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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
182 HISTORY OF NORTHERN OALIFORNIA.
the northern lines of El Dorado and Sacramento,
as established in sections 3,927 and 3,928, to
place of beginning.”
The topography of the county is as irregular
as its outline. From the valley of the Sacramento, thirty feet above the sea, where perennial verdure and semi-tropic fruits gladden the
eye, it rises in one grand swell to the summit of
the Sierra Nevada, embracing Twin, Granite
Chief, Tinker, Lincoln and Donner Peaks, which
stud the crest of the lofty range, glistening in
their white mantle of snow 9,000 feet in the
sky. In the valley of the Sacramento the
county has about 216 square miles; in the foothills and mountain valleys adapted to tillage
about 200 more; in Lake Tahoe, 90; and the
remainder, 880 square miles, include the mountainridges and snowy peaks, with the intervening lakes and deep cafions. The forests are
magnificent.
The act of the Legislature approved April
28, 1851, providing for the organization of the
county, ordered an election to be held in Placer
and Nevada counties, for county and township
officers, on the fourth Monday of May. The
election accordingly occurred May 26, two days
before the approval of the bill by the Government, resulting in choosing Hagh Fitzsimmons
as Judge; Samuel C. Austin, Sheriff; R. D. Hopkins, District Attorney; James T. Stewart, Clerk;
Altred Lewis, Assessor; Douglas Bingham, Treasurer; Abram Bronk, Public Administrator; and
John C. Montgomery, Coroner. But the loose
manner in which the election was conducted in
the mining camps left no definite means of ascertaining the true vote. No party lines were
drawn nor conventions held. Friends of aspirants and the aspirants themselves presented
names in which the two parties were represented
and voted for indiscriminately.
The first military organization in Placer
County was at Illinoistown, in December, '1849,
of a company called the California Blades, for a
campaign against the Indians, who had committed many daring robberies and were suspected of suine motives. This company was not
recruited under the form of law, and its roster
will not be found in the archives of the State;
nor was it armed and equipped in the manner
of armies of a great Government. Even the
names of its officers are lost to history by their
title and rank, and, what is a singular exception,
their bills for salaries, arms, ammunition, forage,
transportation and damages, swell no list of
“war claims ” for annual presentment and subject of demogogic appeals on the floors of Congress. Nevertheless, the California Blades was
a stalwart company, armed with long rifles,
yagers and shot-guns, dragoon and pepper-box
pistols, butcher and bowie knives, and with
powder-horne and bullet pouches, blankets, and
hard-tack and bacon, made several marches
against the Indians, killed and laid waste, and,
after the manner of larger armies, struck terror
‘to the foe that lasting peace followed their victory. No outrages were committed against the
savages not justified by the occasion; and as
soon as the Indians ceased their depredations
hostilities ended, and from that day they were
‘kindly treated.
‘In 1853 society was in a somewhat chaotic
condition, as the chief organizing element—
woman—was not sufficiently numerous to exercise a commanding influence. Accordingly the
“ Miners’ Guards ” were organized as a kind of
social body and also to preserve order and repel
Indian depredations. William L. Carpenter
was captain. Since, the other military organizations have been effected in this county, and
several companies were sent tu the last war.
The county had a section of purely agricultural land, which was occupied shortly before
the conquest by settlers who raised wheat and
planted fruit before the gold excitement came
to interrupt them. It is said that a crop of
wheat was put in on Bear River by Johnson &
Sicard in 1845, and that.Chanon helped Sicard
to plant fruit trees the following season.
Peaches, almonds and vines from San Jose followed in 1848, and later oranges. The peaches
brought high prices in the gold fields. Mendenhall planted Oregon fruit at Dlinoistown in