Plumas County CA Archives History - Books .....Plumas Township 1882
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Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com January 11, 2006, 8:49 pm

Book Title: Illustrated History Of Plumas, Lassen & Sierra Counties

PLUMAS TOWNSHIP.

   One of the townships into which the county was divided immediately after its
organization was Plumas, consisting of the American valley, in which was located
the county seat, and the mountains surrounding it upon all sides. [For
boundaries and changes see Official History] With the exception of the mining
near Elizabethtown, on Spanish creek, at Argentine and a few other localities,
this section is and has been chiefly agricultural. The American valley, which
forms the heart of the township, is one of the most fertile and lovely of the
mountain valleys that lie scattered throughout the whole range of the green
Sierra. The altitude at Quincy is given by Lieutenant Tillman as 3,381 feet, and
by Mr. Mills 3,416 feet. The valley contains about ten and one-half square
miles, or 6,720 acres, chiefly of rich, arable land, that gives a good yield of
wheat, oats, barley, potatoes, and vegetables of all kinds. Considerable hay is
cut, and excellent apples and other fruits of the temperate zone are raised. Two
saw-mills cut large quantities of lumber used in building and in the mining
claims. Some of the farms of the valley are in a high state of perfection, and
are represented in our illustrations.

   The first location was made by the Turner brothers in 1850. They claimed all
the land lying south of Spanish creek, dealt largely in stock, and pastured
animals belonging to emigrants and miners for a consideration in keeping with
the times. In 1852 they sold out to Joseph Greena and a Frenchman whose name is
forgotten. A short time afterwards, Mr. H. J. Bradley came along, and purchased
an interest with the new proprietors. The same fall William Houck, George W.
Sharpe, and E. H. Pierce bought one-third of the property, and the ranch was
soon after divided: the three last named taking all that portion lying west of
the creek, which at that time ran from the ravine south of the town through the
ranch to Spanish creek. But one building, a log cabin, had at that time been
erected. The same fall Houck, Sharpe, and Pierce built a log house on the site
of the present Plumas House, and opened a place for the entertainment of
travelers, presided over by Sharpe. A division was subsequently made, Pierce and
Houck taking all that portion of the land that lies south of Jackson street, and
Mr. Sharpe retaining the remainder. Bradley had also erected a building, and
opened a public house, calling his place the American ranch.

   The New England ranch, now owned and occupied by Daniel R. Cate, was located
by him, E. W. Judkins, L. F. Cate, and Asa Judkins, in 1852. That winter E. W.
Judkins, D. R. Cate, and J. S. Boyington built a saw-mill on Mill creek, two
miles and one-half from the American ranch. The Illinois ranch, now owned by
John W. Thompson, was first located in 1851. The Uncle Sam ranch was located in
1852 by Elijah Poorman. The National ranch was settled upon about the same time,
by James W. Hayes.

   In the spring of 1853 D. R. Cate and E. W. Judkins procured wheat in the
Sacramento valley, which was hauled into the American valley over the snow on
hand-sleds. With this they sowed fifteen acres on the New England ranch, which
yielded an average of fifty bushels to the acre. This was sold for seed in this
and Indian valleys, bringing eighteen cents per pound. It was thrashed out with
a flail, and cleaned in a fanning-mill. The next season a large quantity of
wheat was put in by the ranchers in both valleys, but a severe frost in the
month of June killed nearly all the crop. In 1855 a great quantity of wheat was
raised, 3,000 bushels being produced on the New England ranch alone. In 1854
Cate & Judkins built a grist-mill on the New England ranch, and began making
flour, grinding but little the first year on account of the failure of the crop.


Additional Comments:
Extracted from:

Illustrated History of Plumas, Lassen & Sierra Counties

San Francisco: Fariss & Smith
(1882)

File at: http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/ca/plumas/history/1882/illustra/plumasto129nms.txt

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