Sierra County CA Archives History - Books .....Official History Of Sierra County 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@gmail.com January 18, 2006, 10:23 pm Book Title: Illustrated History Of Plumas, Lassen & Sierra Counties OFFICIAL HISTORY OF SIERRA COUNTY. Sierra county was first divided into townships by the court of sessions shortly after the organization of that body, but as its earliest records are not in existence, the exact date of the order, and its provisions, cannot be ascertained. The first reference to townships made in the chronicles of the court of sessions at hand was rendered October 15, 1853, when Benjamin Hall was instructed to draw a plat of the several townships of Sierra county, which being done, was approved on the following day. His definition of the township boundaries was made by him a few days later, and published in the Mountain Echo in December. By this it appears that the county was originally divided into nine townships, numbering from one to nine; beginning at the north-west corner and running eastward, in the order of numbering congressional townships. June 19, 1855, township No. 10 was created from the western part of township No. 7. Township No. 11 was created in 1856, by the board of supervisors. On the second of August, 1859, townships Nos. 8 and 10 were abolished and added to township No. 7, while No. 11 was changed to No. 8. Other changes of a minor character were subsequently made, and on the nineteenth of November, 1863, there being ten townships, names were given to them instead of numbers, viz.: Township No. 1 was changed to Alturas; No. 2, to Sears; No 3, to Table Rock; No 4, to Eureka; No. 5, to Indian ; No. 6, to Lincoln ; No. 7, to Forest; No. 8, to Gibson ; No. 9, to Butte ; No. 10, to Sierra. Many changes have since occurred in these county subdivisions, to enumerate which would be both tedious and profitless. Sierra county at present is divided into nine townships, with the following names: Oneida, Sears, Table Rock, Eureka, Lincoln, Forest, Gibson, Butte, and Sierra. The last election precincts established by the board of supervisors are as follows: SIERRA TOWNSHIP—Loyalton, Sierraville. ONEIDA—Antelope, Crystal Peak. FOREST—Alleghany, Chips, Forest City, Pike City. LINCOLN—Brandy City, Indian Hill, Goodyear's bar, Mountain House. BUTTE—Downieville, Sierra City, Butte, Gold Lake, Loganville. EUREKA—Eureka, Little Grizzly, Monte Christo. SEARS—Port Wine, Scale's, St. Louis. TABLE ROCK—Howland Flat, Poker Flat. GIBSON—Newark, Gibsonville. In March, 1863, the north-western boundary of the county was more clearly defined by the legislature, in these words : "From the Lexington house, thence northerly along the center of said ridge [the dividing ridge between the waters of Feather and Yuba rivers] to a point known as Pilot peak; thence south-easterly along the center of said ridge to a point due west from a point about one mile below the outlet of Gold Lake, known as the falls; thence due east to the eastern boundary line of the state," etc. This by no means settled permanently the northern boundary of Sierra county, for a great deal of dissatisfaction was caused in La Porte and the vicinity, the inhabitants of which desired to be severed entirely from Sierra, for the purpose of forming a new county or of attaching themselves to Plumas. The matter was vigorously discussed during the next three years, and finally resulted in an act of the legislature, approved March 31, 1866, setting off a considerable territory in the north-western part to Plumas county. [See pages 162, 163, and 164 of this work for an account of the change of boundary.] Sierra county recovered a small portion by the act of March 28, 1868, giving her all that portion of Plumas county lying south of Slate creek. The northern boundary of Sierra ceunty has remained as then established to the present time. Uncertainty as to the source of the south fork of the Middle Yuba river led to quite a controversy between Nevada and Sierra counties at this time. In 1868 each county made a survey, but as the initial point was not the same for both, neither would adopt the work of the other. By agreement, the two boards met on the disputed territory, but could come to no understanding. Sierra county brought suit against the Eureka company, that had paid taxes to Nevada county on some of the disputed ground, to enforce payment of taxes. Nevada county instructed her district attorney to defend the Eureka company. The question was settled by the supreme court in 1869, giving Sierra the contested ground. The surveys and litigation cost each county more than the land in controversy was worth to either of them. BOARD OF SUPERVISORS. Prior to May, 1855, all the business of the county was transacted by the court of sessions, which consisted of the county judge and two associate justices, elected each year by the justices of the peace of the county, from among their number. This body being also empowered to try certain criminal cases and affairs in litigation, we have placed it under the general heading of " The Courts and Judiciary," where a full- account of its proceedings may be found. The establishment of the supervisor system in the state of California necessitated the division of Sierra county into three districts. The first election occurred on the first Monday in May, 1855, and resulted in the choice of Seth Chandler, William Henry, and Gustavus B. Wright as the guardians of the county interests. Following are the proceedings of the first meeting of the board: "At the first meeting of the board of supervisors, held in and for the county of Sierra on this sixth day of May, 1855, the following-named persons were duly sworn and installed as supervisors, under an act of the legislature of the state of California: Seth Chandler, William Henry, Gustavus B. Wright. J. Webb Nicholson, clerk. "On motion, Seth Chandler was elected chairman. Report of the committee on public buildings read and accepted, and the committee discharged from further duty. "In the matter of the acceptance or rejection of the court-house and jail: It appearing to the satisfaction of the board that said buildings are necessary to the convenience of the county, it is hereby ordered that said buildings be accepted; and it is further ordered that the claim of D. G. Webber, contractor, for five thousand five hundred dollars, be allowed, and that the county auditor draw his warrant on the treasurer of Sierra county in favor of said Webber for said amount, to be paid, one-half in one month and the balance in two months from the date of this order. "Bills were allowed to William J. Ford: for office rent, $800; for prison expenses, $2,080; for services in criminal cases, $1,063. "It is ordered that the board adjourn until to-morrow morning at 8 o'clock. "SETH CHANDLER, Chairman" Additional Comments: Extracted from: Illustrated History of Plumas, Lassen & Sierra Counties San Francisco: Fariss & Smith (1882) File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ca/sierra/history/1882/illustra/official285ms.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.poppet.org/cafiles/ File size: 7.5 Kb