San Benito County CA Archives History - Books .....Chapter VI American Settlement Of San Benito Valley 1893
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Book Title: Memorial And Biographical History Of The Coast Counties Of Central California.

CHAPTER VI.

AMERICAN SETTLEMENT OF SAN BENITO VALLEY.

ONE of the first American settlements in the San Benito valley was begun by
Jacob Watson in 1854, near the site of the present town of Hollister. Prior to
that time the valley was occupied as a stock range by the owners of Mexican land
grants. The neighboring foot-hills and mountain ranges were the home of deer,
antelope and bear. From 1861 to 1870 much of the valley now used as a sheep
range, the Hollisters and Flint, and Bixby & Co., having engaged in breeding
improved sheep in this section, which was then a portion of Monterey county.

COUNTY DIVISION.

  The rapid settlement of the extensive and fertile San Benito valley and the
valleys tributary thereto, which were separated from the rest of Monterey county
by the Gabilan range of mountains, developed interests which centered in the new
communities, and out of which grew, very naturally, a desire by the people to
manage for themselves their own local affairs. The first attempt to divide
Monterey county, by having San Benito set oft by itself as a separate political
division, was made in the legislature of 1869-'70; but the opposition interposed
by the resident portion of the present old county caused the movement to fail at
this time. Nevertheless, it continued to gain strength from many and legitimate
causes. The contest became a very heated one for the time being, swallowing up
all other issues. The people living east of the Gabilan insisted that they were
entitled to a division, and they were almost unanimously determined to have it.
The election of a representative in the legislature turned on this one issue.
The question was division or no division, Republicans and Democrats forgetting
their party affiliations. But though the "new-county" people were still in the
minority, they did not give up the fight. They returned again to the charge in
the next election, and won by a small majority. The contest was carried to the
Assembly and then to the Senate, in each of which houses the divisionists won,
and then to the governor, who after some hesitation signed the bill, and thus,
finally, in March 1874, the act creating the new county became a law. By this
act the governor was authorized and directed to appoint five commissioners who
were charged with the organization of the new county. The names of the
(commissioners appointed were: T. S. Hawkins, Jesse Whitton, Mark Pomeroy, John
Breen and H. M. Hayes. This commission met at the town of Hollister, February
18, 1874, and organized by electing John Breen as president, and H. M. Hayes as
secretary.

  The new county was subdivided into four townships, viz.: Hollister, San Juan,
San Benito and Paicines, and three supervisorial districts, numbered one, two
and three. District number one, comprised Hollister township; number two, San
Juan township; and number three, San Benito and Paicines townships. The new
officers were to be appointed by the governor or filled by special election.
James F. Breen, who had resigned the judgeship of Monterey county j was
appointed by the governor to the same position in San Benito county, while the
commissioners, under provisions of the organic act, ordered a special election
on the 26th day of March, 1874, whereat the required county officers were to be
chosen, and the county seat was to be permanently located by popular vote.

  At this election the following officers were elected, viz.: Sheriff and ex
officio tax collector, Benjamin F. Ross; clerk and recorder, H. M. Hayes;
district attorney, N. JN. Briggs; trea&urer, T. McMahon; assessor, Hayden Dowdy;
surveyor, F. P. McCrary; school superintendent, H. Z. Morris; coroner and public
administrator, J. M. Black; supervisors: district No. 1, Mark Pomeroy; district
No. 2, Thomas Flint; district No. 3, D. J. Watson.

  Under the provisions of an amended act of the Legislature, approved March 10,
1876, the boards of supervisors of the old and new counties jointly selected a
commission of five members,-two by Monterey, two by San Benito, and the fifth by
the judge of the twentieth judicial district court,-which met at Salinas city,
inventoried and appraised the property and assets of each county, ascertained
the amount of indebtedness of Monterey county, on the 12th day of February,
1874, the date on which the act creating San Benito county became a law. The
commissioners deducted the total value of assets of both counties from the total
indebtedness, which exceeded the assets, and ascertained the proportion of the
debt due from San Benito county to be $5,808.56, for which amount bonds bearing
interest at the rate of seven per cent per annum, and payable in five years,
were issued, and made payable to the order of Monterey county. The principle is
sound in the division of a partnership or of a county, that each partner shall
assume his or its proportion of the existing indebtedness.


Additional Comments:
Extracted from:

Memorial and Biographical History of the Coast Counties of Central California.

Illustrated.

Containing a History of this Important Section of the Pacific Coast from the
Earliest Period of its Discovery to the Present Time, together with Glimpses of
its Auspicious Future; Illustrations and Full-Page Portraits of some of its
Eminent Men, and Biographical Mention of many of its Pioneers, and Prominent
Citizens of To-day.



HENRY D. BARROWS,
Editor of the Historical Department.

LUTHER A. INGERSOLL,
Editor of the Biographical Department.

"A people that take no pride in the noble achievements of remote ancestors will
never achieve anything worthy to be remembered with pride by remote
descendants."-Macaulay.


CHICAGO: THE LEWIS PUBLISHING COMPANY.
1893.

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