Lassen County CA Archives History - Books .....Nevada Territory 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, 1:31 am Book Title: Illustrated History Of Plumas, Lassen & Sierra Counties Before the time of his departure for Washington arrived, Judge Crane, the congressional delegate, died suddenly at Gold Hill, and J. J. Musser was elected to fill the vacancy, and immediately set out for Washington. Governor Roop then subscribed the following oath of office: "TERRITORY OF NEVADA, )ss. "I do solemnly swear that I will support the constitution of the United States, and the constitution of the territory of Nevada, and that I will to the best of my ability perform all the duties of governor of said territory during my continuance in office. "ISAAC ROOP." "Subscribed and sworn to before me this thirteenth day of December, A. D. one thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine. "F. M. PRESTON, "U. S. Commissioner, Second Judicial District, U. T." Governor Roop was the only one of the territorial officers elect who qualified or was called upon to serve in an official capacity. The majority of his official acts were in connection with the Indian troubles, and will appear in another portion of the volume. The legislative assembly that had been chosen assembled at Genoa on the fifteenth of December, and Governor Roop presented a message to them giving his reasons why the provisional government should not be fully organized, pending the anticipated action of congress. The members of the assembly, only a few of whom had attended, passed some spirited resolutions, and adjourned until the next July, at which time they failed to meet again. The great rush to the Comstock in 1859 and 1860 gave that region a large and somewhat turbulent population; and congress finally, by the Act of March 2, 1861, created the territory of Nevada, including the valley of Honey lake within its limits. The boundary lines as defined by congress were: " Beginning at the point of intersection of the forty-second degree of north latitude with the thirty-ninth degree of longitude west from Washington (116° from Greenwich); thence running south on the line of said thirty-ninth degree of west longitude until it intersects the northern boundary line of the territory of New Mexico (now Arizona); thence due west to the dividing-ridge separating the waters of Carson valley from those that flow into the Pacific; thence on said dividing ridge northwardly to the forty-first degree of north latitude (on the summits a number of miles north-west of the valley); thence due north to the southern boundary line of the state of Oregon; thence due east to the place of beginning." By a special provision, there was excepted from the area covered by this description any portion of California which it might include until that state should give its assent to the loss of such territory. Thus was Honey Lake valley placed in the anomalous position of being included in a new territory while yet a portion of an old commonwealth. James W. Nye was commissioned governor of Nevada by President Lincoln, March 22, 1801, and Orion Clemens was appointed secretary of state. July 11, 1861, Governor Nye issued his proclamation declaring the government of the territory established. A census of the new territory was taken by election districts, showing that Pyramid District No. 9 contained a population of 1,073. This embraced "all the territory north of Truckee valley, from a point where the Truckee river enters the mountains below Gates and Gage's crossing, and west of Pyramid lake." At an election held August 31, 1861, Isaac N. Roop was chosen to represent this district in the territorial council, by a vote of 62 in a total of 68. John C. Wright was elected representative, receiving 52 of 58 votes. Mr. Wright was a resident of Long valley, an unnaturalized Englishman, and left this section a few years later. The legislature divided the territory into nine counties, November 25, 1861, among which was the county of Lake. "Beginning at the north-west corner of Washoe county, and running easterly along the northern boundary of said county to the mouth of Truckee river; thence due east to the summit of the first range of mountains east of said river; thence in a northerly direction along said range and the main granite range of mountains to the Oregon line; thence west along said line to the summit of the Sierra; thence south along said summit to the place of beginning." By the Act of November 29, 1861, the county seat was declared to be at such a point as should be selected by a majority of the voters at the next election. By the same Act, Hon. Gordon N. Mott, of the supreme court, was assigned to the First Judicial district, composed of Lake, Washoe, and Storey counties. November 27, 1861, the legislature appointed William Weatherlow, William H. Naileigh, and Daniel Murray commissioners to prepare for and supervise the election for county officers, called for January 14, 1862. These gentlemen did not perform these duties, and no election was held. It was from 1860 to 1862 that justices of the peace for Honey Lake township filed their official bonds at Quincy as officers of Plumas county. At the general election held September 3, 1862, county officers were chosen in Lake county as follows: REPRESENTATIVE C. Adams. SHERIFF W. H. Naileigh. CLERK H. J. Borette. RECORDER Z. N. Spalding. TREASURER Frank Drake. ASSESSOR E A. Townsend. COLLECTOR Henry E. Arnold. SURVEYOR E. R. Nichols. SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT A. A. Holmes. COMMISSIONERS, Franklin Strong, S. J. Hill, J. C. Wemple. Further than the election of officers, Lake county remained unorganized until after the legislature convened. Representative Adams did not take his seat in that body, but Isaac Roop, who held over from the year before as member of the council, attended the session at Carson City. The legislature met, and determined to maintain the jurisdiction of Nevada over this section, and to that end passed an Act, December 2, 1862, changing the name to Roop county. The governor also forwarded commissions to the officers who had been elected in September, and also appointed John S. Ward probate judge. Judge Mott came to Susanville and administered the oath of office to these officials January 20, 1863. He also held a term of the district court, but there being no business to be transacted, it was adjourned to the next regular term. David M. Harrison was clerk of the district court. These steps were taken because for more than a year the authorities of Nevada had endeavored, without success, to have California take such action as was necessary for her to relinquish her claim to the territory lying east of the Sierra. They had even gone so far as to have John F. Kidder and Butler Ives survey the line both north and south from Lake Tahoe, an action which was not recognized by the California authorities. There was a dispute in regard to the situation of the town of Aurora, also, it being at one and the same time the county seat of Esmeralda county, Nevada, and Mono county, California. The Kidder survey placed Aurora in Nevada Territory. It was apparently with the intention of forcing the situation that the Nevada authorities decided to completely organize Roop county. 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/nevadate125gms.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/cafiles/ File size: 8.2 Kb