideration, they adopted the following statutes, which are spread upon record in one of the little books now in the possession of Mr. Arnold: "A NEW TERRITORY FORMED AT HONEY LAKE VALLEY.—LAWS AND REGULATIONS FOR ITS GOVERNMENT. ADOPTED APRIL 26, A. D. 1856. "Pursuant to previous notice, the citizens of Honey Lake valley met April 26, A. D. 1850, in mass convention, at the Roop House (the old fort), for the purpose of forming such laws, rules, and regulations as are deemed necessary and advisable in view of the settlement of said valley. "The meeting being organized by the election of Peter Lassen to the chair, and Isaac Roop secretary, the following laws were unanimously adopted by the citizens: "SEC. 1.—Inasmuch as Honey Lake valley is not within the limits of California, the same is hereby declared a new territory, and the boundaries thereof shall be as follows, viz.: Beginning at a point where the 38} deg. of North Latitude crosses the East line of California; thence East to the 117 deg. West Longitude; thence North to the 42nd deg. North Latitude; thence running West to the 120 deg. West Longitude (N. E. corner of California); thence south to the beginning; the said territory to be named Notaqua (i. e., woman). "SEC. 2.—Each actual male settler twenty-one years of age shall have the right to take up a claim of six hundred and forty acres. "SEC. 3.—Any person taking up a claim shall put up a notice describing the boundaries of said claim as near as possible, and also cause the description to be placed on record. "SEC. 4.—All claims shall be surveyed within ninety days from the date of the putting up of the notice and recording, and said survey, together with the recording, shall be done in the presence of the claimant. "SEC. 5.—All claims so taken up and surveyed shall be improved or occupied by the claimant or his substitute. "SEC. 6.—All that tract of land lying between Roop's house and the timber on the West, and, between the top of the bluffs on the North side of the Susan River and three hundred yards west of the Emigrant road, Roop shall cause to be laid out in a town plat, and each settler shall be entitled to one lot in said plat, provided he causes a building to be placed thereon by the first day of May, A. D. 1857. All portions of said plat not claimed and improved according to the provisions of this section shall belong to said Roop. "SEC. 7.—Any claimant shall have the privilege to settle on or improve a town lot or his claim, and that either shall be held as an improvement of his claim of six hundred and forty acres. "SEC. 8.—No person shall divert water from its original channel to the injury of any prior occupant. "SEC. 9.—All difficulties and disputes shall be settled by an arbitration composed of the citizens of the valley, and all decisions of this board shall be final. "SEC. 10.—No person shall sell, trade, or in any other manner dispose of any spirituous liquors to the Indians; and any person or persons misusing, maltreating, robbing, or stealing from the Indians shall be considered an offender, and upon any person making a complaint in writing to the Recorder that such offense has been committed, the Recorder shall forthwith summons the citizens together, and they shall form a board of arbitrators, and after hearing all the evidence, they shall determine and assess such punishment as they may deem proper. "SEC. 11.—The Recorder shall be chairman in all such boards, and shall keep a docket of all proceedings had in said boards, said minutes lo be recorded in a book. In the absence of the Recorder, a majority of said board shall elect a chairman, and majority shall decide all business of said board. "SEC. 12.—That there shall be a Surveyor and Recorder elected to hold their office until their successors are elected and qualified. "SEC. 13.—That there be declared a public road, as follows: beginning at the boiling springs on the North side of Honey lake, thence to run in a Westerly course on the North Bank of Susan River to the Roop House; said road to be one hundred feet wide, and named Emigrant Road. "SEC. 14.—That there be declared a public road as follows: beginning at the Roop House, and to run to the Big Meadows on the north fork of Feather river; said road to be one hundred feet wide, and named Lassen Road. "SEC. 15.—That there be declared a public road as follows: beginning at the Roop House, and to run a westerly course to the East line of California; said road to be one hundred feet wide, and named Shasta Road. "SEC. 16.—That there be declared a public road as follows: beginning at a point on the Emigrant road three-quarters of a mile East of Roop's East line, and thence to run south to the south-east corner of Smith's ranch; thence southerly to the south-west corner of Hasey's ranch; said road to be eighty feet wide, and named Gold Run road.. " SEC. 17.—That there be declared a public road as follows: beginning at the south-west corner of Hasey's ranch, and thence to run easterly to the south side of Honey Lake; thence to the Truckee Meadows; said road to be eighty feet wide, and named Honey Lake road. "SEC. 18.—That there be declared a public highway as follows: beginning at the south-east corner of Meyerowitz's ranch, on Honey Lake road, and thence to run North to the Emigrant Road; said road to be eighty feet wide, and named Central road. "SEC. 19.—That Isaac Roop was elected and qualified a Recorder, and Peter Lassen was elected and qualified a Surveyor, and each shall act in his respective office from this date. "SEC. 20.—That to a strict adherence to and fulfillment of the above laws and regulations, we, the undersigned, permanent settlers of Honey Lake valley, pledge ourselves and our honor, each to the other, to stand to and abide by the same, and defend them inviolate. "In testimony whereof we, the undersigned, hereunto set our hands and names this twenty-sixth day of April, A. D. 1856. Peter Lassen. R. J. Scott. Wm. Hill. M. Mason. Issadore Meyerowitz. E. Dow. L. C. McMurtre. David Hescock. G. W. Lathrop. Paul Hulsa. E. W. Shaw. A. G. Hasey. Isaac Roop. W. S. Davis. W. T. C. Elliott. E. Smith. Joseph Lynch. John A. Strode. M. T. Shores. Marion Lawrence. "I hereby certify that the above is a true copy of the original. " ISAAC ROOP, Re'd. "The following was omitted by me: "On motion of Peter Lassen, it was resolved that, in order to fully promulgate these laws, the Secretary be directed to furnish the editor of the Shasta Republican with a copy of them for publication, with a request that other papers throughout the state copy. The convention then adjourned sine die. " ISAAC ROOP, Sec. PETER LASSEN, Pres." With this meager code of laws, and but the two officers to administer them, the new territory of Nataqua was launched upon the political sea. It embraced about 50,000 square miles, or nearly four times the area of the states of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut combined. The boundaries of the territory had they ever been run, would have been about as follows: 38 1/2° of north latitude intersects the east line of California about fifty miles south of Carson City, the capital of Nevada; thence running east to the 117º of west longitude, takes us half way across the state of Nevada, near to the town of Belmont; Whence going north to the 42° of latitude we reach the vicinity of the south-west corner of Idaho; west to the 120º of longitude takes us to the north-eanst corner of California; following down this we reach the point of beginning, somewhere in Alpine county, California. This embraces all of the counties of Roop, Washoe, Storey, Ormsby, Lyon, Douglas, Churchill, and Humboldt, and portions of Esmeralda, Nye, and Lander, in the state of Nevada; and a part of El Dorado, Alpine, and Mono, in California. It is amusing, now, to think of these twenty men meeting together and forming a territory of such vast dimensions; the more so when we call to mind the fact that in Washoe, Eagle, and Carson valleys, and in Gold canon, there were people enough to outnumber them ten to one, who were not consulted in this disposition of themselves; and the further fact that not one of this score of law-makers lived within the boundaries they themselves set for the new territory, every one of them being west instead of east of the 120° of west longitude. Of course all these paradoxical circumstances arose from the prevailing ignorance of the topography of the country east of the Sierra, and the framers of these laws neither intended to include their unknown companions so far to the south, nor exclude themselves. Having formed their government, the settlers proceeded to make and record their locations of land. In April and May the following claims were recorded, embracing each a section of land: A. G. Hasey, on Gold run, which was soon transferred to Thomas P, Kingsbury; John Strode, one mile north of Hasey's, which was relocated in August by William Morehead; W. T. C. Elliott, known as Rough Elliott, on Gold run; M. T. Shores, on Gold run, which was relocated in August by T. N. Kingsbury; Florency Smith, on Susan river; Paul Hulsa (relocated in December by J. W. Davis), William Hill, I. J. Hill, and John Hollingsworth, on the north side of Susan river, east of Roop's ranch; Dow, Estep, and Aganett, two sections in copartnership, south of Hasey's; W. M. Lyttle & Co., south of Hasey's; Mathew and George Lathrop, on the south, and about eight miles down Honey lake; R. J. Scott, on the south side of the lake, and about nineteen miles east of Lassen's; George Eppstein, adjoining Smith's, and about five miles from the south-west corner of the lake; Stephen Raney, adjoining Eppstein on the south. The locations made in June were: Henry Denney and Henry Kulty, a section together, adjoining Commanche George on the south; William Weatherlow, on the north side of Susan river, about three miles down the stream from Roop's; John Griffin, adjoining Weatherlow's; Stephen O'Laughlin and Ephraim Roop, for grazing purposes, south of Susan river, five miles east of Roop's and west of Curlew butte; ------Henery, between the forks of Susan river and Willow creek. In July, locations were made as follows: T. P. Kingsbury and D. A. Breed, two sections lying between O'Laughlin's and Commanche George's claims; John Adams, lying east of McMurtre and south of Carter; R. W. Dezoe, adjoining Smith on the west; Joshua Abbott, adjoining D. P. Carter on the south; E. C. Gillette, one-half section crossing Susan river and including Curlew butte; Samuel Brunie, a section in Antelope valley, about three miles north-east of Roop's house; G. W. Byerly, along the river and south of Weatherlow; W. B. Galphin, adjoining McMurtre on the north; H. C. Nichols, east of Eppstein; L. E. Cushman, south of Nichols; Ebenezer Smith located the boiling spring on the north-east side of the lake, and a building spot 60x100 feet for a bathing-house. In August, Florency Smith located a tract on the south side of the river; J. B. Mankins east of Roop, and J. C. Mankins south of Roop; David Hescock, Francis Lannigan, and Charles Nixon, a section on the east of Byerly on the north side of the river, and east of Roop on the south side of the stream; James and William Shelton, adjoining Hescock & Co. on the east; T. C. Smith, next to J. B. Mankins. In September, William Weatherlow located an irregular tract one and one-half miles in length, which had been located the year before by Moses Mason, and abandoned. The location Weatherlow had made in June was about this time relocated by L. M. Robertson, but was soon after relinquished by him; also, the location make by John Griffin in June was claimed at this time by William N. Crawford, and soon after relinquished. In October, Leduc Vary located a section at Deep springs; J. W. Sanbanch took up a section on the north-west side of Antelope valley. In November, M. W. Haviland located a "seccion" adjoining Morehead, and A. D. Morton one next to him; William N. Crawford made a location on the lake shore, but abandoned it two days later; D P. Dexter took a claim west of Scott; Logan E. Whitaker adjoined Scott on the north; William Morehead on the lake shore near Dexter (soon after relocated by R. J. Lennox); William N. Crawford and L. M. Eobertson, a section next to Morehead; Thomas Mitchell relocated J. Wycroft's section; Antone Storff adjoined Mitchell on the north. In December, John W. Davis relocated Paul Hulsa's claim; Joseph Libler located next to Stephen O'Laughlin; A. N. Silverton located a section now embraced in the ranches of Scholl & Cahlan, J. H. Maxwell, and John C. Davis. November 23, 1856, the following power of attorney was placed on record by A. G. Hasey: "NOTICE—Know all men by these Presents that I the undersigned have been and is hear by apointed to act as Agent or Substitute to represent the Claim of Mrs. L. M. Ellis.—Belcher." On the twenty-ninth of August, 1856, Isaac N. Roop, who had been acting in the capacity of recorder, appointed I. Ely and J. H. Patty his deputies, with full power to act in his stead, himself placing their appointment on record; and soon after went to Shasta to remain until the following spring. J. H. Patty had placed but six claims on record when he was summarily ousted from his position by the following proceedings which appear on the record: "HONEY LAKE VALLEY NOV 16/56 "As it became necessary to hold an Election in this valley for the purpose of electing a Recorder pro tem to fill the vacancy of Mr I Roop until his return to the Valley or until tim vacates his office the Citizens therefore proceeds to Elect a Recorder pro tem "Wherein WM HILL Presids President "W W L LENNOX Secty. "On Motion Mr Goodwin, Hasey & Davis was put in nomination to fill the office. "they then proceeded to take the Ballot when Mr Hasey was declared unanimously Elected to fill that office. "there being no important business be four the meeting a motion of Mr Morton it was adgourned sine die. W W L LENNOX Secty." The reason these proceedings were held does not fully appear; but it may be judged that a change was desired by some for personal reasons. This thought is suggested by the fact that on the twenty-ninth of the same month W. W. L. Lennox copied verbatim the notice Roop had posted up and placed on record of the first location in the valley, and caused it to be recorded by the new official. He thus relocated, or "jumped," Roop's claim, including that portion which had been designated as a town site in section six of the laws adopted by the first assembly of the territory of Nataqua. It might have been done for other and better reasons. The above locations embrace all those made in 1856 and placed on record in the 7x9 book of records of the territory of Nataqua. When the territory was formed in April, 4,880 acres of land had been located, 400 of which had been abandoned by Moses Mason, seven gentlemen being the property holders, and the improvements consisting of two log houses, a little rail fencing, and a ditch. When the year 1856 came to an end, 36,840 acres of land had been taken up and recorded, being about 15,000 acres more than are now being actually cultivated for hay, grain, and vegetables, though by no means as much as is now owned and claimed in the county. The first entry of any nature whatsoever made upon the civil records of the territory of Nataqua was in the matter of the estate of Isadore Meyerowitz, who had been drowned in Honey lake. It is thus recorded on page one of the little book: "ESTATE OF ISSADORE MEYEROWITZ ) Vs ) GEO LATHROP, Admr. ) "At a meeting held this 15th day of July, A. D. 1856, Geo. Lathrop was duly elected administrator for the Estate of Issadore Meyerowitz, Dec, and Wm Reed R. J. Scott and John W. Cushing were elected Appraisers. "ISAAC ROOP Recorder" The next entry is as follows: "July 27, A. D. 1856. "Isaac Roop was this day sworn in by due process as Recorder. "Peter Lassen was this day sworn as Surveyor by Recorder "Geo Lathrop was this day sworn as administrator by the Recorder "ROOP, Recorder " In the appraiser's inventory of the deceased man's estate, his ranch, a section of unimproved land, was put in at $400; one boat (probably the one from which he was drowned), $12.50; one set of double harness, $8.00; two spurs, $4.00; one purse with cash, $1.50; and numerous other articles, such as farm and house utensils, clothing, etc., amounting in all to $625.75. The inventory was filed July 30, 1856. The first civil cause that came within the jurisdiction of the high tribunal, to be organized in accordance with sections 9 and 11, was the following: "FLORENCY SMITH ) Be it remembered that on the seventh day of vs ) August, 1856, Florency Smith filed her Complaint of J. B. MANKINS. ) Forcible Entry and Detainer against J. B. Mankins before me, I. Roop, Recorder, in the words and figures as follows: "That J. B. Mankins, on or about the fifth day of August, A. D. 1856, did willfully and knowingly take possession of a certain tract of land belonging to her, Florency Smith. The said land is fully described and boundaries defined in Record Book A, page 3. And thereupon, on the same day and date, a call was made to the citizens to meet at the Roop House on the tenth day of August, 1856, to try said cause. " I. ROOP, Recorder." "August 10, A. D. 1856. "The citizens appeared in pursuance of the above call, and on being organized into a board of arbitrators, neither of the parties appearing, it was resolved to proceed with the cause; and the proofs and allegations concerning said cause, together with the Record, being fully heard and examined by said Board (about this time the defendant J. B. Mankins appeared), and upon a consultation by said Board, the Verdict was as follows: "That the said Florency Smith recover and have restitution of the premises; and further, that the said Florency Smith shall cause said premises to be surveyed within fifteen days from The date hereof, and that the Recorder make out a quit Deed to her for said premises, and signed by all present; and further, that if the said Florency Smith shall fail and neglect to have said premises surveyed within the time specified, then in that case she forfeits all her right, title, and interest in and unto the same. Reed, Scott, Breed, Morehead, Hasey, Weatherlow, Cushing, Kingsbury, Ely, Grout, Devol, and Hank. "Three o'clock P. M. this tenth day of August, A. D. 1856. "ISAAC ROOP, Recorder." That the prevailing idea of the proper location of Honey Lake valley was not entertained by all of the settlers, will appear by an examination of those portions of the Plumas county records which have been transcribed and placed among the records of Lassen county. From these it appears that on the eleventh of April, 1857, A. Fredonyer placed on record in Plumas county a pre-emption claim to land and a water right on Susan river near the junction of Smith's fork (now Pah Ute creek), for a ranch, saw-mill, and grist-mill. On the ninth of June, 1857, William Powell and wife conveyed to H. A. Williams, D. J. Williams, and A. D. McDonald a one-half interest "in and to a certain tract of land situate in a small valley near Honey lake, known as Elesian, supposed to be in Plumas county, California," which deed was recorded at Quincy. David Reed filed in the clerk's office in Quincy a pre-emption notice of a quarter-section of land in Honey Lake valley, July 26, 1857. Before the year 1857 drew to its close, the grand governmental ideas of the citizens of Nataqua had vanished, or at least had been set aside for the time being. The rapid settlement of the valley had attracted the attention of the people of Plumas county, and the officials began to take judicial notice of it. By looking more closely into the matter, even the settlers themselves were compelled to admit that even if they were not within the limits of California they were very close to the line. On the fourth of August, 1857, the board of supervisors of Plumas county not only recognized the fact that this valley had become of considerable importance, but asserted the belief that it was within the jurisdiction of Plumas county, by creating it into a separate township, with the name of Honey Lake township. The action of the board of supervisors, in the creation of Honey Lake township and the appointment of justices and constables (none of whom qualified), called out the following proceedings from the citizens of this valley: "In pursuance of a notice, the citizens of Honey Lake valley met at M. Thompson's ranch on the twenty-ninth of August, A. D. 1857, and were called to order by appointing M. Thompson chairman, and L. N. Breed secretary. "The following Preamble and resolutions were offered by Mr. Williams, and unanimously adopted: "PREAMBLE. "WHEREAS, we, the citizens of Honey Lake Valley, entertaining very reasonable doubts of our being within the limits of the state of California, and believing that until the eastern boundary of the state of California is determined by the proper authorities that no county or counties have a right to extend their jurisdiction over us, therefore be it Resolved by the citizens of Honey Lake Valley in Mass Meeting assembled that we consider the action of the Board of Supervisors of Plumas County an unwarrantable assumption of power. "Firstly, in appointing Justices of the Peace without our knowledge or consent. "Secondly, in dividing the Valley into precincts, and appointing officers for the same. "Thirdly, in ordering an assessment of the property of the Valley. Therefore be it further resolved that we will resist any action of the authorities of Plumas, and undividedly and collectively pledge ourselves by all we hold sacred to assist and aid each other in resisting any infringement of our rights. "Resolved, That the officers appointed by the board of Supervisors to conduct the election in this place be requested to keep the Polls closed upon the day of election. "Resolved, That a committee of five be appointed as a committee of safety, whose business it shall be to correspond with the authorities of Plumas county, to end meetings when necessary, and to take such action as they may think necessary, subject always to the approval of the citizens of this Valley. "Resolved, That we cordially unite with the citizens of Carson Valley in their endeavors to have a new Territory struck off, whose limits shall be the Oregon line on the North, the Goose Creek range of Mountains on the East, the Colorado River on the South, and the dividing ridge of the Sierra Nevadas on the west. "Z. N. Spalding offered the following preamble, which was adopted and signed by all present: "We, the undersigned individuals of Honey Lake Valley, feeling a just indignation at the course pursued by certain individuals, calling themselves citizens of this Valley, relative to a certain petition signed by them, and forwarded to Plumas county, praying them to consider this Valley under the jurisdiction of said county, and for the authorities to appoint certain officers, such as Justice and constable. "Now, be it known—First, that the petition above mentioned was drawn up and signed by persons most of whom were, and are now, non-residents of this Valley, and had no interest identified with the welfare of this community. That very few of the resident citizens of the Valley knew anything about the petition until it was announced that Plumas county had appointed officers for us, nolens volens. "Secondly, We are, and do consider this Valley, not in the state of California, and shall continue to do so until our boundaries are defined and established by the legally constituted authorities of the United States, and we will not recognize the authority of Plumas county or California to make ourselves or appoint our officers. "Thirdly, Were we under the jurisdiction of Plumas county, we would not suffer the office-making power to force upon us men odious to the citizens generally, and destitute of the requisite qualifications to fill any office. "Fourthly, We disclaim the whole proceedings from beginning to end, and shall not regard any mandate issuing from under the officers appointed by Plumas county to preside over us. "In token whereof, we severally pledge ourselves. NAMES. M. Thompson, L. N. Breed, D. C. Jackson, Thomas Eaton, R. Hewitt, Thomas Mitchell, J. D. Sharp, L. M. Robertson, Joseph Lynch, I. E. Wick, Wm. N. Crawford, A. G. Epstine, H. Dony, Ireton Warp, Peter Lassen, A. F. Chapman, Wm. Hill, G. Lathrop, Ralph Nedsham, Wm. Dow, G. A. Williams, Henry Denny, W. C. Kingsbury, R. J. Scott, Wm. Weatherlow, M. W. Haviland, A. U. Sylvester, Stephen O'Laughlin, C. Arnold, Anthony Barlow, H. A. Wilmans, W. Powell. "On motion, the following persons were appointed on the committee to correspond with the authorities of Plumas county: Wm. Hill, Mr. Williams, M. L. Robertson, Z. N. Spalding. "Moved, that the committee authorized to correspond with Plumas county authorities be invested with the power to draw up a petition to congress for the purpose of having a new territory organized. Carried. "Mr. Jackson moved that the corresponding committee be invested with power to draft such laws out of the code of laws now governing the two districts, as may suit the people of said districts in common, but so to form them as not to permit an encroachment upon claims taken under former laws, and said laws be submitted to the people for adoption or rejection on such day as the committee may designate. Carried. "Moved, that the citizens of this valley attend the place of voting on the day of election, and prevent the polls being opened. Carried. "Moved, that a committee of three be appointed to wait on Dr. Fredonyer (one of the justices appointed by the supervisors of Plumas county), and politely inform him that the citizens of this valley can dispense with his services. Carried. Committee, Mark Haviland, R. J. Scott, Z. N. Spalding. "Moved, that the proceedings of this meeting be published in the North California (Oroville paper). Carried. "Moved, that the meeting adjourn. Carried. "M. THOMPSON, Chairman. "L. N. BREED, Secretary" Later, the people decided to take advantage of their township privileges, and in the spring of 1861 they elected George E. Hale a justice of the peace, and he qualified for the office at Quincy, May 7, 1861. In 1860 the census of the valley was taken as a part of Plumas county, and 476 white people were reported within the limits of Honey Lake township. In the fall of 1861, Cutler Arnold was elected a justice of the peace, and the next fall B. F. Sheldon and William J. Young, and in the fall of 1863 Amos H. Barnes and John S. Ward were elected to the same office. All these gentlemen filed their official bonds in Quincy, and qualified as officers of Plumas county. All this was being done while they, and the people of Honey Lake valley generally, were participating in movements for the formation of a territorial government separate from California, in conjunction with the settlers of Washoe and Carson valleys. Passing by the difficulties the settlers had with their Indian neighbors, the murder of many of them by the treacherous savages, the long days and nights of anxiety and fear, and the expeditions for punishment and revenge, which will form another portion of this volume, we will follow the steps taken by the settlers for the formation of a separate government, leading up to the Sage-Brush Rebellion and the organization of Lassen county. Having discovered the fact that they were but a small portion of the population embraced in the great territory of Nataqua, and that the settlers away to the south would not recognize their action in this matter, the citizens of Honey Lake valley abandoned their old scheme for a territorial government, and Nataqua vanished, to be heard of no more. The territory of Utah exercised jurisdiction over all the country lying between Salt Lake and California, and a great many Mormons had settled in Washoe and Carson valleys. At Gold canon, where the great Comstock lode created such an excitement in 1859 and later, many miners were already at work. A much larger population was centered in the region between the Truckee and Walker rivers than was to be found around Honey lake, and the people of this valley realized that if any governmental action was to be taken it must be done in connection with, and to a large extent be managed by, the people of the southern settlements. There was no question as to the geographical location of Washoe and Carson valleys; they were absolutely known to be beyond the limits of California and within the boundaries of Utah. Great dissatisfaction was felt by the settlers there with their position. A well-founded prejudice existed among them against the Mormons and against Mormon rule. They were separated from the seat of authority at Salt Lake City by miles of alkali desert and barren mountains, and what little governmental action did reach them came from a Mormon fountain, and was distasteful to these liberal-minded settlers. The first attempt at a government in that section was made November 12, 1851, when the citizens met together and adopted a code of laws for their local government, and framed a petition to congress for a distinct territorial government. Up to that time the authorities of Utah had taken no official notice of the settlers on their extreme western border; but March 3, 1852, the legislature divided the country now in Nevada into seven counties, for which it also appointed judges to serve for a term of four years. None of these counties was organized; and the citizens continued to govern themselves. January 17, 1854, the legislature of Utah created Carson county, embracing all the settlements north and south of Carson river for a distance of many miles; and the next spring Orson Hyde, a Mormon elder, was appointed probate judge, and sent out to organize the county, which duty he completed in September, 1855. So many Mormons had come west and located in the valleys of Washoe, Eagle, and Carson, that in the election of officers of Carson county in 1856 they obtained full control, greatly to the displeasure of the other settlers. Early in 1857, owing to the trouble that was then existing between the Mormons and the United States government, Brigham Young called all the faithful back to Utah, and so many responded to the summons that the Gentiles were again left in the majority. This was the condition of affairs in that section when the little handful of people in Honey Lake valley graciously included it in their territory of Nataqua, without so much as consulting them as to their wishes on the subject. As soon as the people in this valley became fully informed of the condition of affairs, they dropped their Nataqua scheme, and united their efforts with the more southern settlers to secure the creation of a new territory in Western Utah. A mass meeting having been called to meet at Genoa, Carson valley, August 8, 1857, the people of this valley sent representatives; and one of them, Isaac N. Roop, was elected one of the four vice-presidents on that occasion. At this meeting resolutions were passed appointing Judge James M. Crane to go to Washington as a delegate, to present a memorial to congress, and urge action upon it, requesting the formation into a new territory of "the Great American basin, lying between the eastern spurs and foot-hills of the Sierra Nevada, west of the Goose Creek range of mountains, the Oregon line on the north, and the Colorado and its tributaries on the south." A committee of twenty-eight was appointed to carry the resolutions into effect, of which five were from Honey Lake valley; viz., "Major Isaac Roop, Peter Lassen, Mr. Arnold, Wm. Hill, and Mr. McMurtry." A long memorial was prepared and forwarded to congress, in which some very absurd and exaggerated statements were made of the nature and condition of this section; for instance, "The valleys number from 200 to 250, and range in size from 10 to 100 miles in length. They are all alluvial, and are the best grazing and agricultural lands on this continent." This was quite a claim to make for the Great American desert. The Indian population was stated at from 100,000 to 115,000, though it is doubtful if there were 25,000. The white population was fixed at from 7,000 to 8,000. The peculiar situation of Honey Lake valley was stated in the following language: "There are some portions of the Great Basin of this continent, claimed by the state of California, in which reside a considerable number of people who, in the winter time, can have no connection with it. This is the case with those who reside in Honey Lake valley. That valley lies east of the Sierra Nevadas, and within the Great Basin, and from this cause the people living in it have no intercourse with other parts of the state during the rainy season for nearly four months every year. They therefore naturally belong to the eastern side of the Sierra Nevadas, and on this account they desire to join us in this movement. If they are forced to remain with California, they can never know anything about the affairs of their state during the whole time its legislature may be in session. It is therefore folly, and worse than folly, to attach the people of this valley to a state about which they know nothing and care nothing, for one-third of the year, and that third the most important part of it to them. They therefore cordially unite with us in this prayer and memorial to congress, asking not only that they may be attached to the new territory, but that they may add their united voice in support of the great necessities for the organization of the aforesaid territory." Judge Crane went to Washington, and on the eighteenth of February, 1858, wrote his constituents that a bill to organize a new territory would surely pass both houses, and advising them to "all sow and plant heavy crops of grain and vegetables this spring, for they will bring ready sale at good cash prices to supply the army and Indians upon their reservations." He also wrote that he expected to have several postal routes established: one of them from Honey lake to the Humboldt; and that he had "great hopes of having a bill passed to bridge the deep snow region on the Sierra Nevada, over the Honey lake and Placerville routes, so as to keep open communication between our territory and California all the year around." The judge and his constituents were both disappointed in their hopes, as congress failed to take the desired action in the matters the delegate was pressing upon that body. Additional Comments: Extracted from: Illustrated History of Plumas, Lassen & Sierra Counties San Francisco: Fariss & Smith (1882) File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ca/lassen/history/1882/illustra/nataqua123gms.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/cafiles/ File size: 36.5 Kb