History of the State of California
by John Frost · English · Gutenberg #40503 · 719,518 chars · public domain (US)
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Title: History of the State of California
Author: John Frost
Release date: August 14, 2012 [eBook #40503]
Most recently updated: September 27, 2025
Language: English
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*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HISTORY OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA ***
Transcriber's Note:
Inconsistent hyphenation, spelling, and accents in the original document
have been preserved. Obvious typographical errors have been corrected.
California place names were left as printed, regardless of inconsistencies
or apparent misspellings.
Italic text is denoted by _underscores_.
Page 17: Aurquoises changed to turquoises
Page 64: "ancle" was the spelling in the quoted text
Page 376: United Ship Cyane should possibly be United States Ship
Cyane
Page 393: 1st U. Dragoons should possibly be 1st U.S. Dragoons
Appendix C and E not labeled
Appendix C presumed to be the "MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT"
Appendix E presumed to be the "despatch of General Persifor
F. Smith"
[Illustration: MOUNTAIN SCENERY IN LOWER CALIFORNIA.]
HISTORY
-- OF THE --
STATE OF CALIFORNIA,
FROM THE PERIOD OF THE CONQUEST BY SPAIN,
TO HER OCCUPATION BY THE UNITED
STATES OF AMERICA.
CONTAINING AN ACCOUNT OF THE DISCOVERY OF THE IMMENSE
GOLD MINES AND PLACERS, A DESCRIPTION OF HER
MINERAL AND AGRICULTURAL RESOURCES, WITH
THRILLING ACCOUNTS OF ADVENTURES
AMONG THE MINERS.
-- ALSO, --
A BRIEF ACCOUNT OF THE FORMATION OF THE GOVERNMENT
AND CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE.
WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS.
BY JOHN FROST, LL.D.
NEW YORK:
HURST & CO., PUBLISHERS,
122 NASSAU STREET.
ARGYLE PRESS,
PRINTING AND BOOKBINDING
24-26 WOOSTER ST., N.Y.
PREFACE.
The occupation of California by the people of the United States, and
the discovery of its rich gold mines, form a new era in the history of
the world. According to present appearances, these events forebode a
complete revolution in monetary and commercial affairs. The receipts
of gold from California have already produced a sensible effect on the
financial affairs of our country; and far-seeing people predict an
entirely new state of things with respect to the relative value of
money and property.
Still more important effects are anticipated from the establishment of
a new, rich, and enterprising State of the American Union on the
shores of the Pacific. Railroads across the continent will soon
transport the rich products of Eastern Asia, by a quick transit, to
the Atlantic cities and to Europe; and a passage to China or India,
which was formerly a serious undertaking, will become a pleasant
excursion.
To gratify the public curiosity with respect to the history and
present state of this new member of the Union, is the purpose of this
volume. In preparing it, the author has passed rapidly over the early
history, and dwelt chiefly on recent events, and the actual state of
the country, as he considered that, by this course, utility would be
more effectually consulted.
In the Appendix he has introduced the constitution of California, and
some official documents, whose importance demanded their preservation
in a permanent form.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER I. Page
GEOGRAPHICAL OUTLINE OF CALIFORNIA 7
CHAPTER II.
DISCOVERY OF CALIFORNIA 11
CHAPTER III.
FROM THE FIRST SETTLEMENT TO THE REVOLUTION IN MEXICO 20
CHAPTER IV.
FROM THE REVOLUTION TILL THE WAR BETWEEN THE UNITED
STATES AND MEXICO 24
CHAPTER V.
FROM THE COMMENCEMENT OF THE WAR TILL ITS CLOSE 27
CHAPTER VI.
DISCOVERY OF THE GOLD PLACERS 36
CHAPTER VII.
ADVENTURES OF SOME OF THE MINERS, AND INCIDENTS CONNECTED
WITH MINING 56
CHAPTER VIII.
DESCRIPTION OF SOME OF THE CITIES AND TOWNS OF
CALIFORNIA, BEFORE AND AFTER THE DISCOVERY OF THE GOLD
MINES 87
CHAPTER IX.
THE FORMATION OF A STATE GOVERNMENT 118
CHAPTER X.
PRESENT STATE OF CALIFORNIA 132
CHAPTER XI.
THE DIFFERENT ROUTES TO CALIFORNIA, AND THEIR RESPECTIVE
CHARACTERS 181
CHAPTER XII.
RECENT EVENTS CONNECTED WITH, AND HAPPENING IN,
CALIFORNIA 218
CHAPTER XIII.
THE MINERALOGICAL AND OTHER CHARACTERISTICS OF GOLD, AND
THE MODE OF DISTINGUISHING IT WHEN FOUND; TOGETHER WITH
THE ASSAY, REDUCTION, AND REFINEMENT OF GOLD 233
CHAPTER XIV.
ADDITIONAL RECENT EVENTS 243
CHAPTER XV.
A GENERAL VIEW OF CALIFORNIA AT THE PRESENT TIME 255
CHAPTER XVI.
NATURAL HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA 275
APPENDIX 287
THE HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA
CHAPTER I.
GEOGRAPHICAL OUTLINE OF CALIFORNIA.
The territory called California is that part of North America situated
on the Pacific Ocean, and extending from the 42° of north latitude
southwardly to 22° 48', and from 107° longitude, west from Greenwich,
to 124°. It is bounded on the north by Oregon territory, east by
territories belonging to the United States and the Gulf of California,
and on the south and west by Mexico and the Pacific Ocean. California
is naturally divided into two portions; the peninsula, called Lower
California, and the territory extending northward from the peninsula,
on the Pacific Ocean, called Upper California. The line of division
between Upper and Lower California runs nearly along the 32d parallel
of latitude, westward from the head of the Gulf of California.
The peninsula of California is about one hundred and thirty miles in
breadth, where it joins the continent. It extends south-eastwardly,
generally diminishing in breadth, till it terminates in two points.
The point farthest south-west is called Cape San Lucas. The other,
sixty miles east by north of San Lucas, is called Cape Palmo. The
peninsula is about seven hundred miles long.
Upper California extends, upon the Pacific, from the 32d parallel of
latitude, northward to the 42d parallel, a distance of about seven
hundred miles. It is separated from Oregon by a range of highlands,
called the Snowy Mountains, or, by the Spaniards, the Sierra Nevada.
The eastern limit of Upper California is rather uncertain. By some it
is considered as including the region watered by the Colorado River,
while others limit it by the great mountain range that extends along
the western side of the continent.
The Californian peninsula seems to be a prolongation of the great
western chain of mountains. It consists entirely of high, stony
ridges, separated by sandy valleys, and contains very few tracts of
level ground. In a general view, it might be termed an irreclaimable
desert. The scarcity of rain and the small number of springs of water,
with the intense heat of the sun's rays, uninterrupted in their
passage, render the surface of the country almost destitute of
vegetation. Yet in the small oases formed by the passage of a rivulet
through a sandy defile, where irrigation is possible, the ground may
be made to produce all the fruits of tropical climes, of the finest
quality, and in great quantity. The southern portion of the peninsula
contains several gold mines, which have been worked, though not to any
great extent. On the Pacific side, the coast offers many excellent
harbors, but the lack of fresh water near them proves an obstacle in
the way of their occupation. The principal harbors are the Bay of la
Magdalena, separated from the ocean by the long island of Santa
Margarita, the Bay of Sebastian Vizcaino, east of the Isle of Cedaro,
Port San Bartolomé, sometimes called Turtle Bay, and Port San Quintin,
a good harbor, with fresh water in the vicinity, and called by the
Spanish navigators the Port of the Eleven Thousand Virgins.
The great westernmost range of mountains runs northward from the
peninsula, nearly parallel with the Pacific coast, to the 34th
parallel of latitude, below which is Mount San Bernardin, one of the
highest peaks in California, about forty miles from the ocean. Farther
northward, the space between the mountains and the coast becomes
wider, and, in a few places, reaches eighty miles. The intermediate
region is traversed by lines of hills, or smaller mountains joined
with the great range. The most considerable of the inferior ridges
extends from Mount San Bernardin to the south side of the entrance of
the Bay of San Francisco, where it is called the San Bruno Mountains.
Between this range and the coast runs the Santa Barbara range,
terminating at the Cape of Pines, on the south-west side of the Bay of
Monterey. Bordering on the Bay of San Francisco, on the east side, is
the Bolbona ridge. Beyond these are lines of highlands which stretch
from the great chain and terminate in capes on the Pacific.
There are many streams among the valleys of Upper California, some of
which, in the rainy season, swell to a considerable size. But no
river, except the Sacramento, falling into the Bay of San Francisco,
is known to flow through the maritime range of mountains, from the
interior to the Pacific. The valleys thus watered offer abundant
pasturage for cattle.
The principal harbors of Upper California are those offered by the
Bays of San Francisco, Monterey, San Pedro, Santa Barbara, and San
Diego. The Bay of San Francisco is one of the finest harbors in the
world. The combined fleets of all the naval powers of Europe might
there find safe shelter. It is surrounded by ranges of high hills, and
joins the Pacific by a passage two miles wide and three in length. The
other harbors can only be frequented in the fine season, and afford a
very insecure shelter for vessels. San Diego is the farthest south.
The bay at that place runs ten miles eastward into the land, and is
separated from the ocean by a ridge of sand. Proceeding northward,
about seventy miles, the Bay of San Pedro is next met. It is open to
the south-west winds, but sheltered from the north-west. About a
hundred miles north-west of San Pedro, is the harbor of Santa Barbara.
It is an open roadstead sheltered from the north and west winds, but
exposed to the violence of the south-westerly storms, which prevail
during the greater part of the year. A hundred miles farther north is
the Bay of Monterey. It is extensive, and lies in an indentation of
the coast, somewhat semicircular. The southernmost portion is
separated from the ocean by the point of land ending at the Cape of
Pines. In the cove thus formed, stands the town of Monterey, for some
time the capital of California. The harbor affords but a poor shelter
from storms.
The Sacramento and San Joachim are the principal rivers of California,
but the Sacramento alone is navigable to any extent worthy of mention.
There are numerous small streams and lakes in the interior, the
principal outlet of which is the Colorado River. The valleys through
which these streams flow are fertile, and afford good pasture for
cattle; but the remainder of the region between the maritime and the
Colorado ranges of mountains is a barren waste of sand.
CHAPTER II.
DISCOVERY OF CALIFORNIA.
The first exploration of the Pacific coasts of North America was made
by the Spaniards, in the sixteenth century. After Hernando Cortes had
completed the conquest of Mexico, he commenced exploring the adjoining
seas and countries; no doubt, with the hope of discovering lands
richer than those which he had conquered, and which would afford new
fields for the exercise of his daring enterprise and undaunted
perseverance. He employed vessels in surveying the coasts of the
Mexican Gulf, and of the Atlantic more northerly. Vessels were built
upon the Pacific coast for like purposes, two of which as early as
1526, were sent to the East Indies.
The first expedition of the Spaniards, sent along the western coast of
Mexico, was conducted by Pedro Nunez de Maldonado, an officer under
Cortes. He sailed from the mouth of the Zacatula River, in July, 1528,
and was six months engaged in surveying the shores from his
starting-place to the mouth of the Santiago River, a hundred leagues
farther north-west. The territory he visited was then called Xalisco,
and inhabited by fierce tribes of men who had never been conquered by
the Mexicans. Flattering accounts of the fertility of the country and
of the abundance of the precious metals in it were brought back by the
expedition, and these served to excite the attention of the Spaniards.
When the expedition returned Cortes was in Spain, whither he had gone
to have his title and powers more clearly defined. He returned in 1530
with full power to make discoveries and conquests upon the western
coast of Mexico. From the opposition of his enemies, he was prevented
from fitting out an expedition before 1532. The most northern post
upon the Pacific coast, occupied by the Spaniards, was Aguatlan,
beyond which the coast was little known.
The expedition sent by Cortes to the north-western coast of Mexico was
commanded by his kinsman, Diego Hurtado de Mendoza. It sailed from
Tehuantepec in July, 1532, and consisted of two vessels; one commanded
by Diego Hurtado de Mendoza in person, and the other by Juan de
Mazuela. Mendoza proceeded slowly along the shore of the continent as
far as the 27° of latitude, where, his crew being mutinous, he sent
back one of his vessels with the greater part of his men, and
continued the voyage with the remaining vessel. Vague reports were
afterwards received that Mendoza's vessel was thrown ashore somewhere
to the northward, and that all on board had perished. The vessel which
was sent back, was stranded near the mouth of the River Vanderas, and
after the murder of the greater part of the crew, she was plundered by
Nuno de Guzman, Governor of Xalisco. About the middle of the next
year, Cortes received the news of the return of the vessel which
Mendoza had sent back, and he immediately despatched two ships under
the command of Hernando Grijalva and Diego Becerra, in search of the
other. These ships sailed on the 30th of September, 1533, but were
soon separated. Grijalva discovered the islands of St. Thomas, as he
called them--a group of islands about fifty leagues from the coast. He
remained there till the following spring, and then returned home.
Becerra proceeded north-westward; but his crew mutinied, and he was
murdered by Fortuno Ximenes. The mutineers, under Ximenes, then
steered directly west from the main land, and soon reached a coast not
known to them before. They landed, and soon after Ximenes and nineteen
men were killed by the natives. The rest of the men carried the vessel
over to Xalisco, where she was seized by Nuno de Guzman.
Soon after these unlucky expeditions, Nuno de Guzman sent out several
exploring parties in a northerly direction, one of which traced the
western shore as far as the mouth of the Colorado, and brought back
accounts of a rich and populous country and splendid cities in the
interior. When Cortes became acquainted with the seizure of his
vessels, a dispute arose between him and Nuno de Guzman, which almost
led to a battle between their forces. But no action occurred, and
Cortes, having heard of the newly discovered country, which was said
to abound in the finest pearls, embarked at Chiametla, with a portion
of his men, and set sail for the new land of promise. On the 3d of
May, 1535, the day of the Invention of the Holy Cross, according to
the Roman Catholic Calendar, Cortes arrived in the bay where Ximenes
and his fellow-mutineers had met their fate in the previous year. In
honor of the day, the place was called Santa Cruz, and possession of
it was taken in the name of the Spanish sovereign.
The country claimed by Cortes for Spain, was the south-east portion of
the peninsula, which was afterwards called California. The bay, called
by Cortes, Santa Cruz, was, perhaps, the same now known as Port La
Paz, about a hundred miles from the Pacific, near the 24th parallel of
latitude. Cortes landed on the shore of this bay, rocky and forbidding
as it appeared, with a hundred and thirty men, and forty horses. He
then sent back two of his ships to Chiametla, to bring over the rest
of his troops. The vessels soon returned with a portion of the troops,
and being again despatched to the Mexican coast, only one of them
returned. The other was wrecked on her way. Cortes then took seventy
men and embarked for Xalisco, from which he returned just in time to
save his troops from death by famine. A year was spent in these
operations, and the troops began to grow discontented. A few pearls
had been found on the coast, but the country was found to be barren,
and without attractions for Spaniards.
In the mean time, the wife of Cortes hearing reports of his ill
success, sent a vessel to Santa Cruz, and entreated him to return. He
then learned that he had been superseded in the government of New
Spain by Don Antonio de Mendoza, who had already entered the capital
as viceroy. Cortes returned to Mexico, and soon after, recalled the
vessels and troops from Santa Cruz.
The viceroy, Mendoza, had received some information concerning the
country north-west of Mexico, from de Cabeza-Vaca and two other
Spaniards, who had wandered nine years, through forests and deserts,
from Tampa Bay, Florida, until they reached Culiacan. They had
received from the natives, accounts of rich and populous countries
situated to the north-west. Mendoza, wishing to ascertain the truth of
the reports, sent two friars, according to the advice of Las Casas, to
make an exploration. They were accompanied by a Moor who had crossed
the continent with Cabeza-Vaca and his friends, and they set out from
Culiacan on the 7th of March, 1539.
Soon after the departure of the friars, Cortes sent out his last
expedition. It was commanded by Francisco de Ulloa, and consisted of
three vessels, well equipped. Sailing from Acapulco, on the 8th of
July 1539, Ulloa reached the Bay of Santa Cruz, after losing one of
his vessels in a storm. From Santa Cruz he started to survey the coast
towards the north-west. He completely examined both shores of the Gulf
of California, and discovered the fact of the connection of the
peninsula with the main land, near the 32° of latitude. This gulf
Ulloa named the Sea of Cortes. On the 18th of October, he returned to
Santa Cruz, and on the 29th again sailed with the object of exploring
the coasts farther west. He rounded the point now called Cape San
Lucas, the southern extremity of California, and sailed along the
coast towards the north. The Spaniards proceeded slowly, as they were
opposed by north-western storms, and often landed and fought with the
natives. In January, 1540, Ulloa reached the island under the 28th
parallel of latitude, near the coast, which they named the Isle of
Cedars. There he remained till April, when one of the ships, bearing
the sick and accounts of the discoveries, was sent back to Mexico. The
returning vessel was seized at Santiago by the officers of the
viceroy. The fate of the remaining vessel is uncertain. Some of the
writers of that day asserting that he continued his voyage as far
north as the 30° of latitude, and returned safely to Mexico; while one
asserts that nothing more was heard of him after the return of the
vessel he sent back.
In the mean time, the two friars and the Moor penetrated a
considerable distance into the interior of the continent, and sent
home glowing accounts of rich and delightful countries which they said
they had discovered. The inhabitants had, at first, been hostile, and
had killed the Moor; but in the end submitted to the authority of the
King of Spain. Mendoza, believing the accounts of the friars to be
strictly true, prepared an expedition for the conquest of the
countries they described. Disputes with the different Spanish
chieftains occupied some months, at the end of which Cortes returned
to Spain, in disgust. Mendoza despatched two bodies of troops, one by
land, the other by sea, to reconnoitre the newly discovered land, and
clear the way for conquest. The marine expedition was undertaken by
two ships, under the command of Fernando de Alarcon, who sailed from
Santiago on the 9th of May, 1540, and proceeding north-west along the
coast, he reached the head of the California Gulf, in August of the
same year. There he discovered the river now called the Colorado. The
stream was ascended to the distance of eighty leagues, by Alarcon and
some of his men, in boats; but all their inquiries were
unsatisfactorily answered, and it was determined to return to Mexico.
The vessels returned safely before the end of the year.
The land forces sent, at the same time, to the north-west, were
composed of infantry and cavalry, and commanded by Francisco Vasquez
de Coronado, who had been appointed governor of New Gallicia, in place
of Nuno de Guzman. The party left Culiacan on the 22d of April, 1540,
and took their way north, following the course described by the
friars. They found the route which had been represented as easy,
almost impassable. They made their way over mountains, and deserts,
and rivers, and, in July, they reached the country called Cibola by
the natives, but found it a half cultivated region, thinly inhabited
by a people destitute of the wealth and civilization they had been
represented as possessing. What had been represented as seven great
cities, were seven small towns, rudely built. A few turquoises and
some gold and silver supposed to be good, constituted the amount of
what had been termed immense quantities of jewels, gold and silver.
The Spaniards took possession of the country and wanted to remain and
settle there. But Vasquez refused to acquiesce; and after naming one
of the towns he visited, Granada, he started for the north-west, in
search of other countries. The region called Cibola by the
inhabitants, which Vasquez visited, is the territory now called
Sonora, and is situated about the head waters of the Rivers Yaqui and
Gila, east of the upper portion of the Gulf of California. The
movements of the Spaniards after leaving Cibola, in August, 1540, have
been the subject of very vague and contradictory accounts. All that is
certain is, that the greater part of the force soon returned to
Mexico, and that Vasquez, with the remainder, wandered through the
interior for nearly two years longer, when, being disappointed in his
expectations, he returned to Mexico in 1542.
In the spring of 1542, two vessels were placed under the command of
Juan Roderiguez Cabrillo, a Portuguese navigator of great reputation.
The two vessels sailed from Navidad, a small port in Xalisco, in June,
1542. They rounded Cape San Lucas, and proceeded north-west, along the
coast, as far as the 38th degree of latitude, when he was driven back,
and took refuge in a harbor of one of the San Barbara islands. There
Cabrillo died and the command devolved on Bartolome Ferrelo. Ferrelo
was a zealous and determined man, and he resolved to proceed with the
expedition. He sailed towards the north, and on the 26th of February,
reached a promontory near the 41st parallel of latitude, which he
named Stormy Cape. On the 1st of March, the ships reached the 44th
parallel, but they were again driven south; and the men being almost
worn out, Ferrelo resolved to go back to Mexico. He arrived at Navidad
on the 14th of April, 1543. The promontory called Stormy Cape by
Ferrelo, was the most northern portion of California visited by that
navigator, and it is probably the same which is now called Cape
Mendocino.
From all accounts that they had been able to collect, the Spaniards
concluded that neither rich and populous countries existed beneath the
40th parallel of latitude, nor was there any navigable passage between
the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans to be found in the same region. They,
therefore, ceased to explore the north-western territory for some time
after the return of Ferrelo in 1543.
Having thus given a somewhat detailed account of the discovery and
explorations of the territory now called California, it will be
sufficient to merely mention the various expeditions that visited it
prior to the first regular settlement. In the spring of 1579,
California was visited by Sir Francis Drake, the English navigator,
who landed on the shores of a bay supposed to be that of San
Francisco. He formally took possession of the country in the name of
Queen Elizabeth, and called it New Albion. He left California on the
22d of July, 1579. In the spring of 1596, Sebastian Viscaino, under
orders from the viceroy of Mexico, attempted to plant colonies on the
peninsula of California, but the country was soon abandoned on account
of the barrenness of the soil and the ferocity of the natives.
Viscaino visited the coast of Upper California in 1602, and discovered
and named some of the places Cabrillo had discovered and named long
before. The Port San Miguel of Cabrillo was named Port San Diego; Cape
Galera was named Cape Conception, the name now borne by it; the Port
of Pines was named Port Monterey. This was the last expedition made by
the Spaniards along the coast of California for more than a hundred
and sixty years.
Various attempts were made to establish colonies, garrisons, and
fishing or trading ports, on the eastern side of the peninsula of
California, during the seventeenth century, but all failed, either
from the want of funds, the sterility of the country, or the hostility
of the natives. The pearl fishery in the gulf was the principal bait
that attracted the Spaniards, and they succeeded in obtaining a
considerable quantity, some of which were very valuable.
CHAPTER III.
FROM THE FIRST SETTLEMENT TO THE REVOLUTION IN MEXICO.
The first establishment of the Spaniards in California, was made by
the Jesuits, in November, 1697. The settlement was called Loreto, and
founded on the eastern side of the peninsula, about two hundred miles
from the Pacific. On entering California, the Jesuits encountered the
same obstacles which had before prevented a settlement of the country.
The land was so sterile, that it scarcely yielded sustenance to the
most industrious tiller, and as the settlements were all located near
the sea, fishing was the resource of the settlers to make up the
deficiency of food. The natives continued hostile, and killed several
of the Jesuit fathers. By perseverance and kindness, the Jesuits
overcame all the obstacles with which they met, and within sixty years
after their entrance into California, they had established sixteen
missions, extending along the eastern side of the peninsula, from Cape
San Lucas to the head of the gulf. Each of these establishments
consisted of a church, a fort, garrisoned by a few soldiers, and some
stores and dwelling-houses, all under the control of the resident
Jesuit father. Each of the missions formed the centre of a district
containing several villages of converted Indians. None of the Jesuits
visited the western coast of the peninsula except on one occasion, in
1716.
Great exertions were made by the settlers to acquire a knowledge of
the geography, natural history and languages of the peninsula, and
they appear to have been generally successful. The result of their
researches were published in Madrid, in 1757, and the work was
entitled a "History of California." They surveyed the whole coast of
the Gulf of California, and, in 1709, Father Kuhn, one of the Jesuit
fathers, ascertained beyond doubt the connection of the peninsula with
the continent, which had been denied for a century. But all the labors
of the Jesuits were brought to an end in 1767. In that year, Charles
III. of Spain, issued a decree, banishing members of that order from
the Spanish territories; and a strong military force, under command of
Don Gasper de Portola, was despatched to California, and soon put an
end to the rule of the Jesuits by tearing them from their converts.
The Spanish government did not intend to abandon California. The
peninsula immediately became a province of Mexico, and was provided
with a civil and military government, subordinate to the viceroy of
that country. The mission fell under the rule of the Dominicans, and
from their mode of treatment, most of the converts soon returned to
their former state of barbarism. The Spaniards soon formed
establishments on the western side of the peninsula. In the spring of
1769, a number of settlers, with some soldiers and Franciscan friars,
marched through the peninsula towards San Diego. They reached the bay
of San Diego after a toilsome journey, and the settlement on the shore
of the bay was begun in the middle of May, 1769. An attempt was made,
soon after, to establish a colony at Port Monterey; but the party
under Portola that went in search of the place, passed further on to
the bay of San Francisco, and could not retrace their steps before the
cold weather set in, and they then returned to San Diego. The people
left at San Diego had been several times attacked by the natives, and
after the return of Portola's party they almost perished for want of
food. But a supply arrived on the very day upon which they had agreed
to abandon the place and return to Mexico. Portola again set out for
Monterey, and there effected a settlement. Parties of emigrants from
Mexico came to the western shore of California during the year 1770,
and establishments were made on the coast between San Diego and
Monterey. The multiplication of their cattle, independent of the
fruits of agricultural labor, before 1775, made the settlers of Upper
California able to resist the perils to which their situation exposed
them.
In order to give efficiency to the operations on the western coast of
North America, the Spanish government selected the port of San Blas,
in Mexico, at the entrance of the Gulf of California, for the
establishment of arsenals, ship-yards and warehouses, and made it the
centre of all operations undertaken in that quarter. A marine
department was created for the special purpose of advancing the
interests of the Spaniards in the settlement of the western shore of
California. By the energy displayed in managing this department the
Spaniards succeeded in making eight establishments on the Pacific
coast between the California peninsula and Cape Mendocino, before
1779. The most southern post was San Diego, and the most northern, San
Francisco, on the great bay of the same name. The establishments were
almost entirely military and missionary, the object of the Spaniards
being solely the occupation of the country. The missions were under
the control of the Franciscans, who, unlike the Jesuits, took little
care to exert themselves in procuring information concerning the
country in which they were established.
Various expeditions for exploring the coast of Upper California above
Cape Mendocino, were made by the Spaniards. One of these proceeded as
far north as the latitude of 41 degrees, and some men were landed on
the shores of a small bay, just beyond Cape Mendocino, and gave the
harbor the name of Port Trinidad. The small river which flows into the
Pacific near the place where they landed was called Pigeon River, from
the great number of those birds in the neighborhood of it. The Indians
appeared to be a peaceable and industrious race, and conducted
themselves towards the Spaniards in the most inoffensive manner. In
the same year, 1775, Bodega, a Spanish commander, returning from a
voyage extended as far north as the 58th degree of latitude,
discovered a small bay which had not previously been described, and he
accordingly gave it his own name, which it still retains. This Bay of
Bodega is situated a little north of the 38th degree of latitude.
Few events worth recording occurred in California, during the whole
period of fifty years, from the first establishment of the Spaniards
on the western coast till the termination of the Mexican war of
independence. An attempt of the Russians to form a settlement on the
shores of the Bay of Bodega, in 1815, was met with a remonstrance from
the governor of California. The remonstrance of the governor was
disregarded, and his commands to quit the place disobeyed. The Russian
agent, Kushof, denied the right of the Spaniards to the territory, and
the governor being unable to enforce his commands, the intruders kept
possession of the ground until 1840, when they left of their own
accord.
CHAPTER IV.
FROM THE REVOLUTION TILL THE WAR BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES
AND MEXICO.
Before the commencement of the struggle for independence in Mexico,
the missions in California were, to some extent, fostered by the
Spanish government, and supplies were sent to them regularly. But when
the war began, the remittances were reduced, and the establishments
soon began to decay. After the overthrow of the Spanish rule, in 1822,
the territory of California was divided into two portions. The
peninsula was then called Lower California, and the whole of the
continental territory called Upper California. When the Mexicans
adopted a constitution, in 1824, each of these territories became
entitled to send one representative to the National Congress. At the
same time, the adult Indians who could be considered civilized, were
declared citizens of the republic, and had lands given to them. This,
of course, freed them from submission to the missionaries, who, thus
deprived of their authority, either returned to Spain or Mexico, or
took refuge in other lands. The Indians being free from restraint,
soon sank to a low depth of barbarism and vice.
Immediately after the overthrow of the Spanish authorities, the ports
of California began to be the resort of foreigners, principally
whalers and traders from the United States. The trade in which they
engaged, that of exchanging manufactured goods for the provisions,
hide and tallow furnished by the natives, was at first irregular, but
as it increased, it became more systematic, and mercantile houses were
established in the principal ports. The Mexican government became
dissatisfied with this state of things, and ordered the governor of
Upper California to enforce the laws which prohibited foreigners from
entering or residing in the territories of Mexico without a special
permission from the authorities. Accordingly, in 1828, a number of
American citizens were seized at San Diego, and kept in confinement
until 1830. In that year, an insurrection broke out, headed by General
Solis, and the captured Americans were of some assistance in
suppressing it, and, in consideration of their services, they were
permitted to leave the territory.
The Mexican government strove to prevent the evils expected to flow
from the presence of numbers of foreigners in California, by
establishing colonies of their own citizens in the territory. A number
of persons were sent out from Mexico, to settle on the lands of the
missions, but they never reached their destination. The administration
which originated the scheme was overthrown, and the new authorities
ordered the settlers to be driven back to Mexico. In 1836, the federal
system was abolished by the Mexican government, and a new constitution
adopted, which destroyed all state rights, and established a central
power. This was strenuously resisted in California. The people rose,
and drove the Mexican officers from the country, declaring that they
would remain independent until the federal constitution was restored.
The general government issued strong proclamations against the
Californians, and sent an expedition to re-establish its authority.
But General Urrea, by whom the expedition was commanded, declared in
favor of the federalists, and the inhabitants governed themselves
until July, 1837, when they swore allegiance to the new constitution.
Things went on quietly in California until 1842. In that year,
Commodore Jones, while cruising in the Pacific, received information
which led him to believe that Mexico had declared war against the
United States. He determined to strike a blow at the supposed enemy,
and, accordingly, he appeared before Monterey, on the 19th of October,
1842, with the frigate United States and the sloop-of-war Cyane. He
demanded the surrender of all the castles, posts, and military places,
on penalty, if refused, of the visitation of the horrors of war. The
people were astonished. A council decided that no defence could be
made, and every thing was surrendered at once to the unexpected
Americans. The flag of the United States was hoisted, and the
commodore issued a proclamation to the Californians, inviting them to
submit to the government of the United States, which would protect
them in the exercise of their rights. The proclamation was scarcely
issued, before the commodore became aware of the peaceable relations
existing between the United States and Mexico, and he accordingly
restored the possession of Monterey to the authorities, and retired
with his forces to his ships, just twenty-four hours after the
surrender. This affair irritated the inhabitants considerably, and,
no doubt, tended to increase the ill-feeling before existing between
Mexico and the people of the United States.
CHAPTER V.
FROM THE COMMENCEMENT OF THE WAR TILL ITS CLOSE.
War was declared by Mexico against the United States, in May, 1846.
The same month, orders were transmitted to Commodore Sloat, commanding
the Pacific squadron, instructing him to protect the interests of the
citizens of the United States near his station, and to employ his
forces to the best advantage in operations directed against the
Mexican territory on the Pacific. The fleet under Commodore Sloat was
the largest the Americans ever sent to that quarter, and the men were
anxious to commence active operations. Soon after receiving his first
orders, the commodore was again instructed to take and keep possession
of Upper California; or, at least, of the principal ports.
On the 8th of June, Commodore Sloat left Mazatlan, in the flag-ship
Savannah, and on the 2d of July, reached Monterey, in Upper
California. There he found the Cyane and Levant, and learned that the
Portsmouth was at San Francisco, as previously arranged. On the
morning of the 7th, Captain Mervine was sent to demand the surrender
of Monterey. The Mexican commandant replied that he was not authorized
to surrender the place, but referred Commodore Sloat to the
commanding-general of California. A force of two hundred and fifty
marines and seamen was immediately landed, under Captain Mervine, and
they marched to the custom-house. There they hoisted the American flag
amid cheers and a salute of twenty-one guns. The proclamation of
Commodore Sloat was then read and posted about the town.
After taking possession of Monterey, Commodore Sloat despatched a
courier to the commanding-general of California, summoning him to
surrender every thing under his control in the country, and assuring
him of protection if he should comply. The general refused, and said
he would defend the country as long as he could reckon on a single
person to join his cause. A summons to surrender was also sent to the
governor of Santa Barbara, but no answer was returned. Orders were
despatched to Commander Montgomery, in the Portsmouth, at San
Francisco, directing him to take possession of the Bay of San
Francisco, and hoist the flag of the United States at Yerba Buena.
On the 9th of July, the day after the receipt of his orders,
Montgomery landed at Yerba Buena with seventy seamen and marines, and
hoisted the American flag in the public square, amid the cheers of the
people. A proclamation was then posted to the flag staff, and
Montgomery addressed the people. The greater part of the seamen and
marines then returned to the ship, leaving Lieutenant H. B. Watson
with a small guard, formally installed as military occupant of the
post. Thirty-two of the male residents of Yerba Buena were enrolled as
a volunteer corps, choosing their own officers. Lieutenant Missroon
was despatched with a small party of these volunteers to reconnoitre
the Presidio and fort. He returned the same day, and reported that
the Presidio had been abandoned, and that the fort, seven miles from
the town, was dilapidated and mounted only a few old pieces of cannon.
The flag of the United States had been displayed from its ramparts. On
the 11th, Montgomery informed Commodore Sloat that the flag of the
United States was then flying at Yerba Buena, Sutter's Fort, on the
Sacramento, Bodega, on the coast, and Sonoma. The inhabitants of these
places appeared to be satisfied with the protection afforded them by
the Americans.
On the 13th of July, Commodore Sloat sent a flag to the foreigners of
the pueblo of San Jose, about seventy miles from Monterey, in the
interior, and appointed a justice of the peace in place of the
alcaldes. On the 15th, Commodore Stockton arrived at Monterey, in the
frigate Congress; and Commodore Sloat being in bad health, the command
devolved upon Stockton, and Sloat returned home. The operations of
Commodore Stockton, from the 23d of July to the 28th of August, 1846,
have been rapidly sketched by himself in his despatches to the
secretary of the navy. From these we condense a short account.
On the 23d of July, the commodore organized the "California Battalion
of Mounted Riflemen." Captain Fremont was appointed major, and
Lieutenant Gillespie captain of the battalion. The next day, they were
embarked on board the sloop-of-war Cyane, Commander Dupont, and sailed
from Monterey for San Diego, in order to land south of the Mexican
force, consisting of 500 men, under General Castro, well fortified at
a place three miles from the city. A few days afterwards, Commodore
Stockton sailed in the Congress for San Pedro, thirty miles from
Monterey, and having landed, marched for the Mexican camp. When he
arrived within twelve miles of the Mexicans, they fled in small
parties, in different directions. Most of the principal officers were
afterwards taken, but the mounted riflemen not getting up in time,
most of the men escaped. On the 13th of August, Commodore Stockton
being joined by eighty riflemen, under Major Fremont, entered the
capital of California, Ciudad de los Angeles, or the "City of the
Angels." Thus, in less than a month after Stockton's assuming command,
the American flag was flying from every commanding position in
California, conquered by three hundred and sixty men, mostly sailors.
The form of government established in California, after the conquest,
was as follows: The executive power was vested in a governor, holding
office for four years unless sooner removed by the President of the
United States. The governor was to reside in the territory, be
commander-in-chief of the army thereof, perform all the duties of a
superintendent of Indian affairs, have a pardoning and reprieving
power, commission all persons appointed to office under the laws of
said territory, and approve all laws passed by the legislature before
they took effect. There was the office of the Secretary of the
Territory established, whose principal duty was to preserve all the
laws and proceedings of the legislative council, and all the acts and
proceedings of the governor. The legislative power was vested in the
governor and a council of seven persons, who were to be appointed by
the governor at first, and hold their office for two years; afterwards
they were to be elected by the people. All the laws of Mexico, and the
municipal officers existing in the territory before the conquest,
were continued until altered by the governor and council.
On the 15th of August, 1846, Commodore Stockton adopted a tariff of
duties on all goods imported from foreign parts, of fifteen per cent.
ad valorem, and a tonnage duty of fifty cents per ton on all foreign
vessels. On the 15th of September, when the elections were held,
Walter Colton, the chaplain of the frigate Congress, was elected
Alcalde of Monterey. In the mean time, a newspaper called the
"Californian," had been established by Messrs. Colton and Semple. This
was the first newspaper issued in California.
Early in September, Commodore Stockton withdrew his forces from Los
Angeles, and proceeded with his squadron to San Francisco. Scarcely
had he arrived when he received intelligence that all the country
below Monterey was in arms and the Mexican flag again hoisted. The
Californians invested the "City of the Angels," on the 23d of
September. That place was guarded by thirty riflemen under Captain
Gillespie, and the Californians investing it numbered 300. Finding
himself overpowered, Captain Gillespie capitulated on the 30th, and
thence retired with all the foreigners aboard of a sloop-of-war, and
sailed for Monterey. Lieutenant Talbot, who commanded only nine men at
Santa Barbara, refused to surrender, and marched out with his men,
arms in hand. The frigate Savannah was sent to relieve Los Angeles,
but she did not arrive till after the above events had occurred. Her
crew, numbering 320 men, landed at San Pedro and marched to meet the
Californians. About half way between San Pedro and Los Angeles, about
fifteen miles from their ship, the sailors found the enemy drawn up on
a plain. The Californians were mounted on fine horses, and with
artillery, had every advantage. The sailors were forced to retreat
with a loss of five killed and six wounded.
Commodore Stockton came down in the Congress to San Pedro, and then
marched for the "City of the Angels," the men dragging six of the
ship's guns. At the Rancho Sepulvida, a large force of the
Californians was posted. Commodore Stockton sent one hundred men
forward to receive the fire of the enemy and then fall back upon the
main body without returning it. The main body was formed in a
triangle, with the guns hid by the men. By the retreat of the advance
party, the enemy were decoyed close to the main force, when the wings
were extended and a deadly fire opened upon the astonished
Californians. More than a hundred were killed, the same number
wounded, and their whole force routed. About a hundred prisoners were
taken, many of whom were at the time on parole and had signed an
obligation not to take up arms during the war.
Commodore Stockton soon mounted his men and prepared for operations on
shore. Skirmishes followed, and were continually occurring until
January, 1847, when a decisive action occurred. General Kearny had
arrived in California, after a long and painful march overland, and
his co-operation was of great service to Stockton. The Americans left
San Diego on the 29th of December, to march to Los Angeles. The
Californians determined to meet them on their route, and decide the
fate of the country in a general battle. The American force amounted
to six hundred men, and was composed of detachments from the ships
Congress, Savannah, Portsmouth and Cyane, aided by General Kearny,
with sixty men on foot, from the first regiment of United States
dragoons, and Captain Gillespie with sixty mounted riflemen. The
troops marched one hundred and ten miles in ten days, and, on the 8th
of January, they found the Californians in a strong position on the
high bank of the San Gabriel river, with six hundred mounted men and
four pieces of artillery, prepared to dispute the passage of the
river. The Americans waded through the water, dragging their guns with
them, exposed to a galling fire from the enemy, without returning a
shot. When they reached the opposite shore, the Californians charged
upon them, but were driven back. They then charged up the bank and
succeeded in driving the Californians from their post. Stockton, with
his force, continued his march, and the next day, in crossing the
plains of Mesa, the enemy made another attempt to save their capital.
They were concealed with their artillery in a ravine, until the
Americans came within gun-shot, when they opened a brisk fire upon
their right flank, and at the same time charged both their front and
rear. But the guns of the Californians were soon silenced, and the
charge repelled. The Californians then fled, and the next morning the
Americans entered Los Angeles without opposition. The loss of the
Americans in killed and wounded did not exceed twenty, while that of
their opponents reached between seventy and eighty.
These two battles decided the contest in California. General Flores,
governor and commandant-general of the Californians, as he styled
himself, immediately after the Americans entered Los Angeles, made his
escape and his troops dispersed. The territory became again tranquil,
and the civil government was soon in operation again in the places
where it had been interrupted by the revolt. Commodore Stockton and
General Kearny having a misunderstanding about their respective
powers, Colonel Fremont exercised the duties of governor and
commander-in-chief of California, declining to obey the orders of
General Kearny.
The account of the adventures and skirmishes with which the small
force of United States troops under General Kearny met, while on their
march to San Diego, in Upper California, is one of the most
interesting to which the contest gave birth. The party, which
consisted of one hundred men when it started from Santa Fé, reached
Warner's rancho, the frontier settlement in California, on the Sonoma
route, on the 2d of December, 1846. They continued their march, and on
the 5th were met by a small party of volunteers, under Captain
Gillespie, sent out by Commodore Stockton to meet them, and inform
them of the revolt of the Californians. The party encamped for the
night at Stokes's rancho, about forty miles from San Diego.
Information was received that an armed party of Californians was at
San Pasqual, three leagues from Stokes's rancho. A party of dragoons
was sent out to reconnoitre, and they returned by two o'clock on the
morning of the 6th. Their information determined General Kearny to
attack the Californians before daylight, and arrangements were
accordingly made. Captain Johnson was given the command of an advance
party of twelve dragoons, mounted upon the best horses in possession
of the party. Then followed fifty dragoons, under Captain Moore,
mounted mostly on the tired mules they had ridden from Santa Fé--a
distance of 1050 miles. Next came about twenty volunteers, under
Captain Gibson. Then followed two mountain howitzers, with dragoons to
manage them, under charge of Lieutenant Davidson. The remainder of the
dragoons and volunteers were placed under command of Major Swords,
with orders to follow on the trail with the baggage.
As the day of December 6th dawned, the enemy at San Pasqual were seen
to be already in the saddle, and Captain Johnson, with his advance
guard, made a furious charge upon them; he being supported by the
dragoons, the Californians at length gave way. They had kept up a
continual fire from the first appearance of the dragoons, and had done
considerable execution. Captain Johnson was shot dead in his first
charge. The enemy were pursued by Captain Moore and his dragoons, and
they retreated about half a mile, when seeing an interval between the
small advance party of Captain Moore and the main force coming to his
support, they rallied their whole force, and charged with their
lances. For five minutes they held the ground, doing considerable
execution, until the arrival of the rest of the American party, when
they broke and fled. The troops of Kearny lost two captains, a
lieutenant, two sergeants, two corporals, and twelve privates. Among
the wounded were General Kearny, Lieutenant Warner, Captains Gillespie
and Gibson, one sergeant, one bugleman, and nine privates. The
Californians carried off all their wounded and dead except six.
On the 7th the march was resumed, and, near San Bernardo, Kearny's
advance encountered and defeated a small party of the Californians who
had taken post on a hill. At San Bernardo, the troops remained till
the morning of the 11th, when they were joined by a party of sailors
and marines, under Lieutenant Gray. They then proceeded upon their
march, and on the 12th, arrived at San Diego; having thus completed a
march of eleven hundred miles through an enemy's country, with but one
hundred men. The force of General Kearny having joined that of
Commodore Stockton, the expedition against Los Angeles, of which we
have given an account in this chapter, was successfully consummated,
and tranquillity restored in California. General Kearny and Commodore
Stockton returned to the United States in January, 1847, leaving
Colonel Fremont to exercise the office of governor and military
commandant of California. No further events of an importance worth
recording occurred till the treaty of peace between the United States
and Mexico.
CHAPTER VI.
DISCOVERY OF THE GOLD PLACERS.
By the treaty concluded between the United States and Mexico, in 1847,
the territory of Upper California became the property of the United
States. Little thought the Mexican government of the value of the land
they were ceding, further than its commercial importance; and,
doubtless, little thought the buyers of the territory, that its soil
was pregnant with a wealth untold, and that its rivers flowed over
golden beds.
This territory, now belonging to the American Union, embraces an area
of 448,961 square miles. It extends along the Pacific coast, from
about the thirty-second parallel of north latitude, a distance of near
seven hundred miles, to the forty-second parallel, the southern
boundary of Oregon. On the east, it is bounded by New Mexico. During
the long period which transpired between its discovery and its cession
to the United States, this vast tract of country was frequently
visited by men of science, from all parts of the world. Repeated
examinations were made by learned and enterprising officers and
civilians; but none of them discovered the important fact, that the
mountain torrents of the Sierra Nevada were constantly pouring down
their golden sands into the valleys of the Sacramento and San Joaquin.
The glittering particles twinkled beneath their feet, in the ravines
which they explored, or glistened in the watercourses which they
forded, yet they passed them by unheeded. Not a legend or tradition
was heard among the white settlers, or the aborigines, that attracted
their curiosity. A nation's ransom lay within their grasp, but,
strange to say, it escaped their notice--it flashed and sparkled all
in vain.[1]
The Russian American Company had a large establishment at Ross and
Bodega, ninety miles north of San Francisco, founded in the year 1812;
and factories were also established in the territory by the Hudson Bay
Company. Their agents and _employes_ ransacked the whole country west
of the Sierra Nevada, or Snowy Mountain, in search of game. In 1838,
Captain Sutter, formerly an officer in the Swiss Guards of Charles
X., King of France, emigrated from the state of Missouri to Upper
California, and obtained from the Mexican government a conditional
grant of thirty leagues square of land, bounded on the west by the
Sacramento river. Having purchased the stock, arms, and ammunition of
the Russian establishment, he erected a dwelling and fortification on
the left bank of the Sacramento, about fifty miles from its mouth, and
near what was termed, in allusion to the new settlers, the American
Fork. This formed the nucleus of a thriving settlement, to which
Captain Sutter gave the name of New Helvetia. It is situated at the
head of navigation for vessels on the Sacramento, in latitude 38° 33'
45" north, and longitude 121° 20' 05" west. During a residence of ten
years in the immediate vicinity of the recently discovered _placéras_,
or gold regions, Captain Sutter was neither the wiser nor the richer
for the brilliant treasures that lay scattered around him.[2]
In the year 1841, careful examinations of the Bay of San Francisco,
and of the Sacramento River and its tributaries, were made by
Lieutenant Wilkes, the commander of the Exploring Expedition; and a
party under Lieutenant Emmons, of the navy, proceeded up the valley of
the Willamette, crossed the intervening highlands, and descended the
Sacramento. In 1843-4, similar examinations were made by Captain,
afterwards Lieutenant-Colonel Fremont, of the Topographical Engineers,
and in 1846, by Major Emory, of the same corps. None of these officers
made any discoveries of minerals, although they were led to
conjecture, as private individuals who had visited the country had
done, from its volcanic formation and peculiar geological features,
that they might be found to exist in considerable quantities.[3]
As is often the case, chance at length accomplished what science had
failed to do. In the winter of 1847-8, a Mr. Marshall commenced the
construction of a saw-mill for Captain Sutter, on the north branch of
the American Fork, and about fifty miles above New Helvetia, in a
region abounding with pine timber. The dam and race were completed,
but on attempting to put the mill in motion, it was ascertained that
the tail-race was too narrow to permit the water to escape with
perfect freedom. A strong current was then passed in, to wash it wider
and deeper, by which a large bed of mud and gravel was thrown up at
the foot of the race. Some days after this occurrence, Mr. Marshall
observed a number of brilliant particles on this deposit of mud, which
attracted his attention. On examining them, he became satisfied that
they were gold, and communicated the fact to Captain Sutter. It was
agreed between them, that the circumstance should not be made public
for the present; but, like the secret of Midas, it could not be
concealed. The Mormon emigrants, of whom Mr. Marshall was one, were
soon made acquainted with the discovery, and in a few weeks all
California was agitated with the startling information.
Business of every kind was neglected, and the ripened grain was left
in the fields unharvested. Nearly the whole population of Upper
California became infected with the mania, and flocked to the mines.
Whalers and merchant vessels entering the ports were abandoned by
their crews, and the American soldiers and sailors deserted in scores.
Upon the disbandment of Colonel Stevenson's regiment, most of the men
made their way to the mineral regions. Within three months after the
discovery, it was computed that there were near four thousand persons,
including Indians, who were mostly employed by the whites, engaged in
washing for gold. Various modes were adopted to separate the metal
from the sand and gravel--some making use of tin pans, others of
close-woven Indian baskets, and others still, of a rude machine called
the cradle, six or eight feet long, and mounted on rockers, with a
coarse grate, or sieve, at one end, but open at the other. The
washings were mainly confined to the low wet grounds, and the margins
of the streams--the earth being rarely disturbed more than eighteen
inches below the surface. The value of the gold dust obtained by each
man, per day, is said to have ranged from ten to fifty dollars, and
sometimes even to have far exceeded that. The natural consequence of
this state of things was, that the price of labor, and, indeed, of
every thing, rose immediately from ten to twenty fold.[4]
As may readily be conjectured, every stream and ravine in the valley
of the Sacramento was soon explored. Gold was found on every one of
its tributaries; but the richest earth was discovered near the _Rio
de los Plumas_, or Feather River,[5] and its branches, the Yuba and
Bear rivers, and on Weber's creek, a tributary of the American Fork.
Explorations were also made in the valley of the San Joaquin, which
resulted in the discovery of gold on the Cosumnes and other streams,
and in the ravines of the Coast Range, west of the valley, as far down
as Ciudad de los Angeles.
In addition to the gold mines, other important discoveries were made
in Upper California. A rich vein of quicksilver was opened at New
Almaden, near Santa Clara, which, with imperfect machinery,--the heat
by which the metal is made to exude from the rock being applied by a
very rude process,--yielded over thirty per cent. This mine--one of
the principal advantages to be derived from which will be, that the
working of the silver mines scattered through the territory must now
become profitable--is superior to those of Almaden, in Old Spain, and
second only to those of Idria, near Trieste, the richest in the world.
Lead mines were likewise discovered in the neighborhood of Sonoma, and
vast beds of iron ore near the American Fork, yielding from
eighty-five to ninety per cent. Copper, platina, tin, sulphur, zinc,
and cobalt, were discovered every where; coal was found to exist in
large quantities in the Cascade range of Oregon, of which the Sierra
Nevada is a continuation; and in the vicinity of all this mineral
wealth, there are immense quarries of marble and granite, for
building purposes.
Colonel Mason had succeeded Colonel Fremont in the post of governor of
California and military commandant. A regiment of New York troops,
under the command of Colonel Stevenson, had been ordered to California
before the conclusion of the treaty of peace, and formed the principal
part of the military force in the territory.
Colonel Mason expressed the opinion, in his official despatch, that
"there is more gold in the country drained by the Sacramento and San
Joaquin rivers, than will pay the cost of the [late] war with Mexico a
hundred times over." Should this even prove to be an exaggeration,
there can be little reason to doubt, when we take into consideration
all the mineral resources of the country, that the territory of
California is by far the richest acquisition made by this government
since its organization.
The appearance of the mines, at the period of Governor Mason's visit,
three months after the discovery, he thus graphically describes:
"At the urgent solicitation of many gentlemen, I delayed there [at
Sutter's Fort] to participate in the first public celebration of our
national anniversary at that fort, but on the 5th resumed the journey,
and proceeded twenty-five miles up the American Fork to a point on it
now known as the Lower Mines, or Mormon Diggins. The hill-sides were
thickly strewn with canvas tents and bush arbors; a store was erected,
and several boarding shanties in operation. The day was intensely hot,
yet about two hundred men were at work in the full glare of the sun,
washing for gold--some with tin pans, some with close-woven Indian
baskets, but the greater part had a rude machine, known as the cradle.
This is on rockers, six or eight feet long, open at the foot, and at
its head has a coarse grate, or sieve; the bottom is rounded, with
small cleats nailed across. Four men are required to work this
machine; one digs the ground in the bank close by the stream; another
carries it to the cradle and empties it on the grate; a third gives a
violent rocking motion to the machine; while a fourth dashes on water
from the stream itself.
"The sieve keeps the coarse stones from entering the cradle, the
current of water washes off the earthy matter, and the gravel is
gradually carried out at the foot of the machine, leaving the gold
mixed with a heavy, fine black sand above the first cleats. The sand
and gold, mixed together, are then drawn off through auger holes into
a pan below, are dried in the sun, and afterward separated by blowing
off the sand. A party of four men thus employed at the lower mines,
averaged $100 a day. The Indians, and those who have nothing but pans
or willow baskets, gradually wash out the earth and separate the
gravel by hand, leaving nothing but the gold mixed with sand, which is
separated in the manner before described. The gold in the lower mines
is in fine bright scales, of which I send several specimens.
"From the mill [where the gold was first discovered], Mr. Marshall
guided me up the mountain on the opposite or north bank of the south
fork, where, in the bed of small streams or ravines, now dry, a great
deal of coarse gold has been found. I there saw several parties at
work, all of whom were doing very well; a great many specimens were
shown me, some as heavy as four or five ounces in weight, and I send
three pieces, labeled No. 5, presented by a Mr. Spence. You will
perceive that some of the specimens accompanying this, hold
mechanically pieces of quartz; that the surface is rough, and
evidently moulded in the crevice of a rock. This gold cannot have been
carried far by water, but must have remained near where it was first
deposited from the rock that once bound it. I inquired of many people
if they had encountered the metal in its matrix, but in every instance
they said they had not; but that the gold was invariably mixed with
washed gravel, or lodged in the crevices of other rocks. All bore
testimony that they had found gold in greater or less quantities in
the numerous small gullies or ravines that occur in that mountainous
region.
"On the 7th of July I left the mill, and crossed to a stream emptying
into the American Fork, three or four miles below the saw-mill. I
struck this stream (now known as Weber's creek) at the washings of
Sunol and Co. They had about thirty Indians employed, whom they payed
in merchandise. They were getting gold of a character similar to that
found in the main fork, and doubtless in sufficient quantities to
satisfy them. I send you a small specimen, presented by this company,
of their gold. From this point, we proceeded up the stream about eight
miles, where we found a great many people and Indians--some engaged in
the bed of the stream, and others in the small side valleys that put
into it. These latter are exceedingly rich, and two ounces were
considered an ordinary yield for a day's work. A small gutter not more
than a hundred yards long, by four feet wide and two or three feet
deep, was pointed out to me as the one where two men--William Daly and
Parry McCoon--had, a short time before, obtained $17,000 worth of
gold. Captain Weber informed me that he knew that these two men had
employed four white men and about a hundred Indians, and that, at the
end of one week's work, they paid off their party, and had left
$10,000 worth of this gold. Another small ravine was shown me, from
which had been taken upward of $12,000 worth of gold. Hundreds of
similar ravines, to all appearances, are as yet untouched. I could not
have credited these reports, had I not seen, in the abundance of the
precious metal, evidence of their truth.
"Mr. Neligh, an agent of Commodore Stockton, had been at work about
three weeks in the neighborhood, and showed me, in bags and bottles,
over $2000 worth of gold; and Mr. Lyman, a gentleman of education, and
worthy of every credit, said he had been engaged, with four others,
with a machine, on the American Fork, just below Sutter's mill; that
they worked eight days, and that his share was at the rate of fifty
dollars a day; but hearing that others were doing better at Weber's
place, they had removed there, and were then on the point of resuming
operations. I might tell of hundreds of similar instances; but, to
illustrate how plentiful the gold was in the pockets of common
laborers, I will mention a single occurrence which took place in my
presence when I was at Weber's store. This store was nothing but an
arbor of bushes, under which he had exposed for sale goods and
groceries suited to his customers. A man came in, picked up a box of
Seidlitz powders, and asked the price. Captain Weber told him it was
not for sale. The man offered an ounce of gold, but Captain Weber told
him it only cost fifty cents, and he did not wish to sell it. The man
then offered an ounce and a half, when Captain Weber _had_ to take
it. The prices of all things are high, and yet Indians, who before
hardly knew what a breech cloth was, can now afford to buy the most
gaudy dresses.
"The country on either side of Weber's creek is much broken up by
hills, and is intersected in every direction by small streams or
ravines, which contain more or less gold. Those that have been worked
are barely scratched; and although thousands of ounces have been
carried away, I do not consider that a serious impression has been
made upon the whole. Every day was developing new and richer deposits;
and the only impression seemed to be, that the metal would be found in
such abundance as seriously to depreciate in value.
"On the 8th of July, I returned to the lower mines, and on the
following day to Sutter's, where, on the 19th, I was making
preparations for a visit to the Feather, Yuba, and Bear Rivers, when I
received a letter from Commander A. R. Long, United States Navy, who
had just arrived at San Francisco from Mazatlan with a crew for the
sloop-of-war Warren, with orders to take that vessel to the squadron
at La Paz. Captain Long wrote to me that the Mexican Congress had
adjourned without ratifying the treaty of peace, that he had letters
from Commodore Jones, and that his orders were to sail with the Warren
on or before the 20th of July. In consequence of these, I determined
to return to Monterey, and accordingly arrived here on the 17th of
July. Before leaving Sutter's, I satisfied myself that gold existed in
the bed of the Feather River, in the Yuba and Bear, and in many of the
smaller streams that lie between the latter and the American Fork;
also, that it had been found in the Cosumnes to the south of the
American Fork. In each of these streams the gold is found in small
scales, whereas in the intervening mountains it occurs in coarser
lumps.
"Mr. Sinclair, whose rancho is three miles above Sutter's, on the
north side of the American, employs about fifty Indians on the north
fork, not far from its junction with the main stream. He had been
engaged about five weeks when I saw him, and up to that time his
Indians had used simply closely woven willow baskets. His net proceeds
(which I saw) were about $16,000 worth of gold. He showed me the
proceeds of his last week's work--fourteen pounds avoirdupois of
clean-washed gold.
"The principal store at Sutter's Fort, that of Brannan and Co., had
received in payment for goods $36,000 (worth of this gold) from the
1st of May to the 10th of July. Other merchants had also made
extensive sales. Large quantities of goods were daily sent forward to
the mines, as the Indians, heretofore so poor and degraded, have
suddenly become consumers of the luxuries of life. I before mentioned
that the greater part of the farmers and rancheros had abandoned their
fields to go to the mines. This is not the case with Captain Sutter,
who was carefully gathering his wheat, estimated at 40,000 bushels.
Flour is already worth at Sutter's thirty-six dollars a barrel, and
soon will be fifty. Unless large quantities of breadstuffs reach the
country, much suffering will occur; but as each man is now able to pay
a large price, it is believed the merchants will bring from Chili and
Oregon a plentiful supply for the coming winter.
"The most moderate estimate I could obtain from men acquainted with
the subject, was, that upward of four thousand men were working in
the gold district, of whom more than one-half were Indians; and that
from $30,000 to $50,000 worth of gold, if not more, was daily
obtained. The entire gold district, with very few exceptions of grants
made some years ago by the Mexican authorities, is on land belonging
to the United States. It was a matter of serious reflection with me,
how I could secure to the government certain rents or fees for the
privilege of procuring this gold; but upon considering the large
extent of country, the character of the people engaged, and the small
scattered force at my command, I resolved not to interfere, but to
permit all to work freely, unless broils and crimes should call for
interference. I was surprised to hear that crime of any kind was very
unfrequent, and that no thefts or robberies had been committed in the
gold district.
"All live in tents, in bush arbors, or in the open air; and men have
frequently about their persons thousands of dollars worth of this
gold, and it was to me a matter of surprise that so peaceful and quiet
state of things should continue to exist. Conflicting claims to
particular spots of ground may cause collisions, but they will be
rare, as the extent of country is so great, and the gold so abundant,
that for the present there is room enough for all. Still the
government is entitled to rents for this land, and immediate steps
should be devised to collect them, for the longer it is delayed the
more difficult it will become. One plan I would suggest is, to send
out from the United States surveyors with high salaries, bound to
serve specified periods.
"The discovery of these vast deposits of gold has entirely changed the
character of Upper California. Its people, before engaged in
cultivating their small patches of ground, and guarding their herds
of cattle and horses, have all gone to the mines, or are on their way
thither. Laborers of every trade have left their work benches, and
tradesmen their shops. Sailors desert their ships as fast as they
arrive on the coast, and several vessels have gone to sea with hardly
enough hands to spread a sail. Two or three are now at anchor in San
Francisco with no crew on board. Many desertions, too, have taken
place from the garrisons within the influence of these mines;
twenty-six soldiers have deserted from the post of Sonoma, twenty-four
from that of San Francisco, and twenty-four from Monterey. For a few
days the evil appeared so threatening, that great danger existed that
the garrisons would leave in a body; and I refer you to my orders of
the 25th of July, to show the steps adopted to meet this contingency.
I shall spare no exertions to apprehend and punish deserters, but I
believe no time in the history of our country has presented such
temptations to desert as now exist in California.
"The danger of apprehension is small, and the prospect of high wages
certain; pay and bounties are trifles, as laboring men at the mines
can now earn in one day more than double a soldier's pay and
allowances for a month, and even the pay of a lieutenant or captain
cannot hire a servant. A carpenter or mechanic would not listen to an
offer of less than fifteen or twenty dollars a day. Could any
combination of affairs try a man's fidelity more than this? I really
think some extraordinary mark of favor should be given to those
soldiers who remain faithful to their flag throughout this tempting
crisis.
"Many private letters have gone to the United States, giving accounts
of the vast quantity of gold recently discovered, and it may be a
matter of surprise why I have made no report on this subject at an
earlier date. The reason is, that I could not bring myself to believe
the reports that I heard of the wealth of the gold district until I
visited it myself. I have no hesitation now in saying that there is
more gold in the country drained by the Sacramento and San Joaquin
Rivers than will pay the cost of the present war with Mexico a hundred
times over. No capital is required to obtain this gold, as the
laboring man wants nothing but his pick and shovel and tin pan, with
which to dig and wash the gravel; and many frequently pick gold out of
the crevices of the rocks with their butcher knives, in pieces of from
one to six ounces.
"Mr. Dye, a gentleman residing in Monterey, and worthy of every
credit, has just returned from Feather River. He tells me that the
company to which he belonged worked seven weeks and two days, with an
average of fifty Indians (washers,) and that their gross product was
two hundred and seventy-three pounds of gold. His share (one seventh,)
after paying all expenses, is about thirty-seven pounds, which he
brought with him and exhibited in Monterey. I see no laboring man from
the mines who does not show his two, three, or four pounds of gold. A
soldier of the artillery company returned here a few days ago from the
mines, having been absent on furlough twenty days. He made by trading
and working, during that time, $1500. During these twenty days he was
travelling ten or eleven days, leaving but a week in which he made a
sum of money greater than he receives in pay, clothes, and rations,
during a whole enlistment of five years. These statements appear
incredible, but they are true.
"Gold is also believed to exist on the eastern slope of the Sierra
Nevada; and when at the mines, I was informed by an intelligent Mormon
that it had been found near the Great Salt Lake by some of his
fraternity. Nearly all the Mormons are leaving California to go to the
Salt Lake, and this they surely would not do unless they were sure of
finding gold there in the same abundance as they now do on the
Sacramento.
"The gold 'placer' near the mission of San Fernando has long been
known, but has been little wrought for want of water. This is a spur
which puts off from the Sierra Nevada (see Fremont's map,) the same in
which the present mines occur. There is, therefore, every reason to
believe, that in the intervening spaces, of five hundred miles
(entirely unexplored) there must be many hidden and rich deposits. The
'placer' gold is now substituted as the currency of this country; in
trade it passes freely at $16 per ounce; as an article of commerce its
value is not yet fixed. The only purchase I made was of the specimen
No. 7, which I got of Mr. Neligh at $12 the ounce. That is about the
present cash value in the country, although it has been sold for less.
The great demand for goods and provisions, made by this sudden
development of wealth, has increased the amount of commerce at San
Francisco very much, and it will continue to increase."
_The Californian_, published at San Francisco on the 14th of August,
furnishes the following interesting account of the Gold Region:
"It was our intention to present our readers with a description of the
extensive gold, silver, and iron mines, recently discovered in the
Sierra Nevada, together with some other important items, for the good
of the people, but we are compelled to defer it for a future number.
Our prices current, many valuable communications, our marine journal,
and other important matters, have also been crowded out. But to enable
our distant readers to draw some idea of the extent of the gold mine,
we will confine our remarks to a few facts. The country from the Ajuba
to the San Joaquin rivers, a distance of about one hundred and twenty
miles, and from the base toward the summit of the mountains, as far as
Snow Hill, about seventy miles, has been explored, and gold found on
every part. There are now probably 3000 people, including Indians,
engaged collecting gold. The amount collected by each man who works,
ranges from $10 to $350 per day. The publisher of this paper, while on
a tour alone to the mining district, collected, with the aid of a
shovel, pick and tin pan, about twenty inches in diameter, from $44 to
$128 a day--averaging $100. The gross amount collected will probably
exceed $600,000, of which amount our merchants have received about
$250,000 worth for goods sold; all within the short space of eight
weeks. The largest piece of gold known to be found weighed four
pounds.
"Labor has ever been high in California, but previous to the discovery
of the _placera_ gold, the rates ranged from $1 to $3 per day. Since
that epoch common labor cannot be obtained, and if to be had, for no
less price than fifty cents per hour, and that the most common.
Carpenters and other mechanics have been offered $15 a day, but it has
been flatly refused. Many of our enterprising citizens were largely
engaged in building, and others wish to commence on dwellings,
warehouses, and the like, but all have had to suspend for the lack of
that all important class of community, the working men."
The following extracts from the published journal of a physician in
California, give accounts of the reception of the news of the gold
discovery in San Francisco, with its consequent effects.
"_May 8th._--Captain Fulsom called at Sweeting's to-day. He had seen a
man this morning, who reported that he had just come from a river
called the American Fork, about one hundred miles in the interior,
where he had been gold washing. Captain Fulsom saw the gold he had
with him; it was about twenty-three ounces weight, and in small
flakes. The man stated that he was eight days getting it, but Captain
Fulsom hardly believed this. He says that he saw some of this gold a
few weeks since, and thought it was only 'mica,' but good judges have
pronounced it to be genuine metal. He talks, however, of paying a
visit to the place where it is reported to come from. After he was
gone, Bradley stated that the Sacramento settlements, which Malcolm
wished to visit, were in the neighborhood of the American Fork, and
that we might go there together; he thought the distance was only one
hundred and twenty miles.
"_May 10th._--Yesterday and to-day nothing has been talked of but the
new gold 'placer,' as people call it. It seems that four other men had
accompanied the person Captain Fulsom saw yesterday, and that they had
each realized a large quantity of gold. They left the 'diggings' on
the American Fork, (which it seems is the Rio de los Americanos, a
tributary to the Sacramento) about a week ago, and stopped a day or
two at Sutter's Fort, a few miles this side of the diggings, on their
way; from there they had travelled by boat to San Francisco. The gold
they brought has been examined by the first Alcalde here and by all
the merchants in the place. Bradley showed us a lump weighing a
quarter of an ounce, which he had bought of one of the men, and for
which he gave him three dollars and a half. I have no doubt in my own
mind about its being genuine gold. Several parties, we hear, are
already made up to visit the diggings; and, according to the newspaper
here, a number of people have actually started off with shovels,
mattocks, and pans, to dig the gold themselves. It is not likely,
however, that this will be allowed, for Captain Fulsom has already
written to Colonel Mason about taking possession of the mine on behalf
of the government, it being, as he says, on public land.
"_May 17th._--This place is now in a perfect furor of excitement; all
the work-people have struck. Walking through the town to-day, I
observed that laborers were employed only upon about half-a-dozen of
the fifty new buildings which were in the course of being run up. The
majority of the mechanics at this place are making preparations for
moving off to the mines, and several hundred people of all
classes--lawyers, store-keepers, merchants, &c.,--are bitten with the
fever; in fact, there is a regular gold mania springing up. I counted
no less than eighteen houses which were closed, the owners having
left."
The mania continued to increase, and within a few months all the
principal towns were nearly emptied of their population. Gold was the
universal object, and splendid and rapid fortune the universal hope.
No occupation seemed to offer such a prospect as that of digging gold,
and, accordingly, those who were not able to bear the fatigues of such
work, or were at the head of any sort of business in the different
towns, had to pay enormous prices for the labor of subordinates who
performed the meanest services. The prices of all agricultural and
manufactured products became treble the previous rates.
Soon came the first waves of the tide of emigration that was to flood
the _placers_ of the gold region. The first influx consisted of
Mexicans of the province of Sonoma, Chilians, and some few Chinese.
These, principally took possession of the southern mines, or those on
the San Joaquin and its tributaries. Some few stopped at San
Francisco, and secured lots of ground which they knew would become
very valuable in a short time, and erected temporary stores and
dwellings. This gave the impulse to the progress of the town, and it
soon advanced rapidly in size and population. Then came the emigration
from the Atlantic States of the Union, and the whole territory felt
the progressive and enterprising spirit of the gold-seekers. The
Americans generally took possession of the mines upon the northern
tributaries of the Sacramento River; but as their numbers increased
they pushed towards the southern mines, and frequent collisions with
the foreigners were the consequence. Finally, a great number of the
latter were compelled to leave the country.
FOOTNOTES:
[1] A gold _placera_ was discovered some years ago, near the mission
of San Fernando, but it was very little worked, on account of the want
of water.
[2] Farnham's Adventures in California.--Wilkes's Narrative of the
Exploring Expedition.--Fremont's Narrative.
[3] See Farnham's Adventures. Wilkes's and Fremont's Narratives, and
Emory's Report.--In 1846, Eugenio Macnamara, a Catholic priest and
Missionary, obtained a grant of a large tract of land between the San
Joaquin and the Sierra Nevada, the Cosumnes and the Tulares in the
vicinity of San Gabriel, from Pio Pico, governor of the Californias,
for the purpose of establishing upon it a large colony of Irish
Catholics; but the grant was not ratified by the Central Government,
and the project was not carried into effect. There is no evidence that
Father Macnamara was aware of the existence of gold in the valley of
the San Joaquin.
[4] Official Despatch of Colonel Mason, Commander of the 10th Military
Department, August 17, 1848.--Letters of Thomas C. Larkin, U.S. Consul
at Monterey, to the Secretary of State, June 1, and June 28, 1848.
[5] Feather River is the first considerable branch of the Sacramento
below the _Prairie Buttes_. It has a course of about forty miles, and
empties into the main river about fifteen miles above New Helvetia.
Though the Sacramento is navigable for vessels only to that place,
boats can pass up one hundred miles further.
CHAPTER VII.
ADVENTURES OF SOME OF THE MINERS, AND INCIDENTS CONNECTED
WITH MINING.
The adventures of the eager gold-seekers in the region of their hopes,
among the washings and the diggings of the _placers_, cannot but be
interesting. The toil to which the men have to submit if they would
obtain any thing like a satisfaction to their desires, is of a very
irksome character. In the summer season, the heat is intense, and the
principal part of the labor of washing and digging must be performed
exposed to the full blaze of the sun. In the "dry diggings," the
miners suffer greatly from the want of water. Most of the provisions
having to be transported from the towns on the Sacramento and San
Joaquin, soon grow unwholesome from exposure to the sultry air of the
day and the damp air of the night. This diet, conjointly with the
exposure of the miners, tends to produce intermittent fever and
dysentery. The miners generally reside in huts of a rude construction,
or in canvas tents, which afford but poor protection from the changes
of the weather.
The most prominent man in the neighborhood of the "diggins," is
Captain Sutter, the Daniel Boone of that part of the country. He was
formerly an officer in the Swiss guards of Charles X. of France. After
the revolution of 1830, in that country, he came to the United States.
Emigrating to California, he obtained a grant of land from the Mexican
government, and founded the settlement known as Sutter's Fort. Upon
his land, the first discovery of the richness of the soil was made,
and his house and the settlement around it has been, ever since, the
resort of persons going to and from the _placers_, and a depot for
provisions and articles used by the miners. Stores and workshops have
been established, and a considerable amount of business is transacted
there. Captain Sutter is held in very great respect by the people of
the settlement and those stopping at his house on the road to the
_placers_. Several versions of the account of the discovery of the
gold mines have been circulated, but the true one, in the Captain's
own words, is given in a work recently published.[6] The account is
here inserted, both on account of the interest connected with the
discovery, and in order to correct wrong versions of the matter.
"I was sitting one afternoon," said the Captain, "just after my
siesta, engaged, by-the-bye, in writing a letter to a relation of mine
at Lucerne, when I was interrupted by Mr. Marshall--a gentleman with
whom I had frequent business transactions--bursting hurriedly into the
room. From the unusual agitation in his manner, I imagined that
something serious had occurred, and, as we involuntarily do in this
part of the world, I at once glanced to see if my rifle was in its
proper place. You should know that the mere appearance of Mr. Marshall
at that moment in the fort was quite enough to surprise me, as he had
but two days before left the place to make some alterations in a mill
for sawing pine planks, which he had just run up for me, some miles
higher up the Americanos. When he had recovered himself a little, he
told me that, however great my surprise might be at his unexpected
reappearance, it would be much greater when I heard the intelligence
he had come to bring me. 'Intelligence,' he added, 'which, if properly
profited by, would put both of us in possession of unheard-of
wealth--millions and millions of dollars, in fact.' I frankly own,
when I heard this, that I thought something had touched Marshall's
brain, when suddenly all my misgivings were put an end to by his
flinging on the table a handful of scales of pure virgin gold. I was
fairly thunderstruck, and asked him to explain what all this meant,
when he went on to say, that, according to my instructions, he had
thrown the mill-wheel out of gear, to let the whole body of the water
in the dam find a passage through the tail-race, which was previously
too narrow to allow the water to run off in sufficient quantity,
whereby the wheel was prevented from efficiently performing its work.
By this alteration the narrow channel was considerably enlarged, and a
mass of sand and gravel carried off by the force of the torrent. Early
in the morning after this took place, he (Mr. Marshall) was walking
along the left bank of the stream, when he perceived something which
he at first took for a piece of opal--a clear transparent stone, very
common here--glittering on one of the spots laid bare by the sudden
crumbling away of the bank. He paid no attention to this; but while he
was giving directions to the workmen, having observed several similar
glittering fragments, his curiosity was so far excited, that he
stooped down and picked one of them up. 'Do you know,' said Mr.
Marshall to me, 'I positively debated within myself two or three times
whether I should take the trouble to bend my back to pick up one of
the pieces, and had decided on not doing so, when, further on, another
glittering morsel caught my eye--the largest of the pieces now before
you. I condescended to pick it up, and to my astonishment found that
it was a thin scale of what appears to be pure gold.' He then gathered
some twenty or thirty similar pieces, which on examination convinced
him that his suppositions were right. His first impression was, that
this gold had been lost or buried there by some early Indian
tribe--perhaps some of those mysterious inhabitants of the West, of
whom we have no account, but who dwelt on this continent centuries
ago, and built those cities and temples, the ruins of which are
scattered about these solitary wilds. On proceeding, however, to
examine the neighboring soil, he discovered that it was more or less
auriferous. This at once decided him. He mounted his horse, and rode
down to me as fast as it would carry him, with the news.
"At the conclusion of Mr. Marshall's account," continued Captain
Sutter, "and when I had convinced myself, from the specimens he had
brought with him, that it was not exaggerated, I felt as much excited
as himself. I eagerly inquired if he had shown the gold to the work
people at the mill, and was glad to hear that he had not spoken to a
single person about it. We agreed," said the Captain, smiling, "not to
mention the circumstance to any one, and arranged to set off early the
next day for the mill. On our arrival, just before sundown, we poked
the sand about in various places, and before long succeeded in
collecting between us, more than an ounce of gold, mixed up with a
good deal of sand. I stayed at Mr. Marshall's that night, and the next
day we proceeded some little distance up the South Fork, and found
that gold existed along the whole course, not only in the bed of the
main stream, where the water had subsided, but in every little
dried-up creek and ravine. Indeed, I think it is more plentiful in
these latter places, for I myself, with nothing more than a small
knife, picked out from a dry gorge, a little way up the mountain, a
solid lump of gold which weighed nearly an ounce and a half.
"On our return to the mill, we were astonished by the work-people
coming up to us in a body, and showing us small flakes of gold
similar to those we had ourselves procured. Marshall tried to laugh
the matter off with them, and to persuade them that what they had
found was only some shining mineral of trifling value; but one of the
Indians, who had worked at the gold mine in the neighborhood of La
Paz, in Lower California, cried out, 'Oro! oro!' We were disappointed
enough at this discovery, and supposed that the work-people had been
watching our movements, although we thought we had taken every
precaution against being observed by them. I heard, afterwards, that
one of them, a sly Kentuckian, had dogged us about, and that, looking
on the ground to see if he could discover what we were in search of,
he had lighted on some flakes of gold himself.
"The next day I rode back to the Fort, organized a laboring party, set
the carpenters to work on a few necessary matters, and the next day,
accompanied them to a point of the Fork, where they encamped for the
night. By the following morning I had a party of fifty Indians fairly
at work. The way we first managed was to shovel the soil into small
buckets, or into some of our famous Indian baskets; then wash all the
light earth out, and pick away the stones; after this, we dried the
sand on pieces of canvas, and with long reeds blew away all but the
gold. I have now some rude machines in use, and upwards of one hundred
men employed, chiefly Indians, who are well fed, and who are allowed
whisky three times a day.
"The report soon spread. Some of the gold was sent to San Francisco,
and crowds of people flocked to the diggings. Added to this, a large
emigrant party of Mormons entered California across the Rocky
Mountains, just as the affair was first made known. They halted at
once, and set to work on a spot some thirty miles from here, where a
few of them still remain. When I was last up to the diggings, there
were full eight hundred men at work, at one place and another, with
perhaps something like three hundred more passing backwards and
forwards between here and the mines. I at first imagined that the gold
would soon be exhausted by such crowds of seekers, but subsequent
observations have convinced me that it will take many years to bring
about such a result, even with ten times the present number of people
employed.
"What surprises me," continued the Captain, "is, that this country
should have been visited by so many scientific men, and that not one
of them should have ever stumbled upon the treasures; that scores of
keen eyed trappers should have crossed this valley in every direction,
and tribes of Indians have dwelt in it for centuries, and yet that
this gold should have never been discovered. I myself have passed the
very spot above a hundred times during the last ten years, but was
just as blind as the rest of them, so I must not wonder at the
discovery not having been made earlier."
The plan of operations adopted by most of the miners who were not
Indians or Californians, was to form bands of three, five or ten,
under the command of one of the number, whose name the party took, and
by which it was afterwards known. Some larger companies were formed in
the United States, and repaired to California, and their operations
were of course, on a more extensive scale; they having all the
necessary equipments of gold-washers and miners. Written rules were
generally drawn up for the government of the parties, varying in
particulars according to the peculiar views of the framers. These
rules provided for the _modus operandi_ of procuring the gold,
supplying the party with necessaries, attending to the sick, and the
division of the fruits of their labor.
One of the most frequented placers of California is called the
Stanislaus mine, situated near the Stanislaus River. It was one of the
first places worked to any extent by the gold-seekers, but not
satisfying the expectations of some of the most greedy, it has since
been partially abandoned. A description of this mine, and of the
living and operations of its workers in the winter of 1848-49, will
give a good general idea of the toils and privations endured by the
early gold-seekers in that region, and, also, of their mode of
procuring the precious metal at most of the mines. We extract from a
recently published work, distinguished for minuteness of detail and
accuracy of description.[7]
"The mine was a deep ravine, embosomed amidst lofty hills, surmounted
by, and covered with pine, and having, in the bottom itself, abundance
of rock, mud, and sand. Halliday and I encamped at the very lowest
part of the ravine, at a little distance from Don Emanuel's party; a
steep rock which towered above our heads affording us shelter, and a
huge, flat stone beneath our feet promising a fair substitute for a
dry bed. Here then we stretched our _macheers_ and blankets, and
arranged our saddles and bags, so as to make ourselves as comfortable
and warm as possible, although, in spite of our precautions and
contrivances, and of a tolerably good fire, our encampment was
bitterly cold, and we lay exposed to a heavy dew. We had given up our
horses into the charge of the Indians, and I saw to their being safely
placed in the _cavallard_, whilst Halliday went to chop wood; a task I
was too weak to perform. I cannot say we slept; we might more
correctly be said to have had a long and most uncomfortable doze, and
when morning broke, we were shivering with cold, and shook the dew in
a shower from our clothes. I consulted with my companion, and urged
upon him the prudence of our setting to work to construct ourselves a
sort of log cabin; otherwise I felt certain, from the experience of
the past night, our sojourn at the mines would be likely to prove
fatal to one or both of us. He was, however, far too eager to try his
fortune at digging to listen to my proposal, at which he even smiled,
probably at the bare idea of weather, privation, or toil, being able
to affect his powerful frame. I saw him presently depart up the
ravine, shouldering a pick, and glancing now and then at his knife,
whilst I proceeded in search of materials for constructing a temporary
place of shelter.
"As my strength was unequal to the task of felling timber, I
endeavored to procure four poles, intending to sink them into the
ground, and to stretch on the top of them a bed-tick I had reserved
for the purpose. The contrivance was a sorry one at the best, but
shelter was indispensable; and great was my disappointment--though I
procured the timber after a painful search--to find that the rocks
presented an insuperable obstacle to my employing it as I intended. My
efforts to sink the poles proved utterly futile, and I was at last
compelled to renounce the attempt in despair. I then packed up our
goods into as close a compass as possible; and, having requested one
of the Spaniards in Don Emanuel's party to keep watch over them,
departed to explore the ravine.
"Within a few paces of our encampment there was a large area of
ground, probably half a mile square, the surface of which consisted of
dark soil and slate, and was indented with innumerable holes of every
possible dimension, from six inches to as many feet or more, wide and
deep. In all of these lay abundance of water, of which large
quantities are to be found a little beneath the surface, the ravine
being supplied with it in great abundance by the rains that pour down
from the hills during the wet season. To the extreme right of our
camp, the ground assumed a more rocky character; and, from the vast
deposit of stagnant water, did not seem to offer many attractions to
the miners. Yet there was scarcely a spot in any of these places where
the crow-bar, the pick, or the jack-knife, had not been busy: evidence
that the whole locality must have been extremely rich in the precious
metal, or it would not have been so thoroughly worked.
"In crossing the ravine, I was obliged to leap from one mound of earth
to another, to avoid plunging ancle-deep in mud and water. It was
wholly deserted in this part, though formerly so much frequented;
and, with the exception of a few traders, who, having taken up their
station here when times were good, had not yet made arrangements for
removing to a more productive place, not a soul was to be seen.
"I walked on until I reached the trading-post of Mr. Anderson,
formerly our interpreter in the Lower Country, whom I felt delighted
to meet with again. His shed was situated in one of the dampest parts
of the mine, and consisted of a few upright poles, traversed by
cross-pieces, and covered in with raw hides and leaves, but yet much
exposed at the sides to the wind and the weather. He had a few barrels
of flour and biscuit, which he retailed at two dollars a pound; for he
made no difference between the price of the raw and the prepared
material. The flour would go further, it was true; but then the
biscuit required no cooking on the part of the miner, whose time was
literally money, and whose interest therefore it was to economize it
in every possible manner. He also sold unprepared coffee and sugar at
six Yankee shillings a pound; dried beef at one dollar and a half; and
pork, which was regarded as a great delicacy here, at two dollars for
the same weight. The various articles of which his stock-in-trade
consisted he had brought all the way from Monterey at considerable
labor and expense; but, by the exercise of extraordinary tact,
perseverance, and industry, he had succeeded in establishing a
flourishing business.
"I discovered, however, that he possessed another resource--by which
his gains were marvellously increased--in the services of seven or
eight Indians, whom he kept constantly at work, in the rear of his
shed, digging gold, and whose labor he remunerated with provisions,
and occasional presents of articles of trifling value to him, but
highly esteemed by the Indians. They were watched by an American
overseer, who was employed by him, to assist in the general business,
particularly in slaughtering; for, as beef was scarce, he used to send
his man in quest of cows and oxen; which he killed, cut up, salted and
dried, in his shed, and watching the most favorable moment for the
operation--namely, when meat could not be procured at the
'diggins'--never failed to realize his own price for it.
"Proceeding higher up the ravine, I observed a large tent erected on
the slope of a hill, within a few yards of the bottom, where the gold
is usually found. It was surrounded by a trench, the clay from which,
as it was dug up, had apparently been thrown out against the canvas,
forming a kind of embankment, rendering it at once water and
weather-proof. I ventured into it, encountering on my way an immense
piece of raw beef, suspended from the ridge-pole. Upon some stones in
front, inclosing a small fire, stood a frying-pan, filled with rich
looking beef collops, that set my mouth watering, and severely tested
my honesty; for, although acorns are all very well in their way, and
serve to stay the cravings of the stomach for awhile, I did not find
my appetite any the less sharp, notwithstanding the quantity I had
eaten. But I resisted the temptation, and penetrated further into the
tent. At one side of it lay a crow-bar, and an old saddle that had
seen rough service; yet not a soul appeared, and my eyes were again
ogling the collops, whilst an inward voice whispered how imprudent it
was to leave them frizzling there, when, all at once, a little man, in
a 'hickory shirt,' with his face all bedaubed with pot-black and
grease, darted out of some dark corner, flourishing in one hand a long
bowie knife, and in the other three by no means delicate slices of fat
pork, which he at once dropped into the frying-pan, stooping down on
one knee, and becoming immediately absorbed in watching the
interesting culinary process then going on in it.
"I came up next with a group of three Sonomeans, or inhabitants of
Sonoma, busily engaged on a small sandy flat--the only one I had
observed--at the bottom of the ravine. There was no water near,
although I noticed several holes which had evidently been sunk in
quest of it. These men were actively pursuing a process that is termed
'dry-washing.' One was shovelling up the sand into a large cloth,
stretched out upon the ground, and which, when it was tolerably well
covered, he took up by the corners, and shook until the pebbles and
larger particles of stone and dirt came to the surface. These he
brushed away carefully with his hand, repeating the process of shaking
and clearing until the residue was sufficiently fine for the next
operation. This was performed by the other men, who, depositing the
sand in large bowls hewn out of a solid block of wood, which they held
in their hands, dexterously cast the contents up before them, about
four feet into the air, catching the sand again very cleverly, and
blowing at it as it descended. This process being repeated, the sand
gradually disappeared, and from two to three ounces of pure gold
remained at the bottom of the bowl. Easy as the operation appeared to
me to be, I learned, upon inquiry, that to perform it successfully
required the nicest management, the greatest perseverance, and
especially robust lungs. The men I saw had lighted upon a productive
sand; but very often, indeed, those who adopt this mode of gold
washing toil long at barren soil before they discover the uselessness
of laboring thus arduously.
"I noticed, that although the largest proportion of the gold obtained
in this manner presented the appearance of a fine powder, it was
interspersed, here and there, with large scales of the precious
deposit, and with a few solid lumps. The metal was of a dingy hue,
and, at a cursory view, might easily have been mistaken for particles
of yellow clay, or laminæ of stone of the same color. The Sonomeans
placed the product of their labor in buckskin bags, which were hung
around their necks, and carefully concealed inside of their shirts.
They work in this fashion at the mines in their own country; but I
doubt if any other than a native constitution could very long bear up
against the peculiar labor of 'dry-washing' in such a climate and
under such difficult circumstances. I felt half tempted to try the
process myself, for the surface of this sandy bed was literally
sparkling with innumerable particles of the finest gold, triturated to
a polish by the running of the waters--as I conjectured; but I soon
discovered how fruitless my efforts would be. Had I possessed any
chemical agents at hand, however, I might soon have exhausted the bed
of its precious contents, and should, doubtless, have realized an
immense weight of the metal of the very purest quality.
"I may as well mention here, that of the various new machines
manufactured and sent out to California for the purpose of digging and
washing gold, the great majority have been found quite useless. There
are two or three of them, however, that have been employed with great
success. I have made a sketch of those most in use amongst the
diggers, as my readers may feel desirous of acquainting themselves
with the latest improvements introduced in the art of mining, as
practised in this country. They consist, in the first place, of the
washing-rocker, or 'cradle,' which has, in numerous instances, formed
the model for ruder machines, constructed by the miners themselves,
whilst in the mountains. The lid, at the bottom of which lie the holes
through which the gold and soil pass, is fastened by hinges at the
back, in order that it may be raised up, the more readily to throw
off, from time to time, the stones that accumulate. Three men are
required to work this rocker with success, and there are few processes
in which a smaller number could operate without extraordinary labor.
One person throws the soil upon the lid, another pours on the water,
whilst a third is engaged in rocking the cradle by the handle attached
to it for the purpose. In this way these men keep each other
constantly employed; and, indeed, this cradle, like its prototype, has
often proved the bond of union between individuals who would otherwise
have separated, for this simple reason, that one man could not work it
half so profitably alone. The cross pieces, observable at the bottom,
serve to intercept the gold as it flows towards the smaller end of the
machine, whilst the dirt is carried off by the admixture with the
water produced by the continual 'rocking.' As the earth becomes
thoroughly dissolved, the gold naturally gravitates to the bottom; and
thus it is impossible for any but the very finest particles of the ore
to escape.
"The second machine, in importance, is the gold-borer. It is
particularly useful in examining the bottom of streams, and consists
of a short conical cylinder at the end of a long handle, containing
inside, at its lower extremity, a valve, arranged so as to admit the
earth and gold, and prevent their escaping when the receptacle is
full. This instrument is used in the same manner as an augur. The
third machine, the pan, is also of late introduction, but has been
found rather too deep for the purpose for which it is intended.
"Notwithstanding the success which seemed to attend the labors of the
Sonomeans, I subsequently discovered that the entire quantity of gold
thus painfully obtained, disappeared at the gambling-stalls. They were
generally clad most wretchedly, many of them wearing nothing more than
a dirty shirt, a pair of light pantaloons, and the wide _sombrero_
peculiar to the inhabitants of this country and Mexico. Some few
sported a _serapa_, but they were men of superior native rank, of
which this garment is a distinctive characteristic.
"Continuing my route up the ravine, I met a man named Corrigan,
galloping along with two fine horses, one of which he was leading. He
stopped as soon as he recognized me, and we were soon engaged in a
very interesting conversation respecting the doings at the 'diggins.'
The substance of his information was, that he had made a great deal of
money at the mines by digging, but infinitely more by speculation. He
thought of buying a _ranché_, marrying, and settling down. He was then
going to seek for pasture for his horses; and, bidding me a hasty
good-bye, galloped off, and soon disappeared.
"As I advanced, the ground became drier and more sandy, rock and slate
of various kinds abounding; some quite soft and friable, yielding
readily to the pickaxe or the crowbar; and, in other places, so hard
as to resist the utmost strength of the miners. Several of the diggers
were perseveringly exploring the localities where the rotten sorts of
slate were found in the largest quantities, and I saw them pick out a
good deal of gold with their jack-knives. Their principal aim was to
discover what they termed 'a pocket,' which is nothing more than a
crevice between the blocks of slate, into which a deposit of gold has
been washed by the heavy rains from the higher districts, and which,
soon accumulating, swell into rapid torrents, which rush down these
ravines with extraordinary swiftness and force, sweeping every thing
before them.
"There did not appear to be many mining parties at the Stanislaus at
this particular period, for the encampments were generally from two to
five miles apart, the space between them increasing the higher you
advanced towards the mountains, to the foot of which the ravine
extended--altogether, a distance of many miles. The lower part of the
mine, I concluded from this fact, to be by far the richer, simply from
the circumstance I have mentioned; richer, comparatively, because here
the deposits of gold are more easily found and extracted; not richer,
in reality, as the metal must exist in immense quantities in the upper
regions, from which it is washed down by the rains and floods into the
lower districts. The virgin deposit would, doubtless, be difficult to
come at; but, if sought after at all, that it is to be sought in the
mountains and high lands, I feel persuaded.
"I turned back, after prosecuting my excursion until the ravine became
almost too rocky to allow me to proceed, and until I saw that the
'diggins' diminished materially in number. On clambering the hills at
the side, I beheld abundance of pines, oak, cedar, and palm; but no
grass, nor vegetation of any other kind, save prickly shrubs, with
here and there a patch of extremely dry moss. On my way back, I passed
several tents and huts erected by the miners, all of the very poorest
and most wretched description.
"I found Van Anker's party at dinner, in front of their tent. Van
showed me a leathern bag, containing several pounds' weight of very
pure gold, and which was carelessly tossed about from one to the other
for examination. It was the produce of his morning's work, he having
fortunately struck upon a large pocket.
"On inquiring whether, as there existed such strong temptation,
robberies were not very frequent, I was informed, that, although
thefts had occurred, yet, generally speaking, the miners dwelt in no
distrust of one another, and left thousands of dollars' worth in gold
dust in their tents whilst they were absent digging. They all felt,
intuitively, that honesty was literally the best policy, and a
determination to punish robbery seemed to have been come to by all as
a measure essential to the security and welfare of the mining
community, independent of any question of principle.
"Gambling and drinking were carried on, I found, to a most
demoralizing extent. Brandy and champagne, whenever they were brought
to the 'diggins,' realized enormous prices, varying from sixteen to
twenty dollars a bottle; and some of the men would, after accumulating
some hundred dollars, squander the whole in purchasing these
beverages. Believing the supply of gold to be inexhaustible, they
persisted in this reckless course, and discovered only when it became
too late to redeem their error, that even here gold cannot always be
procured. They went on until the _placers_ failed to yield, and were
then reduced to great extremities.
"The miners were by no means averse to lending 'dust' to those who
required it, notwithstanding that the lenders often experienced some
difficulty in getting back the advance. One of Van's party, for
instance, lent another six ounces of gold, which not being returned at
the stipulated period, nor for some time afterwards, he dunned his
debtor every meal, until the latter, who had quietly submitted to the
importunity, begged him to 'just wait ten minutes, and time it.' He
shouldered his pickaxe, as he said this, and going out of the shed,
returned within the time, bringing back more than sufficient to
liquidate the debt. This little incident created much amusement."
The whole of the gold region lies between the San Joachin and
Sacramento Rivers and the California range of mountains. The principal
mines are the Towallomie, the Stanislaus, the Macalamo, the Merced,
Fremont's Diggings, or Mariposa, the Calaveras, the Macassime, the
South, Middle, and North Forks, Bear Creek, Yuba, Feather River, and
the Sacramento. The mines are nothing more than so many ravines, which
run across from the range of mountains, and are flooded by the
torrents which pour down from the upper region during the rainy
season, and which have been supposed to bring the gold down with them.
The Macalamo Dry Diggings is considered one of the richest placers in
the gold region. It is a long ravine, the soil of which is red, and
sometimes blueish in places, sand predominating. The blue clay is
thought to be the richest by the diggers. The sides of the ravine are
so steep and irregular, that the miners are troubled to find resting
places of a night. The gold taken out of this mine runs large; the
average size of the lumps being that of a pea. Pieces have been taken
out of it that weighed above two pounds.
Instances of robbery and murder have not been few in the gold region,
as might be conjectured from a knowledge of the motley character of
the miners, and the temptations offered to avaricious spirits. Yet,
all things considered, the number of instances will not appear so very
extraordinary. Lynch law, the only resort of the wronged in pocket, or
the friends of the murdered, exercised its terrible power, and tended
to prevent the crimes that would, otherwise, have been frequent. An
instance of this summary justice we here relate, to illustrate the
means by which the miners protected their lives and property.
"A sailor, a deserter from the Ohio, took it into his head, one night,
to rob one of the volunteers, who had set up a drinking store. He had
already got two bags, containing about five thousand dollars' worth of
gold; but, not satisfied with them, grasped at a third, half full of
dollars in silver. The jingling of the coin awoke the owner, who,
springing up, gave the alarm, and, after a hot pursuit, the thief was
captured, and bound to a tree until morning. At about nine, a jury of
twelve miners sat to consider the case, a volunteer named Nutman
officiating for Judge Lynch. Of course, he was found guilty, and
sentenced to be hanged; but, some opposition being raised to depriving
him of life, and a milder punishment suggested; it was finally
determined that he should receive a hundred lashes on his bare back,
have his ears cut off, and his head shaved, so that he might be every
where recognized in the mining districts. This sentence gave general
satisfaction. The poor wretch was at once fastened by his hands to the
branch of a tree, and the fellows proceeded to shave his head, whilst
some sailors of the party set to work manufacturing cats. His feet
were then tied together to the foot of the tree, and when his head had
been shaved, a doctor lopped off his ears. He bled a good deal; but,
when the blood was staunched, they set to flogging him, and they
didn't spare him either. After this, they kicked him out.
"Well, he went off, and when he was about half a mile away, stole a
mule, and rode over to the 'Calaveras' diggins, where the animal was
claimed by the owner. He was thereupon tried for mule-stealing, and
sentenced to receive another flogging; but when the miners came to
strip him, they found his back so shockingly cut up, that they took
compassion on him, and contented themselves with driving him out of
the district, where he never appeared again."
During the summer season, when exposure and labor in the mines,
together with unwholesome food, produce a great prevalence of fever
and dysentery, the native Californians make use of a singular remedy.
It is called the temascal; being a sort of hot air bath, shaped
something like a sentry-box. It is built of wicker-work, and
afterwards plastered with mud until it becomes air tight. The mode of
application of this remedy is as follows:--A large fire is built close
up to the door of the structure--a narrow aperture, just large enough
for a man to squeeze through. This is allowed to burn itself out,
having while burning, heated to a very high degree the air in the
interior of the box. Into this the patient screws himself, and there
remains until a profuse perspiration is produced, which is checked
suddenly by a plunge into the chilly waters of the river. This is of
the nature of a Thompsonian remedy.
The absorbing interest with which the gold-seekers proceed in their
work is admirably depicted by one of the adventurers, in a book
published after his return.[8]
"Arriving on the _bar_, the scene presented to us was new indeed, and
not more extraordinary than impressive. Some with long-handled
shovels, delved among clumps of bushes, or by the side of large rocks,
never raising their eyes for an instant; others with pick and shovel
worked among stone and gravel, or with trowels searched under banks
and roots of trees, where, if rewarded with small lumps of gold, the
eye shone brighter for an instant, when the search was immediately and
more ardently resumed. At the edge of the stream, or knee deep and
waist deep in water, as cold as melted ice and snow could make it,
some were washing gold with tin pans or the common cradle rocker,
while the rays of the sun were pouring down on their heads, with an
intensity exceeding any thing we ever experienced at home, though it
was but the middle of April.
"The thirst for gold and the labor of acquisition overruled all else,
and totally absorbed every faculty. Complete silence reigned among the
miners; they addressed not a word to each other, and seemed averse to
all conversation. All the sympathies of common humanity, all the
finer and noble attributes of our nature seemed lost, buried beneath
the soil they were eagerly delving, or swept away with the rushing
waters that revealed the shining treasure."
This extract is suggestive of considerable reflection. The same amount
of attention given to any pursuit must produce results equally as
satisfactory as that given to gold-seeking. But gold carries with it
such obvious enjoyments to the grosser minds, that the pursuit of it
alone can attract their attention sufficiently to effect any thing
considerable. Could the pure enjoyments connected with the practice of
virtue be made as obvious to all minds, the result would be something
at which the philanthropist might rejoice.
The extremes of heat and cold, during the summer, in the valleys and
_cañons_ of the gold region, are very remarkable. From nine o'clock in
the morning till five in the afternoon, the heat is almost
intolerable. The sun's rays pour down through an atmosphere clear and
dry, and their power is increased by reflection from the sides of the
_cañons_ and mountains, and from the surface of the streams. During
the night, the air becomes so cold as to render blankets very
serviceable. This is caused by the waters of the different streams
rising during the night, their volume being increased by the melting
of the snows of the Sierra Nevada, by the heat of the previous day.
Thousands of Indians, belonging to the Snake, Shoshonee, and Crow
tribes, are at work at the mines. They are generally employed by some
of the wealthy white men, and are paid in provisions and a sort of
liquor made from California grapes, called pisco. What money or gold
they get for themselves is spent in gambling--a vice to which they are
most excessively addicted. Instances are not few of their having
staked the produce of their labor during some weeks subsequent to the
game. Many of the Indians desire no other pay than as much pisco as
they can drink, with a little acorn bread.
The native Californians form a goodly proportion of the gold-seekers.
Many of the men are accompanied by their wives, who are attended by
Indian girls. The graceful Spanish costume of the Californians adds
quite a feature to the busy scene at the mines. There may be seen the
long, lank forms of the Yankees, with their wide white trousers and
straw hats; the half-naked Indians; the native born Californians, with
their dusky visages and lustrous black eyes. The latter are generally
clad in a short, tight jacket, with lace trimming, and velvet
breeches, with a silk sash fastened round the waist. With regard to
the appearance of the women, and, also, for the sake of the
description of one of the evening entertainments in the gold region,
we quote from a recent tourist, to whom we have been indebted
before.[9]
"The appearance of the women is graceful and coquettish. Their
petticoats, short enough to display in most instances a well-turned
ankle, are richly laced and embroidered, and striped and flounced with
gaudy colors, of which scarlet seems to have the preference. Their
tresses hang in luxuriant plaits down their backs; and in all the
little accessories of dress, such as earrings, necklaces, &c., the
costume is very rich. Its distinguishing feature, however, is the
_reboso_, a sort of scarf, generally made of cotton, which answers to
the mantilla of Old Spain. It is worn in many different and graceful
fashions--sometimes twined round the waist and shoulders; at others,
hanging in pretty festoons about the figure, but always disposed with
that indescribable degree of coquettish grace which Spanish women have
been for ages allowed to possess in the management of the fan and the
mantilla. Since these arrivals, almost every evening a fandango is got
up on the green, before some of the tents. The term fandango, though
originally signifying a peculiar kind of dance, seemed to be used here
for an evening's dancing entertainment, in which many different _pas_
are introduced. I was present at a fandango a few nights ago, when a
couple of performers were dancing 'el jarabe,' which seemed to consist
chiefly of a series of monotonous toe and heel movements on the
ground. The motions of the foot were, however, wonderfully rapid, and
always in exact time to the music. But at these entertainments the
waltz seems to be the standing dish. It is danced with numerous very
intricate figures, to which however, all the Californians appear quite
_au fait_. Men and women alike waltz beautifully, with an easy,
graceful swinging motion.
"It is quite a treat, after a hard day's work, to go at nightfall to
one of these fandangos. The merry notes of the guitar and the violin
announce them to all comers; and a motley enough looking crowd, every
member of which is puffing away at a cigar, forms an applauding circle
around the dancers, who smoke like all the rest. One cannot help being
struck by the picturesque costume and graceful movements of the
performers, who appear to dance not only with their legs, but with all
their hearts and souls. During the interval between the dances,
coffee is consumed by the senoras, and the coffee with something
stronger by the senors; so that, as the night advances, the merriment
gets, if not 'fast and furious,' at least animated and imposing."
The dangers which the adventurers are subjected to encounter are often
increased by the hostility of the Indians. These, however, only molest
those who are daring enough to frequent the outskirts of the gold
region. There the Indians are treacherous, and will attack small
parties, even after smoking the pipe of peace with them. Their
principal weapons are bows and arrows; for though many of them have
guns in their possession, the scarcity of ammunition prevents them
from using them to any purpose. The following description of an
encounter with them by a small party, encamped in the valley of the
Bear River, then seldom frequented by white men, will give an idea of
their mode of attack:
"We were just on the point of returning to the camp to dinner, when
Dowling, who was standing near some sage bushes at the upper part of
the ravine, heard a rustling among them, and on moving in the
direction of the noise saw an Indian stealthily creeping along, who,
as soon as he perceived he was discovered, discharged an arrow which
just missed its mark, but lacerated, and that rather severely,
Dowling's ear. The savage immediately set up a most terrific whoop,
and ran off, but tumbled before he could draw another arrow from his
quiver, while Dowling, rushing forward, buried his mattock in the head
of his fallen foe, killing him instantaneously.
"At this moment we heard the crack of a rifle in the direction of the
camp, which, with the Indian's whoop at the same moment, completely
bewildered us. Every man, however, seized his rifle, and Dowling,
hastening towards us, told us of what had just occurred. All was still
for the next few moments, and I mounted a little hill to reconnoitre.
Suddenly I saw a troop of Indians, the foremost of them on horseback,
approaching at full speed. I hastily returned to my companions, and we
sought shelter in a little dell, determined to await there, and resist
the attack, for it was evident that the savages' intentions were any
thing but pacific.
"It was a moment of breathless excitement. We heard the tramp, tramp
of the horses coming on towards us, but as yet, they and their riders
were concealed from our view. I confess I trembled violently, not
exactly with fear, although I expected that a few moments would see us
all scalped by our savage assailants. It was the suddenness of the
danger which startled me, and made my heart throb violently; but at
that moment, just as I was reproaching myself with the want of
courage, a terrific yell rung through the air at a short distance from
us, and forty or fifty warlike Indians appeared in sight. My whole
frame was nerved in an instant, and when a shower of arrows flew
amongst us, I was the first man to answer it with a rifle-shot, which
brought one of the foremost Indians off his horse to the ground. I
instantly reloaded, but in the mean while the rifles of my companions
had been doing good service. We had taken up our position behind a row
of willow trees which skirted the banks of a narrow stream, and here
we were protected in a great measure from the arrows of our
assailants, which were in most cases turned aside by the branches. A
second volley of rifle-shots soon followed the first; and while we
were reloading, and the smoke had slightly cleared away, I could see
that we had spread consternation in the ranks of the Indian warriors,
and that they were gathering up their wounded preparatory to retiring.
I had my eye on an old man, who had just leaped from his horse. My
finger was on the trigger, when I saw him coolly advance, and, taking
one of his wounded companions, who had been shot through the leg, in
his arms, place him on a horse, then mounting his own, and catching
hold of the other animal's bridle, gallop off at full speed. Although
I knew full well that if the fortune of the day had gone against us,
these savages would not have spared a single man of our party, still I
could not find it in my heart to fire on the old chief, and he carried
off his wounded comrade in safety.
"In a few minutes the hill-sides were clear, and when we emerged from
our shelter, all that was visible of the troop of warriors was three
of them weltering in their blood, a bow or two, and some empty
quivers, and a few scattered feathers and tomahawks, lying on the
ground."
The grizzly bear is also one of the terrors encountered by the
gold-seekers. This animal grows to the size of four feet in height and
six in length. It is one of the most ferocious animals of North
America. Mules and cattle of various kinds, and even men, are attacked
by it, and its great strength generally enables it to come off with
its prey. Great quickness and courage are absolute essentials of those
who hunt these animals, or encounter them accidentally. An adventure
of two or three gold-seekers, on their road to the mines, accidentally
meeting with a grizzly bear, is thus shortly detailed in the journal
of a returned adventurer.[10]
"About half way from the _rancheria_ a loud braying, followed by a
fierce growl, attracted our attention, and in a few moments a
frightened mule, closely pursued by an enormous grizzly bear,
descended the hill-side within forty yards of where we stood leaning
on our rifles. As the bear reached the road, Higgins, with his usual
quickness and intrepidity, fired, and an unearthly yell from the now
infuriated animal told with what effect. The mule in the interval had
crossed the road, and was now scampering away over the plains, and
Bruin, finding himself robbed of his prey, turned upon us. I levelled
my rifle and gave him the contents with hearty good will, but the
wounds he had received only served to exasperate the monster, who now
made towards us with rapid strides. Deeming prudence the better part
of valor, we ran with all convenient speed in the direction of the
camp, within a hundred yards of which my foot became entangled in the
underbrush, and I fell headlong upon the earth. In another instant I
should have fallen a victim to old Bruin's rage, but a well-directed
ball from my companion's rifle entered his brain and arrested his
career. The whole party now came to our assistance and soon despatched
Mr. Grizzly. Dragging him to camp, we made a hearty supper from his
fat ribs, and, as I had probably been the more frightened of the two,
I claimed as an indemnity his skin, which protected me afterward from
the damp ground many a cold night. He was a monstrous fellow,
measuring nearly four feet in height, and six in length, and a stroke
from his huge paw would, had he caught us, have entirely dissipated
the golden dreams of Higgins and myself."
The same writer gives quite a graphic description of an attack of the
scourge of the miners, the disease called scurvy. He says:
"I was again dreaming of fortune and success, when my hopes were
blasted by an attack of a terrible scourge that wrought destruction
through the northern mines during the winter of 1848. I allude to the
land scurvy. The exposed and unaccustomed life of two-thirds of the
miners, and their entire subsistence upon salt meat, without any
mixture of vegetable matter, had produced this disease, which was
experienced more or less by one-half of the miners within my
knowledge. Its symptoms and progress may not be uninteresting. It was
first noticed in the 'Dry Diggings,' where, about the middle of
February, many persons were rendered unable to walk by swellings of
the lower limbs, and severe pains in them. It was at first supposed to
be rheumatism, and was treated as such. But it withstood the most
powerful applications used in that complaint, and was finally decided
to be scurvy. So long as the circumstances which caused it continued,
the disease made rapid progress. Many, who could obtain no vegetables,
or vegetable acids, lingered out a miserable existence and
died,--while others, fortunate enough to reach the settlements, where
potatoes and acids could be procured, recovered. I noticed its first
attack upon myself by swelling and bleeding of the gums, which was
followed by a swelling of both legs below the knee, which rendered me
unable to walk; and for three weeks I was laid up in my tent, obliged
to feed upon the very articles that had caused the disease, and
growing daily weaker, without any reasonable prospect of relief. There
were, at that time, about eight hundred persons at work on the river,
and hoping to get some medicine, I despatched one of my companions
one morning, with instructions to procure me, if possible, a dose of
salts, and to pay for it any price that should be asked. He returned
at night with the consoling news that he had failed, having found only
two persons who had brought the article with them, and they refused to
sell it at any price.
"I was almost in despair; with only a blanket between myself and the
damp, cold earth, and a thin canvas to protect me from the burning sun
by day, and the heavy dews by night, I lay day after day enduring the
most intense suffering from pain in my limbs, which were now becoming
more swollen, and were turning completely black. Above me rose those
formidable hills which I must ascend ere I could obtain relief. I
believe I should have died, had not accident discovered the best
remedy that could have been produced. In the second week of my
illness, one of our party, in descending the hill on which he had been
deer hunting, found near its base, and strewn along the foot-track, a
quantity of beans which sprouted from the ground, and were in leaf.
Some one, in descending the hill with a bag of them on his back, had
probably dropped them. My companion gathered a quantity and brought
them into camp. I had them boiled, and lived entirely on them for
several days, at the same time using a decoction of the bark of the
spruce tree. These seemed to operate magically; and in a week after
commencing the use of them, I found myself able to walk,--and as soon
as my strength was partially restored, I ascended the hill, and with
two companions walked into Culoma; and by living principally upon a
vegetable diet, which I procured by paying three dollars per pound for
potatoes, in a very short time I recovered."
Thus life in the gold region is made up of variety and contrast.
Sometimes the diggers and washers pass weeks busily engaged at their
toilsome occupation, without the monotony of the time and scene being
disturbed. Again, adventures and exciting incidents will be plentiful
and various. At one time, pleasant weather and fandangos offer easy
enjoyment; at another, extremes of weather, hard work, and bad food
render the life of the miner almost intolerable. Frequently, the
gold-seeker chances to meet spots that yield ample reward for his
toil; and often he works beneath the fierce rays of a broiling sun,
while his legs are in chilly water, and his day's toil scarce yields
more than enough to pay for his living. The trading-posts, situated at
and near the mines, do a far more certain and an equally profitable
business. They are generally the establishments of shrewd, speculating
Yankees, who know what sort of labor is requisite to make a
gold-seeker successful, and prefer to trust to the profits of
bargaining in provisions and mining necessaries for gold.
That the country is pregnant with an enormous quantity of the precious
metal is unquestionable. But that severe and weakening labor, together
with tough constitutions, are indispensable requisites for procuring
it, scarcely admits of a doubt. Very few spend any considerable time
in working at the "diggings," who do not suffer from exposure, and
lose a portion of their constitutional stability. So far, all attempts
at the construction of machines for washing the gold from the sand,
have been of little avail. Machines have been invented and carried out
to the gold region by some of the numerous companies, which, upon
trial, have soon been abandoned for the "cradle," and common wash
pan; but still, the field for invention is open, and the labor now
necessary for procuring the gold is susceptible of considerable
diminution. Of course, the means of transporting provisions and other
necessaries to the mines are constantly improving, as the country is
becoming settled; and thus, one great source of privation and disease
is rapidly diminishing.
FOOTNOTES:
[6] Four Months Among the Gold Finders of California, by J. Tyrwhitt
Brooks, M.D.
[7] Personal Adventures in Upper and Lower California, by William
Redmond Ryan.
[8] Sights in the Gold Region, or Scenes by the Way, by Theodore T.
Johnson.
[9] Four Months Among the Gold Finders of California, by J. Tyrwhitt
Brooks, M.D.
[10] Six Months in the Gold Mines, by E. Gould Buffum
CHAPTER VIII.
DESCRIPTION OF SOME OF THE CITIES AND TOWNS OF CALIFORNIA,
BEFORE AND AFTER THE DISCOVERY OF THE GOLD MINES.
At the time of the discovery of the existence of gold in the region of
the Sacramento, San Francisco was a very inconsiderable town. As soon
as the news of the discovery was spread among its inhabitants, it
became almost deserted. Indeed, at one time, there was only seven male
inhabitants left in the town. The site of the present city of San
Francisco was not then occupied by more than fifty houses in all.
These were occupied by a few foreign merchants and some native
Californians. The houses were rudely constructed, the principal
materials being adobés, or unburnt bricks. They were generally one
story high, and most of them were erected near the beach; while at the
rear of the "town," was a sandy plain terminated by a range of hills.
But as soon as the news of the gold discovery reached the United
States, and other countries, companies for mining purposes were
immediately formed, and emigrants soon crowded every route to the
"Land of Promise." Then San Francisco began to be the great receptacle
of the emigrants and the merchandise of various kinds necessary for
their maintenance. The following is a very complete picture of the
city after the spreading of the gold news, and the flood of emigration
had commenced.
"Numberless vessels, mostly from the United States, filled the bay, in
front of San Francisco, many of them being deserted by their crews,
and unable to procure others to take their places. On landing, I had
to clamber up a steep hill, on the top of which, and opposite to where
I stood, was a large wooden house, two stories high, and scarcely half
finished. In the rear of this, rose another and a steeper hill, whose
slopes were covered with a multiplicity of tents. To my right, ran a
sort of steep, or precipice, defended by sundry pieces of cannon,
which commanded the entrance to the harbor. I next came to the
'Point,' and, crossing it, found myself within the town.
"The first objects that attracted my notice were several canvas
houses, measuring from ten to forty feet square, some being
grog-shops, others eating establishments, and the larger set apart as
warehouses, or places of storage. The proprietors of the latter were
making enormous sums by the accommodation their tents afforded to the
hundreds of travellers who were arriving every day from different
parts, and who, being extremely embarrassed as to what they should do
with their luggage, were heartily glad to find any safe place to store
it in, and content to pay for the convenience.
"The spectacle which the beach presented from a convenient opening,
whence I could comprise the whole at a glance, was singularly
interesting and curious. A crowd of individuals, in motley garb, and
of every variety of race, might be seen pressing eagerly upward
towards the town, jostling and pushing one another, in their anxiety
to be first, yet looking eagerly about them, as if to familiarize
themselves at once with the country of their adoption. Here were
dandies from the United States and from France, picking their steps
mincingly, as they strove to keep pace with the sturdy fellows who
carried their luggage; their beaver hats, fashionable frock-coats,
irreproachable and well-strapped pantaloons, exciting the derisive
remarks of the spectators, the majority of them 'old Californians,'
whose rough labor at the 'diggins' had taught them to estimate such
_niaiseries_ at their proper value. By their side stalked the stately
and dignified Spaniard, covered with his broad-brimmed, low-crowned
_sombrero_, and gracefully enveloped in his ample _serapa_, set off by
a bright scarlet sash. He turns neither to the right nor to the left,
nor heeds the crowd about him, but keeps on the even tenor of his
way--though even he has occasionally to jump for it--presenting, in
his demeanor and costume, a striking contrast to the more bustling
activity of the Yankees, who are elbowing every one, in their anxiety
to go a-head. A lot of shopboys, too--mere lads, as spruce and neatly
attired as though they had just stepped out of some fashionable
emporium, mingle with the rest, and, as they enter the town, strike up
the popular parody--
'Oh, California. That's the land for me!
I'm bound for the Sacramento, with
The wash-bowl on my knee.'
And presently, their brother-adventurers, excited by hopes of the
wildest kind, join vociferously in chorus, in the exuberance of their
joy.
"A group of Englishmen, muscular in form, and honest in feature, are
chaffering with the keen-witted Yankee porters for the carriage of
their luggage. There is an air of dogged resolution about them, that
plainly indicates they will not submit to what they evidently consider
an imposition. Such a sum for so slender a service! Well, then, they
can carry their baggage themselves: so they will; and, quickly
shouldering it, some depart in the track of the rest, whilst two or
three remain behind, to watch what is left, until their friends
return. They are manifestly well known to one another, and seem to be
almost intimate; the voyage has made them friends.
"Here come a number of Chilians and Peruvians, and a goodly number of
natives from the Sandwich Islands. A couple of Irishmen, too! I know
them by their vivacity, and by the odd trick they have of getting into
every body's way; to say nothing of their broad, merry faces. Their
property is in common, it seems; for they have only one small pack
between them.
"Here come ten or a dozen plainly but comfortably dressed mechanics;
hard-working men they seem, and just the sort of persons to make their
way in a country where the artisan occupies his proper position, and
where honest toil--and dishonest, too, sometimes--is almost certain to
reap a harvest. Far differently will you fare, and far preferable,
too, will be your lot, in regions where privation is the rule, to that
of many amongst your numerous fellow-travellers, unaccustomed as they
are to laborious occupations--with frames uninured to fatigue, and
constitutions unhabituated to scanty fare, to exposure to heat and
cold, and wet and sudden changes! Whilst you are succeeding in your
object, they will grow wearied, disappointed, and home-sick, and long
to be back again on the theatre of their former struggles.
"The human stream ceases not to flow from the vessels in the harbor;
no sooner is one boat-load disposed of than another arrives, and so
on, until the town is gorged with new-comers, who, after a few days'
sojourn, to recruit their strength, after the fatigues of a long and
irksome voyage, depart, and are seen no more for months; many,
perhaps, never to return. Very few of this vast multitude deserve the
epithet of poor. To get here at all requires money; and to maintain
one's self after getting here, the emigrant must have some little
means.
"The majority of the emigrants are men occupying a respectable station
in society; some are even distinguished in their calling; but the
eager desire of making a fortune in a hurry has induced them to throw
up good employments and comfortable homes; to leave friends,
relatives, connexions, wife, children, and familiar associations, to
embark their strength, intelligence, and activity, in this venture.
All is bustle where they have landed: boats going to and fro; rafts
slowly discharging their cumbrous loads; porters anxiously and
interestedly civil; all excited; all bent on gain; ships innumerable
in the bay; mountains around; a clear, blue sky above; and the bright
waters dancing in the sun, until they touch the horizon in the
distance, blending their brightness with his golden track.
"I walked on until I came up to a group of men, who, like myself, were
looking on the busy scene before us with no small degree of interest.
I recognized amongst them two of the volunteers, with whom I forthwith
claimed acquaintance. The whole party had come from the mines, as was
easily to be seen from their appearance, which was something the worse
for wear, their countenances being weather-beaten and bronzed by
exposure; whilst their attire, consisting of buckskin coats, leather
leggings, and broad-brimmed hats, denoted the sort of labor in which
they had been recently engaged. I learned from them, in the course of
a subsequent conversation, that they had all of them been successful
at the 'diggings.' One of the number had made, or 'picked,' two
thousand dollars, and the rest, from that to nine thousand dollars
each, within the space of a few months. With this, however, they were
far from satisfied, most of them being determined to realize a large
fortune before they quitted the country; for not one of them seemed to
have the remotest intention of settling.
"The party had come down from the mines to make purchases, and to
enjoy a little recreation. They were admirable specimens of their
class--hardy in appearance and rough in demeanor; but shrewd, withal,
and toil-enduring. For the moment, their conversation turned upon the
prospects of the newly-landed emigrants--for I should have stated that
there were one or two arrivals in the harbor--and they were unsparing
of their remarks upon such of the new comers as by their dress, or any
physical peculiarity, offered a fair target for their witticisms,
which were not less pointed than coarse.
"The discovery of the gold mines, has done at once for San Francisco
what it was reasonable to anticipate time only could have effected;
and its progress in importance has far outstripped the most sanguine
expectations which could be based upon any hypothesis hazarded on the
strength of its admirable position and facilities for trade.
Nevertheless, its growth seems unnatural; and, looking at it as I saw
it then, it left on my mind the impression of instability, so
marvellous was it to gaze upon a city of tents, wood, and canvas,
starting up thus suddenly, forming but a halting-place to the
thousands who visited it; having for citizens a large majority of
gamblers and speculators; and presenting of civilization but the
rudest outline, and some of its worst vices. It was impossible,
indeed, for an observer to contemplate San Francisco, at this
particular period of its history, and not to feel that every thing
about it savored of transition. A storm or a fire must have destroyed
the whole in a few hours; for every house, shed, or tent, had
manifestly been constructed merely to serve the end of the actual
occupier; they were all adapted for trading, but not a convenience or
a comfort appertained to them, to indicate a desire or an intention of
settlement. Every day brought new-comers, and added to the number of
ephemeral structures which crowded the hill-sides. Mechanics of every
description of calling were at work, earnestly, busily, and
cheerfully; and, whichever way I turned, there was bustle and
activity; yet, withal, I felt that such a state of things was unsound,
because resting on what was essentially speculative, and I doubted not
but a great change must come before the city could be regarded as
substantially advancing. Comprised at a glance, it presented no other
appearance save that of a confused crowd of tenements, of every
variety of construction; some high, some low, perched upon the steep
hills, or buried in the deep valleys--but still tents and canvas every
where and any where, their numbers defying calculation, their
structure and position all analysis. There existed neither wells nor
ponds within a very considerable distance; and what struck me as most
singular, being aware that the Spaniards had a mission here, there was
no sign of a church. I subsequently ascertained that the site of the
Mission of Dolores, about five miles distant, had been preferred by
the Spaniards, and that divine service was performed there still.
"As I proceeded along the road leading into the principal street of
the city, I was uncomfortably reminded that it would soon become
necessary for me to select a place where I could procure refreshment;
and in connexion with this necessity, arose another consideration no
less important, namely, where I should lodge? There was no other mode
of solving the difficulty, save by an exploration of the localities;
accordingly, I kept these objects in view, whilst I also gratified my
curiosity by continuing my perambulations.
"In this same road, but nearer to the entrance of the main street than
I should say was, under any circumstances, altogether pleasant, stood
the _correl_ of the Washington Market, being a spacious area of
ground, inclosed with stakes, over which were stretched raw hides.
Owing to the large number of cattle slaughtered here for the use of
the inhabitants, the odor from this place was insufferable, and I
quickened my pace until my olfactory organs became sensible of a purer
atmosphere.
"I turned into the principal street, and soon came up to the market
itself, which is a wooden house, about thirty feet square, kept by an
American. To my right, as I advanced, were some stores and hotels,
and a confectioner's shop of remarkably neat and clean appearance:
these were all one story, wooden buildings. One of the hotels was
appropriately designated as 'The Colonnade.' It was kept by a
volunteer named Huxley, and differed from every similar establishment
in the town, inasmuch as the proprietor allowed neither gambling nor
drunkenness on his premises. To this the 'Gotham Saloon,' a little
further on, offered a perfect contrast, for here there were several
_monté_ rooms and a large bowling-alley, where persons who had a taste
for the latter amusement might indulge in their favorite pastime for a
dollar a game. This saloon was likewise kept by two volunteers, as was
also the confectioner's by a fourth; so that three of the most noted
houses in the town were rented by men, who, a few months before,
scarcely possessed any thing save their enterprise and their industry,
but who were now on the high road to opulence. The more credit was due
to them, and others of their brethren whom fortune had similarly
favored, because, at first, they had deep-rooted prejudices to
encounter, which prudence and perseverance only could have enabled
them to overcome.
"I came next to the Square, or 'Plaza,' on one side of which, and
fronting it, stood the 'Miner's Bank,' established by a Mr. Wright, a
keen speculator, who had secured possession of a large extent of
landed property, which he was turning to the very best account. On the
left of the Plaza, I noticed a spacious-looking wooden building, two
stories high, called the 'Parker House;' but the handsome piazza in
front caused me to hesitate on the threshold; for I apprehended--and
not without reason--that, even in California, appearances must be
paid for; as, therefore, my purse was not overstocked, I prudently
sought a more modest establishment.
"I passed another hotel, similar to this one, but not quite so large,
and came presently to a low wooden house, of most unattractive and
unprepossessing exterior, which was dignified by the name of the
'_Café Français_.' As this seemed likely to suit my present
convenience, and to promise a scale of prices on a par with its
external appearance, I entered boldly, and seated myself at the
dining-table. I noticed, as I went in, that, notwithstanding the
poverty without, there was abundance within; the counter being
literally overcharged with French pastry, a variety of ingenious
culinary preparations, and some foreign liquors.
"After I had finished my repast, consisting of a beef-steak, two eggs,
and a couple of cups of coffee, I prepared to depart. I specify the
items of which my repast was made up, because of the price I paid for
them--namely, two dollars and a half. I was informed, on hazarding an
observation respecting the amount, that the charges were excessively
moderate, any thing in the shape of a dinner being usually charged one
dollar and fifty cents; half a dollar each for the eggs, which were
extras, was only a reasonable price for such luxuries, as they
frequently sold for double. I considered the information thus obtained
to be cheap, of its kind, and went away with a mental reservation not
to eat any more eggs in California, unless they were of another
description than the golden ones.
"As I repassed the 'Parker House,' the _hotel, par excellence_, of San
Francisco, I went in, knowing that, like all similar establishments,
there were the usual amusements going on within.
"This is not only the largest, but the handsomest building in San
Francisco; and, having been constructed at enormous expense, and
entirely on speculation, a concurrence of fortunate circumstances
alone, such as had followed upon the discovery of the gold mines,
could have insured its prosperity. It was now one of the most
frequented, fashionable, and firmly established hotels in the country;
and, in so far as it presented a model to the builders and settlers in
the town, was a signal illustration of the shrewdness and enterprise
of the Yankee character, and a standing credit to the projectors and
proprietors.
"It is built entirely of wood, and contains two very spacious
principal rooms; the one a dining-room, the other set apart for
billiards. Besides these, there are three saloons of lesser
dimensions, especially devoted to gambling, and two well supplied
bars--one below, to the right of the entry, the other in the
billiard-room. The portion of the hotel that is not set apart for the
usual offices and conveniences is divided off into innumerable
chambers, which are occupied by the superior classes of
emigrants--lawyers, doctors, money-brokers, _cum multis aliis_.
"The saloon contains two very handsome billiard-tables, which are
constantly occupied by players, chiefly Americans, some of them of
first-rate excellence. The charge was a dollar per game of a hundred,
and they were no sooner vacated by one party than another came in.
"The establishment contained nine gambling-tables, which were crowded
day and night, by the citizens and the miners; many of the latter
staking very large sums upon the turn of a card. The stakes, however,
varied from twenty-five cents to five thousand dollars; and the
excitement of some of the losers was frequently fearful to
contemplate. Some who gained largely prudently withdrew; and I was
informed that, a few days previously to my arrival, a new-comer from
the States, who was bound for the mines, having come into the saloon,
and tried his fortune at the _monte_ tables, luckily made twenty
thousand dollars, with which he returned home, by the steamer, two
days afterwards.
"The 'Golden Eagle,' (_l'Aguila d'Oro_) is another gambling
establishment, situated in one of the streets leading into the Plaza.
It is a canvas house, about fifty feet square, fitted up with the
requisites for play, and let out by the proprietor at the rate of
fifteen hundred dollars a month. Every available spot around the
tables was crowded to inconvenience by persons who were engaged deeply
in the game, the majority standing up and watching the chances with
countenances betokening the greatest excitement.
"I now proceeded to the City Hotel, a large but somewhat antiquated
building, constructed of _adobé_, after the Spanish fashion, but
hybridized by American improvements. The interior was even more
insufferable than the El Dorado, in respect of the boisterousness of
its frequenters. In the first room that I entered were five
gambling-tables, doing a 'smashing business'--a term employed,
somewhat in contradiction to its import, to denote prosperity. The
majority of the players were Americans and other foreigners,
intermixed with a goodly number of Spaniards of the lowest order.
There was the same excitement, the same recklessness, and the same
trickery here, as at the other gambling saloons, only infinitely more
noise and smoke, and swearing and inebriety.
"Here I met with another of the volunteers, who proposing a walk, we
went out together, and proceeded to the Plaza. I found a good many old
acquaintances set up in business at this spot; one, who had been a
captain, had recently turned money-broker, and now kept an office for
the exchange of coin and gold-dust, having entered into partnership
with a highly respectable and agreeable individual, of active business
habits, who promised to prove a great acquisition to the concern.
"We soon reached a low, long, _adobé_ building, situated at the upper
side of the square, and which my companion told me was the Custom
House. To the right of the Plaza stood the Saint Charles's Hotel, a
wooden edifice covered in with canvas, and the Peytona House, an
establishment of a similar description, in both of which we did not
fail to find the usual games carried on.
"The streets leading down to the water-side contain comparatively few
hotels or eating-houses, they being chiefly wood and canvas
trading-stores. I observed amongst them several newly opened auction
and commission-rooms, where goods were being put up, recommended and
knocked down in true Yankee style. An immense number of wooden
frame-houses in course of erection met our view in every direction;
and upon remarking that many of them appeared to have been purposely
left incomplete, I ascertained that this arose from the extreme
difficulty of procuring lumber, which, on account of its scarcity,
occasionally fetched an incredibly high price. A good deal of it is
brought from Oregon, and some from South America. Many of the larger
houses, but far inferior, notwithstanding, to such of the same kind as
could easily be procured in New York at a rental of from 300 to 400
dollars a-year, cost here at least 10,000 dollars to build them, the
lots on which they were erected being valued at sums varying from
30,000 to 50,000 dollars, according to the locality. Many spots of
ground, just large enough for a small trading-house or a tent to stand
upon, let at from 1200 to 2000 dollars.
"Amongst the various emigrants who daily flocked into the city--for
each day brought its fresh arrivals--were numerous Chinese, and a very
considerable number of Frenchmen, from the Sandwich Islands and from
South America. The former had been consigned, with houses and
merchandise, to certain Americans in San Francisco, to whom they were
bound by contract, as laborers, to work at a scale of wages very far
below the average paid to mechanics and others generally. The houses
they brought with them from China, and which they set up where they
were wanted, were infinitely superior and more substantial than those
erected by the Yankees, being built chiefly of logs of wood, or
scantling, from six to eight inches in thickness, placed one on the
top of the other, to form the front, rear, and sides; whilst the roofs
were constructed on an equally simple and ingenious plan, and were
remarkable for durability.
"These Chinese had all the air of men likely to prove good citizens,
being quiet, inoffensive, and particularly industrious. I once went
into an eating-house, kept by one of these people, and was astonished
at the neat arrangement and cleanliness of the place, the excellence
of the table, and moderate charges. It was styled the 'Canton
Restaurant;' and so thoroughly Chinese was it in its appointments, and
in the manner of service, that one might have easily fancied one's
self in the heart of the Celestial Empire. The barkeeper--though he
spoke excellent English--was a Chinese, as were also the attendants.
Every article that was sold, even of the most trifling kind, was set
down, in Chinese characters, as it was disposed of; it being the duty
of one of the waiters to attend to this department. This he did very
cleverly and quickly, having a sheet of paper for the purpose, on
which the article and the price were noted down in Chinese characters,
by means of a long, thin brush, moistened in a solution of Indian or
Chinese ink. As I had always been given to understand that these
people were of dirty habits, I feel it only right to state that I was
delighted with the cleanliness of this place, and am gratified to be
able to bear testimony to the injustice of such a sweeping assertion.
"As for the French, they seemed entirely out of their element in this
Yankee town; and this circumstance is not to be wondered at, when the
climate and the habits of the people are taken into consideration, and
also the strange deficiencies they must have observed in the ordinary
intercourse of life between the citizens, so different from the
polished address, common even amongst the peasantry in their rudest
villages; to say nothing of the difficulty of carrying on business
amongst a people whose language they did not understand. But their
universal goal was the mines; and to the mines they went, with very
few exceptions.
"Speaking of them reminds me of a '_Café Restaurant_,' in San
Francisco, kept by a very civil Frenchman, and situated on the way to
the Point. I mention it, because I one day made here the most
uncomfortable repast it had ever been my lot to sit down to. Yet this
was not owing to any lack of attention on the part of the proprietor,
to any inferiority in the quality of his provisions, or to any
deficiency of culinary skill in their preparation; but simply to the
prevalence of the pest to which I have already alluded as invading my
own tent, namely, the dust. The house was built chiefly of wood, and
had a canvas roof, but this was insufficient to keep out the
impalpable particles with which the air was charged, and which settled
upon and insinuated themselves into every article in the place. There
was dust on the counter, on the shelves, on the seats, on the
decanters, and in them; on the tables, in the salt, on my beef-steak,
and in my coffee. There was dust on the polite landlord's cheeks, and
in his amiable wife's eyes, which she was wiping with the corner of a
dusty apron. I hurried my meal, and was paying my score, when I caught
sight of my own face in a dusty-looking and dust-covered glass near
the bar, and saw that I too had become covered with it, my entire
person being literally encrusted with a coat of powder, from which I
experienced considerable difficulty in cleansing myself.
"Notwithstanding all I had seen of San Francisco, there yet existed
here a world apart, that I should never have dreamed of, but for my
being one day called upon to act upon a jury appointed to sit in
inquest over a person who had died there. This place was called the
'Happy Valley.'
"Previously to our repairing thither, we attended at the court-house,
to take the usual oath. Proceeding then through the lower part of the
town, we reached the beach, along which, by the water-side, we walked
for a distance of three miles--up to our ancles in mud and sand--until
we came to a spot where there were innumerable tents pitched, of all
sizes, forms, and descriptions, forming an irregular line stretching
along the shore for about two miles.
"The ground was, of course, low, damp, and muddy; and the most
unmistakeable evidences of discomfort, misery, and sickness, met our
view on every side, for the locality was one of the unwholesomest in
the vicinity of the town. Yet here, to avoid the payment of enormous
ground-rents, and at the same time to combine the advantage of cheap
living, were encamped the major portion of the most recently arrived
emigrants, and, amongst the rest, those of the ship Brooklyn, on one
of the passengers of which the inquest was about to be held.
"This, then, was the 'Happy Valley;' a term no doubt applied to it in
derision, taking into consideration the squalor, the discomfort, the
filth, the misery, and the distress that were rife there.
"I am satisfied that much of the crime and lawlessness that is
prevalent in California--particularly in towns like San Francisco,
where the ruder sex are congregated exclusively and in large
multitudes--is attributable to the want of the humanizing presence of
women. In San Francisco there were about ten thousand males, and
scarcely a hundred females; for, although in many parts of California
the latter outnumber the former, the national prejudice against color
was too strong for legitimate amalgamation to take place."
Such was San Francisco soon after the discovery of the riches of the
Sacramento region. From an insignificant settlement, sometimes the
resort of whaling-vessels, and of a few traders, it was quickly
transferred into a city, with an extensive and constantly increasing
commerce. In its streets and squares, erected where, just before, was
a desert plain, people of almost every nation were seen busily engaged
in traffic, or preparing for departure to the gold region. It seemed
the work of the enchanter.
Although, like San Francisco, _Monterey_ was almost deserted by its
inhabitants upon the receipt of information of the gold discovery, it
soon began to give signs of improvement. The bay, upon the shore of
which the town is located, is more exposed to the swell of the sea,
and to the north-west storms, than the Bay of San Francisco, and
therefore the harbor is inferior. Yet Monterey received a considerable
share of the tide of emigration. Those who stopped there were
generally persons who intended to make a permanent settlement, and
engage in mercantile pursuits; and, therefore, though the increase of
the town was not so rapid as that of San Francisco, it carried with it
more denotements of stability.
The town is situated on a short bend near the entrance of the bay,
upon its southern side. The point of land which partly protects its
harbor from the sea is called Point Pinos. A very neat and pretty
appearance is presented by the houses of the native Californians,
which are generally constructed of _adobés_ and white-plastered. Those
of the Americans are easily distinguished by their being built of logs
and planks, and presenting a more substantial, but rougher appearance.
The town is surrounded by hills, covered with lofty pine trees. Upon a
height which overlooks the town and harbor, a fort was built by the
Americans during the war with Mexico, and a military force continued
there till after the treaty of peace.
The country in the neighborhood of Monterey is fertile, and yields
ample reward to the agriculturist. There would, therefore, be no lack
of supplies of provisions, but for the indolence of the Californians,
owning the different _ranches_ in the surrounding country. From this
cause, great scarcity of provisions of all kinds is often the result.
Notwithstanding the additions made by Yankee enterprise and
innovation, the general manners and customs of the inhabitants of
Monterey retain all their old Spanish character; and some of the
customs of the natives, particularly their amusements, are heartily
joined in by the more susceptible of the new-comers. The fandango and
the serenade with the guitar, still hold their sway as freely and as
undisturbed as in old Spain. The winters are severely felt here. The
rain causes torrents of water to pour down from the hills in the rear
of the town, deluging the principal streets, and rendering their
passage almost impossible. During this period, the only resort of the
inhabitants for passing away the time is the vice of gambling, in
which they early become adepts. This gambling propensity, noticed
among the Californians, induced a considerable number of the initiated
to emigrate from the United States, and Monterey received a goodly
proportion of them. Such an increase of the population, however, could
not be considered desirable. Upon the whole, though in a less degree,
the effect of the golden attractions of California could be seen at
Monterey as at San Francisco. Though it did not spring at once from a
small settlement to a large city, it was considerably improved, and in
1849, it numbered more than a thousand inhabitants.
A short distance south of Monterey, is the town of _Santa Barbara_.
Its situation is one of the most beautiful in California. It is built
upon a plain ten miles in extent. In front is a broad bay, having a
smooth beach of nearly thirty miles in extent. On the right, towards
the water, is a lofty eminence rising nearly a thousand feet. Directly
back of the town is a range of almost impassable hills, running in a
diagonal direction. There is no harbor in the bay, and vessels are
obliged to anchor in an open roadstead; and when the south-east winds
prevail, they are in constant peril.
The progress of the town was not much affected by the gold mania. But
though it offers no attractions for mercantile or gold digging
purposes, it has others which will, no doubt, make it a favorite place
of residence. In 1849, it contained about one hundred and fifty
houses, built of _adobés_, and all one story in height. The town is
celebrated for being the residence of the aristocracy of California,
and for its beautiful women. Its inhabitants are principally
_rancheros_, who visit their _ranches_ two or three times in a year to
see to the marking and killing of their cattle, and then spend the
remainder of the year in the town, enjoying life as much as possible.
Indolence is the general vice. A horse to ride, plenty to eat, and
_cigaros_ to smoke constitute their _summum bonum_. Santa Barbara is
more celebrated for its fandangos than any other town on the coast.
These are open to all comers, and constitute the general pastime of an
evening. The climate is mild and spring-like, and, independent of the
attractions in the town, the surrounding country offers many of the
most beautiful rides in California. About a mile in the rear of the
town, at the top of a gentle slope, is the mission of Santa Barbara,
with its old, white walls and cross-mounted spires. The presiding
priest of California resides there, and a number of the converted
Indians still remain and cultivate the surrounding soil. The mission
is in a better condition than any other in the country.
_Ciudad de los Angeles_, or the City of the Angels, is situated a
hundred and ten miles south of Santa Barbara, at the end of an immense
plain, extending from the city twenty-five miles, to San Pedro, its
port. This is the garden spot of California. Before the discovery of
the gold mines, the City of the Angels was the largest town in the
country. It contains about two thousand inhabitants, most of whom are
wealthy _rancheros_, who dwell there to cultivate the grape. As in all
the towns of California, the houses are constructed of _adobé_ and
covered with asphaltum, which is found in great quantities near the
town. The northern section is laid out in streets, and is occupied by
the trading citizens; the southern section is made up of gardens,
vinyards and orchards, which are made extremely productive by
irrigating the soil with the water of a large stream running through
them. Many acres of ground are covered with vines, which, being
trimmed every year, are kept about six feet in height. In the fall of
the year, these vines are burdened with rich clusters of grapes; and,
in addition to these, great quantities of fruit of various kinds are
raised. The surrounding country abounds with game of all kinds. In the
rainy season, millions of ducks and geese cover the plains between Los
Angeles and San Pedro, while the neighboring hills abound with quails,
deer, elk, and antelope. The vineyards produce such quantities of
grapes, that many thousand barrels of wine and _aguardiente_--the
brandy of the country--are annually manufactured. The wine is of
various kinds; some of it being equal to the best produced in Europe.
The inhabitants of the City of the Angels, being generally of the
wealthy class of Californians, have always strongly adhered to the
institutions of Mexico. They offered the most strenuous resistance to
the American forces at the time of the conquest of California, but
were vanquished in two battles, and the city taken. All the customs
and amusements peculiar to the Spaniards and the countries which they
colonized, are here in full vogue. Music, dancing, singing,
slaughtering cattle, or gambling, are the usual pastimes of the
inhabitants. Yet, with these trifling occupations, attachment to the
Roman Catholic church and a careful observance of its ceremonies, is
characteristic of all. Upon the tolling of the bell, gaming, swearing,
dancing--every thing is stopped while the prescribed prayer is
muttered, and then all go on as before.
Though Los Angeles did not experience any increase of population
consequent upon the flood of emigration to California, its delightful
climate and its fertile soil are gradually procuring it such
consideration as will doubtless lead to the filling up of the
surrounding country.
_San Diego_ is the most southern town of Upper California. It is
situated on the coast, three miles north of the line separating Upper
and Lower California. The harbor is inferior only to that of San
Francisco. It is perfectly sheltered by land from the gales at all
seasons of the year. Vessels can lie within a cable's length of the
beach, there being no surf running upon it. The town is situated about
three miles from the beach, and is about the same size as Santa
Barbara. It is a place of far greater facilities and promise, however,
than the last mentioned town. San Diego has always been the most
important depot for hides, upon the coast; and there is no doubt that
an extensive inland trade will be carried on between it and the towns
in the interior, as the region of the Colorado and the Gila becomes
settled. Since the conquest of Upper California and the discovery of
the gold, the progress of the town has been rapid. From being an
inconsiderable settlement sustained principally by a mission, which
had early been established there, it has become a town of great
commercial promise. The climate being mild and pleasant, and the
surrounding country abounding in game and adapted for grazing, thus
making provisions abundant, San Diego is a very desirable place of
residence.
The town of San José is situated in a fertile valley, near the most
southern extremity of the Bay of San Francisco. On the south of the
town runs a small stream, and the place is surrounded by plains,
affording fine pasturage. Being situated on the direct route from the
southern ports to the gold mines, San José received a considerable
stimulus from their discovery. A profitable trade was soon
established, and the town improved very rapidly. It is now a town of
about four thousand inhabitants, and the increase still continues
rapid. In a greater degree than any of the older towns of California,
it has all the evidence of a thriving and progressive place. The
greater part of the buildings are constructed in a style which shows
the inroads of the taste of the people from the Atlantic States. A
number of Mormons settled here at an early period, and built a great
many neat wooden houses and cottages, which contrast favorably with
the heavy old _adobés_ residences of the native inhabitants. Flour and
saw-mills have been erected, but the scarcity of water is severely
felt by their proprietors.
San José in respect to climate and general abundance of the
necessaries and luxuries of life, is one of the most desirable places
of residence in California. Though situated a short distance inland,
and thus deprived of the facilities which contributed to the rapid
growth of San Francisco, the fertile plain surrounding it, and the
increase of the inland trade and travel will draw to the town and its
neighborhood a thriving, business population. The old mission of San
José is situated about ten miles from the town. The establishment and
the grounds belonging to it are in a state of decay. The population
there is about three hundred in number, most of whom are Indians, and
all of them in a degraded condition.
The emigration to the gold region caused many towns to spring up, as
if by magic, in its neighborhood, and on the route to it from San
Francisco. These were principally the stopping places of the
gold-seekers, or the seat of a trade in provisions and articles
manufactured in the States and transported thither. Some of these
towns have become of a size sufficient to warrant the assertion that
they will soon rival the cities of the Atlantic coast of the United
States. The progress of these places is aided by the enormous price of
real estate in San Francisco.
One of the most promising of the new towns is called Benicia. It is
situated on the Strait of Carquinez, thirty-five miles north of San
Francisco. The strait forms the entrance of Suisan into Pablo Bay.
The site of Benicia is a gentle slope, which, descending to the
water, becomes almost a plain. Vessels of the first class can lie at
anchor at its bank, and discharge their cargoes, and the harbor is
safe from violent winds. The town has been made the head-quarters of
the Pacific division of the United States army, and a site for a
navy-yard has been selected by Commodore Jones. The marks of
governmental favor show in what estimation the position of Benicia is
held. The town was laid out in 1848, by Robert Semple and Thomas O.
Larkin. Early in 1850, lots were selling at very high rates, and the
population numbered more than a thousand persons.
Between Benicia and Sacramento city, several towns have been laid out,
all in very favorable positions. The principal are--Martinez, on the
southern shore of the strait of Carquinez, nearly opposite Benicia;
New York of the Pacific, at the junction of the River San Joaquin with
the Bay of Suisan; Suisan, on the west bank of the Sacramento, at a
distance of eighty miles from San Francisco.
Next to San Francisco, Sacramento is the largest city in California.
It is situated on the eastern bank of the Sacramento River, one
hundred miles from San Francisco, and sixty-five from Suisan Bay. It
is located on a beautiful plain, which is not elevated more than ten
or twelve feet above the river at low water. This being insufficient
to protect it from the rise of the waters of the river, several
disastrous floods have occurred during the existence of the city. Up
to this point, the river is navigable for large class steamers. Ships
drawing not more than twelve feet of water may go up that far at all
seasons; and, besides these commercial advantages, Sacramento is the
natural trading depot for the richest portion of the mining regions.
Where the city of Sacramento now stands, at the time of the gold
discovery, there stood, "solitary and alone," a small fort. This
formed the nucleus, about which, at the commencement of the rush of
emigration, the town soon sprang into existence. Its increase has been
almost as rapid as that of San Francisco. During the rainy season of
the early part of 1850, the population numbered somewhere between
twenty and thirty thousand. But at that period, a considerable portion
of the gold-diggers made Sacramento and the other towns in the
neighborhood of the mines, their resort, to escape the severity of
spending the season at the open and exposed valleys of the gold
region. The city is regularly laid out, but its appearance evidences
the rapidity of its erection. The greater number of the houses and
stores in the neighborhood of the river are constructed of wood, while
the outskirts, particularly upon the south, are occupied by the tents
of the constantly-arriving overland emigrants. Before the commencement
of the last rainy season, the number of these emigrants reached two or
three thousand. They squatted upon the vacant lots which had been
surveyed and sold to other persons. This caused a considerable
agitation in the town, which continued till the disastrous flood swept
both the parties off the ground, and thus left the field clear for
another commencement. Sacramento is the grand receptacle of the
overland emigration, and this, combined with its commercial
facilities, will continue to give the city a superiority over the
majority of the other places in California.
Adjoining Sacramento city, is the town of Sutter. It is situated on
the highest and healthiest ground on the river. It is not, like
Sacramento, subject to an annual overflow. The town was originally
laid out by Captain Sutter and others; and is owned by Hon. John
McDougall, Lieutenant-Governor of California, and Captain Sutter. It
has a thriving business population, and its position, and the
fertility of the neighboring country will soon make it a place of
importance.
Stockton is to the southern portion of the gold region what Sacramento
is to the northern. It is situated upon a slough, or a succession of
sloughs, containing the back waters formed by the junction of the San
Joaquin and Sacramento Rivers. It is about fifty miles from the mouth
of the San Joaquin, and one hundred from San Francisco. The ground
upon which it is situated is high and is not subject to overflow.
Vessels drawing nine feet water can ascend the San Joaquin as far as
Stockton, and discharge their cargoes on the bank. In the latter part
of 1848, the town was laid out and a frame building erected by Charles
M. Weber. In eight months from that time, it contained a population of
about two thousand permanent residents, and a large number of
temporary residents, on their road to the mines. Communication is with
San Francisco by means of steamboats and launches, and the commerce of
the town is constantly increasing.
Other towns exist--on paper--in the neighborhood of San Francisco and
the gold region, and, doubtless, they will, in the course of time,
become settled by a thriving, go-ahead population from the Atlantic
States. Land speculation in California is as profitable a business as
gold-digging--and less toilsome. Many of the shrewd ones, who early
took advantage of this "tide in the affairs of men," have already
reached the goal of their hopes, an independent fortune. Those who saw
how things would turn out, and purchased land in the neighborhood of
the region which promised to receive the principal current of the
emigration to California, found themselves wealthy in the short space
of a few months.
The great influx of emigrants to Upper California has brought the
subject of the settlement of the peninsula into consideration. There
is but little doubt that Lower California will, sooner or later,
become the property of the United States, and then its settlement and
progress will be rapid. The coast upon the gulf affords many excellent
harbors, and the mountainous region of the interior gives abundant
evidence of mineral wealth, as far as it has been explored. Several
silver mines have been opened in different places, the principal of
which are at San Antonio, between La Paz and Cape San Lucas. Near
Loretto, the first settlement in California, extensive copper mines
have been opened, and lead and iron abound in all directions. The
pearl fishery of the gulf has already yielded an enormous wealth,
having been prosecuted from the time of the discovery of the
peninsula. The fishing season lasts from May till November, and more
than a hundred vessels are yearly engaged in the business. These
resources, despite the general unfitness of the country for
agricultural purposes, will soon attract their full share of
consideration, and cause an influx of emigrants and adventurers from
the United States and other countries. Some portions of the country
are susceptible of irrigation, and might thus be rendered fit for
cultivation.
The principal port of Lower California is La Paz, situated near the
mouth of the gulf. The bay on the shore of which the town is located,
is of great extent and beauty, and possesses a large number of rich
pearl oyster-beds--the pearl fishery having at one time supplied the
chief article of traffic on this part of the coast. The country around
the bay is elevated and picturesque, though rugged; the soil being
composed principally of rock and sand, wildly and irregularly covered
with the most prickly species of stunted bushes and shrubs of sunburnt
hue. The town of La Paz is neatly built and presents a pretty
appearance. The streets are lined with willow trees, and these meeting
overhead, form a delicious shade during the heat of the day. The
houses are all constructed of _adobés_, plastered white, and thatched
with the leaves of the palm tree. The beach is lined with palms,
cocoa-nut, fig and tamarind trees. La Paz was taken by the American
volunteers during the war with Mexico, and considerable destruction of
the orchards, gardens and houses of the town was the consequence. The
harbor offers great advantages for a naval station, and such,
doubtless, it will become.
San José, the most southern town of Lower California, is situated
about half-way between Cape San Lucas and Cape Palmo, on a sort of
desert plain, extending from the beautiful valley of San José to the
ocean. It is located about three miles from the beach, and is one of
the strangest creations in the shape of a town imaginable.
The heavy rains and freshets which occur in the wet season, in this
region, render every elevation invaluable as a preservative against
the dangers of sudden inundations; hence all the houses are built
upon steeps, rocks, and hillocks, necessarily irrespective of order;
so that, even in the most densely populated districts, barren hills,
as yet unoccupied by dwellings, are frequently to be met with, with
deep hollows in every part, converting mere visits into positive
enterprises, in most instances both tedious and disagreeable. To these
great natural disadvantages, the indolence of the inhabitants has
added others, their common practice being to dig for _adobé_ clay at
the nearest convenient spot, namely, for the most part, opposite their
own doors; thus, one would imagine that the site of the whole town had
been visited and disturbed by a succession of miniature earthquakes,
which, whilst they had left the houses themselves unshaken, had heaved
and perched them up in the most uncomfortable positions, and in the
most inaccessible places. In the very centre of the principal street,
which appears to have once upon a time been level, are three or four
immense clay-pits, serving as a receptacle for dead dogs, cats, bones,
vegetable refuse, and, in a word, every description of rubbish and
nuisance a very dirty population can convey to or discharge in them.
But a description of the town would be incomplete without adding that
it is dotted about in these hollows, and in the sand-holes in the
rocks, with patches of thorn, brush, and cacti, forming a singular yet
refreshing contrast with the general barrenness of the region itself,
the whole being surrounded by a bleak mountainous range, which
increases in elevation until it blends with the clear sky, far in the
distance.
The principal, indeed the only regular street in the town, is wide and
long, the houses being constructed of _adobés_ and cane, thatched with
palm leaves. It is blocked up at the remoter end by the fort, which
stands upon a wide foundation of rock of considerable elevation;
various portions of the _adobé_ walls connecting the crags having been
pierced, so as to allow artillery to be trained through the
embrasures, whilst, in other parts, there are numerous loop-holes for
musketry. There are some very awkward cavities amongst these rocks,
produced by digging for clay for the _adobé_ work. The fort is
flat-roofed and parapetted, having portholes for cannon; and below, in
the very centre of the building, occupying about a third of its entire
length, runs a thick wall, forming a crescent, well mounted with heavy
guns. At the end of this crescent, between it and the front wall, is
the entrance to the fort--a mere aperture, barely wide enough to allow
of one man's passing in.
These defences proved to be of great advantage to a small party of
Americans that landed at San José, during the war between the United
States and Mexico, and were compelled to take shelter in the old
quartel, or barracks. There they were surrounded by the Californians,
and stood a siege of several weeks', suffering incredible hardships.
The population of San José numbers about three thousand, the majority
being semi-Indians, or the pure descendants of the Mexicans. There is
little promise of any considerable increase in the size of the town,
owing to the natural disadvantages of situation.
The other towns of Lower California are--San Antonio, in the
neighborhood of an extensive silver mine, which has been worked for a
long time with considerable profit; Loreto, on the gulf coast, about
two hundred miles north of La Paz; San Domingo and Todos Santos, on
the Pacific coast. The latter town is situated on the bay of the same
name, and is the most northerly part of Lower California. The church
and mission buildings at this place are the largest and most imposing
structures of the kind in Lower California. The church has a handsome
front and a lofty steeple. The mission is the residence of the head of
the church in Lower California. There is every reason to believe,
that, when the richer portions of Upper California begin to get a
little crowded, the tide of emigration will be turned to the south,
and the ports of the peninsula will become of great commercial
importance. Then, if not before, the country will become the property
of the United States, either by way of purchase, or after the manner
of Texas.
CHAPTER IX.
THE FORMATION OF A STATE GOVERNMENT.
The state of things which induced the people of California to form a
state government deserves to be fully set forth. Their condition was
without precedent in history; and from a statement of that condition,
it will be seen that the framing of a constitution and the
organization of a state government was the only resource of the
Californians. The representations of the report of Thomas Butler King
to the government of the United States will not be contradicted, and
these we insert.
"The discovery of the gold mines had attracted a very large number of
citizens of the United States to that territory, who had never
been accustomed to any other than American law, administered by
American courts. There they found their rights of property and person
subject to the uncertain, and frequently most oppressive, operation of
laws written in a language they did not understand, and founded on
principles, in many respects, new to them. They complained that the
alcaldes, or judges, most of whom had been appointed or elected before
the immigration had commenced, were not lawyers by education or
profession; and, being Americans, they were, of course, unacquainted
with the laws of Mexico, or the principles of the civil law on which
they are founded.
"As our own laws, except for the collection of revenue, the
transmission of the mails, and establishment of postoffices, had not
been extended over that territory, the laws of Mexico, as they existed
at the conclusion of the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, regulating the
relations of the inhabitants of California with each other,
necessarily remained in force;[11] yet, there was not a single volume
containing those laws, as far as I know or believe, in the whole
territory, except, perhaps, in the governor's office at Monterey.
"The magistrates, therefore, could not procure them, and the
administration of justice was, necessarily, as unequal and fluctuating
as the opinions of the judges were conflicting and variable.
"There were no fee-bills to regulate costs; and, consequently, the
most cruel exactions, in many instances, were practised.
"The greatest confusion prevailed respecting titles to property, and
the decision of suits involving the most important rights, and very
large sums of money depended upon the dictum of the judge.
"The sale of the territory by Mexico to the United States had
necessarily cut off or dissolved the laws regulating the granting or
procuring titles to land; and, as our own land-laws had not been
extended over it, the people were compelled to receive such titles as
were offered to them, without the means of ascertaining whether they
were valid or not.
"Litigation was so expensive and precarious that injustice and
oppression were frequently endured, rather than resort to so uncertain
a remedy.
"Towns and cities were springing into existence; many of them without
charters or any legal right to organize municipal authorities, or to
tax property or the citizens for the establishment of a police, the
erection of prisons, or providing any of those means for the
protection of life and property which are so necessary in all civil
communities, and especially among a people mostly strangers to each
other.
"Nearly one million and a half of dollars had been paid into the
custom-house, as duties on imported goods, before our revenue laws had
been extended over the country; and the people complained bitterly
that they were thus heavily taxed without being provided with a
government for their protection, or laws which they could understand,
or allowed the right to be represented in the councils of the nation.
"While anxiously waiting the action of Congress, oppressed and
embarrassed by this state of affairs, and feeling the pressing
necessity of applying such remedies as were in their power, and
circumstances seemed to justify, they resolved to substitute laws of
their own for the existing system, and to establish tribunals for
their proper and faithful administration.
"In obedience, therefore, to the extraordinary exigencies of their
condition, the people of the city of San Francisco elected members to
form a legislature, and clothed them with full powers to pass laws.
"The communities of Sonoma and of Sacramento city followed the
example.
"Thus were three legislative bodies organized; the two most distant
being only one hundred and thirty miles apart.
"Other movements of the kind were threatened, and doubtless would have
followed, in other sections of the territory, had they not been
arrested by the formation of a State government.
"While the people of California were looking to Congress for a
territorial government, it was quite evident that such an organization
was daily becoming less suited to their condition, which was entirely
different from that of any of the territories out of which the new
States of the Union had been formed.
"Those territories had been at first slowly and sparsely peopled by a
few hunters and farmers, who penetrated the wilderness, or traveled
the prairies, in search of game or a new home; and, when thus
gradually their population warranted it, a government was provided for
them. They, however, had no foreign commerce, nor any thing beyond the
ordinary pursuits of agriculture, and the various branches of business
which usually accompany it, to induce immigration within their
borders. Several years were required to give them sufficient
population and wealth to place them in a condition to require, or
enable them to support, a State government.
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