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. 221 menced forthwith. The road, however, never was finished to Marysville by the original company. By 1861 the track was laid to Lincoln. The name was subsequently changed to the California & Oregon Railroad, and is now known as the Oregon Division of the Central Pacific Railroad. Shortly after the completion of the Central Pacific Railroad to Roseville, the company purchased the California Central Railroad; that portion of the road between Roseville and Folsom was abandoned; the bridge over the American River was condemned and sold in 1868. The railroad shops at Sacramento comprise abuut twenty large buildings and scores of small ones, covering about fifteen acres of ground, and an average of 2,600 hands are employed. AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. The first agricultural society in the State met in Sacramento, October 8, 1852, in the American Theater. C. I. Hutchinson was president, and Dr. J. F. Morse delivered the address. A fair was held a week or two on that occasion, under the supervision of Warren & Co. The “State Agricultural Society” was organized early in 1854, and on May 13, that year, was incorporated by a special act of the Legislature. The first officers were named in the charter and were as follows: F. W. Macondray, of San Francisco, President; Vice Presidents, E. L. Beard of Alameda, J. K. Rose of San Francisco, D. W. C. Thompson of Sonoma, H. C. Malone of Santa Clara, W. H. Thompson of San Francisco, and C. I. Hutchinson of Sacramento; Corresponding Secretary, J. L. L. Warren, of San Francisco; Recording Secretary, OC. V. Gillespie, of San Francisco; Treasurer, David Chambers, of San Francisco. The same act appropriated $5,000 per annum for the first four years for premiums. Under the new charter, the first fair was held in San Francisco, in October following; the second in Sacramento, September, 1855, when the general exhibition was held in the State House and the cattle show at the Louisiana race-track; the third in San José, in October, 1856; the fourth in Stockton, in 1857; the fifth in Marysville, in 1858, since which time all the fairs have been held at Sacramento. When the society, in 1860, voted to hold the next fair at Sacramento,—being the third time in succession at the same place,—it angered the competing points in the State, opposition agricultural societies were formed, and the receipts fell from $28,639 in 1860, to $18,584 in 1861. In 1863 the Legislature provided for the election of a “ Board of Agriculture,” to be entrusted with the affairs of the State Agricultural Society. Under this arrangement the fairs were held until the State Constitution of 1879 was adopted, which cut off all State assistance unless the board of directors were appointed by State authority. The subsequent Legislature empowered the Governor to appoint the members of this board, and also divided the State into “agricultural districts ” of several counties each, placing in the Third District the counties of Sacramanto, Sutter, Yuba, Butte, Colusa, Tehama and Yolo; but at present, probably on account of the direct presence of the State institution, Sacramento is not taking an active part in the district organization. . ‘In 1834 the present magnificent pavilion, east of the Capitol, was erected. It is, in general, about 490 feet square, and cost, with furnishings, in the neighborhood of $115,000. It is the largest public building in the State. For some years the fairs have occupied about two weeks’ time. At the exhibition of September 8 to 15, 1888, over $20,000 was awarded in premiums. A SUCCESSFUL EXPERIMENT. In the year 1884 A. A. Krull, about two and a half miles northeast of Florin, executed a novel but brilliantly successful experiment in horticulture. Having several acres of “ hard-pan” upon his place, he devised the plan of breaking it up with blasts of powder. Employing an expert, he bored holes in the ground, one for each tree, put down in each a pound of Huck-