History of Sacramento County, California

William L. Willis

• Publisher: Jazzybee Verlag
• Year: 2018
• eBook ISBN: 9783849651886
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: North American History
• Index: History

SACRAMENTO COUNTY is named after the river upon which it is situated, and the latter was named by the Spanish Mexicans, Catholics, in honor of a Christian institution. The word differs from its English correspondent only in the addition of one letter. It would have been a graceful compliment to General Sutter if his own name, or the name New Helvetia, which he had bestowed upon this locality, had been given to the city. Helvetia is the classic name of Switzerland, Sutter's native country. This book tells the story of Sacramento County on more than 400 thrilling and entertaining pages.

CHAPTER I. SACRAMENTO COUNTY

Sacramento county is situated on the river from which it is named (Rio Sacramento, river of the Sacrament), being bounded on the north by Placer county, on the east by Eldorado and Amador, on the south by San Joaquin and on the west by Yolo and Solano. Sacramento City is the county town as well as the capital of the state. The city is in 38° 35’ north latitude and 121° 30’ west longitude from Greenwich. The county contains nine hundred and eighty-eight square miles, only a little less than the area of Rhode Island. The population of the county according to the census of 1910 is sixty-seven thousand eight hundred and six, but it is rapidly increasing, owing to the era of rapid development which has set in during the past five years. The coming of a new transcontinental railroad—the Western Pacific—and the approaching entry of the Great Northern and Santa Fe, as well as several interurban electric lines either already constructed or in course of construction, have greatly hastened its rapid progress and prosperity. The magnificent river that flows along its western boundary bears on its bosom, it is stated, almost as much freight annually as the mighty Mississippi does. While the figures are not at hand to verify this statement, it is certain that the tonnage of grain, wood, fruit, vegetables and other products of the State which are carried on the river by steamers and barges totals an immense amount and relieves the railroads of a very great amount of freight during the busy season, and is a decided factor in keeping down freight charges in the valley. The river flows through a country unsurpassed in fertility in the whole world and producing a vast variety of grain, fruit and vegetables. On the river and the islands bounded by its various channels and tributaries, in addition to the fruit orchards that have been celebrated for their fine fruit for nearly a half century past, asparagus and celery growing have of late years become a most important and yearly increasing interest, the former furnishing many thousands of cases of canned product, which is shipped all over the world.

Sacramento County was one of the large wheat growing counties many years ago, but as wheat growing became less profitable and the land became more valuable, it gradually became utilized for vineyard and orchard production, for which most of the land in the county is admirably adapted. Hence of late years Sacramento has become the chief shipping point for all kinds of fruit except the citrus varieties, and as its soil and climate have been found to be of the best for the citrus fruits, their production has been rapidly increasing, both in quantity and quality, the latter being found to be inferior to none raised elsewhere. A peculiar feature of the climatology of Sacramento and the adjoining counties on the east and north is found in what is known as the thermal belt in the foothills and higher portion of the plain, where the citrus fruits ripen to perfection and so much earlier than in other sections that they are from a month to six weeks earlier than those in the southern part of the State. They are therefore marketed before the frosts come, reaching the eastern markets before the holiday season and of course bringing the highest prices.

Besides these, all varieties of deciduous fruit grow in profusion and perfection, the shipments in 1909 reaching as high as two hundred carloads in one day, and on one day in July, 1912, totaling two hundred and twenty carloads. The city of Sacramento is thirty-one feet above the sea level, the river below Colusa having a very gradual fall. The mountains which form the walls of the valley are visible on both sides of the city, and the panorama of the river, plain, foothills and mountains as seen from the dome of the capitol is-a grand one, Mt. Shasta and Lassen Peak, more than two hundred miles away, being visible on some clear days. The climate of the city and county is tempered by the Sierra Nevadas and the Coast Range, and the humidity of the air in the summer is perceptibly lessened by being shut out from the ocean to -a large degree by the Coast Range. For this reason, while the thermometer on some days in summer shows a high reading, the absence of moisture in the atmosphere renders it much more comfortable than in a moister climate, and sunstrokes and heat prostrations are practically unknown. Sacramento valley is about one hundred and fifty miles long, with a breadth of about fifty to sixty miles, and is walled in by two ranges of mountains, the Sierra Nevadas on the east, and the Coast Range on the west. They gradually approach each other until they come together in Shasta county. At the head of the valley Mount Shasta stands, looking down from his snowy heights like a hoary sentinel placed there to watch over the welfare of the country below. Beneath him winds the Sacramento river, on its way to water the fertile plains to the south. The alluvial lauds along the river slowly merge into the plains, and they gradually rise until they meet the foothills with which the valley is fringed, the foothills in turn giving way to the higher ranges, the loftiest peaks of which are Pyramid Peak, ten thousand and fifty-two feet in altitude, and Alpine, ten thousand and twenty-six feet, in the Sierra Nevadas; and Mount Johns, eight thousand feet high, in the Coast Range. To the southwest fifty-three miles rises Mount Diablo, in a detached range, three thousand eight hundred and fifty—six feet high, while the Marysville Buttes, from forty to fifty miles north. rise two thousand feet out of the level plain and cover an area of fifty-five square miles.

Adjoining the alluvial lands along the river are the plains, ‘the soil of which is a sandy loam, a reddish land containing some clay, and a heavy black clayish soil known as adobe. There are also gravelly ridges running nearly north and south through the center of the county and also east of the Cosumnes river, which comes down from Amador county and entering the eastern part of Sacramento county, flows into the Mokelumne river on the southern boundary. Around Folsom, on the eastern edge and three miles from the Eldorado boundary, the soil becomes of a deep red color and is a gold-bearing gravel which turned out many millions in the early days, and is still mined with great profit. All these varieties of land grow fine grapes and other fruits, which are mostly shipped to the east, bringing good prices. Along the rivers, corn, hops and vegetables are grown in large quantities, the hop crop being an important industry in the county. Large quantities of vegetables are shipped to Utah, Idaho and Montana, and some even as far east as Chicago and New York.

The American river, coming down from Eldorado county, runs through Folsom and empties into the Sacramento just above Sacramento City.

The greater part of the surface of the county is level, or nearly so. As it approaches the Cosumnes it becomes more hilly, falling again to Deer creek, which runs along the west side of the Cosumnes river bottom, and becoming rolling land on the other side of the Cosumnes, until it reaches the lower foothills. On the Cosumnes are hop yards, orchards, corn and alfalfa fields. Dry creek on the south forms part of the southern boundary and empties into the Mokelumne, which also forms a part of the southern boundary. Thus the county is abundantly watered in its various localities by four rivers and their tributary streams. The American, Cosumnes and Mokelumne are all torrential streams rising in the high Sierras and with a large area of land contributing to their watershed. Down the canyons, therefore, through which they flow, rushes annually an immense volume of water on its way to the ocean. In the early days this often overflowed the alluvial lands along the Sacramento river, carrying death and destruction along its course. Several of these floods were disastrous to Sacramento City in its early history. Judging from the tales of the pioneers, the flood in the winter of 1862 must have covered not only the river bottoms, but also a large portion of what is familiarly known as “the plains,” for the writer has heard old settlers tell of transporting their provisions and other merchandise from Sacramento during that winter on flatboats or barges almost to the town of Elk Grove. An idea of the immense volume of water that found its way to the sea on that occasion may be gained from the fact that it not only covered the great tule basin of Yolo county, but also a large portion of the plains east and south of the city to a width of many miles. Since that time the settlers have learned the lesson that safety can be found only in high and wide levees, properly constructed to withstand the wind and water.

But man, while always striving against the elements and the forces of nature, often succeeds in the herculean task of subduing them and turning the master into the servant. These same torrential streams, which, unbridled, sweep man and his works from their path like feathers, are being harnessed and confined to do his bidding and foster his prosperity. The great dam at Folsom, built by the state, furnishes power to the state’s prison as well as electricity for lighting the grounds. It has also for many years supplied Sacramento city and county with light and power. In the near future the water of those streams will be used again and again to turn mills and machinery for factories, and the electrical power generated by the rivers will be, even more than in the past, transmitted to long distances—a factor in building up the prosperity of many a community.

The day will come, moreover, when immense reservoirs will be constructed, either by the government or the state, for the impounding of the flood water from the rain and melting snow and its distribution during the long, dry summer over the thirsty land, doubling and trebling the crops and bringing greater prosperity to the valley.

Then too will the rivers, instead of bringing down destructive torrents upon the valley, remain within their banks and the Sacramento. with its channel deepened, will once more see the ships of distant nations bringing their commerce to our door.

Many centuries ago a vast sea occupied the place now known as the Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys. The action of sun, rain and air slowly disintegrated the surrounding mountains and erosion set in, the detritus forming soil which was washed down into the inland sea. eventually filling up the great basin. It is no wonder then, that, like the valley of the Nile. which was formed in the same way, the valley of the Sacramento became one of the richest and most fertile in the world. For nearly half a century it was one of the great wheat-producing sections of the United States. As the soil became exhausted for wheat-raising under the one-crop system, the farmer began to find it necessary to change the crop. He found that it would not only raise all varieties of fruit and berries, but that on a much smaller acreage he could raise a far more profitable crop, as well as a more certain one. So in a few years Sacramento developed into a great fruit shipping center and today the Florin district is one of the largest, if not the largest of the strawberry-growing centers in the state. Sacramento also leads in the production of the Tokay grape, the color and quality of which always secures for it in the eastern market the highest price.

Nor must the tule lands along the Sacramento river in the southwestern part of the county be overlooked. Alluvial lands of the richest quality, for some distance back from the river they have been reclaimed and thousands of acres planted with orchards of deciduous fruits or sown with alfalfa and used as dairy farms. Of late years they are being reclaimed faster and asparagus and celery have been found to be very successful and profitable crops, the former being canned in immense quantities and sent east to supply the markets of the world.

In fact everything that can be produced in a semi-tropical country can be grown in the Sacramento valley, and even some fruits and other products that really belong to tropical climes. Rice is being grown with great success and of the finest quality in Butte county, as well as to a limited extent in Sacramento county, a large portion of the soil of which is admirably fitted for its culture. Hemp and ramie bid fair to become profitable textile products and much of the land is suitable for flax. Hops are also an important product, being grown of the finest quality along the Sacramento and the Cosumnes rivers.

A large portion of the area of Sacramento, which is now in private ownership through subdivision, was in the early days comprised in the old Spanish grants. The boundaries and other matters were the cause of much costly and vexatious litigation. The grants were as follows:

The Rancho Rio de los Americanos, or Leidesdorff grant, lying along the American river and country around Folsom.

The Sutter Grant, or New Helvetia.

The Sheldon Grant, embracing the estates of Jared Sheldon and William Daylor, on the Cosumnes river, originally known as the Rancho Omochumnes.

The Hartnell Grant, also on the Cosumnes river.

The Rancho San Jon de los Moquelumnes, generally known as the Chabolla Grant, on the lower Cosumnes around Hicksville and running to the Mokelumne river.

The Arroyo Seco Grant, in Alabama township, on Dry creek.

The Rancho San Juan, on the north side of the American river and embracing the Carmichael colony, Fair Oaks and a part of Orangevale.

The Rancho del Paso, formerly known as the Norris Grant and now generally spoken of as the Haggin Grant. This stood for more than fifty years as a barrier to the extension of the city on the north and has only been subdivided within the past three years, the last of the great land holdings in this county.

The Rancho Sacayac, on the north side of the Cosumnes, between the Sheldon grant and the east line of the county.

The Rancho Cazadores, on the northwest side of the Cosumnes, opposite the Chabolla grant.

Sacramento is fourth among the counties of the state in point of property valuation, Los Angeles standing first, according to the report of State Controller Nye for the year 1912, San Francisco being second and Alameda third. The report states that the valuation of property in Sacramento county is $86,589,795, an increase of over $5,000,000 above the valuation for 1911. The increase is largely due to the increase of values of property in Sacramento City, and also the subdivision, sale and improvement of many tracts in the county. Thus is evidenced a steady growth of property in the county, which is really just. beginning to exhibit the advantages of soil and climate, coupled with comparatively low prices of acreage land and the opportunity for a home market in a large city close by, which it has for many years possessed, but has only recently advertised.

The pioneer who in the early days crossed the dark river to the “undiscovered bourne from which no traveler returns,” would look with astonishment on the present city. The city of tents has grown to large dimensions. covering many square miles and containing many stately edifices and blocks of beautiful homes. The cottonwoods and willows of the early days have given place to long lines of stately and umbrageous elms that embower in a grateful shade the residences along the streets, tempering the heat of the summer days and affording a restful prospect to the eye. Strangers visiting the city generally remark on the beauty thus enhanced, and a visit to the Capitol dome often induces them to say: “What a beautiful city!” Even old residents who have been absent for the past ten years look in astonishment at the rapid changes. For in the past five years especially has the place doffed the garb of a country town and blossomed out as a live, progressive city. The ways of ’49 have disappeared. Finely improved streets have rapidly come to the front, nearly one hundred miles of asphalt, oiled macadam and some old graveled streets having taken the place of the mud holes of twenty years ago. A splendid system of electric car service has sprung up, connecting the old city with the suburbs, and is still extending its ramifications. The old one and two-story buildings of early days are fast giving way to edifices of five to eight stories, of the most modern style of architecture. The new courthouse, costing nearly $600,000, is nearing completion, and the splendid new city hall houses the various departments of the city government. The stately Capitol with its magnificent park is the admiration of all visitors, and the art gallery and Sutter’s Fort are always points of attraction to our visitors. Modern hotels furnish accommodation to thousands of tourists and others and the city is often spoken of as the “loveliest city on the coast.” Investors from the east and elsewhere are looking over the ground and several large firms are starting extensive business adventures here. The recent annexation of the suburbs has greatly widened Sacramento’s prospects and the fact becomes more evident each day that she is destined in the near future to become a great city. Her geographical situation, the immensely rich lands that surround her, the great quantities of fruit and other products grown around her and shipped from here all over the country, are all advertising her to the world and bringing people to her from the frozen east to enjoy her climate and other advantages.

To sum up its advantages: Sacramento has the geographical advantage not only of river transportation, but of being the natural center for all transcontinental railroads entering Northern California. Two alr...

Table of contents

• PREFACE
• HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION
• CHAPTER I. SACRAMENTO COUNTY
• CHAPTER II. MINING
• CHAPTER III. CLIMATE
• CHAPTER IV. GEN. JOHN A. SUTTER
• CHAPTER V. THE FORT RESTORED
• CHAPTER VI. THE DISCOVERY OF GOLD
• CHAPTER VII. CITY AND COUNTY ELECTIONS
• CHAPTER VIII. THE SQUATTER RIOT
• CHAPTER IX. FIRST THINGS
• CHAPTER X. THE REVOLUTION
• CHAPTER XI. IN THE BEGINNING
• CHAPTER XII. POLITICAL.
• CHAPTER XIII. COUNTY GOVERNMENT
• CHAPTER XIV. CITY OFFICERS
• CHAPTER XV. FLOODS
• CHAPTER XVI. SACRAMENTO COUNTY SENATORS
• CHAPTER XVII. SACRAMENTO COUNTY ASSEMBLYMEN
• CHAPTER XVIII. CALIFORNIA STATE LIBRARY
• CHAPTER XIX. CITY FREE LIBRARY
• CHAPTER XX. GOVERNMENT OFFICES
• CHAPTER XXI. CHARITABLE INSTITUTIONS
• CHAPTER XXII. THE PRESS
• CHAPTER XXIII. EDUCATIONAL MATTERS
• CHAPTER XXIV. RAILROADS
• CHAPTER XXV. NAVIGATION
• CHAPTER XXVI. LOCAL JUDICIARY AND ATTORNEYS
• CHAPTER XXVII. MEMBERS OF THE SACRAMENTO BAR
• CHAPTER XXVIII. FRATERNAL SOCIETIES
• CHAPTER XXIX. CRIMINAL RECORDS
• CHAPTER XXX. THE GREAT RAILROAD STRIKE
• CHAPTER XXXI. THE CHURCHES
• CHAPTER XXXII. REMINISCENCES
• CHAPTER XXXIII. TOWNSHIP HISTORY
• CHAPTER XXXIV. CAPITAL AND CAPITOL
• CHAPTER XXXV. THE MILITARY
• CHAPTER XXXVI. FIRE DEPARTMENT
• CHAPTER XXXVII. EARLY BUSINESS ENTERPRISES
• CHAPTER XXXVIII. BANKS AND BANKERS
• CHAPTER XXXIX. PUBLIC UTILITIES
• CHAPTER XL. THE CROCKER ART GALLERY
• CHAPTER XLI. ASSOCIATIONS AND CLUBS