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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
236 HISTURY OF NORTUERN CALIFORNIA.
westerly to a point on the dividing ridge between
the waters of Feather and Yuba rivers known
as the Lexington House, leaving said house in
Yuba County; thence northerly, following ont
said ridge; thence easterly in a straight line to
the boundary line of the State; thence south
alung said boundary line to a point east of the
middle branch of the Yuba River and the northcast corner of Nevada County; thence west,
following the northerly lire of Nevada County
to the place of beginning. The seat of justice
tu be at Downieville.
These lines have not been changed, but the
north line was more clearly described in 1863
and 1866. Still uncertainty existed as to the
source of the south fork of the Middle Yuba.
In 1868 each county made a survey; but, as the
initial point was not the same fur both, neither
one adopted the work of the uther. By agreement, the two boards met on the di puted territory, but could come to no understanding.
Sierra County brought suit against the’ Eureka
company on the disputed ground for the payment of taxes after it had already paid them to
Nevada County. The latter county instructed
its district “attorney to defend the Eureka coinpany. The question was settled in the Supreme
Court in 1869, giving to Sierra the disputed
ground. The service and litigation cost each
county more than the land in controversy was
worth to either of them.
The first session of the District Court was
held in Downieville July 5, 1853, with Judge
Willian T. Barbour on the bench. In 1855
Ilon. Niles Searles becaine judge; next Peter
Vancliet was appointed by the Governor; and
in 1859 Robert H. Taylor was elected.
The politics of the county have been pretty
strongly Republican since the beginning of the
civil war.
The Assemblymen from Sierra County, have
been:—S. H. Alley, 1863-’64, 1869-72; F.
Anderson, 1854; T.S. Battelle, 1867-’78; Lewis
Byington, 1877-78; J. A. Clark, 1858; B: J.
Coil, 1857; J. Crawford, 1863; N.C. Cunningham, 1855; John Doherty, 1861; J. W.
Downer, 1867-68; M. Farley, 1883; Wm. T.
Fergueon, 1855; H. A. Gaston, 1856; Thomas
J. Haliday, 1860; RK. D. Hill, 1858: A. A.
Hoover, 1856; J. C. James, 1854; James A.
Johnson, 1859-60; John Koutz, 1869-70,
1875-16; Josiah Lefever, 1859; David Love,
1862; G. Meredith, 1865-’66; S. M. Miles,
1857; W. R. Morgan, 1873-"74; James Nelson,
1880; B.J.Sammons, 1869-"72; M. A. Singleton, 1865-66; E. B. Smith, 1862-’63; R. S.
Weston, 1863-64; D. L. Whitney, 1871-72;
G. Winchell, 1873-°74; Thomas Wright, 1861.
The first newspaper was the Mountain Echo,
in June, 1852, published by William T. Giles.
The Gibsonville Herald first n.ade its appearance in the winter of 1853-’54, established by
Mr. Head. He was succeeded by Alfred Helm
in 1854, who issued a supplementary edition,
calling the entire paper the Gibsonville Z/erald
and St. Louis Mews, It was delivered by a
special messenger in St. Louis. It was soon
changed to the Mountain Messenger, which
is now owned and successfully managed by E.
K. Downer and A. J. Vaughn. The Sverra
Democrat was started June 21, 1856.
Sierra Woodall was the first white child born
in the county, in 1851, at Snake Bar, two miles
below Downieville.
DOWNIEVILLE.
Major Downie and party reached the forks
of the Yuba here in November, 1849. John
Potter cut the first tree for building a cabin,
which was erected abunt the last of December,
with the assistance of Kelly and others, at the
mouth of the ravine, on the north side of the
town. Another log cabin was immediately
built on Jersey Flat, by a man named Lord.
In January, 1850, Frank Anderson, previously
mentioned, brought to the place B. F. Parks
and six others. At this time, although the
snow was deep, some of the men continued
mining underneath it and were repaid at the
rate of $1 tu $100 a day; but presently the
snow became so deep as to stop even this profitable work. In February a town was laid ou