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  

152 , HISTORY OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. law-makers lived within the boundaries they themselves set for the new territory. Under this regime a large number of locations of land claims were recorded that season. By the close of the year 86,840 acres had been taken up and recorded, being about 14,000 more than is now actually cultivated. In 1857 the board of supervisors of Plumas County organized Honey Lake Township, including the central portion of this territory, and the citizens there met and demonstrated in a stately document, protesting that they had doubts of being within the limits of the State of California, etc.; and this year they appointed Judge James M. Crane as a delegate to Congress and urge the organization of a territory in Western Utah. Crane went to Washington, and February 18, 1858 wrote to his constituents that a bill to organize a new territory would assuredly pass both Houses of Congress. Congress failing to recognize the importance of this movement, the people again met and adopted a code of laws to serve until they were organized into a territory by the national Congress. In 1859 they adopted a constitution, elected Crane as a delegate for Congress, and Isaac M. Roop as Governor. For the election of delegates a total of 817 votes were cast. The president of the convention, in his certificate of the election of Governor Roop, said that he was elected Governor of said territory “by a large majority.” Crane died, and J. J. Musser, the president of the convention, was elected to fill the vacancy. In 1860 a Government census was taken, when 476 persons were found to be resident within the valley, and the next year the people began local government under the auspices of Plumas County and State of California. Historians have had considerable sport in quoting literatim et punctuatim their ungrammatical documents, which exhibited considerable ignorance mixed up with sume knowledge. March 2, 1861, Congress established the Territory of Nevada, including the Honey Lake region. The Nevada Government undertook, in 1862, to rule this section, and organized the County of Roop. Ina little over a year California, which had been rather slow, finally took possession of this tract, and accordingly Judge Mott came to Susanville and administered the oath of office tu the county officials January 20, 1863. THE SAGE BRUSH WAR. The action of the Nevada authorities soon precipitated a conflict between the officials of Roop and Plumas counties to maintain their jurisdiction over the disputed territory. The first gun was fired by Hon. John S. Ward, Probate Judge of Roop County, who-issued an injunction restraining William J. Young, a justice of the peace elected for Plumas County, from performing his official functions. The justice failed to respect the mandate of Judge Ward, avd was fined $100 for contempt of court. The next step was an order from the County Cuurt of Plumas restraining Ward and W. H. Naileigh (sheriff) from exercising jurisdiction in any way in Honey Lake Valley. These officials refused to obey the order, and Judge Hogan issued warrants for their arrest. The Plumas County sheriff, E. H. Pierce, and his deputy, James Byers, went to Susanville and arrested the refractory judge and sheriff and started to convey them to Quincy. Travel was difficult, and before they could complete their duty an armed mob of seventy-five or one hundred men collected at the vld Roop cabin, now called “ Fort Defiance,” prepared for war. The sheriff with forty men took possession of a barn 200 yards distant. He sent out five men to bring in a stick of hewn timber for the purpose of better fortifying his place. The fort fired on the men, seriously wounding one. The barn returned fire, and this fire was kept up for about four hours. A consultation was had late in the afternoon, under a flag of truce, with no result. As acquisitions were constantly made to the “mob” at the fort, a deputation of citizens persuaded Sheriff Pierce to suspend operations until both the Governors of Nevada and Cali-