Yolo County CA Archives History - Books .....Jonas Spect And His River Metropolis 1913
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Book Title: History Of Yolo County

CHAPTER X
JONAS SPECT AND HIS RIVER METROPOLIS

    At the opening of the year 1848 Yolo, or the locality now Yolo county, had
about thirty settlers who were steadily establishing their permanent homes,
increasing their farm stock and acreage of grain lands. But the discovery of
gold checked for the time this agricultural growth. James W. Marshall digging a
water ditch for Sutter's new sawmill at Coloma on the south fork of the American
river, uncovered the yellow metal. Marshall and Sutter at first tried to keep
the find a secret, but that task was too large, and soon the world knew of it
and the would-be miners from all points of the compass were hurrying to the new
Eldorado. Among the settlers in the state who dropped all other work and joined
the rush towards Coloma were the Yoloites and for a time the ranches of that
locality may be said to be depopulated. Rich placer mines were soon developed
along the rivers, principally because these streams afforded better means of
transportation. Hence towns and trading posts on these lines of travel seemed to
be the practical thing. In March, 1849, Jonas Spect freighted a schooner in San
Francisco and ascended the Sacramento seeking a site for his proposed city. It
was to be "Fremont," in honor of the Pathfinder and great surveyor-soldier of
the Pacific slope. As he was twenty days reaching Sacramento one may realize the
difficulties of the early navigation of this river. He was several days more
getting to his destination, which was on the Yolo shore opposite the mouth of
the Feather river, and this was Fremont.

FREMONT AT THE FORKS OF THE RIVER

    The store and hotel which Spect quickly erected was built of willows, tules
and canvas, but it was the beginning of business. For a time the young riparian
metropolis was promising. It seemed that it would premanently be the head of
navigation on the Sacramento. Parties bound for the placer mines passed through
the city, and with the help of the Indians a ferry was established. Feather
river, having a sandbar at its mouth, was fordable here, consequently teamsters
and packers could go in any direction. The popularity of Fremont grew by leaps
and bounds. Such prominent men as Sam Brannan, William McD. Howard and
Lieutenant Maynard, and others well known in the early history of this state,
were visitors there. Howard, representing a large commercial firm in San
Francisco, offered Spect and his partner, T. B. Winston, $150,000 for their
townsite and its privileges. Among the arrivals from Oregon was a Presbyterian
parson, Rev. John E. Braly, and his divine services during his stay in Fremont
did much to temper the frontier rudeness of the town. Other pioneer citizens
were Hon. C. F. Reed, Judge H. H. Hartley, Judge C. P. Hester, I. N. Hoag, C. H.
Gray, afterwards sheriff of the county, and H. B. Wood, subsequently partners in
a Woodland firm, were merchants in Fremont. Miss Matilda McCord, of Bloomington,
Ill., probably the pioneer "school-marm" of the state, opened a school that year
('49) with all the infantile Fremonters in attendance. Naturally the drinking
places and gambling resorts sprang up, as it were, in the night, as the wagon
and pack trains, overland, came in, and as the vessels made their way, from San
Francisco, up the river. A soldier belonging to a company of United States
Infantry, camped near town, became involved in a quarrel with a gambler and was
shot dead. The shooter said to the crowd: "This is a very solemn occasion, boys;
let's take a drink." That ended the matter. In fact, taking a drink seemed to be
the cheerful manner of ending disagreeable matters in those philosophical days
of '49.

ALL HAD PLENTY OF SAND

    Having "plenty of sand" is another distinctly California expression which
may be said to have come in vogue from a Fremont incident: A professional
gambler had pretty well cleaned out all who had tackled him with the cards, and
D. W. Edson, later of Knight's Landing, tackled him with a new and novel game.
The two started in with Edson betting in gold dust, which was a common medium of
exchange in the vicinity of the mines when the coin supply ran low. As Edson
appeared to be a miner with much dust, passing the winter "in town," he was
permitted to win a good amount in the preliminary bets, and to exhibit some of
his real gold, and then the gambler got down to business. Edson soon seemed to
grow excited over the first loss, and hauling from his pocket a fat buckskin bag
of dust, swore he would lose its contents or "break" his opponent. Betting with
dust was done by the ounce, value $16, the weighing out generally done at the
close of the game. The other man bet coin, which, when he lost Edson pocketed,
but as the unopened bag remained in view on the table all appeared safe. After
Edson had lost about every ounce the bag contained he declined to continue the
play and asked the alcalde of the town who was present to measure out the loss
to the winner and if there was any dust left "just treat the crowd to the
drinks." Then he cleared out, while the bag was being opened,—and this was well,
for it was full of sand. Edson had been betting and losing sand, ounce by ounce,
occasionally winning, and keeping, good money. When the sport was hunting and
threatening the invisible Edson a bystander advised him that the absentee had
more "sand," but of a dangerous kind and he had better let the matter drop.

CONSTITUTIONAL GOVERNMENT

    The people were flocking into the country and it was soon seen that the
territory could not kick along under the laws of sleepy Mexico, so a
constitutional convention was called by General Bennet Riley, U. S. A., the
military governor. The territory was divided into ten districts, Sonoma
district, to which Yolo was attached, embracing all the country north of the
bays, east of the ocean, west of the Sacramento river and south of Oregon. By an
election August 1, General Vallejo, Dr. Semple and J. P. Walker, all residents
of Pueblo Sonoma, were elected delegates to the convention which was held in
Monterey. At the adjournment of this body Governor Riley called an election for
the adoption of this constitution, and for the election of a legislature in
accordance with its provisions. The governor's proclamation for the election
November 15 designated as polling places only those that had been used in the
constitutional convention election. The ambitious city of Fremont now made her
debut in politics and selected her first citizen, Jonas Spect, for the State
Senate. He received one hundred and one votes in that place, while his opponent
received one vote. Other places in what is now Yolo and Colusa gave Spect a
large majority which his opponent, M. G. Vallejo, appears to have overcome in
other parts of the district, namely, Sonoma, Benicia and Napa. Mr. Spect took
his seat in the Senate and G. W. Crane in the Assembly, but as the result of the
contest they were unseated, it appearing that the correct returns gave Vallejo
and Bradford majorities. It was also contended that the Fremont vote was not
legal, not being named as a polling place in the election call. J. E. Brackett
was the other Assemblyman from the district. Next year G. W. Crane was again a
candidate for the Assembly and was given a certificate of election by the county
clerk, but was unseated again by a vote of the Assembly and H. P. Osgood was the
successful aspirant. The first time Crane served one day, and the next year he
served one month and two days in the Assembly.


Additional Comments:
Extracted from

HISTORY OF YOLO COUNTY CALIFORNIA
WITH
Biographical Sketches
OF
The Leading Men and Women of the County Who Have Been Identified With Its Growth
and Development From the Early Days to the Present

HISTORY BY
TOM GREGORY
AND OTHER WELL KNOWN WRITERS
ILLUSTRATED COMPLETE IN ONE VOLUME

HISTORIC RECORD COMPANY
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA [1913]


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