Collection: Books and Periodicals

About This Item:

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 OALIFORNIA. 263 reason than to include the Marysville Buttes in Butte County, as it was thought proper that they should be in the county named after them; but the next year the Legislature restored the Buttes to Sutter County. Vernon was made the county-seat April 25, 1851. The secret of Vernon’s success in obtaining the seat of government was that E. O. Crosby, one of the proprietors of the town, was the State Senator from that district. When the boundaries of the county were changed, November 3, 1852, Vernon was nearly deserted and Nicolaus was made a county-seat. ‘Three years afterward Yuba City made a move for the prize. A vote was taken, resulting apparently in favor of the new place; but it was claimed by the friends of Nicolaus that if the illegal votes were all thrown out they would retain the county-seat in their town. However, the board of supervisors ordered the archives moved to Yuba City, and they began holding their sessions there; and that place continued to be the seat of government for twenty-three years. The court-house having been destroyed Dy fire on the night of December 23, 1871, this was of course a signal for rival towns to make an effort to obtain the headquarters of the county’s government. The friends of Nicolaus aroused. The only newspaper in the county, the Sutter Banner, published at Yuba City, was in favor of that place. The Legislature was appealed to, but it took no action, and a new court-house was built in Yuba City, and thus the matter ended. The site of Nicolaus was first occupied by Nicolaus Allgeier in 1842. He was born in Freiburg, Germany, in 1807, and came to America about 1830. He went into the employ of the Hudson Bay Company as trapper and in this capacity spent a number of years in the wilds of British America. It was whilein this service, in 1839°—40, that he came overland tu California. Soon he commenced to work for Captain Sutter, assisting in constructing an adobe house in 1841-42, about one and a half miles below Ilock Farm. This was Sutter’s first establishment in Sutter County, and the first settlement of any kind made in this county. The plains between Sacramento and Feather rivers were used by Sutter as a grazing ranch for immense bands of horses and cattle. The road from his establishment, New Helvetia, to the one at Hock Farm crossed the river at Nicolaus, and Sutter desired some one stationed at that point with a ferry. He therefore deeded to Allgeier a tract one mile square at that place in consideration of the labor he had performed and was to perform in the future, all valued at $400. Allgeier first constructed a hut of poles and covered it with tule grass and dirt. He lived here until some time in 1847, when he constructed a small adobe house near the old ferry crossing. A primitive ferry-boat was constructed in 1843, which the Indians rowed across the river in transacting the business of crossing. The first election in Sutter County for county officers was in 1850, resulting as follows: Gordon N. Mott, Judge; W. Fisher, Attorney; T. B. Reardon, Clerk; John Polo, Sheriff; George Pierson, Recorder; Willard Post, Treasurer, and Wm. H. Monroe, Assessor. The first building provided for the use of the county was the Zine house at Oro, described elsewhere in this volume. At Nicolaus the court used a private residence, and at Auburn a place was provided by citizens at Vernon. E. O. Crosby tendered the use of “two buildings tree of charge. The courts, however, were held in Captain Savage’s Hotel. At Nicolaus the American Hotel served as a place for holding the court and for the county officers until 1855. From that time until the county-seat was removed to Yuba City, Frederick Vahle’s house was used. As yet the county had no jail. A. good court-house and jail were completed at Yuba City by September 18, 1858, at a total cost of $9,400. This was destroyed by tire on the night of December 20, 1871. Some of the ofticers sueceeded in saving the valuable contents of their offices. The safes and the vaults preserved their contents, thongh in some cases somewhat injured.