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Collection: Books and Periodicals
A Memorial and Biographical History of Northern California (1891) (713 pages)
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Page: of 713
HISTORY OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. 165
by Lawley & Lefferts, as a lumber-yard, in
1855. It was originally a low field, but after
the building was constructed, in 1857, the
grounds were graded and filled and shrubbery
planted, the cost being defrayed partly by the
supervisors and partly by citizens. The original fence around the ground was built in 1857.
The plaza is now a very faithful tract, worthy
of the reputation of the Golden State. The
corner-stone of the present court-house was
laid in 1856, and, as originally built, the upper
story was largely used as a jail; but it was
afterward rebuilt and a new jail erected in
the rear.
Napa County has had three court-houses: the
first, 20x30 feet, two stories high and without
plastering, was located on the northwest corner
of Coombs and Second streets. Persons sentenced for long terms were confined in the
adobe jail at Sonoma, while petty offenders
were placed in the upper rooms of this courthouse. This building was burned August 25,
1875. It served for a court-house from 1850
to 1856, when the second building was erected,
at a cost of $19,990; but afterward improvements were made to the extent of $11,000 from
time to time, and required frequent repairs, so
that in course of time it cost the county over
$50,000. The present court-house, a modern
structure, was built in 1878-°79, the contract
price being $50,990.
The Assemblymen from Napa County have
been: T. H. Anderson, 1857-’58; John M.
Coghlan, 1865-66; F. L. Coombs, 1887; Nathan Coombs, 1855, 1860; George N. Cornwall, 1854, 1875-’76; J. C. Crigler, 1867-70;
W. B. H. Dodson, 1863-64; Edward Evey,
1862; R. C. Haile, 1856, 1869-’70, 1877-78;
Chancellor Hartson, 1863, 1880-81; F. C.
Johnston, 1883; William R. Matthews, 1859;
J. M. Mayfield, 187778; Edward McGarry,
1853; J. McKamy, 1853; H. A. Pellet, 1885;
John B. Seott, 1861; John 8. Stark, 1852; W.
W. Stillwagon, 1871-72; S. K. Welch, 1873"714, 1877-78.
RESOURCES.
Napa County consists mainly of two large
valleys. The Napa Valley extends the entire
length of the county, and throughout its length
is a railroad. The Berryessa Valley is on the
east side of the county. The main dividing
ranges consist of mountains 500 to 2,500 feet
high. The mountain range which bounds Napa
on the east contains several peaks of considerable elevation, the highest being Mount St.
Helena, supposed to be an extirict volcano,
4,348 feet high. The summit is accessible even
by vehicle. The Mayacamus Ridge forms the
western line of the county and is one of the
most beautiful in the State. It was included
in the ranch of 35,000 acres granted to Jose de
Jesus Berryessa and Sisto Berryessa in 1848,
by Manuel Micheltorena, Governor of the Californias.
The main valley is about thirty-five miles
long, about five miles wide at the southern end
and tapering to a sharp point at the north. Its
river gives name to the county. It is tortuous,
especially in the southern portion, where it
passes through a large tract of level tule land.
It runs generally close to the foot-hills on the
east side of the valley.
There are no heavily timbered tracts in the
county; in the western part there were some
redwoods of considerable size. On Howell
Mountain were mountain sugar-pines six feet
in diameter. Away from the water courses is
a great deal of oak of different kinds, but it is
all brittle and almost worthless. About the
geysers and across the northern part of the
county is found the California nutmeg. This
is a beautiful tree, with a fruit resembling the
nutmeg of commerce.
Napa has some of the most valuable building
stone in California, a light voleanic rock found
in the mountains east of Napa Valley. This
material was largely used in constructing the
asylum. It is light yellow in color, coarse and
soft in texture, but hardens by protracted exposure.