Yuba County CA Archives History - Books .....Chapter 4 Yuba County In The Late Forties 1924 ************************************************ 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 http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00001.html#0000031 January 2, 2012, 11:56 pm Book Title: History Of Yuba And Sutter Counties CHAPTER IV YUBA COUNTY IN THE LATE FORTIES The year 1848 proved to be of unusual importance in the history of Yuba County. The discovery of gold at Coloma in Eldorado County was followed in less than four months by the finding of the precious metal within the limits of Yuba County. During this year Charles Covillaud, one of the founders of the county, married Miss Mary Murphy, sister of Mrs. Michael Nye and Mrs. William Foster, who had crossed the plains to the new Arcadia. Marysville, two years later, received its name from Mary Covillaud. The details of the town meeting at which Mrs. Covillaud was given this signal honor appear in another chapter treating specifically of the history of Marysville from its birth to the present day. It was during the year 1848, also, that Rouelle abandoned his place on the south side of Yuba River and settled again on Feather River, near Charles Roether, and Nye occupied his old house. Patterson sold to Sicard the land he had purchased in 1846 from Smith. In the spring, Foster moved his family from Yerba Buena, and in partnership with Nye bought Smith's ranch. During the remaining portion of this year nothing of note occurred in this region until the discovery of gold on the American River, when all eyes were turned in that direction; but the heat of the mining fever was not yet at its highest. The people were suspicious regarding the quality and amount of the gold. As the weeks passed, however, confidence was gained and the belief that there might possibly be precious minerals in other localities was strengthened. Prospectors gradually pushed out beyond the narrow limits of the first mining district, and thus commenced the opening up of the vast mining fields of California and the Pacific Coast. There seems to be some dispute regarding the first discovery of gold north of the American River and in the vicinity of Marysville. The credit is divided between Michael Nye and his party and an early settler named Jonas Spect. The discoveries by Nye and Spect were nearly contemporaneous. Spect and two friends were on their return to the Eastern States, rather discouraged and disappointed at their success in California as gold hunters, when they came upon a party of Indians on their way to Sutter's Mill to dig gold. The Indians reported stories of fabulously rich diggings; and Spect and his party thereupon changed their minds about returning East. On reaching Sutter's Mill they found that several rich strikes had been made, but the miners there at work did not average $2.50 a day. Marshall and Sutter claimed the land and rented the mines to prospectors. Every one supposed that gold was confined to that particular section. Disgruntled, Spect then tried Bear River, near what is now known as Johnson Rancho, of which the present city of Wheatland is the center. There he had scarcely any better success. He then arranged for an Indian guide, who encouraged prospecting on the Yuba River. On the 1st of June they struck the Yuba near Long Bar, then a small mining settlement occupied by the hardy adventurers of that early day. On June 2, Spect prospected up the stream, finding some gold, but not in paying quantities. The Indian was well acquainted with the locality, and he piloted Spect up to the location of Rose Bar, close to the present site of Smartsville, where they met a large number of Indians, all entirely nude and living mostly on clover. Here, again, he found gold, but not in remunerative quantities. In Timbuctoo ravine, now a suburb of Smartsville, though but a ghost of its former self, he washed some of the dirt and found three lumps of gold worth about $7. A week later Spect met Michael Nye and William Foster prospecting in the same vicinity. That summer Nye and his party found paying diggings on Dry Creek, near its junction with the Yuba River, and commenced working on an extensive scale. From these discoveries the search for gold spread to every creek and rivulet, and Yuba County's reputation as a gold field spread and grew. In 1849 the United States government, for the protection of the early settlers, established Camp Far West at a point four miles east of the present city of Wheatland, Yuba County's hop and fruit center. Camp Far West is now indicated to the tourist by a marker erected by the Native Sons of the Golden West, at the instance of Rainbow Parlor of that order in Wheatland. Here two companies of soldiers were maintained for several years under Capt. H. S. Day, who afterward became Major Day, and whose son became Adjutant-General of the State of Nevada. Captain Day received his supplies from San Francisco by boats to Vernon Landing on Feather River, which often had to be unloaded under many disadvantages on account of the mud and muck on the river banks. When not unloading boats or on duty, the soldiers could earn from $5 to $6 a day mining near the military camp. Fred H. Greely, present auditor and recorder of Yuba County, and a Past Grand President of the order of Native Sons of the Golden West, recently presented to Rainbow Parlor of the order at Wheatland a relic of Camp Far West, which is dearly treasured by the members of that body. It consists of Captain Day's official letter book, containing copies of the reports he made to the War Department while in charge of Camp Far West. Camp Far West was abandoned in May, 1852, and the troops, numbering about forty men of Company E, 1st Infantry, under the command of Lieutenant Davis, were ordered to set out for the upper Sacramento, with a design of establishing a post in the neighborhood of Cottonwood, for the purpose of protecting the settlers from hostile Indians. A public sale of the extra stores was held on the first day of May. Many of the soldiers were discharged, some of these going to the mines or working for settlers, others settling on lands, and the remainder going to their homes. There were left behind the log structures built for barracks and officers' quarters, and also a log fort. These buildings could be seen there for many years after, but no trace of them now remains. The year of 1849 opened with but little visible improvement in the future city of Marysville, and without many additions to its roll of inhabitants. The whole current of travel was toward the mines on the upper parts of the rivers, and few considered it necessary to remain more than a day or two at the old ranch on the Yuba. On the 4th of January, Cordua sold to Michael C. Nye and William Foster, for $20,000, his remaining one-half interest in the business and possessions of the firm of Cordua & Company, Charles Covillaud retaining the other half. Nye and Foster also put into the partnership their previous possessions, in view of which they each were allotted a third interest in the joint business. Nye managed the ranch and stock business, while Covillaud had a store at Sicard Flat, and Foster one near Foster's Bar. The name of the main ranch was now changed to "Nye's Ranch." The firm found a ready market for all of their beef in the mines, or with travelers to and from the diggings. In April, 1849, the estimated amount of stock on the ranch was 5000 head of cattle, 600 horses, 500 hogs, and a small collection of poultry. Cordua, having sold his property, moved to the mines, opening a store at Cordua Bar. It was not long before he had spent all of the money paid him by Nye and Foster. In the spring, Rose, Reynolds and Kinloch purchased the whole tract owned by Nye and Sicard on Yuba River. George Kinloch's father was a Scotchman, who came to California about 1825; his mother was a native Californian. George received his education in the Sandwich Islands under the tuition of the Missionaries, there being no opportunities in California excepting the Mission schools of the Catholic Friars. He entered into partnership with Messrs. Rose and Reynolds shortly after they opened their store at Rose Bar in 1848. During the spring of 1849 a board of commissioners were elected at Sacramento to frame a code of laws for the district. The following were the members: Messrs. Brannan, Snyder, Slater, Hensley, King, Cheever, McCoover, McDougal, Barton Lee, Tetle, Southard, Fowler, and Dr. Carpenter. The committee speedily prepared their report and, calling the people together under the shade of an oak tree at the foot of I Street, Sacramento City, submitted to them the result of their labors. It provided for the election of one alcalde and a sheriff, with a jurisdiction extending from the Coast Range to the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and throughout the Sacramento Valley. The report having been adopted, H. A. Schoolcraft was elected alcalde, and A. M. Turner, sheriff. These constituted the judiciary of Northern California up to the latter part of 1849. About the 1st of April, the town of Vernon, in Sutter County, was started on the east bank of the Sacramento River at its confluence with the Feather River. The land, comprising two sections, had been purchased by Franklin Bates, E. O. Crosby, and B. Simons from Capt. John A. Sutter, the latter retaining a quarter interest in the town. Owing to the fact that it was considered to be the "head of navigation," its rise was very rapid. Three or four wholesale stores were established in tents, or in board structures. Ox teams and pack trains were loaded here with supplies for the mining localities. In a very short time there were opened several hotels and boarding houses, butcher shops, blacksmith shops, laundries, and even a law office and alcalde's court. Eight or ten saloons or gambling houses were started, and the town presented a busy appearance. Among the business men and firms were Captain Savage, Bradbury & Company, and Williams & Company. Gilbert A. Grant was alcalde and agent for the sale of lots. George W. Crane was the attorney-at-law. Jonas Spect had settled on the west bank of the Feather River and located the town of Fremont. As soon as it was found that steamers and the larger sailing vessels could successfully reach the landing at Marysville, however, Vernon's fate was sealed and soon the town was nearly deserted. It was at one time the county seat of Sutter County. Thinking that Vernon was to be the city of Northern California, and that the limited confines of the first map would, in the rush of settlers, be insufficient for all the locations, an addition called South Vernon was laid out; but only one house was constructed thereon. On April 28 a weekly paper, printed upon paper of the size of foolscap, and called the Placer Times, issued its first number at Sutter's Fort. E. C. Kimble was its editor, typesetter, publisher and printer, and was the "pioneer newspaper man" of the valley. Reverting to Nye's Ranch, on September 27, 1849, Messrs. Nye and Foster sold to Charles Covillaud, for $30,000, all the title and interest in the land, improvements, etc., which had been conveyed to them by Cordua. Covillaud was now the sole possessor of the ranch, but his tenure was to be of but short duration. On October 1, 1849, Covillaud sold to J. M. Ramirez and J. Sampson, for $23,300, an undivided one-half of his property, $12,000 to be paid down and $11,300 to be paid on July 1, 1850; and during the same month he disposed of one-fourth to Theodore Sicard, for $12,000, the firm name being Covillaud & Company. On the 25th of October, a company landed in Marysville which was destined to become an important factor in the more close settlement of Yuba County. This was a joint-stock company, composed of twenty-six active and ten home shareholders, organized in Gardiner, Maine, and called the Kennebec Company. In March, 1849, the company went to New Bedford, Mass., where they bought a vessel and loaded a cargo. The officers were: C. N. Bodfish, president; C. M. N. Cooper, captain; Leander Cox and one other, directors. The departure was made on the 1st of April, the extra accommodations being secured by passengers not members of the organization. On the 17th of September, 1849, the ship arrived at San Francisco, and was taken up to the "New York of the Pacific," the prospective metropolis on the lower rivers. A house, which they had brought with them in sections, was erected at the town, and the vessel was sold. After landing and making necessary preparations, the company started for the northern mining regions, making the voyage in six rowboats. They landed at the site of Marysville, and remained on the night of October 25. The next day they resumed the trip, passing up the Yuba River two miles to Simpson's Crossing, where they pitched a tent and covered their provisions. The journey was renewed, and after passing ten miles up the river they discovered and located Kennebec Bar, during the last days of October, 1849. In November, 1849, the only buildings at Nye's Ranch were two adobe structures at the foot of D Street, about two or three rods apart. One was used as a boarding house and the other as a lodging apartment, to accommodate the local travel. No furniture was placed in the latter, the lodgers being required to furnish their own bedding. The brightening prospects of the location, and the certainty that it would be the head of navigation, caused the proprietors, in December, to have a survey made for a town. The work was performed by August Le Plonjean, who segregated the tract into ranges, blocks, and lots. The incipient city was called "Yubaville," the name it bore till the beginning of the next year. Some of the early residents stated prior to their death that it was a common rumor, when they arrived in 1850, that the streets had been laid out and the lines run by the use of a ship's quadrant. This, if true, accounts for the irregularities in direction and distance existing even yet. The survey was speedily followed by a lively real-estate market; lots and blocks were disposed of at good round figures, and the attention of many who had heretofore thought that all the wealth of the State lay in the mines was called to this new money-making investment. There was one obstacle which prevented many careful speculators from purchasing lots in this new town, and that was the doubt as to the validity of the title. The tract had been secured from Captain Sutter by Cordua through a lease for nineteen years, and at the end of that period the land would revert to its real owner. During the next year this matter of title was settled, and the obstacle removed. Although the generally accepted name at this time was Yubaville, there were those among the people who had other favorite titles, and who persisted in applying them to the new town. The old adobe house was the nucleus about which were erected, near the close of the year, a number of shanties. The general style of habitation was the tent made from canvas, cloth, or sacks. There appeared to be no permanent population, everybody being on the move, all full of life. A man named Osburn had a store on Front Street, near the old adobe, and furnished supplies to the travelers and transient settlers. During this year, there were a number of settlements made along Bear River. The Johnson Grant fell into the hands of Henry Robinson and Eugene Gillespie, who laid out a town at Johnson's Crossing, and gave it the name of Kearney, in compliment to General Kearney. It did not prove much of an honor, as the place never became settled. In November, a sawmill was built on Bear River, about five miles above Johnson's Crossing, by a man named John S. Moore, a Missourian, and was known as Moore's Mill. This energetic individual was a counterfeiter, and had in his possession a large quantity of spurious Missouri bank-bills. With these he paid for the building of his mill, and remunerated his employees. He established a broker's office and exchanged his bills for gold dust with the returning miners, who were glad of an opportunity to have their heavy wealth converted into paper money. So well executed were these bills, that thousands of dollars of them were taken by the Missouri banks before their true character was discovered. When their real nature was found out, many miners who arrived in Missouri on their way home, thinking themselves to be rich, found that, notwithstanding the toils and dangers they had passed through, they were as poor as when they started. When Moore heard of the discovery he decamped, but was afterwards apprehended in South America, though he was never brought back to this country for trial. The year closed with little to foreshadow the events and startling developments to take place within a few months. The mining was being actively carried on in the mountains, and new discoveries and locations were constantly being made. Additional Comments: Extracted from: HISTORY OF YUBA and SUTTER COUNTIES CALIFORNIA WITH Biographical Sketches OF The Leading Men and Women of the Counties Who Have Been Identified with Their Growth and Development from the Early Days to the Present HISTORY BY PETER J. DELAY ILLUSTRATED COMPLETE IN ONE VOLUME HISTORIC RECORD COMPANY LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA 1924 File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ca/yuba/history/1924/historyo/chapter4317gms.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/cafiles/ File size: 17.7 Kb