Collection: Books and Periodicals

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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. 199 In 1844, however, an effort was made, under the patronage of Sutter and others, to lay out and build a town at a point three miles below the site of Sacramento City. A survey was made and a village commenced. The first house was erected by Sutter, the second by one Hadel, and the third by George Zins. The last mentioned was a brick building, and the first of the kind erected in California. Zins afterward manufactured the bricks, in Sacramento, which were used in the first brick buildings erected in this city. He stamped each brick with his initials, and one of them is now preserved in the Crocker Art Gallery Museum of the city, and one in the Museum of the Pioneer Association. For a time, “ Sutterville,” as it was called, in honor of its projector, flourished; but after the gold discovery the population centered at Sacramento, or the “ Embarcadero,” the Spanish name. At the time of, or shortly after, the discovery of gold, quite a number of stores were established at the furt; and indeed that was the practical business center in this portion of the territory. The first store, an adobe building, was that of C. C. Smith & Co., Samuel Brannan being the “Co.” This was started two months prior to the opening of the mines, and across its counters were made the first exchanges of American goods for California gold. Brannan subsequently became the sole proprietor. Hensley & Reading had a store afterward in the fort, and one of the clerks was James King of William, just mentioned. When the city of Sacramento was established Sutter owned its site. After the discovery of gold and the laying out of the city, Sutter conveyed his entire interest in the plat to his son; and on December 80, 1849, Sutter, Jr., employed Peter H. Burnett—afterward governor— as his lawyer to manage his newly acquired interests. Conveyances were made by Sutter and his son, which resulted in a confusion of titles that were not adjusted until after many years of litigation. After the establishment of Sacrmento there was a steady improvement of the town. From a village of canvas tents it grew to be one of wood and brick structures, and the town of Sutterville soon had an existence only on paper. After the flood of 1861—’62, an effort was made to revive the town of Sutterville, but it again tailed. During the time that Sacramento was flooded, in January, 1853, all communication with the mining connties was cut off, and some of the enterprising merchants sought higher ground for the city site, where freight could be landed from vessels without danger from floods. The site they selected was on the south bank of the American River, nearly due north trom the point now called Brighton, and they named the new town “ Hoboken.” At that day the American River was navigable to that point. A large town was laid out there, with wide streets and a steamboat landing. Within ten days a place sprang up which promised to be a rival to Sacramento. Three steamers made daily trips between the two places. An express office was established at Hoboken, besides many other facilities for commercial business. Trade there flourished. Many of the business firms of Sacramento removed to the new town, and the newspapers of the city devoted a page to the interests of Hoboken. But Hoboken declined as rapidly as it had sprang up, and to-day its site constitutes a portion of a farm. The city of “ Boston” was laid out at the confluence of the American and Sacramento rivers, north of Sacramentuv. It, however, never “ materialized,” and existed only on maps. The population of Sacramento, prior to January, 1848, was comparatively insignificant; but with the influx which followed the discovery of gold ite augmentation had been perhaps unpreecdented in the history of the world. The tirst census taken in the State—in 1851—during the administration of President Fillmore, was under the superintendency of J. Neely Johnson, as census agent of this district. He was afterward Governor of the State. In that enuimeration Sacramento was credited with 11,000 in-