Enter a name, company, place or keywords to search across this item. Then click "Search" (or hit Enter).
Collection: Books and Periodicals
A Memorial and Biographical History of Northern California (1891) (713 pages)
Go to the Archive Home
Go to Thumbnail View of this Item
Go to Single Page View of this Item
Download the Page Image
Copy the Page Text to the Clipboard
Don't highlight the search terms on the Image
Show the Page Image
Show the Image Page Text
Reset View and Center Image
Zoom Out
Zoom In
Rotate Left
Rotate Right
Toggle Full Page View
Flip Image Horizontally
More Information About this Image
Get a Citation for Page or Image - Copy to the Clipboard
Go to the Previous Page (or Left Arrow key)
Go to the Next Page (or Right Arrow key)
Page: of 713
492 HISTORY OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA.
until the great gold excitement of this State
took the world, when he came hither by the way
of New Orleans and Panama, reaching the
golden coast in the early part of April. 1850.
After a few weeks spent in the mining regions,
‘he went to Sacramento and began as a trader in
live-stock, becoming one of a stock company
who purchased horses, cattle and sheep from
the immigrants, and sent many of them down
to the Vaca Valley to fatten; and they also
bought and imported horses, cattle and sheep
from the East. G. B. Stevenson, one member
of the company, brought out in 1851 2,000
sheep from Illinois in one season, costing him
about $1.25 a head in Illinois, and he sold them
here on an average of $10 a head, while the
rams brought as high as $50.
In 1853 Colonel Stevenson returned to the
East by way of Panama and New York, visiting
on the way his former home in Kentucky. On
that trip he purchased, in his native State, a
number of blooded horses, and in Misouri and
Illinois he bought also a lot of tine cattle, all
of which he brought successfully across the
plains to this State, in 1854. This company
purchased a large extent of land and cattle,
continuing in these operations until about 1860,
when they dissolved and divided the profits.
Colonel Stevenson continued in the same line of
trade until about 1870, when he organized the
Vaca Valley & Clear Lake Railroad Company,
who built the line from Elinira to Madison, and
managed it nntil July, 1888, when they sold it
to the Southern Pacific Railroad Company; and
since that time the Colonel has been operating
with the latter company in looking after its
land interests along this line. He has twice
represented Solano in the State Legislature; is
aimember of Vacaville Lodge, No. 83, [. O. O. F.
In 1857 Colonel Stevenson married Miss M.
E. Gardner, a native of Arkansas, and they
now have six children: Jennie, now the wife of
Dr. J. W. Stitt, of Vacaville; Annie E., now
the wife of Frank H. Buck, of Vaca Valley;
Mary Lou, now Mrs. Henry Heilbron, of Sacramento; Leila and Mabel, graduates of Vacaville
College; and Andrew M., at present attending
the same institution.
IBY ve JACKSON BINNEY, a prominent citizen of Marysville, was born in
St. Mary’s County, Maryland, in the fall
of 1829. His father, Archibald Binney, was a
Scotchman, who set up the first type foundry
in Edinburg. The French Revolution being in
progress, he, being an ardent Republican, dared
not set up type openly during the daylight, but
did so at night, and also posted bills. Being
discovered, he made his escape befure he was
captured and came to Philadelphia. He made
what was considered a fortune in his business,
and he bought a plantation in Maryland, which
he afterward made his home. The subject of
this sketch was educated in Philadelphia fur
the position of the civil engineer. In 1846 he
went to Wisconsin, and while making his home
in Janesville did surveying, and also what other
work he could find todo. In 1849 he came by
ox team across the plains to California, arriving
in Sacramento in October, where he was elected
levee engineer, and built the first levee there
in 1850. He was afterward elected city engineer.
Next he was general engineer for a Placerville
canal, which was then one of the largest enterprises in the State, involving several hundred
thousands of dollars. This canal was built for
the purpose of bringing water from the north
fork of the Sacramento River into Placerville
for mining purposes. Soon afterward Mr.
Binney went to San Francisco, purchased a
steamer and ran the only boat with the California Steam Navigation Company, plying between
San Francisco and points on the Sacramento
and San Joaquin rivers. After running about
two years its name was changed to Marion.
The president of the Navigation Company,
Richard Chenery, formed an alliance with Mr.
Binney, severing his connection with the Navigation Company, and they afterward built the
road from Folsom through to Roseville. Theo-