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  

HItsTORY OF NORTHERN UCALIFORNIA. 841 there was no danger, and that they would go to bed for awhile. Both slept soundly, and in the morning were found asleep by the awakening members of the train. Thicaused a great disturbance in the company, and Lowden with four other young men pulled out of the train that morning, and with two wagons continued on their journey. Their route was by Fort Laramie and Fort Hall, and into California via Truckee, at the latter place stopping one day to bury the bones of the Donner party, that perished in 1846 and Mr. Lowden, after pruspecting four or five days on Bear River, arrived in Sacramento Angust 28, 1849. This ended his first mining experience. In Sacramento he went to work at his trade doing some contract work for Sam Brannan, with A. P. Pettit. He was so engayed until May 14, 1850, when he started north on horseback to Weaverville, arriving on the 19th. That afternoon, finding men mining in the gulches, he himself went to work and mined in Blue Gulch three weeks. He then went to Salmon River, and thence to Klamath with the first party that went up that river. This party had terrible experiences from attacks by the Indians, starvation, and nearly every hardship. For two weeks they lived on dried salmon, which were in a rutten condition, but which were the only means of saving life. They discovered the mines at Yreka and on Klamath River, but they were starved out and had to leave. Mr. Lowden then came back to Trinity County, and mined on the ground he had prospected when he was here before, on Trinity River, making several thousand dollars. In the winters of 1850-51 he again went to Salmon River, and spent the money turning the river. September 1, 1851, he took possession of the Lowden ranch of 640 acres, which he had bought and of which his family has patented a half section since he moved in'c Weaverville to live. He built the Weaverville and Shasta wagon road of. twenty-tive miles in 1857 and 1858, which is yet his property, his son W. J. Lowden, being his equal partner, and they also own and operate the Lewiston turnpike of twenty miles, which he also constructed. He yet has in hia possession the gold pen presented him by Judge Pitzer when the first stage came into Weaverville from Shasta. Mr. Lowden has been surveying in this region for the last quarter of a century, and during the greater part of that time was United States Deputy Surveyor. He was also County Surveyor from 1872 to 1882. Having had so much experience in connection with the lands of Trinity and adjacent counties, he has acquire . an extensive legal and practical knowledge of the subject, which is invaluable to him in his practice as land attorney. It is not in connection with these pursuits, however, that Mr. Lowden achieved hia grea‘est reputation. In his younger days in California he was known as the best, fleetest and most enduring rider in the State, and in 1853-55, when the express competition was at its height, he was employed by the Adams Company as a race rider. During that time, while a great race was in progress from San Francisco to Portland, Oregon, between the Adams Company and ite rival company, he rode for his employers from Tehama to Weaverville, 100 miles, in the incredibly short time of five hours and thirteen minutes, using twenty-seven horses and carrying saddle-bags weighing fifty-four pounds as far as Shasta. He covered the sixty miles from Tehama to Shasta in two hours and thirty-seven minutes! He changed horses by leaping from one horse to the other, with his load, while both horses were running: the remaining forty miles in two hours and thirty-six minutes. What makes the feat all the more remarkable is the cirenmstance that it was accomplished from Shasta to Weaverville after night, and while a snow-storin was in progress! His competitor was so badly distanced over this portion of the route that the opposition gave up the race. For this beat Mr. Lowden received the highest compliment from the company ofticials here and in New York. Mr. Lowden was married in Youngsville,