Mendocino-Statewide County CA Archives History - Books .....Mendocino County 1891
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Book Title: Memorial And Biographical History Of Northern California

MENDOCINO COUNTY.

  This county was legally one of the original counties of February 18, 1850, but
was not organized until by act of the Legislature approved March 11, 1859,
having been up to that time attached to Sonoma County for civil and political
purposes. Joseph Knox, F. Nally, H. Baechtel, J. W. Brown and William Heeser
were appointed the commissioners to locate places for the first election. On the
first Monday of May of that year the following county officers were elected and
entered upon the discharge of their several duties: J. D. Price, Sheriff; G.
Carminy Smith, Clerk; J. J. Cloud, Surveyor; John W. Morris, Treasurer; A. L.
Brayton, School Superintendent; William Neely Johnson, District Attorney;
William Henry, County Judge; John Burton, Assessor; J. B. Lamar, Assemblyman; O.
H. P. Brown, J. F. Hills and Daliel Miller, Supervisors.

  Cape Mendocino was named in honor of Antonio de Mendoza, the first Viceroy of
New Spain. He was appointed by the emperor, and, arriving in the city of Mexico
in 1535, ordered a survey of the coast of California, wherein the cape was
discovered. The county was named after the cape.

  The Mexican land grants made within the present domain of Mendocino County
were as follows: Sanel, 17,755 acres to Fernando Felz in 1860; and Yokaya,
35,541 acres to C. Juarez in 1867.

  The first white settlements in the county were made on the coast in 1852. In
the first week in April that year, Captain Peter Thompson, one of Carson's old
trappers, George Raney, afterward mate of a Panama steamer; and "Steve" ___
clerk for the American Consul at Callao, passed down through Anderson Valley and
on to the coast, reaching it worn out with fatigue and hunger. Thompson settled
at Pine Grove, four miles above Big River, this being the first known permanent
white settler in the county. He was a native of Ayrshire, Scotland, went through
the Apache country with Walker in 1836, and was with Carson in several
expeditions in South America in 1848.

  In the fall of 1852 the saw-mill at Big River in Mendocino was commenced by
Henry Meiggs, J. B. Ford and others. Soon the Noyo Albion, Nevarra and Caspar
mills were built. In 1852 William and Thomas Potter, M. C. Briggs, Al. Strong,
J. L. Anderson and Cestos Feliz went up the Russian River to the place afterward
called Potter. In August, 1853, the Potter Bros. moved their stock up there. In
1856 Thomas Henley, as Indian agent of Nome Lackee, established a farm in Round
Valley. He was accompanied by Denman Bros., Martin Corbett, C. H. Bourne, J. E.
White and others. In 1859 John Parker and John Turk settled in the lower end of
Ukiah Valley with cattle belonging to Jerry Black of Marin County. In 1851 L. B.
Arnold and three others came up through Ukiah Valley across to Anderson, and
back to Cloverdale, killing twelve or fifteen grizzly bears on the route.

  Ukiah has been the county-seat ever since the organization of the county. It
was incorporated in September, 1872. The original court-house was built by E.
Rathburn, for $7,000, in the fall of 1859, and in the fall of 1872 a new
court-house was completed by A. P. Petit, for $40,000. County Court was convened
in the new building for the first time on the first Monday in March, 1873.

   Grazing and stock-raising constitute the second great interest in Mendocino
County. Some valuable minerals have also been found within the limits of the
county. A vein of coal eight feet thick exists four miles above the forks of Eel
River between Round Valley and Eden Valley. This coal was first discovered and
brought out by H. L. Hall. B. S. Coffman was the first to interest capitalists
in it. I. Friedlander entered 30,000 acres of land around the place. Many
medicinal springs exist in this county.

  The following have represented this county in the State Assembly: T. M. Ames,
1862-'63; Martin Baechtel, 1861; J. M. Covington, 1875-'76; W. H. Cureton,
1867-'68; Philo Handy, 1887; G. W. Henley, 1869-'70; Whit Henley, 1885; Wm.
Holden, 1857, 1865-'66, 1881; L. F. Long, 1877-'78; George B. Mathers, 1871-'72;
D. W. McCallum, 1873-'74; L. G. Morse, 1880; Levi Wilsey, 1863-'64; Archibald
Yell, 1883. See adjoining counties for other representatives.

  This county is chiefly famous for the immense forests of redwood timber that
clothe the mountains and valleys throughout the whole extent of the county on
the side next to the Pacific Ocean. To one who has not seen a redwood forest,
description is futile, and the same may be said of the great mills with their
peculiar and powerful machinery for hauling, splitting and cutting up the great
logs. The redwood lumber business and its shipping may be said to be the only
industry of the Pacific coast side of the county, and a very large capital is
enmployed therein, although some produce and dairy products are also shipped. A
list of shipping points is here given, running from north to south, and most of
these having saw-mills, generally of large dimensions, and several having
regular lines of steamers and schooners. Bear Harbor, Rockport, Usal, Westport,
where there are two mills, Kibesillah, Inglewood, Fort Bragg, Noyo, Caspar,
Mendocino City, Little River, Albion, Whitesboro, Navarro, Coffey's Cove, Port
Vallejo, Greenwood, Manchester, Punta Arenas, Fish Rock, Gualala. It must not be
thought that these are harbors. They are simply more or less sheltered coves or
landings, possessing shoots suspended from the cliffs by which the lumber or
other material is slid down into the vessel which lies at anchor under the
cliff. Some of these points are tolerably good-sized towns, with considerable
trade, churches and schools, etc., although almost entirely dependent on
lumbering for their existence. Caspar, Mendocino City, Little River, Fort Bragg,
Punta Arenas, are such places. From some of them dairy produce is an item of
valuable shipping note.

  The interior, and larger part, of Mendocino County has suffered greatly from
lack of communication with- the outside world. Until May, 1889, when the San
Francisco & Northern Pacific Railroad was extended from Cloverdale to Ukiah, the
county-seat, the only communication was by stage over a rough and dusty (or
miry) mountain road. With the advent of the iron horse has come a new era,
ushering in prosperity and a genuine advance in every department. The chief
industry of this interior portion has been wool, cattle, and hop growing and
agriculture, but already, now that the railroad is at their door a considerable
acreage of fruit has been set out about Ukiah and the southern valleys, with
more to follow. Hop-growing, which has attained considerable magnitude, is
chiefly engaged in throughout the Sanel Valley, where the growing town of
Hopland received its name in consequence, and in the vicinity of Ukiah, where
almost every fanner has his hop-dryer-. Throughout the whole northern and
eastern portions of the county, stock-raising and wool-growing are the staples,
although in certain parts, as especially about the town of Willits, agriculture
and fruit-growing is extensively and successfully engaged in.

  Mendocino County has never cut a figure as a mining country. There is,
however, a large and valuable seam of coal at a point a short distance south of
Round Valley. At different times and in various places gold has been washed out
in small quantities. Copper and cinnabar are also known to exist, but apparently
not in paying quantities.

  The industries of Mendocino may, accordingly, be set down as, first of all
lumbering, there being thirty steam saw-mills that give employment to 2,500 men,
with an annual cut of about 70,000,000 feet. Next comes wool-growing,
stock-raising, hops, potatoes and other produce, dairying, agriculture, fruit
and grape growing, etc.

  Round Valley was first settled in 1856 as an Indian farm and station by
Government employe's from the Nome-Lackee Indian Reservation. It was not,
however, finally set off as a reservation until 1864, after many settlers'
claims had been made within its confines. As a consequence of this fact great
trouble and some hardship to all parties has resulted. It is a beautiful valley,
almost circular, and with a diameter of about seven miles.

  Ukiah, the chief town and county-seat, has seen great activity during the past
two years, since the completion to it of the Santa Fr & Northern Pacific
Railway. It is a handsome and busy town with signs of prosperity on every hand.
The court-house was built in 1872, at a cost of $40,000. It is a fine structure.
About three miles south of it is the site of the Northern California State
Hospital for the Insane, selected by a commission appointed by the State
government to choose a location, for which purpose an appropriation had been
made of $175,000. Provision is made for the erection of a very handsome
structure at a heavy cost. Preparations for building are now in progress. Ukiah
possesses a large tannery, a foundry and other similar, establishments. The
school system is good and buildings modern, a large new school-house having just
been completed at a cost of $15,000. There are six churches, all prosperous.
Daily stages run from Ukiah to Eureka in Humboldt County, Lakeport in Lake
County and to Mendocino City on the coast. There is some talk of building a
railroad from Ukiah to Lakeport, and it is probable that some day the Santa Fe &
Union Pacific will be extended to Eureka. Among the energetic and representative
citizens of Ukiah who have aided in advancing the county interests are Judge
McGarvey, Dr. E. W. King, Mrs. Annie M. Reed, the poetess and writer, and
others. At Ukiah are held alternately with Lakeport the fairs, races, etc., of
the Lake and Mendocino Agricultural Society.

  Hopland has become a distributing point of importance since the railroad has
reached it, and is growing fast. Stages run thence to Lakeport, and to Boonville
and coast points. Boonville and Comptche are surrounded by a good agricultural
and stock country. Willits, Cahto, Laytonville, Covelo, Calpella, are all
enterprising towns of the northern country with important businesss interests.

  There are several valuable and highly popular mineral springs or spas in the
county. Prominent among these is the Vichy Springs, three miles east of Ukiah,
where there is a commodious hotel, bath-houses, etc.

  The newspapers of Mendocino County are as follows, all being weeklies, and
comparing favorably with their contemporaries elsewhere. In Ukiah are the
Dispatch Democrat, founded 1867, the Independent (1886), and the Press (1877).
At Mendocino City is the Beacon (1877). At Fort Bragg, the Advocate and at Point
Arena the Record.


Additional Comments:
Extracted from

Memorial and Biographical History of Northern California.

Illustrated, Containing a History of this Important Section of the Pacific Coast
from the Earliest Period of its Occupancy to the Present Time, together with
Glimpses of its Prospective Future; Full-Page Steel Portraits of its most
Eminent Men, and Biographical Mention of many of its Pioneers and also of
Prominent Citizens of To-day.

"A people that takes no pride in the noble achievements of remote ancestors will
never achieve anything worthy to be remembered with pride by remote
descendents." – Macauley.

CHICAGO
THE LEWIS PUBLISHING COMPANY
1891.

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