Collection: Books and Periodicals > Nevada County Historical Society Bulletins

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Title: Volume 050-1 - January 1996 Collection Type: Books and Periodicals Collection Name: Nevada County Historical Society Bulletins # of Pages: 8 Download PDF: User Login Required Download OCR Text: User Login Required

Date Scanned: 2014-03-05 08:44:36 OCR Software Version #: tesseract 5.4.1 Item Sourced From: PDF First Created: 2025-03-17 04:06:00 Last Updated: 2025-03-17 04:06:00

Original Held At: Searls Historical Library Location: 161 Nevada City Hwy, Nevada City, CA 95959

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route from those places, they could compete on an equal basis with businessmen at Sacramento who were using the Placerville road to reach the Virginia City market. A controversy continues to this day over the naming of the pass. In May 1860, Warren B. Ewer, publisher of the Grass Valley National, reported his recent conversation about the so-called Henness Pass with the owner of Jackson’s Ranch: This name which has recently been given to this pass is a misnomer. It was formerly known as the “Jackson & Henness Pass,” but through the connivance of several of our early cotemporaries Mr. Henness has contrived to give his name exclusively to this now celebrated locality. This pass was first discovered by Messers. Jackson & Henness who were mining partners at Downieville. In May 1850 these gentlemen set out on a prospecting expedition above Downieville. They passed on through Sierra Valley, and from thence turned their course westward, keeping to the right of the old Truckee route, until they noticed the remarkable depression, near what they subsequently found to be the head waters of the South Fork of the Middle Yuba. Pushing on through this gap which was subsequently called the “Jackson & Henness Pass,” they came to the spot now known as “Jackson’s Ranch,” which at the time was covered with a luxuriant crop of grass, ready for the scythe. They immediately gave up their prospecting for gold, and sent to Sacramento for the necessary implements and commenced cutting hay which they “packed” to Downieville at a great profit. Mr. Henness soon after left the country and returned to the Atlantic States. Mr. Jackson has ever since remained in possession of the ranch and has made great efforts to bring it into notice. In ’52 he laid out and constructed a good wagon road through it at a cost of $6,000 which he generously threw open to the public, free of toll. He is fairly entitled to give his name to the pass. The Great Deluge The winter of 1861-2 was exceptionally rainy—one of the wettest in modern times. Rainfall in the months of November, December and January alone amounted to 45 inches, and the season total was 108 inches! Every bridge over the South Yuba River, including the one at Bridgeport, was washed away—in fact, most bridges in California and Nevada were destroyed that winter. The following extracts from Nevada City newspapers vividly describe the severity of that season: [December 10, 1861.] The late storm has perhaps been the most severe of any that has occurred in this section for many years. From Friday evening until Monday morning it rained without intermission; and from a rough measurement which we kept we judge that about a foot and a half of water fell during that time. The weather being quite warm, the rain extended far up in the mountains, melting off immense quantities of snow, and raising the streams higher than ever before known. Yesterday morning the South Yuba was twenty-six feet above low water mark, and twelve feet above the highest rise of last year. The Illinois, Webber’s, and both of Freeman’s bridges, were carried away on Sunday night, also the suspension foot-bridge at Washington. .. The Sacramento and Feather river valleys are all overflowed, and in all probability the water will rise above the top of the levee at Sacramento. Several hundred Chinese are said to have lost their lives at Long BeivaepoRy “esanuans. ¥: CNNERED BRIGGE Pan poo tet eeens, FOADS & BrivGES . N THE (BG0¢s eccses HENNESS PASS ROAP ANP FEEDER. ROVTES ---OTHER ROAVS wr — RIVERS