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  

286 HISTORY OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. Eli Teegarden, 1862; RK. M. Turner, 1856; Jonas Wescott, 1860; John Wheadon, 1859; N. E. Whiteside, 1858; W. B. Winsor, 1856. THE LATER HISTORY of Yuba County is unique above all others in that during the past twenty or thirty years she has almost completely altered her configuration, the surface level over no mean part of her superficies having changed materially. The cause of this has been hydraulic mining, chiefly, and the vast amount of “slickens,” or mining debris, washed down thereby. Where prosperous orchards, gardens and farms stood in former days along the banks of the rivers, their place has been taken by an overtlow of sand and mud,— the “slickens” of the mining regions,—fences, trees and even telegraph poles going out of eight under fifteen, twenty, or even thirty feet of this debris. The still more curious sight is to be seen in some parts, of a fresh orchard and new fields of grass appearing now upon this new and artificial surface, a second layer, so to speak, of agriculture. This is only the case in some parts, however, as the deposits are not always capable of cultivation. This refers of course only to the bottom lands along the rivers. Yuba County stands in the peculiar position of being both a gainer and a loser by the celebrated decision of Judge Sawyer in 1884, placing a permanent injunction upon hydraulic mining. The upper end of the county, in the foot hills, was injured directly, in that it was largely interested in hydraulic mining, while the largest city and county town, Marysville, felt it seriously but indirectly, by the shrinking ot her trade; but the people of the lower end, the farmers, the larger part of the population, hailed the decision with joy as giving them now a chance for their lives and property. They set energetically to work to raise their dykes and levees once more to a living height, and once more to set out and cultivate their orchards. This is for the most.part a level county. Only on the east, where the country breaks into the foot-hills of the Sierra, does it rise much above the sea level, nor does the highest portion of the county reach an altitude of more than 2,000 feet. The rivers and larger creeks in this county consist of the main Yuba and its middle fork, the former flowing west centrally across the county and constituting, in part, the dividing line between this and Nevada County; Feather River separating Yuba trom Sutter County on the west; Bear Kiver, dividing line between Yuba, Placer, and Sutter on the south; Honcut Creek, its northwestern boundary, and Dry Creek, running across the county from northeast to southwest. The soil throughout the lower portions of the county is a deep alluvial, capable of producing heavy crops of the cereals; that on the upland being admirably adapted for fruit and vinegrowing. A good many cattle and sheep are also kept here, being sustained partly by the cultivated, but mostly on the native, grasses. — Yuba County is celebrated for her early fruits, her cherries, her apricots, her peaches, reaching market among the first. It has been discovered, too, that she has a citrus belt, and large plantings have been made of oranges, lemons, etc., whole colonies being founded upon this industry. With renewed energy, too, irrigating ditches are being taken out and water brought upon the neglected valleys, thus greatly extending the scope of fruit-raising. Brown’s Valley is one of the most important parts being benefited in this way. Already a large acreage of trees, grapes, etc., has been planted, and a decided increase made in the population of the valley. Below Marysville are located several large citrus colonies. TheColmena Colony, adjoining Reed’s station, a few miles below Marysville, have orange orchards of several hundred acres, while others are still more extensive. In this lower portion of the county the chief industry is wheat-growing, however, the principal town of the county outside of Marysville having the suggestive name‘of Wheatland. In the mountainous eastern portion of the county, mining is still an important business, although