Gc M. L 979.40lg| N16h 1132098 M GENEALOGY COLLECTION 3 1833 01103 6388 / ^g^ ^si&OLe^ HISTORY jBJajja anil |£a1ke |tf)onttttesr CALIFORNIA, GEOGRAPHY, GEOLOGY, TOPOGRAPHY, CLIMATOGRAPHY SPRINGS AND TIMBER, ALSO, EXTENDS!) I Milling, Mining, Piscicultuhe and Wine Interests; A Full and Particular Record of the Mexican Grants; Early History and Settlement, compiled from the most Authentic Sources; Names of Original Spanish and American Pioneers ; a Full Record of their Organization and Segregation ; a Complete Political History, including a Tabular Statement of Office- holders since the Organization of the Counties. SEPARATE HISTORIES OF ALL THE TOWNSHIPS IN BOTH COUNTIES, INCLUDING TOWNS, CHURCHES, SOCIETIES, ETC., INCIDENTS OF PIONEER LIFE, BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF EARLY SETTLERS, AND REPRESENTATIVE MEN. ILLUSTRATED. SAN FRANCISCO, CAL. SLOCUM, BOWEN ft CO., PUBLISHERS. 1881. 1132098 PREFACE. Something more than a year ago the compilation of this work was begun, and has been steadily prosecuted, with the best energies of those engaged upon it, till the present time, and it is the result of this labor that is now placed before the people of Napa and Lake Counties. No pains or means have been spared to make this work full, reliable, and as nearly perfect in every respect as possible under the circumstances. It must be borne in mind that the events of a third of a century ago have been gradually fading from the minds of the old pioneers; hence, any discrepancies in statements or omissions of facts must be overlooked. All due diligence has been used to have figures and dates perfectly accu- rate, so that the book can be relied upon for reference in all matters included in it. The publishers promised to give a work of six hundred pages, but the amount of historical and other matter was so very voluminous that it was found impossible to condense it into that limit, and hence the work comes from the press with nine hundred and seven pages, which has entailed no small amount of additional expense ; but surely the reader will appreciate the book so much the more for its fullness. Nothing has been omitted except perforce. Sketches of some of the old pioneers have not been inserted, but it is because full facts could not be obtained, and it was thought not desirable to publish imperfect ones. In conclusion, the publishers desire most sincerely to thank all who have in any way given them assistance in this enterprise, aud their thanks are especially due to Mr. N. L. Nielsen, County Clerk of Napa ; Mr. H. A. Oliver, County Clerk of Lake, and their deputies ; also to Messrs. G. M. Francis, of the Napa Register; John Walden, of the Napa Reporter; Charles A. Gardner, of the St. Helena Star; J. L. Multer, of the Independent Calistogian; Cook & Jackson, of the Lakeport Bee- Democrat, and J. B. Baccus, Jr., of the Lower Lake Bulletin. SLOCUM, BOWEN & CO. Lyman L. Palmer, A. M., Historian. San Francisco, November, 1881. INDEX. NAPA COUNTY. General History 3 Geographical Situation and Area 3 Derivation of Name 3 Topography 4 Geology 1 Metals 27 Iron 27 Manganese 28 Tin 28 Silver 28 Gold 28 Quicksilver 28 Minerals 29 Quartz 29 Feldspar 29 Limestone 29 Gypsum 29 Hornblende 29 Talc 30 Serpentine 30 Shale 30 Sulphur 30 Soda 30 Ammonia 30 Coal 30 Petroleum 30 Basalt and Trap 31 Tufa and Scoria 31 Obsidian 31 Springs 32 Timber 32 Soils 37 Watercourses 39 Napa River 39 White Sulphur Creek 39 Conn Creek 39 Dry Creek 39 Saco Creek 39 Napa Creek 39 Soscol Creek 39 Carneros Creek 39 Rector Creek 40 Putah Creek 40 Eticura Creek 40 Watercourses (continued) — Pope Creek Other Streams Climatography Indians of Napa County Mexican Grants Caymus Entre Napa El Rincon de los Carneros Napa Yajome Locoallomi Tulucay Mallacomes, or Muristul y Plan de Aguas Caliente De la Jote Las Putas Huichica Catacula Chimiles Carne Humana General History and Settlement. . . Napa Agricultural Society Petroleum Assassination of Abraham Lincoln. . . . Climate of Napa County Rainfall County Infirmary Old Debt Funded Railroad History Court-houses Statistics of Napa County Agricultural Statistics Rate of Taxation Curiosities of the Great Register Mount St. Helena The Future The Pioneers Legislative History of Napa County Organization of the County Township Boundaries Napa Yount 116 Hot Springs 116 Knox 116 Political History of Napa County . . 121 Political Table 136 Homicides of Napa County 143 Murder of S. H. Sellers 143 Murder of — Prieto 144 Murder of George Ettenbrough 144 Killing of James Cuminings 144 Murder of Thomas Wilson 145 Murder of Joseph Warren Osborne. . 145 Murder of Patrick O'Brien 146 Killing of Turner G. Letton 147 Killing of a Chinaman 148 The Jonathan Davis Murder and Sui- cide 148 Killing of John Clark 149 Killing of Patrick Goodwin 149 Killing of Daniel English 149 Killing of Kate Ennis (Indian) 150 The Fred. Coombs Murder and Suicide 151 Killing of Peter Guadalupe (Indian). . 151 Killing of John B. See 152 Killing of John Thomas 152 Killing of Major Harry Larkyns. . . . 152 Killing of Alexander McDonald 153 Murder of Mollie Williams alias Swartz 153 Killing of Edward Paul Carron 154 Murder of William Perkins and Gua- dalupe (Indian) 154 Killing of Theodore Schurs 155 Killing of Jesse Hawkins 155 Killing of Charles R. Rice 156 Killing of August Puesch 156 Killing of Isaac Wilson 157 Mines and Mining 158 Phcenix 161 Redington 163 Washington 167 Valley 168 Summit 1 68 Oakville 169 Manhattan 170 Napa Consolidated, or Oat Hill 170 Ivanhoe 173 Hamilton 174 Burlington 174 Red Hill 174 Silver Bow 174 Overland 175 Mutual 175 ' Mammoth 175 Silver Mines 175 Calistoga Quartz Mill 176 Calistoga District Mines 176 Elephant 177 Hellen 177 Ida Easley 177 Coal Mines 177 Pacific 177 Napa Coal Company 178 Clark Coal Company 178 Atlantic Coal Company 178 Viticulture 179 State Viticultural Society 190 Pests of the Vine 194 St. Helena Viticultural Club 204 Pioneer Sherry Making 205 Napa Viticultural Society 205 Vine Statistics 206 Calistoga District 206 St. Helena District 208 Napa District 214 Summary 217 Wine Product of Napa County in 1880. 218 Wine Cellars 218 L. Kortum 218 J.J. H. Medeau 218 Alta Vineyard 219 J. Schram 219 W. W. Lyman 219 F. H. Rosenbaum 219 J. C. Weinberger 219 J. Laurent 220 C. Krug 220 Berringer Bros 221 Beretta Bros 222 C. Lemme 222 C. Wegele 222 Edge Hill 222 B. Tossetti 223 A. Rossi 223 N. Deguoy 223 0. Schultze 22a E. W. Woodward 223 Gila Bros 223 H. A. Pellet 223 Dr. G. B. Crane 223 E. Heyman 223 G. C. Fountain 223 F. Sciaroui's Sherry House 224 J. Thomann 224 J. H. McCord 224 Nouveau Medoc 224 H. W. Crabb 224 Wine Cellars (continued) — J. C. & G. A. Sterner 225 G. Groezinger 225 F. Salmini 225 Occidental 225 White Rock 226 Vine Cellars (continued) — G. Barth 226 H. Hagan 226 Uncle Sam 226 G. Migliavaeca 227 Other Cellars 227 TOWNSHIP HISTORIES. Napa Township 228 Geography 228 Topography '. . . . 228 Soil 228 Geology 229 Climate 229 Products 230 Timber 230 Early Settlement 230 Napa City 231 Markets 241 New Year's Day, 1857 241 Trial of Ned. McGowan 241 Napa Guards 242 An Odd Advertisement 242 The Stone Bridge 242 Good Templars 242 Academy for Boys 242 Hanging of Charles Brittian 243 Sanitary and Soldiers' Belief 243 Napa Guard 243 Artillery Company 243 A Reminiscence of Napa City . 243 Earthquake 244 Freedmen's Aid Fund 244 Contributions to the Christian Com- .... 244 .... 245 .... 245 Gas Napa City as it was in 186S Incorporation 245 Small Pox Epidemic 246 Old Indian Graveyard 247 Records of Napa City 247 Legislative Enactments 249 Bridge across Napa River 249 Wharf at Napa City 249 Animals at large in Napa City 249 Napa City Improvement 249 Incorporation of Napa City 249 Street Railroad 250 Orders of the Board of Supervisors . . . 250 Assistance for Napa City 250 Engine House 250 Water for Napa City Churches Presbyterian Methodist Episcopal Christs Episcopal Baptist Catholic Christian German Reformed Seventh Day Advent African M. E Public Schools Central Collegiate Institute Ladies' Seminary Oak Mound Newspaper Biographies Reporter Herald Echo Register Gold Dollar Robert T. Montgomery Free and Accepted Masons Napa Chapter R. A. M Independent Order of Odd-Fellows . . Live Oak Encampment, I. O. O. F. Independent Order of Good Templars Aqua Pura Lodge Knights of Honor Knights of Pythias Ancient Order of United Workmen . . Industries Sawyer's Tannery Napa City Tannery Vernon Mills Napa City Mills Moody's Carriage Factory Hunter's Carriage Factory Wright & Fowler's Carriage Factory Soda Works Coffee and Spice Mill Marble Works Industries (continued) — Tile Factory Cream Tarter Works Bachelder Manufacturing Company Glue Works (las Works Planing Mill Barth's Brewery Bank of Napa ( Joodman's Bank Seeley & Bickford's Bank Business Interests of Napa Steamboats Odd-Fellows' College and Home Fire Department Coal Lime Ferry at Soscol Dam and Lock Wharf at Soscol Rev. Eleazer Thomas Tulucay Cemetery Napa Asylum Napa Soda Springs Atlas Peak Yount Township Geography T< >p< igraphy Geology Soil Climate Fn iducts Timber Early Settlement Towns Vnuntville Business Interests Independent Order Good Templars Baptist Church Christian Church Monticello Business Literests Berryessa Valley Chiles Valley Conn Valley Cord. in Valley Captain John Grigsby Red* I Falls Vomit Mill Hot Springs Township Geography Topography Geology Soil 320 Climate 320 Products 321 Timber 321 Early Settlement 321 Towns 325 Calistoga 325 Free and Accepted Masons 329 Independent Order of Odd-Fellows. 330 Monroe Lodge of Good Templars . 330 Presbyterian Church 330 Methodist Episcopal Church 331 School 331 Flour Mill 331 Business Directory 332 The Bungalow 332 St. Helena 333 Incorporations 334 Baptist Church 336 Methodist Episcopal Church 339 Cumberland Presbyterian Church.. 3t0 Presbyterian Church 340 Seventh Day Advent Church 341 Catholic Church 342 Schools : 342 Free and Accepted Masons 342 Independent Order of Odd-Fellows 342 Independent Order Good Templars. 343 Ancient Order United Workmen . . . 343 American Legion of Honor 344 Fire Department 344 Water Company 344 Banking House 345 St. Helena Star 345 Cream Tartar Works 345 Brewery 346 Business Interests 346 Springs 346 Hot 346 White Sulphur 350 Crystal 351 Clay Cave 351 Petrified Forest 351 Fish Hatchery 353 Manganese Mine 353 Newspaper History of Calistoga 353 Viueland School District 364 Kjjox Township 356 Geography 356 Topography 357 < leology 35" Soil 358 Climate 358 Products 358 Timber 359 Early Settlement 359 Towns 360 Knoxville 360 Catholic Church 361 Wardners 361 Mills 361 Mines 361 Springs 361 ^Etna 362 Walters 364 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. Allen, C. H Anderson, W. E Allyn, J Alstrom, S - Adams, J Adamson, C. P Amesbury, H. N Alden, H. E. Boggs, Ex-Governor L. W. (deceased) . Boreo, F Bounsall, R. C Bounsall, J. C Boothe, J. R. (deceased) Baldridge, Wm Barnett, E. J Bailey, P. D Brown, J. B Bussenius, H. It Brun, J. A Beringer, J. L Kateman, J Bell, R. B Bennett, J. N Barnett, Jesse Burgess, C. M Burbank, C. H. (deceased) Barth, G Boyce, W. P Button, J. A Brownlee, Robert Baxter, T. G Boothe, J 408 Baehelder, J 408 Beach, G. H 408 Crane, G. B 418 Coombs, N. (deceased) 429 < lhapel, B. A 430 Coghlan, J. M. (deceased) 431 Cornwell, G. N 431 Crouch, Robert 432 Cooper, W. R 433 4H6 Cook, J 433 Craddock, S. M 433 Craddock, J. C 434 Carrillo, A. F 434 Conn, C 434 Coombs, F. L 434 Crabb, H. W 434 Clark, Sidney 435 Carter, J 435 Cleghorn, J 436 Conner, J 436 Colman, F. W., M. D 436 Clark, A. G 437 Cyrus, J 439 Castnur, W. H 440 Clark, S. G 441 Carver, D. B 441 Clark, A 442 Clark, I. G 443 Collins, S. W 443 Chesebro, J. A 444 Chiles, J. B 444 Davis, J. C 446 Decker, P. A 446 Dickinson, J. J 446 Davis, C. E 447 Dowdelle, J 448 Dinning, William 44S Dodge, A. H 449 Dawson, W. J. G 450 Dwyer, Thomas 450 Estee, M. M 451 Epley, T. H 454 Edgington, William 454 Ellis, F. W 455 Elgin, William 456 Earl, Thomas 457 Even, J 458 Emerson, D 458 Fisher, W. F 459 Fisher, W. A 460 Flynn, J. D 460 Francis, G. M 461 Frye, J 461 Fitch, 1 461 Fraser, G. W 462 Fountain, G. C 462 Field, W. A 463 Feally, T. W 463 Fisher, G. W 463 Getleson, H 464 Gildersleeve, G. W 464 Greenfield, T. G 465 Goodman, G. E 465 Gritman, C. E 465 Goodrich, H 466 Giles, J 466 Garner, J. R 467 Grigsby, W. P 467 Gibbs, W. H 468 Gardner, C. A 46S Griffith, C. C 469 Groezinger, [G 470 Greer, J 471 Grigsby, J 471 Grigsby, P. D 472 Gosling, 0 472 Gillam, J 472 Hastings, S. C 473 Hartson, C 476 Hogan, J. S. (deceased) . 478 Heymann, E 480 Hatt, A. E 480 Horn, J 4S1 Hamilton, W. J 481 Holden, S. E 482 Hill, D. D 483 Hottel, E. W 484 Hull, A. J 484. Henry, J 4S4 Haas, D. L 185 Hortop, N 4S5 Hagen, H 486 Hartwell, G. F 486 Howlan.l, J. H 4S6 Haeckl, L 487 Harris, H. H 4S8 Hackett, F. M 488 Hale, C.N 4S9 Hewes, F. W 4S9 Hunt, B. E 4S9 Hoover, G 490 Hunt, D. 0 490 Hansen, C 491 Ink, T. H 491 Jaensch, W 492 Jackson, T 492 James, B 492 Jackson, J. P 493 Juarez, C 494 Jackson, A. M 500 Johnston, R. P 500 Jones, S. A 501 Johnson, G. W 501 Johnson, J. SV 502 KJuit, A. P 503 Kichler, P. (deceased) 503 Kortum, L 503 Kettlewell, J. R 503 Kister, J. S 504 Keegan, J 505 Kean, J 505 Kelly, J.N 506 Kennedy, W. W 506 Kelly, L 507 Krug, C 508 Loeber, F. W 510 Lewton, L ."ill Lamdin, J. F 511 Little, B 512 Laurent, J 512 Lawley; J 512 Locker, W 513 Logan, J. 1 513 Lane, R. F 514 Lewelling, J 515 Lidell, W. H 516 Lyman, W. W 516 Linn, G 516 Lazarus, L 517 Lockwood, F. E 51S Lawrence, G. W 518 Moody, T. M 518 Mayfield, J. M * 519 McKinzie, A 520 Miller, R 520 McCord, J. H 520 Multer, J, L 521 Mansfield, J. M 522 Mellor, W 523 Migliavacca, G 523 McFarling, J 524 McLennan, D. R 524 Merriam, H. A 525 Meyers, O. P 526 McUermott, J 526 Mauassee, E 526 Melntyre, H. W 527 Topography Geology .... Soil Climate Products Timber Early Settlement . Upper Lake Independent Order of Odd-Fellows . . 202 Elliotts Mill.. 203 Planing and Grist Mill 203 Mills 203 Pine Mountain Mill 203 Denison 203 Hansons 203 Bartlett Springs 203 Springs 204 Pearson , . . 204 Witter 205 Whiskey , 206 Mitchell 206 Bartlett 206 Allen 208 Blue Lakes 209 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. Alter, 1 213 Ashley, J. G 214 Allen, H 214 Armstrong, C. W 215 Alexander, D 215 Boggs, H. C 216 Bassett, W. D 216 Butler, W. J 216 Britt, E. W 217 Butler, S.G 217 Bower, J 217 Burtnett, P 218 Ballinger, Wm 218 Bond, H 219 Bolter, H. R 219 Bartlett, G 219 Bole, E. B 220 Burger, J. F 220 Burke, W. P 221 Bucknell, G 221 Bynum, J., M. D 2?1 Boggs, J. W 222 Brown, J. W 222 Crump, R. W 223 Crawford, W 223 Carver, J. H 224 Cannon, W. G 224 Crumpton, H. J., M. D 224 Collins, J. M 225 Cox, CM 225 Crigler, J. C 225 Clendenin, E. P 226 Conner, D. V 227 Cobb, J 227 Clendenin, S 229 Daly, P.M 229 Dewell, B 230 Deming, T 230 Davis, J 231 Denison, J. M. (deceased) 231 Downes, J. S., M. D 231 Emerson, S. R 232 English, B. F 232 Fees, J. W 232 Flippen, W. J 233 Fritts, H. R 233 Getz, S 233 Gard, G. W 233 Greene, W. W 234 Gessner, Wm 235 Gillett, C. , 235 Goldsmith, W. C 236 Goodwin, C 236 Gallatin, A 237 Gruwell, L. H 237 Herndon, N 238 Huston, J. H 239 Hanson, J. F 239 Haycock, T 239 Hendricks, G 240 Harris, T. M 240 Hendricks, J. D 241 Hudson, D 241 Harris, J. A 241 Hudson, R. J 242 Hamilton, J. M 245 Hanson, D. M 246 Hanson, G. M. (deceased) 247 Ingram, J. C. W 250 Jones, C. W 251 Jamison, J. H 251 Jones, J. W 251 Kesey, William 252 Kennedy, J 253 Kennedy, H 253 Kerr, William 253 RadcKfie. W. P. .' --- . . -274 Sh»nL B. F >:«;^r. M --- Shepud, M .- -- Sleeps, D. O -"- Tkoratoo, P. H-. M. D -•- Tucker, G :- Tavlor, D. T Vazm, P. W Welch, 8l K .-- 9 ff^.B a 383 Wcoda. J. L _-- v«« t a , Yomg,E R . Yoosg, CM . . 291 :- : t: .-.:t« 36 Hada»,D. Moore, R. E. F 527 McClure, T. B 527 Miller, J. F • 527 Mclntire, J. J 530 Moore, W 530 McClelland, J. A 530 Newcomer, S 531 Nielsen, X. L 531 Xorton, J. G 531 Norton, A. W 532 Xottage, F. M 532 Osborn, G 533 Owen, J. C 533 Olsen, KG 534 O'Connell, M 534 Plass, C. W 534 Porterfield, H 534 Paccaud, L. 536 Parker, T. R 537 Palmer, P. H 537 Pratt, E. F 53S Peterson, W 53S Pratt, G. L 539 Priest, J. J 539 Pettengill, J. A 539 Pellet, H. A 540 Peacock, E. A. 542 Parker, H. C 542 Pearson, I. X 543 Pond,M. B., M. D 544 Pinkham, P 545 Poe, J 546 Polk, T. W 546 Roberts, W. C 546 Eeimers, C 547 Roberta, M. W 547 Robinson, J. H 547 Randall, J. G 547 Robinson, C 548 Raney, A. J 549 Stockton, P. K 550 Shurtleff, B., M. D 550 Smith, W. C. S 551 Schemer, W 552 Smith, J. T 554 Smith, D 554 Shaw, M 554 Sweitzer, L. H 555 Scribner, T. S 555 Safley, A. (deceased) 555 Simmons E. P 556 Smittle, J. \V 557 Souther, C. N 558 Stamer, G. A 558 Seeley, C. B 559 Stockmon, D. M 560 Scott, J 560 Stillwagon, W. W., M. D 560 Stoney, T. P 561 Storey, C. A 564 Smith, W. A. C 565 Schram, J 565 Steves, J. H 566 Straus, J. E 567 Seawell, J. H 567 Spencer, D 568 Shurtleff, G. C 568 Simmons, A 568 Tonolla, A. M 569 Trubody, J. S 569 Trubody, W. A 569 Thompson, 1 570 Trubody, J. P 570 Thomann, J 571 Tucker, J. W. . 571 Taber, I., M. D 572 Tully, T. J ! 573 Thompson, S 573 Thompson, J. M 576 Tucker, G. W 577 Teale, G. W 577 Thompson, C 577 Van Bever, P 578 Van Tassell, T 579 Vann, M 579 Voorhes, A. P 580 Wallace, W. C 580 Wilkins, E. T., M. D 5>2 Walsh, T 585 Watson, J 5S5 Weinberger, J. C 585 Williams, J. W 5S6 Wheeler, C 586 Weller, H. 1 5S 7 Weseott, C. A 587 Weaks, W. P 58S Wright, Rev. J. M 553 Woolley, E. B 590 Yount, Geo. C. (deceased) 591 Young, E. G 595 Yarrington, J 596 York. J 596 Zollner, J. F 597 PORTRAITS. Allen, C. H 262 Barnett, J • • • 9* .Brun, A 525 Earth, G 462 Baldridge, W 21 Beach, G. H 357 Coghlan, J. M 199 Clark, A 346 Clark, S 58S Crane, G. B., M. D 52 Chiles, J. B 10 Conn, C 283 Coombs, N 42 Dinning, W 294 Davis, J. C 336 Earl, Thos 535 Estee, M. M 134 Fisher, W. F S4 Francis, G. M 430 Garner, J. R , 483 Griffith, C. C T 73 Henry, J 399 Harris, H. H 3S8 Hagen, H 493 Hartson, C 147 Hastings, S. C 304 Ink, T. H 546 Jackson, J. P 115 Juarez, C Frontispiece. Lawley, J 367 Lewelling, J 126 Maydeld, J. II 231 McCord, J. H 220 Miller, J. F 31 Palmer, P. H 420 Parker, H. C 504 Peacock, E. A 441 Pellet, H. A 241 Raney, A. J 189 Simmi mis, E. P 577 Souther, C. N 556 StiUwagon, W. W., M. D 105 Seeley„C. B 451 Schemer, Wm 514 Schram, J 252 Smittle, J. W 210 Trnbody, J. S 273 Thompson, S 168 Thompson, C 567 Vann. M 315 Walli.ee, W. C 178 Weinberger, J. C 472 Wilkins, E. T, M. D 325 York, J 63 Yount, Geo. C. (deceased) 1 Kister, J. S 37S Krug, Chas 157 Kelly, L 409 LAKE COUNTY. General History. Geography Derivation of Name Topography Valleys Morgan Long Jerusalem 4 Jericho ' LittleHigh 4 Coyote 4 Copsey 4 Lower Lake 4 Loconoma 4 Cobb 5 Riff 5 Valleys (continued) — Donovan 5 Scotts 6 Bachelor 5 Upper Lake 5 Clover 0 Gravelly 5 Squaw 5 Rice 5 Twin 5 Paradise 5 Watercourses 5 Putah Creek 6 Cache Creek 6 Scotts Creek 6 CloverCreek 8 Middle Creek 6 Adobe Creek 6 Kelse\ (.'reek i Lakes 7 Clear Lake 7 Blue Lakes 7 Tide Lake 8 Borax Lake S Boggs Lake S Rices Lake 8 Geology 9 Gold 9 Sdver 9 Iron 9 Coal 9 Petroleum 9 Quicksilver 10 Borax 10 Umbers and Ochres 10 Petrifactions 10 Copper 11 Sulphur 11 Soda 11 Lime 11 Alabaster 12 Manganese 12 Arsenic 12 Magnesia 12 Potassa 12 Other Metals 12 Minerals 12 Feldspar 12 Mica 13 Limestone 13 Hornblende 13 Serpentine 13 Oxyd of Iron 13 Granite 13 Basalt 14 Trap 14 Obsidian 15 Lava .. 15 Sandstone 15 Springs 15 Timber 16 Soils 19 Climati igraphy ... 20 Indians of Lake County 23 Mexican Grants 41 Lup-Yomi ? 41 Collayomi 45 Guenoc 46 General History and Settlement ... 47 Stone and Kelsey Massacre 49 Chief Augustine's Version 58 Treaty of Peace 62 Game and Hunters 62 Settlement Proper 63 Boundary of Clear Lake Township. ... 70 Shower of Candy 71 Organization of the County 71 Treasurer's Troubles, Safe Robbing, etc. 71 Court-house Burned 72 Peregrinations of the County-seat 73 New Court-house 73 Cache Creek Dam 74 Chapman's Fiasco 84 Southern Relief Fund 85 Cotton Culture 85 Sarshel Bynura 85 County Credit 86 Statistics of Lake County 86 Rate of Taxation 86 Agricultural Statistics S6 School Census 89 Legal Distances 89 Lake County 90 The Need of the Hour 94 Telegraph Line 95 Legislative History 100 County Boundaries 104 Sessions of Court 105 Salary of County Officers 106 Miscellaneous Acts 108 Treasurer made Tax Collector 109 Legal Distances 109 In Third Congressional District. . . . 109 Relief of J. B.Cook 109 Sheriff made Tax Collector 109 Member of Assembly 109 Clear Lake Navigable 109 Municipal Powers 109 Political History 110 Township Boundaries 110 Lower Lake 110 Big Valley Ill Upper Lake Ill Knox ville Ill Supervisorial Districts 112 First 112 Second 112 Third 112 Location of County Seat 113 Local Option Election 116 Political Table 118 Homicides 122 Killing of B. F. Taylor 122 Killing of T. J. Warden 122 Killing of — Holeman 123 Killing of William Laffiu 123 Killing of — Waggoner 123 Killing of — Alexander 125 Killing of J. Rhodes 125 Killing of William Daily 125 Killing of S. Chapman 12li Killing of C. N. Copsey 127 Killing of F. Thurman 127 Killing of G. Manahan 12S Killing of J. Wright 12S Killing of D. Wedig 128 Killing of W. B. Cooper 129 Lynching of J. Meyers 129 Killing of M. Ready 130 Killing of P. Pogue 130 Killing of C. Bates 131 Killing of E. Bynum 131 Mines and Mining 132 Sulphur Bank 132 Great Western 135 TOWNSHIP HISTORIES. Lowek Lake Township Geography Topography Geology Soil Products Climate Timber Early Settlement Lower Lake Independent Order of Odd-Fellows. Free and Accepted Masons Brewery Flour Mill Planing MiU Newspapers Agricultural Association. East Lake Middletown Independent Order of Odd-Fellows Independent Order of Good Templars American Sunday-School Union Brewery Springs Harbin Anderson Adams Howard Siegler Carp Ponds California Borax Company Stoddards Mill Big Valley Township Geography Topography Geology Products Climate . Timber Early Settlement Lakeport Episcopal Church Presbyterian Church Methodist Episcopal Church South . . Baptist Church Clear Lake College Ancient Order United Workmen Independent Order of Odd-Fellows. . Mt. Hebron Encampment Free and Accepted Masons American Legion of Honor Bank of Lake Farmers' Savings Bank Flour ALU Clear Lake Courier Lake County Bee Lake Democrat Brewery Sailing Vessels Steamers Telegraph, Stages, etc Kelsey ville ■ Methodist Episcopal Church Independent Order of Good Templars Catholic Church Work Mills Boggs Cobb Harbin Allison Flour Mill Highland. Soda Bay Glenbrook Gas Knoll Mount Konocti Upper Lake Township. Geography GEORGE C . YOUNT. NAPA COUNTY. HISTORY OF NAPA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. Geographical Situation and Area — Derivation of Name— Topography - Geology— Climatography, Etc., Etc. Napa County is bounded on the north by Lake County, on the east by Yolo and Solano Counties, on the south by Solano County and San Pablo Bay, and on the west by Sonoma County. Napa is one of the smallest counties in the State, but is one of the most highly-favored and richest sections of California. The territory embraced within its limits formerly included what is now known as Lake County, but subsequent changes have altered its area several times. After Lake County had been segregated, the area of this county was four hundred and fifty thousand acres, or eight hundred and twenty-eight square miles. Subsequently another change of the boundary line between the two counties occurred, which added quite an area to Napa County. A full statement of these changes will be found in a subsequent chapter of this work. DERIVATION OF NAME.— That the word Napa is of Indian deriva- tion, there can be no doubt ; but what its signification may be, is a mooted question. C. A. Menefee, in his excellent work "Sketch Book of Napa," etc. says that the word means fish, and that it was given to this section on account of the great numbers of the finny tribes that infested the streams and brooks, and afforded the dwellers inland a bountiful supply of food. Mr. Menefee says further that this statement is verified by the asser- tions of the early settlers among the Aboriginees, and still further by the cognate tongues of the Pacific Coast. Of the statements made by the pioneers on the subject, we have nothing to say ; but of the cognate dia- lects, we will append the following : While it is a well known fact that Indians only separated by a few miles could not converse with each other, yet there are a few words that seem to have come from some parent stem, and some forms of it pass through all the dialects of the tribes of certain sections, just as roots and elements of the Latin are to be found permeating the Spanish, French, Italian, and all English-speaking sections of the world. 4 History of Napa and Lake Counties — Napa. Thus the word " porno," meaning a man or tribe of men, is found to be common with all tribes south of Eel River, west of Clear Lake, and north of San Francisco Bay ; and the word " patween," having a similar significa- tion, is found to be common with all those peoples east of Clear Lake, south of Colusa, west of the Sacramento River, and north of the Suisun Bay. Now, the Indians of Napa Valley belonged to the " pomos," or that grand family of tribes in which the word "porno" was used instead of "patween," in a generic or tribal sense; so, also, did the tribes on the western shore of Clear Lake. The Indians of Napa Valley have all disappeared, but their distant relatives, the tribes on the Clear Lake, still exist, and naturally we would look to them for names or other traces of habits, customs, etc., to find out what would be probably the condition of things in this section. It is found that the word " Nap-po" occurs frequently, and among this people it is found to signify village. Thus, " Hoo-la-nap-po" signified lily village ; "Ha-be-nap-po," rocky village, and " Kai-nap-po," wood village. Taking this fact into consideration, may we not reasonably conclude that the word has some relation to a town or village that may have been at some time located upon the banks of the stream that now bears that name, and thus it has come down to us ? It seems very likely, indeed, that such was the case ; and, taking all things into consideration, we are inclined to give the preference to this last idea, rather than to the other. TOPOGRAPHY.— To write fully and completely the topography of Napa County, requires that a man spend weeks in its study, so varied and frequently changed are the topographical features of the section of country embraced within its limits. Beginning at the western side of Napa County, we find that the line passes along the ridge of a chain of mountains the entire length of the county. To the eastward of this range, and at its base, lies the beautiful Napa Valley, which extends from Mt. St. Helena on the north to San Pablo Bay on the south, varying in width from one mile, near the northern end, to five miles, at the southern end. The slope of the range is intersected with a number of ravines, canons, and small valleys; but none of them are of any great importance, except Brown's Valley, which lies to the west and north-west of the city of Napa, and is a lovely little glen, nestled at the foot of the mountains. Several streams come down out of this range of mountains and find their way to the Napa River, the larger of which are the White Sulphur Creek, Dry Creek, and Carneros Creek. The lower end of Napa Valley opens out fan-like to quite a wide expanse, and is low, fiat, tule land, covered with water at high tide, and with tules and swamp grass. Just about midway between the two extremes of Napa Valley, there is a very large hill, attaining almost to the dignity of a moun- tain, and is known as the Yountville Hill. It is also near the center of the valley, from east to west. Geography, Name, Topography, Geology, Etc. 5 Napa Valley is upwards of thirty miles in length, and is very level and productive. The river of the same name extends its entire length, and serves well the purposes of drainage, and is navigable as far up as Napa City, at which place the tides regularly ebb and flow, rising to a height of from three to eight feet. At the head of Napa Valley, the grand proportions of Mount St. Helena rear themselves nearly 4500 feet above the level of the sea, and it stands there much like a sentinel at the entrance to a beautiful land of enchant- ment. On the eastern side of Napa Valley, a chain of mountains extend the entire length, which is broken into by but few streams, canons, or val- leys. Conn Creek is about midway of the range, and comes down through a very narrow defile in the mountains. Milliken and Rector Canons are the only ones south of Conn Creek, while to the north there are only gorges in the mountains. Conn Valley is a small widening of the canon through which the creek of that name passes, and is a beautiful and picturesque little dale. There are three roads passing out of Napa Valley through this range of mountains, viz : the one leading to Berryessa Valley, through a pass near the southern extremity of the range. The second road passes through Conn Valley, and thence up the canon into Chiles Valley, while the third passes over Howell Mountain. Of these two last named, there are two or more branches each, but all pass through the same general course and place. A road from Calistoga to Knoxville was at one time very nearly completed, only some eight or ten miles remaining unfinished, when some obstacle ai'ose and the whole work was let go to ruin. In this range of mountains there are some quite high peaks — such as Bald Peak, Atlas Peak, Howell Mountain, etc. The height of these peaks range from two to three thousand feet. This range forms a continuation of the St. Helena or Mayacamas range, the two branches being like the two portions of the letter V, with St. Helena Mountain at the point of union, one portion skirting Napa Valley on the west and the other on the east. Passing over the Howell Mountain grade, we find ourselves in Pope Valley, a beautiful tract of quite level country, extending for about ten miles in a north-westerly and south-easterly direction, and being from one to three miles in width. In the center of the valley, and extending nearly the whole length of it, there is a high range of hills which divides it almost into equal portions. The whole of this valley is drained by Pope Creek, a stream of some considerable size, whose waters find their way to the Bay through Putah Creek. Passing over a low divide to the south of Pope Valley, we come to Chiles Valley, which is small but productive, being six miles in length and from one to three miles in width. The upper end of it is drained by 6 History of Napa and Lake Counties — Napa. Conn Creek, while the waters of the lower end find their way into Putah Creek. There is quite a high range of mountains lying on the eastern side of Pope and Chiles Valleys and separating them from Berryessa Valley. Taking the road leading from Napa to Monticello, just when we reach the summit, a beautiful little valley opens out to the view ; but it is not very large. It is truly a lovely gem, set about with a fringe of mountains. This is Capelle Valley. But little more can be said of it in this connection. Passing to the north, just where the road enters Berryessa Valley, there lies to the right the lovely little vale known as Wooden Valley, and adjacent to it is Gordon Valley, both of which are small but beautiful. Following the road, we find that the mountains seem to be pressed apart for a considerable distance, and the broad expanse of Berryessa Valley, the second in size in the county, appears before the eyes. This valley is about ten miles long, by from one to three miles in width. It is a level expanse of rich, arable land. It is drained by the Putah Creek, which here becomes almost a veritable river of wildly rushing water during the winter rains. The area of the water-shed which is tributary to this stream is very great, and also precipitous, so that in a very short time indeed after a rain has fallen, the stream is at flood height, and the torrents of water are rushing with an indescribable impetuosity down the stream to the plains below in the vicinity of the town of Winters. Passing on up to the head of Berryessa Valley, we come to a narrow defile in the mountains which extends to Knoxville, and thence over a low divide into Lake County. There is a mountain stream passing down this canon, of goodly proportions, which evidently is called upon to accommo- date a great amount of water during the rainy season. It empties into the Putah Creek. To the eastward of Berryessa Valley, the abrupt range of the Blue Ridge rises to a great height. This is the dividing line between Napa and Yolo Counties, and presents an unbroken surface for the whole distance, from the northern boundary line of the former to the southern line of the latter. At this point the Putah passes directly across the range, through a very narrow pass known as Putah Canon. We have thus hastily given the reader a glance at the principal topo- graphical features of the county as a whole. A fuller and more minute description of each individual section will be found under the heads of the different townships. If one were where he could get a bird's-eye view of the whole of Napa County, or could see a relief map of it, he would be surprised to see what a large proportion of the territory embraced within its limits is mountainous, compared with that which is made up of valleys. And what a beautiful prospect would be spread out before the ej'e of the wondering observer, could he but see the whole of the lovely landscape at Geography, Name, Topography, Geology, Etc. 7 one view ! Hill and dale, mount and vale, all apparently in an interminable jungle, yet having a grand and wonderful system and order in it. There are only two systems of drainage in Napa County : one that of the Napa River and its tributaries, and the other Putah Creek and its tribu- taries. These two streams have to carry to the sea all the vast amount of water that falls upon nearly one thousand square miles of territory, the most of which is mountainous ; and hence the water is precipitated quickly into the outlets. It is no wonder, therefore, that floods are of almost yearly occurrence along the banks of these streams. Just imagine for a moment what a volume of water falls upon this area during any of the heavy storms of the winter season, when, as is not unfrequently the case, there has from two to four inches of water fallen ! GEOLOGY. — There is probably no county in the State of California that presents a more interesting field for the student of geology than does Napa. The changes of the geological aspect of the country in passing from one section to another, are oftentimes very marked and remarkable. Another interesting fact is, that the lines of change are so boldly and closely drawn that he that runs may read. Here may be seen in all its glory the action of the great world-building agents, fire and water. In the beds of brooks it is no uncommon thing to be able to pick up boulders with fossils in them adjacent to those formed from lava that never had and never could have life in any way associated with them. The rocks of the Silurian period are not unfrequently found adjacent to those of the Tertiary. Another feature which is of interest, and goes to show how badly things have been " mixed up " in the ages that have gone by, is the fact that there are many places where the soil is what is termed by the farmers " spotted." That means that the soil is oftentimes made up of two or more different kinds in the same field. It is no uncommon thing to see a field with spots of adobe all over the face of it, while the body of it may be a sandy loam. Again it may be made up of adobe principally and have here and there a spot of argillacious soil upon it. Striking examples of both features just described may be found in Pope Valley. In considering this subject in its general aspect, we have decided to take up the great factors of world-building, fire and water, and to take a hurried glance at the face of the country and see where they have each been at work, and see what they have each had to do in the upbuilding or tearing down of this county. Although it may seen paradoxical to say that world- building is accomplished by the process of tearing down, yet such is often the case. There would be no rich alluvial valleys, in which are produced all that man subsists upon, had there not been a tearing down process by which the particles of matter were dislodged from the everlasting rocks of the mountain sides and deposited below in the basins which we call valleys. 8 History of Napa and Lake Counties — Napa. Taking up the first of these twin Titans, fire, let us see what it has done in this county. The casual observer would say, doubtless, what has it not done in Napa County; for, turn our eyes as we may, we can see traces of the working of fire. But careful investigation will show that the twin brother, water, has had much indeed to do here as elsewhere all over the world. As it was in the beginning, so it has ever been — fire first and then its comple- ment, water. Volcanic action has been a great factor in shaping up the surface of this county. There are many extinct volcanoes in this section, although their craters have become not only extinct, but all traces are lost of them ; but the lava, scoria, and even the very ashes are still extant in large quantities. Go where we will all over Napa County, from the very apex of Mount St. Helena to the very lowest level of the valley to the south of it, and on every hand the evidences of volcanic action are present. These evidences are not uniform, either in amount, character or general trend. Nor have the upheavals been uniform, for in many places are to be found those rocks which were formed during the earlier ages of the world's existence, while just across the canon are to be found those of quite recent date. A striking example of this may be seen on what is known as Dry Creek, a few miles to the north-west of Napa City. On one side of this stream, the rocks of the outcropping ledges belong to the Silurian system, while those on the other were formed only quite recently, geologically speaking. Here the rocks on the one side of the creek have been eroded and worn away to a depth of nearly one mile ; that is to say, had there have been no erosion the mountain on one side of the stream would have been all of one mile higher than on the other side. Another example may be seen at the north end of Pope Valley. The top of the ridge just back of the Phoenix Mine is formed of very old rock, belonging to the Laurentian age probably, while further to the north and at a much lower level the Tertiary sandstone begins, and continues up the other ridge to the Oat Hill Mine, and probably much further. We will now glance over the county and direct the reader's attention to those localities where the action of fire is most patent, and give a description of the work it has done. Beginning at the south end of the western slope of the range of mountains which lie on the eastern side of Napa Valley, we find that the body of the rocks are of volcanic formation, being either basalt, trap or lava. In the valley, in the vicinity of the Insane Asylum, the boulders are chiefly made up of honey-combed lava, which, when broken present all grades, from the most compact to the very coarsest and loosely united particles, and in color range from black to almost white, many of them being red, green or yellow. In the mountain back of the Asylum, there is a bed of lava rock which is of a dark grayish color, not very com- pact, but very easily worked and very durable. Some considerable of it Geography, Name, Topography, Geology, Etc. 9 was used in the construction of the Asylum. Passing on farther to the north, to the place where the road crosses over the range to Berryessa Valley, we come to a wonderful formation of a volcanic nature. Here, there are extensive beds of ashes which have hardened into a porous rock, and the study of them is one of remarkable interest. A very remarkable feature about this formation is the fact that it is stratified very similar to water- formed rocks, and to the casual observer they present so natural an appear- ance of aqueous formation that they would deceive almost any one. The strata have been warped and twisted into all manner of shapes by the subsequent upheavals of the mountain range. It would be a matter of interest to know what this flow of lava was deposited upon, but the writer has not seen any shafts or drifts which extended through it so as to expose the underlying strata. From the fact that there are good indications of petroleum in that immediate vicinity, however, it is quite safe to infer that the underlying strata are sandstone, and probably of the early cretaceous period. Just a short distance north of the Napa Soda Springs there is a bluff of lava, and the water has washed a sort of a cave out on the under side of it, exposing the formation on which it rests, which is found to be a metamorphic stratified stone of doubtless quite ancient formation. The point of junction between the lava and the basic rocks affords a study of interest. At the point mentioned above, the Berryessa road, the strata extend in thickness from a few inches to many feet, and it is no uncommon thing to see the lava rocks so regularly stratified and evenly separated perpendicu- larly, by suture caused by the shrinkage in cooling, that they present the appearance of building stones, shaped by an intelligence for a special pur- pose, and by the aid of one's imagination, he can readily fancy that he sees in the bold cliffs that are exposed, the walls of castles that have long since gone to decay, but that might have been the residences of a long forgotten race of giants. It presents a wonderfully curious spectacle indeed, and one that the student of geology never wearies in studying. There is not a great deal of basalt or trap in any of the volcanic rocks in this section, but the lava is frequently, though soft, the best of building- material. Passing on to the northward, along the west side of the range, we find that the surface rock is of a volcanic nature, all the way to the very summit of St. Helena. A fine display of lava deposited in stratas is to be seen in passing over Howell Mountain. The strata are so regular and so little dis- turbed, that the writer was in doubt as to the identity of the rock until he had applied his hammer to it, when it was found to be only a soft grayish lava. Just where the road leading to the falls on Howell Mountain turn out of the main road, can be seen a beautiful field of boulders. The fact of its 2 10 History of Napa and Lake Counties — Napa. being a beautiful field depends upon whose eye is viewing it. To the casual observer, it is rough, rugged and unseemly, but to the eye of a geologist or student of nature, it presents a lovely aspect ; for in them he can read the record of the agencies that have been at work in building up the world. These boulders were originally formed by the agency of fire, but after they became dislodged from the main ledge by the action of the ages, they were taken up by the floods that at some time have surged about the sides of the mountain, and " rough-hewn " into the multitude of shapes in which we now find them strewn promiscuously about over the face of the country. Just to the north of Calistoga, there is a spur of the mountain which puts out well into the valley. Beginning at this point and passing to the northward, there is an indentation of the range which sweeps around to the base of St. Helena Mountain. It is in this location that the rich mineral belt of this range of mountains is found. Here, gold and silver abound in goodly quantities, and it is not saying too much to prophesy that at no great distant day this section of the county will be yielding a handsome return in the way of gold and silver bullion. This subject will be much fuller treated farther on in this work. In this section, very much of interest will be found, viewed from a geological standpoint. When the volcanoes of this section were active, seams, dikes and rifts were left in the rocks, which were then exposed to the surface. In the course of time these spaces began to be filled up with silica, which crystalized into handsome quartz in many cases. Probably the most extensive ledge of this quartz formation in this section, is that formerly known as the Silverado. This ledge was very nearly at the top of Mount St. Helena, on the south side, and the vein was about thirty feet wide, extending entirely across the spur of the mountain, and having a dip of about fifteen degrees. In this the quartz was very lustrous, sparkling like veritable diamonds in the sunshine. It was very porous also, caused probably from the fact that a great amount of gas was imprisoned in the silica at the time of its deposit. This quartz had many shades of coloring, which added much to its beauty, the colors ranging through shades of black, green, yellow and red, the last two predominating, owing to the presence of the oxyds of iron. The black came from the chlorides of silver, and added much to the beauty of the quartz. In one of these dikes, which is now located upon and known as the Gettleson Mine, there is a most curious and interesting formation. The quartz ledge is about ten feet wide, being made up mostly of coarse quartz, but in the center of these is a deposit of very soft conglomerate, being composed of gypsum or lime, through which there are small veins of quartz. This is all interspersed with sulphurets and chlorides of silver. That the calcareous matter is a carbonate, is evinced upon the application of acid to it. A fuller discussion of the subject of mineral deposit in this and all other sections of the county will be found in the body of this work. , Name, Topography, Geology, Etc. 11 That St. Helena Mountain has, at some time, been an active volcano, there seems to be but little doubt. In fact, our observation leads us to believe that the whole range skirting the eastern side of Napa Valley has consti- tuted a series of volcanoes at some past time. Either that is the fact, or else the lava overrun it before it was elevated to its present altitude. That this has not been the case is shown from the fact that the coiirse of the lava flow is still plainly visible, and it universally, almost, extends from the top of the ridge to the bottom. The question is asked by many, " If St. Helena or any of the peaks of the range were ever volcanoes, why are no traces of their craters still visible ? " There are many reasons why this should not be : First, it is reasonable to conclude that the later eruptions were not so vigorous as the former had been, and that they were weaker and weaker in their action, until they ceased altogether. Then, it is not unreasonable to conclude that in its last dying throes it was only able to force the lava just to the top of the crater. Here it cooled and hardened, with here and there a fissure for the escape of gas, steam, etc., until it became as much solid rock as any other portion of the mountain. In the course of time all traces of the crater were obliterated, and to-day, the mountain top from which great rivei's of molten matter once rolled down to deluge the mountain sides and the valley below with a sea of fire, pre- sents only the appearance of common mountains. Again, it may safely be asserted that time enough has elapsed since these volcanoes were in a state of activity for the accumulated debris of the mountain top to fill up the crater to a level with the top of its continually receding rim, and even to wear the rim down, and leave the solidified debris of the crater as a peak at the summit. That this debris should be solidi- fied is reasonable to conclude, from the fact that the dikes which were formed in the mountain side, and now called ledges, have been filled up with solid matter since then. In regard to the rapidity with which atmos- pheric causes acted in the earlier stages of the work we have just been describing, as compared with the action of the same causes now in the same mountain sides, we would say that it must be borne in mind that in that early time the rocks had not yet become as hard as they now are. Lava does not become the indurate rock that we now find it in a few days or years even, but it recpaires ages of pressure and chemical action to cement the particles together as compactly and tenaciously as they now are. In considering the results accomplished by the action of the elements, time is an important factor, as it is in the consideration of all geological phenomena. Truly, " a thousand years is as a day with the Lord," and " the mills of the gods grind slowly." That long ages have passed since this lava flow occurred, is evinced by many circumstances, the two most prominent of which we will note. First of these is the Petrified Forest, which has been 12 History of Napa and Lake Counties — Napa. overrun and buried by an overflow from some volcano, not improbably St. Helena. That it was among the last of its eruptions is also likely, too, from the fact that depth of deposit upon them is not very great, many of the trees lying exposed upon the surface of the ground. Still ample time has passed away since that, to them, fatal day, for them to become solid stone by the slow process of petrefaction. It is claimed by some that a great portion of this process occurred simultaneously with their burial in the lava, but such could not have been the case, for there could have been no element of immediate petrefaction in this lava. The truth is that the silica was held in composition with the lava, and it had to be disintegrated from that union, and deposited particle by particle in the pores of the wood, until the very hearts of those monster fathers of the forest were permeated and converted into stone. Now, this was not accomplished in a clay nor a year, but more likely a good beginning was not made in the first century. That the trees did not decay is accounted for in the fact that they were en- cased in a bed of lava, and hence hermetically sealed, as it were, and thor- oughly protected from the action of oxygen or the elements. It will thus be seen by this that long ages passed by before the process of petrefaction was completed. Then who shall say how long these trees have lain here in their present state ? Shall we presume to say that the process was com- pleted only yesterday or last century ? No, indeed, but rather, from what can be seen of the action of time on the surrounding country, it is proper to presume that they have lain in their present condition for ages. We are led to conclude, after a careful survey of the field, that a long period of time has elapsed since the lava flow occurred which entombed these trees. A second point to be considered in discussing the element of time in this proposition is, that either at the time of the lava flow along the range, or subsequent thereto, the water of either an inland sea or the Pacific Ocean washed high up the side of the mountains. Now, the sides of the moun- tains may possibly not have been so much elevated as they are now. In fact, it is veiy evident that they were not, for it is impossible almost to con- ceive of the water of the present ocean as .ever having been as high as the shore line of this old body of water was. Some may be led to question the assertion that there ever was a sea or body of water of any kind whose waves lashed the rock-ribbed mountain sides of Napa Valley. A casual observer, in passing up the valley, will observe, extending from the lower end of the range, all the way to St. Helena Mountain, a bluff or ridge of rocks, broken down and disappearing in places, being greater in some places than in others, but still having a well-defined existence all the way. The first question suggested is, what could have formed that extensive cliff ? The answer is, and can be only one, and that is, that it was at one time the shore line of an ocean, sea, or bay. Geography, Name, Topography, Geology, Etc. 13 Now for the application of this fact to the subject under consideration. This sea or body of water had its shore line here along this cliff or bluff just described at the time these eruptions occurred, or at least some of them. We are asked on what grounds do we venture such an assertion as this, and we answer : there is indubitable evidence to be produced to prove it. Two, that may be easily visited and examined, will suffice for the whole array of examples that might be mentioned. First, the road leading from Napa to Berryessa Valleys leads through a grand body of volcanic ashes, and the traveler will observe that the shore line is very high at this place, and the gorges have almost perpendicular walls, showing the action of the waves upon this soft bed of ashes. Again, a few rods to the north of the Napa Soda Springs, it will be noticed that the lava flow is deposited in ten-aces, and at the base of them all there are evidences of the surge and wash of the waves of a body of water, which are revealed in grottos and caves bur- rowed out under the shelving lava. There is one place where the terrace extends from hill to hill across a canon of goodly size, filling it up com- pletely as far as it flowed. But all this proves nothing as to the assertion that this body of water was here at the time of this lava flow. But we argue that these terraces are formed only on account of the fact that the water was present, and in a large body, too. And why ? Because, when the stream of molten matter came into contact with the water it naturally cooled very fast, and soon an outer wall or crust was formed, which held the lava in check behind it until a terrace was reared which reached the surface of the water, then the lava began to flow over this rampart or bar- rier which had thus been reared across its fiery path, and descended the mountain slope under the surface of the water until another terrace began to be formed, and the same process was repeated. Thus would we account for the terraces that are to be found in the lava flows in the mountains of Napa County, and we not only consider it feasible, but look upon it as the only correct solution of the problem. We now come back to the original proposition — the element of time. If what has just been stated above be true, then there are two problems which confront us, both of which contain the element of time very fully developed. These are, that either the waters of the sea at that time stood much higher than they do now, or that the mountain range had not then attained any- thing like its present elevation. If the former were true, how long indeed must it ' have been since this last flow of lava occurred, and what, indeed, could not the forces of nature have accomplished in that incomprehensible space of time, that it took the waters of the Pacific Ocean to recede to their present level ? The statement that is made, and with seemingly quite good reason, too, that the Bay of San Francisco was originally closed, could not affect this at all, for the shore line of this body of water was far above 14 History of Napa and Lake Counties — Napa. it all. The level of these shore lines would cause water to pass out through Big Valley or the Russian River, in Sonoma County, the low flats of Marin County, and, indeed, directly over the barrier that was supposed to exist at the Golden Gate. In accordance with human comprehension, the time that has elapsed since then more nearly approximates eternity than it does any measurement of time. That the Pacific Ocean did reach this far up on the mountains at one time there is no question, hut that was during the Silu- rian or Devonian period, but not later than that, I or the Pacific Coast was among the first to come to the surface, and was among the first to be in- habited. The other question to be solved is, whether or not this mountain range has been elevated to its present position since this lava flow occurred. This has certainly as much the element of time in it as has the other, for we may rest assured that mountains do not grow in a day, but that it took long weary ages for the forces of nature to rear the majestic head of St Helena to its present lofty position. If we had the exact altitude of this shore line all the way along the range, we could, perhaps, come nearer to a definite conclusion concerning the question of elevation of the range ; but even that would not be proof positive, for this line might have formed at different stages of the reeedence of the sea, or of the elevation of the mountain at different places along the range. We started out with the proposition that enough time had elapsed since the flowing of lava ceased in this section, for all traces of the craters of the volcanoes to disappear by the action of the corroding tooth of time, and we think that we have proven it conclusively. Whatever else may have been brought out along this line of thought, we are sure will not be without interest to the general reader. It is a matter of great interest to follow the course of a lava flow, and trace out its various effects upon the rock it flows over. Of course, all boulders and what meager soil there was then upon the top of the surface or bed-rock was taken up by the stream, and we now find them incorporated in one mass. It is no uncommon thing to see a jutting crag of what appears to be a solid stone, which upon examination, proves to be only a conglomer- ate mass of boulders cemented together with lava. At the place referred to above, where a canon is terraced over with lava, near the Napa Soda Springs, there is a very large boulder of Devonian stone incorporated in the body of the lava, and in the face of the ten-ace. It is slowly going to pieces by the action of the elements, while the lava around it remains almost intact. There is a layer of soft volcanic ash on the under side of this boulder, between it and the bed-rock on which the lava bed rests. The interstices of this rock are filled with sulphur, which, when broken, show a display of fine yellow crystals. The pieces of this boulder which have Geography, Name, Topography, Geology, Etc. 15 been carried down the stream, show in strong contrast with the multitude of the predominating lava boulders of the section. Another point of interest is to study the line of union between the lava and the underlying bed-rock. This line is well defined, and is easily traceable along the face of a ledge, no matter how tortuous it may be, and there is no mistaking one for the other, as they have nothing in common, except here and there where small crevices occur in the bed-rock which have been filled by the melted lava. At this terrace, mentioned in the last paragraph, there is a fine chance to study this phase of the doings of nature. Here, the bed-rock is a shale which was laid down in strata, but the strata were warped and twisted about greatly before the lava rolled down upon it. It is soft and crumbles down easily, at least on the surface where it has been subjected to the action of the elements. Being much softer than the lava above it, it was cut out much faster by the action of the waves in the days of that old sea, and hence, quite good sized caves have been formed. In places near this, the water has also hollowed out caves in the very face of the lava. It is a matter of interest also to note the different kinds of lava, or rather the various forms it assumed, and the variety of colors which distin- guish it. Beginning at the hardest form it assumes, probably basalt will stand at the head of the list. It is hard, flinty, brittle, and withal very durable, and is much used for paving streets or macadamizing roads. Trap comes next in the scale — is a blackish-blue or a bluish-black rock, and is only distinguished from basalt in that it is usually full of little nodules, which look like small cobble stones incorporated in the body of the ledge. Of basalt, we have not seen any very extensive ledges in Napa County, though there are numerous boulders scattered almost all over its volcanic regions, showing that it must abound in quarries somewhere. Of trap, we have seen neither ledges nor boulders in any quantities to speak of. The reader is referred to the geology of Lake County in this volume, for an extended description of this particular species of lava. Both of these are fine-grained and compact rocks, and all composed of the same material. Next in the scale will come the coarse lava that is made up of differently colored and composed parts, giving it an appearance of granite at a short distance away. Some of this is good for building purposes, but the most of it is unfit for use in any direction. Then comes the fine workino- white lava, which makes splendid building material, such as is being used by Col. J. P. Jackson, in the erection of the buildings of the Napa Soda Springs. Then comes the soft, light, fibrous material, that is neither stone nor clay, but a cross between the two. It is in this that the greatest display of colors is to be found. It is often almost pure chrome, being yellow and red. 16 History of Napa and Lake Counties — Napa. The red ranges from carmine to dark blood, and many of the shades are truly handsome. Another effect of volcanic action, or rather lava flow, is to change the character of the rocks over which it flows, so that their true character is no longer discernible. Rocks thus changed are termed metamorphic ; that is( rocks transformed or changed by heat from their original form or character. We have now so fully gone over the ground in regard to the various phases of volcanic action and its effects that it will be only necessary to designate hereafter where the results of these agencies and phases may be found. We have taken the section of the county which we have referred to above to illustrate these phases with, because it was the most accessible ; and should any one desire to verify the statements made, they could easily find the location and see for themselves. Seeing is truly believing with many. We will now proceed to locate the various other sections of the county where igneous or volcanic forces have been active in forming and moulding the surface of the country. The eastern slope of the range of mountains on the west side of Xapa Valley, is almost a counterpart of those on the east, except that the lava deposit is not so heavy or so general. There is a large amount of outcroppings of very old rock ; also, much metamorphic rock. There are many boulders of a coarse sandstone which belongs to the Tertiary period, but we do not know of any defined quarries. We had the pleasure of giving the interior of the Oakville Quicksilver Mine a thorough examination, in company with Professor William Denton, one of the most renowned Geologists in the United States. We found that the ledge was of a serpentine character, and that the wall rocks were of a metamorphic nature and that they belonged to a very remote period. On the surface there were evidences of a lava flow, but not so extended and not so recent as on the eastern side of the valley. Passing to the east side of the range of mountains lying on the east of Napa Valley, we find that the whole face of the range is covered with evidences of volcanic action. The terraces of lava and the shore line- arc present in great profusion. Especially is this true for a few miles north of where the road to Berryessa passes down the grade to the head of Capelle Valley. Passing along north-westerly, we pass up to Chiles and Pope Val- leys, and still the evidences of lava flows are present ; and so it continues to the very summit of St Helena, as it is on the western slope of the same range. The flow of the lava in the section was from west to east, or from the summit to the base, as it had been on the other side of the ridge ; hence, we are again led to believe that it emanated from craters in the chain. We now come to a section of the county where the two elements, fire and water, came into direct competition, as it were. Sand and limestone of Geography, Name, Topography, Geology, Etc. 17 the Tertiary period are prominent features which extend to the eastern limits of the county, and the peculiar thing about it is, that in all this sec- tion the eastern slopes of the mountains are covered with scoria and ashes, while the western slopes are covered with boulders of lime and sandstone. Of these a full mention will be made a little further on. The range of mountains between Pope and Berryessa Valleys shows volcanic action on both sides of it to quite an extent, but it predominates on the eastern slope- At Knoxville there is a very interesting study for the geologist. There the lava flow extended over large fields of serpentine, which have been wrought into all manner of fantastic shapes and contortions by the action of the fiery floods that swept over it at some remote period. In many cases it seemed to melt the serpentine, and when that substance became cooled, it assumed much the appearance of melted glass. In other instances it resem- bles the " slag" that comes from iron furnaces. Very. much more might be said on this branch of our subject. Indeed, a volume could be written on the geology of Napa County alone, by entering into all the intricate details of the matter. We will now pass to the aqueous agencies which have been at work in shaping up the surface of the country. The work of these agencies are not so obtrusive as those of fire, but are nevertheless wonderfully potent factors in the grand scheme of making a world fit for the existence of man. Most of the valleys have been changed greatly in shape and appearance by the action of water, while many canons and gorges have been cut out directly by it. The hills have been rounded, the mountains made shapely, and the valleys filled with rich alluvium by it ! By it, sand and limestone have been deposited in grand quarries, from which men now draw vast sources of economical supplies. By the action of volcanic forces these layers or strata of aqueous rock have been warped, twisted and changed generally, until it is hard to designate them at times. Let us take a glance at Napa County and see where we find the bodies of aqueous rock. In the mountains west of Napa Valley there is much of interest to be found in this connection. Here, at different points, may be found rocks from all the geological periods. On Dry Creek, as stated above, on one side the Devonian and Silurian rocks appear, while on the other the Tertiary are to be seen. In many places there is a crust of lava deposited on these rocks, but when this is pierced by the action of the elements, road grades or shafts in mines, the underlying aqueous rocks are discovered. They are mostly of a sandstone nature, although shale and slate are not uncommon, and also a large amount of limestone is to be found in this chain of mountains. Crossing over to the east side of the Napa Valley we find that the lava deposit is so heavy as to almost entirely hide from view all traces of the 2* 18 History of Napa and Lake Counties — Napa. underlying aqueous rocks. The deep cuts in the grade up the western side of St. Helena Mountain has exposed a considerable of this character of rock, but that, and the place mentioned above as being just north of the Napa Soda Springs, are the only places we have seen this side of the range. The leads, veins, and ledges of the mines in the Calistoga mining district are of course all the result of aqueous action, but they do not belong to anj- general system of rocks, nor is there any means of deciding when this action occurred. Crossing over into Chiles Valley we find that the coating of lava ex- tends to the very base of the mountains on the west side of the valley. A small stream skirts along the edge of the mountains, which is the divid- ing line between the igneous and the aqueous formations, and in its course it carries along with it boulders, in about equal proportions, of both kinds. The soil of the valley is argillaceous, showing that it has been made up mostly from detritus from the aqueous rocks which lie in the eastern slope. In this slope there is an entire absence of lava or igneous rock of any kind whatsoever. The rock is a sandstone of the Tertiary period and rather fine in texture, and the coloring matter is the peroxyd of iron, which does not appear in any great quantities. Passing southward from Col. Chiles' place we find that in the course of a few miles the character of the soil changes, and a belt of adobe is found. This soil is always the result of decomposed limestone, hence we know that a bed of that stone'has been at one time in existence in that locality. A little close observation reveals the fact that boulders of limestone are still to be found here. Shale, slate and metamorphic rock have also been ex- posed by this road grade. Crossing the valley and passing by the school-house, on the way to the place owned by Messrs. Priest, we come into a grand body of sandstone, which extends to the summit of the divide. Here again we strike into a coating of lava, resting on shale and sandstone. In the ridge to the east of the Priest house there are some queer freaks of nature. The surface is covered with lava and lava boulders, with here and there out-croppings and ledges of serpentine, sandstone and metamorphic rocks. Some years ago, during a quicksilver excitement in Napa County, some miners started a tunnel into the eastern side of this ridge, but were obliged to abandon it shortly, for after they had pierced the coating of serpentine and lava they came into a great bed of sand, drift and boulders, which was so loose that it could not be timbered up and made secure. It seems strange at first thought that the top of a mountain should be composed of loose material like that, but it was evidently covered over by the lava flow, and encased inside of that substance when it cooled, and has so remained a prisoner to the present day, and subsequent action has elevated it to its present alti- Geography, Name, Topography, Geology, Etc. 19 tude. Quite a number of boulders of limestone are to be found near the soda springs, on the Priest place, and the pecidiarity of it is that they are found only in spots. The resultant soil — adobe — is also in spots, the body of the soil being of decomposed lava and sandstone. Boulders of gypsum are also found, and ledges of it are said to exist in that vicinity. Passing northward we come into Pope Valley, which is divided into two distinct sections by a low ridge or range of hills. This range is composed of soft sandstone, with but very little lava. The slope of the mountains to the east of the eastern section is composed chiefly of sandstone, with shale, slate and limestone also. The grade to Walters Springs reveals much shale and limestone. Along Pope Canon the lava flow has been immense in places, but the underlying stratas of aqueous rocks are visible in many places. A few rods to the north of Mr. Walter's house there is a ledge of limestone, and it is the only one we saw in the valley, although the evi- dences of the former existence of large bodies of limestone are visible on all sides. From Mr. Walter's place northward to Mr. Philip Palmer's place, and beyond that for some distance, the soil assumes the spotted character alluded to above, being adobe and argellacious in turn, with occasional spots of red soil, the result of the decomposition of volcanic matter. At the iEtna Springs, and on up the valley to the west of them, the whole of the surface of the country is covered with serpentine in massive form, over which a flood of lava has flown and left its traces on every hand, while underlying the serpentine is a large body of beautiful porphyry. This extends to the summit of the range to the north, and the Phcenix and Washington Quicksilver Mines are located in this belt. At the summit there is an outcropping of a very ancient rock, probably of the Silurian period. It is glassy and flinty, and very hard and durable. Strange to say, as we pass down the northern slope of this range, we soon come into a body of Tertiary sandstone which is coarse and not very compact. This belt of sandstone continues down the mountain side, and up the opposite range as high as the Oat Hill Mine, and even beyond that, attaining a much greater elevation on this side of the canon than it does on the other. It is worthy of remark, that this body of sandstone is uninterrupted from its beginning on the south to the altitude of the Oat Hill Mine on the north side of the canon, and that there are no evidences of lava or serpentine here, and also that the range on the south side, where it begins, belongs to the St. Helena group, while that in which the mine occurs on the north side is a part of a separate system. The Oat Hill, or Napa Consolidated, and Ivanhoe Quicksilver Mines occur in this belt of sandstone, and it is the only place in the county where cinnabar occurs in a body of sandstone, and we doubt if there is another such a phenomenon in the State of California or the world. The canon spoken of above seems to have been cut right out 20 History of Napa and Lake Counties — Napa. through this soft sandstone hy the waters of ages. It is possible that gigantic water-falls have worked themselves along this valley in those early days of floods and softer stone. Truly here is a wonderful field for the student of nature. Crossing over to Berryessa Valley we find that the eastern slope of the mountains to the west of it, have been more or less overrun with lava, and that the underlying rock is a body of sandstone, deposited probably much earlier than the Tertiary, or else in a different epoch in that age, for it is of a different nature from the other Tertiary sandstone in this vicinity, in that it is very compact and rather fine-grained. Just north-west of Mr. Abraham Clark's place there is some adobe, but not a great deal of it, showing that there was once a limestone body there, but it was quite limited in its area. Following this slope to the north as far as Knoxville, which is very near the line of Lake County, we find the same general characteristics present. Passing to the east side of the valley we come to the true Tertiary sand- stone, and the great bluffs of it overlooking this valley from the east present a grand appearance. The traveler along the highway comes to flat stones or boulders of sandstone in the streams which put down from the eastern range. Presently, as he advances to the northward they become more abundant, and he says to himself that there must be a ledge of this not far distant. Finally he comes upon the ledge, at least small sections of it, which he is surprised to find standing on its edge in a nearly vertical position. A good view of it in this position may be had on the creek just north of Mr. Ward's house, on the road leading from Monticello to Knoxville. There are hosts of other places all along this road where it is exposed in almost all conceivable angles of dip. There is at this place a great amount of deposit upon the sandstone, which thus stands on edge, but it is all of a veiy recent period, there being no lava in it as a body. Far away from here to the eastward rises the bold front of the Blue Ridge range, the bald blufl's of which are formed of this sandstone. The deposit was of course made in regular layers, and the whole body has been raised up perpendicularly from the bottom of the sea, where it was made, to the summit of a very high range of mountains, and the original conformation of these strata have been but very slightly disturbed, and the lines of strati- fication may be easily traced from the valley below, showing a slight dip to the northward. It is evident that this body of stone started up right from the bed of the Tertian sea, and probably before that period had passed into the Post Tertiary, the mountains stood as high islands above that ancient sea. Passing on northward, until we come to the vicinity of Knoxville, we find a limestone body, which is well filled with fossil shells, afford- ing a fine field for the study of paleontology. A careful examination and ~S» | ^ Ujec/a^^p^ Geography, Name, Topography, Geology, Etc. 21 classification of these fossils would reveal the age in which they were de- posited in the bottom of the sea and subsequently became a part of the solid rock. It is stated that mollusks imbedded in this body of limestone are of the same species as those of to-day. Such, however, is not the truth. They evidently belong to the Tertiary age, which it will be remem- bered embraced many molluski of the former ages, and also that the genera of the present mollusks were in existence. In a boulder of limestone picked up in Putah Creek, the writer discovered a spirifer, which genus had its dawn away back in the Devonian period. This body of limestone can be traced in a north-westerly course as far as Middletown, Lake County, near which it is being successfully burned into lime, and is used for all economical purposes to good advantage, it proving to be a good quality of lime. Gypsum occurs in the southern end of Berryessa Valley, but we have not seen the ledges, hence we do not know how extensive they may be. In the foregoing we have only given an outline of the geological fea- tures of Napa County. A full and complete dissertation upon the subject would require very much time and call for more space than we can devote to the subject, and we think would not prove of any more interest to the general reader than the cursory glance we have given them. As we have referred in the foregoing to fire and water as the two great factors in the upbuilding of worlds and the modification of the earth's surface, we will append a few very notable examples of their workings in other parts of the world, that the reader may get a just idea of the wonderful agencies that have been at work on all these hills, and in all the broad and beautiful valleys. Taking the agency of fire first, we notice first that it operates through volcanoes chiefly, and we find that these great fire mountains are distributed throughout the world as follows : Twenty-four in Europe, eleven in Africa, forty-six in Asia, one hundred and fourteen in America, and one hundred and eight in Oceanica, two-thirds of the latter being situated on islands. It will thus be seen that in America there are over one-third of all the vol- canoes in the world. We will now notice the results of the activity of some of the most prominent of these in different parts of the earth. Previous to A. D. 63, Vesuvius was regarded only as an ordinary mountain, just as we now regard St. Helena or Diablo. None but students of nature ever dreamed of the grand old monarch as a slumbering volcano that might burst forth with such wonderful and devastating effect, or that in days gone by and long since forgotten it had sent forth immense floods of molten lava and showers of ashes and stones. Its sides were adorned with fertile fields, and date trees grew in rank luxuriance upon the very rim of the crater. Large cities flourished at its 22 History of Napa and Lake Counties — Napa. base, whose people followed the avocations of life with never a single thought of the doom that awaited them. In the year 63 the inhabitants were startled by an earthquake, and they followed from time to time till the fatal day. In the year A. D. 79, the great drama culminated in one grand act which swept out of existence three large cities, with quite a per- centage of their inhabitants, devastated beautiful fields, and blasted the bright hopes of a whole nation at one fell swoop. The sun came up out of the east that fatal morning with as smiling a face as he ever deigned to show to any land. Presently dark columns of smoke and ash-laden vapor began to burst from the crater, in the midst of which the lightnings flashed their forked tongues in a revelry of grim delight. The air was ominously quiet and oppressive, and seemed burdened with the awful solemnity of the great event that was about to occur. Finally, the first shower of ashes de- scended upon the ill-fated cities, light and feathery as the gentle falling snow. This was followed by stones, scoria, and the accumulated debris of the crater ; and ere the people could escape even with their lives, the cities were buried deep beneath the accumulated mass of volcanic mattei-. Thus perished in a day the beautiful cities of Herculaneum, Pompeii and Stabiae. Strange as it may seem, the very legends of the land failed to retain a trace of the fact that these cities had ever existed. An idea of how little diffused was the general knowledge of history in those days, may be had from the fact that the younger Plin}7, who was present at this time, and escaped, wrote an epistle in which a very minute description of the event was recorded ; still, it was not read enough to keep in remembrance the cir- cumstance by the people who followed as residents of the land. It is read now more generally in the Latin, a dead language, that it was then when the tongue was still common in the land. For seventeen long centuries, almost the duration of the Christian Era, these cities remained undisturbed in the silence of death, and forgotten. Other people had become possessed of the land. Again the fields bloomed with cultivation, and the fruits of industry were to be seen on every hand. Cities thrived and wei'e blotted out again upon the site of the first. Resina was constructed upon the very site of Herculaneum, and in 1631, an eruption destroyed it as completely as did the former one destroy the former cities. In 1713, workmen who were sinking a well, came upon the theatre of Herculaneum, at a depth of about one hundred feet. Pompeii was not discovered till 1750, when a fanner ran his ploughshare against some of the walls of the highest buildings. It was covered as a whole, less than twenty feet deep. Extensive excavations have since been made, and much of the city restored to its former condition. From that time to this, this volcano has been in more or less activity. In 1794, the lava from it overflowed Torre del Greco, filling the streets and destroying four hundred people. It is estimated that twenty-two Geography, Name, Topography, Geology, Etc. 23 million cubic yards of lava were thrown out at this time. In 1822, the crater was cleared of all accumulated material and a gulf was found more than one thousand feet deep, and three-fourths of a mile in diameter ; and eight hundred feet of the top of the mountain was carried away. JCtna, in the island of Sicily, is eleven thousand feet high and ninety miles in circumference. In 1669 the lava from this volcano overrun fourteen towns and villages before it reached Catania, whose walls had been raised to a height of sixty feet as a protection to the molten floods from this moun- tain. Here the lava collected till it rose above the height of the wall and poured in a fiery flood upon the city. The traveler may now see the solid lava curling over the top of the rampart as if still in the act of falling. It then proceeded in a stream forty feet deep and eighteen hundred feet wide, until it entered the sea. During this eruption a fissure six feet wide and of unknown depth, opened in the mountain to the distance of twelve miles. In 1750-60 Jorullo, in Mexico, experienced a violent eruption, and six volcanic cones were formed in the district of country where before had been fields of sugar cane and indigo. Forty years later Humboldt, the renowned traveler and naturalist, found this lava to be so hot that it would char a stick thrust into it ; some adequate idea of the great heat of this matter can thus be attained. In 1783 Skapter Jokul, in Iceland, sent forth two streams of lava which flowed in opposite directions. One of these streams was fifty miles long and twelve broad, while the other was forty miles long and seven broad, each averaging one hundred feet in depth. The eruption continued for two years and destroyed twenty villages and nine thousand people. In 1815 a violent eruption, occurred on the island of Sumbawa, at which time the explosions were heard nearly one thousand miles away, and the falling ashes crushed houses forty miles distant. The ashes filled the air so densely in Java, that it was totally dark at midday, and floating cinders covered the sea west of Sumatra, so that vessels were retarded seriously in their course. The lava flowed over the land and entered the sea ; whirl- winds swept over the island tearing up trees and bearing off men, horses and cattle. Of twelve thousand inhabitants, only twenty-six persons sur- vived the awful catastrophe. The most remarkable eruptions of the present century have occurred upon the island of Hawaii, in the Pacific Ocean, from Mauna Loa, and the craters upon its sides. This volcano is thirteen thousand seven hundred and sixty feet high. Kilauea, nine thousand seven hundred and ninety feet below its summit, is a crater sixteen thousand feet long, seven thousand five hundred feet wide, and one thousand feet deep. In 1823 a stream of lava issued from this crater, between four and five miles wide, and it is estimated that twenty-seven million cubic feet was ejected at this time. 24 History of Napa and Lake Counties — Napa In 184*0 there was another grand eruption from this crater. The lava had gradually raised some four hundred or five hundred feet above its wonted level, and its bosom was raging like an ocean lashed into a fury by a tempest. At length, on the first day of June of that year, the lava made its way through subterranean fissures several miles below the true crater. Then it started on its relentless march down to the sea, sweeping forest, ham- let, plantation and everything before it with resistless energy. When it reached the ocean it leaped over a precipice forty or fifty feet high, and poured in one vast cataract of fire into the deep below, falling with loud detonations, fearful hissings and a thousand unearthly and indescribable sounds. Imagine for a moment to yourself a river of fused minerals, of the breadth and depth of Niagara, and of gory red, falling in one emblazoned sheet, one raging torrent, into the ocean ' The atmosphere in all directions was filled with ashes, spray and gases, while the burning lava, as it fell into the water, was shivered into millions of minute particles. The coast was extended into the sea a quarter of a mile at this time. For three weeks this terrific river disgorged itself into the sea, heating the water for twenty miles along the coast, and destroying multitudes of fishes. The breadth of the stream, where it fell into the sea, was about half a mile, but inland it varied from one to four miles, conform- ing, like a river of water, to the face of the country over which it passed. It varied in depth from ten to two hundred feet, according to the inequali- ties of the surface, and the whole length of the stream was forty miles. During the flow night was converted into day, the light being seen over one hundred miles at sea, and the finest of print could be read forty miles away at midnight. According to Prof. J. D. Dana, 15,400,000,000 cubic feet of matter flowed from Kilauea at this eruption — a mass equal to a triangular ridge eight hundred feet high, two miles long, and one mile wide at its base. And so we might go on and enumerate thousands of recorded instances of volcanic action, but enough have been given to show the reader the grand and wonderful power that lies hidden somewhere in the bowels of the earth, and which from time to time exerts itself in this manner. The reader will also get some idea of what may be done by volcanic action, and when he looks upon the lava-covered hills and mountains of Napa County he can see that, while this action has been great here, it has been as nothing compared with many other places in the world. It is recorded that one single eruption of Skapter Jokul, mentioned above, would cover an area thirty miles square to a depth of one hundred feet. Napa County is not much larger than that. The other grand agent in changing and modifying the surface of the earth is water, and we will give the reader some idea of the importance Geography, Name, Topography, Geology, Etc. 25 and activity of this factor. Improbable as it may seem, the falling of rain upon the rocks of the mountain sides continually wears them away, until eventually they are changed much in appearance and size. As the rain-drop descends through the atmosphere it becomes impreg- nated with carbonic acid, which is able to decompose many kinds of rock, especially those of a calcareous nature. Frost is a powerful modifying agent. Water finds its way into the fissures of the rocks, where it freezes and rends them asunder, often sending the loosened fragments headlong into the valley below, where they are taken up by the torrents of mountain streams, and eventually find their way to the river bed as smooth and nicely rounded boulders. On the top of St. Helena there is a great pile of broken fragments of stone, which very much resembles a dump pile of a mine, which has been formed by this agency alone. The rock was origi- nally deposited in strata, and projected as a great peak on the summit of the mountain. The water permeated between the strata, and the cold tem- perature of the summit did the balance of the work. The rock was forced off in fragments just as deep as the water had gone. Springs produce rapid and remarkable changes by depositing the sub- stances held in solution by them, such as lime, iron, soda, silica and magnesia, thus forming beds of calcareous tufea, bog iron ore, and serpen- tine. Every one is familiar with the sediment that is deposited by the mineral springs in Napa and Lake Counties. The heaviest deposit made by any springs in these two counties is to be seen at the soda springs on the ranch of Messrs. Priest. There a plateau of over an acre has been formed, varying in depth from a few feet to fifty, and the formation extends down the stream in which the water flows, for a distance of over a mile. In So- lano County, at Tolenas Springs, a few miles north of Suisun, a fine body of white onyx has been deposited. Rivers cut channels in the superficial accumulations, and through the solid rocks, and transport loose matei'ial to the valleys below, and into the water basins, and what is true of rivers may be said of all streams of water, no matter how small they may be. Every mountain brook, during flood seasons, bears with it much of the substance along its banks down into the streams of the valleys, and they in turn take it up and bear it to the rivers, and they to the bays. An estimate of the greatness of this action may be had when we state that a large portion of Louisiana has been brought down the Mississippi River, and the land is still advancing into the Gulf of Mexico, it being estimated that 28,000,000,000 cubic feet is annually carried down by this river and deposited at its mouth. The Amazon is so charged with sediment that its waters can be de- tected by their discoloration three hundred miles from its mouth. The Nile has formed vast deltas at its mouth, and there is qood evidence that 26 History of Napa and Lake Counties — Napa. nearly all of Egypt lias been formed in this manner by that river. The Ganges carries such vast quantities of sediment and detritus to the sea during the four months of its flood season, that it would require a fleet of eighty vessels, each freighted with one thousand four hundred tons of mud, to sail by a given point every hour of the day and night, to carry an amount equal to it, and during the entire year there is an amount equal to 20,000,- 000,000 cubic feet deposited at its mouth. Can the human mind grasp even an idea of such vast sums ? Indeed, it cannot ; and yet, this is only really a fraction of the amount that is being transported from the mountains, hills and dales of the whole earth, to the mighty and capacious maws of old Mother Ocean. Would we see near at home this action and its result, we have only to look at the Sacramento River and its tributaries. There was a time when the American River de- bouched into the bay ; but now the mouth of the Sacramento River is forty or fifty miles to the south of it. The San Joaquin River once had its mouth far up, near the site of Stockton, or even above that. All that sec- tion of country now designated as " tule lands," embraced in Sherman, Union, Andrus, Staten, Grand, Schoolcraft and Brannan Islands, was once covered with a deep body of water, and it has only been raised to its present altitude by long and continued depositions of sediment by the streams which empty into it. Of these Cache and Putah Creeks have played no small part; and much of the matter that is now lying in the substratums of Schoolcraft Island were once a portion of the mountains of Napa and Lake Counties. Tule and other vegetable matter have been found at a depth of eighty and one hundred feet in the locality of Georgetown, Sacramento County, and on Dr. Ziele's place, at the lower end of Brannan Island. This action was comparatively slow and it must have consumed a vast age of time to accomplish it. But since the advent of the white man, especially the Americans, the work has gone on very rapidly. The hardy miner has aided in the matter very materially, and almost in the third of a century the streams have been all filled up, and the Bay is having great encroachments made upon it. In 1850 quite large steamers plied with ease as high up the Feather River as Marysville, while now only light draught steamers are able to reach it during the flood season. Then steamers went up the Sacramento to Red Bluff, and now when a small launch reaches the place it is a matter of rejoicing and cannon are fired, and the citizens turn out en masse to see it. As late as 1852 the water was over fifty feet deep in the Sacramento River for some distance below the State Capital, and such ocean steamers as the " Senator," made the trip from there to San Francisco with ease, while at the present time only very light draught stem-wheel steamers are able to keep above the sand bars. Coming nearer home, we find an excellent example in the Napa River. Geography, Name, Topography, Geology, Etc. 27 All the tule land that lies between the city and the bay was formed by this agency. It is not improbable that the Bay of Napa was once a handsome sheet of water, reaching from the present line of the railroad on the east to the foothills on the west, and extending north to the present site of Napa City, or even further. Since the advent of agricultural pursuits in Napa County, this action has progressed very rapidly. Who that has seen the Napa River in a time of flood can doubt as to the amount of sediment borne by it to the bay below. The sti-eets of Napa City attest to that fact after every overflow. Waves produce geological changes, and the fact can be seen on any of the mountain sides of Napa, where the traces of their action have not been obliterated by subsequent action. The shore line spoken of above, which is to be seen in the western slope of the range to the east of Napa Valley attests this fact. In many places small caves have been hollowed out, and at' one place, near the Crystal Springs Hotel, north-east of the town of St. Helena a few miles, there is a cave over eighty feet in length, in a strataum of clay and shale. Along the present shore line of the Pacific many such places can be found, and are designated by the term " blow-holes." Near Mendocino City there is one so large that a schooner once went into it with one man on board, and neither man or vessel were ever seen or heard from afterwards. How extensive these cavities are is unknown, but they have been explored for the distance of a mile. Near Cahto, in Mendocino County, over forty miles distant from the ocean, and over a high range of mountains, there are some mud springs which ebb and flow with the tide, and it is thought that there is a possibility of these springs being connected with the Pacific by means of one of these " blow-holes." Thus it will be seen that the great agencies of the world have been busily at work in Napa County as elsewhere. Passing from the general to the special geological features of Napa County, we will name and describe the various metals and minerals to be found within its borders. Metals.- — Metals are found either native or in the state of ores, the former being pure or simply mixed, but not chemically combined, with some other substance, while the latter is chemically combined with foreign matter. Metals occur in layers or beds, in veins intersecting the rocks, or disseminated through them in grains and crystals. They are only found in the two last forms in Napa County. Iron. — This metal is found native only in meteorites — those wonderful bodies which occasionally fall to our earth — hence we need not expect to find it in any quantities here. Iron, as an ore, does not occur in any great 28 History of Napa and Lake Counties — Napa. bodies in the county, but in its several forms is very generally dissemi- nated over the surface of the country. It is the oxyd of iron which gives to the rocks, lava, and soils their reddish color, and the protoxyd which gives to all mineral substances their yellowish color. Chromate of iron is an ore of a dark brown color, and is usually found in serpentine. Persons familiar with this latter substance will remember that it bears a large percentage of chromate in this county. Iron pyrites, or sulphuret of iron, is the most common of all the ores, except the oxyds, and is diffused throughout all the minerals and rocks of the county. It is better known as " Fool's Gold," from its yellow color and close resemblance to free gold. Manganese. — This metal occurs in small quantities in certain sections of Napa County. Its presence is detected by the color of the water that has flowed over it after a rain, rather than by its appearance in bodies. Tin. — Tin ore, or the oxyd of tin, is said to exist in small quantities at the lower end of Chiles Valley, and a man has a large amount of work done on a tin ledge in that locality ; but he has not yet developed the fact to the satisfaction of his neighbors that the metal exists in quantities sufficient to pay for working. That some tin is in the ledge, they all believe. Silver. — This metal occurs in three forms in Napa County — native, chlorides, and sulphurets. In its native form, it is found in union with gold ; as a chloride, it appears in black streaks in the substance through which it is disseminated, and as a sulphuret, it occurs in flaky-appearing spots or specks in the quartz in which it is incorporated. In all the mines in the vicinity of Calistoga, it is found in some one of these forms, and often, and indeed, generally, in all three. Gold. — Gold occurs in union with silver in all the silver mines in the county, and in quite large quantities. It does not occur free, however, as a rule, and but few ledges have been discovered where it is so found. Quicksilver. — This metal is found in greater or less quantities all over the northern portion of the county, the principal lodes extending from south-east to north-west. The ore on which the Redington Mine is situated extends as far north as the Sulphur Bank in Lake County. The ore on which the Ivanhoe and Oat Hill Mines are situated extends as far north as the Great Western, the Great Eastern lying between the two. The ledge on which the Pho?nix and Washington are located, extends to the top of St. Helena Mountain, while the Oakville is located on the west side of Napa Valley, and that lode extends well into Sonoma County. When we speak of a lode extending to such and such points we do not mean to say that a mine can be opened at any and all points along the line, but that the same Geography, Name, Topography, Geology, Etc. 29 general systems of rocks and minerals extend over the designated territory. Cinnabar is the form in which this metal usually occurs, and is composed of 81 f grains of quicksilver to 18 \ grains of sulphur. It does not usually occur free, but there are a few instances where it does. It usually occurs in veins of soft talcose rock, and in serpentine districts, but the Ivanhoe and Oat Hill are exceptions, for in them it often occurs associated with sandstone, and so closely that it can not be detected until a metallic sub- stance has been rubbed harshly against it, when the cinnabar is seen by the red streak left upon the rock. Minerals. — We will now pass to the consideration of the minerals that are to be found in Napa County. Quartz. — Quartz or silica is the most widely diffused of all the minerals which go to make up the surface of the earth. It is found of every shade of color, owing to the readiness with which it combines with other sub- stances. Beautiful specimens of quartz crystals are to be found in all the mining section around and above Calistoga, and those taken from the Sil- verado Mine, referred to above, are among the choicest to be found in California. Feldspar. — This substance enters largely into the composition of the earth's crust, and differs from quartz in having a regular cleavage, a pearly luster, and in being somewhat softer than the latter. When this mineral is decomposed it forms a clay called kaolin, much used in the manufacture of pottery. Common brick clay is impure, decomposed feldspar, and the color is due to the oxyd of iron in the clay. There are several localities where brick clay, as well as potter's, is found in Napa County. Limestone. — This very valuable mineral occurs in Napa County in quite extended quantities and in many localities. A ledge of it extends from the northern end of Berryessa Valley, across the upper end of Pope Valley, and thence into Lake County. Some of this will burn to good advantage, the re- sult being a fair quality of quick-lime. There seems to be an impression that a rock is not limestone unless it will burn and make lime. Such an idea will mislead any one, for there are large bodies of true limestone which will not make lime at all. Limestone is the carbonate of lime. Gypsum. — The sulphate of lime occurs in several localities in Napa County, beginning at the lower end of Berryessa Valley and extending across the range to the lower end of Chiles Valley. It is a firm, solid, heavy rock, and easily acquires quite a polish, and as readily loses it when exposed to the action of the atmosphere. Hornblende. — This is a tough mineral, generally dark colored, and occurs everywhere in rocks of volcanic origin, and in some of the older slates and 30 History of Napa and Lake Counties — Napa. in syenite. It is found in small quantities in Napa County in connection with serpentine. Talc. — This is the softest mineral given in the scale of hardness, and has an unctious or oily feeling. It is in talcose rock, mostly, that cinnabar is found, hence it can be seen in any of the quicksilver mines in the county, except, perhaps, the Oakville. Serpentine. — This occurs in its massive form in many sections of Napa County, especially near Knoxville, and the Phoenix Mine. It is a grayish color, and may be easily discerned by the smooth, almost oily surface of it. It is mottled by the chromate of iron. None of the finer varieties, such as verd-antique, are met with here. Shale. — Shale occurs in large quantities in Napa County, and may be seen in most of the road cuts along the mountain sides, notably in the grade up St. Helena. It is formed from clay, which is hardened into rock by pressure and chemical action, together with a species of crystalization which occurs in the mineral base of the clay. Silicious shale is the most common, if not the only kind to be found in Napa County. Sulphur. — This substance is to be found everywhere in Napa County in composition with other minerals, and in many of the springs of the county, notably the White Sulphur, near St. Helena, and the Hot Springs at Calistoga. Soda, — This mineral, in the form of carbonates, sulphates and chlorides, is to be found in connection with the waters of many springs in the county, such as the Napa Soda and the Walter Springs. Ammonia. — This substance is developed in large quantities in the pro- cess of reducing the ores of the Oat Hill Mines. Goal. — Coal of a good quality has been found in Browns Valley, the vein being four and a half feet thick, but for some cause it has never been advantageously worked. It is not a true coal, however, but is brown or lignitic, and not well adapted to economical purposes. It is sometimes stated that the coal of this State, and, in fact, all coal, is the product of petroleum — that is, asphaltum hardened into the condition in which it now appears — but such is not the case. There has only been, so far, one locality discovered where such a coal occurs, and that is in Albert County, Canada, and the coal is known as Albertite. Petroleum. — This very useful substance occurs almost all over Napa County in greater or less quantities, being present in all the mineral springs and in many of the pure water springs. On Mr. Cutler's place, north-west of Napa City a short distance, there is quite a considerable quantity of it to Geography, Name, Topography, Geology, Etc. 31 be found, and Professor Denton visited the locality and gave it a careful examination, and pronounced the showing good for a paying yield. Pro- fessor Denton's theory of the source of petroleum will not be without inte- rest to the readers of our work in this connection. It has always been a mooted question as to what was the true origin of petroleum, many holding that it was the oil of those monster animals which infested the earth during the Carboniferous and subsequent ages of the world. Others held that it was the product of coal, and was closely allied thereto, having been driven out of the coal beds by the force of pressure and heat. Then there were a number of other ideas not worthy of record here, but interesting only as adornments to the great curiosity shop of the theories and vagaries of man- kind. The Professor's solution of the problem is, that the oil is a deposit made by a species of coral insect which existed in the Silurian and Devonian seas, and known as the favosite. They constructed their coral in the shape and style of a honey-comb, and filled the cells with an oily substance. In the course of time other ages deposited their formations upon these beds of coral, and the weight of superincumbent matter crushed these cells and lib- erated the oil. The limestones of the Devonian and Sub-Carboniferous periods were not porous enough to retain the oily matter, nor were the coal fields of the Carboniferous age. The Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous systems all contain rocks too compact to retain the oil, though it is probable that it remained in the sandstones of them all until crushed out by the weight of the upper layers of the earth's structure. In the Tertiary the sandstone is coarse and porous, and well adapted to receive the oil, and as there has not been such a great amount of matter deposited upon this formation, it is there that it is to be found. In substantiation of the asser- tion that the oil was formed by the favosites, the Professor states that he has often found the cells of this insect filled with the pure oil in Pennsyl- vania and West Virginia. It is evident that the oil came from somewhere, and that it was formed by some law of nature, and the thing to do is to decide what is the most feasible theory. The above seems to be that theory, and we incline to believe in its truthfulness, but leave our readers to believe whatsoever may seem best to them. Basalt and Trap. — Passing into the realm of volcanic action, we find basalt and trap rock as the two best representatives of these rocks. They are hard, compact, and basalt is well adapted to the uses of man. They occur in greater or less quantities all over Napa County. Tufa and Scoria. — These substances, which result from volcanic action, are found scattered all over the face of Napa County in rank profusion. They are useless in an economic view. Obsidian. — This is another volcanic substance, and resembles bottle glass 32 History of Napa and Lake Counties — Napa. very much. A mountain of it exists north-east of St. Helena. It was used extensively by the Indians in the manufacture of arrow and spear heads. SPRINGS. — Napa County is noted far and wide for the abundance and variety of the Springs within its limits, they being both mineral and pure, cold and thermal. From every mountain side beautiful streams of water gush forth and find their way to the nearest brooklet, where their united rivulets form into a beautiful babbling stream, that sings a merry song as it dances over the pebbly bed, or leaps like a merry-hearted school girl, from rock to rock, in its gleeful chase to the valley below. The water from these springs is soft, pure and sweet, and it is truly a delight to quench one's thirst with the pearly draught. The flow of these springs vary from a few gallons to enormous quantities per day. The water is very useful for the purpose of irrigation, and is much used for that. The mineral springs of Napa County are worthy an extended notice, and the reader is referred to the Township histories, where full and complete sketches will be found of them all; but here only an outline will be given. These springs are divided into two general classes, thermal and cold, and the hot sulphur springs at Calistoga, and the ^Etna Springs afford fine illustrations of the former, while the Napa Soda and Walter's Springs represent the latter. Soda, iron, sulphur and magnesia, are the principal minerals contained in all these springs, their peculiarities existing only on account of the amount of each in the individual springs. TIMBER. — While Napa County is not pre-eminently a timbered section, yet almost all varieties of wood that are indigenious to this section of Cal- ifornia may be found within its limits. As many of the conifer xe which grow in California are represented in Napa County, we append the following list, more as a matter of reference than anything else, feeling that it will serve a good purpose for all of our readers who are at all observing of the different trees which grow in their county : — 1. Picea nobilis, a magnificent tree, growing up to two hundred feet in height, flourishing principally in the Shasta Mountains. It has dark green leaves, which appear silvery underneath. It yields excellent timber, and is cultivated largely in Europe for ornamental purposes, being grown there from the seed. 2. Picea amabilis, a similar tree, growing especially near Truckee, where large forests of them exist, called by lumbermen red fir ; it has, however, different cones and lighter foliage than the fir. 3. Picea grand is, a fine tree, rising up to two hundred feet in height, called by lumbermen white or balsam fir. The lumber is, however, not %phy, Name, Topography, Geology, Etc. 33 much esteemed, being soft and coarse-grained ; but it is exceedingly hand- some as an ornamental tree. 4. Picea cracteata, perhaps the handsomest of all conifers. It is found growing in the Santa Lucia Mountains, Monterey and San Luis Obispo Counties. It is a tree of surpassing beauty, and highly esteemed in England, where young trees of this species are growing. The seed is extremely valuable, on account of the fact that many years pass by before the cones become perfect and produce seeds capable of germination. There is in San Luis Obispo County a grove of one hundred of these trees, worth a trip any time to see. Nowhere else are many found. Unless this grove is protected 'it will soon become extinct, as no young trees are growing in it. The tree would seem to have ceased to reproduce itself here. It must have aid and protection. No one has laid eyes on the handsomest cone-bearer who has not been so fortunate as to look up at the Picea cracteata, the beautiful tree, as they call it in Europe, where they consider it a rare gem. 5. Abies Douglasii, a most valuable tree of California, growing easily in almost any soil, excellent for timber, and found largely in Northern Cali- fornia and north to British Columbia. 6. Abies Menziesii, and seventh, Abies Williamsonii, grow chiefly in northern California. The lumber is used only for rough purposes, and is not very valuable. The first four are of the true firs, while the fifth, sixth, and seventh are the spruces of the coast. 8. Pinus Lambertiana, the sugar-pine, the grandest tree of the country cultivated in northern Europe now, largely because of its excellent timber qualities, and most of the growth there is from seeds sent from here, especially from British Columbia, and by the Hudson Bay Company during the last twenty-five years. 9. Pinus Jeffreyii, a beautiful pine growing especially thick near Carson, Nevada. It is esteemed highly in Europe because of its foliage, its usefulness for lumber, and its applicability for ornamentation, and because it will grow upon the meanest soil. It reaches an average height of one hundred and fifty feet. It is one of the hardiest of evergreens It has large cones, with pyramidal hooked scales. 10. Pinus Gonlteri, found only in the Coast Range ; rises about sixty or seventy feet; distinguished as having the heaviest cones of any of the family of conifers. 11. Pinus Manchesteri, named after the Duke of Manchester, who dis- covered it in the Yosemite Valley. Botanists believe it to be only a variety of Pinus ponclerosa. It has, however, larger cones. 12. Pinus tuberculata, a small evergreen found mainly in the Shasta Mountains. The cones do not, often, open for years, and in order to get out 34 History of Napa and Lake Counties — Napa. the seeds a high degree of heat has to be applied, such are the resinous qualities of the cone. 13. Pinus insignis, the Monterey pine, one of the handsomest of the whole species. It has beautiful light green foliage, which is too tender for Europe, where it fails under cultivation. 14. Pinus ponderosa, or heavy wooded pine. It is the pitch-pine of the mountains above the altitude of four thousand feet. 15. Pinus monticola, grows at an altitude of from six thousand to eight thousand feet. It is a tall and erect sugar pine, and is used largely for railroad ties because of its durability. 16. Pinus aristata, grows rarely in California. It is called the awned- cone pine. Some of the trees are to be found near the Calaveras Grove. It reaches fifty or sixty feet in height. 17. Pinus eoncorta, an exceedingly tough wood, and does not rot. It has recently been introduced into Europe. Douglas found it on swamp ground on this coast, near the ocean. It is found in many northern parts of the continent. It is very hardy. 18. Pinus edulis, a small tree found largely in the lower country, and yielding edible nuts. 19. Sequoia gigantea, the big trees of California. Its synonym is Wellingtonia gigantea, and it is also known as Washingtonia gigantea, The cones are described as about two inches long, ovate, terminal, solitary, and with numerous prickled stipitate scales. The honor of the discovery of the great trees is in dispute, as is also the derivation of the name sequoia. 20. Sequoia semperviren. This is the half-brother of that last named, and is the redwTood tree of the coast. 21. Libocedrus decurrens is the California white cedar. The trees grow very large, reaching a height of two hundred feet. It is excellent timber for use underground. Many of the trees are affected by dry-rot. 22. Cujiressus fragrans, or the fragrant cypress. It grows principally in Oregon, and is there called the ginger pine, because of its aromatic flavor. It is a fine wood, and is used largely in the best furniture in Oregon. Of the conifeiw mentioned in the above list, let us see what ones are indigenous to Napa County. Beginning with the coast or common red- wood (Sequoia semperuirens) , we find that it grows all along the range of mountains west of Napa Valley, and also on Howell Mountain. It would seem a little strange that this tree should be found on the mountains of the Mayacamas range south of Mount St. Helena, and not north of it. In an early day there was quite an amount of milling done among the redwoods of this county, especially in the cafion above Dr. Hitchcock's place, where there were no less than three sawmills. The next coniferce in importance is the yellow fir (Abies WiUiamsonii), Geography, Name, Topography, Geology, Etc. 35 which is found all over Napa County in greater or less quantities. It makes excellent lumber, and several mills have been engaged chiefly in working this timber. It is used very extensively, also, in timbering up mines. It grows tall and straight, and makes a beautiful tree. A congener, white fir (Pieea grandis), grows sparsely in Napa County. It is, however, a much more beautiful tree than the red fir, growing lithe and straight to a lofty height, and having a fine, smooth, light-colored bark, not so very dissimilar to the ash. The stranger would choose it every time in preference to the red fir, for economical purposes, but great would be his surprise to find at the end of a year that his beatiful tree was nought but ashes, as it were, that length of time being sufficient to almost entirely rot the whole body of the tree. H»3rVw3o Another congener is the red fir (Picea amabilis), commonly known by the name of Oregon pine, but which is really not a pine at all. This is not so generally spread over the county as either of the other two brothers, and is not considered as good lumber here as it is farther north, although it is prized for its toughness, but not for its durability or fineness of grain, in both of which qualities it is sadly lacking. Of the remaining coniferce the sugar pine (Pinus Lambertiana) is by far the most important, and is in fact the only kind of pine that can be used at all for economic purposes. It is the choicest of all soft woods which grow upon the Pacific Slope. Its fiber is compact, and its grain fine, while it works very easily, and beyond the fault of " season checking " is altogether a desirable lumber. It is used principally for doors, sash, blinds, counters, shelving, and similar purposes. While it does not grow to any extent in Napa County, some good trees of it have been found on Mount St. Helena, and in that vicinity. The California white cedar {Libocedrus decwrens), is found quite ex- tensively scattered over the surface of Napa County, though it is getting much scarcer than in the earlier days of the county. It is a beautiful tree, growing to a good height, with stately proportions. It was much sought after by the early settlers from the fact that it worked so easily. The last coniferw that we shall mention as being indigenous to Napa County is the heavy coned pine, commonly known as the " Digger " or " bull pine " (Pinus Coulter i). It is a scraggy, worthlesss tree, and is fit for nothing except kindling wood or cheap firewood. Its cones are very large, and contain large quantities of nuts, which in olden times the In- dians used to relish very much, hence the name " Digger Pine." There is a great amount of pitch in the cones, and the Indians would build a fire and hold them over it till the pitch was melted and the nuts thus released. These cones are now the delight of the camping party in the mountains, and many happy hours are spent in the early night aro.und the cheerful and high blazing fire which they are famous for making. 36 History of Napa and Lake Cotmties — Napa. Of the other varieties of trees which grow in >»apa the chestnut oak (Quercus densirlcn-a), is the most important, as it is from this tree that the tan-hark is derived. Quite large bodies of it grow in the mountains in the upper end of the county, and large quantities of bark are exported an- nually. The wood is good for fuel only. The laurel (Oreodaphne OalifarnUsa) is a wood much prized for veneer- ing and ornamental purposes, and some very fine trees of it are to be found in Napa County, it being pretty generally distributed all over this section of the State. The live oak (Querent tnrens) is the most numerous of any of the oaks which grow in Napa County, but its chief use is for firewood. It is con- sidered the best wood for fuel that grows upon the coast, and always com- mands the highest prices in the markets where it is offered for sale. It is to be found on all the mountain sides in the county. There are several other varieties of oak, such as the black, white, valley, etc., in the county, but none are of any importance except for firewood, and some of them are not to be praised very much for even this purpose. Probably the widest diffused tree and of the least value in Napa County is the madrona (Arbutus Mmziesii). It is to be found in all the moun- tains, and the traveler becomes so accustomed to seeing its face that he really falls in love with it. Quite a considerable alder (Alnus) grows along the streams of the county, and is useful for nothing except light, summer firewood. There is occasionally a white ash (Fraxinus alba) and rarely a white poplar (Popu- lus alba) growing on the mountain sides, but not in any bodies. Passing from trees to shrubs we find the manzanita growing everywhere in the mountains, its bright red bark and deep green leaves contrasting beautifully, and producing a charming effect on the landscape. Here and there, in clumps and clusters, the buckeye (jEscvZus porta) grows all over the county, and in time of blooming they make the air redolent with rich perfume. Another shrub, which is the chief of all the flowering shrubs in the county, is the azalea, which is found along the banks of almost all the mountain streams. It is a member of the rhododendron family, and its flower is white. During the time of its first fresh blooming it presents a very handsome appearance, the flowers being almost as pure and wax-look - in<* as orange blossoms. All over the mountains there is a shrub called chemisal (pronounced chemeese), with which every citizen of the county is familiar. It is useless for any purpose, and grows so dense in places that even a mountain sheep is bothered to find its way through it. The wild hazel grows quite commonly all over the county, but does not seem to be so prolific a bearer of nuts as its Eastern congener, nor do the bush or hull look quite like those found at the East. Wild grapes are found in great Geography, Name, Topography, Geology, Etc. 37 profusion in the mountains of Napa County, but they are small and sour, with an excessively large seed, hence are unfit for use. The poison oak is found all over the mountains and is well known, to the sorrow of many pleasure seekers. There are other trees and shrubs growing in Napa County, such as the willow, pepper-wood, etc., but those of any importance have been mentioned above. There is one other shrub, however, which deserves special mention, the holly {Ilex opaca). It is commonly known as the bear-berry, from the fact that the berries were a favorite relish of Bruin's, in the days of his free ramblings over these mountains. The shrub grows in height from three to ten feet, the leaves are glossy and bright green, and the berries turn a beautiful red about midwinter, and are used much for purposes of adorn- ment for festive occasions during the holidays. The berries soon wither and lose their beauty, however, after they are severed from the parent stem. SOILS. — The soil of Napa County may be divided into five classes, viz : argillaceous, adobe, loam, lava and tule. The first named is the result of the decomposition of sandstones and shales, and fine examples of it may be seen on all those mountain sides in the eastern portion of the county where there are sandstone outcroppings or boulders. Ordinarily it is not very productive, but is good for grasses and cereals, as much silica is re- quired in the production of straw. Fruits and vegetables do not do so well here. It will be noticed that Berryessa and Chiles Valleys are pre- eminently adapted to the growing of grain, and it is owing to this quality of the soil. When loam and argillaceous soils are well mixed, a compound is formed which is well adapted to the growing of fruits, vegetables and cei-eals. Thus it will be observed that the former thrive best near the banks of streams ; while cereals may grow as rank, if not ranker, here, yet the quality of flour will not be equal to that grown further back, and upon the purely sandy soil. The soil that we find now upon the surface of the country is but the result of the decomposition of the underlying rocks. As we said above that argillaceous soil is found in sandstone sections, so we must look for the next variety, adobe, in limestone sections. We find adobe soil in Napa County on the west side of Putah Creek in Berryessa Valley, in spots all over Chiles and Pope Valleys, and near the foot of St. Helena, and in Brown's Valley. It is a stiff, cold and disagreeable soil, and one that- is not easily worked. In the winter, when it is wet, it is tenacious, and sticks to a plow-share so as to almost preclude its being worked ; and in the sum- mer season it is full of widely yawning cracks which seem ready to engulf anything that may pass over it. Cereals thrive upon it, but it will be no- 38 History of Napa and Lake Counties — Napa. ticed that the straw is always short, owing to the lack of silica in it as a straw-builder. It is common in the adobe sections to mix sand with it, to reduce it to a compound that will grow vegetables and flowers in gardens. The berry of the wheat is always very plump and full, owing to the fact that in the soil there is a large quantity of the phosphate of lime, which is a great berry -builder in grain. The flour will be always dark and heavy, and is not a favorite with the thrifty housewife, who prides herself upon white and spongy bread. It makes, however, rich food ; and when ground into graham flour, is a great up-builder of bone and brain. We now come to the consideration of the best of all soils to be found in the county, namely, loam. This is found in all the valleys of Napa County, especially in the broad and beautiful Napa Valley. It is composed of the sedimentary deposit which is washed down from the mountains and country above, and is thus composed of all the various kinds of soil that are to be found in the region over which the stream passes. It is hence well adapted to the growing of all kinds of vegetables, cereals and fruits. It is a rich alluvium, and is much sought after by the agriculturalist. Tule soil is composed of decaying vegetation, roots, sediment, guano, detritus, and whatever else may have been borne down on the bosom of the stream. Much of this soil is to be found from Napa City southward, and along the margin of the bay. It is very rich and productive where the water can be kept off from it. Much of it in this county is so charged with salt from the overflow of the tides of the bay that it is not very pro- ductive. Where such is not the case, it produces vegetables in great profu- sion, and grows fruits and cereals quite well. We now come to the consideration of the last characteristic soil of Napa County, that formed from lava. This is produced by the decomposition of lava and other volcanic products, and it may be seen on almost all of the mountain sides of the county. It is characterized by its strong shades of color, being mostly red or yellow, owing to the presence of the oxyds of iron in it. It is, however, sometimes white, as the result of decomposed volcanic ash, again it is bluish, and is veiy often quite spotted. There is also a greenish soil formed from decomposed serpentine. This volcanic soil is spoken of generally b}r the residents of the county as chemisal lands, and it is claimed that it is excellent for the production of vines. Large tracts of it are being planted into vineyards on Howell Mountain. Should these vineyards prove a success, there is a large amount of this class of land yet available in Napa County for the same purpose, and the future yield of the vine will be something wonderful to contemplate, when all these red chemi- sal hill and mountain sides become thrifty vineyards. Thus have we noticed all the soils of Napa County, and noted what is produced to the best advantage in all of them, but it is not to be understood that we have Geography, Name, Topography, Geology, Etc. 39 stated all that will grow in the soils. It is well, however, for people to know the nature of the soil they are cultivating, and to study what is the best adapted to it. Money will be made by it. WATERCOURSES.— The watercourses of Napa County are small as a rule, but quite numerous, as may naturally be expected in a mountainous country. We will begin with Napa River and its tributaries. Napa Rivee. — This stream rises at the head of Napa Valley and at the western foot of Mount St. Helena, and flows in a south-eastern direction in a very sinuous course, and empties into Napa Bay, an arm of the San Pablo Bay. It is navigable as far up as Napa City, at which point the rise and fall of the tide is very considerable, being perhaps five feet on an average. This river serves as an outlet for the drainage of all the western portion of the county, and as the water-shed is quite extended and precipitous, over- flows are not uncommon, and large amounts of water are discharged into it in a very short time during a heavy storm. White Sulphur Creek. — Beginning at the source of Napa River, and passing southward, the first tributary of importance we come to is the above- named stream. It rises in the mountains west of the town of St. Helena, and flows eastward through the southern limits of that town, and thence into the Napa River. It is of no importance, however, except for drainage. Conn Creek. — This stream rises in Chiles Valley, and flowing westerly through Conn Valley empties into Napa River. It is a small creek, but quite a body of water is discharged through it. Dry Creek. — The next stream to the south is Dry Creek, so named on account of its being almost dry during the summer season. It rises in the mountains west of Yountville, and flows south-easterly and its waters are discharged into Napa River. Saco Creek. — This is a small stream which rises in the mountains east of the Napa Soda Springs, and flowing south-westerly debouches into the Napa River. Napa Creek. — This stream has its source in the mountains north-west of Napa City, and flows south-easterly, and unites with Napa River at Napa City. It carries a large body of water during the flood season, and it is from this stream that the city suffers the most during an overflow. Soscol Creek. — -This stream has its source in the mountains east of Thompsons' place, and flowing westerly, it passes through their farm and discharges into the Napa River. Carneros Creek. — This'is the last stream that empties into the Napa River. It rises in the range of mountains south-west or west of Napa City, 40 History of Napa and Lake Counties — Napa. flows south-easterly, and empties as above stated. It is also an inconsider- able sti-eam. Rector Creek. — Belonging to this system, but not emptying directly into Napa River, is the above named stream. It rises in the mountains north-east of Yountville, and flows in a westerly direction into Conn Creek. Putah Creek. — The drainage of Napa County is comprised in two general systems — the Napa River and the Putah Creek ; and what the former is to the western portion of the county, the latter is to the eastern. Putah Creek, or " Rio de las Putas," as the Spaniards used to call it, has its source far away in the summits of Mounts Cobb and St. Helena, in Lake County. Thence, it flows easterly, until near the Napa County line, when it trends to the southward, flowing in a southerly direction, through Berry- essa Valley. It then bends its course easterly, and flows through the rugged pass known as Putah Canon, to the plains of Solano County, and thence easterly to the Sacramento River. It is not navigable in any portion of it, but is a wild, fearful mountain stream in the winter season, assuming the proportions of a river. Eticura Creek. — This is a small stream which has its source in the mountains west of Knoxville, and flowing south-westerly, empties into Putah Creek. Pope Creek. — This is a stream of quite goodly proportions, and has its source in the mountains at the head of Pope Valley. Thence it flows south- easterly through that valley, and thence through a pass in the mountains to Putah Creek. Other Streams. — The above comprise all the watercourses of Napa County that are of any importance, except for drainage. They extend from the babbling brook in the mountains, to the considerable stream. Some of them are known by some local name but are not of enough importance to require a general name. Many of these are most beautiful streams, and are rilled with schools of finny beauties, especially trout. Truly, the disciple of old Isaak Walton can find an elyseum here. CLIMATOGRAPHY.— To write of the excellence of the climate of Napa Count}', would require the pen of a master. To say that it is lovely, salubrious, and to apply all the other adjectives expressing the optimism of it in the highest degree, would not portray it in overdrawn colors. Truly, this is the resort of the Goddess of Health. Here, with proper dietetic and hygienic habits, desease may become practically unknown. We will begin with the winter season and follow the year through, and try to portray to the reader what each season develops. The rains usually begin about the Geography, Name, Topography, Geology, Etc. 41 •month of November. The weather just previous has been quite cold, for California, and frost is no uncommon thing, especially in the valleys. But now a perceptible change occurs. The weather moderates cpiite consider- ably, and the frosty nights are not so common. When it rains here, it generally makes a business of it, and soon the dry and parched earth be- comes saturated. The vegetation begins to spring into newness of life, and the russet spots on the mountain sides are turned to green, and the entire face of the country assumes an emerald hue, presenting a prospect un- excelled anywhere. Then come days of sunshine and days of storm, days of beauty and days of dreariness, interspersed with each other, till the spring-time comes. Finally, the days of sunshine begin to be in the majority, and the rains are broken up into showers, until the April days come all smiles and tears, like the face of a maiden when the first flush of her new-born love breaks suddenly upon her innocent soul. The vegetation and foliage grows daily denser, and now the whole face of the land is fresh and green. The joyous birds are again swarming the woods in flocks, filling the air with their sweet melodies. These are the days of mating and nest-building, and man can learn both a lesson of love and industry from the merry songsters of the woods. The flowers begin now to peep forth ; first the violet, then the buttercups and daisies, poppies, etc. The trees are also full of bloom, har- bingers of the fruitage that is to come later, and to bless and cheer the heart of man. Spring-time wanes and early summer begins, and then comes the sweetest, loveliest days of the year. The world is now an emerald tapestry as far as the eye can reach. Mountain and vale, hill and dale, field and glade, fen and brake, meadow and fallow, all, all is of one and the same charming hue. Then comes to the sweet valleys of Napa County days of royal splendor, days when the unobstructed rays of an ascending sun fall in grand profusion upon a world of serenest beauty, days when the heart of man cannot help being exhilarated by the charming landscape, and the blood courses through his veins in the full and strong pulsations of re- newed health and vigor, and as he drinks in the pure air, redolent with the perfumes of many flowers, bracing and sparkling as champagne or the very elixir of life, he is brought to a full realization of the wonderful bounties he enjoys at the hands of a beneficent Providence, and is led to thank God that his lines have been cast in such pleasant places. Later on and the summer proper is upon us. The grass begins to sere on the mountainsides, beginning always at the lower end of the valley, and the russet spots thus formed contrast beautifully with the green of the shrubs and trees around them, being a landscape painted by the veritable brush of nature, and no human limner can begin to touch the scene with 42 History of Napa and Lake Counties — -Napa. the sweet and delicate tracings of this master artist. The sun now shines down upon the world from a zenith almost above our heads, and across its flood of radiant light never a hand breadth's cloud passes. The days are now quite, though not often uncomfortably warm, but the nights are truly har- bingers of paradise itself. The trade winds now sweep up from the ocean, cool and refreshing, and bearing comfort to the fevered valleys upon their wings. Across the lower end of the valley they blow quite strongly, and are, sometimes, in a measui-e, disagreeable, but farther up their sharp chill has been exhausted, and they become gentle zephyrs, which must be en- joyed to be fully appreciated. The nights are cool and cheerful, and weary humanity lies down to sound and refreshing slumber, and awakes rested and happy, to go forth and witness charming sunrises, and to breathe de- licious and exhilarating air. Last of all comes the autumn — the season of fruitage. It is the dying of the year, but the lines of the poet — " The melancholy days have come The saddest of the year," Is not at all true in this section of the State of California, at least. The air that has been so light and pure for the past several months, begins to be filled with haze, and a light film seems to rest on all the mountain sides, which serves in a measure to hide them from view. The air is just as balmy and delicious as it has been during the spring and summer, and more so, indeed, if such a thing were possible. The trade winds come in fitful gusts, veering occasionally to the south-east, betokening the coming storms of winter. Field and orchard are now groaning under their burden of ripened grain and fruit, and the husbandman is reaping in plenteous measure the reward of his summer's toil, and basking in the sunny smiles of Fortune, he cannot but be happy. Farther south each day recedes the declining sun, and shorter and shorter grow the days, betokening that the winter solstice is fast approaching with its meed of storm and rain. And so the years go by in this Arcadia of the Pacific, gliding along in a merry round, made up of but little shadow and storm, but much of sunshine and joy. Thrice blest is he whose home is here ; blest in health, blest in climate, and blest in the thrifty products of a rich and fertile soil. What more but the love of wife and children to bless his home and heart, and the love of God in that heart to make him thankful to the Author of all our good, to make a man supremely blest, supremely happy, and supremely con- tent with his lot in life ! There are some shadows to the picture, however, else it would not be a true portrait of things as they exist in this world. Lights and shadows make up all the pictures in- this life, and he who blends them most har- NATHAN COOMBS. Geography, Name, Topography, Geology, Etc. 43 moniously is he who best adapts himself to his environments, and derives the best and sweetest pleasures from his earthly living. Perhaps the darkest shadow in the picture is the fog, which at times envelopes the whole valley in a dense cloud, rendering the early morning hours damp and disagreeable, but it seldom continues through the day. These fogs of course are more common in the winter season than in the summer. Then there are trade winds, which are sometimes rather too sharp and chilly for comfort. That scourge of California, the north wind, sometimes comes howling down from his home in the upper regions, and gives the people of these delightful valleys a test of his withering strength, but, fortunately, these occasions are rare. But all in all, the lights are far in the ascendency of the shadows, and at the end of the year, when a retrospect is had, the latter pass into such utter insignificance that they are lost sight of altogether. There are some remarkably healthful sections in Napa County. When the Branch Asylum was about to be located, a committee visited all sections of the State, and determined upon Napa Valley as presenting all the advantages of a health- ful climate ,and hence it was located here. Lately a State Commission has been casting about for a suitable place to establish a sanitarium for con- sumptives, and Atlas Peak is spoken of by them as being most favorably located for the purposes required, and it is quite probable that this institu- tion will be established at that place. Added to the excellent, healthful and charming climate of Napa County, is the fact that there are many health resorts, and the hundreds who annually flock to them attest the appreciation in which they are held by the suffering humanity of the State at large, and especially of San Francisco. We will close this notice by serving it all up in one word — desideratum. 44 History of Napa and Lake Counties — Napa. INDIANS OF NAPA COUNTY. The beautiful valleys and mountain recesses of Napa County afforded a grand home for the aboriginal tribes. Here they swarmed in great num- bers, went through the drama of life, birth, consorting and death with stolid indifference. How far back in the course of time this race extends, whence came their progenitors, no man knoweth. If, as some scientists state, the very first evidences of the human race appear on the Pacific Coast (at Angel's Camp, Tuolumne County), why should we doubt that they are not the descendants of this primitive race ? Wars, disease, natural phenomena and other causes may have conspired to destroy the original race from the face of the earth, or it may have remained for the pale-faced progeny of a kindred, yet far removed race, to do the final act in the great drama of their existence as a race. Be all this as it may, the great fact still remains, that when the Whites came to this coast they found it inhabited with a race of copper-colored people of peculiar physique and habits, differing very much indeed from their brothers of the East, the Algonquins. Napa Valley was no exception to the general rule, but was infested by a horde of these rude barbarians. To describe these people, their habits and customs, will be the province of this chapter. H. H. Bancroft, in his excellent work, " Native Races of the Pacific Coast," states, giving Mr. Hittell as authority, that there were originally six different tribes living in Napa Valley, designating them as follows : Maya- comas, Calajomanas, Caymus, Napas, Ulucas, and Suscols. He also gives, on the authority of Mr. Taylor, the Guenocks and Tulkays, but does not give the location or tribal boundaries of any of these people. Mr. Menefee, in his " Sketch Book," gives Mr. George C. Yount, who arrived among the Indians of Napa Valley as early as 1831, as authority for there being six tribes of them here, designated as above, and he locates them as follows : The Mayacomas tribe dwelt near the Hot Springs, now Calistoga ; the Cal- ajomanas on the lands now known as the Bale Rancho, near St. Helena ; the Caymus on the Yount grant, near the present site of Yountville; the Napas occupied the Mexican grant of Entre Napa, that is, the lands between Napa River and Napa Creek ; the Ulucas on the east side of Napa River, and near Don Cayatano Jaurez's rancho ; and the Suscols had ther habita- tions in the vicinity of Thompsons' place. Indians of Napa County. 45 Of the two tribes mentioned above, as noted by Mr. Taylor, the Guen- ocks had their home in the valley of that name in Lake County, and the location of the Tulkays is unknown to the writer. It will be observed that no mention is made in the above lists of any tribes who dwelt in Pope, Chiles or Berryessa Valleys. These valleys were filled with Indians, how- ever, no less than six very large rancherias being in Berryessa Valley alone. We regret that we are unable to place on record the names of these people, but all knowledge of them seems to have passed away. We will now take a cursory glance at these people as they were in their primitive state. Truly they wei-e a primitive people when the white set- tlers first began coming to the valley. What a race of people that hardy old pioneer, George C. Yount, must have found in possession of this fair valley when he first entered it ! These people did not differ essentially from the other tribes in this section of the State, presenting very similar physical characteristics, habits and customs to those of the central portion of the State. They were of medium stature, broad shouldered, strong, lazy, filthy, and vagabondish generally. Nature had provided with a lavish hand for her children in this favored valley, and all they had to do was to reach forth their hands, pluck and eat. No vain ambitions lured them on in the great race of life. No baubles of riches enticed them into hardships of labor, either mental or physical. Theirs only to exist and die. Whence or why they came upon the stage of action, it was not theirs to inquire ; and " whither are we drifting?" was a question over which they stopped not to puzzle their dull brains. And who shall say that they were not as happy in their listless life as are we of the higher tjrpe who wrestle with the in- evitable almost from our infancy to our dotage ? From an ethical stand- point, and viewing the matter through the lenses of our education, of course we would say that their lives were worse than wasted ; and when they van- ished before the overwhelming tide of civilization, the world was rid of so much garbage. But it is the old stor}' of the man and the lion repeated : seeing a picture of a man, the man remarked to the lion that " there stood the lord of creation." The lion asked who painted the picture, to which the man replied, " a man did." "Ah ! " said the lion, " it makes all the dif- ference in the world who paints the picture of the lord of creation. I should have painted a lion." And so it is in this case. Indian ethics are not our ideas of duty to self or man ; and it is not improbable that they lived up to the light they had on that subject quite as near as do their suc- cessors. These people lived in wickeups, which were very small huts made of the boughs of trees, or in thatched lodges, which were huts of a larger pat- tern, and constructed of poles stuck into the ground in a circular shape, and the tops all bent to a common center and fastened, and the sides were cov- 46 History of Napa and Lake Counties — Napa. ered with thatched wild swamp grass. The climate was so mild that little or no fire was required beyond the purposes of cooking, and this latter art was not a very general custom among them. Raw flesh was as good, if not better to them, than the cooked article. In the matter of clothing they were very indifferent, the males generally roaming about perfectly nude, while the women wore a small protection about the waist, made of the fibres of bark, or grass, or tule stalks. Of their language, but little is left. Here and there a word has fastened itself upon some ranch or town, and will be handed down through at least a few generations. Thus we have Napa, Tulucay, Caymus, Soscol and a few others. Their language was a deep gutteral, resembling in many respects that now spoken by the Chinese, though we will not venture the assertion that there is any relation existing between the two tongues. As their general habits, customs, legends, etc., were so nearly like those so fully described in the body of this work, in the history of Lake County, we will refer the reader to that chapter for a f ui-ther consideration of the matter. It was stated by Mr. Yount, that there were in Napa and Lake Counties some ten or twelve thousand when he arrived in the country, and of this number, from one-third to one-half were in Napa County. A short half cen- tury has sufficed to see them become so entirely extinct that the sight of an Indian has become a great rarity. And what has done this ? Disease was the prime cause, for it is stated that the cholera took them off' by thousands in 1833 ; and it is said that they died so fast that the living were unable to care for the dead. Whole tribes became extinct, it being reported by a traveler on the Sacramento River, that all of one tribe died within a few days except one little girl. Then came war and its kindred calamities as another great decimator of their ranks. Contact with civilization had much to do with it also. Soon after the Whites came among them, prostitution became general, and the women quit bearing children, and the tribes gradually died oft* and no young ones grew up to take the places of the old ones. Truly, it seemed a matter of destiny, for it was impossible for the two races to exist in contingency. Mr. Cronise states that the Mission system had much to do with the degradation and final extinction of the Aborigines, but as there never was a Mission in this valley, nor were the Indians of this section ever subject to a Mission, except, possibly, in a very general way, this charge will not hold good here, and the Indians seemed to have dis- appeared here about as soon as anywhere else. Their great " cure all " was the sweat-bath which was taken in the " sweat-house," which institution was to be found in every rancheria. A fire was lighted in the center and the patient taken into the " sweat-house " and kept at a high stage of perspiration for sevei-al hours ; he then rushed out and plunged into a bath of cold water, and the result can be imagined, Indians of Napa County. 47 without stating that it ultimately proved fatal. Some years ago a gentle- man in Lake County paid a visit to one of these " sweat-houses " during a festal occasion, and he thus graphically gives his experience, which we reproduce here, although it first appeared in the Napa Reporter, and was copied thence into Mr. Manifee's " Sketch Book." We will give it for the benefit of those of our readers who have not had an opportunity of reading it before. It is too good to be lost, and will surely bear repeating. It is as follows : " A sweat-house is of the shape of an inverted bowl, and is generally about forty feet in diameter at the bottom, and is built of strong poles and branches of trees, covered with earth to prevent the escape of heat. There is a small hole near the ground, large enough for Diggers to creep in one at a time ; and another at the top to give out the smoke. When a dance is to occur, a large fire is kindled in the center of the edifice, and the crowd assembles, the white spectators crawling in and seating themselves anywhere out of the way. The apertures, both above and below, are then closed, and the dancers take their positions. " Four and twenty squaws, en deshabille, on one side of the fire, and as many hombres, in puris naturalibus, on the other. Simultaneously with the commencement of the dancing, which is a kind of shuffling hobble-de- hoy, the ' music ' bursts forth. Yes, music fit to raise the dead. A whole legion of devils broke loose. Such screaming, shrieking, yelling and roaring was never before heard since the foundation of the world. A thousand cross-cut saws, filed by steam power — a multitude of tom-cats lashed to- gether and flung over a clothes line — innumerable pigs under a gate — all combined would produce a heavenly melody compared with it. Yet this uproar, deafening as it is, might possibly be endured, but another sense soon comes to be saluted. Talk of the thousand stinks of the City of Co- logne ! Here are at least forty thousand combined in one grand over- whelming stench, and yet every particular odor distinctly definable. Eound about the roaring fire the Indians go capering, jumping and screaming, with the perspiration streaming from every pore. The spectators look on until the air grows thick and heavy, and a sense of oppressing suffocation over- comes them, when they make a simultaneous rush at the door for self pro- tection. Judge their astonishment, terror and dismay to find it fastened securely — bolted and barred on the outside. They rush frantically around the walls in hope to discover some weak point through which they may find egress, but the house seems to have been constructed purposely to frustrate such attempts. More furious than caged lions, they rush bodily against the sides, but the stout poles resist every onset. Our army swore terribly in Flanders, but even my Uncle Toby himself would stand aghast were he here now. 48 History of Napa and Lake Counties — Napa. " There is no alternative but to sit down, in hopes that the troop of naked fiends will soon cease from sheer exhaustion. Vain expectation ! The uproar but increases in fury, the fire waxes hotter and hotter, and they seem to be preparing for fresh exhibitions of their powers. The combat deepens. On, ye brave ! See that wild Indian, a newly elected captain, as with glaring eyes, blazing face, and complexion like that of a boiled lobster, he tosses his arms wildly aloft as in pursuit of imaginary devils, while rivers of perspiration roll down his naked frame. Was ever the human body thrown into such contortions before ? Another effort of that kind, and his whole vertebral column must certainly come down with a crash ! Another such a convulsion, and his limbs will assuredly be torn asunder, and the disjointed members fly to the four points of the compass ! Can the human frame endure this much longer ? The heat is equal to that of a bake-oven ; temperature 500 degrees Fahrenheit ! pressure of steam 1000 pounds to the square inch ! The reeking atmosphere has become almost palpable, and the victimized audience are absolutely gasping for life. Millions for a cubic inch of fresh air ! Worlds for a drop of fresh water to cool the parched tongue ! This is terrible. To meet one's fate among the white caps of the lake, in a swamped canoe, or to sink down on the bald mountain's brow, worn out by famine, fatigue and exposure were glorious ; but to die here, suffocating in a solution of human perspiration, carbonic acid gas and charcoal smoke, is horrible ! The idea is absolutely appalling ! But there is no avail. Assistance might as well be sought from a legion of unchained imps, as from a troop of Indians, maddened by excitement. " Death shows his visage not more than five minutes distant. The fire glimmers away leagues off. The uproar dies into the subdued rumble of a remote cataract, and respiration becomes slower and more labored. The whole system is sinking into utter insensibility, and all hope of relief has departed, when suddenly, with a grand triumphal crash, similar to that with which the ghosts closed their orgies when they doused the lights and started in pursuit of Tarn O'Shanter and his old gray mare, the uproar ceases, and the Indians vanish through an aperture opened for that pur- pose. The half dead victims to their own curiosity, dash through it like an arrow, and in a moment more are drawing in whole buckets full of the cold, frosty air, every inhalation of which cuts the lungs like a knife, and thrills the system like an electric shock. They are in time to see the In- dians plunge headlong into the ice-cold water of a neighboring stream, and crawl out and sink down on the banks, utterly exhausted. This is the last act of the drama, the grand climax, and the fandango is over." Mexican Grants. 49 MEXICAN GRANTS. The Caymus Grant. — The first tract of land ever granted by the Mexi- can Government to parties in what is now known as Napa County, was ceded to that wonderful pioneer of 1831, George C. Yount. He was here when the whole domain lay in its virginity ; when the foot of white man had not even trod upon it, and his was the first to press it. The Cay- mus grant lies in the very heart of Napa Valley, and just east of where the present village of Yountville now stands, and was ceded to Mr. Yount by Nicolas Gutierrez, March 23, 1836. The grant comprised two square leagues. The petition for confirmation of title was filed before the Board of Land Commissioners May 26, 1852. This Board confirmed the title February 8, 1853, and the United States Courts re-confirmed it, or concurred in the action of the Board, July 7, 1855. The grant contains eleven thou- sand eight hundred and fourteen and fifty-two-hundredths acres. The Entre Napa Rancho. — This tract of land lay where Napa City now stands, and the grant was ceded to Nicolas Higuerra by Manuel Chico, May 9, 1836. The claim to eighty and forty-eight-hundredths acres of this grant was made before the Board of Land Commissioners by Nathan Coombs March 3d, 1853, and that body confirmed his title April 11, 1854. It was also confirmed by the Courts March 2, 1857. Rancho El Rincon de los Carneros. — This tract of land lay to the west- ward of Napa City, and came up to where a portion of the city now stands. It was granted to Nicolas Higuerra May 9, 1836, by Manuel Chico. The claim to it was filed before the Board of Land Commissioners by Julius Martin September 4, 1S52. The Board rejected the claim September 19, 1854. The decree of the Board was i-eversed September 2, 1856. This is a part of the Entre" Napa Rancho, and was bounded on the east side by the Napa River, and on the west by the Arroyo de los Carneros. The Court confirmed the title to this tract of land May 15, 1857, and it contains two thousand five hundred and fifty-seven and sixty-eight-hundredths acres. The Napa Rancho. — Salvador Vallejo, and his wife, Maria de la Luz Carrillo Vallejo, filed their claim before the Board of Land Commissioners March 3, 1853, for a title to the tracts of land known as Trancas and Jolapa, containing three thousand and twenty acres, more or less, being a 4 50 History of Napa and Lake Counties — Napa. part of the Napa Rancho granted to Salvador Vallejo February 21, 1838, by Juan B. Alvarado, Governor ad interim of Upper California, and ap- proved by the Departmental Assembly September 23, 1838. The claim was confirmed by the Board November 7, 1854, and it was confirmed by the Court February 23, 1857. Mrs. Vallejo's interest in the property was conveyed to her by Narciso Ramires May 12, 1851, and it covered three thousand one hundred and seventy-eight and ninety-three-hundredths acres. Julius K. Rose filed a claim before the Board of Land Commissioners March 2, 1853, for five hundred and ninety-four and eighty-three-hundredths acres of the Napa Rancho. His claim was confirmed by the Board Decem- ber 13, 1853, and the title was re-confirmed by the Court March 2, 1857. Angus L. Boggs filed his claim to a portion of the Napa Rancho March 2, 1853, before the Board of Land Commissioners. This claim was con- firmed by the Board April 11, 1854, and by the Court March 2, 1857. It contains three hundred and twenty and fifty-five-hundredths acres. The Yajome Rancho. — This tract of land was granted to Damaso Antonio Rodriguez March 16, 1841, by Juan B. Alvarado, then Constitu- tional Governor of the Department of the Californias, and approved by the Departmental Assembly May 18, 1841. Claim to this land was filed by Salvador Vallejo before the Board of Land Commissioners April 20, 1852, and the Board confirmed it February 21, 1853. The Court confirmed title to it February 9, 1857. It contained one and a half leagues, or six thousand six hundred and fifty-two and fifty-eight-hundredths acres. The Locoallomi Rancho. — This grant of land was made by Manuel Jimeno, Acting Governor of California, to Julien Pope, September 30, 1841, and embraced two leagues, or eight thousand eight hundred and seventy- two and seventy-three-hundredths acres. The heirs of Pope filed their claim to the grant before the Board of Land Commissioners March 2, 1853. August 1, 1854, the Board confirmed their title to it, and August 25, 1856, the Court also confirmed their title. This tract of land was located in what is now known as Pope Valley. The Tulucay RavcJw. — This tract of land lies just east of Napa City, and was granted to Cayetano Juarez by Manuel Jimeno October 26, 1841, and approved by the Departmental Assembly June 16, 1845. The claim to this land was filed with the Board of Land Commissioners March 23, 1852, and confirmed by the Board April 11, 1853, and also confirmed by the Court February 25, 1856. The rancho contains two leagues, or eight thousand eight hundred and sixty-five and fifty-eight-hundredths acres. Rancho Mallacomea or Mv/risfad y Plan de Aqua Caliente. — This was a four-league grant, which was made to Jose" Santos Berryessa October 14, Mexican Grants. 51 1843, by Manuel Micheltoreno. The claim to the tract was filed before the Board of Land Commissioners February 20, 1852, and confirmed by that body June 27, 1854, and by the Courts March 24, 1856. This ranch con- tained seventeen thousand seven hundred and forty-two and seventy-two- hundredths 'acres, and was situated near the head of Napa Valley, embracing the present site of Calistoga and the country adjacent thereto. Martin E. Cook and Rufus Ingalls as claimants to a portion of the above rancho, filed their petition before the Board of Land Commissioners February 28, 1853, and the Board confirmed their title to two square miles of it August 7, 1855. Their portion was located in the north-west part of the ranch, and comprised two thousand five hundred and fifty-nine and ninety-four-hundredths acres. An appeal was taken on the part of the United States, but was not prosecuted, and on the 16th day of April, 1857, the Court confirmed the title. Rancho de la Jote. — This grant of land was made by Manuel Michel- toreno to George C. Yount October 23, 1843, said grant to be one square league of land situated in Napa Valley. April 5, 1852, Mr. Yount, as claimant, filed his petition with the Board of Land Commissioners. Octo- ber 21, 1853, the Board rejected the claim. The claimant took an appeal in the matter, and it came before the District Court of the United States for the Northern District of California, for hearing, and it was ordered that the decree of the Land Commissioners be reversed, and that the claimant be given a valid title to one league and no more. This contained four thousand four hundred and fifty -three and eighty-four-hundredths acres. Las Pittas Rancho. — This is an enormous grant of land, comprising eight leagues, or thirty-five thousand five hundred and fifteen and eighty- two-hundredths acres, and is situated in and covers the most of Berry- essa Valley. It was granted to Jose- Jesus Berry essa and Sis to Berryessa, by Manuel Micheltoreno, November 3, 1843. The wives of the grantees, Maria Anastasia Higuerra de Berryessa and Maria Nicolosa Higuerra de Berryessa as claimants, filed their petition before the Board of Land Com- missioners May 21, 1852. Their claim was confirmed by the Board September 5, 1854, and confirmed by the Court August 13, 1855. The Huichica Rancho. — This grant was made to Jacob P. Leese in two parcels, as follows : First, for two leagues of land issued by Manuel Jimeno, October 24, 1841; second, for three and one-half leagues additional issued by Manuel Micheltoreno July 6, 1846. The title to the rancho was confirmed by the Board of Land Commissioners April 18, 1853, and by the Court April 22, 1856. It contained altogether eighteen thousand seven hundred and four and four-hundredths acres, and was situated to the south-west of Napa City. 52 History of Napa and Lake Counties — Napa. The Catacula Rancho. — This tract of land is located in Chiles Valley, and was granted to Col. J. B. Chiles by Manuel Micheltoreno November 9, 1844. Claim to this grant was filed before the Board of Land Commis- sioners April 21, 1852, and confirmed by it November 4, 1853. Confirmed by the Court August 13, 1855. It comprised two leagues or eight thousand five hundred and forty-five and seventy-two-hundredths acres of land. The Chimiles Rancho. — This grant was made to Ygnacio -Berryessa by Pio Pico May 2, 1842. William Gordon and Nathan Coombs, as claimants, filed their petition before the Board of Land Commissioners April 28, 1852, and the claim was confirmed April 11, 1853. Confirmed by the Court July 27, 1857. It comprised four leagues or seventeen thousand seven hundred and sixty-two and forty-four hundredths acres. The Gayne Humana Rancho. — This tract of land comprised the whole of Napa Valley lying north of the Caymus Rancho, and was granted to Dr. E. T. Bale. It has gone through all the legal processes, and a patent has been granted, but is not recorded; hence we are unable to give any further facts or dates in reference to it. m ^#;4w ^ General History and Settlement. 53 GENERAL HISTORY AND SETTLEMENT. " I hear the tramp of pioneera — Of nations yet to be ; The first low wash of wares, where soon Shall roll a living sea." " O'er the mountain's height, Like ocean in its tided might, The living sea rolls onward, on. And onward, on, the stream shall pour, And reach the far Pacific shore, And fill the plains of Oregon." Strange as it may seem, the first settler in Napa County was an American. The Spanish-Mexicans, who had been in California almost three quarters of a century before the discovery of gold, had visited all the border counties on the bay, and had settled on the best lands in them. This was also true of all the country south of San Francisco, but here and there an American, who had drifted far away from the environments of civilization, was living in isolation in this great country. Notable illustra- tions of this are Dr. Marsh, who settled in Contra Costa County as early as 1835. That brave old Scotchman, John Gilroy, who landed on the shores of California in 1813, and wended his way to the Santa Clara Valley soon afterwards, and George C. Tount, who settled in Xapa Valley as early as 1831, thus being the first settler in the valley. The Spaniards had visited the country long previous to this, but had made no settlement — at least none that extended for any length of time. In 1876, General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo delivered an address in Santa Rosa, of a historical character, in which he said : " Padre Jose Altimira and Don Francisco Castro went in June and July. 1S23. with an armed escort, under ensign Jose Sanchez, to select a proper site for a new Mission. Padre Altimira went on with his survey to Huichica, now the property of Messrs. Winter and Borel, and on the fifth day, after exploring the Napa Valley, ' bike to Sonoma in every respect,' the party climbed the ridge of Suysunes, now the property of Cayetano Juarez, where the State Insane Asylum stands, and there found stone of excellent quality, and so abundant that a new Rome might be built. Between 1840 and 1845, a considerable number of emigrant wagons arrived across the Sierras, bringing American 54 History of Napa and Lake Counties — Napa. families, and families of other nationalities, most of whom settled among us, and to whom these valleys owe much of their progress." A writer, in a work published by Smith & Elliot, in 1878, says : " In 1776 a fort was erected by the Spanish Governor, Felipe de Neve, a short distance north-west of Napa, on an elevated plateau. Part of the original fort is now standing, the wall being of adobe, and three feet in thickness. It is situated on the Rancho Viljo, and is occupied as a residence and wine cellar by J. J. Sigrist." We are obliged to take issue with this statement. We do not know the writer's authority, but are conversant with the history of the movements of the Spaniards in this part of California during that year. It was in 1776 that the first location was made at San Francisco, and the grant to the Mission is dated October 9th of that year. While waiting for the vessel to arrive, which had been dispatched with supplies, etc., excursions were made into the interior, and the circuit of the bay was made by way of San Jose", and far up the Alameda side. Another party crossed the strait at Saucelito, and passed as far northward as the Olom- poli Rancheria, south of Petaluma a few miles, where they taught the Indians how to make adobe houses, and one was erected which stood there until a very few years ago, when it was torn down. The writer has seen adobes from the old structure, which was evidently the first one ever built north of San Francisco Bay. But in none of the records of these excursions is any mention made of the erection of a fort at the place mentioned above. We should be glad to establish the fact if it were possible, and to confer, sub- stantiated, upon Napa County, the honor of having such an ancient relic of the Spanish regime within its boundaries, but a due regard for the truth prevents us from giving the statement unqualifiedly. As stated above, George C. Yount came into Napa Valley in February, 1831, and was thus the first permanent settler in the county. .He was piloted hither by a young man by the name of Guy F. Fling, or Flynn. This guide afterwards became a settler in the county also, but it is not known when he came here to locate permanently. Evidently, he did not remain with Yount at the time they came here in 1831. It is known that Flynn came to the State in 1825, and that he became more like an Indian than a white man, and that his last days were spent among the Indians, near Napa, he living in a little old house at their rancheria. He died hi 1872. After Mr. Yount arrived in the valley, he followed the occupation of hunting and trapping. In 1836 he built the first log house ever erected in California by an American. It was eighteen feet square below, with an upper story, which was twenty-two feet square, in which there were port holes, through which it often became 'necessary for him to defend himself from the savages, with which the valley then fairly swarmed. He obtained a grant to the Caymus Rancho, and lived there until his death, which oc- curred October 5th, 1865. General History and Settlement. 55 Next in order comes Don Cayetano Juarez, who came into the county as a permanent settler in 1840, although he had stock in the valley since 1837. In 1840 he built a small adobe house on his present place, the Tulucay Raneho, and brought his family from Sonoma, and has ever resided within sight of the City of Napa, and has seen a wilderness and jungle transferred into a beautiful city, and has seen the wild plains, on which Indians and wild animals roamed at will, changed into wide stretches of smiling grain. He still survives the storms of life, and is as hale and hearty as he was thirty years ago. The next settler in the county was Nicolas Higuerra, sometimes referred to as Jose Higuerra. It is not now known just what year he came in, but certainly previous to 1841. He located on the banks of the Napa Creek, about half a mile above its mouth, where he had a wicker house, plastered over with a thick coat of mud, and covered with a thatched roof of tule and grass. Here he lived, having a large family; the two daughters marrying the Berryessas, of the valley of that name. In 1839 Dr. E. T. Bale, an Englishman, obtained a grant to the Come Humana Raneho, and settled there some time afterwards. He married a sister of General Vallejo, and lived upon his immense estate, which in- cluded all of the Napa Valley north of the Caymus Raneho, until his death, in 1850. Salvador Vallejo obtained a grant to the Napa Raneho September 21, 1838, and subsequently erected a very large adobe house, north-west of Napa some three miles. It is not known now just when his settlement dates to, as he really made his home at Sonoma. In 1843 Jose" Jesus and Sisto Berry essa obtained a grant to the Las Putas Raneho, and shortly afterwards located upon it, constructing a large adobe house, which went to ruin, and a second one was built, a portion of which is still standing on the estate of Abraham Clark. In 1840 E. Barnett came to the valley, and remained with Mr. Yount till 1843, when he settled in Pope Valley. William (or Julien) Pope obtained a grant to the Raneho Locoallomi in September, 1841, and moved his family there in 1843, where he shortly after lost his life by an accident. He and William Gordon had come via Mexico, in which country Pope had married a native wife. She subsequently married the pioneer mentioned above, E. Barnett, who lived in Pope Valley until a few years ago, when he died. In 1844 William Baldridge arrived at Napa Embarcadero, and thence he proceeded to Yount's place, and is still residing near Oakville, a hale and hearty old pioneer. Bartlett Vines, son-in-law of Yount, crossed the plains with him, and came to Napa County at the same time, on board Captain Sutter's schooner " Sacramento." To the Vines family was born the first white child in Napa County, and, it is claimed by some, the first white child 56 History of Napa and Lake Counties — Napa. in California, but this is a mooted question, the honor lying between the Vines family, of Napa County, the Julius Martin family, of Santa Clara County, who crossed the plains with Baldridge and Vines, and the James Gregson family, of Sonoma County. Colonel J. B. Chiles, who first came to California in 1841, came again with the Baldridge party in 1843, and lo- cated in Chiles Valley in 1844 or 1845. With this party came also Miss Elizabeth Yount, daughter of the old pioneer, who, in 1849, was married to John C. Davis. In 1845, John York, John Grigsby, William Hudson, Harrison Pierce, David Hudson, Benjamin Dewell, William Elliott and sons, William Fow- ler, Sr., Henry Fowler, William Fowler, Jr., Calvin C. Griffith, Col. James Clyman, Harvey Porterfield, and William Hargrave, came in and settled in different portions of the county. When Mr. York arrived in the valley in 1845, he found the following settlers in the county. Ben. Kelsey lived on the place now owned by Peter Teal, which was then the property of Ralph Kilburn. This was about one mile south of the present site of Calistoga. Next to him, and on what is now the George Tucker place, E. Barnett was living, in a small log house. This is the man referred to above as having married the widow Pope. Sam Kelsey lived at the place where Bale's mill now stands, and he had a wife and two or three children ; his wife being among the first, if not the first woman who ever came overland to California. At this time Ralph Kilburn had begun the erection of a saw mill on Napa River, just a little north-east of Krug's wine cellar, and for this work, and the running of the mill for a certain length of time, Dr. Bale was to give him three-quarters of a league of land. Dr. Edward Bale then lived in an adobe house, which was about 60 x 20 in size, and situated near the foot-hills west of Pine Station. The next settler was George C. Yount, who also lived in an adobe, near the present mill property of F. W. Ellis. The next place was the Salvador Vallejo estate, on which there were three adobes, one at the site of Barth's wine cellar, one at the Trancas, and one on the opposite side of the river. He made his home when in the county at the former. Nicolas Higuerra had an adobe (wicker, plastered with mud) at the Patchett place ; Cayetano Juarez had an adobe between Napa and the Asylum, and General Vallejo had an adobe on the Suscol Rancho, where he kept a few of his retainers. The Pope family were living in the valley of that name ; the Berryessas in the valley of that name, and Col. Chiles, and William Baldridge in Chiles Valley. Peter Storm was living on the Kilburn place at that time. Nathan Coombs came into Napa Township during this year. When Mr. York arrived in Napa County he proceeded at once to the vicinity of Calistoga, then known as Aquas Caliente, as did William Hud- General History and Settlement. 57 son. William Elliott and family also spent the first winter there. Of the young men who came over the mountains with Mr. York, Benjamin Dewell, John Gibbs, H. Sanders, Ford, B. Fowler, who was so brutally murdered during the Bear Flag excitement near Santa Rosa, all settled in the county. David Hudson's first house at Calistoga, built in the fall of 1845, was a cabin constructed of little round logs, " chinked " with mud, and covered with shakes. Mr. York cut and split a redwood log, and con- structed his cabin out of slabs, and covered it with shakes. It was 10 x 12 in size, but afforded ample protection against the rigors of a California winter. In 1846 there came in Enoch Cyrus and family, William H. Nash and family, John S. Stark and family, Col. M. D. Ritchie and family, Charles Hopper and family, and John Cyrus. In this year F. E. Kellogg and family arrived from Illinois, and settled on what is now known as the Lyman place. In 1847 the Bale mill was completed, and John York drew the first logs to it from the adjacent hills. It was during this year that the first celebration of the natal day of our coimtry occurred. The place of meet- ing was under the shade of a mammoth oak tree at the mouth of Rector Canon. The families of York, Hudson, Bale, Vines, Yount, Rector, and Grigsby were present, and a good social time generally was had. During the day singing was indulged in, and the grand strains of the " Star Spangled Banner " echoed through the hills and up the canon for the first time. It will be remembered that California was yet a part of Mexico, and the celebration of the day on foreign soil was rather incongruous, but prophetic. Among the settlers who came in in 1847 were William Edg- ington, who settled in Chiles Valley, J. W., S. J., R. P. and G. W. Tucker, who settled near Calistoga. In 1848 there came in John Custer, who settled near Napa; John Adams, also near Napa ; George N. Cornwell, at Napa. At this time John Kelley, Frank Kellogg, William McDonald and Hiram Acres are known to have been in the county, but it is not known just when they came. Also William Russell, J. P. Thompson and Capt. Brackett. In 1849 there came Peter D. Bailey, George Linn, Turner G. Baxter, and James H. McCorcle. In 1850 J. H. Sea well, William Dinning, in Hot Springs Township ; Leonard Tully, in Yount ; P. D. Grigsby, in Napa ; William A. Haskin, Hot Springs ; T. F. Raney, Napa ; H. Amesbuiy, Napa ; E. G. Young, Napa ; J. S. Trubody, Yount; and Jesse Grigsby, Napa. In 1851 William Locker, T. Grigsby, Yount ; P. G. Gesford, Hot Springs ; J. H. Howland, Napa. In 1852 A. W. Norton, Napa; John M. Davis, Napa; Matthew Vann, Hot Springs ; John Lawler, Hot Springs ; John T. Smith, Napa ; 58 History of Napa and Lake Counties — Napa. P. T. and G. W. Teale, Hot Springs ; W. S. Jacks, Napa. In 1853 M. A. Elgin, Napa; J. G. Randall, Napa; B. Little, Napa; William Middleton, Napa ; Charles Robinson, Napa ; C. H. Allen, Napa ; H. Goodrich, Napa ; H. H. Harris, Yount ; H. A. Pellet, Napa ; W. A. Fisher, Napa. In 1854 Joel Barnett, Hot Springs ; Robert Miller, Napa ; John S. Kister, Hot Springs ; Jesse Barnett, Knox ; R. F. Lane, Knox ; J. Watson, Napa. In 1855 Connelly Conn, Yount; W. E. Anderson, Napa. There are many other pioneers whose names will be found mentioned elsewhere, that are omitted here. The reader is referred to the township histories, and to the biographical departments for further names. Of course it is impossible at this late date to make the list complete, but we have it as full as it is pos- sible to make it. We will now take up the principal events which have occurred in the history of Napa County, and record them in the order of their occurrence. As early as 1841, John Rose and John C. Davis built a schooner and launched it from a point of land just above the stone bridge on First street. This must have been a small affair, probably not much larger than a whale boat. In 1845, they built a barge which was used as a trading boat in all the bay inlets. In 1847, they constructed a saw-mill for Salvador Vallejo, on the east side of Napa River, about seven miles above town, and the site is still visible. Among the early pioneers who came over the unknown and untraveled desert and mountains to California, in 1846, was ex-Governor Lilburn W. Boggs. In those days, it will be remembered that California was a Mexican province, and it was necessary for an American citizen to have a passport from his Government to secure his safe passage through the country. The passport given to Governor Boggs was as follows : UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. To all to whom these Presents come, Greeting : No. 951. I, the undersigned, Secretary of State of the United States of America, hereby request all whom it may concern, to permit, safely and freely to pass, Lilburn W. Boggs, wife and eight children, a citizen of the United States, and in case of need to give him all lawful aid and protection. Given under my hand and the impression of the seal of the Department of State, at the City of Washington, the 25th day of April, a. d. 1846, in the seventieth year of the Inde- pendence of the United States. (Signed) James Buchanan. General History and Settlement. 59 August 1, 1849, an election was held at Sonoma, in the Territory of Cal- ifornia, at which James Cooper, John G. Ray and Nathan Coombs acted as Judges, and Richard H. Maupin and George Pearce acted as clerks. The poll list was certified to by H. W. Halleck, then Brevet-Captain and Secre- tary of State. Ex-Governor Boggs, as First Alcalde of the District of Sonoma, filed the following certificate in regard to this election : Alcalde's Office, Sonoma, August 21, 1849. I, L. W.TJoggs, First Alcalde of Sonoma, do hereby certify that the above returns are correct, with the exception of the vote for First Alcalde, which office is not vacant. Given under my hand and seal at my office in Sonoma, the 2d day of August, 1849. (Signed) L. W. Boggs, First Alcalde. The vote certified to above was as follows : For Delegate to the Con- vention, Schoolcraft, 1 ; Stephen Smith, 3 ; M. G. Vallejo, 4 ; Salvador Val- lejo, 23; Robert Semple, 32; John B. Frisbie, 16; Lilburn W. Boggs, 34; James Clyman, 37 ; Jasper O'Farrell, 38 ; Joel P. Walker, 65, and Richard A. Maupin, 75. For Judge of the Superior Court. J. E. Brackett, 85. For Prefect, Charles P. Wilkins, 45 ; William E. Taylor, 26 ; Jose" Berryessa, 19, and John Cameron, 7. For First Alcalde, John G Ray, 19 ; John A. Griffith, 5 ; George Yount, 3, and Peter Campbell, 1. For Second Alcalde, Ralph Kil- burn, 43. For Justices of the Peace, Peter Campbell, 28, and James Griffith, 14. For Sheriff, Israel Brockman, 86. The first record of the Alcalde's Court in Napa County is under date of October 20th, 1849, when the following proceedings were had: "Napa Valley, Territory of California, District of Sonoma. For Petty Larceny : And now comes the said parties, Charles L. Cady appearing for the Territory of California, being ready for trial, a jury of six men was subpoenaed and sworn, viz : D. Q. Tucker, William Russel, J. Brown, William Edgington, William Morgan and John Taylor. Case adjourned till 6 P. M. Parties and jury appeared, and after hearing could not agree on a verdict. Case ad- journed till 10 o'clock Sunday, 21st October, 1849. Sunday, October 21st, 1849, parties appeared Another juiy subpoenaed and sworn, viz : H. John- son, C Briggs, A. Guthrie, N. Kennedy, William Watson and I. Boles. N. McKimmy, Constable or Sheriff, and R L. Kilburn, Alcalde. The next case recorded is under date of November 8, 1849, and was a civil action, entitled " Nicholas Agara vs. — Jarrus." The judgment rendered in the case was as follows : " Judgment is hereby rendered in favor of said Nicholas for damages, $75.00, and for costs of the suit, also the 60 History of Napa and Lake Counties — Napa. further sura of $10 ; total, §85.00. On further proof that said Jarrus has no property, and with his consent, and the petition of said Nicholas, it is ordered that the said Jarrus work for said Nicholas, at wages to be agreed upon between them, at as high a rate as Jarrus could obtain elsewhere, continuously from day to day until the said sum of $85.00 is fully paid and satisfied." The District Attorney at this time was Joseph W. Brackett. In August, 1850, the Justice for Napa County was John S. Cripps, and in November of that year S. H. Sellers is found to hold that position. Charles P. Wil- kins was Prefect in Sonoma in 1849. Among the curiosities of the olden days, many of our readers will re- member the pioneer carriage of this section, which was the property of General Vallejo. It was at one time the state carriage of the Duke of Wellington. General Vallejo purchased it in London in 1833, and brought it to California shortly after. The driver rode on one of the horses. The first election held in Napa County after its organization was on the first Monday in April, 1850. The first deed recorded in Napa County is dated April 3, 1850, and is from Nicholas Heguera to John C. Brown, and acknowledged before M. H. N. Kendig, Recorder. The second is 'dated February 15, 1850, from Nathan Coombs and Isabella, his wife, to Joseph Brackett and J. W. Brackett, " of Napa Valley, District of Sonoma, in the Northern Department of California." The property conveyed was " lot 3, in block 5, Napa City," acknowledged before R. L. Kilburn, Alcalde. The next deed is dated November 29, 1848, from Nicholas^Higuera to Joseph P. Thompson, acknowledged before L. W. Boggs, Alcalde of Sonoma. Another early deed is dated October 18, 1845, from George Roch to Jacob P. Leese, conveying the grant called "Guenoc." It is in the Spanish lang- uage, and acknowledged before Jose" de la Rosa u seventh Constitutional Alcalde of Sonoma. As an illustration of the value of money in those early days, we may mention that a mortgage was given October 20, 1850, from Jose- S. Berryessa to W. R. Bradshaw for $1,000, at 10 per cent, interest per month. The principal and interest were paid in a few months. The first Grand Jury in Napa County comprised the following gentle- men: Thomas Knight, Enoch Cyrus, William A. H&skin, William D. Dearing, George C. Yount, Joseph Green, George W. Moodie, Angus L. Boggs, Edward H. Cage, John Barbour, Anderson Farley, Horatio N. Ames- bury, Lyman Chapman. The following persons were subpoenaed for this jury, but did not put in an appearance ; Thomas Hensley, Leonard Miller, Joseph Mount, Joseph White, Turner G. Baxter and Joseph Reed. The meeting of this jury was held August 4, 1851. On the same date the following gentlemen were subpoenaed, comprising the first Trial Jury in Napa County : Preston G. Gesford, Henry Boggs, General History and Settlement. 61 William Baldridge, John Grigsby, Anson White, F. J. Benjamin, John Guthrie, Isaac McCoombs, and Edward McGarry. The following were absent, William James, Em. A. d'Himicourt, Robert Catherwood, and John S. Cripps. In December, 1851, Edward H. Cage, better known as " Ned " Cage, was appointed to the position of Judge of the Plains, for the lower precinct, and the Sheriff of the county was delegated to perform the same duties for the upper precinct. As that position and its duties are long since things of the past, a word of explanation will not be out of place here. It will be remem- bered that in the early days everybody's cattle ran at large here, and as a matter of course the bands got very promiscuously mixed up during the year. Once each year there was a general grand gathering up of all the cattle in the county, and the young stock was branded. This was called by the Spainards a rodeo, pronounced " rodero." It often occured that disputes arose among the stockmen in regard to the ownership of the stock, and it was to arbitrate these matters that the Judge of the Plains was appointed. The first Board of Supervisors of Napa County convened December 6, 1856, and was composed of the following members. John M. Hamilton, Florentine E. Kellogg and Jessie Whitton. J. M. Hamilton was chosen chairman of the Board. Pressley Thompson presented the first claim against the county, which was for building a bridge across Napa Creek, and the amount of the claim was $1,190.00. May 17, 1853, Napa River was declared to be a navigable stream by the Legislature. April 10, 1855, the following Act of the Legislature was approved. " The people of Napa County may levy a tax not to exceed one-half of one per cent., half of which is to be applied to the removal of snags from the Napa River, and the other half to the construction of a wagon road from Napa Valley to Clear Lake via Pope and Coyote Valleys." November 7, 1855, the Board of Supervisors ordered that the Treasurer purchase a safe for the county, not to cost more than $200. April 7, 1856, the first school districts were organized in what is now Lake County, but was then a portion of Napa. There were two of them organized. May 19, 1856, the Board of Supervisors issued an order for funding the county debt. The new bonds were to be of the denominations of $50, $100 and $500, and the rate of interest was to be 10 per cent, per annum. 62 History of Napa and Lake Counties — Napa. The condition of the finances of the county in 1856 is indicated by the following report of the Treasurer, rendered October 31st of that year : in County Fund $1,319 78 Balance in Contingent Fund 171 82 Balance in Road Fund 444 20 Balance in Sinking Fund 427 74 Balance in School Fund 287 63 Total on hand $2,651 17 The indebtedness could not be ascertained at that time. Among the historical curiosities which we have unearthed in Napa County, we present the following copy of an old political poster, which was issued in 1856, as being of considerable interest: REPUBLICAN RALLY. " There will be a meeting of the Republican party at the Court-house in Napa City on Saturday, October 18, 1856, at 2 p. it, to adopt such measures as will promote the success of Republican principles, and the triumph of the party. Trenor W. Parks, Esq., of San Francisco, will be present and address the meeting. Let all come who are in favor of the im- mediate construction of the (Central) Pacific Railroad ; opposed to violence and bloodshed at the National Capital, and who believe that the truths of the Declaration of Independence are practical. Come one! Come all!!" (The following names were signed to the call.) C. Hartson, Dr. Henry, James Glasford, Thomas Knight, William Hargrave, S. Wing, William McDonald, J. M. Mansfield, Reese Smith, Seth Dunham, Isaac Allen, John Wilford, Jacob McCoombs, Levi Hardman, J. W. Osborne, Josiah Trubody, Isaac Pastelow, Dr. W. W. Stillwagon, J. McCoombs, George C. Yount, James Lefferts, A. L. Haven, Phil. Howell, Charles H. Allen, Ed. Chesebro, Silas Ritchie, John McCloud, Capt. L. T. Wilson, Dr. White, Capt. Clayton, William Fisher, Lyman Chapman, D. L. Cheeney, H. R. Curtis, L. G. Lillie, Israel Putnam, Benjamin McCoombs, A. C. Welch, John Wolf, Samuel Cook, James Blake, Stephen Broadhurst, S. T. Mount, Simon Loveland, James Record, Capt. Nichols, James Buckman, David Howell, Pierce Wig- gins, William Lord, W. S. Jacks, Joseph Baker, George F. Reeves, Henry Baker, William Sherman. The first move toward telegraphic connection in Napa County was made in 1857. In November of that year we find that twenty-five shares of stock at $100 each had been subscribed towards constructing a line of telegraph from Napa to Vallejo. ' Only ten shares more were required to be sub- scribed to insure the success of the enterprise. February 13, 1858, the John Yor^k General History and Settlement. 63 first meeting of the Napa and Vallejo Telegraph Company was held, and the following officers were elected : President, James Lefferts ; Vice-Presi- dent, R. D. Hopkins ; Treasurer, Richard Dudding ; Secretary, Robert R. Pierpont. Directors — G. N. Cornwell, W. H. James, Smith Brown, Henry Sage and Thomas Earl. It would seem that nothing further than getting the thing to booming on paper was accomplished until 1859. On the 25th day of January of that year the first pole was set, and the line was soon after completed. NAPA AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY.— There was a small Agricultural Society organized in 1854, but it did not amount to very much, there being only a small exhibition in a building in Napa City. October 17, 1857, active measures were taken looking to the organization of an Agricultural Society in Napa County, and a meeting was called on that day of the citi- zens of the county to take the matter under advisement. This convocation was organized by calling J. W. Osborne to the chair, and J. M. Dudley was chosen to act as Secretary. Hon. Pulaski Jacks introduced the following resolutions : Resolved, That a committee of three citizens be appointed to make pre- liminary arrangements in reference to holding a County Agricultural Show on or about the 5th of November next, said committee to make the neces- sary inquiries, and make report to this meeting by Wednesday next, the 21st instant, at 2 o'clock P. M., and also report the probability of reorganiz- ing the old society. The following gentlemen were appointed on that com- mittee : A. D. Pryal, B. Grimes and Thomas Earl. On motion of Mr. Ogden, it was resolved that a committee of three be appointed to devise ways and means, and collect subscriptions necessary for incidental expenses. The following gentlemen were appointed : Smith Brown, Major Easterbrook and George E. Goodman. It was also resolved that the Secretary be requested to place in several of the stores subscription lists, that those wishing to subscribe can specify the articles for exhibition. In pursuance with the resolution above quoted, another meeting was held October 21st, when the committee first mentioned above reported in favor of reorganizing the present Agricultural Society, and, on motion, the report was adopted. The following officers were then elected : J. W. Os- borne, President; George C. Yount, First Vice-President; Thomas H. Thomp- son, Second Vice-President ; W. A. Haskins, Third Vice-President ; L. T. Musick, Fourth Vice-President, and Boone Fly, Fifth Vice-President ; James McNeil, Corresponding Secretaiy; Robert R. Pierpont, Recording Secretary; Thomas Earl, Treasurer, and R. C. Haile, Pulaski Jacks, L. F. Baker, James Hornbeck and Brice Grimes, Directors. 64 History of Napa and Lake Counties — Napa. The Board of Directors met at Napa on the 22d, and, upon consulting the best interests of the Society, it was decided by the Board that an exhi- bition of stock, farm, orchard, dairy, household and manufacturing products be held at Napa, on the 4th and 5th days of November next (1857), and that the following programme of exercises and amusements be adopted, viz: For Wednesday, the first day, there will be a plowing match, trial of teams on draft, ladies' riding on horseback, and an address. For the second day, a trial of road teams, gentlemen riding and practicing with the lasso. The exhibition to close with a ball in the evening. Certificates of member- ship may be had of the Treasurer, Thomas Earl. Tickets for the ball were held at $3.00 each, and the ladies of Napa were requested to turn out and adorn the building in which the ball was to be held. We know nothing of the success of the exhibition, and find no mention of its repetition. February 1, 1858, the following Act of the Legislature was approved: The Board of Supervisors of Napa County shall levy a tax, not to exceed one quarter of one per cent., for the purpose of constructing a public road from the city of Napa, by the way of Knight's Valley in Napa County, to Russian River Valley. Said road to pass up Napa Valley on the west side of Napa Creek ; and also for the purpose of constructing a public road from Napa City, running up the east side of Napa Creek to Clear Lake by the way of Chiles Canon. In 1861, William Baldridge experimented on cotton growing in Napa County; it did not do very well, as the soil and climate is evidently much better adapted to growing grapes than cotton. We would remark en pas- sant that to Mr. Baldridge belongs the honor of introducing the black locust tree upon this coast. The seed was sent to him about 1845, and he planted it, and from that came the stock now in California. March 3, 1863, the Legislature passed an Act, providing for the levying of a tax of fifteen cents on the $100, in both Napa and Lake Counties, for improvement of the road running through Chiles and Butts Canons. August 11, 1863, Charles Britton was hanged in Napa, which was the first execution that ever occured in the city. September 7, 1863, the Board of Supervisors of Napa County, by a special motion, added the word " forever " to their order, for a road from the Benicia road to Gordon Valley, thus making it a " highway forever." We do not know that the order has ever been rescinded, nor do we know how it will affect matters in the eras yet to be. December 24, 1863, Samuel Brannan advertised for five hundred and seventy -five telegraph poles, with which to construct a line from Napa City to Calistoga. April 4, 1864, the following Act of the Legislature was approved : The Board of Supervisors of Napa County may levy a tax of twenty cents on General History and Settlement. 65 each $100, in Napa County, for the purpose of purchasing Fair Grounds and constructing suitable buildings thereon, for the use of any Agricultural Society now formed or that may be formed hereafter. Said tax to be levied whenever the San Pablo Bay District Agricultural and Mechanical Society is permanently located at Napa City, or whenever two hundred tax-payers of said county shall, in writing, petition said Board to make such levy. Native or wild tobacco has been found on the Pacific Coast, from Cape St. Lucas in Lower California to the Upper Sacramento, which in every respect closely resembles the cultivated article. The first account of it is given in the history of the voyage of Cabrillo, in 1541, who met with it in common use among the savages. Sir Francis Drake also mentions it at Point Reyes. The plant is found very generally dispersed all through Napa County, and the writer has seen it in rank growth all over the hillsides in the vicinity of Knoxville. In 1864, Messrs. George N. and John Cornwell, planted a crop of tobacco near Napa, which grew well, and there is no doubt but that it would do as well here as anywhere in California. In 1864, the stage business between Napa City and Calistoga was in a flourishing condition. In that year, the line was owned by Messrs. Brannan & Coombs, who ran a 24-passenger coach on it. Mr. Coombs also had a stage line between Napa City and Benicia. The condition of the county finances in August, 1864, was as follows : Total indebtedness $21,678 . 25 Cash on hand 3,964.09 Balance of debt $17,714. 16 From the report of the Internal Revenue officer, in 1865, we find that there were in Napa County, business subject to tax as follows : Retail dealers, 12 ; retail liquor dealers, 6 ; butchers, 1 ; hotels, 5 ; dentist, 1 ; doc- tors, 4 ; lawyers, 4 ; pianos, 1 ; buggies, 3, and billiard tables, 1. PETROLEUM. — Pursuant to a notice, a meeting of persons owning or interested in oil lands in Napa County, was held at the office of G. W. Towle, in Napa City, on the 30th day of September, 1865. The committee ap- pointed for the purpose, reported the following rules and regulations for the district, which were adopted : The district shall be bounded by the county lines, and be called the «' Napa Petroleum District." Each claim may be one hundred and sixty acres or less, but shall in no case exceed one-half mile in length. All claims shall be defined by metes and bounds, or by the sections of the Government survey as numbered. 66 History of Napa and Lake Counties — Napa. No person shall hold by location more than one claim in the District. The County Recorder of Napa County, for the time being, shall be the Re- corder of this district, and shall be allowed such fees as are allowed for other recording. Any person taking up a claim in this district, shall post a written notice thereon, signed by him, and describing the boundaries of such claim, and shall cause said notice to be recorded in the Recorder's office, within twenty days thereafter. Any person locating a claim shall, within sixty days after recording the same, perform thereon three days' work, which shall entitle him to hold such claim for twelve months. The Recorder may, on evidence satisfactory to him, issue certificates that such work has been duly performed. If a company owning two or more adjacent claims, shall perform the above required amount of work on any one of them, it shall be considered as work done upon them all. E. N. Boynton, President. R. T. Montgomery, Secretary. The first mention of the discovery of petroleum in Napa County, is made under date of May, 1865, and the place where it was found was on Capt. Samuel D. Goodrich's place, about four miles north-east of Napa City. In July of the same year, it was discovered on Gen. Keyes' place, near St. Helena. The oil was said to be clear and of good quality. In May, 1866, it was discovered at the head of Capelle Valley, fifteen miles from Napa City. A ledge of white quartz in which there are small cavities containing petroleum, a spoonful or so in a place, here and there, in the solid rock. A company was organized, called the " Alladin Petroleum Company," for the purpose of prospecting. Evidences of petroleum are to be found all over the county, but no great quantities of it have been found. ASSASSINATION OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN.— The principal event that occurred in the United States in 1865 was the heartless striking down of the head of the nation, Abraham Lincoln, by the fell assassin, J. Wilkes Booth. This was a matter so fraught with interest to every citizen of the Union that we shall devote a portion of our space to a narration of the subject, giving when practicable, the editorial mention made of the deed by the Press of the county, both Democratic and Republican, and such other notices and resolutions that will be of interest in this connection. We regret that the files of the Reporter are not to be found of this date, and hence are confined to the columns of the Register for our quotations. Under date of April 22, 1865, the Register appeared with inverted column rules, or dressed in mourning, and published the following in its editorial columns : General History and Settlement. 67 " The nation is in mourning over the death of a good and great ruler. Abraham Lincoln is assassinated ! Great horror and unspeakable anguish fills every loyal heart in the land at this announcement. A week since the country was everywhere jubilant ; the joyous roar of cannon rang over hill and through valley, proclaiming the fall of the rebel dynasty. But ere the smoke had ceased curling towards the heavens — while the echo of joyous salutes still vibrated upon the air, and before the cannon-breech had fairly cooled — the terrible tidings that President Lincoln had fallen a victim to the assassin burst over the startled country, bowing many a head in anguish and sending a thrill of horror to the strongest heart. Lincoln, the crushed ruler of a free people — a second ' Father of his Country' — launched into eter- nity without a moment's warning — guilty of naught save a devotion to the country ! ' God grant it may not be true,' was the prayer of all. But, alas for us ! the telegraph performed its office, and tells us the terrible truth. " We read in history of ambitious chiefs and rulers having fallen by assassination ; but the records of the dark ages — where crime and anarchy ran riot — furnish no parallel to this damnable and atrocious act. The brain throbs and the heart grows faint as we meditate over the awful catas- trophe. The deed was committed on the night of the 14th of April, in Ford's Theatre, Washington. President Lincoln had consented to be present — went, though against his will, with his wife and son. His mind was occupied in devising ways and means for the speedy restoration of peace, and he preferred the Council Chamber, where he had spent the day in deliberation with the Cabinet, to the Opera House. But he took the fatal step, and there, while in his private box with his family, unconscious of harm, the assassin did the work. " Though shaken to our very center by the terrible and unexpected blow, the Nation stands strong, and will travel on forever, shedding the light of our glory on all coming ages. Dark though our past may have been, our future is bright with promise of returning peace and prosperity ; but Americans never will, nor can they, forget this dark blot upon their country's history, however resplendent may be our future record ; and 0, how bitter will be the anguish of those who are in any way connected with or responsible for the hellish act ! What a weight of woe and lasting infamy will rest upon their children and their children's children — the conscious- ness of their fathers' guilt in having sustained, by word or deed, the doings of traitors, North or South, whose acts have resulted in the death of Presi- dent Lincoln. Mass Meeting. — Pursuant to a notice, a large meeting of the citizens of Napa assembled at the Court-house on Monday evening, the 17th, and made arrangements for appropriate funeral ceremonies on the following Wednesday, the day that President Lincoln was buried. The meeting was OS History of Napa and Lake Comities — Napa. called to order by A. Y. Easterby, and the following officers and committees were appointed : President, Hon. Robert Crouch ; Secretary, A. A. Hume- well ; Vice-Presidents : James Lefferts, Nathan Coombs, George Fellows, Dr. W. W. Stillwagon, J. H. Goodman, A. Wheeler, Smith Brown, E. S. Chese- bro, N. A. Greene1, J. F. Lambdin, J. H. Moran, J. M. Nichols, J. H. Carter, R. T. Montgomery, Henry Edgington, Rev. P. Deyaert, A. Y. Easterby, L. Bruck, A. Higbie, W. S. Turner, A. H. Humewell, Rev. W. J. McClay, Rev. P. V. Veeder ; Committee on Resolutions : R. T. Montgomery, J. M. Carter and A. Higbie ; Committee on Arrangements: N. Coombs, G. Fellows, J. H. Goodman, A. Wheeler, George E. Goodman, Smith Brown, A. A. Hume- well, E. S. Chesebro, N. A. Greene, J. F. Lambdin and J. H. Moran. Resolution*. — Whereas, The causeless and unsuccessful assault which has been made by traitors in the revolted States, and by their abettors everywhere, againsc the liberties of the American people and the lawful Government of the United States, has culminated in the cowardly assassi- nation of our revered Chief Magistrate, Abraham Lincoln, and the attempted murder of William H. Seward, the Secretary of State ; thei-efore Resolved, That the loyal citizens of Napa County recognize, in this last desperate act of the unscrupulous tools of traitors, new evidence of their barbarousness, and the character of the wretches who have so long made war against the Government and Administration, and regard this atrocious murder as the legitimate fruits of the fiendish spirit of opposition which has appealed to the brute passions of the brute man. Resolved, That, in our view, the actual perpetrators of this murder, un- paralleled in American history, are less guilty than the traitors, North as will as South, who have for the past four years fermented discord, de- nounced the officers of the Government and incited treason ; in that in our belief the assassination of the President is to be attributed, not to a single murderer, but that a secret organization, whose members are to be found in every community, and which, either directly or indirectlv, or through its satellites, has been and still is actuated by the single purpose of destroying the Government and securing success to the Slave-holders' Rebellion. Resolved, That the clemency and forbearance with which this class of traitors have been treated by loyal citizens has been interpreted by them as evidence of cowardice and indifference, and emboldened traitors and ruffians in our midst to continue their vile abuse of the Government and its officers, and this unchecked license to treasonable sentiments has led to this crown- ing act of infamy — the murder of the President of the Republic. Resolved, That swift and severe punishment should be meted out to the authors and instruments of this hellish crime — a crime against the human race — as well as to all who justify it, and that from this hour we will hold no man guiltless who shall approve the act or apologize for its General History and Settlement. 69 perpetrators, but will heap upon any such, if detected in this community, the heavy indignation of a loyal people. Resolved, That as citizens of the American Republic, we profoundly lament the loss of the great and good man who, through four terrible years of the Rebellion, has conducted our national Government with success and honor; that his untimely and violent death, when just upon the eve of returning peace, which his heart yearned for, and toward which the last energies of his life were devoted — was a calamity not only to the Nation, but to civilization everywhere ; that while we weep over his loss, our hearts are rilled with thankfulness to the Giver of good, that even thus far in' the Nation's life struggle, he hath vouchsafed to us the clear head, the pure heart, the firm will, and the unfaltering truth of Abraham Lincoln ; that while in anguish we yield to the bitter consciousness that he has flown, and by the treacherous hand of an assassin, we rejoice in the knowledge that he leaves to the coming ages, a spotless record as a Christian and a patriot; that no words of praise from living lips — no inscriptions on sculptured marble can fitly set forth the greatness of the man, or declare the poignant sorrow of the Nation that loved and revered him, but the living and lasting record of his lofty patriotism shall be found in the heart of every man that has known opposition or learned the value of liberty. Resolved, That in view of this cowardly and atrocious attack upon the Nation in the person of its executive head, and the lurking danger that threatens every loyal man, we pledge ourselves anew to devote our influence, our property, our lives, if need be, whenever and wherever they may be required, to maintain the entirety of the government and punish all traitors against its authority. Resolved, That on Wednesday next, the day of the obsequies of the President, we recommend that all business places be closed ; that all flags and public and private buildings be draped in mourning; that a funeral oration be delivered on that day, with suitable religious services, and that the several military and fire companies, benevolent societies, public and j)rivate societies, and every man who feels the deep outrage which this terrible assassination inflicts upon him as a citizen, be invited to join in the funeral procession on that day and attend the public exercises. At a meeting of the Washington Light Battery, held at their rrrnory on Friday the 21st, the following preamble and resolutions were adopted: Whereas, Abraham Lincoln, the beloved President of a free people, has been basely assassinated, while in the discharge of his official duties, at the Nation's Capital, and — ■ Whereas, While in his official career, in time of the rebellion and civil war, when the life of the Nation was in peril, his wisdom and impar- tiality gave us confidence in his judgment and the final issue of the war, 70 History of Napa and Lake Counties — Napa. and while his patriotism and love of liberty gave full assurance of the advancement of the great question of this enlightened age, the extinction of human bondage, and — Whereas, His kindness and magnanimity gave us promise of a speedy and peaceful reunion with the Nation's foes, Therefore, be it — Resolved, That we look upon his untimely end as a calamity, not alone to the nation, but to the lovers of freedom throughout the world. Resolved, That we cherish the principles he advocated, and renew in this solemn hour our fidelity to the Union and its course. Resolved, That the armory be dressed in mourning for thirty days. E. M. Boynton, Secretary. Obsequies of the President. — No event ever drew such a concourse of people to Napa as the burial services of the Chief Magistrate, Abraham Lincoln, on the day indicated in the resolution above quoted. The pro- cession was nearly half a mile in length, and was led by the " Rangers," Capt. Lambdin ; then followed the " Guards," Washington Light Battery, Pioneer Engine Company, citizens, Odd Fellows and Masons. The services were held in the Court-house square, which was densely crowded by a sor- rowful multitude, who had assembled to pay their last homage to the earthly remains of one of the greatest and best of men. After a touching and appropriate prayer by Rev. McClay, Hon. Henry Edgerton delivered an oration, replete with wisdom, truth and pathos. His words, with a melan- choly sadness, fell upon the ears and touched the hearts of an attentive and tearful audience. Rev. Higbie delivered a benediction at the close of the ceremonies, after which Mr. Easterby came forward and requested the flag to be i-aised to full mast, and invoked the blessing of Almighty God upon President Johnson. The day was generally observed throughout, and the whole town being draped in mourning gave it the solemnity due so great an occasion. At a meeting of the Pioneer Engine Company the following preambles and resolutions were adopted : Whereas, It has pleased Almighty God to have taken from among us, by the hand of the assassin, that great and good man Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States ; and Whereas, We have heard of the assassination with mingled feelings of sorrow and indignation ; therefore, Resolved, That in the death of Abraham Lincoln, the late President of tin' lTnited .States, the Nation has lost a statesman, whose patriotism was the most unselfish, whose chaiacter was spotless, and whose honor in all tin- dealings of his lifetime was unsullied. General History and Settlement. 71 Resolved, That in respect to the memory of the deceased, we will wear the usual badge of mourning, and cause our engine house to be shrouded in mourning for thirty days. At a meeting of Franklin Lodge, No. 29, Independent Order of Good Templars, the following preambles and resolution were adopted : Whereas, Assassination has taken from the position which he held with such honor to himself and the people, the President of the United States ; and Whereas, Through his death we have lost a lover of his country and a friend of all good enterprises, not the least among which was the cause of temperance ; and as, under such circumstances, it becomes all patriots, whether as individuals or associations, to make an appropriate expression of their grief ; therefore, be it Resolved, That Franklin Lodge of Good Templars of Napa City con- demn the traitors who can be guilty of such a crime ; and, acknowledging the worth of the illustrious dead, do hereby tender their most heartfelt sorrow at the death of the Chief Executive of their country, and that their hall be draped in mourning for the space of thirty days. V. J. Van Doren, P. Prior, N. B. Gower, Committee. On the night of November 8, 1865, the prisoners in the County Jail, four in number, succeeded in making their escape. During the day the cells had been scrubbed out, and the prisoners were left in the corridor that night. They removed a stone 10 x 20 inches in size, which allowed them to pass out easily. These stones were supposed to be dove-tailed, so that they could not be removed, but this one did not seem to be. March 17, 1866, an Act of the Legislature was approved, giving to John Lawley the light to construct a turnpike road from Ed. Ebry's house, in Napa County, through St. Helena Canon, and over the St. Helena range of mountains to Siegler Valley, in Lake County. April 2, 1866, an Act of the Legislature granted to Dr. G. B. Crane, Dwight Spencer, Jesse Grigsby and R. B. Woodward the right to contruct a Macadamized road from Napa to St. Helena. The matter was to be sub- mitted to the people of the county. All old pioneers will well remember Ned McGarry, who served in the State Senate for several terms from this district. In December, 1877, he ended his earthly existence with a penknife, in the Occidental Hotel, in San Francisco. 72 History of Napa and Lake Counties — Napa. CLIMATE OF NAPA COUNTY.— The following table, which is the record of temperature from April to December, 1S67, will serve to indicate what the general climate of the city is : April 15 " 20-27 .. " 28 " 29 May 1 " 2-3.... " 4-10... " 12"!!!" " 13 " 14-21.... " 22 " 25-27... " 28-29-30. " 31 .Tune 1-5 " 6-7 " 8-9 " 10-14.... " 15-19.... " 20 " 21-22.... " 23-25.... " 20-29.... " 30 July 1 " 2-3 " 4 " e!!!!'.'.! " 7 " 9-ii '.'."'. " 12-13.... " 14-15.... " 16-18.... " 19-20.... " 21-22.... " 23 " 24-27.... " 28-29.. . . " 30 August 1 . 2 10-13. 14-16. 17-18. 19.... 20-21 . 23 24. 25-20. 27-28. 29.... 30.... September 6-7.. 8-11. 12-14. 15-17 . 18-21. 22.... 23 29. ^A^Aif^ General History and Settlement. 73 ^ s ■8AVCI - - - a li • 00 s •sAva ;-32SSS-M ! r - % II i s- 1 3 5 § 1 5 * ; | : i •SATd - °> - - a *- "• M 5s \\ ; S i s-' H s * 3 1 ; = SATa "~«S3SS«>« ! - : 2 \ I :3£8S5g32§ : g : : ■ ■ h « » o ri • ; ■ : 8 sAva :^«>«»a*-»^ ; ; : a II : ' h >: >i n h ' ; : : : s •SAva :rtmSo2t-orfrf : ; g S g : ■ rf « »: » j ,h • • ; : " •sA?a :--»----•«- j - s i2 : isssssass ; ; 1 1 'BiTa -.-. - »r • a - • - h - ; 3 I i i *-l s : 3 S M | : i S ■SAva jr-.-aa---- : ; 5; Pi ;ss3ss3ss ; : ; s SAva - - ■■'»- s a s a - ;-* : : a ; e- 3 | 2 5-5 2 ! *? ; ; 1 'SATO : : « s 2 o «, ^ ^ : : : s 5 S » 1 : : S3 3 S E S g i i ! : s § 1 1 1 M O *= i 1 j '■'■': i i 74 History of Napa and Lake Counties — Napa. COUNTY INFIRMARY.— In accordance with an Act of the Legisla- ture, approved April 18, 1867, it was ordered by the Board of Supervisors, March 18, 1868, that they proceed to establish an Infirmary in Napa County. The Board of Supervisors then took the oath as Directors of the institution. March 10, 1869, bids for the erection of buildings were adver- tised for, and April 13th of that year, the contract was let to Beeby, Robin- son & Son, for the sum of $81,218.55. The building was completed August 2d of the same year, and is located in a spacious tract of land to the south- west of Napa City, a short distance. In 1869, the following tax statistics were culled from the Assessor's books : Value of real estate in Napa County $2,538,089 Value of personal property in Napa County 1,075,164 Total 83,613,253 Number of Acres taxed, 211,131. State tax on above $35,115.87 County tax on above 66,973 55 Road poll tax collected 4,125.00 Road district tax collected 9,050.00 Dog tax collected 804.00 Total tax collected $116,068.42 OLD DEBT FUNDED. — In accordance with an Act of the Legislature, approved April 16, 1880, the Board of Supervisors funded the debt of the county as follows : Railroad debt of $228,000, bearing interest at the rate of 10 per cent, to 6 per cent., payable June 30, 1900 ; and the road district indebtedness of about $80,000, funded from 7 per cent, to 4£ per cent., payable June 30, 1890. RAILROAD HISTORY.— There is no subject more closely allied to the general history of Napa County than the railroad which extends through Napa Valley, and for which the people have to pay, but do not own. It is not within our province to comment on matters of this kind, but to give the facts as recorded in the Press and records of the county, and leave the reader to draw his own conclusions. The first mention of a railroad enterprise of any kind in Napa County, ' is found under date of December 26, 1863, which states that a company has been organized in San Francisco for the purpose of constructing a railroad tVi mi Vallejo to Calistoga. No further mention is made of this company, and it is fair to presume that nothing more was ever done by it. General History and Settlement. 75 In 1864, the ball for the Napa Valley Railroad was set to rolling, and as early as January 9th of that year, we find that subscription books to stock in this enterprise were open at the bank and the store of A. Y. Easterby & Co. March 26th of that year, Hon. Chancellor Hartson introduced a bill before the Legislature providing for the issuance of county bonds to the amount of $225,000 to aid the pi'oject. It was provided that bonds should be issued at the rate of $10,000 per mile for the first five miles constructed and $5,000 for the remaining thirty -five on to Calistoga. This proposition was to be submitted to a vote of the people. It was argued that all the bonds along the line of the road would be enhanced in value at least ten per cent., and that would more than remunerate the added tax. April 4, 1864, the Hartson bill was approved by the Governor, and its provisions, as finally passed, were in brief as follows : The Board of Super- visors shall call a special election, to be held on the second Wednesday in May next (1864), to vote on the proposition of the taking of railroad stock by the county at the rate of $10,000 per mile for the first five miles and $5,000 per mile for each mile thereafter. Two miles of the road must be completed before any money can be paid on it, and the bonds shall be of the denominations of $10,000 and $5,000 each, and shall have coupons for interest attached, and the interest shall be payable on the second day of January of each year. A tax shall be levied not to exceed 25 cents on the $100, which shall be known as the interest tax. In the year 1870, and each year thereafter until the bonds are all paid, the Board may levy a tax not to exceed 25 cents on the $100 for the purpose of raising a fund for the payment of said bonds, to be known as the " Railroad Fund." In accordance with the provisions of the above Act an election was held May 11, 1864, which resulted as follows : Gordon Valley. Hot Springs . . . Yount St. Helena. Soscol It will be seen by the above that the proposition of " Railroad yes " carried by the handsome majority of 31S votes in a total vote of 654. In only one precinct was a negative majority cast. 76 History of Napa and Lake Counties — Napa. Shortly after this election, and during the same month, the company was organized and the following officers chosen : President, C. Hartson ; Vice-President, A. Y. Easterby ; Treasurer, Sam. Brannan ; and Secretary, A. A. Cohen. June 13, 1864, the Board of Supervisors officially complied with the requirements of the Act of the Legislature of April 4, 1864, and subscribed to the stock of the railroad company for the County of Napa in the amount of $10,000 per mile for the first five miles completed, and §5000 per mile for each subsequent mile completed. Outside of the subscriptions of the county, many private citizens sub- scribed very liberally towards the enterprise, agreeing also to donate a right of way sixty feet wide through their premises. These subscribei-s were as follows : S. Brannan $3000, R. B. Woodward $3000, C. Mayne $3000, A. A. Cohen S3000, C. Hartson $2000, N. Coombs $2000, W. R. Garrison $3000, H. Barroilhet $3000, C. F. Lott $3000, S. Alstrom $3000, E. J. Weeks $5000, J. Graves $2000, T. Knight $2000, G. C. Yount $2000, J. H. Goodman $1000, A. Y. Easterby $1000, J. Lawley $1000, Smith Brown $1000, S. C. Hastings $1000, G. W. Crowey $1000, George Fellows $1000, J. S. Trubody $1000, H. Fowler $1000, E. Stanley $500, J. F. Lambdin $500, C. H. Holmes $500, R. Ellis $100 and W. Hargrave $500. The following additional subscrip- tions were added : R. B. Woodward $2000, S. Brannan $5000, J. Trubody, $2000, and sundry persons $3000. Arrangements were all completed and everything got in readiness so that the first ground was broken November 21, 1864, a short distance below Napa City. In accordance with the provisions of the railway bill a tax of twenty- five cents on the $100 was levied for 1864 by the Board of Supervisors. By January 10, 1865, the road was completed as to grading and track- laying from Soscol to Napa City. It was built by Messrs. Patterson & Gray for the sum of $32,000. The rolling-stock, which had then been ordered, consisted of two cars, with a capacity of 105 passengers, and a ponjr engine. The track entered Napa City by way of Main street, and was laid along that street to Third. Most of our readers will remember the old arrange- ment in this regard. The rolling-stock did not arrive until about July 1 , 1865, and on the 11th of that month the first train passed over the track. A collation was spread at the Revere House and free rides were given to all who wished to embrace the opportunity. At the first annual election the following officers were chosen: President, A. Y. Easterby; Vice-President, R. B. Woodward; Secretary, A. Badlam, Jr.; Treasurer, S. Brannan ; Directors, S. Brannan, A. Y. Easterby, C. Mayne, J. H. Goodman, J. Lawley, C. Hartson, and R. B. Woodward. November 4, 1865, a new locomotive was purchased to take the place of the " pony," which had first been put upon the road. The driving wheel General History and Settlement. 77 was four and a half feet in diameter, and the cost of the engine was $9000. It was named "Napa City." The business done by this little railroad at that time may be gleaned from the following report, rendered December 31, 1865, and covers the first six months of its existence : RECEIPTS : Passengers $2,525.75 Freight 2,213.63 $4,739.38 EXPENSES : Fuel, oil, etc $841.69 Salaries 1,969.60 $2,811.29 Total Profits $1,928.09 Average per month 321.35 Any one good at calculating interest can soon find out how much the road was paying on the investment. The trains ran to Soscol, where con- nection was made with a steamer for San Francisco. In January, 1866, Mr. Hartson introduced a bill before the Legislature providing for the additional subscription by the county of Napa of $15,000 per mile to the proposed railroad from Napa City to Calistoga. This met with a considerable opposition, and the following petition was signed quite extensively and sent to the State Senate : "To the Honorable House of Representatives of California : We, the undersigned, citizens of Napa County, respectfully protest against any bill appropriating or in any manner using the money or credit of the county for the purpose of making or building a railroad from Napa City to Calis- toga, or to or from any other place in said county. The reasons for thus protesting are in print as follows : The road will not pay the expenses of running when completed, therefore every dollar subscribed or loaned by the county will be lost, and have to be collected by taxation from taxpayers, amounting to more than one-tenth of the assessable valuation of the whole county. It will not be of any practicable use to more than one-fifteenth of the agricultural lands of the county, and we believe not one-fourth of the people of the county will be benefited thereby ; that the county is already deeply indebted for a subscription made to a road already con- structed ; that in consideration and in consequence of the present high taxation from various sources, it will place a burden too heavy to be borne, and that it will be a gross injustice to put a heavy tax on the whole for the benefit of the few." The above petition did not prevent the passage of the Hartson bill, for it was approved January 25, 1866. Its provisions were as follows : The 78 History of Napa and Lake Counties — Napa. Board of Supervisors shall direct a special election to be held on the third Wednesday of February, 1866, for the purpose of voting on the proposi- tion of taking stock in the railroad to the extent of $10,000 per mile for each mile of the portion of the said road which is unfinished within the limits of the County of Napa. The Board may levy a tax sufficient to pay the interest on the bonds ; and in the year 1880, and every year thereafter till the bonds are all paid, the Board may levy a tax not to exceed fifty cents on the $100, for the payment of the bonds. The passage of this bill fell like a bombshell upon the community. Every man who opposed the measure appointed himself a committee of one to secure votes against what they termed an outrage. On this subject, under date of February 17, 1866, the Register says: " Every voter in the county who values his home and property should turn out on Wednesday next (the 21st) and vote against the scheme which, if successful, will surely bring bankruptcy and ruin upon' himself and family. By voting " no " upon the railroad bill he will discharge a duty required by every consideration of reason and justice toward himself and all who are dependent upon him. Let no lack of interest in the matter keep men from the polls or prevent them from working for the defeat of the iniquitous and burdensome measure. Its defeat will be worth more to every farmer than the entire value of his crops, and no fears of pecuniary loss by leaving work should cause any man to stay away from the polls on that day. Its friends are working for its success, and having an abundance of means wherewith to control the vote of the floating population, will make close work for us, even with our strength." When the day of election came, February 21, 1866, it was demonstrated that the people had all the railroad debt to cany that they desired, and that they would have no more, as will be seen by consulting the following vote: Sub ,D, Maji U,TV. Yes. No. Yes. No. St. Helena 115 143 25 66 0 0 0 66 1 69 75 636 38 43 15 94 64 1037 40 140 43 15 41U 186 S07 General History and Settlement. 79 Real majority "no," 621. Out of 702 votes cast in Napa City only 66 were for the proposition. The vote of Carneros, Gordon Valley and Pope Precincts were rejected, on the grounds that there was no evidence that the officers of election were sworn. This reduced the majority to 477, which was, all things considered, very overwhelming. The railroad parties had gotten a set-back at the above election, but that did not daunt them any. They then set about to get a grander scheme than ever foisted upon the people, and a bill was passed April 2, 1866, which provided that an election should be held for the purpose of deciding whether or not the railroad company should have donated to them as a free gift the entire amount of bonds that had been previously voted. About the same time a party sprung into existence who advocated the feasibility of a Macadamized road to Calistoga instead of a railroad. Finally, the matter culminated in an election, which was held September 5, 1866, at which the proposition of a Macadamized road and the donation of the bonds to the railroad company were both voted upon. The vote was as follows : Name of Precincts. Macadamized Road. Donation to Railroad. Yes. No. Yes. No. Napa 76 3 3 192 60 82 50 18 64 54 73 54 11 82 402 241 243 320 It will be seen by the above that the vote was not nearly so large as at the previous election, and that the railroad company only lacked three votes of getting a majority in favor of donation. The people seemed to realize the fact that they would have the bonds to pay any way, and that the railroad company would eventually get possession of them, and that they might as well get them first as last, hence let that matter go by de- fault. A new trouble now presented itself to the railroad company. The Board of Supervisors refused to issue the bonds in accordance with the provisions of the Act of the Legislature and the vote of the people. A mandamus was served upon the Board to compel them to issue the bonds, which they contested and the matter was carried to the Supreme Court, which body decided that the Board must subscribe to the stock. 80 History of Napa and Lake Counties — Napa. The following list will show the date of issuance, numbers of the bond? issued, and total amount issued on each several day : October 15, 1866 1 to 60 $30,000 61 — 171 14,500 172 — 191 10,000 192 — 211 10,000 212 — 231 10,000 232 — 251 10,000 252 — 271 10,000 272 — 291 10,000 292 — 311 10,000 312 — 331 10,000 .... 20,000 May June 7, 1867 4, " 20, " July 3, " 18, " August 15, " Septem. Decern. 10, " 10, " Feb'y 29, 1868 May July August Decern. 20, " 21, " 24, " 19, " Janury 14, 1869 332- -371 372- -411 412- -424 425- -468 469- -470 20,000 6,500 22,000 1,000 .$194,000 In April, 1867, the work of constructing the road up the valley was begun, with Calistoga as the objective point. September 2, 1867, the rate of interest tax on railroad bonds was increased ten cents on the $100. In October, 1868, the road was completed to Calistoga, and a grand excursion was had. Samuel Brannan, with his characteristic hospitality, assumed the role of host upon the occasion and feasted everybody right royally. May 27, 1869, the Napa Valley Railroad was sold to Messrs. Rulofson & Ryder, for the sum of $500,000, which put the road under the management of the California Pacific. Capt. N. A. Greene, who was the first conductor on the Napa Valley Rail- road, was accidently killed on the Western Pacific Railroad, October 28, 1869, where he was running a freight train. January 1, 1871, the right of way was granted to the railroad through Main street, Napa, but it was never used further than Third street. After the road was extended to Calistoga, trains used to run up to the depot, at the corner of Fourth and Main streets, and then back down and strike the main track in the vicinity of the gas works, and then pass out through the western portion of town. Januaiy 4, 1877, the change to the present route through East Napa was made. The entire length of road in the county is forty-one miles. General History and Settlement. 81 COURT-HOUSES.— Napa County has had three Court-houses. With the organization of the county in 1850, came, of course, the necessity for public buildings. At the December term of the Court of Sessions, a con- tract was let for the building of a Court-house, " which shall be 20x30 feet in size, erected of good, substantial materials, with a corridor the whole length, six feet wide, covered overhead by an extension of the roof, the stairs to be in said corridor, outside ; the second stoiy to be divided by a hall four feet wide, running through the center, and into four rooms, 10x13 each, all rooms to be ceiled, both walls and overhead ; seven doors, fifteen windows, a plain desk and railing for the bar, and six benches, each eight feet long." This building was located on the north-west corner of Coombs and Second streets, just west of the Revere House, and was a small two-story building, innocent of plastering, with Court-room below and clerk's office above. Persons sentenced for long terms were confined in the adobe jail at Sonoma, while petty offenders were placed in the upper rooms of the Court- house. The Court-room was often used as a place of worship, and also for itinerant lecturers, jugglers, etc. Among the first Acts of the Legislature in reference to Napa County, is the following : " The Court of Sessions may levy a tax not to exceed one- fourth of one per cent, for the purpose of building a Court-house." The subsequent history of this building is thus recorded in the Reg- ister: "The fire on Monday, August 25, 1875, destroyed a historic build- ing. This structure was the first Court-house in Napa. It was an old two-story frame building which was framed in the East, and brought around the Horn in 1849 or 1850, by a Mr. Ely, afterwards attorney in San Fran- cisco, and bought by the county for county purposes. It did duty in this capacity until about 1855, having the clerk's and perhaps other offices in it, and also apartments for petty malefactors, who were chained down to the floor. When the county sold it, C. Hartson bought it and moved it to where it stood when it was destroyed. The building was 20x40, and had a mate which was built in the East and came to this county with it." This building was then the residence of R. Peddie, on the east side of Main street. The matter of a new Court-house began to agitate the minds of the people in 1855, as by that time the old building had become inadequate in all respects, and the want of a jail was keenly felt. Accordingly, bids were advertised for, and on August 11, 1855, the Board of Supervisors accepted the bid of Messrs. Webb & Kincaid of San Francisco, for the sum of $19,- 480. This action did not seem to meet with the approval of the people, and so, on the 31st of the same month the Board rescinded their action in 82 History of Napa and Lake Counties — Napa. the matter, and submitted it to a vote of the people, at the following gen- eral election, which occurred September 7th of that year. There is nothing on record to show what the decision of the voters was at that election in reference to the matter. We find, however, that on April 8, 1858, the Board of Supervisors received a remonstrance signed by the citizens of Yount Township against the erection of a Court-house and jail. A Court-house, however, had to be erected, for the old one would not longer answer the purpose. Hence we find that on May 5, 185C, despite the remonstrance, the following gentlemen were appointed by the County Judge for the purpose of selecting and appraising a site for the new county buildings : R. M. Hill, Riley Gregg, and George N. Cornwell. They decided that the location of the building should be as follows : The center of the building shall be in the center of the lot, east and west, and the front of the house on the center of the lot north and south, the building to front north. The site chosen is the same as is now occupied by the county buildings. The corner-stone to this building was laid with appropriate ceremonies by the Masonic fraternity, in the presence of a great number of Napa people. The stone was a square block with a hole cut down into it, which was covered with a piece of sheet iron, which was cemented down. On the side of the stone was the following inscription : " Laid July 29, A. d. 1856, A. L. 5856, by W. H. Howard, Grand Past Master of Masons for Cali- fornia." When this building was torn down to give place for a new structure in 1878, the contents of the corner-stone were removed. They were found to be a number of time-blackened and mildewed pamphlets and newspapers, and several coins. It was a wonder that the newspapers were so well preserved as they were, as there was no lining to the cavity in the stone. Some of the papers were almost rotted, but by careful handling could be read. There was a Masonic pamphlet dated 1856, a copy of the by-laws of Benicja Lodge No. 5, F. and A. M., and the following San Francisco papers : Daily Town Talk, P. B. Hall & Co., proprietors, and Richard H. Bowlin, editor; number 3 of volume 1 of the Daily California Chronicle, Frank Soule and W. L. Newell, editors and publishers ; Daily Herald, John Nugent, editor and publisher; Daily Evening Bulletin, Thomas S. King, editor ; Daily True Californian, edited and published by Rhodes & Bartlett. There was also the Sacramento Daily California American, the Napa County Weekly Reporter, dated Saturday, July 19, 1856, which was number 3 of volume 1 of that paper. The coins were one gold £3.00 piece and a $1.00 piece, both of the issue of 1856 ; a silver one-half and one-quarter dollar piece, of the same date ; two dimes coined in 1853, and a three-cent piece coined in 1851, General History and Settlement. 83 The jail cells were made of boiler iron, three-sixteenths of an inch thick, well riveted together, the top to be punched with one-half inch holes, six of them to the square foot. The doors were grated and securely hinged. The floor of the jail was of brick, laid edgewise in cement. Originally, the jail occupied two-thirds of the lower floor. All the offices on the lower floor, except those of sheriff and clerk, were constructed five years afterwards. The whole of the second story has been again and again remodeled. The cupola was originally at the east end of the building, instead of the center as when it was torn down. Probably no other build- ing underwent so many or costly changes as did this one. It is stated by the local press, that probably from $50,000 to $60,000 was expended on the building from first to last. The original cost will be shown by the fol- lowing : Contract to A. C. Latsom $19,990 Expended for box window frames . 350 Expended for cupola 750 Contract to Benjamin & Sanford for jail, June 25th, 1859 7,000 James & Co., painting and re-glazing in Court-house, June 5, 1865 750 E. M. Benjamin, vault in clerk's office 1,900 Total $30,740 This building was completed, and accepted by the Board of Supervisors, December 16, 1856. The Court-house plaza was occupied in 1855, by Lawley & Lefferts, as a lumber yard. After the erection of the coimty buildings, the Supervisors contracted with John H. Waterson to construct a fence around it for $572. In 1857, A. D. Pryal took the contract of grading the grounds and planting shrubbery, the expense of which was partly met by the Board of Supervisors, which body ordered $200 to be paid, and the remainder was met by the private subscriptions of the citizens of Napa, amounting to about $300. In 1864, great cracks were discovered to be making their appearance in the walls of the building, and it became a source of much concern among the county officials whether or not the building was safe. In March of that year, E. M. Benjamin was appointed to examine into the matter, and report to the Board. He did so, and measures were taken to stop the spreading of the openings. At the same time, bids were asked for for the construction of a vault and for other improvements. The matter went on for a decade, when the subject of erecting a new building came up for serious discussion on every hand. The old building was deemed to be in an 84 History of Napa and Lake Counties — Napa. unsafe condition by the occupants, and also by architects. The public press was clamerous for a structure that would do the place and the county credit, stating that the old one had long since outlived its usefulness. August 24, 1874, the following resolution was adopted by the Board of Supervisors : " That any permanent repairs on the said building (the old Court-house) will be unwise and inexpedient, and a waste of the public money." Shortly afterwards, the Judge deemed the building so unsafe that he refused to hold the sessions of the Court in it any longer. Strange as it may seem, after all this, the matter dallied along for an- other two years, with nothing definite being accomplished by the Board in regard to the matter. Finally, April 6, 1876, the following resolution was presented to the Board : " That the Board think it advisable to build a new Court-house and jail for the accommodation of Napa County." This was carried by the following vote : Deweese, Robinson, Mecklenberg and Safely, affirmative ; and Ink and Hams, negative. Still, two more years rolled by before bids were asked for, and it was not until June 25th, 1878, that the contract was let, on plans drawn by Ira Gilchrist, to John Cox, for the sum of $50,990. The old Court-house building was sold to D. Ross for $400. The bonds for the new Court-house were placed upon the market in August, 1878, and sold for G| per cent, premium, F. H. Woods being the purchaser. The corner-stone to the new building was laid September 21, 1878. About 1 o'clock p. M., of that day, the Masonic fraternity to the number of eighty, all in regalia, marched from their hall, headed by the Napa Brass Band which discoursed appropriate music. The majority of those in line were members of Yount Lodge, No. 12, of Napa City, and there were also delegations from the Lodges at St. Helena and Calistoga, and among dis- tinguished Masons from abroad were Dr. J. M. Brown, Most Worshipful Grand Master, and J. W. Shafer, Grand Lecturer. The assemblage was called to order by F. E. Johnson, W. M. of Yount Lodge, who stated that before the exercises began, J. W. Brayton would photograph the scene, which was clone in short order. It was estimated that about one thousand persons were present. The platform was filled with ladies and members of the Masonic Order. The exercises were opened with music by the choir, which consisted of J. A Keller, organist ; Mrs. Richard Wylie, soprano ; Mrs. Dennis Spencer, contralto; Prof. W. A. Packard, tenor, and C. B. Stone, bass. The selection given was a Masonic hymn set to the tune of "Rule Britannia." The oration was then given by Dr. J. M. Brown, M. W. G. M. of the Grand Lodo-c of California, which was brief and appropriate. The speaker referred to the time-honored usage, by which it had been the custom to delegate to the Masonic Order, the laying of the corner-stones of public General History and Settlement. 85 buildings. " This ancient fraternity rarely breaks its seclusion to attend public demonstrations of any kind. It covets retirement, not proselyting, never seeking public parades, but peaceful and independent lives by laws within itself. With raiments spotless, and teachings pure, it clings to the old landmarks, and only appears in procession on the public streets when in the performance of some public duty intrusted to it. Such an occasion is this to-day. The usage is essentially Masonic. It is fitting that a body springing from a band of positive Masons, should exercise the same duties in a public work of this kind, as though they were practical Masons. " Apart from this, it is appropriate that Masons should lay the corner- stone, because they compose an organization whose members are quiet, peaceful citizens, and hold among themselves the great principles of law, liberty and equality. It is a fraternity which fosters political liberty. Power precedes liberty, and from the nature of things liberty is dependent upon power. The Masons are always the advocates of secular improvement. We live in an age of singular movements — a time when the foundations of States are shaken, and our form of government seems subjected to powerful solvents. But the aim of our Order is to perpetuate. It has stood long ages, by the ancient landmarks of truth, justice, loyalty and charity, and it still rises above the floods eternal as the stars in their course. To such a fraternity is entrusted the work of laying the corner-stone. On the edifice about to be erected may symmetry and order rest in each line and curve ; may strength and beauty grace each arch and pillar from base to capstone ; and may the beautiful proportions of the whole structure be for the admiration of the beholder." At the close of the oration there was music by the choir, and then the beautiful and impressive ceremony of laying the corner-stone was pro- ceeded with. When the metal box containing the deposits was placed in the cavity made for it in the lower stone it was cemented in by John Cox, the contractor, and the upper stone was slowly lowered on to it by block and tackle. After it was settled it was tested with the silver tools of the Order — the square, level, plumb and gavel. The list of articles placed in the stone was read, and corn, wine and oil was poured on it from gold and silver vases, with the usual salutes and responses. The M. W. G. M. then said : " It has been the custom from time immemorial, when requested to do so, for Masons to assemble to lay the north-east corner-stone of public buildings. It has also been the custom to deposit therein certain memorials of the age. The Grand Lodge have been invited by the Board of Super- visors of Napa County to superintend this duty. It is my will and pleasure to announce the ceremonies completed." He then made a brief invocation to the Divine Architect of the Universe for His blessing on the work. Aiiother hymn was sung by the choir, and 86 History of Napa a?id Lake Counties — Napa. the Masons proceeded to their hall to the music of the band. The inscrip- tion on the stone is as follows : LAID JULY 29, 1856. RELAID SEPTEMBER 21, 1878. The contents of the metal box deposited in the stone were : Specimens of all the United States postage stamps ; historical sketch book of Napa County : copies of the Daily and Weekly Register; Napa City' Reporter, of July 19, 1856 (the one taken from the old stone), and of late date; the St, Helena Star ; Napa Classic ; picture of the Collegiate Institute ; charter and ordinance of the City of Napa ; local laws of Napa ; catalogue of Napa Female Seminary ; catalogue of Oak Mound School ; reports from the Insane Asylum for 187G-7 ; Republican, Democratic and Independent State and County tickets for 1875 ; copy of proceedings of the M. W. G. L. F. & A. M. for 1877, together with all that was removed from the former stone. The building was completed, and accepted by the Board of Supervisors February 17, 1879. The following complete and succinct historical and descriptive sketch of the new Court-house is taken from the columns of the Register : " On Mai-ch 27, 1878, an Act of the Legislature to provide for the building and furnishing of a Court-house, offices and jail for Napa County, and for improving the Court-house grades, was approved by the Governor. The Board of Supervisors of this county were authorized and directed to issue bonds of the county to an amount not to exceed $80,000, payable at any time after 1883, and within twenty years of the date of their issuance, at the option of the Board ; said bonds to bear a rate of interest not exceeding seven per cent, per annum ; to be in denominations of $500 each ; interest coupons to be attached. To pay the interest a special tax is to be levied each year. In and for 1884 and each year thereafter until all of said bonds are paid, the Board of Supervisors are to levy and cause to be collected a tax sufficient to pay one-fifteenth part of the whole issue of said bonds, the tax thus collected to be set apart as a special fund, to be known as the ' Court-house Bond Redemption Fund.' When there shall be $1000 or more in said fund the County Treasurer is to advertise for sealed proposals for the surrender of bonds. These bonds were furuished by D. L. Haas of Napa City. One hundred and twenty of them have been issued, two- thirds of them having twenty-one coupons attached, the remaining one-third having twenty. Each of these calls for $35, when due, except the first and last ones of the first lot mentioned. These coupons are fac-similes of United States bonds. " Plans for the building were submitted to the Board of Supervisors on May 9, 1878. Ira Gilchrist, of Napa, submitting one; Kirk, of Oakland, General History and Settlement. 87 one, and Daly & Praun, of Napa, three ; that of Gilchrist being accepted. As a Building Committee to act for the Board, Supervisors Robinson and Deweese were appointed, and Mr. Gilchrist, the architect, had a general oversight of the work. Nine contractors put in bids on the 25th day of June, 1878, ranging from $60,460 down to $50,990, the latter being by J. Cox, of San Francisco, to whom the contract was let. Ground was broken for the foundation on or about July 7th. Trenches five feet wide and three feet deep were dug, in which was put the best of concrete, which was allowed to settle for six weeks, at the end of which time it had become as hard as a solid rock. The work of laying the walls, when commenced, was rapidly carried forward, and on September 21st the corner-stone was laid with im- posing Masonic ceremonies. "All the brick used in the construction of the Court-house and jail were made at the old brick yards on the Sonoma road. About 90,000 were made, which were pronounced by competent judges to be of excellent quality. The outer dimensions of the Court-house are 95x86 feet. The outside walls are sixteen inches thick, firmly held together by iron rods, which are firmly imbedded in the solid foundation, and extend therefrom to the plate on top of the walls, arching the building firmly. The partition walls are twelve inches thick. The jail is 5Sx30 feet outside, with the same kind of foundation as the Court-house, and the walls are firmly bound together by iron bands, rendering them very solid. The outer walls were coated with Rosendale cement, adding much to the beauty of the building. The cornice is of galvanized iron. " The hipped roof of both buildings are covered with tin, which is covered with fire-proof paint. The tower, which rises from the front or eastern end of the building, is twenty feet square at its base, and immediately above this is a cupola which tapers to a point, on which is placed a weather-vane, and over all, on the topmost spire, a golden globe reflects the light from rise to set of sun. The main entrance to the Court-house is on Brown street, and is reached by a broad flight of seven granite steps. The floor of the vestibule is composed of diamond-shaped marble blocks in two colors. The walls are all richly wainscotted four feet from the floor, above which on either side are placed bulletin boards, and overhead the ceiling is beautifully ornamented with stucco-work, from the center piece of which depends orna- mented gas fixtures. " Massive wooden doors, grained in imitation of black walnut, with Cali- fornia laurel panels, open from this vestibule to right and left, admitting one into the grand hall, which is seventy-four feet long by sixteen feet wide and eighteen feet high, extending from one end of the building to the other. The floor of this hall is also of tassalated marble. The first room from the front entrance on the right of the hall is that of the County Treasurer, 88 History of Napa and Lake Counties — Napa. which is 26 x 15 feet in size, with a private office therefrom 7x11 feet. An arched vault, for the Treasurer's special use, is entered from the main office, and is both strong and convenient. " The room next adjoining the Treasurer's office, and entered also from the main hall, is that of the Superintendent of Schools, which is 15 \ x 14i feet in size. This room was not extended to the north wall of the building, but was partitioned off, the upper portion of said partition being of glass, through which and a glass door is admitted all the light of the room. Just beyond this room a small transverse hall, 6 x 30 feet, extends from the main hall to the north or Second street side of the building. " The entrance of the Assessor's office, which is in the rear of the Super- intendent's room, is on this hall, and the office is 20x15 feet and is well lighted. On the opposite side of this hall is the room of the County Sur- veyor, which is 24x14 feet, which is also well lighted. The first room entered from the main hall beyond the small hall is that of the Janitor, and is the counterpart of that occupied by the Superintendent of Schools. These are the only two rooms in the building that have no outside windows. Next beyond the Janitor's room, and under the main stairway, is a small hall, through which is reached the Supervisors' room, in the north-west corner of the building. At the foot of this small hall, as one enters it, is the Jailor's room, which is 11x11 feet. This completes the list of rooms on the northern side of the main building, lower floor. " Commencing as before at the main entrance, the first room on the south side is the Sheriff's office, which is 26 x 15 feet, with private room attached, 17 x 11 feet. Just beyond this is the office of the County Clerk, which is 35ixl6 feet, with a vault 14x13 feet and 14 feet high. Adjoining this room is the office of the County Recorder, which is 35Jx21 feet, and is situated in the south-west corner of the building. There is a vault also to this room, which is 20 x 13 feet, and adjoins that of the Clerk's office. With the exception of some private offices, all the rooms on the south or Third street side extend from the main hall to the wall, and are well lighted. Opposite the first entrance, and at the rear end of the hall is the grand stairway, which is quite broad, has very rich, heavy black walnut balus- trades, with massive new el posts, on which there are gas jets. Ascending these stairs the upper hall is entered, which is well lighted by a vaulted dome of many colored glass. In the first room on the north side of this hall, the District Court (now the Superior Court) is held. Its dimensions are 37 x 36J feet, and 20 feet high, and well lighted. It is also entered by a private stairway communicating with the jail, so that prisoners are brought direct from the jail to the Court-room. In the north-west corner of the upper story is a spacious Jury-room, entered from the Coui-t-room, which is provided with many conveniences. Adjoining the Court-room on General History and Settlement. 89 the east is the Judge's Chamber, which is 26 x 15 feet. At the east end of the hallway is the District Attorney's office which is 20 x 13 feet. " Opposite the District Court-room, and on the south side of the hall is the County Court-room, which is 31£ x 32J feet. There is also a jury- room attached to this, in the south-west corner of the building. On the other side of the room is the Judge's Chamber, and beyond this his private office. A stairway leads from this upper hall to the tower, which is well finished. A splendid view of Napa City and Valley is obtained from this outlook. In this tower there is a very fine bell, weighing about one thousand pounds. " The jail is eight feet from the Court-house, on the Brown street side, and is connected with it by a small hallway, the entrances of which are securely guarded by iron doors. The floor beneath the lower cells was first prepared by putting in earth five feet deep, thoroughly tamped, over which was put two feet of concrete, which became as solid as a rock. Over this, after the cells were completed, was put a thick coating of asphaltum. On this floor are two rows of cells made of boiler iron, thoroughly riveted together, containing ten cells, well painted, conveniently arranged, and separated by a corridor. Another corridor extends around three sides of these cells. From the lower to the upper tier iron stairways ascend, and on this floor are two rows of cells as below, six on each side of the main cor- ridor. The jail is well lighted, well ventilated, and provided with every convenience that prisoners could require." STATISTICS OF NAPA COUNTY.— From the annual statement of the Assessor we compile the following facts and figures regarding the financial interests of the County : Value of real estate other than that listed below $3,769,222 Improvements on same assessed to owner 1,134,223 City and town lots 622,631 Improvements on same assessed to owner 844,159 Improvements on all property assessed to other than owners .... 13,680 Mining claims 25,275 Improvements on same 36,950 Telegraph lines 1,840 Railroad, bed and rails 676,500 Total value of all description of real estate 9,124,287 Total value of personal property 2,036,240 Western Union Telegraph Company: Number of miles 46 Value per mile $40 Total assessed value 1,840 90 History of Napa and Lake Counties — Napa. Mount St. Helena Toll-Road : Number of miles 10 Value per mile $500 Total assessed value $5,000 Bwrk's Toll-Road : Number of miles 2| Value per mile $00 Total assessed value $150 Number of trust deeds and mortgages 697 Total assessed value of them 1,645,197 State, County or Municipal Bonds $104.06 Money on hand or special deposit 115,383 Beehives, No 127 186 Brandies and liquors, galls .36,644 18,403 Calves, No 2,464 13,720 Cattle, stock, No 3,077 30,391 Coal, tons 154J 1,510 Colts, No 919 21,075 Consigned goods '. 1,800 Cows, thoroughbred, No 21 936 a;:: Sin,} ^ Farming utensils 20,045 Firearms, No 567 6,622 Fixtures of stores, saloons and other business places 5,930 Furniture 100,150 Goats, common, No 1,012 1,358 Goods, wares and merchandise 222,401 Grain, tons 1,130 17,486 Harness, robes, saddles, etc 25,057 Hay, tons 355 2,143 Hogs, No 6,475 13,079 Hops, lbs 11,000 1,300 Horses, thoroughbred, No 9 1,950 Horses, graded, 1 , .oa 1A_ -fte tt ' «J ■ J- 1,582 10o,29d Horses, American. ) Horses, Spanish and half-breeds, No 2,267 61,997 Jacks and Jennies, No 10 650 Jewelry or plate 4,773 Libraries — law, medical and miscellaneous 8,925 Lumber, M feet 925 11,870 Machinery 49,665 Mules, No 498 35,435 Musical instruments 175 8.400 Pianos 209 31,445 Poultry, doz 12,823 General History and Settlement. 91 Quicksilver, in flasks 175 $ 4,973 Sewing machines 927 13,340 Sheep, imported or fine, No 44 173 Sheep, common, No 50,317 75,514 Lambs, No 10,251 5,072 Solvent credits, after deduction of debts 363,904 Steamers, vessels, water-craft, No 8 275 Wagons and other vehicles, No 2,166 117,135 Watches, No 792 19,077 Wine, galls 1,442,450 229^532 Wood, cords 3,781 6,783 Other property 84,185 Total $2,036,240 Land inclosed, Land cultivated, Wheat, Wheat, Barley, Barley, Oats, Oats, Rve, Rye, Corn, Corn, Peas, Peas, Peanuts, Peanuts, 150,158 55,401 27,064 620,761 2,328 55,913 625 18,490 10 300 1,575 36,960 10 880 10 4,000 acres. acres. acres. bushels. acres. bushels. acres. bushels. acres. bushels. acres. bushels. acres. bushels. acres. pounds. Beans, Potatoes, Potatoes, Onions, Onions, Hay, Hay, Hops, Hops, Sugar Beets, Sugar Beets, Butter, Cheese, Honey, Wool, 16 540 72 285 5 150 10,817 16,585 58 58,750 7 32 123,900 7,000 3,650 160,993 acres. bushels. acres. tons. acres. bushels. acres. tons. acres. pounds. acres. tons. pounds. pounds. pounds. pounds. Wine, Brandy, 2,106,900 gallons. 45,714 gallons. Distilleries, Breweries, 12 63,500 gallons. Lemon trees, Orange trees, Olive trees, Apple trees, Pear trees, Fig trees, Grist mills, Steam power, Run of stone, Water power, 2 bearing. 45 bearing. 8 bearing. 40,180 bearing. 10,780 bearing. 740 bearing. Plum trees, 6,010 bearing. Peach trees, 17,795 bearing. Quince trees, 815 bearing. Grape vines, 6,055 acres. Value of fruit crop, 406,540 dollars. IMPROVEMENTS. 4 Run of stone, 2 Barrels of flour made in 1879, 8,500 Bushels com ground in 1879, 7,300 92 History of Napa and Lake Counties — Napa. 0881 s 8 s S § : : ; Is? : |8 6iSI s. s. a S 8 : : 8 : i ■ : s. ° s. |» 8ZSI s s s ~ s. : : 8 : : : ; 8 3 -8 18 USl 8 a s " °. : ; s 8 i? S \% 9JRI 8 g H 3 8 : i s f K 3 18 SZSI 8 ? H 2 S : : 8 8 S S 18 ti8l S B * S 8 : : * i ;:■ M I s- Is '2181 g S § 2 8:: « & IS ZZ81 g 3 s 8 q : . 8. 8. ". : = ° : : : Is. TiST 8 S ■ ■ a i i 8 8 8 2 1;. 0!8l S 5 a » a. • : : 8 s a a : : : : \H 6931 S S * 8 8:: S : a . : 1™ 8981 8 S 8 as : : 3 g 8 8 : : : : : 1 ". Z9SI ™ a 8 8 3 ; : S S 8 g 8 : : : 1 I IS 998T 3 s- «. 8 8 : ; s a a ! i I i IS S98I a s 3 \5 f9St a s s a s. : : ° ° j III!!" 8981 s g s 8 8 : 3 : : | -IK 2981 g s 8 S3:: 1- I9SI g g 8 8 8 8 8 : : : : : 13 09SI . g S| 8 3 5 8 8 : : : : : 1 'r 6S8I I s a s a 8 s a ; : : : 18 SS8I g g 8 8 S 3 8 8 : : I : : 1 " 4981 g 8 S 8 3 8 8 : : : : I 1 1 * 9V8I ? g ^ 8 31 8 : : : ':1s. SS8I g ; 3 S 8 I : I 1 "t WSI g g : 8 : : : I 1 ™ SS8I : § : g 1* 5581 g : : : : IS TS8I : g a : 1 '' Q O I, 1 1! ■ I i I a Road Special Road I < > j ! 1 ? 1 i ! i 1 m if - . -11. Napa City Court-hnu^e U.ind Iiittregt . . . Total Tax ox the 8100. . . . General History and Settlement. 93 SCHOOLS. — The first school-house in Napa County was built by William H. Nash, near Tucker Creek, above St. Helena, in 1849, in which a private school was taught by Mrs. Forbes, whose husband had perished with the Dormer Party in 1846. As late as 1854, there was not a public school in the county, although there were two or three private schools. In 1855, the first public school in the county was erected by subscription in Napa City. In 1857, there were only nine hundred and eleven children in both Napa and Lake Counties, which were then one. We give below the census returns for the years 1858, 1865 and 1881, so that a comparison may be made, and the growth of the school system readily seen : American Canon . Atlas Peak Buchanan Bennett Berry essa ( 'arncros Calistiiga Chiles Cherry Valley . . . Chiles Valley Conn Valley. . . . Capelle Valley. . . ( 'rystal Springs , . Cinnabar Franklin Foss Valley Gordon Valley. . . Hardin Harmony Howard Howell Mountain High Valley Jefferson Liberty Lodi Lone Tree Mountain Napa Oak Grove Oak Knoll Number of Children Oakville Pope Valley . Putah Redwood Soda Canon . Salvador Silverado Spring Mountain St. Helena Sulphur Spring Summit Tucker Upper Pope Valley Vineland Wooden Valley Yount Zem Zem Fisher's School House Browns Valley Squatter Valley Hot Springs No. 1 Hot Springs No. 2 Hot Springs No. 3 Clear Lake No. 1. . Clear Lake No. 2 Monroe , Number of Children. 1S5S 1SG5 1SN1 CURIOSITIES OF THE GREAT REGISTER.— Some enterprising newspaper genius, a few years ago, overhauled the Great Register of Napa County with the following result, which we are sure will not be without interest to the general reader : Out of upwards of four thousand voting citizens in Napa County the nativities are as follows : Two thousand nine hundred and seventy-three 94 History of Napa and Lake Counties — Napa. were born in the United States and over one thousand and thirty are foreign born. Of the former, one hundred and sixty-three were born in California; of the latter, three hundred and thirty-one are from Erin's Isle; two hun- dred and thirty-nine hail from " Fatherland ; " one hundred are from our mother country, England ; forty-seven are from Canada ; forty-seven are from the mountains of Switzerland ; thirty-six from the misty highlands and lowlands of Scotland ; thirty-three from sunny France ; twenty-six from Sweden ; twenty-five from Mexico ; eighteen from Denmai-k ; eighteen from Norway ; eleven from fair Italy ; two from China (American parents) ; and two were born at sea and consequently have no native land. The remainder of the foreigners are distributed in small numbers among the European countries of Austria, Russia, Spain, Portugal, Poland, etc. It will be noticed that our largest inflow is from Ireland and our smallest from the countries last named; and we suppose Napa's distribution is a fair criterion for other counties. The occupation of these four thousand citizens are varied. The principal ones are as follows : Farmers, one thousand six hundred and fifty-three ; mechanics, eight hundred and seven ; day laborers, six hundred and seven ; clerks, seventy-nine ; teachers, forty-one ; doctors, thirty-four ; saloon- keepers, twenty -four ; clergymen, twenty-one ; printers, nineteen ; lawyers; thirteen ; law students, five ; editors, six. Nineteen of these citizens have no registered occupation ; we suppose they would term themselves " gentle- men." There are a number of odd and curious occupations registered — at least, odd and curious for this vicinity. Among them are two bottlers, one carp- tender, two soldiers, one propagator of game cocks, two firemen, one tinker, one 'longshoreman, one patent-maker, one bootblack and general business man, (we suppose he means Jack-at-all-trades) and one actor. The re- mainder are distributed among the lesser occupations. The parents of our Napa County citizens must have had high hopes of their progeny if they expected them to emulate the virtues of the great men after whom they were named. We find no less than forty-five George Washingtons with which to head the list; fourteen Thomas Jeflersons, five James Madisons, fourteen Andrew Jacksons, one Martin Van Buren and two William Harrisons, complete the Presidents. Then we find five Henry Clays, one Albert Gallatin, thirteen Benjamin Franklins, two William Penns, one Patrick Heniy, one Daniel Boone, one Samuel Houston, one Alexander Stephenson, four Isaac Newtons, five John Wesleys, two Christopher Col- umbus, three Charles Wesleys, one William Wirt, two Lorenzo Dows, four Byrons, one Maximillian, two Pulaskis, two Louis Napoleons, three Horatio Nelsons and six William Wallaces. Among the heroes of antiquity, we find Leonidas, Quintus, Cineinnatus, Solon, Lycurgus, Theophilus, Archelaus, General History and Settlement. 95 Erasmus, Achilles, Augustus Cresar, Hannibal, Csesar, Cassius, Lars and Homer. The following " queer, quaint and curious " names are found : Pardon, Champion, Gallhelp, Pedro, Reason, Fountain, Christian, Prudence, Salter, Chancellor, Welcome, Grandison, Berry, Littleberry, Greenberry, Brown- berry, Greenleaf, Cilley, Fountederry, Dye, Leven, First, (the parents of these last two probably numbered their children instead of naming them), Razor, Finis, Purchase, Greene, Chasteen, Steptoe, Lanihut, Pleasant, Orall, Valorous, Amatus, (Latin for " having been loved,") Doe, Napa, Francisco, Nahum, Victoria, Angelo, Azariah, David Jonathan, Squire, Forest, Eliphalct, Lank, Valentine, Ole, Ishman, Adonisam, Talover, Zuar, Batt, French, Page, Ringrose. Greenup, Bani, Albion, Actor, Jesus, Adda and Hasker. The surnames are as varied and curious as the given names ; fifty -six citizens rejoice in the name of Smith ; of these, five prefix John. It is said that names originally grew out of the occupations the persons followed. As the sons do not always inherit the tastes of the father, a good many of the names are misnomers. For instance, Mr. Baker is a storekeeper ; Mr. Cooper is a miller ; Mr. Butcher is a farmer ; Mr. Carpenter is a drayman, etc. Following are some of the occupations which would be designated by the names : A Butcher, three Barbers, one Baker, one Bender, seven But- lers, one Barker, twelve Cooks, six Coopers, two Carvers, one Carpenter, three Cuttors, four Chancellers, one Currier, one Carrier, one dinger, one Cartwright, four Carters, one Dresser, two Dyers, three Fishers, four Fowlers, two Forresters, one Felter, one Glazier, five Gardners, one Goldsmith, one Hunter, ten Millers, two Masons, one Porter, one Packer, two Parsons, one Reader, one Rector, six Sawyers, one Stonebarger, two Sellers, one Stringer, nine Turners, four Tylers, six Tuckers, one Tailor, one Thatcher, five Walkers and a Wheeler. Some of them are also men of rank, judging from the following : An Abbot, two Bishops, one Chamberlain, one Dean, one Earl, eight Kings, two Nobles, two Priests and two Popes. The kinds of men are also illustrated as follows : A Berryman, Brown- man, Countryman, Cashman, Richman, Dryman, Eastman, Farman, Foman, two Goodmans, Greenman, Grassman, Godman, Gassman, three Hardmans, Honeyman, two Manns, Newman, Seaman, two Tallmans, Teaman and Wayman. These men also probably have sons as follows : Chapson, Grayson, Robberson, Shepardson and Stillson. Under this head we also have a Darling, Deare, Duguid, Friend, Fond- away, Goodnow, Hunger, two Husbands, Newcomer, Love, Music, Witte, Whitehead, Sleeper and Swain. UNCLASSIFIED NOUNS AND VERBS. Baldridge, Bale, Bitters, two Bachelders, Bomsall, two Chords, Christmas 96 History of Napa and Lake Counties — Napa. Carroll, Holliday, Cain, Coffer, Coffermore, Crooks, Demerett, Danbenspeck, Devilin, Fee, Galway, Gift, Grant, Hang, Ink, Justice, two Jewells, Job, Kildoff, Ketchum, Lineback, Musset, Millsof, two Nesbites, Overdick, Wells, Seawell, Penwell, Corn well, Kettlewell, Philpot, Ash, Burns, Woodburn, Coles, Lovett, Married, Powers, Purchase, Price, Paine, Parrish, Rex, Starr, Squibb, Service, Shade, Slaughter, Standard, Trubody, Upchurch, Webb, Wildberger, Lynch, Maddew, Maddigan, Stalkey, Tuck, Tripp, Workover, Walover, Waite and Wash. TIMES AND SEASONS. Day, Weeks, Monday, Spring, Summer and Winter. QUALITIES. Are referred as follows: Bragg, Blank, Cross, Close, Goodrich, Goodmen, Graves, Harsh, Happy, Keene, Meeker, Raney, Swift, Scrach, Slack, Sage, Sharp, Savage, Sallow, Sweet, Strong, True, Wooden, Wooley, Young, Stout, Safely, Wise and Waterous. ANIMALS. Buck, Coons, Doe, two Flys, Fox, Hinds, two Kidds, three Lyons, two Lambs, Steere, Wolfe and Worm. BIRDS. Bird, two Cranes, Crow, Fowle, Gosling, two Hawks, Peacock, Raven, Sparrow, Teal and Wren. FISHES. Two Crabbs, Herren, Klam, Leach, Pike, Ray and Salmon. ANATOMICAL. The anatomy of animals, including human beings and billy-goats is thus illustrated, two Beards, Boyle, Foot, Huff, three Hydes, Haire, two Heads, three Harts, Korn, Pulse, Shinn and Withers. SIZES AND SHAPES. Of these bodies, are three Biggs, High, Long, three Littles, Light, Love, Petty and Small. COLORS. Nineteen Browns, six Blacks, eight Greenes, four Grays, Maroon, and eight Whites. NATIONALITIES. Our population is quite cosmopolitan. We have two Coolies, one Dutcher, one France, one French, one Holland, one Irish, seven Moores, one Poland, and six Welshes. MONEY. Cash, Dollarhide, Groat and Penny. General History and Settlement. 97 Two Bells, Brush, Clock, Ewer, Fawcett, Hopper, Hammer, two Keyes, Mallett, two Potts, Towel, and Whetstone. BUILDING MATERIAL. Irons, Marble, Post, Stone, Steel and Wood. ARCHITECTURAL. Four Barnes, four Churches, Chapel, Foxhall, five Garretts, seven Halls, two Houses, Lodge, Mills, Newhouse, Pier, Spires, Stackpole, Story, Shop, Wing, Ward and Waterhouse. EATABLES. Allcorn, Bacon, Curry, Gruel, Milks, Pulse, Pickle, Rice and Grubb. FRUIT AND VEGETATION. Fruits, two Bartletts, Cobb, Cherry, Gage, Hull, Hayes, seven Murphys, three Moss, six Roses, two Reeds, Thorn and Crabtree. CLOTHING. One Hat, one Coat, one Vest, one (Gilder) sleeve and Sheets. WEAPONS. One Gun, one Pike, one Spear, two Shields and a Spur. LANDSCAPES AND WATERSCAPES. The last and one of the most interesting classifications. Four Fields, Bloomfield, Butterfield, two Greenfields, two Mansfields Mayfield, Merry- field, two Akers, two Brinks, two Banks, Dell, Hill, Churchill, Mount, Greenwood, Green, two Parks, four Lanes, two Streets, Heath, seven Moores, Marsh, five Boggs, two Ponds, two Fountains, Frost, Snow, Falls three Lakes and one See. MOUNT ST. HELENA.— At the head of Napa Valley stands this ma- jestic monarch of the Mayacamas Mountains, and a history of Napa and Lake Counties would not be complete without a due mention being made of this hoary -headed patriarch of the Pacific. A writer in one of the daily papers gives the following beautiful and graphic description of the grand scenes to be witnessed from its summit : " ' Great heights charm the eye,' said Goethe, ' but the steps which lead to them do not ; ' yet it seemed to us as we ascended that at every step the view became wider and more complete, and that some new beauty was pre- sented either in the surrounding landscape or on the slope itself. Upward 7 98 History of Napa and Lake Counties — Napa. we traveled, now making turns as crooked as the manzanita sticks which we carried, now examining the frost, which was peculiarly formed into basalt-like columns along our path, now cutting canes and gathering speci- mens, until finally, footsore and tired, we found ourselves on the highest summit. It was a glorious scene which Nature on every side unfolded. Yet early in the morning, the cool, fresh air exhilarated like champagne, and the mists, having already disappeared under the influence of the rising sun, the beauty of the landscape was almost perfect in detail. The moun- tain upon which we stood is situated on the corner of Napa, Lake and Sonoma Counties, and rises somewhat precipitously to a height of four thousand five hundred feet. Forty years ago a party of Russians under Commander Rotscheff visited Mount Mayacamas, as the peak was then called, and upon the summit left a copper-plate bearing an inscription in their own language." In 1853 this plate was discovered by Dr. T. A. Hylton, and a copy of it preserved by Mrs. H. L. Weston, of Petaluma. The metal slab is octagonal in shape, and bears the following words in the Russian language : " Russians, 1841, June. E. L. Voznisenski iii, E. L. Chernich." This inscription was referred to Mr. Charles Mitchell Grant, of Oakland, a gentleman long resident in Siberia, and he makes the following state- ment : " iii means that Voznisenski is the third of the third name in his family, the other two being still living, or at any rate alive when he was born. Evidently two Russian sailors ; the first is a Polish name, and the second a name common in Little Russia." " The mountain was named St. Helena in honor of the Princess De Gaga- rin, the commander's beautiful wife, and in this connection a romantic inci- dent has been related by General Vallejo. He said : ' The beauty of this lady excited so ardent a passion in the heart of Prince Solano, chief of all the Indians about Sonoma, that he formed a plan to capture, by force or stratagem, the object of his love ; and he might very likely have succeeded had I not heard of his intention in time to prevent its execution.' " The mountain is supposed to be an extinct volcano, from which were poured out at one time the tufa in which the Petrified Forest is buried, together with the range of basalt dividing the Petaluma and Sonoma Valleys, and there remain two summits, one of which is four hundred feet above the other. Viewed from different points the change in the appearance is suiiu- what striking. Looking at the peak from Santa Rosa the shape is not unlike that of a huge elephant ; at Fulton it has been called the ' giant in bed ; ' from Litton Springs the outlines closely resemble those of St. Peter's at Rome ; from Napa Valley St. Helena presents a gorgeous panorama of shifting colors with cap of pearly gray : while from Diablo it makes a mag- General History and Settlement. 99 nificently long outline against the sky, like some lofty monument of ancient story. The Alpine glow seen at this season on the slope at sunset is in its way unexcelled, and the huge mass is lighted up with a rose tint as if from some internal fire. The foliage is of numerous varieties — manzanita, scrub oak, scraggy pine and mountain cedar being especially predominant, while even vineyards have been found to thrive in the lower canons. Like Diablo and Shasta, St. Helena is largely isolated from its surroundings, and is the presiding genius of the section in which it is located. To the specta- tor standing on the summit the world seems to be tossed into a tempest, and on whatever side he looks chaos reigns supreme. The view is confined only by distant mountains and the horizon. ' The valleys sink away like settings on the landscape ; towns and villages appear like collections of toy houses; and men and animals disappear from the sight altogether. Rivers are changed into tiny streams, wagon roads are narrowed to spiral-like trails, and tall trees are little higher than shrubs just beginning to shoot. There are mountains covered with timber to the top, and there are mountains covered with snow all the year round. There are mountains as high as the Jungf rau or Mont Blanc, and there are others with more pinacles and spires than the Cathedral of Milan. There are creeks, rivers, a bay and an ocean ; there are thousands of miles of land and water spread out like a map. It is order as well as chaos ; it is distance brought within range of the human eye ; it is sublimity and majesty combined ; it is out of the ' Perfection of such beauty that God himself hath shined.' " Directly in front of us, as we looked to the west from the summit, was Knights Valley, that favorite sketching place for artists, on the extreme eastern boundary of Sonoma, the dark color of its freshly plowed fields alter- nating with the brighter shades of its grain fields and meadows. It seemed but a stone's throw from where we stood to the magnificent residence of Calvin Holmes, while Kellogg's was yet nearer on the Calistoga road to the Geysers. Further to the west, and separated from Knights Valley by a spur from the main chain, was Russian River Valley, the river flashing in the sunlight like a stream of molten metal, and the play of colors upon its foothills and mountains defying the best tints of a Bierstadt or Turner. From Cloverdale to San Pablo Bay the level space stretched in an unbroken line for a distance of nearly sixty miles, and highly cultivated fields and pretty farm-houses followed each other in quick succession. From our dis- tant height we could see Geyserville, with its Post-office and store and depot, snugly situated near the river ; Litton Springs, with its schools and cottges, located beautifully on a rising plain ; Healdsburg, overtopped by Fitch Mountain and with half a dozen spires ' pointing the way to heaven;' Wind- sor, Mark West and Fulton, each with a depot, and surrounded by fields as level as a floor ; Santa Rosa, over thirty miles distant by the trail and road, 100 History of Napa and Lake Counties — Napa. yet so near that its streets and buildings could be plainly distinguished with the naked eye ; the hill, behind which could be seen the smoke rising from Petaluma, though the town itself was obscured ; and then the valley shad- ing oft' into the bay — and the eye and sense were bewildered by the mighty prospect afforded. Beyond this central valley, to the west and north, was an interminable waste of mountains, spur crowding spur so closely that level spaces were lost sight of altogether, some peaks bare and cheerless, some covered with trees to the summit, some showing deeper canons and steeper slopes than St. Helena itself. Crowning the view to the west was the ocean covered with fog to the north, which no human eye could penetrate, and the outlines fading off in the distance until sky and water seemed to join. To the left of Santa Rosa in the south we caught a glimpse of Point Reyes, while farther to the right we knew were the Farallones. Separated to the east from this central valley at its Petaluma end was Sonoma Valley, ex- tending in an unbroken line south-westerly from the main chain, fronting on the bay and narrowing perceptibly upwards, and with an array of vineyards scarcely equaled elsewhere in the State. Further east we could see Napa Val- ley, thirty-five miles long and five miles wide at its widest part, its mountain lines covered with a magnificent foliage, including the oak, madrone, cedar, fir and pine ; its mountain streams fringed with the willow, ash, gigantic brakes, flowering manzanita and California laurel ; its river following the line of foothills on the east and narrowing into a thread in the distance ; with every available spot of territory covered with wheat fields, orchards vineyards, and with beautiful homes secured to their possessors by years of unremitting toil, perseverance and self-denial. In the center of this valley, as in the center of Russian River Valley, a railway stretched from the bay to the upper end, and the smoke from a passing train rolled oft* in a great streamer to the horizon. " Beyond the bay, whose waters were a ' sparkling sheet of tremulous brightness,' we saw Diablo, its huge outlines appearing against the morning sky like some giant sentinel on the landscape, and still beyond, the ridge back of Redwood City formed a pleasing background to the view in that direction. To the right of Diablo, Mount Hamilton came plainly in our view, and yet farther in the distance were the mountains beyond Monterey. The city of San Francisco, situated upon more hills than those of which Rome itself boasts, loomed up to the eastward of the points just described, and over a part hung a fog, which rolled in from the sea in fleecy clouds. To the east of the city was still another immense waste of mountain peaks and spurs, and from our distant height Pope, Berryessa and other smaller valleys appeared like single fields of ordinary extent. This chain, extending from the hills beyond Monterey to Clear Lake, shut out in a measure the great central depression from the view, but through Putah Creek Canon the General History and Settlement. 101 sight stretched across the San Joaquin. It was a magnificent spectacle which met our gaze as we turned directly to the east. In front of us was an opening in the spur extending to the north, beyond which hung a huge fog bank like that over the San Joaquin, and overtopping which were the Sierras, like icebergs in the midst of a frozen ocean. This fog was not stationary, and as it was now and then dispelled, passing glimpses of the world underneath were obtained. The Lassen Buttes, with their one hundred square miles and more of volcanic grandeur, towered above the lower range in front, and still further to the left was Loconomo'Valley, with the village of Middleton in the center. The distance from the point where the Sierras met our view on the south to the point where they were lost on the north was fully four hundred miles, and over this immense territory peaks followed each other in almost endless succession. " ' The longer I stayed among the Alps.' says Ruskin, ' and the more closely I examined them, the more I was struck by the one broad fact of their being a vast Alpine plateau, or mass of elevated land, upon which nearly all the highest peaks stood like children set upon a table, removed in most cases far back from the edge of the plateau, as if for fear of their falling ; while the most majestic scenes in the Alps are produced, not so much by any violation of this law, as by one of the great peaks apparently having walked to the edge of the table to look over, and thus showing itself suddenly above the valley in its full height.' Looking from St. Helena, the same characteristic was true of the Sierras. " The mighty range was before us in all its wild and majestic grandeur, and upon the edge of this elevated plateau stood great snow-capped masses, which rivaled in height the loftiest peaks of the Alps. These were sur- rounded by comparatively level fields of mountains, and overhanging the whole were clouds tinted with all the gorgeousness of sunrise splendor. See that huge snowbank over there to the left of Lassen Buttes ! That is Shasta. It is distant probably two hundred miles. It is fourteen thousand four hundred and forty feet high. It is covered with snow the year round a vertical mile from its summit. Even as we looked in the direction indicated the clouds gathered about the top of the great white mountain, like an eagle swooping down on its prey, and a shadowy white mass was soon all that remained. " The sky became darker and the air grew colder before we left the top of St. Helena. A rainbow formed in the north-west, one end bathing the mountains back of Russian River with a flood of variegated light, the other end fading off in the clouds like a veil of gossamer. The wind began to blow, and soon the sun disappeared. From the bay and from the ocean the fog began to move towards the summit whereon we wei'e stationed. Onward it came like some attacking phalanx of the elements, now across 102 History of Napa and Lake Counties — Napa. the mountains to the west and south, now over the central valleys of Sonoma and Napa, now up the slope and beyond, and immediately our view was at an end." THE FUTURE.— The future of Napa County is destined to be a grand one. Her varied resources will always bring into her coffers almost untold wealth. Her wine industry is yet in its infancy ; mines are yet in an un- developed state, but promise great things for the future ; her agricultural products are almost boundless, and her fine pleasure resorts and grand climate will always attract a host of tourists into her boundaries. THE PIONEERS.— We are now about to bring this chapter to a close, referring the reader to the chapters on township or special history for further information, where we think will be found treated eveiy matter of historical interest that can be found in the county. We have preferred to make this chapter rather meagre in some respects that we might the more fully write up the townships. In closing this chapter it is but proper that we should pay a tribute to the brave old pioneers who led the van and sacrificed their comforts and often their lives that we might have the great blessings we now enjoy. Ah, those hardy old pioneers ! What a life was theirs, and how much of life was often crowded into a year, or sometimes even into a day of their existence. Now that the roads are all made and the dim trail has been supplanted by well-beaten and much-traveled highways, how complacently we talk and write and read of their deeds and exploits. The writer of fifty years hence will be the man who will have the license to color up the heroic deeds of valor, and set forth in fitting words a proper tribute to the valor and prowess of the generation that is just now passing from our midst. We of to-day cannot, dare not, say it as it should be said, for there are living witnesses who would say it was too highly colored, too romantic, too fan- ciful. Heroic deeds do not seem so to the enactors of the drama of Pioneerism. It has been theirs to subdue the wilderness and change it into smiling fields of bright growing grain. Toil and privations, such as we can little appreciate now, was their lot for many years. Poor houses, and even no houses at all, but a simple tent or even an Indian wickeup, sheltered them from the rigors of the storm and the inclemency of the weather. The wild beasts of the woods were their night visitors, prowling about and making- night hideous with their unearthly noises, and working the nerves of women, and often, perhaps, of men, up to a tension that precluded the pos- sibility of sleep and rest. Neighbors lived many miles away, and visits were rare and highly appreciated by the good old pioneer women. Law and order prevailed almost exclusively, and locks and bars to doors were then unknown, and the only thing to fear in human shape were the petty General History and Settlement. 103 depredations by Indians. For food they had the fruit of the chase, which afforded them ample meat, but bread was sometimes a rarity, and appre- ciated when had as only those things are which tend most to our comfort, and which we are able to enjoy the least amount of. But they were happy in that life of freedom from the environments of society and social usage. They breathed the pure, fresh air, untainted by any odor of civilzation ; they ate the first fruits of the virgin soil, and grew strong and free on its strength and freedom. They spent their leisure hours under the wide- spreading branches of the giant forest monarchs, and their music was trilled forth upon the silver air by the feathered choristers of " God's first temples." But changed are all things now ! Where was then the wilderness, are now the fields of shining grain. The rude cluster of huts has developed into a handsome village, with its church spires pointing like finger-boards the way the worshipers at its shrine are wont to travel, from the church militant below to the church triumphant above. At every mile-post almost along the road are reared the bulwarks of our religious liberty, social free- dom and of our vaunted civilization — the public school -houses — in which the youth of the land receive instruction in all that goes to make the free American citizens. The arts and trades thrive, and on every hand the marks of prosperity are visible. And, above all, standing out in bold relief, are the happy homes of the people who now live where the pioneers en- dured such hardships, and, best of all, is the fact that many of the good old pioneer fathers and mothers still remain with us, in the full vigor of their manhood and womanhood, to enjoy these hard-bought privileges and pleasures. Others still are with us, but in the waning, mellow glow of Life's setting sun, looking back upon the life they have led, with a remembrance mingled with joy and sorrow, shaded and lighted by their varied experi- ences ; looking out upon the results of their labor with feelings of exultant pride, knowing and feeling that the generations yet to come will rise up and call them blessed ; looking forward with glowing hearts, full of hope, trust and loving faith to the joyful time when they shall hear the Master's voice bidding them come up higher, and enter into his joy ; when the glad- some welcome " well done " shall thrill their hearts with a pleasure that shall never die. Othei-s have gone on before to that reward already, and their places are occupied by their children and even their children's children, and a strange people who knew them not will soon fill the land. So, hei-e on history's page, let us render a fitting tribute to their revered memory. " No more for them shall be Earthly noon or night, Morn or evening light ; But Death's unfathomed mystery Has settled like a pall Overall." 104 History of Napa and Lake Counties — Napa. The final close of this chapter cannot be made more appropriately than to quote the following beautiful lines, penned by M. S. Beers, and entitled "NAPA VALLEY." I spied a beautiful valley, All nestled cosily down In the laps of some grand old mountains, That were flecked in green and brown. It was like a wondrous vision, Which comes in on purest hours, Of the garden made in Eden, All filled with fruits and flowers, And trees that were green forever, With a river rippling through, That waters the beautiful valley And its blossoms of every hue. 'Twas a land enriched with vintage, And flowing with hone}' and wine ; A valley, like that of Hermon, With its dews and golden sunshine. Legislative History of Napa County. 105 LEGISLATIVE HISTORY OF NAPA COUNTY. ORGANIZATION OF THE COUNTY.— The first organization of counties in the United States originated in Virginia, her early settlers becoming proprietoi-s of vast amounts of land, living apart in patrician splendor, imperious in demeanor, aristocratic in feeling, and being in a measure dictators to the laboring portion of the population. It will thus be remarked that the materials for the creation of towns were not at hand, voters being but sparsely distributed over a great area. The county organ- ization was, moreover, in perfect accord with the traditions and memories of the judicial and social dignities of Great Britain, in descent from whom they felt so much glory. In 1634 eight counties were established in Virginia, a lead which was followed by the Southern and several of the Northern States, save in those of South Carolina and Louisiana, where districts were outlined in the former, and parishes, after the manner of the French, in the latter. In New England, towns were formed before counties, while counties were organized before States. Originally, the towns, or townships, exercised all the powers of government swayed by a State. The powers afterward assumed by the State government were from surrender or delegation on the part of towns. Counties were created to define the jurisdiction of courts of justice. The formation of States was a union of towns, wherein arose the representative system, each town being represented in the State Legislature, or General Court, by delegates chosen by the freemen of the towns at their stated meetings. The first town meeting of which we can find any direct evidence, was held by the congregation of the Plymouth Colony, on Mai'ch 23, 1621, for the purpose of perfecting military arrangements. At that meeting a Governor was elected for the ensuing year, and it is noticed as a coincidence, whether from that source or otherwise, that the annual town meetings in New England, and nearly all the other States, have ever since been held in the spring of the year. It was not, however, until 1635 that the township system was adopted as a quasi corporation in Massachusetts. The first legal enactment concerning this system provided that whereas: " Particular towns have many things which concern only themselves, and the ordering of their own affairs, and disposing of business in their own towns ; therefore, the freemen of every town, or the major part of them, 106 History of Napa and Lake Counties — Napa. shall only have power to dispose of their own lands and woods, with all the appurtenances of said towns ; to grant lots and to make such orders as niay concern the well ordering of their own towns, not repugnant to the laws and orders established by the General Court. They might also impose tines of not more than rwenty shillings, and choose their own particular officers, as constables, surveyors for the highways, and the like." Evidently this enactment relieved the General Court of a mass of municipal details, with- out any danger to the powers of that body in controlling general measures of public policy. Probably, also, a demand from the freemen of the towns was felt for the control of their own home concerns. The New England colonies were first governed by a "" General Court. " or Legislature, composed of a Governor and small council, which court con- f the most influential inhabitants, and possessed and exercised both legislative and judicial powers, which were limited only by the wisdom of the holders. They made laws, ordered their execution, elected their own officers, tried and decided civil and criminal causes, enacted all manner of municipal regulations, and, in fact, transacted all the business of the colony. This svstem, which was found to be eminently successful, became general as territorv was added to the Republic, and States formed. Smaller divisions were in turn inaugurated and placed under the jurisdiction of special officers, whose numbers were increased as time developed a demand, until -tem of township organization in the United States is a matter of just pride to her people. Let us now consider this topic in regard to the especial subject under review : — On the acquisition of California by the Government of the United States. under a treatv of peace, friendship, limits, and settlement with the Mexican Republic, dated Guadalupe Hidalgo, February 2 1>4> the boundaries of State were defined. This treaty was ratified by the President of the Unit-r: 9ta1 March 16, 1S48; exchanged at Qneretaro May 30th. and finally promulgated July 4th, of the same year, by President Polk, and I bv Secretary of State, James Buchanan. In 1849 a Constitutional Convention was assembled in Monterey, and at the close of the session, on October 12th. a proclamation calling upon the people to form a government -ued " to designate such officers as they desire to make and -xeeute the laws: that their choice may be wisely made, and that the govern: oaed mav secure the permanent welfare and happiness of the people of the n-w State, is the sincere and earnest wish of the present executive, who, if the Constitution be ratified, will with pleasure surrender his powers to whomsoever the people may designate as his successor/' This historical document bore the signatures of " B. Riley. Bvt. Brig General U. S. A. and r of California : and official H. W. Halleck. Bvt Capt. and Secre- tary of 9 Legislative History of Napa County. 107 Prior to the first partition of the State into counties, the section now known as Napa had been included in the district of Sonoma, a division which had originated with the Mexican authorities during their power, and that included all the counties now lying west of the Sacramento River, between the Bay of San Francisco and the Oregon line ; it had not been interfered with on the accession of American rule, but retained the official designation given to it by the Spaniards. April 11, 1850, an Act of the Legislature was passed organizing a Court of Sessions, which defined its composition as follows : — The Court consisted of the County Judge, who should preside at its ses- sions, assisted by two Justices of the Peace of the county as Associate Justices, they being chosen by their brother Justices from out of the whole number elected for the county. The duties imposed upon this organization were multifarious. They made such orders respecting the property of the county as they deemed expedient, in conformity with any law of the State, and in them wer-e vested the care and preservation of said property. They examined, settled, and allowed all accounts chargeable against the county ; directed the raising of such sums for the defraying of all expenses and charges against the county, by means of taxation on property, real and per- sonal, such not to exceed, however, the one-half of the tax levied by the State on such property ; to examine and audit the accounts of all officers having the care, management, collection and disbursement of any money belonging to the county, or appropriated by law, or otherwise, for its use and benefit. In them was the power of control and management of public roads, turnpikes, fences, canals, roads and bridges within the county, where the law did not prohibit such jurisdiction, and make such orders as should be requisite and necessary to carry such control and management into effect; to divide the county into townships, and to create new townships, and change the division of the same as the convenience of the county should require. They established and changed election precincts ; controlled and managed the property, real and personal, belonging to the county, and purchased and received donations of property for the use of the county, with this proviso : that they should not have the power to purchase any real or personal prop- erty, except such as should be absolutely necessary for the use of the county : to sell and cause to be conveyed, any real estate, goods, or chattels belonging to the county, appropriating the fund; of such sale to the use of the same : to cause to be erected and furnished, a Court-house, jail, and other buildings, and to see that the same are kept in repair, and otherwise to perform all such other duties as should be necessary to the full discharge of the powers conferred on such court. Terms were ordered to be held on the second Monday of February, April, June, August, October and December, with quarterly sessions on the third Monday of February, May. August and November of each year. 108 History of Napa and Lake Counties — Napa. In accordance with section fourteen of Article XII of the Constitution, it was provided that the State be divided into counties and Senatorial and Assembly Districts, and at the first session of the Legislature, which opened at San Jose- December 15, 1849, there was passed, and approved February 8, 1850, " An Act subdividing the State into counties and establishing the seats of justice therein," which directed that the boundary lines of Napa County should be as follows : Commencing in the Napa River at the mouth of the Soscol Creek, and running up said creek to the point of said creek nearest to the range of mountains dividing Napa Valley from Suisun Valley ; thence in a direct line to the nearest point of said range ; thence along the summit of said range north-westerly to its northern extremity ; thence due north to the for- tieth parallel of north latitude ; thence due west twenty miles ; thence south-westerly to the nearest point t>f the range of mountains dividing Napa Valley from Sonoma Valley ; thence south-westerly along said range of mountains to its termination in Carnero Mountain ; thence in a direct line to the nearest point of Carnero Creek ; thence down said creek to its junc- tion with the Napa River ; thence to the place of beginning. The seat of justice shall be Napa City. It will be seen by the above that the territory embraced in the above boundaries included all of what is now known as Lake County. There were no changes in these lines until April 16, 1852, when an Act of the Legisla- ture denned the boundaries of Napa County as follows : Commencing in Napa River at the mouth of Soscol Creek, and running up said creek to the point of said creek nearest to the range of mountains dividing Napa Valley from Suisun Valley ; thence in a direct line to the nearest point of said range ; thence in a northerly direction to the east side of Chimiles, or Corral Valley ; thence in a direct line to the east side of Berryessa Valley, to the northern end of said valley ; thence in a north- westerly direction to the outlet of Clear Lake ; thence up the middle of said lake to its head ; thence in a westerly direction to the north-east corner of Sonoma County ; thence south along the easterly line of said county to the place of beginning. The boundary lines of the county were destined to not remain the same for any great length of time, for on the fourth day of April, 1S55, we find that there was an Act passed by the Legislature to amend the above Act so as to make it read as follows : Commencing at a point on the Guichica Creek where the said creek empties into San Pablo Bay ; thence running in a direct line due east to the top of the ridge of mountains dividing Napa Valley from Suisun Valley ; thence in a northerly direction along the top of said mountains to a point parallel with the southern boundary line of the ranch known as the Chimiles Legislative History of Napa County. 109 Rancho ; thence easterly along said line to the top of the mountains known as the Vaca Mountains, which divide the Vaca Valley from the Chimiles Rancho ; thence northerly along the top of the main ridge of said Vaca Mountains to the Putah Creek ; thence northerly across said creek to the top of the mountains dividing Berryessa Valley from Sacramento Valley ; thence northerly along the top of said ridge to the outlet of Clear Lake ; thence easterly to the top of the mountains dividing Clear Lake Vallejr from Sacramento Valley ; thence northerly along the top of said mountains to the head of Clear Lake ; thence westerly to the top of the mountains that divide Clear Lake Valley from the Russian River Valley ; thence southerly along the top of said mountains to a point on the top of said mountains one mile east of the eastern boundary line of the rancho known as Fitch's Rancho, on the Russian River.; thence in a direct line southerly to the westerly branch of the head waters of the Guichica Creek ; thence westerly to the top of the main ridge that divides Guichica Valley from Sonoma Valley ; thence in a southerly direction along the said dividing ridge to the tule bordering on San Pablo Bay ; thence southerly to the center of Guichica Creek ; thence following the center of said, creek to its mouth, the place of beginning. The county seat shall be Napa City. The boundary lines of Napa County remained as above described for some time, but there was some considerable effort made on the part of the Solano County people to have the lines between Napa and Solano so changed that Solano would get the best of the change. Some trouble grew out of the fact that the people had been assessed and the taxes collected in Napa County, when Solano people claimed that they were residents of that county. These parties who had thus paid their taxes into Napa County evidently were more desirous of living in Napa than Solano County. At the session of the Legislature of 1856 a bill was introduced by the rep- resentative from Solano County, establishing the dividing line between the two counties, so that it would run only four miles south of Napa City. To this, of course, the whole of Napa County was opposed. The Board of Supervisors passed a resolution, requesting their representatives in the Assembly and Senate to oppose to the utmost any such change. They did so, and nothing more came of the matter at that time. At the next session of the Legislature the matter again came up for dis- cussion and settlement. Again the people of Solano County felt aggrieved, from the fact that the taxes which rightfully, as they thought, belonged to Solano County had been collected by the Napa officials. Mr. A. Stevenson was then in the Assembly from Solano County, and he introduced several measures, all of which looked to the settling of the question much to the advantage of his own county, and as often the people of Napa would re- monstrate, and the measure would fall dead. Finally, the excitement got so 110 History of Napa and Lake Counties — Napa. high that members of the Legislature saw that something had to be done to quiet the feelings of animosity that were being fostered between the sister counties. Accordingly, a Commission was appointed to arbitrate in the matter, and settle all differences as amicably as possible. Judge Warm- castle, of Contra Costa County, Hon. William S. Wells, of Solano County, and Judge J. B. Horrell, of Napa County, composed this Commission of Arbitrators. They had full power and authority to act in the matter. When they came to investigate the subject they found that the disputed territory rightfully belonged to Solano County, but that the citizens living in it were unanimous in their desire to become attached to Napa County, as they traded in Napa City, and the county seat was much more accessible to them in this county than in Solano. Taking all this into consideration, they awarded to Solano County the amount of taxes which had been col- lected by Napa County, also the costs of the Commission. The first amount was Si 175, and the costs were between $300 and $400, making a total of about $1500 which Napa County had to pay to Solano. The Commission then awarded to Napa County the disputed territory, which included about twenty thousand acres, making a very cheap purchase of some very valu- able land for Napa County. As stated above, the boundaries of Napa County originally included all of the territory now known as Lake County. In 1861 the County of Lake was organized, and its boundary lines established as follows : Commencing at the south-eastern corner of Mendocino County ; thence running in an easterly direction along the dividing ridge between Russian River and Knights Valleys on the west, and Clear Lake and Coyote Valleys on the east, to the highest point on Mount St. Helena ; thence easterly in a direct line to the point where the second standard line north (United States Survey) crosses the line dividing Yolo and Napa Counties ; thence along the line of Yolo County to the Mendocino County line ; thence along the Men- docino County line to the place of beginning. The boundary lines of Napa County were destined to other changes in the near future, for we find that on the 29th of February, 1S64, the bound- ary lines of Lake County were changed so as to affect Napa County as follows : Commencing at the south-east corner of Mendocino County ; thence run- ning in an easterly direction along the dividing ridge between Russian River and Knights Valleys on the west, and Clear Lake and Loconoma Valleys on the east, to the highest point of Mount St. Helena ; thence eastwardly to the most northern point of Las Putas Ranch, commonly known as the Ber- ryessa Ranch ; thence easterly in a direct line to a point where the second .standard line (United States Survey) crosses the line dividing Yolo and Napa Counties ; thence northerly along the highest ridge of mountains dividing Legislative History of Napa County. Ill the waters of the Sacramento on the east, and Berryessa on the west, until it intersects the line dividing Yolo and Colusa Counties ; thence along the main ridge of mountains dividing the waters of Long Valley on the east and Clear Lake on the west ; thence up said ridge to the summit of the Coast Range ; thence along the summit of Hulls Mountain ; thence west, in a direct line, to Mount St. Hedson ; thence southerly on the ridge dividing the Russian River on the west and Clear Lake on the east, to the place of beginning. The boundary lines of Napa County remained as thus described until 1868, when, March 24th, the following boundary lines were established, which of course affected Napa County : Beginning at the south-east corner of Mendocino County ; thence east- erly along the summit of the ridge dividing the waters flowing into Russian River and Knights Valley on the west, and Clear Lake and Loconoma Valley on the east to the highest peak of Mount St. Helena ; thence easterly along the heretofore established line to the Butts Canon road ; thence easterly in a right line to the northern point of the Las Putas Ranch (commonly known as the Berryessa Ranch); thence easterly along the northern line of said ranch to the north-east corner thereof ; thence east to the line between Yolo and Napa Counties ; thence northerly along the summit of the range of mountains dividing the waters of the Sacramento River from those flow- ing into or through Berryessa and Morgan Valleys on the west, to Cache Creek ; thence east to the summit of the spur of the Coast Range which divides the waters flowing east into Bear Creek and Stony Creek, and those flowing west into the north fork of Cache Creek ; thence n<Jrtherly along the said dividing ridge, following the divide of said waters to the summit of the Coast Range of mountains ; thence northerly along the said summit to the highest point of Hulls Mountain ; thence westerly in a right line to the highest point of Mount St. Hedson ; thence southerly, following the summit of the mountains which divide the waters flowing west into Russian River, and those flowing east into Clear Lake, to the beginning. Matters remained statu quo with Napa County for another four years, when a change occurred in the line between Napa and Lake Counties, which was very much to the advantage of the former. March 8, 1872, an Act of the Legislature was approved which established the dividing line as follows : The northern boundary line of Napa County and the south-eastern boundary line of Lake County shall commence at the highest point of the Mount St. Helena ; thence running in an easterly direction along the pres- ent boundary line between said counties to the Butts Canon road ; thence north-easterly, in a direct line to the junction of Jericho and Putah Creeks; thence up Jericho Creek to the junction of Hunting Creek, to a large pile of rocks on the south-east side of the county road, at the lower and most 112 History of Napa a?id Lake Counties — Napa. easterly end of Hunting Valley ; thence in a straight line in the direction of the intersection of Bear and Cache Creeks to the county line of Yolo County ; thence along the line of Yolo County in a south-easterly direction, to the present county line dividing Yolo and Napa Counties. This Act of the Legislature further provided, that the Board of Super- visors of Napa County should order paid the claim of Lake County for the sum of $3500, and that the Auditor of said County of Napa should draw a warrant for the sum on the Treasurer of said county, payable from the general fund, and that the Treasurer of Napa County should pay the same. It will thus be seen that for the paltry sum of S3500, Napa County had a whole township, including the village of Knoxville and the Redington and other valuable mines added to her territory. There is a large amount of tine farming and grazing land also included in the section ceded. Surely it was a good bargain for Napa to make. But the good luck of Napa County did not end here, for in the month of May of the same year, 1872, it was discovered that the dividing line, between Napa and Sonoma Counties, had not been properly located in many respects, and that Napa County was entitled to the taxes on a large portion of property hitherto assessed in Sonoma County, including a large share of the Buena Vista Vineyard, amounting in all in value to $25,000 or more. So when all the additions and just dues were finally summed up and added to the assessment roll of Napa County, it was found to be very materially increased. No further changes have occurred in the boundary lines. The Court of Sessions has already been mentioned and their executive functions give*n, and we will now give their judicial powers : The Court was composed of the County Judge and two Associates, who were chosen by the duly elected and qualified Justices of the Peace in the county, from their number. The judicial jurisdiction of the Court of Sessions extended to cases of assault, assault and battery, breaking of the peace, riot, affray, and petit larceny, and over all misdemeaners punishable by fine not to exceed $500, or imprisonment not to exceed three months, or both such fine and imprisonment. We now pass to a consideration of the Board of Supervisors as a body and to the legislative enactments which have any reference to them, and also certain acts of the Board which may properly be placed under this head. From the period of the organization of the county until the year 1852, its affairs were controlled by the Court of Sessions, above mentioned, and a In the last named year a change had come over the governmental dream, and an Act passed May 2d of the above year, entitled "An Act to create a Board of Supervisors in the counties in this State, and to define their duties and powers." For better reference the ninth section of the above Act is quoted Legislative History of Napa County. 113 in full : " The Board of Supervisors shall have power and jurisdiction in their respective counties : First, To make orders respecting the property of the county, in conformity with any law of this State, and to take care of and preserve such property. Second, To examine, settle, and allow all accounts legally chargeable against the county, and to levy for the purposes prescribed by law, such amount of taxes on the assessed value of real and personal property in the county, as may be authorized by law : provided, the salary of the County Judge need not be audited by the Board ; but the County Auditor shall, on the first judicial day of each month, draw his warrant on the County Treasurer in favor of the County Judge for the amount due such Judge as salary, for the month preceding. Third, To examine and audit the accounts of all officers having the care, management, collection or disbursement of any money belonging to the county, or appro- priated by law, or otherwise, for its use and benefit. Fourth, To lay out, control and manage public roads, turnpikes, ferries, and bridges within the county, in all cases where the law does not prohibit such jurisdiction, and to make such orders as may be requisite and necessary to carry its control and management into effect. Fifth, To take care of and provide for the indigent sick of the county. Sixth, To divide the county into townships, and to change the divisions of the same, and to create new townships, as the convenience of the county may require. Seventh, To establish and change election precincts, and to appoint inspectors and judges of elections. Eighth, To control and manage the property, real and personal, belonging to the county, and to receive by donation any property for the use and benefit of the county. Ninth, To lease or to purchase any real or personal property necessary for the use of the county; provided, no purchase of real property shall be made unless the value of the same be previously estimated by three disinterested persons, to be appointed for that purpose by the County Judge. Tenth, To sell at public auction, at the Court-house of the county, after at least thirty clays' previous public notice, and cause to be conveyed, any property belonging to the county, appropriating the pro- ceeds of such sale to the use of the same. Eleventh, To cause to be erected and furnished, a Court-house, jail, and such other public buildings as may be necessary, and to keep the same in repair ; provided, that the contract for building the Court-house, jail, and such other public buildings, be let out at least after thirty days' previous public notice, in each case, of a readiness to receive proposals therefor, to the lowest bidder, who will give good and sufficient security for the completion of any contract which he may make respecting the same ; but no bid shall be accepted which the Board may deem too high. Twelfth, To control the prosecution and defense of all suits to which the county is a party. Thirteenth, To do any and per- 8 114 History of Napa and Lake Counties — Napa. form all such other acts and things as may be strictly necessary to the full discharge of the powers and j urisdiction conferred on the Board. In accordance with the provisions of the Act organizing a Board of Supervisors, the Court of Sessions established the following townships in Napa County, with the boundaries as herein set forth, on the 6th day of October, 1852 : Number 1, Napa Township. — To comprise all that portion of Napa County lying south of a line commencing at a point on the western bound- ary of said county, directly west of the most westerly portion of Dry Creek in said county ; thence running due east to said creek ; thence down the middle of said creek to its mouth ; and thence due east to the eastern boundary of said county. Number 2, Yount Toivnship. — To comprise all that portion of Napa County between the northern boundary line of Napa Township and a line running due east and west across said county so as to pass through the center of Hudson's Sulphur Springs in Napa Valley. Number 3, Hot Sjjrings Township. — To comprise and include all that portion of said county not included in either of the foregoing townships as described. The election precincts of Napa County were established at this time by the Court of Sessions, as follows : The townships of Napa and Yount shall each constitute one electoral precihet, and the township of Hot Springs shall constitute two electoral precincts, one of said precincts to comprise Pope Valley, Coyote Valley and Clear Lake Valley, and to be called West Precinct ; and the other precinct to comprise all the rest of the township and to be called East Precinct. November 6, 1855, Clear Lake Township was established with the fol- lowing boundaries : Commencing at Mount St. Helena and running on the divide between Napa, Lupe-yomi and Callaomi Valleys ; thence across to the eastern line of Napa County in a direction so as to include Lupe-yomi, Callaomi, Clear Lake, Cobbs and Scotts Valleys, and to include all the Clear Lake Valleys. During the session of 1861-2 the Legislature passed a law for the organization of townships, regulating the powers and duties of officers, and provided that the same should be submitted to the vote of the people. This law made each township a corporate body, the powers of which were vested in three trustees, with the same or similar powers as those had by the Board of Supervisors. A similar set of officers were to be elected for each town- ship, to perform the duties thereof, under this law, as were elected for the whole county, with the exception of a County Judge, District Attorney and J2 t^UT2< Legislative History of Napa County. 115 Sheriff. Each township became in all important affairs a county, with county powers, county officers, and county expenses. In the place of one tax collector and one assessor, by this arrangement the county would have these officers for each of the townships, and the expenses of the county be increased eight-fold. The Act mentioned above provided that there should be one supervisor elected from Napa Township, who should hold his office for the term of three years ; one from Hot Springs Township, who should hold for two years, and one from Yount, who should hold for one year. To show how strongly the people of Napa County disapproved of the measures of this Act, and how emphatically they expressed their disfavor, we append the vote on this question given when it was submitted to them. It stood — for township organization, 7 ; against township organization, 1207 ! That was the end of that proposition in Napa County, and the people certainly acted very wisely in voting as they did, thus saving to themselves a great and needless expense. The township boundaries remained as above described until the segrega- tion of Lake County, when a large portion of Hot Springs ^township was absorbed by that county, and the northern boundary line of the county became the same line for that township. Of course this line was changed from time to time to suit the changes made in the county line, which have been noted above. At length when the final change was made in 1872, by which a whole township was added to the domain of Napa County, the boundary lines of this new township, which was known as Knox Township, were described as follows : That portion of the territory recently added to Napa County and taken from the County of Lake, lying east of Putah Creek, shall constitute and be known as Knox Township, and that portion of said territory lying west of Putah Creek shall be added to Hot Springs Township. An entirely new set of boundaries were established, which appear in the records of the Board of Supervisors, as follows : Napa Township. — Beginning at a point on the Sonoma County line due west of the source of a small creek on which was situated Fisk's saw-mill ; thence due east to the source of said creek ; thence down said creek to its mouth ; thence down Dry Creek to its mouth in Trubody's Slough ; thence south-easterly, passing one hundred yards north of the residence of G. W. Crowey to the top of the ridge west of Soda Canon ; thence northerly along- said ridge to the top of a sharp point on the south side of Rector Canon ; thence north-easterly in a direct line, to a point on Tebipa or Capelle Creek, one-half mile below the house of George Clark ; thence east to the top of the mountain north of Capelle Valley ; thence south-easterly along the top of the ridge to the south end of said ridge near the head of Rag Canon ; thence 116 History of Napa and Lake Counties — Napa. due east to the line between Napa and Solano Counties ; thence southerly and westerly along said line, to the line of Sonoma County ; thence north- erly along said line to the place of beginning. Yount Township. — Beginning at a point on the Sonoma County line described as the beginning point of Napa Township : thence northerly along said line to a point due west from the head of Dry Creek ; thence in a straight line to the middle of the bridge on the road across the slough, known as the Bale Slough, near the residence of Thomas Chopson ; thence in a direct line to the middle of Conn Creek, in front of William Dinning s house ; thence up said creek to Chiles Creek, and up Chiles Creek to Moore's Creek, to the line of La Jota Rancho ; thence along said line northerly to the line of Chiles Rancho ; thence along the western and northern line of said rancho to corner number one of said rancho ; thence northerly along the ridge west of Berryessa Valley, to the old line between Lake and Napa Counties ; thence easterly along said line to the east boundary of Napa County ; thence south- erly along said line to the north-east corner of Napa Township ; thence along the northern line of said township, to the place of beginning. Hot Springs Township. — Beginning at a point on the western boundary line of Napa County, due west from the head of Dry Creek ; thence along the line of Yount Township, north-easterly and northerly to the old line between Napa and Lake Counties ; thence westerly along said line to the middle of Putah Creek ; thence up said creek to the present line between Napa and Lake Counties ; thence along said line southerly and westerly to the north-west corner of Napa County ; thence so*uth-easterly along the line between Napa and Sonoma Counties to the place of beginning. Knox Township. — Beginning at a point in the center of Putah Creek, where the old boundary line between Napa and Lake Counties crossed said creek ; thence up Putah Creek to the mouth of Jericho Creek ; thence up Jericho Creek to the mouth of Hunting Creek, to a large pile of rocks on the south-eastern side of the county road, at the lower and south-eastern end of Hunting Valley ; thence in a straight line in the direction of the in- tersection of Bear and Cache Creeks to the county line of Yolo County ; thence south-easterly on the line of Yolo County to the north-eastern corner of Yount Township ; thence westerly on the former line of Napa and Lake Counties to the place of beginning. Matters remained thus until March 3, 1875, when the Board of Super- visors established the following as the boundaries of Knox Township. — Beginning on the line between Napa and Lake Counties, at a point about two miles in an easterly direction from the Legislative History of Napa County. 117 Mountain Mill House, and on the divide between Pope and Localliomi Valleys ; thence southerly on said divide to the main divide between Pope and Napa Valleys ; thence along said divide south to Yount Township line ; thence along said line south-easterly to the intersection of Knox Township line ; thence along said line to Yolo County line ; thence along said line northerly to Lake County line ; thence westerly along the dividing line of Napa and Lake Counties to the point of beginning. The first meeting of the Board of Supervisors of Napa County was held December 6, 1852. The following-named gentlemen comprised the Board at that time : John M. Hamilton, Florentine E. Kellogg and Jesse W. Whit- ton. Mr. Hamilton was chosen Chairman of the Board. Presley Thompson presented the first claim to the Board, being a bill for the construction of a bridge across Napa Creek, and the amount was $1190. August 9, 1855, the Board of Supervisors divided the county into three supervisorial districts, as follows : Number One shall include Napa voting precinct; Number Two shall include Yount and Berryessa voting precincts ; Number Three shall include Upper and Lower Lake, Hot Springs and Pope voting precincts. The Supervisors districts were changed October 7, 1856, as follows : Number One shall include Napa, Carneros and Soscol voting precincts ; Number Two shall include Yount and Berryessa voting precincts ; and Number Three shall include Hot Springs, St. Helena, Pope, Upper and Lower Lake voting precincts. In 1858, Big Valley precinct was added to the third supervisorial district. April 4, 1864, an Act of the Legislature was approved, which provided that the Supervisors should be elected by the electors of the whole county, but that each Supervisor should be a resident of the district which he was elected to represent. One of the most peculiar things that ever happened in the history of Napa County transpired in connection with the Board of Supervisors, in 1874. At that time the Board consisted of three members, but in accord- ance with an Act of the Legislature, which was approved February 25th of that year, providing for the election of five Supervisors for Napa County, and dividing the same in four Supervisors' districts, the Board divided it as follows: The township of Napa shall constitute District Number One and shall be entitled to two Supervisors. Yount Township shall constitute District Number Two and be entitled to one Supervisor. Hot Springs and Knox Townships shall constitute two Supervisors' districts, and shall be bounded and described as follows: The present boundaries of said townships shall be the boundaries of the Supervisors' 118 History of Napa and Lake Counties — Napa. districts, except the line dividing said townships north and south, and the line dividing said Supervisors' districts north and south shall be the summit of the ridge dividing the watei's that flow into Chiles Valley, Pope Valley and the creek known as the north-west tributary of Putah Creek, to the northern boundary of Napa County. That portion of the above that includes and embraces the upper end of Napa Valley shall constitute District Number Three, and be entitled to one Supervisor. That portion included in the above and embracing Pope Valley and Knoxville shall be and constitute District Number Four, and be entitled to one Supervisor. We now come to the interesting part of this programme. There is nothing sti-ange or curious in what has gone before. In accordance with the above Act, a special election was held April 11, 1874, for the purpose of choosing Supervisors to serve as the Board under the new regime. This call specified that two Supervisors should be elected from District Number One, one from District Number Two, one from District Number Three, and one from District Number Four, making a total of five members on the Board. It was also provided in the Act of the Legislature under which this election was called, that at the general election in 1875 and every two years thereafter, on the day of the general election, there should be elected one Supervisor from the First District and one Supervisor from each of the two other districts, to be determined by lot. Also, that at the general election in 1876, and every two years thereafter, the alternates should be elected. The result of this election was as follows : First district, E. G. Young and B. James ; second district, A. F. Goodwin ; third district, A. Safely ; and fourth district, T. H. Ink. The Board in office at the time of this election, and who had promulgated the order for it, consisted of the following gentle- men : Robert Brownlee, F. W. Ellis and Joseph Mecklinburg. After the election was decided, this Board granted to the newly-elected Supervisors cer- tificates of election, but, to the great surprise of the new Board, they refused to give up their office, holding that the law under which they were elected was post facti. The matter looked serious for awhile, as both Boards were duly elected and qualified according to the laws of the State to serve at the same time and in the same capacity. The matter was formally submitted to the Legislature, and a special Act was passed March 10, 1874, authorizing both Boards to act jointly and as one Board. Napa County was then blest (or otherwise) with the largest Board of Supervisors in the State of Cali- fornia, except the City of San Francisco, and perhaps Sacramento. The meetings of that "double-header" Board of Supervisors were marvels of astuteness, so contemporaries state. They agreed to disagree from the start Legislative History of Napa County. 119 and held firmly to their "joint resolution." The Clerk of the Board, Mr. C. B. Seeley, contributed largely to the literature of the day by writing a series of pen pictures of the members. They were written in his well- known caustic manner, and cut deep into the sensibilities of some of the members. If it were not for that fact we should reproduce them in this connection, for they are worthy of it. An Act of the Legislature, approved May 18, 1853, provided that the District Court of the Seventh Judicial District should hold terms of Court in Napa County on the first Mondays of February, May and November. The terms for holding the different Courts in and for Napa County were established by .the Legislature in 1855, the Act being approved Feb- ruary 14th of that year. Its provisions were as follows : The District Court (Seventh Judicial District) shall be held on the third Tuesday of February, May and August, and on the second Tuesday of November. The terms of the County Court shall be the second Monday in August, December and April. The terms of the Court of Sessions shall be the first Mondays in August, December and April. The terms of the Probate Court shall be on the third Monday of August, December and April. An Act of the Legislature, approved April 20, 1858, provided that the terms of Court should be as follows : Court of Sessions, first Monday in April, August and December of each year. County Court, second Monday of March and July, and the first Monday in November. An Act of the Legislature, approved April 15, 1859, provided that the terms of Court should be as follows : Court of Sessions, first Monday in April, September and December of each year. County Court, second Monday in March and July, and the first Monday in November. An Act of the Legislature, approved April 27, 1863, provided that the terms of the Court of Sessions should be held on the third Monday of May, and the first Monday of September and December. This was only for the year 1863, as the Court of Sessions was discontinued January 1, 1864, and the County Court was given the judicial functions of that Court, while its political functions were relegated to the Board of Supervisors. An Act of the Legislature, approved April 1, 1804, provided that the terms of the County Court should be held on the first Monday of Decern- 120 History of Napa and Lake Counties — Napa. ber and March, the third Monday of June, and the first Monday of Sep- tember. In the olden days, before there were any newspapers in Napa County, it became necessary for the Legislature to declare what paper should be the official organ of the county. May 3, 1853, an Act was approved designat- ing the Sonoma Bulletin as the paper in which all legal advertisements should be inserted. May 17, 1853, the Legislature fixed the salary of the County Judge of Napa County at $2000 per year, and the salary of Associate Justices at $8.00 per day of service each. February 7, 1857, the salary of the Judge was reduced to $1000 per year. April 17, 1863, the office of Recorder was made separate from the County Clerk, who had been hitherto ex-officio Recorder. February 29, 1864, the Treasurer was made ex-officio Tax Collector, in lieu of the Sheriff, who had held the position before that. March 28, 1868, the business of collecting the taxes reverted to the Sheriff. Political History of Napa County. 121 POLITICAL HISTORY OF NAPA COUNTY. Prior to the acquisition of California by the Government of the United States, the large District of Sonoma, which included all the territory between the Sacramento River and the ocean on the one hand, and Oregon and the Bay of San Francisco on the other, was under the rule of the Mexican Gov- ernment, and divided into Prefectures, amenable to a Grand Council at Sonoma, the holders of office being designated by the Spanish name of Alcalde. It will be seen that the present territory of Napa County was comprised in these boundaries. Between the years 1846 and 1849 the country remained under the control of the military. Let us see what was the state of the political horizon during that time. According to Tuthill — as to civil law, the country was utterly at sea. It had a Governor in the person of the commandant of the military district it belonged to, but no government. While the war lasted, California, as a conquered province, expected to be governed by military officers, who, by virtue of their com- mand of the department, bore sway over all the territory that their department embraced. But after peace had come and the succession of military Governors was not abated, a people who had been in the habit of governing themselves, under the same flag and the same constitution, chafed that a simple change of longitude should deprive them of their inalienable rights. The first civil officer in Sonoma was John Nash, who was commissioned by General Kearney as Alcalde of the district. This man, so legendary report states, had a most wonderfully exalted idea of the dignity of his office, and assumed ministerial as well as judicial powers. He had a very curious way of signing himself " Chief Justice of California." At length he was removed by the military Governor, but he refused to acknowledge the authority of that arm of our Government over the judicial branch, especially the exalted position held by him, hence he sought to retain the office. Lieutenant — now General William T. Sherman — -was sent in quest of him, and finally succeeded in capturing him and bringing him before Governor Mason at Monterey, who reprimanded and released him. This first civil officer of the District of Sonoma — " Chief Justice Nash " as he called himself, and " 'Squire Nash " as he was generally called — was a good- natured man, illiterate, but honest. When the rumors of gold reached 122 History of Napa and Lake Counties — Napa. Sonoma, Squire Nash was employed by a number of persons to go to the gold mines and spy out the land, and if there were the " millions in it," which rumor said there was, to return and report to them. This was in 1848, and he returned with gold dust to the value of eight hundred and thirty- seven dollars. He then went to Mormon Island with a party of Sonoma miners, and died there that winter. He was succeeded in office by Lilburn W. Boggs, ex-Governor of Missouri, a man eminently capable of performing the functions of the position, as the records of his office still extant in the County Clerk's office in Santa Rosa will fully establish. General Persifer F. Smith, who assumed command on arriving by the "California," the first steamship that reached San Francisco (February 28, 1849), and General Riley, who succeeded him (April 13, 1849), would have been acceptable Governors enough, if the people could have discovered any- where in the Constitution that the President had power to govern a territory by a simple order to the commandant of a military department. The power was obvious in time of war, but in peace it was unprecedented. Left entirely to themselves, the people could have organized a " squatter sover- eignty," as Oregon had done, and the way into the sisterhood of States was clear. They felt that they had cause for complaint, but in truth they were too busy to nurse their grievance and make much of it. To some extent they formed local governments, and had unimportant collisions with the military. But, busy as they were, and expecting to return home soon, they humored their contempt for politics, and left public matters to be shaped at Washing- ton. Nor was this so unwise a course under the circumstances; for the thing that had hindered Congress from giving them a legitimate and constitutional government was the ever-present snag in the current of American political history, the author of most of our woes, the great mother of mischief on the western continent — slavery. When it was found that Congress had adjourned without doing anything for California, Brigadier-General Riley, by the advice, he said, of the Presi- dent and Secretaries of State and of War, issued a proclamation, which was at once a call for a Convention, and an official exposition of the Adminis- tration's theory of the anomalous relations of California and the Union. He strove to rectify the impression that California was governed by the military arm of the service ; that had ceased with the termination of hos- tilities. What remained was the civil government, recognized by the existing law< of California. These were vested in a Governor, who received his ap- pointment from the Supreme Government, or in default of such appointment, the office was vested in the commanding military officer of the department, a Secretary, a Departmental or Territorial Legislature, a Superior Court with four Judges, a Prefect and sub-Prefect and a Judge of the First Political History of Napa County. 123 Instance for each district, Alcaldes, local Justices of the Peace, uyunta- mientos, or Town Councils. He moreover recommended the election, at the same time, of delegates to a Convention to adopt either a State or Terri- torial Constitution, which, if acquiesced in by the people, would be submitted to Congress for approval. In June, 1849, a proclamation was issued announcing an election to be held on the 1st of August, to appoint delegates to a general Convention to form a State Constitution, and for rilling the offices of Judge of the Superior Court, Prefects, sub-Prefects, and First Alcalde or Judge of the First Instance ; such appointments to be made by General Riley after being voted for. The delegates elected to the Convention from the District of Sonoma were General Vallejo, Joel Walker, R. Semple. L. W. Boggs was elected, but did not attend. The manifesto calling the Constitutional Convention divided the electoral divisions of the State into ten districts ; each male inhabitant of the county of twenty-one years of age, could vote in the district of his resi- dence, and the delegates so elected were called upon to meet at Monterey , on September 1, 1849. The number of delegates was fixed at thirty -seven, five of whom were appointed to San Francisco. As was resolved, the Convention met at Monterey on the date above named, Robert Semple of Benicia, one of the delegates from the District of Sonoma, being chosen President. The session lasted "six weeks; and, not- withstanding an awkward scarcity of books of reference and other necessary aids, much labor was performed, while the delegates exhibited a marked degree of ability. In framing the original Constitution of California slavery was forever prohibited within the jurisdiction of the State ; the boundary question betweenMexico and the United States was set at rest ; provision for the morals and education of the people was made ; a seal of State was adopted with the motto Eureka, and many other matters dis- cussed. In August, General Riley issued commissions to Stephen Cooper, appoint- ing him Judge of the First District, and C P. Wilkins, Prefect of the Dis- trict of Sonoma, while one of General Riley's last appointments before the adoption of the Constitution was that of Richard A. Maupin, well remem- bered among the district's old residents, to be Judge of the Superior Tribunal, in place of Lewis Dent, resigned. Another well-known pioneer who was at the Convention from Sacramento County, was Major Jacob R. Snyder, a res- ident of Sonoma till his death. We find that the " Superior Tribunal of California " existed at Monterey in 1849 ; for, in September of that year a " Tariff of fees for Judicial Offi- cers " was published, with the following order of the Court : " That the several officers mentioned in this order shall be entitled to receive for their 124 History of Napa and Lake Counties — Napa. services, in addition to their regular salaries, if any, the following fees, and none others, until the further order of this Court." Here is added a list of the fees to he appropriated hy Judges of the First Instance, Alcaldes, and Justices of the Peace, Clerks of the several courts, Sheriff or Comisario, District Attorney, and Notaries Public. We have already said that Stephen Cooper was appointed Judge of First Instance for the District of Sonoma. He commenced his labors in that office in October, 1849, as appears in the early record of the proceedings of that Court extant in the office of the County Clerk of Solano County. The record of one of the cases tried before Judge Cooper is reproduced as an instance of the quick justice that obtained in 1849 : The People of California Territory vs. George Palmer. And now comes the said people by right of their attorney, and the said defendant by Semple and O'Melveny, and the prisoner having been arraigned on the indictment in this cause, plead not guilty. Thereupon a jury was chosen, selected and sworn, when, after hearing the evidence and arguments of counsel, returned into Court the following verdict, to wit : " The jury, in the case of Palmer, defendant, and the Territory of Cali- fornia, plaintiff, have found a verdict of guilty on both counts of the in- dictment, and sentenced him to receive the following punishment, to wit : " On Saturday, the 24th day of November, to be conducted by the Sheriff to some public place, and there receive on his bare back .seventy-five lashes, with such a weapon as the Sheriff may deem fit, on each count respectively, and to be banished from the District of Sonoma within twelve hours after whipping, under the penalty of receiving the same number of lashes for each and every day he remains in the district after the first whipping. " (Signed) Alexander Riddell, Foreman. " It is therefore ordered by the Court, in accordance with the above ver- dict, that the foregoing sentence be carried into effect." The Constitution was duly framed, submitted to the people, and at the election held on the thirtieth of November, ratified by them, and adopted by a vote of twelve thousand and sixty-four for it, and eleven against it ; there being, besides, over twelve hundred ballots that were treated as blanks, be- cause of an informality in the printing. Political History of Napa County. 125 We here reproduce two of the tickets which were voted at the time, and were distributed in and around Sacramento and the upper portion of the State : people's ticket. for the constitution. for governor, Peter H. Burnett. FOR LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR, John McDougal. FOR REPRESENTATIVES IN CONGRESS, Edward Gilbert, George W. Wright. FOR STATE SENATORS, John Bidwell, Upper Sacramento, Murray Morrison, Sacramento City, Harding Bigelow, Sacramento City, Gilbert A. Grant, Vernon. FOR ASSEMBLY, H. C. Cardwell, Sacramento City, P. B. Cornwall, Sacramento City, John S. Fowler, Sacramento City, H. S. Lord, Upper Sacramento, Madison Waltham, Coloma, W. B. Dickenson, Yuba. James Queen, South Fork, Arba K. Berry, Weaverville. PEOPLES TICKET. FOR THE CONSTITUTION. FOR GOVERNOR, John A. Sutter. FOR LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR, John McDougal. FOR REPRESENTATIVES IN CONGRESS, William E. Shannon, Pet. Halsted. FOR STATE SENATORS, John Bidwell, Upper Sacramento, Murray Morrison, Sacramento City, Harding Bigelow, Sacramento City, Gilbert A. Grant, Vernon. FOR ASSEMBLY, H. C. Cardwell, Sacramento City, P. B. Cornwall, Sacramento City, John S. Fowler, Sacramento City, J. Sherwood, Elisha W. McKinstry, Madison Waltham, Coloma, W. B. Dickenson, Yuba, James Queen, South Fork, W. L. Jenkin, Weaverville. The result of the election was : Peter H. Burnett, Governor ; John Mc- Dougal, Lieutenant-Governor ; and Edward Gilbert and George W. Wright sent to Congress. The District of Sonoma polled at this election but five hundred and fifty-two votes, four hundred and twenty-four of which were for Burnett. Of the representatives sent from Sonoma, General Vallejo went to the Senate, and J. S. Bradford and J. E. Brackett to the Assembly. Some difficulty would appear to have risen at this election, for Mr. R. A. Thompson says : " General Vallejo's seat was first given to James Spect, but on the twenty-second of December, the committee reported that the official return from Larkin's Ranch gave Spect but two votes instead of twenty-eight, a total of but one hundred and eighty-one votes against Gen- 126 History of Napa and Lake Counties — Napa. eral Vallejo's one hundred and ninety-nine." Mr. Spect then gave up his seat to General Vallejo. We now produce the following interesting account of some of those who formed the first California Legislature, not because it bears specially on our subject, but as a matter of curiosity, interest and reference : The following is from the Colusa Sun of April 26th : Hon. John S. Bradford, of Springfield, Illinois, who was a member of the first California Legislature, procured from some of his colleagues a short biographical sketch. Thinking it might be a matter of interest to the people of California at the present time, he sends it to us. We have the original document, with the sketches in the handwriting of each member. Most of these gentlemen have figured conspicuously in the history of the State since, but we believe there are but few now living. Three of the sketches — Jose M. Covarrubias, M. G. Vallejo and Pablo de la Guerra — are written in Spanish, but we have had them translated. SENATORS. David F. Douglass — Born in Sumner County, Tennessee, the 8th of January, 1S21. Went to Arkansas with Fulton in 1836. On the 17th of March, 1839, had a fight with Dr. Win Howell, in which H. was killed; imprisoned fourteen months ; returned home in 1842 ; immigrated to Mis- sissippi ; engaged in the Choctaw speculation ; moved with the Choctaws west as a clerk ; left there for Texas in the winter of 1845-6. War broke out ; joined Hay's regiment ; from Mexico immigrated to California, and arrived here as a wagoner in December, 1848. M. G. Vallejo — Born in Monterey, Upper California, July 7, 1807. On the 1st of January, 1825, he commenced his military career in the capacity of cadet. He served successively in the capacity of Lieutenant, Captain of cavalry, Lieutenant-Colonel, and General Commandant of Upper California. In 1S35 he went to Sonoma County and founded the town of Sonoma, giving land for the same. He was a member of the Convention in 1849 and Senator in 1850. Elcan Heydenfeldt — Born in Charleston, South Carolina, September 15, 1821 ; immigrated to Alabama in 1841 ; from thence to Louisiana in 1844 ; to California in 1849. Lawyer by profession. Pablo de la Guerra — Born in Santa Baibara, Upper California, Novem- ber 29, 1819. At the age of nineteen he entered the public service. He was appointed Administrator-General "cfe la rentas," which position he held when California was taken by the American forces. From that time he lived a private life until he was named a member of the Convention which framed the Constitution of the State. Represents the district of Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo in the Senate. W flffev fe€L ^^ *//* Political History of Napa County. 127 S. E. Woodworth — Born in the city of New York November 15, 1815. Commenced career as a sailor A. D. 1832. Sailed from New York March 9, 1834. Entered the navy of the United States June 14, 1838. Immigrated to California, via Rocky Mountains and Oregon, April 1, 1846. Resignation accepted by Navy Department October 29, 1849. Elected to represent the district of Monterey in the first Senate of the first Legislature of California for the term of two years. Thos. L. Vermeule — Born in New Jersey on the 11th of June, 1814. Immigrated to California November 12. 1846. Did represent San Joaquin district in the Senate. Resigned. W. D. Fair — Senator from the San Joaquin district, California. Native of Virginia. Immigrated to California from Mississippi in February, 1849, as " President of the Mississippi Rangers." Settled in Stockton, San Joaquin district, as an attorney-at-law. Elisha O. Crosby — Senator from Sacramento District. Native of New York State. Immigrated from New York December 25, 1848. Aged thirty- four. D. C. Broderick — Senator from San Francisco. Born in Washington, City, D. O, February 4, 1818. Immigrated from Washington to New York City March, 1824. Left New York for California April 17, 1849. E. Kirby Chamberlin, M. D. — President pro tern, of the Senate, from the district of San Diego. Born in Litchfield County, Connecticut, April 24, 1805. Immigrated from Connecticut to Onondago County, New York, in 1815 ; thence to Beaver, Pennsylvania, in 1829 ; thence to Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1842 ; served as surgeon in the United States army during the war with Mexico ; appointed surgeon to the Boundary Line Commission February 10, 1840 ; embarked from Cincinnati, Ohio, February 15 ; arrived in San Diego June 1, 1849, and in San Jose" December 12, 1849. J. Bidwell — Born in Chautauqua County, New York, 5th of August, 1819. Immigrated to Pennsylvania ; thence to Ohio ; thence to Missouri ; thence in 1841 to California. Term in Senate one year. H. C. Robinson, Senator from Sacramento; elected November 15, 1849. Born in the State of Connecticut. Immigrated at an early age to Louisiana. Educated as a lawyer, but engaged in commercial pursuits. Arrived at San Francisco February, 1849, per steamer " California," the first that ever entered said port. Benjamin S. Lippincott, Senator from San Joaquin — Born in New York. Immigrated February, 1846, from New Jersey. By pursuit a merchant. Elected for two years. ASSEMBLYMEN. Elam Brown — Born in the State of New York in 1797. Immigrated from Massachusetts in 1805 ; to Illinois in 1818 ; to Missouri 1837, and from Platte County, in Missouri, 1846, to California. 128 History of Napa and Lake Counties — Napa. J. S. K. Ogier — Bom in Charleston, South Carolina. Immigrated to New Orleans, 1845, and from there to California December 18, 1848. E. B. Bateman, M. D. — Immigrated from Missouri April, 1847. Resi- dence, Stockton, Alta California. Edmund Randolph — Born in Richmond, Virginia. Immigrated to New Orleans, 1843 ; thence to California, 1849. Residence, San Francisco. E. P. Baldwin — Born in Alabama. Immigrated from thence in January, 1849. Arrived in California May 1, 1850. Represents San Joaquin district. Resides in Sonora, Tuolumne County. A. P. Crittenden — Born in Lexington, Kentucky. Educated in Ohio, Alabama, New York and Pennsylvania. Settled in Texas in 1839. Came to California in 1849. Represents the County of Los Angeles. Alfred Wheeler— Born in the City of New York the 30th day of April, 1820. Resided in New York City until the 21st of May, 1849, when he left for California. Citizen and resident of San Francisco, which district he represents. James A. Gray, Philadelphia — Monterey, California. Immigrated in 1846, in the first New York Regiment of Volunteers. Joseph Aram — Native of State of New York. Immigrated to California 1840. Present residence, San Jose, Santa Clara County. Joseph C. Morehead — Born in Kentucky. Immigrated to California in 1 846. Resides at present in the county of Calaveras, San Joaquin district. Benjamin Cory, M. D. — Born November 12, 1822. Immigrated to the Golden State in 1847. Residence in the valley of San Jose". Thomas J. Henley — Born in Indiana. Family now resides in Charles- town, in that State. Immigrated to California in 1849, through the South Pass. Residence at Sacramento. Jose" M. Covarrubias — Native of France. Came to California in 1834. Residence in Santa Barbara, and representative for that district. Elisha W. McKinstry — Born in Detroit, Michigan. Immigrated to Cali- fornia in March, 1849. Residence in Sacramento district, city of Sutter. George B. Tingley — Bom August 15, 1815, Clermont County, Ohio. Immigrated to Rushville, Indiana, November 4, 1834. Started to California April 4, 1849. Reached there October 16th. Was elected to the Assembly November 13th, from Sacramento district, and is now in Pueblo de San Jose\ Mr. Bradford himself represents our (Sonoma) district in the Assembly. On Saturday, December 15, 1849, the first State Legislature met at San Jose", E. Kirby Chamberlin being elected President pro tern, of the Senate, and Thomas J. White, Speaker of the Assembly. In the year 1850, Senator M. G. Vallejo became convinced that the capital of California should be established at a place which he desired to Political History of Napa County. 129 name Eureka, but which his colleagues, out of compliment to himself, sug- gested should be named Vallejo. To this end the General addressed a memorial to the Senate, dated April 3, 1850, wherein he graphically pointed out the advantages possessed by the proposed site over other places which claimed the honor. In this remarkable document, remarkable alike for its generosity of purpose as for its marvellous foresight, he proposed to grant twenty acres to the State, free of cost, for a State Capitol and grounds, and one hundred and thirty-six acres more for other State buildings, to be appoi-tioned in the following manner : Ten acres for the Governer's house and grounds ; five acres for the offices of Treasurer, Comptroller, Secretary of State, Surveyor-General, and Attorney-General, should the Commissioners determine that their offices should not be in the capitol building ; one acre to State Library and Translator's office, should it be determined to separate them from the State-house building ; twenty acres for an Orphan Asylum ; ten acres for a Male Charity Hospital ; ten acres for a Female Charity Hospital ; four acres for an Asylum for the Blind ; four acres for a Deaf and Dumb Asylum; twenty acres for a Lunatic Asylum; eight acres for four Common Schools ; twenty acres for a State University ; four acres for a State Botanical Garden ; and twenty acres for a State Penitentiary. But with a munificence casting this already long list of grants into the shade, he further proposed to donate and pay over to the State, within two years after the acceptance of these propositions, the gigantic sum of $370,000, to be apportioned in the following manner : For the building of a State Capitol, $125,000; for furnishing the same, $10,000; for building of the Governor's house, $10,000 ; for furnishing the same, $5000 ; for the building of State Library and Translator's office, $5000; for a State Library, $5000; for the building of the offices of the Secretary of State, Comptroller, Attorney-General, Surveyor-General and Treasurer, should the Commis- sioners deem it proper to separate them from the State House, $20,000 ; for the building of an Orphan Asylum, $20,000 ; for the building of a Female Charity Hospital, $20,000 ; for the biulding of a Male Charity Hospital, $20,000 ; for the building of an Asylum for the Blind, $20,000 ; for the building of a Deaf and Dumb Asylum, $20,000 ; for the building of a State University, $20,000 ; for University Library, $5000 ; for scientific apparatus therefor, $5000; for chemical laboratory therefor, $3000; for a mineral cabinet therefor, $3000 ; for the building of four common school edifices, $10,000; for purchasing books for same, $1000; for the building of a Lunatic Asylum, $20,000; for a State Penitentiary, $20,000; for a State botanical collection, $3000. In his memorial, the General states with much lucidity his reasons for claiming the proud position for the place suggested as the proper site for 130 History of Napa and Lake Counties — Napa. the State Capital. Mark the singleness of purpose with which he bases these claims : — " Your memoralist, with this simple proposition (namely, that in the event of the Government declining to accept his terms it should be put to the popular vote at the general election held in November of that year — 1850), might stop here, did he not believe that his duty as a citizen of Cali- fornia required him to say thus much in addition — that he believes the location indicated is the most suitable for a permanent seat of government for the great State of California, for the following reasons : That it is the true center of the State, the true center of commerce, the true center of pop- ulation, and the true center of travel ; that, while the Bay of San Francisco is acknowledged to be the first on the earth, in point of extent and naviga- ble capacities, already, throughout the length and breath of the wide world, it is acknowledged to be the very center between Asiatic and European commerce. The largest ship that sails upon the broad sea can, within three hours, anchor at the wharves of the place which your memorialist proposes as your permanent seat of government. From this point, by steam naviga- tion, there is a greater aggregate of mineral wealth within eight hours' steaming, than exists in the Union ; besides, from this point the great north and south rivers — San Joaquin and Sacramento — cut the State longitudi- nally through • the center, fringing the immense gold deposits on the one hand and untold mercury and other mineral resources on the other ; from this point steam navigation extends along the Pacific Coast south to San Diego and north to the Oregon line, affording the quickest possible facilities for our sea-coast population to reach the State Capital in the fewest number of hours. This age, as it has been truly remarked, has merged distance into time. In the operations of commerce and the intercourse of mankind, to measure miles by the rod is a piece of vandalism of a by -gone age ; and that point which can be approached from all parts of the State in the fewest number of hours, and at the cheapest cost, is the truest center. The location which your memorialist proposes as the permanent seat of government is certainly that point. Your memorialist most respectfully submits to your honorable body, whether there is not a ground of even still higher nationality ? It is this : that at present, throughout the wide extent of our sister Atlantic States, but one sentiment seems to possess the entire people, and that is, to build in the shortest possible time, a railroad from the Mississippi to the Bay of San Francisco, where its western terminus may meet a three weeks' steamer from China. Indeed, such is the overwhelming sentiment of the American people upon this subject, that there is but little doubt to apprehend its early completion. Shall it be said then, while the world is coveting our possession of what all acknowledge to be the half-way house of the earth's commerce Political History of Napa County. 131 — the great Bay of San Francisco — that the people of the rich possessions are so unmindful of its value as not to ornament her magnificent shores witL a capital worthy of a great State ? " Upon receipt of General Vallejo's memorial by the Senate, a committee composed of members who possessed a thorough knowledge of the country comprised in the above-quoted document, both geographical and topographi- cal, were directed to report for the information of the President, upon the advantages claimed for the location of the capital at the spot suggested in preference to others. The report in which the following words occur, was presented to the Senate on April 2, 1850 : — " Your committee cannot dwell with too much warmth upon the magnificent propositions contained in the memorial of General Vallejo. They breathe throughout the spirit of an enlarged mind and a sincere public benefactor, for which he deserves the thanks of his countrymen and the admiration of the world. Such a propo- sition looks more like the legacy of a mighty Emperor to his people than the free donation of a private planter to a great State, yet poor in public finance, but soon to be among the first of the earth." The report which was presented by Senator D. C. Broderick of San Francisco, goes on to point out the necessities which should govern the choice of a site for California's capital, recapitulates the advantages pointed out in the memorial, and finally recommends the acceptance of General Vallejo's offer. This acceptance did not pass the Senate without some opposition and considerable delay ; however, on Tuesday, February 4, 1851, a message was received from Governor Burnett, by his Private Secretary, Mr. Ohr, informing the Senate that he did this day sign an Act originating in the Senate entitled " An Act to provide for the permanent location of the seat of government." In the meantime General Vallejo's bond had been accepted ; his solvency was approved by a committee appointed by the Sen- ate to inquire into that circumstance ; the report of the commissioners sent to mark and lay out the tracts of land proposed to be donated was adopted, and on May 1, 1851, the last session of the Legislature at San Jose" was completed ; but the archives were not moved to the new seat of government at Vallejo then, the want of which was the cause of much dissatisfaction among the members. The Legislature first sat at Vallejo on January 5, 1852, but there was wanting the attraction of society which would appear to be necessary to the seat of every central government. With these Sacramento abounded, from her proximity to the mines. The Assembly therefore, with a unanimity bordering on the marvelous, passed a bill to remove the session to that city, ball tickets and theater tickets being tendered to the members in reckless profusion. The bill was transferred to the Senate and bitterly fought by the Hons. Paul K. Hubbs and Phil. A. Roach. The removal was rejected by 132 History of Napa and Lake Counties — Napa. one vote. This was on a Saturday, but never was the proverb of we " know not what the morrow may bring forth," more fully brought to bear upon any consideration. Senator Anderson, it is said, passed a sleepless night through the presence of unpleasant insects in his couch ; on the Monday morning he moved a reconsideration of the bill ; the alarm was sounded on every hand, and at 2 p. m. on January 12, 1852, the Government and Legis- lature were finding its way to Sacramento by way of the Carquinez Straits. On March 7, 1852, a devastating flood overwhelmed Sacramento, and where they had before feared contamination, they now feared drowning. The Legislature adjourned at Sacramento May 4, 1852, the next session to be held at Vallejo. On January 3, 1853, the peripatetic government met again at Vallejo, whither had been moved in May the archives and State offices. Once more the spirit of jealousy was rampant ; Sacramento could not with any grace ask for its removal thither again ; but she, working with Benicia, the capital was once more on wheels and literally carted oft" to the latter town for the remaining portion of the session, when a bill was passed to fix the capital of the State at Sacramento, and thereafter clinched by large appropriations for building the present magnificent capitol there. The last sitting of the Legislature was held on February 4, 1853, when it was re- solved to meet at Benicia on the 11th of the month, the vote then taken bein^ as follows: Ayes — Messrs. Baird, Denver, Estill, Hager, Hubbs, Hudspeth, Keene, Lind, Lott, Lyons, McKibben, Roach. Smith, Snyder, Sprague, Wade, Wombough— 17. Nays— Crabb, Cofforth, Foster, Gruwell. Ralston, Walkup— 6. But to return to our particular subject. During the first session at San Jose, but little was done beyond dividing the State into counties and organ- izing their governments. At this time Robert Hopkins was elected District Judge and Assemblyman, J. E. Brackett Major-General of the Second Divi- sion of Militia. Mr. Hopkins, who, with the Hon. George Pearce, had been appointed a committee to visit the capital in order to prevent, if possible, the establishment of a boundary line which would include the Sonoma Valley in Napa County, was a resident lawyer of Sonoma. On arrival at Sail Jose", the question of appointing a Judge for the Sonoma district was attracting attention, and the only candidate was W. R. Turner, who, though a gentleman of capabilities, did not reside there, and probably had never visited the spot. Pearce proposed to Hopkins to run for the office ; he allowed himself to be put in nomination, and beat Turner, who knew not of opposition, just as he was putting forth his hand to seize the prize. The vote was unanimous for Hopkins, and Turner received some other district. Pearce went to San Jose- for one purpose and accomplished another, while Hopkins came back a full-fledged Judge of a most important district. The State of California was admitted into the Union September 9, Political History of Napa County. 133 1850, and January 6, 1851, the second Legislature met at San Jose-. Mar- tin E. Cook at this session represented the Eleventh Senatorial District, which was composed of the Counties of Sonoma, Solano, Napa, Marin, Colusa, Yolo and Trinity — in short, all that territory west of the Sacra- mento River, while in the Lower House Marin, Napa, Sonoma and Solano was represented by John A. Bradford and A. Stearns. September 3, 1851, the first Gubernatorial election was held under the new order of things. In this contest, John Bigler, who received twenty- three thousand seven hundred and seventy-four votes in the State, against twenty-two thousand seven hundred and thirty-three got by P. B. Redding, his Whig opponent, had the assistance of that new'power which had com- menced to creep into the State in the shape of the squatting element. He was democratic in his manners, being " hale-fellow " with all. Not so his opponent, who was a gentleman of more genteel bearing than the kind- hearted, unambitious, landless Governor, who was always mindful of his friends. Bigler, in all his messages, urged economy, but found it difficult to prevent an office being made for a friend. Tuthill remarks : " It was his pet project to unite the Southern and Western men of his party, and let the free-soilers shift for themselves ; but it is not in that direction that party cleavage runs. The Southerners scorned the alliance. They were ' high- toned,' and looked down upon a Missourian as little better than a man from Massachusetts. The Governor's project would not work. He carried water on both shoulders, and spilt very little on either side." Passing now to the special subject in hand, we find that by the Act of March 11, 1851, Napa, Solano, Marin, Sonoma and Mendocino Counties were organized into the Seventh Judicial District. At this same session of the Legislature, Napa, Solano, Marin, Sonoma, Mendocino, Yolo, Colusa and Trinity were set apart as comprising the Eleventh Senatorial District. At the next session of the Legislature, May 18, 1853, a change was made in the Senatorial Districts, and the Counties of Napa, Solano and Yolo was organized into the Tenth District. The Act of April 1, 1864, placed Napa and Lake Counties in the Third Congressional District. Upon the organi- zation of Lake County, it was so arranged that Napa and Lake should elect an Assemblyman jointly, and both counties be represented by the Assem- blyman so elected. At this time the counties of Lake, Napa and Mendo- cino were organized into the Eighteenth Senatorial District. Matters re- mained thus until 1874, when a change was made which placed Napa, Lake and Sonoma Counties into a Senatorial District, which was designated as the Twentieth, and at the same time it was provided that Napa and Lake should each elect and be represented by an Assemblyman in each county, and that provision remains in force to the present time. Mention has alreadv been made of the Court of Sessions, and we find 134 History of Napa and Lake Counties — Napa. that the first Court was composed as follows : J. S. Stark, Judge, and Johnston Horrell and M. D. Ritchie, Associates. The first general election in and for Napa County, was held April 1, 1850, with the following result: John S. Stark, County Judge; H. H. Lawrence, County Clerk ; N. McKimmey, Sheriff; R. L. Kilburn, Treasurer; J.