Volume 049-2 - April 1995 (8 pages)

N: VADA COUNTY, being a land-locked county, shipwrecks do not play a role in its history. Many ships perished on the California coast, north of the Golden Gate; shipwrecks on the route between San Francisco and Panama were comparatively rare. Two of them, the wreck of the Independence on 16 February 1853 on the coast of Baja California and the wreck of the Yankee Blade in the fall of 1854 near Santa Barbara, are examples. In both of these wrecks hundreds of lives were lost. The loss of the Golden Gate on 27 July 1862 is of interest for the history of our county because many inhabitants of the county were involved. We are indebted to Dave Comstock for the two pieces on this disaster which follow. Among the persons who either perished or were saved, we find inhabitants of North San Juan, Moore’s Flat, Red Dog and Nevada City. Among the survivors there are two of whom we can say something more. Simmon Pefia Storms was the subject of a biography by Pat Jones, which was published in the Bulletin of the Nevada County Historical Society for October 1983 (vol. 37, no. 4), which we urge the reader to consult and from which the following was taken. Simmon’s father, Peter Storms, was a native of Antwerp, presently located in Belgium, but at the time, part of the French Empire. Peter was apprenticed to a sea captain who traded on the Gulf of Maracaibo in Venezuela. At a later date, Peter owned his own ship and settled in Maracaibo. Here Simmon, the youngest of Peter’s children, was born on 27 September 1830. When Simmon’s mother died in 1835 and his father drowned in 1837, Simmon was adopted by his godparents Simon and Candelaria Peiia, hence his middle name, and was later brought to Cape Cod by his older brother William. In 1849, Simmon joined the Boston and California Mining and Trading Joint Stock Company, which bought and outfitted the Edward Everett to travel to California and engage in mining. During the trip there was already strife among the passengers and after arrival in San Francisco, the party broke up. Soon thereafter, Simmon, together with some friends, bought a store in White Oak Springs, near Newtown. After some business adventures, Simmon joined Oliver Wozencraft, who had been appointed, together with two other persons, as California Indian Agents. They negotiated 18 treaties with the Indians, which unfortunately were never ratified in Washington D.C. At about the same time, Simmon located and founded Storms’ Ranch (near what later became Chicago Park). Here Simmon started trading with the Indians and established a mutual trust with them. In October 1854, an important meeting was held at the ranch, where it was decided by the white participants that the local Indians had to be moved. Simmon led several groups of the Indians to Round Valley, where later the Nome Cult Farm was established. Storms founded a farm there which employed many Indians. In February 1860, the Indian reserva10 tions in Mendocino County were investigated by J. Ross Browne, and Simmon and his superiors were accused of fraud in their dealings with the government. Around the start of the year 1862, Simmon sold his ranch. He intended to travel to Boston on the Golden Gate, but was Shipwrecked on 27 July 1862. As the story tells, he was originally on the list of lost persons; it turned out later that he was one of the 23 waifs who saved themselves in a boat. However, it was apparently generally believed that he drowned, witness the following story: Dining with his wife in a Washington D.C., restaurant, he notices a person wearing a watch and a fob he recognized. He said to the man, “You have my watch.” The wearer stated that the watch had belonged to a certain S. P. Storms who perished in the Golden Gate. Simmon was able to identify himself and thus got his watch back. He died on 28 June 1865. André Chavanne is listed in Thompson's Directory of Nevada and Grass Valley (1861) as “Chauvanne Andre of Massachusetts Hill Quartz Mill”. Indeed, Chavanne’s name figures prominently in ali discussions of Massachusetts Hill. Much information on him can be found in the book of Michel Janicot, The French Connection, which we here recommend to the reader and from which some of the following was taken. The Chavanne brothers, André and Louis, and also Jules Fricot (an important Nevada County miner), were born around 1820 in Amplepuis in the Beaujolais wine district in France. Together they arrived in San Francisco in 1851, aboard the Le Médicis. After arriving in California, the‘ Chavanne brothers, with Fricot and sundry other Frenchmen, Started various mining ventures. Of these, we will say something about the Massachusetts Mine. After changing owners several times since its location in January 1850, the mine was purchased in 1851 by the Rocky Bar Company, located in New York. The mine was exploited under a series of managers of whom only one was successful. At that time, the name of the mine was changed to Mount Hope Company. The last manager under this company was Michael Brennan who, after an initial success, did not manage to make the mine pay, no matter how much money he spent on excavations and machinery. When money from New York became scarce, Brennan borrowed from André Chavanne, who thus received a mortgage on the property. In February 1858, Brennan, in a mood of desperation, committed suicide after murdering his wife and children. About two months earlier, in December 1857, Chavanne became owner of the mine; his company was called the Massachusetts Hill Company. His company spent much money and effort to make the mine pay, which resulted in a couple of very profitable years. This ended in April 1862, when the Mount Hope Company brought suit against Chavanne for nearly $400,000 and possession of the Rocky ~~ Bar mine and mill, which idled the mine until November 1863. Chavanne won the suit, and in April 1864, the ledge t

N: VADA COUNTY, being a land-locked county, shipwrecks do not play a role in its history. Many ships perished on the California coast, north of the Golden Gate; shipwrecks on the route between San Francisco and Panama were comparatively rare. Two of them, the wreck of the Independence on 16 February 1853 on the coast of Baja California and the wreck of the Yankee Blade in the fall of 1854 near Santa Barbara, are examples. In both of these wrecks hundreds of lives were lost. The loss of the Golden Gate on 27 July 1862 is of interest for the history of our county because many inhabitants of the county were involved. We are indebted to Dave Comstock for the two pieces on this disaster which follow. Among the persons who either perished or were saved, we find inhabitants of North San Juan, Moore’s Flat, Red Dog and Nevada City. Among the survivors there are two of whom we can say something more. Simmon Pefia Storms was the subject of a biography by Pat Jones, which was published in the Bulletin of the Nevada County Historical Society for October 1983 (vol. 37, no. 4), which we urge the reader to consult and from which the following was taken. Simmon’s father, Peter Storms, was a native of Antwerp, presently located in Belgium, but at the time, part of the French Empire. Peter was apprenticed to a sea captain who traded on the Gulf of Maracaibo in Venezuela. At a later date, Peter owned his own ship and settled in Maracaibo. Here Simmon, the youngest of Peter’s children, was born on 27 September 1830. When Simmon’s mother died in 1835 and his father drowned in 1837, Simmon was adopted by his godparents Simon and Candelaria Peiia, hence his middle name, and was later brought to Cape Cod by his older brother William. In 1849, Simmon joined the Boston and California Mining and Trading Joint Stock Company, which bought and outfitted the Edward Everett to travel to California and engage in mining. During the trip there was already strife among the passengers and after arrival in San Francisco, the party broke up. Soon thereafter, Simmon, together with some friends, bought a store in White Oak Springs, near Newtown. After some business adventures, Simmon joined Oliver Wozencraft, who had been appointed, together with two other persons, as California Indian Agents. They negotiated 18 treaties with the Indians, which unfortunately were never ratified in Washington D.C. At about the same time, Simmon located and founded Storms’ Ranch (near what later became Chicago Park). Here Simmon started trading with the Indians and established a mutual trust with them. In October 1854, an important meeting was held at the ranch, where it was decided by the white participants that the local Indians had to be moved. Simmon led several groups of the Indians to Round Valley, where later the Nome Cult Farm was established. Storms founded a farm there which employed many Indians. In February 1860, the Indian reserva10 tions in Mendocino County were investigated by J. Ross Browne, and Simmon and his superiors were accused of

fraud in their dealings with the government. Around the start of the year 1862, Simmon sold his ranch. He intended to travel to Boston on the Golden Gate, but was Shipwrecked on 27 July 1862. As the story tells, he was originally on the list of lost persons; it turned out later that he was one of the 23 waifs who saved themselves in a boat. However, it was apparently generally believed that he drowned, witness the following story: Dining with his wife in a Washington D.C., restaurant, he notices a person wearing a watch and a fob he recognized. He said to the man, “You have my watch.” The wearer stated that the watch had belonged to a certain S. P. Storms who perished in the Golden Gate. Simmon was able to identify himself and thus got his watch back. He died on 28 June 1865. André Chavanne is listed in Thompson's Directory of Nevada and Grass Valley (1861) as “Chauvanne Andre of Massachusetts Hill Quartz Mill”. Indeed, Chavanne’s name figures prominently in ali discussions of Massachusetts Hill. Much information on him can be found in the book of Michel Janicot, The French Connection, which we here recommend to the reader and from which some of the following was taken. The Chavanne brothers, André and Louis, and also Jules Fricot (an important Nevada County miner), were born around 1820 in Amplepuis in the Beaujolais wine district in France. Together they arrived in San Francisco in 1851, aboard the Le Médicis. After arriving in California, the‘ Chavanne brothers, with Fricot and sundry other Frenchmen, Started various mining ventures. Of these, we will say something about the Massachusetts Mine. After changing owners several times since its location in January 1850, the mine was purchased in 1851 by the Rocky Bar Company, located in New York. The mine was exploited under a series of managers of whom only one was successful. At that time, the name of the mine was changed to Mount Hope Company. The last manager under this company was Michael Brennan who, after an initial success, did not manage to make the mine pay, no matter how much money he spent on excavations and machinery. When money from New York became scarce, Brennan borrowed from André Chavanne, who thus received a mortgage on the property. In February 1858, Brennan, in a mood of desperation, committed suicide after murdering his wife and children. About two months earlier, in December 1857, Chavanne became owner of the mine; his company was called the Massachusetts Hill Company. His company spent much money and effort to make the mine pay, which resulted in a couple of very profitable years. This ended in April 1862, when the Mount Hope Company brought suit against Chavanne for nearly $400,000 and possession of the Rocky ~~ Bar mine and mill, which idled the mine until November 1863. Chavanne won the suit, and in April 1864, the ledge t