Collection: Books and Periodicals

About This Item:

Title: A Memorial and Biographical History of Northern California (1891) Collection Type: Books and Periodicals Publisher: Lewis Publishing Company Published: 1891 Copyright: In the public domain or published before 1925 Source(s): Google Books # of Pages: 713 Download PDF: User Login Required Download OCR Text: User Login Required

Date Scanned: 2024-07-22 00:25:09 Item Sourced From: PDF First Created: 2025-03-17 03:11:29 Last Updated: 2025-03-17 06:30:36

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

Page: of 713  

-HISTORY OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. 279 Missonri about 1846, and lived in Santa Clara County until 1848 with his brothers and sisters; then he was a gold-miner for a time ‘and visited Oregon; next he was a trader in live stock; in 1849 he founded the town of Fremont; from 1853 he was in Contra Costa County; from 1861 at San Francisco and interested in Nevada mines; 1865-68 he was adjutant-general of California militia; subsequently in real-estate business at Livermore, where he was recently still living. His wife was Sidesia Mendenhall, and his children Eugene and Delora (Mrs. Biddle). The Mexican land grants in Yolo County were: Caiiada de Capay, 40,078 acres, confirmed to Jasper O’Farrell and others in 1865; Quessesosi, 8,894 acres to William Gordon in 1860; Rio Jesus Maria, 26,637 acres to J. M. Harbin and others in 1858, in Yolo and Solano counties; Rio de los Puto, 17,755 acres to Willian Wolfskill in 1858. As with most other parts of the Sacramento Valley, Yolo County has known three distinct periods. In the first nothing was dreamed of but cattle and stock-growing. In the second, every energy was devoted to the raising of grain. The last is the era of fruits, grapes, etc. Yolo County now is noted for its fine fruits, raisins, etc., but even yet the growth of wheat and other cereals continues to be her leading industry, some of her citizens, such for instance as Dr. Merritt, being among the great wheat-growers of the State. It is doubtful whether there be another county in California with greater natural resources of soil and situation. Except for a strip afew miles wide along the western border adjoiniug the foot-hills, tle entire county presents the appearance of an almost level plain. This plain is the rich alluvium of the Sacramento Valley, of a fabulous fertility. Considerable tracts along the river front and lower parts are tule lands that every winter are covered with a few feet of water. Across one strip of this, on the road to Sacramento, one J. B. Lewis in ’49 and 50° had a ferry three miles long. A rope was stretched across this distance, and, wind permitting, he sailed his craft along the rope. Since then large sections of this land have heen dyked and reclaimed, and operations are now in progress which will reclaim many thousand acres more of this soil. Once secured from water there is no such wheat land in the world. It recalls the stories of Egyptian fertilty or of the Egypt of IHinois and its corn lands along the Mississippi. But yet it is rather the orchards and vineyards that are so characteristic a scene around the principal centres, as at Woodland, at Knight’s Landing, near Winters, in the Cuapay Valley, ete., that give tone and value to the lands of the county. Of late years especially, rapid advances have been made in the way of the subdivision of the Spanish grants and large estates, and the setting out of the smaller farms to fruit. A portion of the county that promises very brightly is the Capay Valley, the position and advantages of which are analogous to that of the Vaca Valley to its south. Lack of accessibility has kept it back in the march of progress, but a few years ago the Southern Pacific built a branch line from Winters to Madison, which lies at its mouth, and thence to Ramsey’s at the head of the valley, the probability being that eventnally the line will. be extended tu Lake County, up Cache Creek, which flows through the valley. The railroad company has purchased and opened to settlement at low prices the larger part of the land in the valley, and it is being rapidly taken hold of. The industrial history of Capay Valley really begins with the advent of the railroad in 1887, although it was always regarded as one of the most picturesque and chartning parts of the State. Yolo County is well-served with railroads. In 1868-69 the California Central, now a part of the Southern Pacific system, was built from Davisville to Washington, over the low lands, across the eastern end of the county, froin the same point to Woodland and thence to Knight’s Landing and, crossing the Sacramento and the tules, to Marysville. The high water of 1871"72 washed away both the section between