Statewide County NV Archives History - Books .....Chapter IV Settlement Of Carson Valley 1851 1881 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/nv/nvfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com June 5, 2007, 1:28 pm Book Title: History Of Nevada CHAPTER IV. SETTLEMENT OF CARSON VALLEY 1851. The First Settlement-The Squatter Government of 1851- First Meeting of Citizens-Second Meeting of Citizens- Third Meeting of Citizens-Civil Government-A Clerk and Constable-Fourth Meeting of Citizens-The Present of Some of Those-The Fate of Others-Reese and Kinsey-Stockade Built-Garden Planted-Eagle Ranch Located. FROM Stephen A. Kinsey, now living at Genoa, and the records of the Mormon Church at Salt Lake, obtained through the courtesy of Orson Pratt and J. Jaques, the fact is ascertained that in the spring of 1851, John Reese, with ten wagons loaded with flour, butter, eggs, etc., etc., left Salt Lake for the purpose of establishing a trading-post somewhere on the overland road east of the Sierra. He was accompanied by Stephen A. Kinsey, some teamsters, and a few passengers for California, making sixteen persons in all. The train arrived at Ragtown, on the Carson River, in May, where it stopped for a while, until hearing of a more favorable locality in Carson Valley, through parties arriving from California to meet friends or trade with emigrants, Mr. Kinsey started on horseback to "spy out the land" in advance of the Reese expedition. He visited the head of that valley, and then returned along the base of the Sierra, until arriving at the place known in 1850 as "Mormon Station," he concluded that it was the most favorable point for a trading-post in that section of country; and camping, remained there until Mr. Reese arrived with the train. At this time there was no one living there, no house, no ruins of a house, or the vestige of one to be found. Those who had occupied the place in 1849-50, had folded their tents like the Arab, in the fall of the last year, and silently stolen away, leaving the torch of the Indian to efface any indication of their ever having been there. On the fourth of July, 1851, Mr. Kinsey selected and took possession of the ground known as Mormon Station, that name being retained until 1855, when the site being surveyed, "Genoa" was substituted. When the Reese party reached western Utah, not over six miners were at work in Gold Canon; but some twelve of those accompanying him joined the six, among whom were two of the teamsters, named Joseph Webb and James Fenimore, the latter known as "Old Virginia." Daring that Summer, the Gold Canon settlement was increased to about one hundred miners. Immediately upon their arrival at Mormon Station the building of a log cabin was commenced that, when completed, was the only house in what is now Nevada. That pioneer of the numberless structures erected through the Silver State in the years that followed still stands where it was built in Genoa, the one relic left of the almost forgotten past, A stockade corral was also put up at a cost of two thousand dollars, that enclosed something over an acre of ground. It was made strong as a protection against Indians in case of need, being built of fifteen-foot logs, set on end three feet in the ground, touching each other so as to make a solid wall. Thus was commenced in 1851 the first permanent settlement in western Utah. That season (1851) a garden was fenced in by Mr. Reese, which was plowed and sowed to turnips, and a generous crop demonstrated the productiveness of the soil. Late that year emigrants arrived en route to California, and, fearing to attempt the mountain roads, wintered in Carson Valley. A few Mormons arrived at different times during the year in that section of country and joined the increasing number of population, among whom were three persons named Lee, one named Condie, and another named Gibson, all of whom are at present residents of Utah. Early in November of that year a party, consisting of Joe and Frank Barnard, George Follensbee, A. J. Rollins, Frank Hall, and W. L. Hall, came from Bents Bar, Placer County, California, for the purpose of mining in western Utah, but finding the pay was not sufficient to warrant them in doing so, they took up, in December, the celebrated Eagle Ranch, where now stands the State Capitol. They built a log house there for a station close to what is now the Clayton residence, and, after completing it, rented the same to a couple of emigrants, named Doctor Daggett and _____ Gay. An eagle soaring over the heads of the builders was shot and killed by Frank Hall, and the skin stripped from the bird was stuffed and nailed upon the station. This incident furnished a name for the station that was transferred to the ranch, and eventually to the valley that surrounded it. There had so many people concentrated in the fall of 1851 along the eastern base of the Sierra that it became necessary for them to have some recognized rules governing their rights to acquire and hold property, that could by common consent be enforced. In response to this prevailing sentiment, meetings were called, the records of which were kept in a little book of sixty leaves, in size six inches by seven inches, that has fortunately been preserved by Mart Gaige, of Carson City, and the following details of the first efforts at government in what is now Nevada, is obtained from it. THE SQUATTER GOVERNMENT OF 1851. FIRST MEETING OF CITIZENS. The citizens of western Utah assembled on the twelfth of November, 1851, at Mormon Station for the purpose of organizing a Squatter Government. At the time, they were largely subject to the laws of Utah Territory, but probably were not aware of that fact, and if so, considered them inadequate to the necessities of their surroundings. In their declaration of intentions it was laid down that, the object was to adopt a system by which the settlers could subdivide "the valley so as to secure each individual in their rights to land taken up and improved by them."-"To agree upon a petition to Congress for a distinct Territorial (government; the creation of public offices for the valley, and the adoption of by-laws and fixed regulations to govern the community." At this meeting Col. A. Woodward acted as Chairman and T. G. Barnard as Secretary. Six resolutions were adopted. No. 1, provided for the survey of land claims and the employment of a competent Surveyor for that purpose, and James H. Haynes was the party who seems to have received the appointment, as his name appears later in that capacity. No. 2, created the offices of Recorder and Treasurer, both to be held by the same party, who was to record and issue certificates of claims, receive a fee of twenty-five dollars for doing it, and account to the committee for the use of the same. No. 3, limited claims to quarter-sections. No. 4, made the Recorder and Treasurer accountable for his acts to the committee who had the power of appointing to that office or making removals in case of dereliction of duty. No. 5, required the Recorder to collect fees before performing duties. No. 6, provided for the election at that meeting of seven persons to act as the head of the organization, who were to have "the arrangement of all business touching claims," also the power to appoint a Recorder and to be responsible for his acts. In other words, this committee was to be the executive or governing department, the following persons being chosen for that position: Wm. Byrnes, John Reese, E. L. Barnard, A. Woodward, H. H. Jameson, T. A. Hylton, and N. R. Haskill. A committee of five was then selected to prepare and present at the next meeting other resolutions to perfect this system of government, the following gentlemen being named:- Committee on Resolutions, John Reese, J. P. Barnard, Wm. Byrnes, Wash. Loomis, H. H. Jameson. "A petition to Congress" was then read and approved, after which the meeting adjourned until the nineteenth of the same month. SECOND MEETING OF CITIZENS. November 19, 1851, the meeting assembled in accord with adjournment, this time with John Reed acting as Chairman, and T. A. Hylton as Secretary. Five additional resolutions were adopted and added to the six passed at the former meeting:- No. 7, gave parties a right to take up a new claim after they disposed of one in possession. No. 8, required prepayment of the twenty-five-dollar fees to Recorder. No. 9, required claimants to put five dollars in improvements on their land within one hundred and eighty days after receiving certificate. No. 10, permitted a company to take claims for each individual of the company, and improve one location enough to cover expense on all. No. 11, timber to be common property, except that parties who would erect saw-mills were to have ____ number of acres. The petition to Congress was then read, and then another committee of five were appointed to draft by-laws for the civil government of the community, when they adjourned until the twentieth instant. THIRD MEETING OF CITIZENS. November 20. 1851, the settlers assembled as per adjournment, with the same officers presiding as at the last meeting, when T. A. Hylton. H. H. Jameson, J. P. Barnard, Wash. Loomis, and W. Byrnes, the committee appointed at that time, reported a preamble and resolutions as follows, that were adopted:- CIVIL GOVERNMENT. Preamble. WHEREAS, it has been deemed necessary to the welfare and advancement of our community, that there should be some fixed rules of right agreed upon and established for its government and the protection of citizens in all their privileges, which each and all justly regard as their allodial due; and whereas, it is always requisite to appoint officers whose duty it is to enforce law and maintain order, it is agreed that there be certain officers elected from among our community, to-wit: A Justice of the Peace, a Clerk of the Court, and a Sheriff; and these functionaries shall be required to exercise and enforce law according to the acknowledged rules of equity which govern all civilized communities. There shall be four individuals associated with the Justice-himself making the fifth-in forming a court, and he shall be empowered to summon any four whenever occasion shall require it, to take cognizance and adjudicate summarily in all cases of controversy, debts or offenses against the public weal; and to enforce fines or other sufficient penalties upon offenders; to issue warrants and authorize arrests. But to provide against the abuse of these powers, citizens and others shall have the right of appeal to a court of twelve citizens, summoned promiscuously, who shall constitute a court of inquiry from whose decision there shall be no appeal; scrutinize and reverse if necessary the decrees of the Magistrate's Court; and who shall have power to remove the magistrate or impose upon him any other just penalty, in the event of the abusive exercise of his authority. To strengthen them and provide for the execution of their verdicts, etc., there shall be a Clerk and Constable appointed to aid and execute the decrees of these courts. After these resolutions had been adopted the following-named parties were elected to the offices thus created: E. L. Barnard, Magistrate; Wm. Byrnes, Sheriff; Dr. T. A. Hylton, Clerk. A committee was then appointed to bring further matters upon the same subject before a meeting ordered to assemble on the twenty-ninth instant, when they adjourned; but the meeting never convened as ordered. FOURTH MEETING OF CITIZENS MAY 22, 1852. Another meeting assembled with J. C. Fain in the chair, and that authorized any one who would build a saw-mill to take up a section of timber land. (Signed) E. L. BARNARD, Recorder. THE PRESENT OF SOME-THE FATE OF OTHERS. Of those already mentioned as settlers, John Reese is now a comparatively poor man in Salt Lake City. Frank Hall is a resident of Carson City and his brother, W. L. Hall, lives at Wellington, Esmeralda County; S. A. Kinsey at Genoa, the last three mentioned all in Nevada. Frank Barnard was killed by an emigrant in the winter of 1852, at a station on Clear Creek, that divides Douglas from Ormsby County. A. J. Rollins is now living at Antioch, California. Col. A. Woodward was killed at Rocky Point on the Humboldt in the latter part of November 1851, by Indians. E. L. Barnard, one of the firm of Reese & Co., left Nevada in the fall of 1852 with a large drove of cattle, purchased mainly on the company's credit, and up to date has not returned. Barnard pocketed the proceeds from the sale of that stock; the company were under the necessity of paying for so much of it as was purchased on credit, which bankrupted them. Wash. Loomis was hung in Los Angeles for stealing. N. E. Haskill, one day in the spring of 1832, while Wash. Loomis was his partner in keeping the trading-post at the mouth of Gold Canon, invited William Byrnes out to shoot with a revolver at a mark, and after Byrnes had emptied his weapon, the treacherous Haskill made a target of him and left the Texas Ranger perforated with ball holes, as he supposed to die. The miners took the matter in hand, and both the station keepers had to flee the country to avoid being hung. Byrnes having an iron constitution recovered, and made several lengthy trips in search of the man who had attempted his assassination. After one of these, he remarked to Frank Hall that he was even now, and should hunt no more for Haskill, which proved nothing, but left the impression that the latter had met his death at the hands of the Texan. Byrnes is now an inmate of the insane asylum at Stockton, California. He was a man that a desperado could get into a combat with on slight provocation; but an ordinary person, who did not travel on his fighting qualities or parade them ostentatiously, might insult with little fear of getting harmed. Additional Comments: Extracted from: History of Nevada with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of its Prominent Men and Pioneers Oakland, Cal.: Thompson & West 1881 File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/nv/statewide/history/1881/historyo/chapteri7gms.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/nvfiles/ File size: 14.4 Kb