Enter a name, company, place or keywords to search across this item. Then click "Search" (or hit Enter).
Collection: Books and Periodicals
A Memorial and Biographical History of Northern California (1891) (713 pages)
Go to the Archive Home
Go to Thumbnail View of this Item
Go to Single Page View of this Item
Download the Page Image
Copy the Page Text to the Clipboard
Don't highlight the search terms on the Image
Show the Page Image
Show the Image Page Text
Reset View and Center Image
Zoom Out
Zoom In
Rotate Left
Rotate Right
Toggle Full Page View
Flip Image Horizontally
More Information About this Image
Get a Citation for Page or Image - Copy to the Clipboard
Go to the Previous Page (or Left Arrow key)
Go to the Next Page (or Right Arrow key)
Page: of 713
HISTORY OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. 147
Kelseyville, the home of Stone & Kelsey in
early days, is the oldest town in the county. It
possessed a store and blacksmith shop in 1857,
and is to-day a place of considerable importance,
having an academy and several manufacturing
establishments.
Two newspapers are pnblished in Lakeport,
the Democrat and Avalanche, established in
1872 and 1886 respectively. In Lower Lake
are the Bulletin and Clear Lake Press, the date
of their first numbers being 1877 and 1886.
In Middletown is the Jndependent, founded
in 1888, while in Kelseyville is the Vew Fra,
established in 1889. All of these are weeklies,
of merit and push. .
Considerable mining is being done in Lake
County, chiefly for quicksilver. The principal
mines are the Great Western and Sulphur Banks,
both of which are being profitably worked and
are employing many men. Several other properties are being worked spasmodically also.
Borax has also been extensively exported from
the county, the product chiefly of Borax Lake,
near Lower Lake. Petroleum and natural gas
occur generously near Kelseyville, but have
never been utilized.
Lake County is best known probably for its
mineral springs, which are of all sorts, hot and
cold. The more famous of them are Bartlett,
Highland, Harbin, Anderson, Siegler, Adams,
Howard, Soda Bay, Saratoga, Allen, Witter,
Glenbrook and Blue Lakes, at all of which are
found hotels and improvements of extensive
character. They are much visited by the sick,
and are favorite summer resorts for the wealthy
and fashionable.
A deal of attention is also being paid to the
raising of fine horses. Near Middletown is the
home of the Guenoc Stud, owned by Freddy
. Gebhardt and Mre. Langtry. Above Lakeport
is Captain Collier’s band of thoroughbred Percherons, and below him the Rodman Brothers’
fine trotting stock.
Lake County is often called the Switzerland
of California, and it seems likely that before
very long the shorcs of its beautiful lake will be
studded with the villas of the rich, as is already
the case to some extent. Its greatest drawback
is its isolation. It has no railroad, although
three or four lines are pointing towards its
mountains. The staging service is good, however, and upon the lake are several fine steamers,
making local communication easy and pleasant.
Lake County has been represented in the
State Assembly by’R. V. 8. Quigley in 1875-76;
A. P. McCarty in 1880; H. J. Crumpton in
1881-83; E. W. Britt in 1885; L. H. Griwell, 1887-’89, and others mentioned under
the head of Napa County.
MINERALOGICAL.
Lake County lies between+he two branches of
the Coast Range, the western known as Mayacamas, and the eastern as Bear Mountain.
Standing in these mountains are a number of
peaks having an elevation ranging from two
thousand to nearly four thonsand feet. The
center of the valley so formed is occupied by
Clear Lake, a deep body of pure water, twentyfive miles long with an average width of seven
miles. It is divided into two parts, Upper and
Lower Lake, the two being connected by a strait
known as The Narrows. Six miles from the
Upper Lake is a group of deep ponds called the
Blue Lakes, and which, taken collectively, have
a length of three miles by a breadth of half a
mile. The only considerable stream in this
county is Cache Creek, the outlet of Clear Lake,
and which, flowing southeasterly, empties into
the Sacramento. While more than half of the
county is covered with rngged mountains and
water, the balance, consisting of foothill and
valley lands, is exceedingly fertile. The mountains here are well timbered with pine and
spruce, there being also oak, madrona ard
willow along the foothills and water-courses.
The county contains a great variety of metals
and minerals; gold, silver, copper, borax, sulphur, asbestos, and cinnabar counting among
her mineral resourses.
The Sulphur Banks quicksilver mine is
located on the border of Clear Lake, ten miles