Full text of "History of Solano County...and histories of its cities, towns...etc. .."

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HISTORY

SOLANO COUNTY

COMPRISING

ACCOUNT OF ITS GEOGRAPHICAL POSITION; THE ORIGIN OF ITS NAME;
TOPOGRAPHY, GEOLOGY AND SPRINGS; ITS ORGANIZATION; TOWN-
SHIP SYSTEM; EARLY SETTLEMENT, WITH DESCRIPTIONS OF
SCENES AS VIEWED BY THE PIONEERS, THE FIRST AMERI-
CAN ARGONAUTS OF CALIFORNIA; THE HEAR FLAG;
THE DISCOVERY OF GOLD ; THE PROGRESS OF
POPULATION AND AGRICULTURE; THE MENU
CAN GRANTS ; THE PRINCIPAL MURDERS ;
INCIDENTS OF SETTLEMENT, ELEC-
TIONS, AND TABLE OF COUNTY
OFFICERS, AND HISTORIES

OF ITS

CITIES, TOWNS, VILLAGES, CHURCHES, SCHOOLS,

SECRET SOCIETIES, ETC.

AS, ALSO,

A FULL AND PARTICULAR

BIOGRAPHY OF ITS EARLY SETTLERS

AND PRINCIPAL INHABITANTS.

ILLUSTRATED.

SAN FRANCISCO, CAL. :
WOOD, ALLEY & CO., EAST OAKLAND.

I«7 9 .

> . • « * .

THE NEW Y<

PUBLIC LLBR.

309719

ASTOR, LENOX t
TILDEN FOUNDATIONS.

R if. L

; ,*:."*• - Sk-N ^Pkancisco :

H. S. CROCKER & CO.
Stationers, Printers and Lithographers.

PREFACE

In presenting the following pages to our subscribers we will draw
their attention to the fact that reliability of data has been our aim,
rather than the elegance of diction and the verbiage of language.

It has in many instances been a matter of extreme difficulty, the
compiling the facts we have here put together. Want of precision
in the dates of the earlier occurrences in Solana county have been
found a great stumbling block, while a sequence of events has been
difficult to gain. Our task has been no easy one. What is there
more depressing than to be told in one's researches, " Oh, there is
nothing to write about here ;" or, " I have nothing to tell in my
biography," forgetting that no more interesting records exist than
those of the doings of the Argonauts of California, a record which
each and all should feel proud in perpetuating in some form that
will bear the brunt of time, and hand down their names and their
doings, even unto the third and fourth generation ; hence, our
Biographical Sketches will be found not the least interesting
portion of our work.

Doctor Levi Cornell Frisbie, of Vallejo, himself a pioneer of no
ordinary experience, has spontaneously penned us the following
letter, which we reproduce, not so much as a testimonial, but as a
proof of how our labors are appreciated by men of profession and
judgment.

Vallejo, May 23d, 1879.
Messrs. Wood, Alley & Co. :

Dear Sirs. — Your enterprise in collecting, preserving

and presenting in an enduring form facts and incidents connected

with the early history of Solano county, is one that pre-eminently

commends itself to the favor and support of all our people. Like

all Californians, and especially Solanoites, we are very proud of
our county, and believe we have the best climate, the most pic-
turesque scenery, and most fertile soil within the borders
of the State. So important was deemed this locality that
under the old Mexican regime was located here, the National Rancho
" Suscol," as being the finest grazing and best watered tract within
the whole Province, while adjoining this magnificent domain was the
extensive and fertile valley of Suisun, granted by the Mexican
Government to the great Chief, Solano, for the use and benefit of
his tribe, who were acknowledged to be by far the bravest and most
intelligent of all the California Indians, and proved ever to be the
staunch friend of the existing government, being often called upon
by General Vallejo to protect the property of the National Rancho
and the inhabitants of the adjoining Mission and town of
Sonoma, repelling by force immensely superior numbers of the wild
and savage tribes that inhabited the north as far up as the bound-
aries of Oregon.

Here, too, in early days, after the change of government, at the
city of Benicia was located the headquarters of the Pacific division
of our army, under command of General Persifer P. Smith ; and at
a little later day, at the city of Vallejo, the United States Navy
Yard, destined, when completed according to the projected plans, to
be the finest naval station in the world. On the western borders
of our county we have the beautiful land-locked harbors of Vallejo
and Benicia, large enough to accommodate the shipping of the
world, while along our eastern border runs the Sacramento river
and its numerous tributaries, furnishing admirable shipping facilities
for all the products of the county. The California Pacific Rail-
road, a branch of the " Great Central," traverses the entire length
of the county, and passes through all the considerable towns-
There is known to exist large bodies of cinnabar, coal, iron,
marble and building stone of superior quality. Medicinal springs,
thermal, chalybeate, and alterative are numerous throughout the

Vll

county, which have already become the resort of the invalid and
pleasure-seeker from every part of the State. We cultivate suc-
cessfully all the fruits and products of both temperate ■ and semi-
tropical zones, and, " sitting thus under our own vine and fig-tree '
are, as we ought to be, par excellence a happy and contented people.

Very respectfully yours,

L. Cornell Frisbie.

Of a necessity, where we were not afforded the requisite informa-
tion, it has been impossible to produce histories, notably in the
instances of those schools and churches under the rule of the
Catholic body, and the large flour mill of Messrs. A. D. Starr &
Co., the railroad corporations, and Wells, Fargo & Co's Express —
their omission has been no fault of ours.

In conclusion, we would tender our best thanks to those ladies
and gentlemen of Solano county who aided us ; more especially do
we offer our acknowledgements to Mrs. Thomas Brownlee and herrel-
atives, who were the first to give us a regular start in our
undertaking, while to the whole of the county officers, without
exception, and to Messrs. Wendell & Richardson, of the Vallejo
Chronicle, George Roe, of Ijhe Solano Times, C. F. Montgomery, of
the Solano Republican, Alfred B. Nye, of the Dixon Tribune, and
E. A. McDonell, .of the New Era of Benicia, for their kind assist-
ance, while such names as those of Messrs. Fitch, County
Surveyor, A. Dunn, County Clerk, G. A. Gillespie, Deputy County
Clerk. S. C. Gray, of San Francisco, L. L. Palmer, of Suisun, and
A. J. Dobbins, of Fairfield, should not be forgotten, nor indeed
should those of our own staff, Messrs. W. A. Slocum, W. N. Bowen,
and L. L. Bowen, to whom we are indebted for much valuable time

and information.

WOOD, ALLEY & CO.
East Oakland, July 1, 1879.

J. P. MuNRO FRASER, Historian.

INDEX

HISTORICAL.

Page.

History of Solano County 17

Geographical Situation and Area. 1 7

Topography 20

Geology 23

Springs, Soil and Valleys 24

Its Streams 25

Organization 26

Origin of the Township System
in the U. S. and its Extension

to California 26

Montezuma. 30-40-44

Suisun 39-42

Green Valley 31-39-41

Vacaville 31-42

Benicia 32-41

Vallejo 32-41

Tremont 34_40_43

County Seat Convention 34

Maine Prairie 39-43

Silveyville 42

Rio Vista 43

Denverton 44

Elmira 44

The Settlement 49

The American Pioneers of Cali-
fornia 53

Agricultural Lands 74

Grazing Lands 76

Swamps and Overflowed Lands. . 76

Mineral Lands 77

Timber 77

Live Stock 77

Improvements 78

Assessed Value of Property for

1876 80

Good Templars' Home for Or-
phans 81

White Sulphur Springs 88

Tolenas Springs 91

Marble Quarry 93

POLITICAL HISTORY.

Early Political History 103

Table showing the State, County,
and Township Officers from the
year 1850 to 1879, inclusive. . 121

MEXICAN GRANTS.

Page.

Suscol 130

Suisun 131

Tolenas 133

Los Putos 136

Rio Los Putos 136

Ulpinos 267 §

MURDER AND OTHER TRIALS.

The People vs. Edward Crocker. 137
The People vs. William Kemp .,. 138
The People vs. Beverley G. Wells 138
The Killing of Jonathan Cook by

George K. Mann 140

The People vs. Robert B. McMil-
lan 141

The People vs. Philander Arnold 141
The People vs. Joseph Zaesck. . . 142
The People vs. Merrill James. . . 142
The People vs. D. H. Fitzpatrick 143
The People vs. Frank Grady. ... 143
The People vs. William West-

phal 143

The People vs. D. G. Gordon. . . 144
The People vs. James Campbell

and Annie ' Robinson 144

The People vs. Pancho Valencia

and Guadalupe Valencia 144

The People vs. James Mall on. . . 145
The People vs. James Lawther. . 145

TOWNSHIP HISTORIES.

Benicia 146

Young Ladies' Seminary 171

College of St. Augustine 1 75

Benicia Lodge,No. 5,F. and A. M. 177

Benicia Chapter, No. 7, R. A. M. 1 78

Solano Lodge, No. 22, 1. O. O. F. 178

Pioneer Tannery 179

Benicia Tannery 180

Brown's Tannery 181

Pacific Cement Company 181

Benicia Brewery 182

Solano Hotel 182

Historical. — continued.

Page.

Vallejo 184

Methodist Episcopal Church 203

First Presbyterian Church 205

Church of the Ascension 206

First Baptist Church . 209

Advent Christian Church 211

Naval Chapter, No. 35, R, A. M. 212

Naval Lodge, No. 87,F. and A. M. 212
Solano Lodge, No. 229, F. and

AM 213

Golden State Lodge, I. O. 0. F. 213

Washington Lodge, No. 7, K. of P. 214
Sanioset Tribe, No. 22, I. O. of

KM 214

Farragut Post, No. 12, G. A. P. 215
Vallejo Lodge, No. 75, A. O. U.

W 216

Society of California Pioneers ... 216

Masonic Hall Association 217

Masonic and Odd Fellows Ceme-
tery 219

St. Vincent's Benevolent Society. 220-

Post Office 221

Homestead Association 221

Land and Improvement Co 222

City Water Co 223

Gas Light Co 224

• Bank of Vallejo 225

Savings and Commercial Bank. . 225

Pioneer Brewery 225

Empire Soda Works 226

Foundry and Machine Works. . . 226

Sash Factory 226

Solano Brewery 227

Pioneer Marble Works 227

Farragut Hall 227

Alert Boat Club 228

Bernard House 229

Howard House 230

Vallejo Chronicle 230

Solano Times 230

Vallejo Elevator 231

Carquinez Cemetery 235

Military Organizations 235

Fire Department 235

San Pablo Engine Co. No. 1 236

Vallejo Schools 236

Mare Island 247

Rio Vista 265

Geology, etc 266

Early Settlement 267

Rio Vista 272

Page

Rio Vista Lodge, No. 208, F.

and A. M 275

Rio Vista Lodge, No. 180, I. O.

O. F 275

River View Encampment, No. 6.

C. of R. C 275

Rio Vista H. & L. Co 276

Congregational Church 276

M. E. Church 277

Catholic Church 277

St. Gertrude's Academy 277

Public Schools 277

Newspapers 278

Business Directory 278

SlLVEYVILLE 280

Dixon 281

Silveyville Lodge, No. 201, F.

and A. M 282

Dixon Chapter No. 28, R. A. M. 282
Hyacinthe Rebecca Lodge, No.

26 282

Montezuma Lodge, No. 172, I. O.

O. F 282

Othello Lodge, No. 31, K- of P. 283

Dixon Lodge, I. O. G. T 283

Dixon Lodge, No. 50, A.O.U.W. 283

Bank of Dixon 283

Fire Company 283

Qatholic Church 284

M. E. Church South 284

M. E. Church , 284

Dixon Baptist Church 286

Dixon Tribune 287

Suisun 288

Suisun City 290

Fairfield 290

Court House and Jail 291

M. E. Church, Fairfield 294

Grace Church 294

St. Alphonsis Church, Suisun.. 295

Congregational Church, Suisun. 295

Suisun Lodge, No. 55, F & AM. 296

Suisun Lodge, No. 78, I. O. O. F. 297

Suisun Lodge, No. 49, A.O.U.W. 297

Bank of Suisun 298

Fire Department 298

Water Company 299

Suisun City Mills 299

Suisun Glee Club 301

Newspapers 301

County Hospital 302

Historical. — continued.

Page.

Denverton 303

Schools, Churches, etc 304

Denverton Lodge, I. O. G. T. . . 305

Maine Prairie 306

Lodge of Good Templars 308

Binghamton M. E. Church 309

M. E. Church 309

Cumberland Presbyterian Church 309

Montezuma 311

Collinsville 312

Schools and Churches 313

Vacaville 314

Vacaville 317

Vaca Valley and Clear Lake R.

R. Co../ 318

Page.

Baptist Church 318

Seventh-Day Advent 319

Christian Church " 319

Davis Hotel 319

California College 319

Green Valley 322

Cordelia 323

Bridgeport -. . . 323

Rockville 324

Elmira' 325

Elmira 325

I. O. O. E. of Elmira 326

A. O. U. W 326

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

VALLEJO.

Alvord, Luke

Anderson, M. D., Walter Duncan.

Aspenall, William

Ay 1 ward, Thomas

Bergwell, Gustaf

Bingham, George

Brooks, William S

Brown, Calvin

Brown, Samuel

Brownlie, Alexander J

Brownlie, James

Brownlie, John

Brownlee, Robert

Brownlee, Thomas

Butler, O. H

Callender, John

Carman, A. S

Colhoun, Edmund R., U. S. N. .

Condon, James

Connolly, Henry

Dare, John T

Deininger, F

Derwin, Michael S

Doyle, James

Drake, Simon S

Edwards, William P

Egery, B. D

Farnham, John

Forstenfeld, M

Frisbie, Eleazer

Frisbie, Gen. John B

Frisbie, Levi C

Frost, James, M. D

329

331

332

334

335

336

338

341

342

343

344

345

346

347

348

349

351

352

Gookin, Thomas P 352

Gorham, Abraham 352

Hanks, J. G 353

Harrier, Daniel W 353

Harvey, Hon. Joel A 354

Hilborn, Hon. S. G 355

Hobbs, Isaac 355

Hubbard, John E 357

Hubbs, Hon. Paul K 357

Hubbs, Charles H 364

Hunter James 365

Jefferis, P. E 366

Jones, Rev. Edward J 366

Kennedy, John E 367

Kitto, Samuel 367

Klink, Rev. K B 368

Kloppenburg, D. W 368

Lamont, James A 369

Mallett, George F., U. S. N 370

Much, George W., U. S. N 370

MacDonald, Rev. David F 371

McCudden, James 371

McDermott, Robert 372

McDonald, T. P 372

McDonald, William 372

McGettigen, Edward 373

Mclnnis, J. A 373

McKnight, Andrew 374

McKnight, A. J 375

McLeod, John C 375

McPike, A. J 376

Murphy, Charles 377

North, John 378

Xll

Biographical. — continued.

Page.

O'Brien, Thomas . 378

O'Grady, Frank 378

Pearson, Gustavus C 379

Powell, A 383

Richardson, H. D. 385

Robinson, A. T 386

Roe, George 387

Roney, .James 387

Saunders, James 388

Sheehy, Robert 389

Shirland, Frank , 389

Simonton, George W 391

Smith, James G 392

Steffen, J 392

Taylor, W. E., M. D . 393

Page.

Thompson, J. D 393

Thompson, H. M 394

Thornton, T. A 394

Tobin, J. F. . . 394

Vanderbilt, W. W 394

Walker, W 395

Ward, James 395

Weniger, Charles 396

Wentworth, John 396

Wilson, E. J 397

Wilson, John 397

Wilson, Joseph 397

Williston, J. E 398

Young, A. J . . 398

SUISTTN.

Alden, E. B ■ 399

Barbour, Nathan 399

Bateman, J. K 399

Bafceman, John M. K 400

Bauman, J. H 400

Chrisler, P. J , 400

Clayton, David J 401

Coghlan, O. R 401

Crocker, Asa 402

Davisson, Obediah 402

Davisson, W. G : 402

Downing, M. D., W. G 403

Dunn, Alexander 403

Edwards, James G 403

Fitch, William Wayne 404

Gillespie, Edgar Ferguson 404

Gillespie, George A 405

Goodwin, B. H 408

Gregory, John M 409

Green, George. 409

Haile, Hon.^R. C 4-10

Hale, David 411

Hammond, E. A 411

Hooper, Thomas P 412

Hoyt,W. K 412

Hubbard, Henry 412

Jones, John M 413

Kennedy, W. T 414

Kerns, J. W 414

Kinloch, John G 414

Lamont, George A 414

Le Gro, Richard P 415

Leithead, William 415

Lemon, John B 415

Manka, Christley 416

Marshall, Charles Knox 416

Maxwell, J. C 417

Miller, Allen C 417

Miller, John 4L7

Miles, James L 418

Murray, Alexander 419

McCreary, D 419

McDonald, D. C . 419

Palmer, L. L 419

Palmer, S. G 420

Pangburn, G. H 420

Pearce, John W 421

Perkins, E. D 421

Quick, W 421

Rice, Harvey 422

Richardson, J. B 422

Bobbins, R D 422

Robinson, W. H 423

Rush, B. F 423

Spence, M. D., A. P 424

Staples, Earnest H 424

Staples, F. O . 424

Stockman, D. E. (deceased) 425

Stockman, D. M 425

Swan, Hon. T. M 425

Turner, W. H 426

Taylor, W. H 427

Vance, M. D, James M 427

Vest, John ■. . . 427

Waterman, Robert H 428

Wells, James T 428

Wendell, J. F 428

Wing, Joseph (deceased) 428

Wing, Joseph Jr 429

Wolf, William 429

Wolfskill, Mathias 429

Woods, John 430

Berry, George M 430

Xlll

Biographical. — continued.
GREEN VALLEY.

Page.

Baldwin, J. M 431

Bihler, Henry 431

Hatch, A. T 431.

Humphreys, James H 432

Jewell, W. T 433

Paqk.

Jones, F. S 433

Pittman, C. J 433

Pierce, Lewis 434

Schultz, C. & Co 434

Wilson, Curtis 435

BENICIA.

Bennett, William F 436

Brown, John R ." 436

Burns, James 436

Chisholm, A 436

Clyne, James 437

Cummings, Francis 437

Dalton, Alfred 437

Demming, Captain John 438

Dillon, Patrick W 438

Durner, George Adam 439

Enos, Joseph 441

Fischer, Joseph 441

Gray, Samuel C 441

Hanbrick, Peter 441

Hastings, D. N 442

Hoyt, Joseph 443

Kinstrey, Thomas T 443

Kuhland, William 443

McKay, Thomas 444

McNally, Bernard 444

Mizner, L. B 444

Nichols, J. B 445

Nichols, William H 446

Opperman, Julius 446

O'Donnell, John 446

Peiin, Aaron 447

Preston, William E 447

Quigg, Charles 447

Raum, E. C 447

Riddell, George H 448

Rose, Elisha L 448

Rueger, John 448

Ryerson, A. P 449

Sage, Timothy 449

Spalding, Charles 450

Von Pfister, E. H 450

Walsh, Captain John 452

Westaby, Richard 453

VACAVILLE.

Ammons, Henry B 454

Baker, Geo. H 454

Bassford, H. A 454

Bassford, J. M 455

Brinck, H. W. . . , 455

Buck L. W 455

Campbell, Robt. G 455

Connelly, James 456

Cummons, John Harbert 456

Davis, W. B 457

Davis, I. F 457

Day, M. D., Edward W 457

Downey, D. M 458

Dutton, David D 458

Esquivel, A. M 459

Eversole, H 459

Elliott, J. M 459

Getchins, W. W 460

Johnson, W 460

Kidd, W. B. R 461

Korns, Levi 461

Long, S. W 461

Marshall, R C 462

Morton, Henry 462

Pena, Demetrio 462

Pleasants, W. J 462

Rogers, J. R 463

Scarlett, J. E 463

Seaman, H 463

Smith, W. W 464

Stahl, J 464

Thissell, G. W 464

Troutman, G. W 465

Wooderson, G. F 465

Elliot, G. T.

MAINE PRAIRIE.
466 | Tuck, J .

467

XIV

Biographical. — continued.
RIO VISTA.

Page.

Beguhl, H 468

Brown, D. B 468

Bruning, J 469

Butler, N. C 469

Carter, R. C 470

Currie, A 470

Dozier, W. G 470

Enrigh, T. P 471

Ferguson, Wni 471

Fiscus, J. B 472

Gardiner, J. H 472

Page

Gurnee, J 473

Johnson Capt. J 474

Menzies, T 474

Pietrzycki, M. D., Marcel 475

Pond, D. A 475

Sickal, M. T 475

Sidwell, J. M 476

Smyth, Hon. Michael 477

Squires, W. K 477

Stoll, C. M 478

ELMIRA.

Barrett, J. H 479

March, R. B 479

Melbourn, T 479

McMurtry, J 480

Wells, J. C 480

Wight, F. M 481

DENVERTON

Arnold, O. D 482

Barkway, R H 482

Buckley, T 482

Fotheringham, J 483

MONTEZUMA

Kerby, C 483

Nurse, S. K 484

Prevost, L 4*5

Arnold, J. W 486

Bird, J 486

Bond, J. C 486

Donell, W 487

Hooper, T. T 487

Hosking, W 488

Meins, R 488

Page, W 48*

Upham, E. J 488

Winter, H. E 489

TREMONT.

Asee, C. C.

490

Cloutman, J. F 490

Foster, Geo. W 491

Guthrie, B. J 491

Hyde, S. F 492

Hyland, W 492

Snead, S. M 493

SILYEYVILLE.

Brown, C. P 494

Coleman, N. B. S 494

Cotten, J. W 495

Currey, R. J 495

Dashiell, W. A 495

Dickson, T 496

Dinsmore, Rev. J. M 496

Dudley, J. M 496

Ellis, J. A 49"/

Frahm, G 497

Hall, R 498

Mack, D 498

Mayes, J. S 499

Merryfield, J. C 499

McKinley, G. C 499

McPherson, A 500

Nye, A. B 500

Reddick, H 500

Rohwer, H 501

Silvey, E. S 501

Simmons, Jr., Rev. J. C 501

Smythe, P \ 502

Timm, P 502

Udel, Dr. O. C 503

Weihe, E 503

LITHOGRAPHIC PORTRAITS.

Paoe.

Brownlee, Robert 96

Brownlie, John 208

Dudley, J. M 240

Dutton, D. D 80

Frisbie, Gen'l John B 48

Frisbie, M. D., L. C 160

Gillespie, George A 192

Hastings, D. N 272

Hilborn, S. G 64

Hobbs, Isaac 304

Page.

Hunter, James. . .' 416

McKinley, George C 176

McPike, A. J : 288

Mizner, L. B 144

Nurse, S. K 352

Palmer, L. L 336

Pearson, G. C 256

Powell, A 224

Sheehy, Robert 320

Vallejo, M. G 32

HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

GEOGRAPHICAL SITUATION AND AREA— DERIVATION OF NAME
OF COUNTY — ITS TOPOGRAPHY — GEOLOGY— SOIL,
SPRINGS— MINES— QUARRIES— VALLE YS,
WATER-COURSES, Etc., Etc.

Solano County has a position about midway between the northern and
southern extremities of the State of California, lying between thirty-eight
degrees, and thirty-eight degrees and thirty minutes north latitude, and
between one hundred and twenty-one degrees thirty minutes, and one hun-
dred and twenty -two degrees thirty minutes longitude west from Green-
wich. It is bounded on the north by the Rio de Los Putos, commonly
called Putah Creek — this stream beina; the dividing line between Yolo and
Solano counties ; on the east, for twenty miles, by the fresh water tules, or
marsh lands, adjacent to the Sacramento river, and in Yolo county. The
remainder of its eastern, and the whole of its southern boundary, is an un-
interrupted navigable water-front for the space of sixty-one miles — twenty-
five miles of which are on the Sacramento river, eighteen on Suisun bay,
six on the Carquinez straits, and twelve on Napa bay and creek. The
dividing ridges of the Napa mountains bound Solano on the west, and
separate it from Napa county.

The origin of the name of the county is thus described in a report to the
Legislature of California, in the year 1850, by General M. G. Vallejo, on the
derivation and definition of the various counties of the State. He thus
alludes to Solano: " This is the second name of the celebrated missionary,
Francis Solano, and was borne by the great chief of the tribes originally
denominated Suisuns, and scattered over the western side of the river Jesus
Maria, now Sacramento. The residence of this chief was the valley of the
Suisun, which is bounded by the hill near Suscol. Before receiving the
baptismal name of Solano, the chief was called Sem-Yeto, which signifies
the brave, or fierce hand. In 1817 a military expedition (under command
of Lieutenant Jose Sanchez, and by order of the commandant of San Fran-
cisco Jose Arguello), crossed the straits of Carquinez (on rafts made of
rushes, as there were no regular ferries in those days), for the double pur-
pose of exploring the country and reducing it to Christianity. On crossing
the river they were attacked by the Suisun tribe, then headed by their
chief, Malica, who caused them considerable loss. The Indians fought

18 THE HISTOKY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

bravely and to the utmost extreme, but they were in turn attacked with
such force and perseverance as to oblige them to retreat to their rancheria
(somewhere in the present Suisun valley), where, being still hotly pursued
and believing their fate sealed, these unfortunate people, incited by their
chief, set fire to their rush-built houses and perished in the flames with
their families. The soldiers endeavored to stay their desperate resolution,
in order to save the women and children ; but even those preferred this
doom to that which awaited. them from the hands of their enemies. Thus
perished the chief, and thus was the hearth and the home of his people
destroyed."

We are indebted to Mr. William Wayne Fitch, County Surveyor, for the
following able remarks on the Topography, Geology, and other knowledge
of Solano County.

The Townships are twelve in number, and range as under:

VALLEJO.

Fraction of Township 3 North, Range 4 West.

South-east of Township 4 North, Range 5 West.

South-east of Township 4 North, Range 4 West.

South of Township 4 North, Range 3 West.

West part of Township 3 North, Range 3 West.

BENICIA.

Fraction of North-east corner of . . Township 2 North, Range 3 West.

Fraction of Township 2 North, Range 2 West.

Eastern part of Township 3 North, Range 3 West.

West part of Township 3 North, Range 2 West.

South-west corner of Township 4 North, Range 2 West.

South-east corner of Township 4 North, Range 3 West.

GREEN VALLEY.

Eastern part of Township 4 North, Range 3 West.

West part of Township 4 North, Range 2 West.

West part of Township 5 North, Range 2 West.

Eastern part of Township 5 North, Range 3 West.

SUISUN.

Small part of North-east corner of . Township 3 North, Range 2 West.

Fractional Township 3 North, Range 1 West.

Fractional Township 4 North, Range 1 West.

Most of Township 5 North, Range 1 West.

East part of Township 4 North, Range 2 West.

East part of Township 5 North, Range 2 West.

Small part of Township 6 North, Range 2 West.

THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY. 19

VACAVILLE.

West part of Township 6 North, Range 1 West.

East part of Township 6 North, Range 2 West.

Most of Township 7 North, Range 1 West.

Most of Township 7 North, Range 2 West.

South fraction of Township 8 North, Range 2 West.

SILVEYVILLE.

North fraction of Township 7 North, Range 1 West.

South fraction of Township 8 North, Range 1 West.

All of Township 7 North, Range 1 East.

South part of Township 8 North, Range 1 East.

North-east corner of Township 6 North, Range 1 East

North-west corner of Township 6 North, Range 2 East.

South-west corner of Township 7 North, Range 2 East.

TREMONT.

South part of Township 8 North, Range 2 East.

North and East part of Township 7 North, Range 2 East.

North-east fraction of Township 6 North, Range 2 East.

ELMIRA.

North-east corner of Township 5 North, Range 1 West.

North-west corner of Township 5 North, Range 1 East.

West part of Township 6 North, Range 1 East.

East part of Township 6 North, Range 1 West.

MAINE PRAIRIE.

South-west part of Township 6 North, Range 1 East.

South part of Township 6 North, Range 2 East.

Northerly part of Township 5 North, Range 1 East.

North part of ,. . Township 5 North, Range 2 East.

West part of Township 5 North, Range 3 East.

North-west Township 5 North, Range 3 East.

DENVERTON.

North part of Township 4 North, Range 1 East.

West tier of Sections in Township 4 North, Range 2 East.

South part of Township 5 North, Range 1 East.

South-west part of Township 5 North, Range 2 East.

RIO VISTA.

South part of Township 5 North, Range 2 East.

East part of Township 5 North, Range 3 East.

THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

VACAVILLE — continued.

East part of Township 4 North, Range 2 East.

North-west part of Township 4 North, Range 3 East.

North-easterly part of Township 3 North, Range 2 East.

MONTEZUMA.

Fractional Township 3 North, Range 1 East.

West tier of Sections in Township 3 North, Range 2 East.

South tier of Sections in Township 4 North, Range 1 East.

And Section No. 31 in Township 4 North, Range 2 East.

A glance at the following table will inform the reader as to the acreage of
these individual townships, while appended thereto are remarks as to the
portions of each which are under water :

TABLE SHOWING THE ACREAGE OF SOLANO COUNTY.

Name of Townships.

Acreage.

Remarks.

Vallejo

40,000
25,600
31,500
110,000
66,790
56,640
31,360
26,880
58,120
40,000
57,500
32 ; 120

Of which 19,000 acres are water.

Benicia

Of which 3,000 acres are water.

Green Valley

Suisun

Vacaville

Of which 10,000 acres are water.

Silveyville

Tremont

Elmira

Maine Prairie

Denverton

Rio Vista

Of which 1,700 acres are water.

Montezuma

Of which 3,000 acres are water.

Total acres

576,510

The total area of the county is therefore five hundred and seventy-six
thousand five hundred and ten acres, including land and water ; of this
amount ninety thousand acres are swamp and overflowed lands ; ten thous-
and acres are mud flats left bare at low tide, leaving in the vicinity of four
hundred and fifty thousand acres as land fitted for agricultural and pastoral
purposes.

TOPOGRAPHY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

Ten thousand acres of the county are swamp and overflowed land and
mud flats bare at low tide. These lands border the Sacramento river in the
south-easterly part of the county, and Suisun bay on the south boundary,
with San Pablo bay on the south-west, and are ovei flowed a few inches in
depth at ordinary high tides.

THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY. 21

The Montezuma hills occupy the south-eastern portion of the upland of
the county, in Townships 3 and 4 N. R. 1 E. and 3 and 4N.R.2 E. These
elevations are from fifty to three hundred feet above tide-water, and inter-
sected by narrow ravines or hollows (so called), the water-shed being gen-
erally in an easterly and southerly direction.

The Townsend Hills, in the south-west part of Township 4 N. R. 1 E.
occupy three or four sections, and are of a similar character.

The Potrero Hills, in the northern part of Township 4 N. R. 1 W.
occupy about eleven or twelve sections of land, and are surrounded by
swamp and overflowed lands, except a narrow neck of low valley on the
north side. The higher ridges are two hundred feet above tide-water, re-
ceding in elevation as they approach the border of level land adjoining the
tula.

Robinson's island is upland, rising out of the tides, on Section 13, in
Suisun township, and contains one hundred and sixty acres of land. There
are other small islands of upland rising from the swamp-land, in different
localities, Suisun City, at the head of Suisun Slough, on Section 3G, Town-
ship 5 N. R. 2 W. being located on hard land of this nature.

Mostly all of that portion of the county embraced within a line drawn
nearly east, following the border of the swamp-land eight miles to Denver-
ton, and thence north-easterly six miles to Linda Slough, and north-easterly
along the swamp-land, four miles to Maine Prairie village, at the head of
Cache Slough, and thence easterly to the south-east corner of Section 36,
in Township 6 N. R. 2 E. at the corner of Yolo county, and thence north
along the east line of the county, fifteen miles to the old sink, or bed of
Putah creek, and up the centre of the same, and up the centre of Putah
creek westerly eighteen miles to the residence of S. C. Wolfskill, and thence
nearly south, skirting the hills ten miles to the town of Vacaville, and thence
south-westerly nine miles to the county seat at Fairfield, is level, with the
exception of a slight ridge running across Section 3, and south-easterly a few
miles through Township 5 N. R. 1 W. and other unimportant risings in a few
localities. The land thus described embraces an area of about two hundred
thousand acres, which may be properly called plains, having an average
elevation of one hundred feet above tide-water.

A spur of rolling hills extends from Vacaville, nearly north to Putah
creek, which will average three miles in width, the slopes, benches, and
small valleys being celebrated for early fruits and vegetables. West of
these hills and running parallel with them, lies Pleasant Valley, extending
to Putah creek ; this vale is also celebrated for its genial climate, early
fruits and vegetables, it sending the first into market from any part of the
State.

The eastern portion of Sections 24, 25, and 36, in Township 6 N. R.
2 W. and the western portion of Sections 19, 30, and 31, in Township 6

22 THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

N. R. 1 W. are usually called Lagoon valley, where is located the celebrated
cherry orchards of Bassford & Sons.

The north-west corner of Township 6 N. R. 2 W. is a high rocky region
covered with dense chapparal, as is also the western portion of township
7 N. R. 2 W. and the western part of Township 8 N. R. 2 W.

The crest of the Vaca mountains, beginning on the first standard, north
of Mount Diablo, at a point fifteen chains west of the south-east corner of
Section 34, Township 6 N. R. 2 W. and running northerly to the centre
of Putah creek, is the boundary line between Solano and Napa counties,
and rises gradually, proceeding northerly, which, on Section 15, in Township
6 N. R. 2 W. becomes a perpendicular cliff on the west side, the vertical
part varying from fifteen to fifty feet in height. The greatest altitude of
this ridge of the Vaca mountains is that portion lying in Sections 5, 7 and
8, in township 7 N. R. 2 W. called the Blue mountain, and is about three
thousand feet above the ocean. From this position the ridge descends
towards Putah creek, while immediately south of the creek, on the east side
of the ridge, are cliffs, nearly perpendicular, of from three to five hundred
feet high. On Section 20, in Township 8 N. R. 2 W. the Rio de los Putos
breaks through the chain in a rough, rocky chasm, called Devil's Gate.
The lower portions of the sand-rock here change their clayey color, become
blue and hard, and are traversed by divisional planes or joints dividing the
rock into rhomboidal blocks of considerable regularity, a feature which is
common to the great overlying mass of sand-rock in Solano and the ad-
joining counties.

The Suscol Hills, or Sierra de Napa, occupying Townships 3, 4 and 5 N.
R. 3 W. in the south-west part of the county, are a series of rolling
highlands, in some places rising to rocky peaks and precipitous crags.
Among the most prominent of these is the Sulphur Spring mountain,
which attains an elevation of five hundred feet above the bay, and is situated
about five miles east of the city of Vallejo. The Elkhorn, or Ramsay's
Peaks, on Section 33, in Township 5 N. R. 3 W. twelve miles north-
easterly from Vallejo, rises to the height of one thousand feet. The
Sisters Peaks, eight miles north-west of Fairfield, are sixteen hundred feet in
height ; while Millers Peak, fifteen miles north of the county seat, on the
crest of the hills separating Pleasant Valley from the plains, is the sharpest,
most abrupt, and best defined summit in the county ; it is one thousand feet
high. The Suscol range embraces an area of sixty thousand acres, it being
interspersed with beautiful glens skirted with live oak, willow, and Cal-
ifornia laurel ; at their western base lies a border of valley land of an
undulating surface, a few miles wide, and extending from Vallejo north to
Napa county. The crest or divide of these hills forms the western boundary
of the county, from Section 33, in Township 4 N. R. 3 W. north twelve
miles to the first Standard North.

THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY. 23

GEOLOGY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

The great overlying mass of rock in the hilly portions of the county, is a
massive siliceous sandstone, in many localities changing to arginaceous sand-
rock, with the divisional plains or joints less defined.

The erosion of this rock sends down to the benches and valleys large
quantities of debris, which, mingled with the harder clayey deposits, makes
a light, loose, and warm soil,' particularly healthy, producing the earliest
fruits and vegetables in the State. On the lower slopes in several localities,
are found extensive areas of alluvial sandstone, formed by beds of sand
cemented by iron and carbonate of lime.

Below the massive sandstone first named, beds of clay slate, alternate
with slaty schistose sandstone, as seen in the face of the bluff at South
Vallejo, and in those along the Straits of Carquinez, in the ravines of the
Suscol hills, and on the slopes of the Vaca mountains.

Underlying the above are vast beds of Volcanic Tufa, composed of
cemented, volcanic earth, light and porous, containing a large percentage of
magnesia, giving the rock a light gray color, which hardens by exposure, is
a perfect firestone, and of sufficient durability for building purposes, as has
been proved by the erection of the following structures : the dwelling of
Colonel Charles Ramsay, in Green Valley ; that of Samuel Martin, L. B.
Abernethie, and W. W. Scarlett, in Suisun Valley, which are all constructed
of this material ; as is also the Stone Church at Rockville, and an exten-
sive barn, the property of J. M. Baldwin, near that place. There is a fine
quality of this rock in the hills, on the lands of J. R. Wolfskill, whose
spacious dwelling-house is built of it. It is absolutely fire-proof.

The lowest formation necessary to mention, are alternating strata of sand-
stone, shale, slaty sandstone, and coal. Subjacent to the foregoing is a bed
of hard blue clay.

Black basalt, or dolerite, occurs on some points of the hills and ridges in
the vicinity of Brideport, in the Lomas de Suisun, and on the hills east and
west of Green Valley ; also on the old Dorris Farm, five miles north-east of
Benicia, and on the land of Lewis Pierce, nine miles from there, on the
Bridgeport road. It is extensively quarried and sent to San Francisco for
paving purposes.

At the Soda Springs, on Section 2, Township 5 N. R. 2 W. five miles
north of the County seat, there is a quarry of beautiful white Crystal-
line marble, which proves to be a chemical deposit ; the strata is made up of
waived or undulating laminre, showing that the deposition was made upon
an uneven surface. Where the laminae are corrugated and tortuous, it shows
a beautiful finish, similar to bird's-eye maple. On Section 8, in Township
5 N. R. 2 W. four miles north-east of Fairfield, there is a quarry of varie-
gated marble, the coloring matter of which is for the most part oxide of iron.

24 THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

Hydraulic limestone, or cement-rock, is found in abundance in the hills
near Benicia, and at the bluffs on the north side of Carquinez Straits.

Sulphur Spring Mountain is the termination of the Sierra de Napa, and
of the great quicksilver range, and contains large deposits of cinnabar-rock,
the most extensive being at the St. John mine, six miles northeast of Val-
lejo; the John Brownlie mine, six miles east of Vallejo; and various other
localities show outcrops of this rock.

Serpentine, micaceous schistase, sandstone, hornblende, and several others
of the class of rocks, usually accompanying this mineral are found on and
along the slopes of this ridge.

SPRINGS IN SOLANO COUNTY.

The Soda and Sulphur Springs, in the Armijo Kancho, five miles from
Fairfield, and the White Sulphur Springs, hear Vallejo, are beginning to be
appreciated for sanitary purposes.

SOIL OF SOLANO COUNTY.

The soil of the swamp and overflowed lands is composed of decayed
vegetation ; guano, sedimentary deposits from overflow of streams, mixed
with a large percentage of preserved roots, the principal preservative agent
being tannic acid, of which considerable beds occur, resembling peat, and
when cut and dried makes excellent fuel. These lands produce abundantly
when reclaimed, there being about thirty thousand acres leveed in, and
several thousands under cultivation.

The Montezuma hills are not excelled as natural grain land. Some por-
tions of the plains district are alkaline soil, and poor. Other sections are
dead soil, without much organic matter. The rolling hills, to the summit,
are excellent grain or grazing lands. Indeed the greater portion of the un-
dulating lands and the plains may be denominated as one vast grain field.

THE VALLEYS OF SOLANO COUNTY.

Suscol Valley lies west of the Suscol hills, runs from the city of Vallejo
to the northern part of the county, eight miles long and three in breadth,
Napa bay washing its whole length.

Sulphur Spring Valley runs up from Suisun bay, two miles north of
Benicia ; has a width of from one to four hundred yards, and winds through
the Suscol hills for five or six miles.

Green Valley lies to the eastward of the Suscol hills, four miles east of
Suscol valley; is six miles in length, one and a half in width, and derives
its name from their being a large portion of it always green.

Suisun Valley is about six miles square, and lies to the north of Suisun
bay and east of Green Valley. It opens out on the east into the valley of
the Sacramento, and has an exceedingly fertile soil.

THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY. 25

Vaca Valley, formerly known as the Ulattis valley, lies to the north-
east of Suisun ; it is five miles in length, and one and a half in breadth,
runs between two ranges of hills of considerable altitude, and opens out
into the great Sacramento Valley. It, and its two offshoots, Laguna or
Lagoon Valley and Pleasant Valley, are the admiration of all travelers.

Sacramento Valley extends as far as the eye can reach, and is in' a few
words the farmer's paradise.

THE STREAMS OF SOLANO COUNTY.

Rio de los Putos, or Putah Creek, rises in Lake county, and flows in
an easterly direction, winding through a rich, lovely, fertile plain, for
twenty miles, and loses itself in the extensive tides which lie between the
plains and Sacramento river. It is not navigable, but affords great facilities
for the watering of stock, while in certain parts it is noted for the magnifi-
cence of its scenery.

Sweeny Creek rises in the Vaca hills, six miles north of the town of
Vacaville ; flows in a north-easterly direction for the distance of eight
miles ; thence in a south-easterly course to the vicinity of Maine Prairie,
and empties itself into Cache Slough.

Ulattis Creek rises in the Vaca hills, about five miles west of Vacaville ;
flows through that town in an easterly direction, and empties into the. west
branch of Cache Slough.

Alamo Creek rises about four miles west of Vacaville ; runs in a south-
erly direction, through Elmira, and enters Ulattis creek, near Binghampton.

Pleasant Valley Creek rises »about two miles west of Mr. R. Miller's
property; runs in a north-easterly direction through Pleasant valley, and
empties into Putah creek.

Suisun Creek rises in Napa county, flows in a south-easterly direction,
and empties into the Salt Marsh, about one and a half miles east of Bridge-
port.

Green Valley Creek rises in the south-west corner of Township 5 N.
R. 2 W. and runs in a south-easterly course about eight miles, emptying into
Cordelia slough, at Bridgeport.

Sulphur Springs Valley Creek rises near the centre of Township 5
N. R. 3 W. runs in a south-easterly course through Sulphur Springs valley,
and empties into the salt marsh two miles north of the United States
barracks at Benicia.

Sulphur Springs Creek has its source at the White Sulphur Springs,
three miles north-east from Vallejo ; runs in a north-easterly course, and
empties into Napa bay three miles north of Vallejo.

In addition to these water-courses there are several estuaries, such as
Cache Slough, with its tributaries of Bounds, Linda, Prospect, Miner's, and
Elkhorn sloughs ; Grizzly Slough, Roaring River, in Montezuma township,
with a host of others too insignificant to enumerate.

26 THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

OEGANIZATION.

ORIGIN OF THE TOWNSHIP SYSTEM IN THE UNITED STATES — ITS EXTENSION
TO ""CALIFORNIA — ORGANIZATION OF SOLANO COUNTY— TOWNSHIPS — BENICIA
— VALLEJO — SUISUN — VACAVILLE — SILVEYVILLE — TREMONT — MAINE PRAI-
RIE — RIO VISTA — MONTEZUMA — DENVERTON — ELMIRA — BENICIA THE
COUNTY SEAT — REMOVAL TO FAIRFIELD — REMOVAL TO VALLEJO — BACK TO
FAIRFIELD, ETC., ETC.

The first organization of counties in the United States originated in Vir-
ginia, her early settlers becoming proprietors of vast amounts of land, liv-
ing apart in patrician splendor, imperious in demeanor, aristocratic in feeling,
and being in a measure dictators to the laboring portion of the population-
It will thus be remarked that the materials for the creation of towns were
not at hand, voters being but sparsely distributed over a great area. The
county organization was, moreover, in perfect accord with the traditions
and memories of the judicial and social dignities of Great Britain, in
descent from whom they felt so much glory. In 1634, eight counties were
established in Virginia, a lead which was followed by the Southern and
several of the Northern States, save in those of South Carolina and Louis-
iana, where districts were outlined in the former, and parishes, after the
manner of the French, in the latter.

In New England, towns were formed before counties, while counties were
organized before States. Originally, the towns or townships exercised all
the powers of government swayed by a State. The powers afterward as-
sumed by the State governments were from surrender or delegation on the
part of towns. Counties were created to define the jurisdiction of Courts
of Justice. The formation of States was by a union of towns, wherein
arose the representative system ; each town being represented in the State
Legislature, or General Court, by delegates chosen by the freemen of the
town at their stated town meetings. The first town meeting of which we
can find any direct evidence, was held by the congregation of the Plymouth
colony, on March 23, 1621, for the purpose of perfecting military arrange-
ments. At that meeting a Governor was elected for the ensuing year ; and
it is noticed as a coincident, whether from that source or otherwise, that the
annual town meetings in New England, and nearly all the other States,
have ever since been held in the spring of the year. It was not, however,
until 1635, that the township system was adopted as a quasi corporation
in Massachusetts.

The first legal enactment concerning this system provided that whereas :
" Particular towns have many things which concern only themselves, and

THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY. 27

the ordering of their own affairs, and disposing of business in their own
towns ; therefore, the freemen of every town, or the major part of them,
shall only have power to dispose of their own lands and woods, with all the
appurtenances of said towns ; to grant lots, and to make such orders as may
concern the well ordering of their own towns, not repugnant to the laws
and orders established by the General Court. They might also impose fines
of not more than twenty shillings, and choose their own particular officers,
as constables, surveyors for the highways, and the like." Evidently this
enactment relieved the General Court of a mass of municipal details, with-
out any danger to the powers of that body in controlling general measures
of. public policy. Probably, also, a demand from the freemen of the towns
was felt, for the control of their own home concerns.

The New England colonies were first governed by a " general court," or
legislature, composed of a Governor and Small Council, which court con-
sisted of the most influential inhabitants, and possessed and exercised both
legislative and judicial powers, which were limited only by the wisdom of
the holders. They made laws, ordered their execution, elected their own
officers, tried and decided civil and criminal causes, enacted all manner of
municipal regulations ; and, in fact, transacted all the business of the
colony.

This system, which was found to be eminently successful, became general,
as territory was added to the Republic and States formed. Lesser divisions
were in turn inaugurated and placed under the jurisdiction of special
officers, whose numbers were increased as time developed a demand, until
the system of township organization in the United States to-day is a matter
of just pride to her people.

We will now consider this topic in regard to our special subject.

On the acquisition of California by the Government of the United States,
under a treaty of peace, friendship, limits and settlement with the Mexican
Republic, dated Guadalupe Hidalgo, February 2, 1848, the boundaries of
the State were defined. This treaty was ratified by the President of the
United States, on March 16, 1848; exchanged at Queretaro, May 30, and
finally promulgated July 4th, of the same year, by President Polk, and
attested by Secretary of State. James Buchanan. In 1849, a Constitutional
Convention was assembled in Monterey, and at the close of the session on
October 12th, a proclamation, calling upon the people to form a government,
was issued " to designate such officers as they desire to make and execute
the laws ; that their choice may be wisely made, and that the Government
so organized may secure the permanent welfare and happiness of the people
of the new State, is the sincere and earnest wish of the present executive,
who if the Constitution be ratified, will, with pleasure, surrender his powers
to whomsoever the people may designate as his successor." This historic
document bore the signatures of " B. Riley, Bvt. Brig. Genl. U. S. A., and

28 THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

Governor of California," and " Official — H. W. Halleck, Bvt., Capt. and
Secretary of State."

In accordance with Section Fourteen of Article Twelve of the Constitu-
tion, it was provided that the State be divided into counties, and Senatorial
and Assembly Districts, while the First Session of the Legislature, which
began at San Jose on December 15, 1849, passed on February 18, 1850, "An
Act subdividing the State into counties and establishing seats of justice
therein." The boundaries of Solano county being as follows :

" Beginning at the mouth of Napa creek and running up the middle of
its channel to the mouth of the Suscol creek ; thence following up said
creek to the eastern boundary line of Napa county ; thence along said
boundary line to the northeast corner of Napa county ; thence in a direct
line to the nearest point of Putah creek ; thence down the middle of said
creek to its termination in the Tule marsh ; thence in a direct line to the
head of Merritt's slough ; thence down the middle of said slough to its
mouth ; thence down the middle of Sacramento river to its mouth ; thence
down the middle of Suisun bay to the Straits of Carquinez ; and thence
through the middle of said straits to the place of beginning." It was
ordered that Benicia should be the seat of justice.

Prior to this time the county had been included in the District of Sonoma>
a division which had originated with the Mexican authorities during their
power ; it had not been interfered with on the accession of American rule,
but retained the official nomenclature given by the Spaniards ; their being
no law, the government was administered as it seemed best to the holders
of office.

To Judge Joseph Winston is the honor of first dividing Solano into
townships, the county being partitioned in order to determine the limits
wherein two Justices of the Peace and two Constables should be voted for
at an election to be held on May 25, 1850. The order directing the dimidi-
ation reads : " The line of division commencing at the Suisun embarcadero
and running thence in a direct line to Suscol creek, by way of what is called
Suscol ranch; thence down Suscol creek to Napa creek; thence down Napa
creek to the middle channel of Carquinez straits ; thence up the middle of
Carquinez straits to Suisun bay at a point opposite the embarcadero;
thence up the middle channel of the Suisun bay to the Suisun embarcadero,
the place of beginning; and it is further ordered that the district of county,
composed within the boundaries above set forth, be designated and known
as Benicia township, and that all the residue of the territory of said county
lying between said boundary lines of Benicia township and the boundary
lines of said county, in every direction, be known and designated as Suisun
township."

On April 11, 1850, An Act of the Legislature was passed organizing a
Court of Session and defining its composition to be as follows : The Court

THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY. 29

consisted of the County Judge, who should preside at its sessions, assisted
by two Justices of the Peace of the county as Associate Justices, they being
chosen by their brother justices from out of the whole number elected for
the county. The duties imposed upon this organization were multifarious.
They made such orders respecting the property of the county as they
deemed expedient, in conformity with any law of the State, and in them
were vested the care and preservation of such property. They examined,
settled, and allowed all accounts chargeable against the county ; directed
the raising of such sums for the defraying of all expenses and charges
against the county ; by means of taxation on property, real and personal,
such not to exceed, however, the one-half of the tax levied by the State on
such property ; to examine and audit the accounts of all officers having the
care, management, collection, and disbursement of any money belonging to
the county, or appropriated by law, or otherwise, for its use and benefit.
In them was the power of control and management of public roads, turn-
pikes, ferries, canals, roads, and bridges within the county, where the law
did not prohibit such jurisdiction, and made such orders as should be neces-
sary and requisite to carry such control and management into effect ; to
divide the county into townships, and to create new townships, and change
the division of the same as the convenience of the county should require,
was among their duties. They established and changed election precincts ;
controlled and managed the property, real and personal, belonging to the
county, and purchased and received donations of property for the use of
the county, with this proviso, that they should not have the power to pur-
chase any real or personal property, except such as should be absolutely
necessary for the use of the county. To sell and cause to be conveyed, any
real estate, goods, or chattels belonging to the county, appropriating the
proceeds of such sale to the use of the same. To cause to be erected and
furnished, a court-house, jail, and other buildings, and to see that the same
be kept in repair, and otherwise to perform all such other duties as should
be necessary to the full discharge of the powers conferred on such court.
Terms were ordered to be held on the second Monday of February, April,
June, August, October, and December, with quarterly sessions on the third
Monday of February, May, August, and November of each year.

In conformity with this enactment, the court held a special term on
March 13th, 1851, when it was decreed that Benicia township, which was
of an unwieldy size, should be divided into two portions, the division line
to commence where the western corner of the town tract of Benicia strikes
the bay, thence to the north-western corner of said town tract of Benicia,
thence due north to the boundary line of the county of Solano, and all the
territory lying east of said division line, shall hereafter be known as
Benicia township; and all the territory lying west of said division line shall
hereafter be known as Vallejo township. This is the first mention we

30 THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

have of the Vallejo township; at the time, the city of that name was
known as Eden, but on account of the strenuous efforts made by General
Vallejo to have the seat of government removed thither from San Jose, the
claims of the spot made itself felt, and it was therefore given township
rights.

In 1852 emigration had set into the fertile valley of the county ; it was
therefore found necessary to apportion once more the large extent of terri-
tory comprised in the Suisun township into two divisions ; to this end, the
Court of Sessions, at a special term held at Benicia on November 1st,
directed that Suisun should be partitioned off into two townships, the lines
to run as follows : " Commencing at the southwest points of the Potrero
Hills ; thence in a direct line to the branch opposite (on the west side) the
house of Mr. Cutler ; thence up said branch to its source ; thence in a north-
west direction to the county line, and all the county east of said line, and
south and south-west of Putah creek, is called Vacaville township. With
this last apportionment, Solano county was divided into four parts, but
still it was found to be of too vast proportions for official purposes ; there-
fore, we find the court once more holding a sederunt, on August 8th, 1853,
and establishing a new township, to be taken off those of Benicia and
Suisun. The limits were described and designated as follows :

" To commence at the Tule, on the southwest end of Mr. Thompson's
farm, and running in a direct line to the Jerry House, as it is called, on the
south-west edge of Green Valley ; thence following the edge of the Tule,
east to the mouth of the Suisun creek ; thence up said creek to the cross-
ing of the county road, near L. Alford's ; thence along said road west to the
house of Mr. S. Martin ; thence due north to the county line ; thence fol-
lowing said county line west to place of beginning." This tract was named
the Green Valley Township.

Affairs had not yet, however, righted themselves ; the districts were still
too unwieldy in size. A further contraction had therefore to be inaug-
urated ; hence we find the Court of Session ordering, on August 15th, 1854,
that Solano county shall be divided into townships, as follows :

MONTEZUMA TOWNSHIP.

" A new township is hereby created and established, to be called Mont®*-
zuma township, which said township is designated and bound as follows :
Commencing at a point in Suisun bay, where the meridian line running
north from Monte Diablo crosses the line of Solano county; thence north
with the meridian line to the north-east corner of Section 25 of Township
5 N. R. 1 W. according to the government survey ; thence due east to
Cache Creek Slough, or the eastern boun dary of the county or Cache
Creek slough to the Sacramento river ; thence down said river and Suisun
bay with the line of the county to the place of beginning."

THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY. 31

SUISUN TOWNSHIP.

"And the township heretofore known as Suisun township is hereby
changed in its boundaries so as to conform to the following description,
to-wit : Commencing at the point where the meridian line running north
from Monte Diablo crosses the county line of said county ; thence north
with said line to the north-east corner of Section 25 of Township 5
N. R. 1 W. thence in a direct line to the white point of Long's mountain ;
thence in a direct line to the residence of E. B. Witt, including his resi-
dence ; thence in the same direction to a direct line to the northern
boundary of the said county ; thence with said northern boundary in
a westerly direction to the foot of the hills on the west side of Suisun
creek ; thence down said creek along the foot of said hills to a point
opposite the residence of William B. Brown, in Suisun Valley; thence
down the middle of Suisun creek to its mouth ; thence continuing the
same general course to the southern boundary of the county in Suisun bay;
thence up said bay with the line of the county to the point of beginning."

GREEN VALLEY TOWNSHIP.

" And the township known as Green Valley township is hereby changed
in its boundaries so as to conform to the following description, to-wit :
Commencing at the mouth of Suisun creek and running from thence up
the middle of said creek to a point opposite the residence of William B.
Brown; from thence in a northerly direction running with the foot of the
hills on the west side of Suisun creek to the boundary line between
Solano and Napa counties; thence in a south-west direction, following said
boundary line to the point where the public road leading from Benicia to
Napa City crosses Suscol creek ; thence easterly to the house near the tule
on Suisun bay, and on the road leading from Benicia to Suisun Valley,
known as the ' Jerry House ; ' thence east to the county line in Suisun bay
to the southwest corner of Suisun township ; thence in a direct line to the
mouth of Suisun creek, the place of beginning."

VACAVILLE TOWNSHIP.

" And the township known as Vacaville township is hereby changed
in its boundaries so as to conform to the following description, to-wit :
commencing at the north-east corner of Section 25 of Township 5 N. R.
1 W. according to the government survey, being the north-west corner of
Montezuma township, running from thence to the white point on Long's
mountain ; thence in a direct line to the residence of E. B. Witt ; thence
in the same direction in a direct line with the eastern boundary of Suisun
township to the northern boundary of the county ; thence north-easterly
with the boundary of the county to Putah creek ; thence down said creek

32 THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

to its sink in the tule, and continuing with the line of the county in a
south-easterly" direction to a point due east of the point of beginning ;
thence west to the point of beginning."

BENICIA TOWNSHIP.

" And the township known as Benicia township is hereby changed in its
boundaries so as to conform to the following description, to-wit : commenc-
ing at the south-west corner of a tract of land purchased by Robert Semple
and Thomas 0. Larkin, from M. G. Vallejo, and on a part of which is situ-
ated the city of Benicia ; from thence with the western boundary of said
tract of land to the north-west corner of the same; from thence due north to
the line of Green Valley township ; thence in a south-easterly direction on
said boundary line to the ' Jerry House,' so called, near the tule on Suisun
bay ; thence due east to the boundary line of the county in Suisun bay ;
thence down said bay and the Straits of Carquinez to a point due south of
the point of beginning ; thence due north to the point of beginning."

VALLEJO TOWNSHIP.

" And the township known as Vallejo township is hereby changed in its
boundaries so as to conform to the following description, to-wit : commenc-
ing at the south-west corner of a tract of land purchased by Robert Semple
and Thomas 0. Larkin, from M. G. Vallejo, and commonly known as the
Benicia tract ; thence with the western boundary line of said tract to the
northwest corner of the same ; thence due north to the boundary line of
Green Valley township ; thence in a north-westerly direction with said
boundary line of Green Valley township to the boundary line between
Solano and Napa counties, at the point where the public road crosses the
Suscol creek ; thence with said creek to Napa bay ; thence down said bay
and up the Straits of Carquinez, including Mare Island, to the southwest
corner of Benicia township ; thence due north to the place of beginning."

In 1855 a change had come o'er the spirit of the governmental dream of
the county. The Court of Session was abolished and an Act passed on
March 20th, entit]ed " An Act to create a Board of Supervisors in the
counties of this State, and to define their duties and powers." For better
reference the ninth section of the above Act is quoted in full : " The Board
of Supervisors shall have power and jurisdiction in their respective counties:
First, to make orders respecting the property of the county, in conformity
with any law of this State, and to take care of and preserve such property.
Second, to examine, settle, and allow all accounts legally chargeable against
the county, and to levy, for the purposes prescribed by law, such amount of
taxes on the assessed value of real and personal property in the county, as
may be authorized by law : provided the salary of the County Judge need

THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY. 33

not be audited by the Board; but the County Auditor shall, on the first
judicial day of each month, draw his warrant on the County Treasurer in
favor of the County Judge for the amount due such j udge as salary, for the
month preceding. Third, to examine and audit the accounts of all officers
having the care, management, collection or disbursement of any money
belonging to the county, or appropriated by law, or otherwise, for its use
and benefit. Fourth, to lay out, control and manage public roads, turnpikes,
ferries, and bridges within the county, in all cases where the law does not
prohibit such jurisdiction, and to make such orders as may be requisite and
necessary to carry its control and management into effect. Fifth, to take
care of and provide for the indigent sick of the county. Sixth, to divide
the county into townships, and to change the divisions of the same, and to
create new townships, as the convenience of the county may require.
Seventh, to establish and change election precincts, and to appoint inspectors
and judges of elections. Eighth, to control and manage the property, real
and personal, belonging to the county, and to receive by donation any pro-
perty for the use and benefit of the county. Ninth, to lease or to purchase
any real or personal property necessary for the use of the county; provided
no purchase of real property shall be made unless the value of the same be
previously estimated by three disinterested persons, to be appointed for that
purpose by the County Judge. Tenth, to sell at public auction, at the
Court-house of the county, after at least thirty days' previous public notice,
and cause to be conveyed, any property belonging to the county, appropri-
ating the proceeds of such sale to the use of the same. Eleventh, to cause
to be erected and furnished, a court-house, jail, and such other public build-
ings as may be necessary, and to keep the same in repair \ provided that the
contract for building the court-house, jail, and such other public buildings,
be let out at least after thirty days' previous public notice, in each case, of a
readiness to receive proposals therefor, to the lowest bidder, who will give
good and sufficient security for the completion of any contract which he
may make respecting the same ; but no bid shall be accepted which the
Board may deem too high. Tivelfth, to control the prosecution and defense
of all suits to which the county is a party. Thirteenth, to do any and per-
form all such other acts and things as may be strictly necessary to the full
discharge of the powers and jurisdiction conferred on the Board. To these
various duties, in themselves of a most difficult nature, were added the oner-
ous responsibilities of canvassers of election returns the investigation of
bonds required to be given by newly elected officers, and a general superin-
tendence of all the monetary transactions in which the county, through her
officers, has any interest. The members of these supervisors were three, and
held their first meeting at Benicia, on May 7, 1855.

On August 11th, 1855, the Board of Supervisors directed that yet another
township be formed, to be named

34 THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

TREMONT TOWNSHIP,

to be made, formed, and constituted on Putah creek, in Solano county,
bounded as follows, to-wit : commencing at and including the farm of Mr.
Priddy, on Putah. creek, about two miles above the crossing of said creek,
near Manuel Vaca's; thence running south on the township line to the inter-
section of the dividing line between Montezuma and Vacaville townships ;
thence east to the boundary line of Solano county ; thence in a northerly
direction, following the boundary line of Solano county, to the sink of Putah
creek; thence up Putah creek to the place of beginning. The county was
now divided into seven townships, and on August 21, were apportioned into
supervisorial districts, as under:

District No. 1, comprised the townships of Vallejo and Benicia.
District No. 2, comprised the townships of Green Valley and Suisun.
District No. 3, comprised the townships of Vacaville, Montezuma, and
Tremont.

In the following years the upper part of the county had become thickly
populated, while the towns of Suisun and Fairfield had commenced to
spring into prominence, and some feeling had begun to evince itself in res-
pect to a new location for the county seat. Benicia was found to be at too
great a distance from the townships of Vacaville and Tremont ; a more cen-
tral position was therefore sought, and a County Seat Convention was
formed, which, having appointed delegates to canvass the matter, held a
meeting, a report of which is now extracted from the Solano County Herald,
of August 14th, 1858.

COUNTY SEAT CONVENTION.

Pursuant to notice, the delegates elected met at Suisun City, August 7,
1858, for the purpose of selecting some suitable and central location, to be
voted for at the next election, for the County Seat of Solano County.

" The convention organized by electing the following temporary officers :
H. G. Davidson, President ; Phillip Palmer, Vice-President ; Geo. A. Gilles-
pie and H. B. Amnions, Secretaries.

" Upon motion of A. M. Stevenson, the Chair appointed a committee on
credentials, one from each township. The committee consisted of P. Palmer,
E. A. Townsend, Wm. G. Fore, Samuel Martin, and R S. Phelps. Having
retired for a few moments they returned into the convention and reported
the following named gentlemen as duly elected delegates to this convention:

" Suisun Township. — Phillip Palmer, R. D. Pringle, H. Russell, P. 0.
Clayton, John Wayman, John Smithers, John A. Payton, V. Hawkins,
Frank Aldridge, and J. P. McKissick.

" Vacaville Township.— H. B. Ammons, F. J. Bartlett, W. G. Fore, H. G.

THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY. 35

Davidson, E. L. Bennett, E. S. Silvey, Mason Wilson, J. M. Dudley, J. W.
Anderson, and Geo. A. Gillespie.

"Montezuma Township.— E. A. Townsend, C. J. Collins, and John B.
Carrington.

" Tremont Township.— R. S. Phelps and J. B. Tufts.

Green Valley Township. — G. B. Stevenson, A. M. Stevenson,, Samuel G.
Martin, W. P. Durbin.

" Upon motion, report received and committee discharged.

" On motion of A. M. Stevenson, the temporary officers were declared the
permanent officers of the convention. The following resolution was then
offered and adopted :

"Resolved, That we, the delegates assembled in convention, for the pur-
pose of selecting a suitable location, to be voted for at the next annual
election, hereby pledge our votes and influence for whatever place the
convention may select.

" The following places were put in nomination : Mr. Stevenson nominated
Fairfield ; Mr. Palmer, Suisun City ; Mr. Bartlett, Vacaville ; Mr. Carring-
ton, Denverton.

" The following propositions were submitted in writing to the convention:
Suisun City, through Mr. A. P. Jackson, proposed giving $5,550 in money
and a certain lot 100 by 120 feet, known as ' Owen's Tavern Stand.' He
offered to enter into good and sufficient bonds for the performance of the
same, provided the county seat should be located at Suisun City.

" Fairfield, through Mr. R. H. Waterman, proposed, in case the county
seat should be located at that place, to deed to the Board of Supervisors of
Solano county a certain piece of land containing about sixteen acres, known
upon the plat of the town of Fairfield as ' Union Park ;' also, four blocks,
each block containing twelve lots, to be selected as follows : two from the
north and two from the south, or, two from the east and two from the west
of ' Union Park ;' he offering to enter into bonds for the performance of the
same.

" Vacaville, through Mason Wilson, offered to give four blocks of lots,
$1,000 in money, provided the county seat should be located there.

" Denverton, (Nurse's Landing) through Mr. Carrington, proposed to run
upon its own merits. After a long and animated discussion, the convention
proceeded to take the vote, when Mr. Clayton, of Suisun, was appointed
teller to assist the secretaries. The Chair announced the result to be as
follows :

" Fairfield, sixteen votes ; Suisun City, twelve votes ; Denverton, one
vote. Whereupon Fairlield was declared the unanimous choice of the con-

36 THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

vention. Upon motion of G. A. Gillespie, a committee of five, consisting of
one from each township, were elected to act in connection with the Board
of Supervisors in receiving proper bonds from Mr. Waterman for the faith-
ful performance of his proposition. This committee consisted of Phillip
Palmer, Mason Wilson, J. B. Tufts, J. B. Carrington, and A. M. Stevenson.

" Upon motion, it was resolved that the ' Solano County Herald ' be
requested to publish the proceedings of the convention.

"Upon motion, the convention adjourned sine die.

H. G. Davidson, President.

Geo. A. Gillespie, j^.,,
H. B. Ammons, I secretaries.

In pursuance of Mr. Gillespie's motion Mr. R. H. Waterman entered into
the following bond : " Know all men by these presents, that I, Robert H.
Waterman, of Fairfield, in the county of Solano, and State of California, am
held and firmly bound unto the Supervisors of Solano county, in the sum
of ten thousand dollars lawful money of the United States, for which pay-
ment will and truly be made. I bind myself, my heirs, executors, and
administrators, firmly by these presents. Sealed with my seal and dated
the twelfth day of August, 1858.

" The condition of this obligation is such, that whereas, the said Robert
H. Waterman did agree to donate to the county of Solano, for the use of
the people thereof, free of charge or cost, the following described land,
situated in the town of Fairfield, county of Solano, State of California, and
further described as Union Park, a public square in the town of Fairfield,
and also four blocks, containing each twelve lots adjoining said park,
according to plat of said town, as surveyed by E. H. D'Hemecourt, County
Surveyor; these blocks to be selected by the Supervisors of the county,
either on the north, east or south side of said park ; and further, the said
park shall be kept open and free for the use of the public ; and further, the
proceeds of sales of the four blocks shall be appropriated to the erection of
the public buildings of the county ; and further, that the County seat of
Solano county shall be lawfully located at Fairfield.

Now, therefore, if the said county seat of Solano county shall be lawfully
located at said town at the coming election in September next, after date
hereof, and if the said Robert H. Waterman shall, and does procure and
deliver to the Supervisors of said county a good and sufficient deed to the
said Union Park and lots herein described, according to the conditions of
this obligation, then, and in that case, the above obligation shall be void;
otherwise, of full force.

(Signed) R. H. Waterman. [seal."]

On the second day of September, 1858, the general election took place,

THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY. 37

when the following locations for the county seat were put forth for candi-
dature, with the following result :

Total votes cast 1,730

Number of votes for Benicia 625

Fairfield 1,029

Denverton 38

Vallejo 10

Eockville 2

Suisun 26

Total votes 1,730

The consequence, therefore, was the triumph of Fairfield over Benicia.
It is supposed, and with much reason, that Vallejo in her inmost heart had
long borne a grudge against Benicia, for having in 1852 deprived her of the
capital and its attendant glories ; now, there opened a chance for vengeance,
and the votes of the Vallejoites went to swell the list of the voters for
Fairfield, notwithstanding that by so doing they moved the county seat
further away from them than if they had permitted it to remain at Benicia.
In this regard, the Solano Herald, then published in that city, announces
the disaster in these words :

" In every general engagement, however glorious the bulletin of victory,
there necessarily follows the melancholy supplement of casualties.

In the list of killed and wounded in Wednesday's battle, our eye falls
mournfully on the name of Benicia — Benicia ! the long suffering, mortally
wounded, if not dead — killed by Vallejo's unsparing hand ! That the
people of Suisun and the adjoining region should have desired a removal of
the county seat, was by no means surprising ; but Vallejo ! et tu Brute !
In the house of our friends we were wounded.

While we hold in grateful remembrance the majority of the citizens of
Vallejo, let us not forget those aspiring gentlemen who dealt us the deadly
blow. ' Lord keep our memory green,' for good and evil. "

The grass was not allowed to grow under the feet of the Supervisors.
In October following, a brick building erected at Fairfield, by Captain
Waterman, for County Clerk and Treasurer's offices, was completed and
handed over to them, and at once occupied ; while at the Board meeting
held January 22, 1859, Mr. Waterman's bond, quoted above, with all its
provisions, was accepted. Tenders were at once advertised for to construct
the necessary edifices, when, at a Supervisoral sederunt held on March 14th
of that year, the undermentioned bids were ratified :

For Court-house and Jail, Larkin Richardson .... 824,440 00
For Court-house for temporary use of County. . . . 1,373 00

38 THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

And on September 1st, the county buildings were handed over to the
Board of Supervisors.

In 1862 "An Act to organize townships and regulate their powers and
duties, and submit the same to the vote of the people," was approved by
the Legislature on May 15th. The provisions of the act were that town-
ships should be corporate bodies and have capacity :

First — To sue and be sued in the manner prescribed by law.

Second — To purchase and hold lands within its own limits for the use of
its inhabitants, and for the promotion of education within the limits of the
township.

Third — To make such contracts, and to purchase and hold such personal
property as may be necessary to the exercise of its corporate and adminis-
trative powers.

Fourth — To make such orders for the disposition, regulation or use of its
corporate property as may be deemed conducive to the interests of its
inhabitants.

The corporate powers and duties of these townships were to be vested in
a Board of Trustees, to consist of three qualified electors of the township,
to be voted for by qualified electors within said township, when, at the
same time, were to be elected certain officers for especial service within the
township. Such trustees were to be endowed with powers appertaining to
the peace, order and good government of the townships to which they were
chosen by the public vote, and were to collect taxes, which were to be paid
into the office of the County Treasurer. The Act was ordered to be sub-
mitted to a vote of the people at the general election. In those counties in
which the affirmative should have the majority, the law should take effect ;
but in those (like Solano, where the majority against it was sixty-one) in
which the negative has the preponderance of votes, the act should not
apply or be in force.

At the same election, September 3, 1862, the proposed amendments to
the Constitution of California, suggested in the following :

Article IV — The Legislative Department.
" V — The Executive Department.

'• VI — The Judicial Department.

IX— Education.

were put to the popular voice, with the result as stated below :

Yes 4,800 :

No 657

Majority for the yeas 4,143

THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY. 39

On August 12, 1863, a petition from 0. Bingham and others was pre-
sented to the Board of Supervisors, when, in conformity with the prayer
therein set forth, it was ordered that a new township be formed, to be
called

MAINE PRAIRIE,

to be bounded as follows, to wit : commencing at the corners of Sections
7, 8, 17 and 18, in Township 5 N. R. 1 E. of Monte Diablo meridian, and
running thence north to the corners of Sections 5, 6, 7 and 8, in Township
6 N. R. 1 E.; thence running east to the eastern limit of Solano county, on
the line between ranges 2 and 3 east ; thence with said line south to the
township line between Townships 5 and 6 north ; thence with said line
east, to the centre of Sacramento river, the eastern limit of Solano county ;
thence down Sacramento river and Steamboat or Merritt slough to where
the line between townships 4 and 5 crosses said slough ; thence with said
line west to the centre of Cache Creek slough ; thence up said slough to
the mouth of Linda slough to the line between ranges 1 and 2 east ; thence
with said line north to the north-west corner of Section 18, in Township
5 N. R. 2 E. ; thence west to the place of beginning.

SUISUN TOWNSHIP.

The township heretofore known as Suisun township, is hereby changed to
conform to the following description, to-wit : beginning at a point on the
southern boundary of Solano county, in Suisun bay, where a section line
two inches west of the meridian line, passing over Monte Diablo and run-
ning with said line north to the township line between townships 5 and 6
north ; thence with said line west to the east boundary of Green Valley
township, as previously established ; thence with said boundary, southerly,
to the south boundary of the county, in Suisun bay ; thence with said
boundary, easterly, to the place of beginning.

VACAVILLE TOWNSHIP.

The township heretofore known as Vacaville township is hereby changed
to conform to the following description, to wit : commencing at a point on
the Putah creek where the line between ranges 1 and 2 east, crosses said
creek, and running thence with said range line south to the southeast
corner of Section 1, Township 6 N. R. 1 E. ; thence west to corners of
sections 5, 6 and 7 and 8 of said township and range ; thence south to
the corners of Sections 7, 8, 17 and 18, in Township 5 N. R. 1 E. ; thence
west to the corner of Sections 10, 11, 14 and 15, in Township 5 N. R.
1 W. ; thence north to the township line between townships 5 and 6
north ; thence with said line west to the western boundary of Solano

40 -THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

county, on the ridge of the Vaca mountains ; thence northerly with said
ridge to the centre of Putah creek ; thence down said creek, and following
its sinuosities to the place of beginning.

MONTEZUMA TOWNSHIP.

The township heretofore known as Montezuma township, is hereby

changed to conform to the following boundaries, to-wit : commencing on

the south line of the county of Solano, in Suisun bay, where the section

lines two miles west of the meridian line passing on Monte Diablo would

intersect said limit, and running thence north to the north-west corner of

section number 14, in Township 5N. R. 1 W. ; running thence east to

the line between ranges 1 and 2 east ; thence south on said line until it

intersects the first slough or fork of Linda slough ; thence down said slough

to Cache Creek slough ; thence down Cache Creek slough to where the line

between townships numbers 4 and 5 north, intersects said slough ; thence

with said line east to the eastern boundary of the county, on Steamboat, or

Merritt slough ; thence with said boundary and following its sinuosities to
the place of beginning.

TREMONT TOWNSHIP.

The township heretofore known as Tremont township, is hereby changed
to conform to the following description : commencing at the south-west
corner of Section number 6, Township 6 N. R. 2 E. of the meridian and
base of Monte Diablo, and running thence north on the line between
ranges 1 and 2 east, to the centre of Putah Creek, the northern limit of
Solano county; thence with said limit eastward, to the eastern limit of said
county, in the line between ranges 2 and 3 east ; thence with said limit
south, to the south-east corner of Section number 1, in Township 6 N.
R. 2 E. ; thence east to the place of beginning.

There was still some difficulty in conforming the townships into some-
thing like natural and equable divisions ; the supervisors, therefore, on
February 6, 1866, ordered " that the following described portion of Tre-
mont township be set off and attached to Vacaville township, and the bound-
aries of said townships hereafter shall conform to this change. Said por-
tion is described as follows : beginning on the eastern boundary line of
said Vacaville Township 7 N. R 2 E., and running thence east on the
Government line two miles ; thence north six miles ; thence west two miles,
to the north-west corner of said township 7, on said boundary line of said
Vacaville township, and thence south on said line six miles to the point of
beginning.

On June 27th of the same year the county was again distributed into
townships, as under :

THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY. 41

BENICIA TOWNSHIP.

The township known as Benicia township is hereby laid down so as to
conform to the following boundaries, to wit : commencing at the south-west
corner of a tract of land purchased by Robert Semple and Thomas 0. Larkin
from M. G. Vallejo, and on a part of which is situated the city of Benicia,
from thence with the western boundary of said tract of land to the north-
west corner of the same ; thence in an easterly direction to where the line
of said tract intersects the boundary of the stone purchase known as the
stone line ; thence along said stone line in a northerly direction until the
same intersects the north line of Section 34, Township 4 N. R. 3 W. ; thence
east on north line of Sections 31 and 32, Township 4 N. R. 2 W., contin-
uing east to Cordelia slough ; thence down said slough to Suisun slough ;
thence down Suisun slough to Suisun bay ; thence down said bay and
Straits of Carquinez to a point due south of the point of beginning.

VALLEJO TOWNSHIP.

The township known as Vallejo township is hereby laid down so as to
conform to the following boundaries, to-wit : commencing at the south-west
corner of a certain tract of land purchased by Robert Semple and Thomas
O. Larkin from M. G. Vallejo, and commonly known as the Benicia tract ;
thence with the western boundary line of said tract to the north-west corner
of the same ; thence easterly to where the line of said tract intersects the
boundary of the stone purchase known as the stone line ; thence along said
stone line in a northerly direction until the same intersects the north line of
Section 34, Township 4 N. R. 3 W. ; thence west on said north line
to the intersection of said line with the boundary line of Napa and Solano
counties ; thence south along said county boundary line to a mound of stones
established by R. Norris ; thence due west along said boundary line between
Napa and Solano counties to Napa bay ; thence down said bay and up the
Straits of Carquinez, including Mare Island, to the south-west corner of
Benicia township ; thence due north to the place of beginning.

GREEN VALLEY.

The township known as Green Valley township, is hereby laid down so
as to conform to the following boundaries, to-wit : Commencing at a rock
mound on the crest of hills on Section 34, Township 4 N. R. 3 W.
established by R. Norris for a boundary between Napa and Solano counties ;
thence northerly along the boundary line of said counties, to the north line
of Township 5 N. R. 3 W. ; thence east along said township line to the
dividing ridge running to the peak called " Twin Sisters ;" thence south-
erly along said divide to Suisun creek, passing on the line of A. Blake and
William Brown's land ; thence down said creek to the south-east corner of

42 THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

Hiram Macy's land ; thence south to the north line of Section 16, Townshid
4 N. R. 2 W. ; thence west to Cordelia slough ; thence down said slough
to the north line of Sections 31 and 32, Township 4 N.R2W.; thence
west along said north line to the boundary line of Solano and Napa
counties.

SUISUN TOWNSHIP.

The township known as Suisun township is hereby laid down so as to
conform to the following boundaries, to-wit : Beginning at the mouth of
Cordelia slough, thence up said slough to a point due west of the north line
of Section 16, Township 4 N. B. 2 W. ; thence east to a point due south
of the south-east corner of Hiram Macy's land ; thence north to the
mouth of the Suisun creek ; thence up said creek to the line of Alexander
Blake's and William Brown's land ; thence northerly along the ridge or
divide running to the peaks called " Twin Sisters ;" thence northerly
along said divide to the county line ; thence easterly along the county line
to the top of the ridge at the south-east corner of Napa county ; thence
easterly on the boundary of the Armijo rancho to the north-east corner of
Section 3, Township 5 N. B. 1 W. ; thence south on section lines to the
main Suisun bay ; thence westerly along said bay to the mouth of Sui-
sun creek ; thence up said creek to the mouth of Cordelia slough, the place

of beginning.

VACAVILLE TOWNSHIP.

That a township be established to be known as the Vacaville township,
commencing at the north-east corner of Section 18, Township 5 N. B. 1
E. ; thence west on section lines to the south-west corner of Section 3,
Township 5 N. B. 1 W. ; thence north to the north-east corner of Section
3, Township 5 N. B. 1 W ; thence west on the township line to the
boundary of the Armijo rancho at the north-west corner of said township ;
thence north and west, following said boundary to the county line at the
south-east corner of Napa county ; thence northerly along the boundary
between Napa and Solano counties to Butah creek ; thence down said creek
to a point one mile west of Mount Diablo meridian ; thence south on section
lines to the south-west corner of Section number 1, Township 6 N. B. 1
W. ; thence east two miles ; thence south to the place of beginning.

SILVEYVILLE TOWNSHIP.

That a township be established to be known as the Silveyville township,
and to conform to the following boundaries, to wit : Beginning at the south-
east corner of Section number 5, Township 6 N. B. 2 E. ; thence west
to the south-west corner of Section number 1, Township 6 N. B. 1 W. ;
thence north to the county line, centre of Butah creek ; thence easterly
down said creek to the line between ranges 1 and 2 east ; thence south on

THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY. 43

said line to the northwest corner of Section 7, Township 7 N. R. 2 E. ;
thence east to the north-east corner of Section number 8, Township 7
N. R. 2 E. ; thence south to the place of beginning.

TREMONT TOWNSHIP.

That a township be established to be known as Tremont township, and
to conform to the following boundaries, to wit : Beginning at the south-east
corner of Section number 5, Township 6 N. R. 2 E. ; thence north six
miles to the south-east corner of Section number 5, Township 7 N. R. 2
E. ; thence west two miles to the line between ranges 1 and 2 E. ;
thence north to the centre of Putah creek at the county line ; thence
easterly down said creek to the east line of the county on the line between
ranges 2 and 3 east ; thence with said line south to the south-east corner of
Section 1, Township 6 N. R. 2 E. ; thence west to the place of beginning.

MAINE PRAIRIE TOWNSHIP.

That a township be established to be known as Maine Prairie township,
and to conform to the following boundaries, to wit : Beginning at the north-
west corner of Section 17, Township 5 N. R. 1 E. ; thence north to the
north-west corner of Section 8, Township 6 N. R. IE.; thence east to
the east line of Solano county ; then with the said county line south to
the line between townships 5 and 6 north ; thence along said line east to
the north-west corner of Section number 4>, Township 5 N. R. 3 E. ; thence
south to the southwest corner of Section number 21, Township 5 N. R.
3 E. ; thence west to Prospect slough ; then up Cache slough to Linda
slough ; then up Linda slough to the line between ranges 1 and 2 east ;
thence north on said line to the north-west corner of Section number 18,
Township 5 IS . R. 2 E. ; thence west to the place of beginning.

RIO VISTA TOWNSHIP.

That a township be established to be known as Rio Vista township, and
to conform to the following boundaries, to wit : Commencing on the Sacra-
mento river at the point where the section line, one mile east of the
township line between Townships 1 and 2 east, intersect the river ; thence
running north on said line until it intersects Linda slough ; thence down
said slough to Cache slough ; thence down said slough to Prospect slough ;
thence up Prospect slough to the section line of Section 17, Township 5
N. R. 3 E.; thence east to the south-east corner of said section; thence
north on said section line to the Yolo county line ; thence east on said
county line to the Sacramento river; thence down the river to the place
of beginning.

44 THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

MONTEZUMA TOWNSHIP.

That a township be established to be known as Montezuma township,
and to conform to the following boundaries, to wit : Beginning at the
Sacramento river on the line between ranges 1 and 2 east, Mount Diablo
meridian; thence down said river and Suisun bay to the line between
Sections 22 and 23, Township 3 N. R. 1 W. ; thence north on section lines
to the north-west corner of Section number 35, Township 4 N. R. 1 W.;
thence east to the north-west corner of Section 32, R. 2 E. ; thence south
to the Sacramento river ; thence down said river to the place of beginning.

DENVERTON TOWNSHIP.

That a township be established to be known as Denverton township, and
to conform to the following boundaries, to wit : Beginning at the north-
west corner of Section number, 32, Township 4 N. R. 2 E. ; thence west on
section lines to the north-west corner of Section 35, Township 4 N. R, 1
W. ; thence north to the north-west corner of Section number 14, town-
ship 5 N. R. 1 W. ; thence east to the north-west corner of Section number
18, Township 5 N. R. 2 E.; thence south to the south fork of Linda slough;
thence down said slough to the east line of Section number 19, Township 5
N. R. 2 E. ; thence south to the place of beginning.

The western boundary line of this township was, however, subsequently
changed on May 4, 1868, to the Mount Diablo meridian line, and on
November 10, 1870, it was ordered by the Board of Supervisors that
" Robinson's Island, and being a portion of Sections numbers 3 and 24, in
Township 4 N. R. 1 W., Meridian of Mount Diablo, be and is set over as
part of Denverton township," while on May 22, of the following year the
under mentioned district was planned and authorized.

ELMIRA TOWNSHIP.

It was ordered that a new township be formed out of portions of
Vacaville, Silveyville, and Maine Prairie townships as follows, to wit :
"Beginning at the south-west corner of the south-east quarter of Section
number 3, Township 5 N. R. 1 W., Mount Diablo meridian and base ;
running thence north seven miles to the quarter-section corner on the
north line of Section 3, Township 6 N. R. 1 W. ; thence along said town-
ship line six miles ; thence along quarter-section lines south seven miles
to the quarter-section corner on the south line of Section number 3, Town-
ship 5 N. R. 1 E. ; thence west six miles along the section lines to the point
of beginning. And it is further ordered that the said township be known
and designated as Elmira township."

On August 8, 1872, the boundary line between Silveyville and Vacaville
townships was changed to conform to the following : " Commencing at a

THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY. 45

point on the north and south line between Silveyville and Vacaville town-
ships, and at the corner of Sections numbers 1, 2, 11, and 12,' in Town-
ship number 7 N. R. 1 W., Mount Diablo meridian ; thence west five
miles to line between ranges 1 and 2 west ; thence north one mile, more
or less, to Putah creek ; thence along and down said creek to where the
present line of Silveyville township intercepts the same ; be and the same is
hereby set over to and become part of said Silveyville township." It was
then also ordered that the western boundary of Suisun township be and
the same is as follows, to wit : " Commencing at a point on the north line
of Section 3, Township 5 N. R. 1 W., which point is the intersection of the
boundary line of Elmira township ; thence south on half -section line one
mile to the southern line of Section 3, Township 5 N. R. 1 W. ; thence
east on section line two and one-half miles to Mount Diablo meridian line ;
thence south on said meridian line to the southern boundary line of Solano
county."

With this last adjustment of the boundaries the distribution of townships
was so far completed, and leaves these twelve districts as the present parti-
tion of the county.

In 1873 Vallejo had a sudden accession of success, and the conception of
having the county seat moved thither took permanent shape by the pre-
sentation of a petition by E. H. Sawyer and others to the Board of
Supervisors on September 23, praying that a public vote should be taken
in this regard. On the sounding of Vallejo's trumpet the other towns and
cities sniffed the battle from afar, champed their bits and tossed their flow-
ing manes. A bitter fight waged between the newspapers of the county,
while Benicia and her cohorts vented every conceivable argument, not so
much that she might be once more endowed with the county honors, but
that she should prevent. the acquisition of so great a triumph to her former
enemy. She had not forgotten the stormy days of 1858. Leader after
leader and argument upon argument appeared in the public prints; meet-
ings were held all over the county, while in Vallejo an executive county
seat committee was appointed, having as its officers Messrs. J. B. Frisbie,
President ; E. H. Sawyer, Vice-President ; J. B. Robinson, Secretary ; J. K.
Duncan, Treasurer, who framed the following address to the citizens of
Solano county, which we cull from the columns of the " Solano Democrat "
of that period:

Your attention is invited to the following reasons why the county seat
of Solano county should be removed from Fairfield to Vallejo :

First — It is evident to all who have given the matter any thought, that
Fairfield cannot be the permanent county seat of a great and growing
county like Solano.

The entire lack of accommodations for the persons attending court, and

46 THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

the fact that those accommodations are growing worse as the town con-
tinues to decay, and that there is no hope of any improvement, is a matter
of consideration.

We cannot compare the dreary, treeless plain upon which our county
seat is located, and meagre accommodation for visitors, with the pleasant
location and ample quarters provided by other counties, without a feeling
of shame. The great county of Solano will not always endure this.

Second — Assuming, then, that a change in the county seat must ulti-
mately come, we say that it should come now. An immediate expenditure
of many thousand dollars will be necessary to make the present county
buildings answer the purpose for which they were designed. Fire-proof
rooms or vaults must be provided for the county records, and the papers
and records of the courts. It is criminal to neglect this longer. Consider
the confusion, the litigation, the utter ruin that would result from the
destruction of the records of our courts and of our titles. And yet at pre-
sent they are scarcely more secure than they would be in an ordinary
frame-house. Is it wise to make these extensive improvements upon build-
ings which in a few years at most must be abandoned ? Is it not best that
the change should be made now, and a new location selected which shall be
permanent, that the county may derive some lasting advantage from the
expenditure of its money ?

Third — If the location of a county seat for our county was a new ques-
tion, there would be no doubt of the propriety of adopting Vallejo. A line
of railroad traverses the whole length of i^he county, terminating at Vallejo.
Regular water communication can always be had from Rio Vista, Collins-
ville, and Benicia, to Vallejo, enabling the inhabitants of these places to
reach the county seat at all seasons of the year without interruption from
floods or impassable roads ; and that other and large -class of tax-payers and
property-owners of our county, who reside in San Francisco and other
counties, would be best accommodated at Vallejo.

Vallejo is now, and promises in all future to be, the leading town in the
county. It has good streets and sidewalks, convenient means to travel and
good hotels, and is, indeed, the only place in the county capable of furnish-
ing accommodations for the large number of people who are at any time
liable to be called together by an important term of our District Court.

The only two arguments that can be urged in favor of retaining the
county seat at Fairfield, are these : 1st. That it is near the geographical
center of the county. 2nd. The expense of its removal. The first of these
reasons, to-wit, its central position — if it was good at the time the county
seat was located at Fairfield, when people came from all parts of the county
in carriages or on horseback, no longer holds good. The days of stage-

THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY. 47

coaches are passed. New means of travel have sprung up, and geographical
centers have given way to centers of travel. The whole population of the
county could rally at Vallejo at less expense, and greater ease and comfort,
than at any other point in the county, and could live more comfortably
while here. As a rule, county seats are not located in the center of coun-
ties. Sacramento City, Stockton, Oakland, Marysville, Yuba City, Napa
City and San Rafael, are not situated at the geographical centers of the
respective counties of which they are the county seats.

As to the second objection, in respect to the cost of removal. The pre-
sent county buildings are said to have cost forty thousand dollars, and
cannot be estimated at present at a higher valuation than twenty-five
thousand dollars. The City of Vallejo and its citizens have bound them-
selves by proper guarantees : 1st. To furnish, free of cost, suitable office
room for county officers, court-rooms and jail, until the permanent county
buildings are built. 2nd. That they will donate to the county the neces-
sary grounds for the location of county buildings, to be selected by the
Board of Supervisors of Solano County. 3rd. They pledge themselves
to use all their influence with the Board of Supervisors to restrict the
expenditure for the erection of county buildings (which will be the sole
expenditure of the county) to fifty thousand dollars ; and they offer the
guarantee of their most responsible citizens, and the City of Vallejo, that
buildings shall be built (according to a plan now on exhibition at the City
Hall, in Vallejo, copies of which will be sent to each precinct in the county),
suitable for the county for many years to come, and vastly superior to the
present buildings, for the sum of fifty thousand dollars. And the payment
of this small amount need not be made at once. Bonds may be issued
bearing seven per cent, interest, payable in twenty years, and an annual
tax of five thousand dollars will pay the interest and leave a large surplus
towards the extinguishment of the debt. Estimate the taxable property
in the county at ten millions of dollars, which is about the present figure,
the man who owns a thousand dollars worth of property will be taxed the
sum of fifty cents per annum for the removal of the county seat. How
insignificant is this sum compared with the great advantages to be derived.

All that we ask of the voters of Solano county is, that they will consider
this question dispassionately and without prejudice, looking only to the
best good of the whole county in the future, and we are satisfied they will
agree with us that the county seat should be immediately removed to
Vallejo.

On the 9th of October, 1873, the question of removal was brought before
the Board of Supervisors, but there being a question existing of how many
of the names which were annexed to the petition were those of bona fide
voters, forty or fifty names were selected, making the total number of sig-
natures 1,097, leaving 300 to be still examined.

48 THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

Naturally, Suisun, from its proximity to Fairfield, was on the side of
non-removal; therefore, every stone was turned to gain their point. Coun-
sel was engaged on her side who urged, under the provisions of the law, in
the event of the county seat being once removed, a petition for a second
removal must contain a number of signatures equal to one-third the names
on the great register ; that the county seat of Solano had been already
removed from Benicia to Fairfield, and that the present case came within
the provisions of the law. The examination of the last great register of
the county, they stated, shows a total of 5,600 names, one-third of which
was 1,867. The counsel, therefore, submitted that the number of signatures
was inadequate, and that in consequence, the petition was invalid.

It was finally decided by the Board that the number already passed upon
was sufficient, and an order was made premising with the recitation that a
petition had been presented to their body, praying that an election, to de-
termine the place of the county seat, might be held ; that said petition con-
tained 1,325 names; and that so far as examined, they had found upon it
1,097 legal names; and that the same being more than one-third of the
number of votes, they therefore ordered, in accordance with the prayer of
the petitioners, an election to be held on the last Wednesday in November.
A protest from the counsel for Suisun was spread upon the minutes, stating
in substance, that on such a day the county seat was removed from Benicia
to Fairfield : that the archives of the county and county officers were
ordered there ; that the Great Register of the county contained 5,000 uncan-
celled names at the time, and that it required one-third of that number of
signatures to constitute a legal petition for an election, which number was
not on the petition upon which the Board had taken action.

The " Weekly Solano Republican," published at Suisun, writing on Octo-
ber 30, 1873, remarks : "We object to the removal, because —

First — The county seat is centrally located now, which makes the expense
and trouble of reaching the seat of justice more nearly equal to all than
any other location can ; and we deny the justice of any arrangement which
makes any man pay two dollars, or travel two miles, in order that two, or
ten other men, may save one dollar each, or avoid travelling one mile each.

Second — The county now possesses, unincumbered by debt, buildings
fully adequate to its wants for the next ten years ; and we denounce the
policy which will add the cost of even less serviceable buildings to the
heavy debt the county is now carrying and groaning under.

Third — The removal of the county seat will work a huge injustice to a
very large majority of the tax-payers of the county, whether the cost of
removal be much or little. Vallejo contains half of the population of the
county, but only one-third of the taxable property ; and whatever may be
the cost of removal, two-thirds of that expense will be paid by that half of
the population, whose interest will be injured by the removal."

THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY. 49

At length the long looked for election day — November 26, 1873 — arrived
and ended, the ballot showing at its close, a majority for Vallejo over Fair-
field, of 333. Benicia's rancor was of no avail ; but retribution was near
at hand. It was directed that the county offices should be removed on Feb-
ruary 9, 1874, to Vallejo, and that that city be declared the county seat,
through the public newspapers. In time a few of the offices were carried
thence, notably those of residents in that city, when arrangements were
made for the temporary location of the several departments.

But the northern part of the county had conceived the reasonable idea
that the election of Vallejo was not carried out in as clear and straightfor-
ward a manner as it should have been ; they, therefore, proceeded to Sacra-
mento, and while the Legislature was in session, had a bill passed through
both the Assembly and Senate, creating Vallejo into a county seat in its
own right, since it was so ambitious of provincial honors. This, to the
eyes of the Governor, seemed too preposterous a scheme, acknowledging at
the same time the justice of the objections, he, therefore, vetoed the bill,
but informed the complainants that another one, locating the county seat
at Fairfield, would be favorably considered. Thus, for the present, all
heart-burnings were ameliorated, and ruffles smoothed, and the question
finally set at rest by the Act of the Legislature, approved March 28, 1874,
whose first section pronounces the doom of Vallejo, in the following ver-
dict : " Tii£ county seat of Solano County shall be Fairfield, in said county."

THE SETTLEMENT OF SOLANO COUNTY.

In the old days, long ago, somewhere in the year 1817, as has been shown
in another part of this work, Jose Sanchez, then a Lieutenant in the Span-
ish Army, was despatched with a small force to subjugate the Suisun tribe
of Indians, an expedition which was attended with but little loss on one
side, and sad havoc on the other. As time dragged out its weary course,
but little was gained ; the aboriginals were coerced into the service of their
taskmasters, and without doubt endured many a torture of mind and body,
when brought under the yoke of the Mexican Government. It is not for a
moment to be- imagined that, though the savages were driven into bondage,
they suffered all the distress supposed to be a part and parcel of their thral-
dom ; this is not the case ; for General Vallejo, who had the lands of Suscol
granted to him, held as lenient a sway over his aboriginal vassals as was
possible under the circumstances ; and, indeed, was the first to prove the
soothing influences of even a partial civilization ; yet, these people have
now vanished, whither it is impossible to trace ; the advent of a dominant
race was more than they could cope with; hence, they are nowhere to be

50 THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

found ; and it is only at distances, few and far between, that traces of their
former locations are to be discovered. It is believed that those who inhab-
ited the valleys with which we have especially to deal, were thinned by the
hostilities in which they were engaged with the Spaniards, materially aided
by a djecimating scourge of small-pox that carried off numbers of the half-
fed and ill-clothed savages. This epidemic broke out in the year 1839, and
such was the devastation which ensued that almost an entire race was ship-
wrecked, leaving but few survivors of the catastrophe. They died so rap-
idly that the usual funeral rites were abandoned: huge pits were dug, and
the pestilential corpses placed therein by twenties while they were covered
up, when filled, with a rude mound of earth ; many of them forsook the
land of their birth, now become accursed on account of the presence of the
odious intruder ; their wives and daughters, by the maltreatment received
at the hands of these half -civilized soldiers from the Spanish Main, had
ceased to bear children, and thus they drifted out of ken, until now they
are a thing of the past, their presence in Solano County being at best but a
memory which only lingers in the mind of the early pioneer.

A short distance from the small town of Rockville, situated at the foot of
Suisun valley, on the property of Lewis Pierce, stood a rude cross, which
was popularly believed to mark the resting place of Sem-Yeto, otherwise
Francis Solano, the Chief of the Suisuns. It is said that this tribe removed
in 1850 to Napa county, taking with them all their grain, to the amount
of several hundreds of bushels which had been held in reserve in their rude
granaries near the above-mentioned site. This exodus would appear to
mark the arrival of the hated white man.

It has long been, and in all human probability, it will be many a year
before it shall be authentically decided who was the first settler in Solano
county. That General Vallejo and his troops were the actual pioneers of
the district now known as Solano, is conceded on every hand ; but they
can scarcely be classed among the settlers, for though a great district of
some ninety thousand acres had been granted to him by the Mexican Gov-
ernment, still, he never had, until later, any actual domicile in the county,
his residence being at Sonoma, whither he had been ordered to fix his head-
quarters, and lay out a town.

The people immediately succeeding the aboriginal Indians were Span-
iards ; or, more properly speaking, natives of Mexico, a race who were by
no means calculated to improve and lay out a new country. Born in a warm
and enervating climate, they were prone to pass their days in indolence.
To be able to get sufficient food to allay the pangs of hunger and enough
of water to assuage their thirst was to them satiety. In their own land
they had made no change, nor in any way advanced their home interests by
any civilizing influence save that of a forced Christianity, since the days
when Montezuma was so barbarously and treacherously murdered by Cortez

THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY. 51

and his pirate crew ; therefore, this country wherein they had cast their lot,
was allowed to rest in its state of tangled confusion. Happily all of those
who came from this southern clime were not of this somniferous kind, as
the following remarks will show. The Baca (now pronounced Vaca, and in
some law deeds Americanized into Barker) and Pefia family arrived in Los
Angeles, and after a residence of one year, came, in 1841, to the valley
which now bears the name of the former, and there settled, building adobe
houses for themselves ; that of Juan Felipe Pefia being constructed in
Laguna (Lagoon) valley, and Manuel Baca's about one mile north-east there-
from. These structures still stand on their original sites, the former being
occupied by the widow of Pefia, while the latter is the dwelling of Westley
Hill. In the succeeding year (1842) there arrived the Armijo family, who
took up their grant in the Suisun valley, built an adobe, and entered into
residence about five miles north-west of Fairfield, the present county seat.
With these three families to take the lead, others, as a matter of course,
followed, not so much to labor in their own interests and toil for their
wealthier fellows, but that they loved the dolce far niente mode of living
to be found on the Haciendas of the rich. A certain amount of state was
maintained by the rancheros of those days, which they had learned from
the splendor-loving cavaliers of old Spain ; they seldom moved abroad ;
but when they did, it was upon a handsomely caparisoned horse, with at-
tendant out-riders, armed, to protect their lord from wild animals, which
infested the country. The earlier locators of land brought with them herds
of cattle, which, in the natural sequence of things, became roving bands of
untamed animals that provided the Spanish master and his servile crew
with meat ; while enough grain was not so much cultivated as grown, to
to keep them in food, as it were, from day to day. Their mode of travel-
ing was entirely on horseback ; accommodation there was none ; when
halting for the night, an umbrageous tree was their roof ; the fertile valleys
their stable and pasture ; while, when food was required, to slay an ox or a
deer, was the matter of a few moments.

Mention has been made of the adobe houses of the early Californians.
Let us consider one of these primitive dwellings : Its construction was
beautiful in its extreme simplicity. The walls were fashioned of large
sun-dried bricks, made of that black loam known to settlers in the Golden
State as adobe soil, mixed with straw, with no particularity as to species,
measuring about eighteen inches square and three in thickness ; these were
cemented with mud, plastered within with the same substance, and white-
washed when finished. The rafters and joists were of rough timber, with
the bark simply peeled off and placed in the requisite position, while the
residence of the wealthier classes were roofed with tiles of a convex shape,
placed so that the one should overlap the other and thus make a water-
shed ; or, later, with shingles, the poor cententing themselves with a thatch

52 THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

of tide, fastened down with thongs of bullocks' hide. The former modes of
covering were expensive — the Pena family, it is said, having given a man a
considerable piece of land for shingling their house — and none but the
opulent could afford the luxury of tiles. When completed, however, these
mud dwellings will stand the brunt, and wear and tear of many decades, as
can be evidenced by the number which are still occupied in out-of-the-way
corners of the county.

Thus were these solitary denizens of what is now the prolific garden
known as Solano county, housed in the midst of scenery which no pen can
describe nor limner paint. The county, be it in what valley soever we wot,
was one interminable grain field ; mile upon mile, acre after acre, the wild
oats grew in marvelous profusion, in many places to a prodigious height —
one great glorious green of wild waving corn — high over head of the way-
farer on foot and shoulder high with the equestrian. Wild flowers of every
prismatic shade charmed the eye, while they vied with each other in the
gorgeousness of their colors and blended into dazzling splendor. One breath
of wind and the wide emerald expanse rippled itself into space, while with
a heavier breeze came a swell whose waves beat against the mountain sides,
and, being hurled back, were lost in the far-away horizon. Shadow pursued
shadow in a long merry chase. The air was filled with the hum of bees,
the chirrupping of birds, an overpowering fragrance from the various
plants, causing the smallest sounds, in the extreme solitude, to become like
the roar of the ocean.

The hill-sides, overrun as they were with a dense mass of almost impene-
trable chapparal, were hard to penetrate ; trees of a larger growth struggled
for existence in isolated sterile spots. On the plains but few oaks of any
size were to be seen, a reason for this being found in the devastating
influence of the prairie fires, which were of frequent occurrence, thus
destroying the young shoots as they sprouted from the earth ; while the
flames, with their forked tongues, scorched the older ones, utterly destroying
them, leaving those only to survive the rude attack which were well ad-
vanced in years.

This almost boundless range was intersected throughout with trails
whereby the traveler moved from point to point, progress being, as it were,
in darkness on account of the height of the oats on either side, and rendered
dangerous in the lower valleys by the bands of wild cattle, sprung from the
stock introduced by the first settlers. These found food and shelter on the
plains during the night; at dawn of day they repaired to the higher grounds
to chew the cud and bask in the sunshine. At every yard, cayotes sprang
from the feet of the voyager. The hissing of snakes, the frightened rush of
lizards, all tended to heighten the sense of danger; while the flight of
quail, the nimble run of the rabbit, and the stampede of antelope and elk,
which abounded in thousands, added to the charm, making him, be he

THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY. 53

whosoever he may, pedestrian or equestrian, feel the utter insignificance of
man, the " noblest work of God."

At this time, as now, the rivers, creeks, and sloughs swarmed with fish
of various kinds that had not, as yet, been rudely frightened by the whirl
of civilization. The water at the Green Valley Falls, that favorite picnic
resort of to-day, then leaped as it e'en does now from crag to crag, splashing
back its spray in many a sparkle. Then, the shriek of the owl, the howl of
the panther, or the gruff growl of the grizzly was heard. Now, the scene
is changed ; it has ceased to be the lair of the wild beast, but civilization
has introduced the innocent prattle of children, and the merry tones of
womanhood, causing one to stay and ponder which be best, the former wild
solitude, or the pleasing pleasant present sunshine of sparkling voices and
sparkling water.

Let us here introduce the following interesting resume of the experiences
of the first of America's sons who visited California :

THE AMERICAN PIONEERS OF CALIFORNIA.

The following: interesting: record of the adventures of the first American
argonauts of California is abridged from an article which appeared in " The
Pioneer" in the year 1855 :

The first Americans that arrived in California, overland, were under the
command of Jehediah S. Smith, of New York. Mr. Smith accompanied the
first trapping and trading expedition, sent from St. Louis to the head
waters of the Missouri by General Ashley. The ability and energy dis-
played by him, as a leader of parties engaged in trapping beaver, were
considered of so much importance by General Ashley that he soon proposed
to admit him as a partner in the Rocky Mountain Fur Company. The
proposal was accepted and the affairs of the concern were subsequently
conducted by the firm of Ashley & Smith until 1828, when Mr. William L.
Sublette and Mr. Jackson, who had been engaged in the same business in
the mountains, associated themselves with Mr. Smith and bought out
General Ashley. They continued the business under the name of the
Rocky Mountain Fur Company until the summer of 1830, when they
retired from the mountains, disposing of their property and interest in the
enterprise to Messrs. Fitzpatrick, Bridger, Solomon, Sublette, and Trapp.
Mr. W. L. Sublette subsequently re-engaged in the business.

In the spring of 1826 Mr. Smith, at the head of a party of about twenty-
five men, left the winter quarters of the company to make a spring and fall
hunt. Traveling westerly he struck the source of the Green river, which
he followed down to its junction with Grand river, where the two form the
Colorado. He there left the river and, traveling westerly, approached the
Sierra Nevada of California. When traveling in that direction in search of
a favorable point to continue his exploration towards the ocean, he crossed

54 THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

the mountains and descended into the great valley of California near its
south-eastern extremity ; thus being not only the first American, but the
first person who, from the east or north, had entered the magnificent valleys
of the San Joaquin and Sacramento, or who had ever seen or explored
any of the rivers falling into the bay of San Francisco.

The following winter and spring he prosecuted with success the catching
of beaver, on the streams flowing into the lakes of the Tulares, on the San
Joaquin and tributaries, as also on some of the lower branches of the Sac-
ramento. At the commencement of summer, the spring hunt having closed,
he essayed to return, by following up the American river ; but the height
of the mountains, and other obstacles which he encountered, induced him
to leave the party in the valley during the summer. He accordingly re-
turned ; and, having arranged their summer quarters on that river, near the
present town of Brighton, prepared to make the journey, accompanied by a
few well tried and hardy hunters, to the summer rendezvous of the Rocky
Mountain Fur Company, on the eastern slope of the Rocky mountains.
Selecting favorite and trusty horses and mules, Mr. Smith, with three com-
panions, left camp to undertake one of the most arduous and dangerous
journeys ever attempted. Ascending the Sierra Nevada, he crossed it at a
point of elevation so great, that on the night of the 27th of June, most of
his mules died from intense cold. He descended the eastern slope of the
mountains, and entered upon the thirsty and sterile plains that were spread
out before him in all their primitive nakedness ; but his horses were unable
to accomplish the journey.

Next to the Bedouin of the great African desert, if not equally with
him, the trapper of the wilds of the American continent worships the noble
horse, which not only proudly carries his owner up to the huge bison, when
hunger presses the hunter, and swiftly flees from the overpowering horde of
savages who seek his life ; but while the solitary, benighted, and fatigued
hunter snatches a few shreds of repose, stands a trusty sentinel, with ears
erect and penetrating eye, to catch the first movement of every object
within its view, or with distended nostril, to inhale the odor of the red man
with which the passing breeze is impregnated, and arouse his affectionate
master. What, then, were the feelings of these men, as they saw their
favorite steeds, which had long been their companions, and had been
selected for their noble bearing, reeling and faltering on those inhospitable
plains. Still worse when they were compelled to sever the brittle thread
of life, and dissolve all those attachments and vivid hopes of future com-
panionship and usefulness by the use of the rifle, which, at other times,
with unerring aim, would have sent death to the man who should attempt
to deprive them of their beloved animals.

They hastily cut from the lifeless bodies a few pieces of flesh, as the only
means of sustaining their own existence ; and in this manner they supported
life until they passed the desert and arrived on foot at the rendezvous.

THE HISTpRY OF SOLANO COUNTY. 55

A party was immediately organized, and, with such supplies as were
required for the company, left for California, Mr. Smith hastening his de-
parture. Traveling south, to avoid in some degree the snow and cold of
winter, he descended and crossed Grand river, of the Colorado, and, contin-
uing south-westerly, he approached the Colorado river from the east, near
the camp of the Mohave Indians. In the attempt to transport his party,
by means of rafts, over this river, in which he was aided by the Mohaves,
who professed great friendship and hospitality, he was suddenly surprised
by the treacherous Indians, who, upon a pre-concerted signal, simultaneously
attacked the men who were on each bank of the river, and upon a raft then
crossing, massacred the party, with the exception of two men and Mr.
Smith, who escaped, and after great suffering arrived at the Mission of San
Gabriel, in California. They were immediately arrested by the military
officer at that place, because they had no passports. This functionary
forwarded an account of the arrival and detention of the foreigners to the
commandant of San Diego, who transmitted the same to General Echandia,
then Governor and Commander-in-Chief of California.

After a harassing delay Mr. Smith was permitted to proceed to Monterey,
and appear before the Goverrior. Through the influence and pecuniary
assistance of Captain John Cooper, an American, then resident of Monterey,
he was liberated, and having procured such supplies as could be obtained in
that place, partially oh account of beaver-fur to be sent from the summer
quarters on the Sacramento river, and partly on credit, he hired a few men
and proceeded to the camp of the party which he had previously left in the
Sacramento valley. After forwarding the fur to Monterey, he travelled up the
Sacramento, making a most successful hunt up this river and its tributaries
within the valley. Ascending the western sources of the Sacramento, he
passed Shasta mountain, when he turned westerly and arrived on the coast,
which he followed south to the Umpqua river. While Mr. Smith and two men
were in a canoe, with two or three Indians, engaged in examining the river
to find a crossing, his camp was unexpectedly surprised by the Indians, who
had, up to this time, shown the most friendly disposition, and the entire
party, with the exception of one man, were murdered. Mr. Smith and the
men with him in the canoe, after wandering many days in the mountains,
where they were obliged to secrete themselves by day and travel by night,
to avoid the Indians, who were scouring the country in pursuit, succeeded
in escaping from their vicinity, and arrived at Fort Vancouver, a post of
the Hudson's Bay Company, on the Columbia river. The man who escaped
from the camp at the massacre of the party was badly wounded, and without
arms to defend himself or procure food, succeeded in sustaining life and
making his way through many vicissitudes for a period of thirty-eight days,
when he reached Fort Vancouver. On his arrival there Mr. Smith con-
tracted with the superintendent to sell him the large quantity of fur which

56 THE HISTOKY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

had fallen into the hands of the Indians on the Umpqua, provided he would
assist in recovering it, and to furnish a guide to lead a trapping party into
the Sacramento valley. A company was fitted out under the command of
Lieutenant McLeod, which proceeded to the scene of disaster, and after re-
covering the fur, with which Mr. Smith returned to the fort, continued
south, under the guidance of one of Smith's men, to the Sacramento valley,
where a most valuable hunt was made. A large number of horses from
California were also obtained, with which the party attempted to return in
the fall of 1822. In crossing the mountain they were overtaken by a violent
snow-storm, in which they lost all their horses. From the hasty and un-
suitable manner in which they attempted to secrete their valuable stock of
fur from the observation and discovery of the Indians or other body of
trappers, it was found in a ruined state by a party sent to convey it to the
fort in the following spring, and McLeod was discharged from the service of
the company for his imprudence in attempting to cross the mountains so
late in the fall.

Another band was fitted out from Fort Vancouver, by the Hudson
Bay Co., under Captain Ogden, of New York, who for some time had been
in the employ of that corporation, with which Mr. Smith left the fort on
his final departure from the Pacific shore, for the rendezvous of the Rocky
Mountain Fur Co. This company traveled up Lewis river, in the direction
of the South Pass, when Mr. Smith pursuing his journey with a few men,
Captain Ogden turned south, and traveling along the eastern base of the
Sierra Nevada, entered the valley of the Tulares, on the trail which Smith
had made in 1826. McLeod having left the valley before he was en-
countered by Ogden, who spent the winter of 1828-9, and the following
summer returned to the Columbia river with a valuable hunt.

One of the survivors of the massacre of Smith's party on the Rio Colorado
remained in California. He was a blacksmith by trade, and obtained em-
ployment at the Missions of San Gabriel and San Luis Key. His name was
Galbraith, and while in the mountains previous to his advent to California,
was recognized as the most fearless of that brave class of men with whom
he was associated. His stature was commanding, and the Indians were
awed by his athletic and powerful frame, while the display of his Herculean
strength excited the surprise of all. Many were the incidents that occurred
in California during his residence, of which he was the principal actor. On
one occasion, while employed at the Mission of San Luis Bey, he became
riotous while under the exciting influence of agwadiente, and was warned
that unless he conducted himself with greater propriety it would be necessary
to confine him in the guard-house. This served to exasperate instead of to
quiet his unruly passions. A corporal with two men were ordered to arrest
Galbraith. On their arrival at the shop, they found the follower of Vulcan
absorbed in anathemas, which he was pouring fprth in rapid succession

THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY. 57

against the Reverend Father, soldiers, and neophites. Having delivered
himself he enquired what they wanted. On the corporal's replying that he
had been sent to conduct him to the guard-house, Galbraith seized a sledge,
and swaying it above his head rushed upon the soldiers, who, intimidated at
the gigantic size of the blacksmith, whose broad and deep chest was swell-
ing with infuriated passion, horror stricken fled in dismay. With uplifted
hammer he pursued them across the court of the Mission, and to the guard
house in front of the Mission, where the affrighted corporal and soldiers
arrived among their comrades, closely followed by the terrific mountaineer,
who, alike fearless of Spanish soldiers as he had ever been of Indians, drove
the trembling forces, a sergeant and twelve men, to their quarters, where
they were imprisoned. He then hastily loaded with grape shot a fine piece
of artillery which stood in front of the quarters, and directing its mouth
towards the Mission, he gathered up the arms which the soldiers in the
confusion had abandoned, and prepared to act as exigencies might require.
The priest, seeing the course events were taking, sent a messenger to open
communications with the victor, who, from the sudden burst of passion and
violent exercise had dispelled the effects of the brandy, and with its removal
his choler had subsided.

In the early part of 1839 a company was made up in St. Louis, Missouri,
to cross the plains to California consisting of D. G. Johnson, Charles Klein,
David D. Dutton and William Wiggins. Fearing the treachery of the
Indians this little party determined to await the departure of a party of
traders in the employ of the American Fur Company, on their annual tour
to the Rocky Mountains. At Westport they were joined by Messrs. Wright,
Gegger, a Doctor Wiselzenius and his German companion, and Peter Lasson,
as also two missionaires with thier wives and hired man, bound for Oregon,
as well as a lot of what were termed fur trappers, bound for the mountains,
the entire company consisting of twenty-seven men and two women.

The party proceeded on their journey and in due time arrived at the
Platte river, but here their groceries and breadstuff gave out ; happily the
county was well stocked with food, the bill of fare consisting henceforward
of buffalo, venison, cat-fish, suckers, trout, salmon, duck, pheasant, sage-fowl,
beaver, hare, horse, grizzly bear, badger and dog. The historian of this expedi-
tion thus describes this latter portion of the menu. " As much misunderstand-
ing seems to prevail in regard to the last animal alluded to, a particular
description of it may not be uninteresting. It is, perhaps, somewhat larger
than the ground squirrel of California, is subterranean and gregarious in its
habits, living in ' villages ; ' and from a supposed resemblance in the feet,
as well as in the spinal termination, to that of the canine family, it is in
popular language known as the prairie dog. But in the imposing technology
of the mountain graduate it is styled the canus prairie cuss, because its
cussed holes so often cause the hunter to be unhorsed when engaged in the
chase."

58 THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

After enduring a weary journey, accompanied by the necessary annoy-
ances from treacherous and pilfering Souix, hail-storms, sand-storms, rain
and thunder-storms, our voyagers arrived at Fort Hall, where they were
disappointed at not being able to procure a guide to take them to California-
This was almost a death-blow to the hopes of the intrepid travelers ; but
having learned of a settlement on the Willamette river, they concluded to
proceed thither in the following spring, after passing the winter at this fort-
Here Klein and Doctor Wiselzenius determined to retrace their steps ; thus
the party was now reduced to five in number — Johnson going ahead and
leaving for the Sandwich Islands. In September, 1839, the party reached
Oregon, and sojourned there during the winter of that year ; but in May,
1840, a vessel arrived with Missionaries from England, designing to touch
at California on her return, Mr. William Wiggins, now of Monterey, the
narrator of this expedition, and his three companions from Missouri, among
whom was Mr. David D. Dutton, now a resident of Vacaville township, in
Solano county, got on board ; but Mr. W., not having a dollar, saw no hope
to get away ; as a last resort, he sent to one of the passengers, a compara-
tive stranger, for the loan of sixty dollars, the passage-money, when, to his
great joy and surprise, the money was furnished — a true example of the
spontaneous generosity of those early days. There were three passengers
from Oregon, and many others who were " too poor to leave." In June,
they took passage in the " Lausenne," and were three weeks in reaching
Baker's bay, a distance of only ninety miles. On July 3rd, they left the
mouth of the Columbia, and, after being out thirteen days, arrived at Bo-
dega, now in Sonoma county, but then a harbor in possession of the Russians.
Here a dilemma arose of quite a threatening character. The Mexican Com-
mandant sent a squad of soldiers to prevent the party from landing, as they
wished to do, for the captain of the vessel had refused to take them farther
on account of want of money. At this crisis, the Russian Governor arrived,
and ordered the soldiers to leave, be shot down, or go to prison ; they, there-
fore, beat a retreat. Here were our travelers, at a stand-still, with no means
of proceeding on their journey, or of finding their way out of the inhospit-
able country ; they, therefore, penned the following communication to the
American Consul, then stationed at Monterey :

" Poet Bodega. July 25, 1840.

" To the American Consul of California :

" Dear Sir — We, the undersigned citizens of the United States, being
desirous to land in the country, and having been refused a passport, and
been opposed by the Government, we write to you, sir, for advice, and claim
your protection. Being short of funds, we are not able to proceed further
on the ship. We have concluded to land under the protection of the Rus-
sians ; we will remain there fifteen days, or until we receive an answer from

THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY. 59

you, which we hope will be as soon as the circumstances of the case will
permit. We have been refused a passport from General Vallejo. Our ob-
ject is to get to the settlements, or to obtain a pass to return to our own
country. Should we receive no relief, we will take up our arms and travel,
consider ourselves in an enemy's country, and defend ourselves with our
guns.

" We subscribe ourselves,

" Most respectfully,

David Dutton,
John Stevens,
Peter Lasson,
. Wm. Wiggins,
J. Wright."

To John R. Wolfskill is the honor due of being the first American settler
in Solano county. In 1838, his brother William and himself came to Los
Angeles, and there remained until 1842, when the former received a grant of
four leagues of land, situated on both sides of the Rio de los Putos, which,
under a family arrangement, the latter located on in that year. John R. Wolf-
skill, being, therefore, the actual American pioneer of the county, we have made
it our duty to personally consult him by visiting him at his magnificent man-
sion on Putah creek. Having ridden on horseback from Los Angeles, where
he had been laboring for years for a miserable pittance, he drove with him
ninety head of cattle, and ultimately arrived at his destination after a weary
journey, cheered by no society save the growling of wild beasts and the low-
ing of his own kine. When he arrived on the northern side of the bay of San
Francisco, he made for Napa, and here procured a horse from George Yount,
the pioneer of that county, and crossing the mountains, struck into Green
valley, and thence into that of Suisun, and thus travelling, passed through
the present site of Vacaville, and arrived on the banks of the Putah. On
his attaining his haven, the country had the appearance of never having
known the foot of man ; Indians there were none ; cattle there were none
save those which he had brought with him ; but there were evidences on
every hand of bears, and other wild animals. Mr. Wolfskill, inured as he
had been to hardship almost from his birth, thought little of these things ;
he had early served a hunter's craft in the wilds of unsettled Missouri,
whither he had accompanied his father in the year 1809, from his native
State of Kentucky; had learned the bitterness of being cooped up in
Cooper's Fort, now Howard County, Mo., during the war of 1812, and
could check-mate the tricky savage at his own game, and prove a match for
the ferocious grizzly on his own ground. The first night on his new domain
the lonely voyager passed high up on the fork of a tree away from the
possible hug of prowling bears and the presence of creeping things ; the

60 THE HISTOKY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

dawn found him with gun on shoulder on the search for food ; no time was
lost in making arrangements for a permanent location. A position for his
future home was chosen on a site near to that where now stands the house
of his brother, Sarshel Wolf skill, and, half a mile from his own present
dwelling ; what timber was necessary was cut, and in a short time, with
the assistance of a stray Indian or Mexican, the pioneer hut was completed,
and the energetic backwoodsman had once more the comfort of a roof over
his head, with more ample security from the lurking animals without.

At this time Wolfskill's nearest English-speaking neighbors were, on the
one hand, at Napa, on the other, at Sutter's Fort, now Sacramento ; dis-
tances of forty-five and thirty miles, respectively. Many a time was the
never-ending solitude broken by a ride and return on the same day to these
places, undertaken simply for the pleasure of a short conversation, which,
when accomplished, again would recur a season of prolonged lonesomeness,
varied only by the toil of clearing ground, the pursuit of game, and the
prosecution of a deadly war with grizzlies, of which Mr. Wolfskill has killed
a large number. One evening alone he having, in a distance of a mile and
a half, while riding along the course of the Putah creek, sent five to their
long account.

Uncle John Wolfskill, as he is familiarly spoken of in the district in
which he resides, carries his seventy-five years well, and, but for the extreme
whiteness of his beard and a slight bend of his shoulders, would still be
considered a man in the prime of life. Fortune has smiled upon him in the
fullness of his years. Portions of his estate he has sold or rented, but he,
with his son and brother, have a large tract under cultivation. His resi-
dence stands nearly three hundred yards from the banks of the Putah creek,
surrounded on every side by a splendid orchard of fruit trees of every
variety, including oranges, olives, figs, and grapes, one vine having tendrils
of forty feet in length that form a magnificent arbor ; while the building-
is of fine, soft, smooth stone, found on the property in considerable quanti-
ties, which has a beautiful appearance, and combines all the comfort of an
old country establishment, with the advantages of habitation, which a
glorious climate affords.

Thus we have satisfactorily traced the establishment of the first American
in Solano county, but emigration had not, as yet, come into California, for
no sign of gold had then been found, nor, indeed, had the remarkable adapt-
ability of the soil for agricultural as well as pastoral purposes been given
to the world. Those who occupied the lands did so in peace, and continued
so to do for years. It was not until 1846 that any positive influx in the
population of the county made itself apparent. In this year Benicia was
first settled, but ere relating this portion of Solano's history, let us draw
attention to the circumstances which induced to the selection of the site by
Doctor Robert Semple.

THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY. Gl

In the early part of 1846 the United States and Mexico were at war. A
fine fleet of the best ships of the Union proudly bore the flag on the Pacific
ocean and along its coast. Fremont, the intrepid, with a small force of
regulars, were engaged on the frontier of California on a supposed scientific
survey. Great Britain and France, through their representatives, were
watching with keen anxiety the out-turn of affairs, being ready at a
moment's notice to take advantage of any loop-hole that might present
itself, and assume a protectorate over the coast, or take forcible- possession
of the country. The native Californians were not numerous ; those were
divided in council, scattered over a vast territory and poorly equipped with
defensive weapons. At this juncture affairs culminated to a point, and the
little town of Sonoma was called upon to play a part in the history of the
west, which was finally settled by the acquisition of California to the
United States.

On the morning of June lGth a band of thirty-three Americans, recruited
from Sutter's Fort and the adjacent .districts, marched into the town of
Sonoma, captured the garrison and took General Vallejo, the officer com-
manding the Province of California, a prisoner. The company who carried
out this hiffh-handed action were under the orders of one of their number
named Merritt, whom they had elected to the position of Captain. They
proceeded entirely on their responsibility, committed no excess, but still
were determined in their policy.

Being without authority/ to use the flag of the United States, a banner of
their own was therefore resolved upon, and three men, Ben Duell, (now of
Lake county) Todd, and Currie, manufactured the standard, the two former,
who were saddlers it is believed, sewing the stripes of red, white, and blue
together, while they with the bear, from which the color received its name,
were painted by the latter. A narrator of these events naively remarks :
" The material of which the stripes were made was not, as has been stated,
an old red flannel petticoat, but was new flannel and white cotton, which
Duell got from Mrs. W. B. Elliott, who had been brought to the town of Sono-
ma, her husband, W. B. Elliott, being one of the bear-flag party. Some blue
domestic was found elsewhere and used in making the flag. The drawing
was rudely done, and, when finished, the bear resembled a pig as much as
the object for which it was intended." The idea of adopting the insignia of
a bear was that having once entered the fight, there should be no surrender
until the thorough emancipation of California was accomplished. The
bear-flag is still preserved as a choice relic by the Society of California
Pioneers, and on notable occasions it sees the light in a procession by the
Association.

In the meantime after a few fights, and the murder of one or two of the
independents, Fremont made his appearance on the scene, and fitted out an
expedition to pursue the Californians whicn he did with much vigoi', finally

62 THE HISTOKY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

driving Castro, their commander, with his forces, out of the district. While
these events were being enacted, the American flag was hoisted at Monterey
on July 7th, by direction of Commodore Sloat ; on the following day it was
opened to the breeze on the plaza at Yerba Buena, and, on July 10th, the
revolutionists received one with every demonstration of joy ; down came the
flag of independence, the inartistic bear-flag, and up went the stars and
stripes, thus completing the conquest of the district of Sonoma of which
Solono county then formed a portion.

The detachment to escort General Vallejo to Sutter's Fort, wherein he
was to be held as a prisoner of war, was placed under the command of
Doctor Robert Semple, then a captain serving under the bear flag, who,
while proceeding by boat along the shores of the Carquinez straits, casually
observed to the general on the remarkable eligibility of the present site of
Benicia as one on which to found a city. At the time the matter was
referred to simply as a topic of conversation; on the return journey, how-
ever, after the short detention of the- General, he once more brought up the
subject, which terminated in his promise to make a concession for that
purpose of five miles of water front and one in depth ; this we find on
reference to the county records was finally carried out, by deed of gift, on
May 19th, 1847, the name of Thomas 0. Larkin, consul for the United State
at Monterey, being associated with those of General Vallejo and Doctor
Robert Semple, the deed containing certain provisions which will be treated
on in the history of the city of Benicia.

Thus the first town in Solono county was located and soon after settled.

We must now return to the doings of the year 1846. In this year
immigration was greater than on any previous one, among those arriving
being Landy Alford and Nathan Barbour. What their experiences were let
us here relate. Starting from Andrews county, Missouri, for this, then
almost " undiscovered country," they crossed the plains and came to the
banks of the Feather river in October, 1846. The waters being in flood it
was too deep to ford, they, therefore, with that wit which becomes sharpened
by a stern necessity, devised the following mode of reaching the opposite
bank. Taking the box, or bed of their wagons, they fastened to each corner
an empty keg, thus making a raft or float ; in this they conveyed, not only
all their household goods, but also their entire families, the live stock which
they were bringing with them being compelled to swim across. Not long
after this our party found themselves at Wolfskill's ranch, already referred
to, and here they divided, the Alford's going to Sonoma accompanied by
Barbour's wife, while Barbour remained behind for a few days, and finally
enlisted in the battalion that Fremont was at the time recruiting, with
which he went to Sacramento and served five months. In the end of March,
1847, Mr. Barbour followed his friends to Sonoma where he, with Alford,
framed two houses which they intended erecting on a couple of lots given

THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY. 63

them for the purpose. On one occasion while at work shaping out their
posts and beams, they were found by Thomas 0. Larkin who made them an
offer of a startling nature, this being no less than a proposal to take both
their houses to Benicia free of charge, to give them one thousand dollars
each for them, they having the privilege of living in them during the
winter, only with this simple proviso, that they should be erected on certain
specified lots in that city. The offer was accepted and they moved to
Benicia in October, 1847. With the same train in which started for Cali-
fornia those mentioned above, traveled Daniel M. Berry, who with his
family arrived in September, 1846, and at once proceeded to Rio Vista, but
in the following spring removed from there and came into the Suisun valley
and pitched a tent on what is now the farm of Joseph Blake, situated about
six miles west of Fairfield. In this year there also located in Vaca valley,
Albert Lyon, John Patton, J. P. Long, Willis Long, and Clay Long, who
commenced the business of stock-raisers. At this time there also lived in
the adobe at Rockville, formerly occupied by Solano, the proselytized chief
of the Suisuns, one Jesus Molino, an Indian who farmed some land.

Captain Von Pfister, a most worthy gentleman of Benicia, who arrived in
that city in the month of August, 1847, possesses a set of books, a day-book
and journal, used in his business, which impart a fund of information in
regard to the early settlement of the county, and in a measure serves as a
directory for that year. When the captain landed in Benicia, one William
McDonald was then building an adobe, which Von Pfister rented on com-
pletion, and opened the first store in the county. From this establishment
the neighborhood for many miles around was supplied, including residents
in Contra Costa, notably the Spanish family of Martinez, who founded the
pleasant town of that name on the opposite shore of the Carquinez Straits.
The books above referred to inform us that there then lived in the county the
following gentlemen — of course there were others whom it has been impos-
sible to trace — all of whom did business at this pioneer emporium. Robert
Semple, Edward Higgings, Charles Hand, Benjamin Furbush, David A*
Davis, William Bryan, George Stevens, James Thompson, Stephen Cooper,
F. S. Holland, Landy Alford, Benjamin McDonald, William Russell, William
Watson, William I. Tustin, Henry Mathews, while Ward & Smith, and
Robert A. Parker, then the principal merchants of Yerba Buena, were the
wholesale establishments with which Von Pfister did business.

The foregoing names are produced merely to give a sort of general idea
of who some of the original settlers were, but it must be by no manner of
means inferred that they were the first to locate in that section. It is fair
to assume that Doctor Robert Semple was the first to appear with any
defined ideas of taking up a permanent residence on the spot, for to him
and two others did the land belong ; there were no houses wherein to live ;
so those who came were per force content to dwell in their wagons and

64 THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

tents. Yet this was for no lengthened period, as in 1847 we find on record
that houses were constructed by William I. Tustin, now of San Francisco.
Robert Semple, William Bryan, William Russell, Thomas O. Larkin, Stephen
Cooper, Nathan Barbour, Landy Alford, and a man named Benedict.

In this year, too, Samuel Green McMahon arrived in the northern part of
the county and located on certain lands in the WolfskiD grant, on Putah
creek, while in the previous year Don Juan Bidwell, an American, who had
adopted a Spanish synonym of his name, and had served against the Bear-
flag party with the Spaniards, received a grant of land in what is now Rio
Vista township. About this time William McDonald, of Benicia, purchased
a farm in the Sulphur Spring valley, on what was for many years after
known as the Wood's ranch, and there broke the first ground in the south-
ern portion of the county, and produced crops, principally of vegetables,
which were a marvel to those early residents who had come from the
Eastern agricultural States.

In the fall of the year 1847, Captain Von Pfister, traveling overland,
visited the site of the present State Capital. His journey was made through
that portion of the district now known as Solano County, he having started
from Benicia and forded the Rio de los Putos, somewhere between Wolf-
skill's house and that portion of the marsh where the creek loses itself in
the tules, presumably at the point where the old Spanish trail crossed that
stream. There were then only five houses between these two points, at
four of which the captain visited. The first was that of the Indian, Jesus
Molino, at Rockville ; here he found about one hundred acres of ground
under cultivation, producing beans, peas, wheat, barley, and other cereal and
bulbous plants with which the producer was wont to purchase his necessary
stores ; his farming implements were of the most primitive kind, the plough
used being the crooked limb or elbow of a tree, armed with a pointed,
rough, iron socket, which was unevenly dragged through the soil. He next
visited the Berry ranch, in Suisun valley, and here found a clap-board house,
the only one in the district of the kind ; and hence he proceeded in turn
to the ranches of Armijo and Vaca and Pena, and made his exit from the
county as already described.

This year of 1847 may be said to close the pre-historic days of the State,
for it was not until the following year that California became a household
word and had her name tremblingly and hopefully pronounced by eager
lips. As things were then, matters progressed smoothly, but it was little
calculated what was in store for the county in the future ; what there was
we shall attempt to define as we go on.

The year 1848 is one wherein reached the nearest attainment of the dis-
covery of the Philosopher's stone, which it has been the lot of Christendom
to witness : on January 19th gold was discovered, at Coloma, on the
American river, and the most unbelieving and cold-blooded were, by the

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'HE
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PUBLIC LIBRARY

Foundations,

THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY. 65

middle of spring, irretrievably bound in its fascinating meshes. The wonder
is that the discovery was not made earlier. Emigrants, settlers, hunters,
practical miners, scientific exploring parties, had camped on, settled in,
hunted through, dug in and ransacked the region, yet never found it ; the
discovery was entirely accidental. Franklin Tuthill, in his History of Cal-
ifornia, tells the story in these words : Captain Sutter had contracted with
James W. Marshall, in September, 1847, for the construction of a saw-mill,
in Coloma. In the course of the winter a dam and race were made, but
when the water was let on, the tail-race was too narrow. To widen and
deepen it, Marshall let a strong current of water directly into the race,
which bore a large body of mud and gravel to the foot.

On the 19th of January, 1848, Marshall observed some glittering particles
in the race, which he was curious enough to examine. He called five car-
penters on the mill to see them ; but though they talked over the possibility
of its being gold, the vision did not inflame them. Peter L. Weimar claims
that he was with Marshall when the first piece of the " yellow stuff " was
picked up. It was a pebble, weighing six pennyweights and eleven grains.
Marshall gave it to Mrs. Weimar, and asked her to boil it in saleratus water
and see what came of it. As she was making soap at the time, she pitched
it into the soap kettle. About twenty-four hours afterwards it was fished
out and found all the brighter for its boiling.

Marshall, two or three weeks later, took the specimens below, and gave
them to Sutter, to have them tested. Before Sutter had quite satisfied
himself as to their nature, he went up to the mill, and, with Marshall, made
a treaty with the Indians, buying of them their titles to the region round
about, for a certain amount of goods. There was an effort made to keep the
secret inside the little circle that knew it, but it soon leaked out. They had
many misgivings and much discussion whether they were not making
themselves ridiculous ; yet by common consent all began to hunt, though
with no great spirit, for the " yellow stuff " that might prove such a prize.

In February, one of the party went to Yerba Buena, taking some of the
dust with him. Fortunately he stumbled upon Isaac Humphrey, an old
Georgian gold-miner, who, at the first look at the specimens, said they were
gold, and that the diggings must be rich. Humphrey tried to induce some
of his friends to go up with him to the mill, but they thought it a crazy ex-
pedition, and left him to go alone. He reached there on the 7th of March.
A few were hunting for gold, but rather lazily, and the work on the mill
went on as usual. Next day he began " prospecting," and soon satisfied
himself that he had struck a rich placer. He made a rocker, and then com-
menced work in earnest.

A few days later, a Frenchman, Baptiste, formerly a miner in Mexico,
left the lumber he was sawing for Sutter at Weber's, ten miles east of
Coloma, and came to the mill. He agreed with Humphrey that the region

66 THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

was rich, and, like him, took to the pan and the rocker. These two men
were the competent practical teachers of the crowd that flocked in to see
how they did it. The lesson was easy, the process simple. An hour's
observation fitted the least experienced for working to advantage.

Slowly and surely, however, did these discoveries creep into the minds of
those at home and abroad ; the whole civilized world was set ao-oof with the
startling news from the, shores of the Pacific. Young and old were seized
with the California fever ; high and low, rich and poor, were infected by it ;
the prospect was altogether too gorgeous to contemplate. Why they could
actually pick up a fortune for the seeking it ! Positive affluence was within
the grasp of the weakest ; the very coast was shining with the bright metal
which could be obtained by picking it out with a knife.

Says Tuthill : Before such considerations as these, the conservatism of
the most stable bent. Men of small means, whose tastes inclined them to
keep out of all hazardous schemes and uncertain enterprises, thought they
saw duty beckoning them around the Horn, or across the plains. In many
a family circle, where nothing but the strictest econonomy could make the
two ends of the year meet, there were long and anxious consultations,
which resulted in selling ofT a piece of the homestead or the woodland, or
the choicest of the stock, to fit out one sturdy representative to make a for-
tune for the family. Hundreds of farms were mortgaged to buy tickets for
the land of gold. Some insured their lives and pledged their policies for an
outfit. The wild boy was packed off hopefully. The black sheep of the
flock was dismissed with a blessing, and the forlorn hope that, with a
change of skies, there might be a change of manneis. The stay of the
happy household said " Good-bye, but only for a year or two," to his charge.
Unhappy husbands availed themselves cheerfully of this cheap and reput-
able method of divorce, trusting Time to mend or mar matters in their
absence. Here was a chance to begin life anew. Whoever had begun it
badly, or made slow headway on the right course, might start again in a
region where Fortune had not learned to coquette with and dupe her
wooers.

The adventurers generally formed companies, expecting to go overland or
by sea to the mines, and to dissolve partnership only after a first trial of luck
together in the " diggings." In the Eastern and Middle States they would buy
up an old whaling-ship, just ready to be condemned to the wreckers, put in
a cargo of such stuff as they must need themselves, and provisions, tools, or
goods, that must be sure to bring returns enough to make the venture pro-
fitable. Of course, the whole fleet rushing together through the Golden
Gate, made most of these ventures profitless, even when the guess was
happy as to the kind of supplies needed by the Californians. It can hardly
be believed what sieves of ships started, and how many of them actually
made the voyage. Little river-steamers, that had scarcely tasted salt water

THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY. 67

before, were fitted out to thread the Straits of Magellan, and these were
welcomed to the bays and rivers of California, whose waters some of them
ploughed and vexed busily for years afterwards.

Then steamers, as well as all manner of sailing vessels, began to be adver-
tised to run to the Isthmus ; and they generally went crowded to excess
with passengers, some of whom were fortunate enough, after the toilsome
ascent of the Chagres river, and the descent either on mules or on foot to
Panama, not to be detained more than a month waiting for the craft that
had rounded the Horn, and by which they were ticketed to proceed to San
Francisco. But hundreds broke down under the horrors of the voyage in
the steerage, contracted on the Isthmus the low typhoid fevers incident to
tropical marshy regions, and died.

The overland emigrants, unless they came too late in the season to the
Sierras, seldom suffered as much, as they had no great variation of climate
on their route. They had this advantage, too, that the mines lay at the end
of their long road ; while the sea-faring, when they landed, had still a
weary journey before them. Few tarried longer at San Francisco than was
necessary to learn how utterly useless were the curious patent mining con-
trivances they had brought, and to replace them with the pick, shovel
pan, and cradle. If anyone found himself destitute of funds to go farther,
there was work enough to raise them by. Labor was honorable ; and the
daintiest dandy, if he were honest, could not resist the temptation to work
where wages were so high, pay so prompt, and employers so flush.

There were not lacking in San Francisco, grumblers who had tried the
mines and satisfied themselves that it cost a dollar's worth of sweat and
time, and living exclusively on bacon, beans, and " slap-jacks," to pick a
dollar's worth of gold out of rock, or river bed, or dry ground ; but they
confessed that the good luck which they never enjoyed abode with others.
Then the display of dust, slugs, and bars of gold in the public gambling-
places ; the sight of men arriving every day freighted with belts full, which
they parted with so freely as men only can when they have got it easily ;
the testimony of the miniature rocks ; the solid nuggets brought down from
above every few days, whose size and value rumor multiplied according to
the number of her tongues. The talk, day and night, unceasingly and
exclusively of " gold, easy to get and hard to hold," inflamed all new
comers with the desire to hurry on and share the chances. They chafed at
the necessary detentions. They nervously feared that all would be gone
before they should arrive.

The prevalent impression was that the placers would give out in a year
or two. Then it behoved him who expected to gain much to be among the
earliest on the ground. When experiment was so fresh in the field, one
theory was about as good as another. An hypothesis that lured men per-
petually farther up the gorges of the foot-hills, and to explore the canons

68 THE HISTOKY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

of the mountains, was this : that the gold which had been found in the
beds of rivers, or in gulches, through which streams once ran, must have
been washed down from the places of original deposits farther up the
mountains. The higher up the gold-hunter went, then, the nearer he
approached the source of supply.

To reach the mines from San Francisco, the course lay up San Pablo and
Suisun bays, and the Sacramento — not then, as now, a yellow, muddy
stream, but a river pellucid and deep — to the landing for Sutter's Fort;
and they who made the voyage in sailing vessels, thought Mount Diablo
significantly named so long it kept them company and swung its shadow
over their path. From Sutter's the most common route was across the
broad, fertile valley to the foot-hills, and up the American or some one of
its tributaries ; or, ascending the Sacramento to the Feather and the Yuba,
the company staked off a claim, pitched its tent or constructed a cabin, and
set up its rocker, or began to oust the river from a portion of its bed. Good
luck might hold the impatient adventurers for a whole season on one bar ;
bad luck scattered them always farther up.
* * * * * ***

Hoards sought the mining camps, which did not stop to study roads.
Traders came in to supply the camps, and, not very fast, but still to some
extent, mechanics and farmers to supply both traders and miners. So, as
if by magic, within a year or two after the rush began, the map of the
country was written thick with the names of settlements.

Some of these were the nuclei of towns that now flourish and promise to
continue as long as the State is peopled. Others, in districts where the
placers were soon exhaused, were deserted almost as hastily as they were
begun, and now no traces remain of them except the short chimney-stack,
the broken surface of the ground, heaps of cobble-stones, rotting, half-
buried sluice boxes, empty whisky bottles, scattered playing cards, and
rusty cans.

The " fall of '49 and spring of '50 " is the era of California history, which
the pioneer always speaks of with warmth. It was the free-and-easy age
when everybody was flush, and fortune, if not in the palm, was only just
beyond the grasp of all. Men lived chiefly in tents, or in cabins scarcely
more durable, and behaved themselves like a generation of bachelors. The
family was beyond the mountains ; the restraints of society had not yet
arrived. Men threw off the masks they had lived behind and appeared out
in their true character. A few did not discharge the consciences and con-
victions they had brought with them. More rollicked in a perfect freedom
from those bonds which good men cheerfully assume in settled society for
the good of the greater number. Some afterwards resumed their temperate
and steady habits, but hosts were wrecked before the period of their license
expired.

THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY. 69

Very rarely did men, on their arrival in the country, begin to work at
their old trade or profession. To the mines first. If fortune favored they
soon quit for more congenial employments. If she frowned, they might
depart disgusted, if they were able ; but oftener, from sheer inability to
leave the business, they kept on, drifting from bar to bar, living fast, reck-
less, improvident, half -civilized lives ; comparatively rich to-day, poor
to-morrow ; tormented with rheumatisms and agues ; remembering dimly
the joys of the old homestead ; nearly weaned from the friends at home,
who, because they were never heard from, soon became like dead men in
their memory ; seeing little of women and nothing of churches ; self-reliant,
yet satisfied that there was nowhere any " show " for them ; full of enter-
prise in the direct line of their business, and utterly lost in the threshhold
of any other ; genial companions, morbidly craving after newspapers ; good
fellows, but short-lived.

Such was the maelstrom which dragged all into its vortex thirty years
ago ! Now, almost the entire generation of pioneer miners, who remained
in that business, has passed away, and the survivers feel like men who are
lost and old before their time, among the new comers, who many be just as
old, but lack their long, strange chapter of adventures.

No history of a county in California would be complete without a record
of the rush to this coast at the time of what is so aptly named the " gold
fever;" hence use has been made of the graphic pen-picture quoted above.
Where there were so many homeless, houseless wanderers, the marvel is
not so much that thousands should have succumbed to sickness, as that
there was no epidemic to sweep off the entire reckless population.

In the winter of 1849-50 large numbers of miners repaired to Benicia>
and there pitching their tents, plunged into the most head-long dissipation.
Saloons and gambling hells were in full blast, large sums of money being
spent on and in these canvass palaces, ornamented and embellished with the
wildest display of meretricious splendor. In the spring of the year, when
the weather opened, the majority returned to their will-o'-the-wisp pursuit
after wealth in the mines, while those who remained, heart-sick at hope
deferred, cast aside their rockers and picks, and betook themselves to the
ploughshare, so to try their luck at fortune-making by the production of
golden grain, as against the acquiring it from golden sand. In these years
commenced the arrival, in numbers, of settlers in Solano county, a goodly
share of her oldest and most worthy residents having each had, at one time
or another, a long or a short spell at the mines, and truly do they love to
narrate their experiences in these eventful years, which is usually done
with a simplicity at once " child-like and bland."

But to return to the settlement of Solano county : In 1848, John Stilts,
who had two years previously visited the district, returned and settled in
Green Valley, where he was shortly after followed by W. P. Durbin and

70 THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

Charles Ramsey. In the following spring came Landy Alford from Benicia
to the Suisun Valley, and located on the farm now owned by Lewis Pierce.
Alford was of that class of whom the most stolid citizens are made. He
was a man brought up on the frontier, and, as usual with such characters,
lacked those more refined qualities which education and contact with society
brings. A man who was passionately fond of hunting, and when not
engaged in the pursuit of deer, bear, or other wild animals, or recounting
his exploits to interested listeners, was silent, reserved, and almost moody.
After his coming to this township, and when civilization became more
advanced and game became sparse, he pushed on to the valley of the San
Joaquin, where he died a few years ago. He, with many of the early set-
tlers, have been gathered to their fathers on the brighter shores of the Great
Beyond. A few are left awaiting the summons to join those who have gone
before, but who shared with them the hardships and privations incident to
pioneer life in this part of the Pacific slope, erst the home of Solano and
his tribe of Suisuns.

In this year, too, there established themselves in Yaca valley, J. H., W.
B., and Garard Long, who were soon after followed by Marshall M. Basye ;
General J. B. Frisbie, too, at this time arrived in Benicia : while there were
others, who it has been impossible to trace, arriving almost daily. Most of
these have been gathered to their fathers ; while some have left the county
to reside in other parts of the State. In the fall of 1850, John R. Wolfskill
was joined by his brother Mathias, on his grant on Putah creek ; the same
season Nathan Barbour transferred his residence to Suisun valley ; while in
that year, among the arrivals in the county, were J. H. Bauman, W. A.
Dunn, and his family (among whom was Alexander, the present County
Clerk of Solano), who located in Fairfield in December, but afterwards
moved permanently to Vaca valley ; Dr. Frisbie, and Paul K. Hubbs and
his family, in Benicia ; S. W. Long, in Vacaville ; and Harvey Rice, of
Suisun.

In 1850, Benicia had assumed considerable proportions as a city ; while,
through the auspices of General Vallejo, another town, within seven miles
of it, was commencing to spring into existence. This is now the city of
Vallejo, which was to have been called Eureka, and at one time actually
bore the name of Eden. It is known to all how this county became the
possessor of the legislature — it fluctuating between Vallejo and Benicia,
until it was gobbled up by Sacramento — the full history of these doings
appear in another portion of the work ; and also to this period belongs the
credit of seeing the erection of the first two-storied frame building in the
county. This was built by Daniel M. Berry, in the summer of 1850, and is
now occupied by his son, Elijah Berry ; it being located on the farm of

THE HISTOEY OF SOLANO COUNTY. 71

Joseph Blake. The following years still saw the population on the increase ;
in 1851, came E. F. Gillespie, to the upper end of Suisun valley, where he
commenced farming and haying ; Robert and Thomas Brownlie, with their
families, to Vallejo ; James G. Edwards, to Suisun, locating on the farm now
owned by John McMullen ; Charles Ramsey, to Green valley ; about this
time there settled, also, Captain Wing. In the following year, among those
who cast their lot in the county, were W. G. Davisson, George A. Gillespie,
the present Deputy County Clerk, a most worthy gentleman, and a complete
encyclopaedia of information in the various affairs of the country since the
date of his location in it ; J. B. Lemon, the present County Treasurer, in
Green valley ; Christley Manka, in Suisun township ; Elijah S. Silvey, in
Silvey ville, from whom that village and township takes its name ; and Dr.
O. C. Udell, on Putah creek. At this epoch of the county's history, there
was only one blacksmith shop ; it was situated at the foot of Suisun valley,
and kept by J. M. Perry ; to this establishment had the farmers from miles
around to come to get their ploughs repaired, their harrows mended, and
horses shod, consuming, in many instances, two entire days. In 1852, the
first store was opened in the Suisun valley, by J. W. Seaver, on the ground
now occupied by Sam. Martin, which lessened the distance to procure the
necessary commodities for existence. The country had now become well
populated ; the wild oats of earlier years showing a commencement of van-
ishing before the enterprise of the new-comers ; they for the while contented
themselves with but scant covering from the rude winds ; a log cabin, of
proscribed dimensions and primitive build, was all that the greater number
could afford. True, John R. Wolf skill had already built a fine frame dwell-
ing on the banks of Putah creek, the timber for which he had procured
from Benicia, a distance of forty miles, which cost him a " bit" a foot, and
for transporting which, he providing horses and wagons, he paid a driver
sixteen dollars a day. The later arrivals were not thus blessed ; their mode
of getting along was different. A few acres would, at the outset, be enclosed
by a ditch and mound, with brushwood heaped on top, to protect the rising
crops from the depredations of the wild oxen and other animals ; timber
was not to be procured save under disadvantageous circumstances of fatigue
and risk ; while a still greater enemy was ever to be feared in the firing of
the uncut portions of the wild oats, which, when ignited, burned with
fearful rapidity. Civilization had, however, made its impress upon the
land. Hay was made ; grain was grown ; and though the markets were at
a long distance from the producer, even at this early date small crafts found
their way to the Suisun embarcadero, and transported the freight, to what
was then, the thriving city of San Francisco.

72 THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

We quote from the abstract of the census of 1852, of the State of Cali-
fornia, the following return, having reference to Solano county :

Population 2,835

Whites, male 2,324

Whites, female 402

Citizens, United States, over 21 years of age 1,298

Negroes, male 26

Negroes, female 2

Mulattoes, male 35

Mulattoes, female None.

Indians, male 31

Indians, female 15

Foreign residents, male 790

Foreign residents, female 101

The quantity of land under cultivation in 1852, was five thousand nine
hundred and forty-nine acres, which was situated chiefly in the Suscol,
Sulphur Spring, Green, Suisun, Ulattis, Vaca, and Putah valleys.

The number of horses, cattle, and live stock generally, is appended :

Horses 1,957

Mules 187

Milch Cows 2,185

Beef Cattle 1,085

Hogs 2,264

Sheep 2,000

Oxen 1,149

The quantity of produce raised in the county was :

Bushels of Barley 105,630

Bushels of Oats 13,870

Bushels of Corn 3,555

Bushels of Wheat 8,395

Bushels of Rye 100

Bushels bf Potatoes 25,905

Tons of Hay ••••.. 2,146

Number of Grape Vines 5,811

Number of Fruit Trees 1,961

Thus is seen what gigantic strides had been made towards the establish-
ment of Solano county as a centre of agricultural production, and with
what just pride may we now refer to those of our relations and friends who
are still alive, who did so much towards bringing the valleys, and now some
of the mountains, within the influence of the plough. Jt is not within the

THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY. 73

province of this work to follow individual by individual in his location in
the county ; it has been a sufficiently intricate task to particularize those
few whom we have enumerated ; how much more difficult, therefore, would
it be, were it possible, even to account for the two thousand and more who
were already settled in the county in the year 1852. As year followed
year, the cry of immigration was "still they come;" as month succeeded
month the wants of the communities were supplied. Churches were built,
schools established; peace, order and good government were maintained as
effectively as could be ; while the judicial system had been put into practi-
cal operation.

The first hotel opened in the county was naturally at Benicia, the then
metropolis of Solano. It was carried on in an adobe house, by Major
Stephen Cooper, and named the " California House." The Major kept it
but for a short time, when it passed into the hands of Captain E. H. Von
Pfister, at a rental of five hundred dollars a month. The first church was
one for the Presbyterian order, constructed by the residents in 1849, the
frame having been imported from one of the Eastern States, and occupied
by Doctor Sylvester Woodbridge, now of San Francisco. The first school
was opened in 1849. The first birth was that of a daughter to the wife of
Nathan Barbour; the first marriage occurred on December 16, 1847, being
that of Doctor Robert Semple to Miss Fannie Cooper, daughter of the Judge
of the Court of First Instance, Major Stephen Cooper, at which there was
considerable merriment ; and the first record of a death, is that of John
Semple, a young man of twenty-one years of age, and son of the Doctor by
a former marriage.

In December, 1851, the plat of the town of Vacaville was filed, the origi-
nal grantors of the land being sponsors for the same ; while in every portion
of the county immigrants arrived, and locations taken up on all sides. Such,
indeed, was the influx of settlers into these valleys, the fertility of which
had already been noised abroad, that we find, in the year 1853, the estab-
lishment of a post-office at Cordelia, a small village, which now only exists
in name. In this year, Doctor S. K. Nurse established himself at a spot,
which he named Nurse's Landing, now known as Denverton, where he
built a residence, and in 1854, continued his enterprise by building a wharf
of considerable size, and a store as well.

Let us now consider what the prospects of the county were in 1855,
as we gather from statistics. In that year the amount of land within the
county, was 535,000 acres, of which there were under cultivation, 18,500
acres, divided as follows :

Mowed for Hay 4,000 acres— yield 6,000 Tons.

Planted in Wheat 7,500 acres— yield 150,000 Bushels.

Planted in Barley 5,200 acres— yield 156,000 Bushels.

Planted in Oats 700 acres— yield 28,000 Bushels.

74 THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

Planted in Com 700 acres — yield 21,000 Bushels.

Planted in Potatoes . . 200 acres — yield 30,000 Bushels.

Planted in Onions ... 50 acres — yield 50 Tons.

Planted in Broom-corn 135 acres — yield

Planted in other crop. 26 acres — yield

The estimated stock of animals was :

Horses 3,000.

Cattle 24,000.

Mules 300.

Sheep. 18,000.

Goats 200.

Hogs 17,000.

While the value of animals slaughtered was approximately stated to be
$100,000, an emphatic proof of the increase of population. This, however*
did not rest here, railways were mooted, steamboats already plied to Suisun,
which daily left loaded to the water's edge with produce for the San Fran-
cisco market. Early every morning strings of wagons, sometimes of forty
or fifty in number, arrived with large loads of grain and vegetables, which
were borne down the muddy slough and through the vast bleak expanse of
tule to the centre of traffic. Suisun was then the outlet for all the surroud-
ing country ; the county, through the energies of successive governments?
had been intersected in every direction by good roads, making travel easy
and pleasant ; the fertile valleys were becoming more thickly peopled as
day succeeded day ; a ready market was found for produce, and all went
" merry as a marriage bell." The attention of the reader is called to the
following report of the County Assessor in 1862 as an example of what
remarkable progress was made in the first ten years of the agricultural
history of Solano.

Description. No. Acres.

Valley Land adapted to tillage 292,000.

Mountain and Hill Land suitable for grazing purposes.. . 118,440.

Swamp and Overflowed Lands, lying principally on the

eastern and southern side of the county, about 92,000.

The Bays and Estuaries within the borders of the county

cover the surface of 43,000.

Total 545,440.

AGRICULTURAL LAND.

Of the two hundred and ninety-two thousand acres of tillable land,
there is not probably upon the face of the globe, so large an amount of

THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY. 75

farming land, lying in a compact form, that presents more alluring induce-
ments to the husbandman than this. Experiments have proven it to be
susceptable of the highest state of cultivation, yielding abundant harvests
of the grains and fruits indigenous to every zone. Wheat, barley, oats, rye,
corn, buckwheat, peas, beans, potatoes, yams, onions, etc., flourish luxuriantly
while the growing of flax, hemp, tobacco, cotton, rice, broomcorn, and
Chinese sugarcane, has been pronounced a success. Here also grow beauti-
fully, the apple, peach, pear, plum, cherry, nectarine, quince, apricot, fig,
orange, olive, pomegranite, pineapple, almond and prune trees ; and goose-
berry, raspberry, strawberry, and grape vines, are yearly laden with fruit.
We have according to statistics :

Description. No. Acres.

Land enclosed 115,774.

Cultivated 44,454.

In Wheat 14,256.

Barley 15,687.

Oats 580.

Rye 320.

Corn 970.

Buckwheat 36.

Peas 120.

Potatoes 1,473.

Onions 462.

Hay 42,160.

Alfalfa 23.

Broom Corn 170.

Of fruit trees and vines, we have :

Description. Number.

Apple trees, acres 15,996.

Peach trees 32,381.

Plum trees 1,592.

Pear trees 3,573.

Cherry trees 1,486.

Apricot trees 2,144.

Fig trees 1,772.

Grape vines 520,630.

Wine, manufactured, gallons 10,580.

Brandy, manufactured, gallons 460.

It will thus be seen that the inhabitants of Solano are not unmindful of
the comforts that surround civilization, and make happy homes ; and as the
great drawback on California, the land titles, are becoming adjudicated, new
evidence of thrif tiness and industry are being added to those already inau-
gurated.

76 THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

GRAZING LAND.

This portion of the county (one hundred and eighteen thousand four
hundred and forty acres) consists of the mountain spurs of the Coast
Range, and lie on the eastern side of the dividing ridge between this county
and Napa, and the low hills that are adjacent to, and form a portion of the
shores of the Suisun bay. The surface is covered with a dense growth of
" bunch grass " and wild oats, the former growing upon the summits and
the north sides of the highest peaks, being green nearly the whole year, and
a grass of hardy growth, nourishing best upon the most sterile hills. It is
valuable to the farmer, being very nutritious for stock.

Of the wild oats it would seem almost superfluous to speak, being indig-
enous to the soil, and familiar to nearly every inhabitant of California.
But, lest there were some who -have not visited this portion of the State
when its growth is most abundant, I will endeavor to describe it : The seed
bears a strong resemblance to the tame black oats, with this difference: it
is smaller, and has a hirsute appendage that grows upon the base of the
grain and nearly envelops it. This seemingly useless appendage has its
uses. In the fall, the soil, after many months of uninterrupted sunshine, is
hard and impenetrable, and would be impossible to seed were it not for the
cracks that are produced by contraction. The oats ripen in the months of
July and August, and are shattered by the action of the wind.

Falling upon the hard and impervious earth, they could not take root if
they did not make their way to these cracks, which they do in two ways :

First. — The heavy fibres that surround it act as legs, and prevent the
grain from lying close to the earth, at the same time being a sort of sail
that catches the lightest breeze that blows, thus turning it over and over
until it is safely lodged in the nearest crack, to await the coming rains of
winter.

Second. — The action of water upon these fibres has a singular and novel
effect. The first rains falling upon the seed, produce a desire for locomo-
tion, or a crawling propensity, and, by a curious process, the grain will
move itself several inches, thereby falling into cracks that are yawning to
receive and nourish it. Early in the winter, the oats, sprouting from these
cracks, give the earth the appearance of being spread with a beautiful net-
work.

This grass is the stand-by of the farmer. It nourishes his stock in the

spring, fattens them in summer and fall, and sustains them in winter. From

it he makes his hay, which is pronounced by good judges to be the best that

is used.

SWAMP AND OVERFLOWED LAND.

As before remarked, our estimate of the quantity of this land laying in
this county is about ninety-two thousand acres. A few years since, this

THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY. 77

portion of our State was deemed valueless ; but more enlightened and recent
experiments are awakening the public mind to the fact that it will be quite
an important element in enhancing our future wealth. The manner of its
disposal, as marked out by the Legislature of 1858, in a law enacted during
that session, was a wise termination of this previously mooted question.
Since the passage of that law, these lands are being rapidly taken up, and
are yielding an increasing revenue to the State. Moreover, there is no one
now who doubts the fact that these lands are a more speedy way to reclam-
ation by private energy and enterprise than they would have been had they
been jobbed out in large quantities to corporate associations and irrespon-
sible parties. The more elevated portions of these lands in our county are
being tilled to good advantage, and the day is certainly not far distant
when this now neglected soil will be made .to furnish support and susten-
ance to thousands of immigrants arriving upon our shores.

MINERAL LAND.

This county has long since been denominated a " cow county ;" therefore
little will be expected under this head. Gold has been found, however,
within our borders. There are about seven thousand acres of mountain
and hill laying on the north of Township No. 7 N. R. 2 W., and on the
south side of Township 8 N. R. 2 W., in the vicinity of Putah creek, from
which gold dust has been taken to the amount of fifteen hundred dollars, in
the past year.

Stone has been found in several localities suitable for building purposes.
Still, our quarries are inferior to those of Folsom. Our marble quarries
have gained considerable celebrity, furnishing a peculiar kind of striped,
variegated marble, that admits of the highest polish, and is elegantly
adapted for ornamental uses. These quarries are located upon the summits
of the hills that surround Suisun valley.

TIMBER.

The timber of Solano comprises several species of oak, pitch-pine, ash,
cotton-wood, etc., growing upon the mountains, in some of the valleys, and
on the margin of streams. It is worthless for any mechanical use, and
serviceable only for fuel. It is the opinion of many, that as soon as the
land is all fenced, and the annual fires prevented from ravaging the country,
timber can be grown here as successfully as upon the prairies of Illinois or
elsewhere.

LIVE STOCK.

We come now to a branch of industrial pursuit that, next to our agricul-
tural interests, surpasses all others in point of importance. The rearing of
stock of every species has occupied the attention of our citizens for years ;

78 THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

and upon no other avocation has the same amount of money been expended
as upon this. Stallions, bulls, jacks, and rams of the choicest breeds, have
been imported from Europe and the older States. If the same interest that
is now taken in regard to the improvement of our breeds of stock, remain
unabated, with the healthful climate we possess, the time is not far distant
when we will proudly take rank with the stock-raising localities of the
East. According to our statistics, we have as follows :

Description. Number.

Horses, American 1,343

Horses, Spanish 2,667

Mules 269

Cattle, American 25,652

Cattle, Spanish • 3,634

Oxen (Yoke) 169

Sheep 132,000

Hogs 11,737

Chickens 12,960

Turkeys 2,452

Ducks 560

Geese 128

Wool, American, pounds 154,000

Wool, Spanish, pounds 220,000

IMPROVEMENTS.

Our buildings are beginning to assume an appearance of stability. Red-
wood shanties are being supplanted by comfortable frame and brick dwel-
lings ; substantial plank fences are taking the place of the miserable ditches
so long used ; and barns and stables are becoming indispensable to every
farmer.

Of our public improvements we have : First — The United States Navy
Yard, at Mare Island. This island lies near the southern shore of the
county, opposite the town of Vallejo. It was formerly the property of
General Vallejo, and was purchased by Government of Wm. H. Aspinwall,
for the sum of eighty thousand dollars. The immense sum of four millions
five hundred thousand dollars has been expended in building docks capable
of raising vessels of the largest class, and the following named buildings,
which are constructed in the most durable manner, of brick and stone :
four naval store-houses, sixty-five by four hundred feet each ; blacksmith
shop, two hundred by two hundred and fifty feet ; foundry, five hundred by
nine hundred feet — said to be the largest building of the kind in the United
States ; thirteen elegant residences for officers ; a magazine, sixty-five by
one hundred feet, and a sea-wall or bulkhead four hundred feet long.

The Pacific Mail Company. — This company has, at Benicia, two build-

THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY. 79

ings of large dimensions, used as a foundry and machine shop. Here they
repair and coal their steamers, besides doing an immense amount of work
for other parties.

Marysville and San Francisco Railroad. — Of this road, forty-eight
miles are located in Solano county. Twenty-two miles — from Putah creek
to Suisun — are graded at a cost of about one thousand dollars per mile-
Our county owns stock in this road to the amount of two hundred thousand
dollars.

Court House and Jail. — Our county has recently completed a new
Court House and Jail, at a cost of thirty-five thousand dollars. The
amount was raised by special assessment.

Grist Mills. — We have two grist mills — one built of stone, and not yet
finished ; is to have four run of stone, and to cost fifteen thousand dollars.
The other is built of brick, at a cost of twenty-five thousand dollars. It
has three run of stone, and is propelled by a forty-horse-power engine ; has
ground two thousand five hundred and twelve tons of grain during the past
year, and is capable of making seven hundred and eighty barrels of flour per
week.

assessments.

Assessed value of real estate 1860 $1,217,472.48

Assessed value of improvements 704,516.00

Assessed value of personal property 1,960,712.50

Total $3,882,700.98

It can be gathered from the foregoing report how much the prosperity
of Solano county had increased. With the establishment of the Navy Yard
on Mare Island, a full account of which will be found elsewhere, a new line
of labor was imported, whereby the skilled mechanic was introduced to this
portion of the State, who brought a variety of excellent qualities which
have made many of them citizens worthy of the best confidence of their
fellow residents. Among these may be named Messrs. A.' Powell, John
Wentworth, Honorable C. B. Denio, and others, who have taken prominent
positions in the supervisoral chair, county offices, and the political rostrum.

In later years the Pacific Mail Company have almost entirely withdrawn
their interests from Benicia ; these works, therefore, have fallen into disuse.

Let us now present the statistical report for the year 1876 furnished to
the Surveyor-General by the Assessor for Solano county, which shows a
most flourishing condition of afl'airs when taken in contradistinction with
those which we have already alluded to :

80 THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

Description. Number. Number.

Land inclosed — acres M 9,652

Land cultivated — acres 109,394

Wheat — bushels and acres 1,965,175 93,575

Barley — bushels and acres 553,665 15,819

Oats — bushels and acres 4,700 145

Corn — bushels and acres „ 5,980 237

Beans — bushels and acres 400 25

Potatoes — tons and acres 60 20

Sweet potatoes — tons and acres 23 11

Hay — tons and acres 19,515 13,502

Butter — pounds 118,800

Wool — pounds 427,240

Value of fruit crop — dollars 112,000

Bearing orange trees 264

Grape vines — acres 1,387

Wine— gallons 149,710

Brandy — gallons 2,200

Breweries 3

Beer— gallons 180,000

Horses 5,476

Mules 622

Horned cattle 12,790

Sheep 71,146

Cashmere and Angora goats 35

Hogs 8,322

Grist mills (steam power) 3

Flour made — barrels 312,000

Corn ground — bushels 1,000

Miles of railroad 56

ASSESSED VALUE OF PROPERTY FOR 1876.

Description. Value.

Real estate $6,350,519

Improvements . 1,560,895

Personal property 1,327,248

Total valuation $9,238,662

Estimated total population 20,750

<Jk&i€,yr^>

THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY. 81

Among the many improvements that have been worked in the county,
more especially those of a public nature, which attract the largest share of
attention, is the

GOOD TEMPLARS' HOME FOR ORPHANS.

This beautiful structure is situated on an eminence commanding a fine
view of the city of Vallejo, Mare Island Navy Yard, Vallejo and Napa bays,
the Straits of Carquinez, and the varied and beautiful mountain scenery
adjacent thereto, including Mounts Diablo and Tamalpais. It' is a frame
building 110x71 feet, three stories high, with a Mansard roof, and will
accommodate about three hundred inmates. The rooms in each story are
lofty and well ventilated, the general plan being well adapted for the pur-
poses for which it was designed ; while the interior and exterior archi-
tectural design and finish are highly beautiful.

This noble work is the property of the Good Templars of California and
Nevada, and will ever stand as a monument of their enterprise, disinter-
ested benevolence, and charity. Its doors are open to all orphans under
fourteen years of age, without distinction. The origin of this orphanage is
ascribed to Mrs. Elvira Baldwin, of Sacramento.

In December, 1867, W. H. Mills, then the Grand Worthy Secretary of the
Order of Good Templars, being inspired with the idea suggested, visited
George W. Simonton at Vallejo, and they formed the plan, and were the
originators of the Orphans Homestead scheme. On December 3d, by request
of Mr. Mills, Mr. Simonton introduced the subject to the officers and mem-
bers of Vallejo Lodge No. 64, I. O. G. T., at which time the following
committee was appointed to consider the matter : George W. Simonton, A.
D. Wood, and S. C. Baker. This committee immediately placed itself in
communication with the Executive of the Grand Lodge, Messrs. R. R. Mer-
rill, G. W. C. T. ; W. H. Mills, G. W. S. ; Mrs. F. L. Carlton, G. W. V. T. ;
A. C. McDougal, G. W. Counsellor. After considerable correspondence
between the two committees, that first named proposed to " incorporate a
Homestead Association, purchase a tract of land, donate twenty acres to the
Grand Lodge as a site for a Home for Orphans, divide the remainder of the
tract into lots for the Homestead, to be sold at $100 each, and, after paying
for the land and all incidental expenses, the excess of money should be
placed in the hands of the Trust Committee of the Grand Lodge and the
Directors of the Association, to be expended in the erection of suitable
buildings on the site donated for the Home." The propositions were
accepted by the Executive Committee of the Grand Lodge and one hundred
and three acres were immediately purchased of John B. Frisbie, Edward
Frisbie, and A. D. Wood ; Messrs. Wood, Simonton, Mills, Baker, E. H. M.
Bailey, and C. A. Kidder, perfecting the Articles of Incorporation, Associa-
tion, By-Laws, etc., with the following named persons as the original
incorporators : A. D. Wood, W. H. Mills, George W. Simonton, Mary F.
6

82 THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

Carlton, S. C. Baker, Harriet T. Hildreth, E. H. M. Bailey, and C. A. Kidder.

On January 22, 1868, a meeting of the Directors was had at the office of
S. G. Hilborn, Esq., when A. D. Wood was elected interim President, and G.
W. Simonton, Secretary pro tern. At a subsequent meeting had, January 29,
1868, the same gentlemen, with E. H. M. Bailey as Treasurer, were named
the permanent officers of the Association.

On May 4, 1868, the stockholders held their first meeting, at which time
the same officers were selected, and S. C. Baker, C. A. Kidder, E. Giddings,
J. F. Coffey, C. S. Haswell of California, and Adolphus Waitz of Nevada,
were chosen Directors of the Association.

The enterprise was liberally supported by the members of the Order
throughout the jurisdiction, many paying up the full price of the lot or
shares subscribed for, viz., $100, at once. In the report of the Secretary,
G. W. Simonton, presented September 23, 1868, the following interesting
statistics appear :

Total number of shares in the Association 334

Total number of shares sold 242

The following named stockholders have paid for their shares in full :

Shares.

Elijah Wadsworth. . . . Yreka 1

J. N. Chappelle Sacramento 2

Henry Miller Sacramento 2

Henry Ashcroft Sacramento 2

W. C. Ralston San Francisco 1

Horace L. Hill San Francisco 1

Alexander Badlam . . . San Francisco 1

G. H. Greenwood Vallejo 1

N. Smith Vallejo 1

Benjamin F. Cole Folsom 2

The following Lodges of Good Templers also subscribed for stock, as follows :

Shares.

Pacific Lodge No. 1, of Santa Cruz, California. . 1

Union Lodge No. 4, of Carson City, Nevada. ... 2

Rainbow Lodge No. 9, of Washoe City, Nevada... . 2

Roseville Lodge No. 255, of Roseville, California. . 1

Morning Star Lodge No. 25, of Marysville, California. . 1

California Lodge No. 7, of San Francisco, California. 2

Reform Lodge No. 287, of Lincoln, California. ... 1

Vallejo Lodge No. 64, of Vallejo. California 1

Maine Lodge No. 100,of Binghampton,California. 2

Sylvania Lodge No. 12, of Grass Valley, California. 2

Red Bluff Lodge No. 1 92, of Red Bluff, California. . 1

Evening Star Lodge No. 114,of SanFrancisco,California. 1

Taylor Lodge No. 222, of Forbestown, California. 1

Grand Lodge of California 20

THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY. 83

In his annual address delivered before the Grand Lodge at its ninth
session in 1868, G. W. C. Templar, R. R. Merrill, speaking of this matter
said : " This enterprise needs no vindication at my hands. It bears upon
its face its own recommendations ; its affairs have been faithfully and
honorably conducted and its merits are so patent to the common sense of
all men, that I feel confident it will be fully appreciated without further
encomium. The thanks of this Grand Lodge are due in an eminent degree
to Brothers W. H. Mills, George W. Simonton, A. D. Wood, and others, for
their energy, enterprise and zeal, in conducting its affairs to its present
gratifying state of success."

It should have been mentioned that at the eighth annual session of the
Grand Lodge in 1867, a resolution was adopted authorizing a levy of one
dollar for each member of the Order for the support of the Home. This
appears to have been the first action taken towards raising money for the
purpose of meeting the current expenses of the institution. At the ninth
session the Constitution of the Grand Lodge was amended by the adoption
of Article XVII, whereby the financial system of the Home was perfected.
At this session the following persons were elected to serve as the first Board
of Trustees for the Home : for the long terms, Doctor C. S. Haswell of
Sacramento, George F. Mallett of Vallejo, and Joseph Middlemiss of Sacra-
mento, those for the short terms being the Rev. N. B. Klink of Vallejo, J.
A. Albertson of San Francisco, F. A. Hornblower of Sacramento, and M. H.
Eastman of Marysville. At this session also the plans and specifications
reported by the committee were approved by the Grand Lodge, and adver-
tisements soon appeared for proposals to construct the building ; when the
time expired, however, the committee or Board of Trust found themselves
without a single bid ; under these circumstances it was resolved by the
Board after due consideration, to build the Home by day work, and it was
unanimously agreed to employ Bro. E. M. Benjamin to superintend the
same ; and as soon as practicable a force was set to quarry and supply stone
for the foundation, which, fortunately, was obtained in the vicinity of the
Home grounds. On May 11, 1869, the corner-stone was laid with appro-
priate ceremonies and the construction of the building progressed very
rapidly. In his annual address to the Grand Lodge at its tenth session,
held in the Assembly Chambers at Sacramento, September 28th of that
year, the G. W. C. T., A. D. Wood, speaking of the Home said : " But few
can realize the labor which the successful prosecution of this enterprise has
involved. The Order and the Cause owes a debt of gratitude to the pro-
jectors of this scheme, and when its history is referred to, the names of
Brothers Mills, Wood, Simonton and Benjamin should be remembered ; nor
should the names of Carrington, Hornblower, and others be forgotten." At
the same session the Grand Secretary, W. H. Mills, closed his report on
Orphan's Home matters in the following language : " In closing my official

84 THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

relations with this institution, I may be indulged in the reflection that its
existence and interests have occupied much of my time and thought, and I
feel assured that its importance to our Order will be better understood and
more fully appreciated in coming years. I indulge no fears of its failure
and decline, for the Orphan's Home is in the line of true policy. If there
are any who regret this and kindred undertakings, they are destined to be
numbered with those who are to be forgotten when the true actors of this
temperance reform come upon the stage. That reform will not go back-
wards. Men may desert it ; they may renounce it ; they may fall by the
wayside ; they may prove wanting in faith to believe, or courage to endure ;
but others will arise to take their places, and the cause will finally triumph.
In success or failure our Orphan's Home will be a proud landmark in the
history of our cause. Greater achievements than this are yet to be accom-
plished before this warfare is over ; greater labors are to be endured ;
greater sacrifices made than any we are proposing to ourselves to-day, so,
whatever may be the fate of our Home, it will have served a grand purpose,
and one which cannot now be defeated."

During the session of 1869, Brothers W. H. Mills, R R. Merritt, and F.
A. Hornblower, were appointed a Committee to memoralize the Legislature
at its next session, praying for a portion of such moneys as the State may
set apart for the maintenance of orphans, in the State of California. This
seems to have been the first step taken to secure State aid. At this session,
G. W. Simonton, M. J. Wright, of Vallejo, W. H. Mills, and Brother East-
man, of Sacramento, and C. B. Proctor, of Healdsburg, were elected trustees
of the Home. In accordance with a resolution passed by the Grand Lodge,
on September 29, 1869, the Home was declared open for the admission of
children ; on and after October 1st, when it was dedicated, with imposing and
impressive ceremonies Doctor C. S. Haswell, P. G. W. C. T., delivering the
address in the presence of a large number of the friends of the institution.

To convey some idea of the deep interest taken by the members of the
Order in this admirable undertaking, it may not be out of place to state
that on the third day of the Grand Lodge Session, September 29th, Mrs.
Tlomteaux and Mrs. Hayden were appointed a committee to raise a collec-
tion in the Grand Lodge, for the benefit of the Home. In a very short
time they reported as collected :

Gold ' $248 50

Currency 25 00

And the following individual pledges :

A. D. Wood $ 100 00

J. Bartlett 50 00

F. A. Hornblower 50 00

J. V. B. Goodrich 20 00

J. T. Counts 20 00

THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY. 85

N. V. Wagner 15 00

R Swarbrick 10 00

E. G. Houston 10 00

T. H. Woodworth 10 00

And others 20 00

Vallejo Lodge, No. 64 1,000 00

Sacramento 500 00

Brooklyn Lodge, No. 384 100 00

Star of Hope Lodge, No. 32 100 00

California Lodge, No. 7 100 00

Athens Lodge, No. 286 100 00

Union (of Nevada), No. 4 100 00

Woodland, No. 237 100 00

Eleven other lodges, $50 each 550 00

San Francisco Dramatic Club 50 00

Thirteen lodges 340 00

Making a total of $3,618 50

At every succeeding session of the Grand Lodge, liberal donations and
pledges were made in support of this noble charity. From 1867 to 1878,
inclusive, the donations and pledges thus made and paid into the Home
treasury have amounted to $31,003 61, besides $12,504 75, per capita,
tax raised by the Grand Lodge, for the same purpose.

While touching on the financial history of the Home, it will be proper
here to repeat the closing remarks of Bro. George W. Simonton, Secretary
of the Orphan Homestead Association, in his report under date September
19th, 1870 : " In conclusion, permit me to say, that at the time the associa-
tion was organized, we claimed the benefits to be derived from the associa-
tion, to the Grand Lodge, for the Orphans' Home, would be twenty acres of
land, and $20,000. Our figures above show twenty acres of land and
$23,120 76, $3,500 of which is represented by thirty-five lots remaining
unsold."

The following Table will clearly explain the financial position of the

Orphans' Home :

Nucleus of the Home Building Fund was $23,120 76

Donations from members of the Order to 1878.. . . 31,003 61

Per capita tax paid by Grand Lodge 12,504 75

Earnings of the Home, by fees, farm, etc 27,509 77

Aid from the State 24,186 02

General Bi dwell, Chico (donation) 1,000 00

Sundry donations 149 25

Making a grand total of $119,474 16

raised for the erection and maintenance of the institution, up to September
30th, 1878.

86 THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

At the Twelfth Annual Session of the Grand Lodge, held in 1871, G. W.
Simonton, W. H. Mills, A. G. Clark, and J. B. Carrington, were elected
trustees of the Home. It was at this session also that Grand Secretary W.
H. Mills, in his report, advised the creation of a Board of Lady Managers 5
to have charge of the domestic affairs of the Home ; and the Grand Lodge,
acting on the suggestion, elected the following as a Board of Lady Managers :
Mrs. E. J. Wilson, Mrs. N. B. Klink, Mrs. G. W. Simonton, Mrs. E. M. Ben-
jamin, of Vallejo ; Mrs. E. C. Fowler, Valley Ford; Mrs. M. M. Carpenter,
of San Francisco, and Mrs. C. P. Huntoon, of Sacramento.

The first Board of Trustees chosen by the Grand Lodge, at its Ninth
Session (the subsequent Boards are given seriatim), were elected in :

1868 — Doctor C. S. Haswell, Joseph Middlemiss, of Sacramento ; George
F. Mallett, Rev. N. B. Klink, of Vallejo; J. A. Albertson, F. A. Hornblower,
and M. H. Eastman.

1869— W. H. Mills, G. W. Simonton, M. J. Wright, F. A. Hornblower,
C. B. Proctor, G. F. Mallett, and Joseph Middlemiss.

1870— C. S. Haswell, G. W. Simonton, M. H. Eastman, William Carpenter'
M. J. Wright, Joseph Middlemiss, and G. F. Mallett.

1871— G. W. Simonton, G. F. Mallett, C. S. Haswell, A. G. Clark, J. B.
Carrington, H. dwell, and W. H. Mills.

1872— G. W. Simonton, President; W. H. Mills, C. S. Haswell, A. G.
Clark, I. S. Haisey, J. B. Carrington, and Rev. N. B. Klink.

1873— W. H. Mills, S. Kitto, C. S. Haswell, G. W. Simonton, I. S. Haisey,
J. B. Carrington, and A. G. Clark.

1874 — W. H. Mills, President ; George B. Katzenstein, Secretary; I. S.
Haisey, treasurer ; S. Kitto, C. S. Haswell, G. W. Simonton, J. B. Carring-
ton, and A. G. Clark.

1875 — J. B. Carrington. President ; W. Crowhurst, Secretary ; I. S. Haisey,
treasurer; W. H. Mills, C. S. Haswell, A. G. Clark, and S. Kitto.

1876 — A. G. Clark, President; W. Crowhurst, Secretary; I. S. Haisey,
treasurer ; A. D. Wood, R. Thompson, W. H. Mills, and S. Kitto.

1877— AG. Clark, President; C. H. Haile, Secretary; I. S. Haisey,
Treasurer; W. H. Mills, Robert Thompson, J. B. Carrington, and S. Kitto.

1878 — George B. Katzenstein, President ; C. H. Haile, Secretary ; I. S.

Haisey, Treasurer ; W. H. Mills, S. Kitto, A. G. Clark, Bagley, of

Stockton, and T. T. Heald.

The G. W. C. Templar and G. W. Secretary are ex officio members of all
meetings of the Board of Trustees.

THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY. 87

The first Board of Lady Managers chosen by the Grand Lodge (the sub-
sequent Boards are given seriatim) was composed of the following ladies,
who were elected in the year

1871 — Mesdames N. B. Klink, President; G. W. Simonton, Secretary;

E. J. Wilson, E. M. Benjamin, of Vallejo; C. E. Fowler, Valley Ford; and
C. P. Huntoon, of Sacramento.

1872 — Mesdames Klink, President ; Benjamin, Secretary ; Wilson, Fowler,

F. L. Carlton, Huntoon, and Alsip.

1873 — Mesdames Wilson, President ; Robbins, Secretary; Huntoon, Alsip,
Carlton, C. B. Thompson, and Benjamin.

1874 — Mesdames Carlton, President ; Robbins, Secretary ; Wilson, Ben-
jamin, Thompson, A. G. Clark, of Napa, and M. M. Carpenter, of* San
Francisco.

1875 — Mesdames Carlton, President; J. Macarty, Secretary; Wilson,
Alsip, Benjamin, Carpenter, and M. E. Partridge, of Oakland.

1876 — Mesdames Carlton, President; Klink, Secretary; Wilson, Car-
penter, Alsip, Partridge, and Clark.

1877 — Mesdames Klink, President; Carpenter and Partridge, Secretaries;
Clark, Thompson, Alsip ; V. A. Rix, of Washington Corner ; and M. G.
Morris, of Vallejo.

1878 — Mesdames Klink, President ; Carpenter and Thompson, Secretaries ;
Aslip, Clark. Rix, and Partridge.

The first matron was Mrs. R. C. Armitage ; the second matron was Mrs.
M. L. Pexton ; the third matron was Mrs. H. M. Chandler ; the fourth ma-
tron was Mrs. Geo. Morris, (nee Mattie Parker) ; the fifth matron was Mrs.
B. Derby ; the sixth and present one, Mrs. L. Stewart.

The teachers are Mr. and Mrs. N. Smith. The average number of child-
ren who have been admitted to the Home for Orphans since its foundation,
is about four hundred ; while the approximate yearly attendance has been
in the vicinity of fifty and sixty. Present number one hundred and three.

The school is managed under the direction of the Board of Lady Man-
agers, and the Vallejo Board of Education, with a daily attendance of about
eighty pupils, twenty of whom are admitted from the outside. The school-
rooms have been newly furnished with the best double desks, at a cost of
about three hundred and fifty dollars, and paid for by voluntary subscrip-
tions of members of the Grand Lodge, while visiting the Home in October
last. We next draw attention to the

88 THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

NAPA AND SOLANO AGRICULTURAL AND MECHANICAL ARTS SOCIETY.

Was incorporated on June 24, 1872, under the Presidentship of M. R.
Miller, with Messrs. J. B. Frisbie, and John M. Gregory, Jr., as Treasurer
and Secretary, respectively ; and has for its object the holding of a District
Fair, embracing the counties of Napa, Solano, Yolo, Lake, Mendocino, So-
noma, and Marin, when premiums are offered in the following departments :
Live Stock, Cereals, Fruits, Wines, and Dairy Products, as well as for all
manner of Agricultural Implements made in the district ; Domestic Manu-
factures ; Carriages, Buggies, etc.; Saddlery, Harness, etc.: Painting, Orna-
mental Work, etc.; Embroidery, Needlework, etc.; Bread, Crackers, etc.;
Plants, Bouquets, etc.; with a special class where prizes are offered to child-
ren. Special premiums are open to competitors ; while there is a speed
programme which is carried out on each of the days during which the fair
is held. The exhibition grounds and park are situated on the Napa road,
about three miles from Vallejo, and cover an area of sixty acres, having
buildings for the benefit of exhibitors ; while there is accommodation for
from two to three hundred animals. The hotel is a two-storied erection of
handsome appearance ; the sheds are all in the very best condition ; while
nothing is wanting that may ensure the comfort of the visitor. The race track
is declared to be, by men of experience, one of tbe very best in the country
for speed, while it possesses many other advantages. Up, until last year,
the Society was more or less a private one ; but by operation of the Legis-
lature last session, a sum of fifteen hundred dollars was granted to them,
which now officializes their position, and calls for a yearly report from them
to the State Board of Agriculture. The officers for the present year are :
President, John B. Carrington ; Vice-President, John T. Dare ; Secretary,
A. J. McPike ; Treasurer, J. K. Duncan ; Directors, John E. Williston, L. B.
Abernethie, Robert Brownlee. W. P. Durbin, John Neate, John Callender,
J. B. Hoyt, Stephen Eaton, John Wilson, William Carter, H. Connolly, John
Brownlie, D. W. Harrier, C. Hartson, Luke Kelly, A. Goodyear, W. A. Fisher,
J. C. Wolfskill, John Farnham, J. M. Thompson, S. S. Drake.

Meetings are usually held in September of each year.

We have, in the commencement of this chapter, entered upon the appear-
ance of the county in the days when but few white men had penetrated
into its wilds. A faint attempt was made to picture the beauties of the
wild waste, as described by the first settlers in Solano ; we now select a
spot whither to allure the reader, namely, the

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS.

Of all the spots worthy of a visit in the vicinity of Vallejo, none can,
probably, compare with the White Sulphur Springs in regard to the beauty

THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY. 89

of its surroundings. Originally being included in the grant to General
Vallejo, he disposed of them to Milton Brockman, who, in turn, sold them
to Henry Connolly, from him they were purchased by General J. B. Frisbie,
and latterly, falling into the hands of the Vallejo Land and Improvement
Association, the property was bought by James Kelly, the present proprie-
tor, for the trifling sum of twenty-five thousand dollars. When the Springs
became the property of General Frisbie he, with a taste which it would be
next to impossible to excel, ornamented the grounds in the most lavish
manner, expending no less a sum than one hundred and thirty thousand
dollars in beautifying the property which consists of about one hundred
and sixty acres. The management of the White Sulphur Springs is now
vested in Mr. James Condon, than whom no more hospitable a host exists.
These Springs lie in a north-easterly direction from Vallejo, with which
city they are connected by coach, which runs the distance of four miles,
direct from the railroad depot, and are situated in a hollow of the hills,
which rise in easy slopes, surrounding them on all sides and protecting the
grounds from the rough breezes of the bay. The road passes through a
country of rare cultivation, cattle may be seen browsing on a thousand
hills ; while the residences of the thriving farmers, with the bright sun
glittering on their whitened walls, add an appearance of life to the scene,
which goes a great way towards enlivening the prospect. For rare beauty
the environs cannot be surpassed. In spring and summer the flowers and
foliage attain their truest perfection ; the former in their brilliant colors,
forming a charming contrast against the darker leaves of the trees. A small
lake has been excavated, around which are secluded walks and cosy seats,
placed within the shadow of the spreading weeping willow. An island in
the centre, which is gained by a bridge or boats, is laid out with marvelous
skill, revealing many a gorgeous vista of color ; here, again, the weary may
find rest, the social enjoy their tete-a-tete, or the book- worm be free from
intrusion. Summer houses and kiosks are built along the margin of the
water, arranged with tables and rustic chairs, where the merry tea or enchant-
ing kettle-drum may be partaken ; while labyrinthine walks traverse the
grounds in all directions, amply shaded by umbrageous trees, offering seclu-
sion to those who may wish to converse with " ling' ring sweetness long-
drawn out." Canopied bowers and bosky dells, evergreen shrubbries, flower
gardens and vineyard, diversify the sloping surface and give a fairy-like
effect to the landscape that cannot well prove otherwise than enchanting to
the visitor. Nature has given the White Sulphur Spring a magnificence of
position which recalls the most perfect spots of Swiss scenery, and forms a
watering place where the votary of pleasure may find delight, and the hard-
worked city merchant obtain relaxation from the cares of business.

90 THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

THE SPRINGS

Are cosily placed in a recess in the mountain side forming a small pond of
about forty feet in circumferrence and built around with a rockery over
which creepers and lichens cling in tangled confusion. The water presents
a pale bluish color, imparting at first a slightly unpleasant odor, and is
protected from the rays of the sun by a large weeping willow, while con-
tiguous to it is a circular seat and table whereat the invalid or the curious
may take the waters, which is not by any means unpleasant to the palate.
The liquid it is believed has never been properly analyzed but it is princi-
pally composed of sulphur with a very slight proportion of iron. To prove
that there is nothing obnoxious in its flavor, this water is generally used on
the premises, while the stock on the ground drink it with great relish.
Adjacent to those already described there is a sweet water spring bubbling
forth the clearest and most delicious beverage for those who may not appre-
ciate the medicinal properties of the former.

THE BUILDINGS

On the grounds are all of framework and of elegant design approached by
a well kept carriage drive. The first erection which is passed on arrival
is a kind of bachelors' home, for on the first floor is the saloon, containing
bar and billiard room which connects by an archway ; the appointments in
these appartments are of the first order and in themselves should be an
inducement to visitors. Off these there are lesser rooms, one being fitted
up with a telegraphic apparatus, the wires of which connect with Vallejo
and thence to San Francisco, while the other is used as a barber's shop and
office. The second story is divided into one parlor or club-room, seven bed-
rooms and a large and convenient bath-room with all the necessary improve-
ments. Some fifty yards from this building stands the main structure, of
two stories in height and protected on three sides by a spacious verandah.
A wide flight of steps flanked on either side by well laid out parterres of
flowers leads to the piazza from which entry is made into a dining room of
grand proportions capable of accommodating one hundred and fifty guests,
while adjoining it are spacious and well furnished sitting parlors. The
upper floor is entirely devoted to bed chambers of which there are sixteen
of various sizes and all furnished with a view to the comfort of the occu-
pants. Near the lake there is a neat detached building called Knoll Cottage,
while in close proximity to the sulphur spring there are two others named
respectively Spring and Linda Vista Cottages. These detached residences
each contain one large room with alcove for bed, and three small single
rooms, with lavatory, all furnished and carpetted with every regard to com-
fort. These tenements are also provided with verandahs, those of the two

THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY. 01

latter commanding a prospect of the most ravishing order, situated as they
are, half-way up the mountain, a panorama of the country is had, with all its
variations of hill and dale, light and shadow ; while in the distance a glimpse
is caught of the church towers and higher situated houses of Vallejo, backed
in the distance by the expanse of water of the San Pablo bay and the coast
range of mountains. The cottages are all that could be desired for families,
or a party of friends.

The Baths are eight in number, and are connected with the Springs
by means of pipes, and thence distributed into the different rooms, where
the receptacles are tin-lined. In a large room attached, is a monster boiler
from which hot water is conveyed, which may, with a shower in each, be
used at will.

The Stables, too, are a feature on the premises, there being stalls for
twenty-five horses ; sheds for buggies, and the necessary harness-rooms,
with water laid on throughout.

Gas is the means by which the different buildings are illuminated, which
is manufactured in a gasometer, some distance off, and which answers ad-
mirably.

No description of the White Sulphur Springs can be considered complete
without reference to the high mountain at the foot of which it stands.
Capped, as it is, by large, unwieldy boulders, heaped upon each other in
utter chaos, the ascent to which is gradual and smooth, and will well repay
the adventurer to its summit; for from thence a grand and magnificent view,
which brings, on a clear day, the city of San Francisco within its ken, is to
be obtained. Nowhere within such easy distance of the coast metropolis
does there exist so pleasant a locality for recreation ; and with the many
advantages of comfort and accessibility, which the Springs now possess,
their is no reason why it should not be the most fashionable resort in Cali-
fornia.

TOLENAS SPRINGS.

Among the various wonders that nature has so lavishly bestowed upon
California, but few are more deserving of notice than her Mineral Springs.
As though intending that every physical ill should be provided with an
antidote, healing waters are made to rush forth from the bowels of the
earth, and bubble up on the tops and sides of mountain chains. In these,
the counties of Solano and Napa seem to be the most favored.

The Solano, or Tolenas Springs — to the description of which the attention

92 THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

of our readers will now be confined — are situated about five miles north of
Suisun City, at an elevation of eleven hundred feet above the level of the
sea, and in the midst of the most beautiful climate and romantic scenery.
For more than half the distance the road from Suisun runs across the level
valley, that, in the spring, is carpetted with green turf and variegated with
flowers of every hue. Groves of dark green oaks, with an occasional farm-
house peeping from among the foliage, and here and there live stock quietly
reposing, or eagerly feeding, display a scene of beauty which can be rarely
surpassed.

Ascending the steep but smoothly sloped and gently rounded hills,
dotted with trees, a panorama of vast extent and great beauty is
rolled out before you. To the south-east a broad plain extends as far as the
eye can reach ; to the south Mount Diablo is the crowning point of a long
chain of hills ; to the east, and north-east, the shimmering tops of the snow-
covered Sierra Nevadas shine through the deepening haze, with a richer
glow than the glittering gold that is hidden deep beneath their icy crest.

Arriving at " Empire Spring," and looking down the canon, is the " White
Sulphur Spring." Before going further perhaps it ought to be mentioned
that there are several mineral springs in this chain of hills, the principal of
which seem to be the Empire, White Sulphur, Seltzer, and Congress. The
former is located near the head of a ravine, on the south side of Soda
Spring Canon. This spring furnishes a considerable volume of water, that
issues in a jet, with a gurgling noise at intervals of from one to two seconds.
The numerous bubbles that rise to the surface would indicate the pressure
of a larger amount of carbonic acid gas in this than in any of the other
springs ; but a careful analysis has failed to confirm it.

The White Sulphur Spring, as I have said, is near the foot of the canon,
some 200 feet above the bed of the small stream that runs through the
latter. The flow of water from this spring is small, probably not more
than from three to four gallons daily, but it is highly impregnated with
sulphur, the smell of which is perceptible for some- distance. From this
spring can be seen the famous Suisun marble quary.

The Congress Spring is but a short distance from the Empire, and very
much resembles the latter, except that the escapement of gas is less.

The Seltzer Spring is on the west side of the divide, overlooking the
upper portion of Suisun valley. Its pellucid and sparkling waters are equal
in taste to the best soda water ever drank, eclipsing in flavor at least, the
more celebrated Congress and Empire. Each of the springs, with the
exception of the White Sulphur, issues from the tissues of a light, porous
calcareous rock, of singular formation.

These mineral waters have been known to, and even the resort of native
Californians, for many years; but they have received but little attention
until recently, when the following careful analysis of two of the springs by

THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY. 93

Dr. Hewston of San Francisco, discovered the valuable medicinal properties
they contain.

Component Parts. Congress. Empire.

Specific gravity 1.0056 1.0132

Iodide of Potassium 0.24 1.64

Chloride of Potassium 0.71 1.66"

Chloride of Sodium 26.90 90.83

Carbonate of Soda 6.67 14.38

Biborate of Soda 2.57 6.44

Carbonate of Lime 6.04 4.46

Carbonate of Magnesia 1.36 4.57

Carbonate of Iron 0.08 0.09

Alumina 0.12 trace.

Selica 0.20 0.40

Dry solid matter in 1 pint 45.00 124.47

Free Carb. Acid gas, cub. in 33.735 26.297

Their value will be better appreciated by the persual of the following
note from Drs. I. Powell and B. A. Sheldon, and with which we shall close
this description.

" We have carefully examined the results of Doctor Hewston's analysis
of the waters of the Congress and Empire Springs, and believe them
possessed of remedial virtues superior to any other of the vaunted waters
of California, and equal to any in the world. Their tonic, alterative,
antacid and aperient qualities render them invaluable, when judiciously
administered, in the treatment of various chronic affections."

The consumption of these waters is becoming general throughout the
State, superseding in a great measure that from Napa county.

Mention has elsewhere been made of the

MARBLE QUARRY

Near Suisun, the property of Judge Swan. We append verbatim the report
to that gentleman of a Geological Survey of the locality, made by Mr.
Charles Pueger in 1876.

" From the examination of your property above specified, as made in
your company, I have come to the following conclusions ; of course such a
local examination of the grounds specified, does not enable me to give a
correct picture of the geology of the entire vicinity, or an idea of the
mineralogical value of lands adjoining near and far. My problem has been,

94 THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

as I conceived, merely to determine what of useful mineral is to be found
on your property, above specified. That is to say, what I have not examined
I cannot judge of.

The rock formation on the above lands consist of alternating strata or
layers of sandstone, limestone and argillaceous shale with an abundant
variety of transition rocks ; particularly of marls.

The strata have the strike, or course, of the Coast Range, the eruption of
which was evidently . the cause of their upheaval in ages past. Their dip
is therefore naturally to the north-east, the strike being N.W. — S.E. This
agrees with the general position of the stratified rocks of the slate, and
therefore serve as to guide the identification of strata in their continuation
at a distance.

There are many peculiarities in these strata that point to the coal forma-
tion as the one to which they are probably to be ranked, even if they did
not stand in line with the Mount Diablo coal deposits. Nothing of a fossil
nature was found, however, to support or confirm such an opinion. Of
course even the presence of strata, incident to the coal formation, would not
necessitate the presence of coal strata, but merely makes it possible. The
experience and geology of many regions shows this, and more. In Switzer-
land, for instance, the coal formation is largely represented, and coal found
in many places, but a number of companies have failed in the vain effort
to find a paying deposit. They have been found invariably to be of limited
extent, though often of good quality.

In order to make my remarks better understood, I subjoin an outline ot
the topography of the locality from the county map, and have sketched in
the approximate position of the various strata, as observed* The figures
give the source of the specimens of corresponding number, as accompanying
this report. The dotted lines show the courses taken in three days' exami-
nation of the ground.

The course over the Marble Quarry Hill, gave the following observations
of importance :

The hill consists mainly of sandstone strata forming the north-east side
and a limestone strata on the south-west side, inter-stratified with sand-
stone. The hill in which the old quarry and the lime-kilns are situated,
seems to be, partially, at least, a pile of debris, agglomerated by a calcareous
deposit of speml.

The variegated marble in the quarry, occurs in disconnected masses in the
debris, which, although facilitating, on account of its looseness, the quarry-
ing work, predominates to an extent, and is in itself so worthless as to
outweigh the advantage mentioned.

These detached blocks of variegated marble would probably lead ulti-

*The sketch referred to above, is, unfortunately, not procurable.

THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY. 95

mately to a continuous main deposit. This, I think, would be found some-
what higher on the slope, or farther east, and prove to be a contiuuation of
the marble vein, which is found abruptly cut off or dislocated, near the
boulders and cliffs forming the brow of the hill adjoining on the north.

Following our course, we find on the west slope of the hill, the dense, red-
rish-yellow limestone No. 2. This will burn pretty white, and make a good
mortar lime.

On the point of the north-west slope of the hill, we find the dense, cream-
colored limestone No. 3, distinguishable from a distance by its marked light
color. This is certainly the best limestone found by me on the whole
ground. It burns very white, slacks very readily, and makes a rich lime.

The value of the limestones, Nos. 2 and 3, is enhanced by the fact that,
in them is situated the well defined ledge or vein of variegated marble
No. 4. This, together with the situation on the slope of the hill, would
make it possible to combine the quarrying of the two, and, therefore, render
the operation, more profitable than if they were apart.

The vein of variegated marble above spoken of, runs in a line from there
to the top of the hill in a south-easterly direction, dipping No. 3, and is two-
fourths feet thick. It is distinctly defined for a distance of several hundred
feet, and, I have no doubt, reaches to a considerable depth. The marble,
when polished, is of great beauty, and would be made of considerable
value in countries where labor is cheap. It is only fit, however, for inside
ornamental purposes, such as mantles for fire-places, etc.; is a fissured struct-
ure, favoring destruction by atmospheric action. At the marble works of
Mr. Heverin, on Jackson street, between Montgomery and Lawrence, in this
city (San Francisco), specimens of finished work from this marble can be
seen in form of a fire front, and a block for the Vienna Exposition, both of
which show the peculiarities and great beauty of this marble to the best
advantage.

At the top of the hill this marble vein strikes the sandstone strata, which
then forms the wall-rock of another smaller vein of the same marble, strik-
ing in from the north-east. This vein cuts off or dislocates, the main vein ;
at any rate, they are both lost in the boulders and precipitous cliffs forming
the south side of the brow of the hill. It is probable, however, their con-
tinuation will be found on the south-west slope, and that the quarry marble
is from this continuation. The dislocation is also apparent in the sandstone
and limestone strata.

Crossing the sandstone in an easterly direction, we find on the east slope
of Quarry Hill a number of soda springs. One of these — the highest up
on the hill — shows an oily scum floating on top of the water. This is the
only acknowledged indication of the presence of coal that I have found on
the premises. That this indication is too indefinite to be of any value,
needs, I think, no explanation to any one at all acquainted with the origin,

THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY. 97

fibrous powder, assuming, at the same time, a permanent brownish-gray
color. This powder, when treated with water, shows no sign of slacking.
These reactions would indicate the mineral to be dolomite ; but this is belied
by its form, its inferior hardness, and the readiness with which . it emits its
carbonic acid and dissolves in coal muriatic acid. It may be classed, there-
fore, a dolomitic, calcite or magnesian limestone.

It has been satisfactorily proven that certain magnesian limestones make
excellent hydraulic mortar and cement, particularly adapted for salt water
work. I, therefore, at once tested the mineral for its qualities in this direc-
tion, but with unsatisfactory results. It is lacking in the proper proportion
of magnesia. With the discovery of a magnesia deposit of suitable nature,
the rock could be made valuable — not otherwise, to my knowledge.

It is needless for me to express my opinion in regard to the mineral or
soda springs in this section of your premises ; anyone who has seen them
and tasted the water must bear witness to their good qualities.

As regards its practical value, I can form but an imperfect opinion. It
seems to me its best day is past, and that now it is merely a question of
successful competition and, perhaps, attraction of locality. The experience
of European springs of note, has shown that after their situation, other
chance circumstances determine their fate, ahead of their intrinsic qualities.
I cite Carlsbad, Ems, Wiesbaden, Baden-Baden. In dreams of the future
and its possibilities, I cannot indulge.

Following our course of examination in a southerly direction, the extent
of the deposit of dolomitic limestone was evident, from the pieces of it
strewn over the hills, within the boundaries of the limestone strata, for a
distance of over a quarter of a mile. Crossing, then, the limestone going
east, there is found on the southern slope 'of the hills, a top-ground of
decomposed limestone containing, however, considerable clay. This, on
account of its softness, would probably make excellent material for agricul-
tural purposes, to mix with soils requiring lime — tule lands, for instance.
No. 11.

My attention was then drawn by Judge Swan to lumps of the radical
fibrous mineral, No. 12, which, at first sight, I thought might be fibrous
gypsum. This, however, was at once disproved by its hardness ; gypsum
yielding to the nail, this barely to the knife. It is arognite — a peculiar
quality of carbonate of lime — and of no value except for a mineral collec-
tion.

The further examination elicited nothing more of interest.

The third day's course of examination began at about D, and was made
with a particular view to the discovery of coal indications.

Following up the creek bed, from the point where it is claimed specimens
of coal were found in 1862, I crossed the limestone, sandstone, and clay
shale strata, common to the locality, without discovering in the drift any-

98 THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

thing new except specimens of hornblendic rock — a peculiar conglomerate —
and some new varieties of argillaceous limestone or marl, similar to those
found on marble-quarry hill; Nos. 13, 14, 15, 16, 18, are specimens from
both places, having, more or less, the characteristics of what is termed
cement rock than any other found. My examination of it has shown it to
be such, of serviceable quality. All of the other rocks, of the same class
enumerated, could be made serviceable for the manufacture of cement,
though it would probably need judicious mixture of different varieties to
attain good results. Nothing but experiments on a large scale could settle
these points satisfactorily, since it is a well-known fact to cement manu-
facturers of experience, that a material may contain all the necessary
constituents of cement in proper quantity, and yet not make good cement.

My course was thence taken to the east, as far as the road, to visit another
point, where coal is claimed to have been found in digging a well ; thence
up the ravine to the north, going west, crossing the sandstone and shale
strata both ways. The course, from the top of the hill, was taken south-
ward, down the deep ravine, forming the main branch of the creek in which
the coal was found. At the head of this ravine are found thick beds of a
sandy shale, in their distorted laminae, No. 20, indicating an irruptive action
in the vicinity. Further down was found the bed of peculiar conglomerate
before mentioned, No. 21. I speak of this because such conglomerates, of
the most varied kind, are oftenest met in the coal formations, and are
valuable as giving a clue to the nature of the rocks of the less immediate
vicinity. The shells in this specimen are not perfect enough to be deter-
minejd, otherwise they would be a clue.

Farther down, I found boulders of synite, and the solid rock itself,
protruding on the east side of the ravine. This explains the distortion of
the strata in the vicinity — Nos. 22 and 23.

Part of this synite is exceedingly rich in hornblende ; more so than the
small piece attached. May not such massive hornblende have been mista-
ken for coal, since the latter seems to have been found (12) only in the
vicinity of this hornblendic rock ? I, at least, can find no indication of its
presence than the vagueness mentioned.

Cinnabar, or other quicksilver ore, will not be found, I think, on your
land.

The examination developed nothing more of interest.

Resume. — The materials on your premises, which may be considered in
the question of value, are : The limestones, Nos. 2 and 3 ; the variegated
marble, No. 4 ; the soda springs, and some of the varieties of cement rock
mentioned.

In considering the cost of burning limestone, it may be mentioned that
Santa Cruz lime, of superior quality, is sold here (San Francisco) at the rate
of $2 per barrel of 250 pounds, gross — say 230 pounds, net.

THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY. 99

In regard to the cost of production, I have tried to obtain notes on the
experience in this State, but, as might be expected, did not succeed. T can
only give the following :

In the best kilns at present used in Germany, the results are :.

For 3 J tons lime, 1| cords wood, (kind not given) or 1 ton of good coal.

Production about 10 tons per day in kilns of the largest build. As much
as 3f tons of lime is burned in some places with the above proportion of
fuel.

Kilns of the foregoing kind, as were generally used, burn only 6-7 tons
lime per twenty-four hours.

A somewhat different kind — simpler — kiln used near the Rhine, is only
about half as large, and turns out per day one and a half and one and three
quarters tons of lime, with a consumption of say one cord of good, dry pine
wood.

The patent furnaces of Hoffman & Licht, such as are used by the Patent
Brick Company of San Francisco, to burn brick, will .turn out 6-8 tons lime
per day, consuming only 2,900 to 3,900 pounds good coal.

These furnaces are all expensive to build, especially the first and last
mentioned .

A cheap form of kiln is also much used, in which the fuel is mixed with
the limestone, as in burning cement at Benicia. It will turn out 5-5 \ tons
lime, with a consumption of two tons of coal.

Taking the last form of kiln as a basis, an approximate calculation of the
total cost of delivering lime to market, I calculated it to be 50 to 60 dollars
for five tons, or, say 40 barrels. This makes $1.25 to $1.50 per barrel.
Santa Cruz lime, as above, selling at $2.00, it would not be safe to count on
more than $1.75.

From this I judge that with the use of coal as fuel, and a good kiln, lime
burning could be carried on with good profit on your premises at the point
specified. I do not think it would be more than a profitable business.

In respect to the value of marble, I can give the following :

Italian marble, per cubic foot $3 00 to $12 00

Vermont " " " 5 00" 5 50

Variegated foreign marble, per cubic foot .... 3 00 " 5 00

Suisun marble, per cubic foot 1 00 " 1 50

I have been to a number of marble yards in this city, but could get no
offer or estimate out of anyone for the Suisun marble, though they all
admitted that it was a fine stone, etc. Mr. Heverin seems to be the only
one that takes any interest in the matter, and he will therefore be best able
to determine what can be done with the marble. The marble, it seems, is
more difficult to work than the imported, and the preference of the product
to others is a matter of taste, and therefore a high price asked. These con-

100 THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

siderations limit the market for it, and make its intrinsic value more ques-
tionable than in the case of a large deposit of a less rare material. As I
said before, Mr. Heverin is at present best able to give positive information
on this.

Although the material is abundant for the manufacture of Portland
cement, it "Would be difficult at present to compete with the factory at Benicia,
I think, since they have also found an abundance of rock near their factory."

We will now draw this already lengthy chapter to a close ; it has been
impossible to follow every outline of the settlement of Solano county up to
its present state of prominent prosperity, while it has been a hard task to
verify the dates of the earlier arrivals. All would appear to have gone
through the earlier toils of pioneer life without any special regard to the
flight of time, save wherein it was to bring them to their desired goal ;
hence it has been no easy task to arrive at the information we now lay
before the reader. In bidding adieu to the subject of settlement, therefore,
the sad story of the Donner party may not be uninteresting, especially as
some of the survivors are well known to residents of Solano.

Tuthill's History of California tells us : " Of the overland emigration to
California, in 1846, about eighty wagons took a new route, from fort
Bridger, around the south end of Great Salt Lake. The pioneers of the
party arrived in good season over the mountains ; but Mr. Reed's and
Mr. Donner's companies opened a new route through the desert, lost a
month's time by their explorations, and reached the foot of the Truckee
pass, in the Sierra Nevada, on the 31st of October, instead of the 1st, as
they had intended. The snow began to fall on the mountains two or three
weeks earlier than usual that year, and was already piled up in the Pass
that they could not proceed. They attempted it repeatedly, but were as
often forced to return. One party built their cabins near the Truckee Lake,
killed their cattle, and went into winter quarters. The other (Donner's)
party, still believed that they could thread the pass, and so failed to build
their cabins before more snow came and buried their cattle alive. Of course
these were soon utterly destitute of food, for they could not tell where the
cattle were buried, and there was no hope of game on a desert so piled with
snow that nothing without wings could move. The number of those who
were thus storm-stayed, at the very threshold of the land whose winters are
one long spring, was eighty, of whom thirty were females, and several
children. The Mr. Donner who had charge of one company, was an Illino-
isian, sixty years of age, a man of high respectability and abundant means.
His wife was a woman of education and refinement, and much younger
than he.

During November it snowed thirteen days ; during December and Janu-
ary, eight days in each. Much of the time the tops of the cabins were
below the snow level.

THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY. 101

It was six weeks after the halt was made that a party of fifteen, includ-
ing five women and two Indians who acted as guides, set out on snow-shoes
to cross the mountains, and give notice to the people of the California
settlements of the condition of their friends. At first the snow was so light
and feathery that even in snow-shoes they sank nearly a foot at every step.
On the second day they crossed the " divide," finding the snow at the sum-
mit twelve feet deep. Pushing forward with the courage of despair, Ihey
made from four to eight miles a day.

Within a week they got entirely out of provisions ; and three of them,
succumbing to cold, weariness, and starvation, had died. Then a heavy
snow-storm came on, which compelled them to lie still, buried between their
blankets under the snow, for thirty-six hours. By the evening of the tenth
day three more had died, and the living had been four days without food.
The horrid alternative was accepted — they took the flesh from the bones of
their dead, remained in camp two days to dry it, and then pushed on.

On New Years, the sixteenth day since leaving Truckee Lake, they were
toiling up a steep mountain. Their feet were frozen. Every step was marked
with blood. On the second of January, their food again gave out. On the
third, they had nothing to eat but the strings of their snow-shoes. On the
fourth, the Indians eloped, justly suspicious that they might be sacrificed for
food. On the fifth, they shot a deer, and that day one of their number died.
Soon after three others died, and every death now eked out the existence
of the survivors. On the seventeenth, all gave out, and concluded their
wanderings useless, except one. He, guided by two stray friendly Indians,
dragged himself on till he reached a settlement on Bear river. By midnight
the settlers had found and were treating with all Christian kindness what
remained of the little company that, after more than a month of the most
terrible sufferings, had that morning halted to die.

The story that there were emigrants perishing on the other side of the
snowy barrier ran swiftly down the Sacramento Valley to New Helvetia,
and Captain Sutter, at his own expense, fitted out an expedition of men and
of mules laden with provisions, to cross the mountains and relieve them. It
ran on to San Francisco, and the people, rallying in public meeting, raised
fifteen hundred dollars, and with it fitted out another expedition. The
naval commandant of the port fitted out still others.

The first of the relief parties reached Truckee Lake on the nineteenth of
February. Ten of the people in the nearest camp were dead. For four
weeks those who were still alive had fed only on bullocks' hides. At
Donner's camp they had but one hide remaining. The visitors left a small
supply of provisions with the twenty-nine whom they could not take with
them, and started back with the remainder. Four of the children they
carried on their backs.

Another of the relief parties reached Truckee Lake on the first of March.

102 THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

They immidiately started back with seventeen of the sufferers ; but, a heavy
snow storm overtaking them, they left all, except three of the children, on
the road. Another party went after those who were left on the way;
found three of them dead, and the rest sustaining life by feeding on the
flesh of the dead.

The last relief party reached Donner's camp late in April, when the snows
had melted so much that the earth appeared in spots. The main cabin was
empty, but some miles distant they found the last survivor of all lying on
the cabin floor smoking his pipe. He was ferocious in aspect, savage and
repulsive in manner. His camp-kettle was over the fire and in it his meal
of human flesh preparing. The stripped bones of his fellow-sufferers lay
around him. He refused to return with the party, and only consented
when he saw there was no escape.

Mrs. Donner was the last to die. Her husband's body, carefully laid out
and wrapped in a sheet, was found at his tent. Circumstances led to the
suspicion that the survivor had killed Mrs. Donner for her flesh and her
money, and when he was threatened with hanging, and the rope tightened
around his neck, he produced over five hundred dollars in gold, which,
probably, he had appropriated from her store."

In relation to this dreary story of suffering, this portion of our history
will be concluded by the narration of the prophetic dream of George Yount,
attended, as it was, with such marvelous results.

At this time, (the winter of 1846) while residing in Napa county, of
which, as has been already remarked, he was the pioneer settler, he dreamt
that a party of emigrants were snow-bound in the Sierra Nevadas, high up
in the mountains, where they were sufhering the most distressing privations
from cold and want of food. The locality where his dream had placed
these unhappy mortals, he had never visited, yet so clear was his vision
that he described the sheet of water surrounded by lofty peaks, deep-covered
with snow, while on every hand towering pine trees reared their heads far
above the limitless waste. In his sleep he saw the hungry human beings
ravenously tear the flesh from the bones of their fellow creatures, slain to
satisfy their craving appetites, in the midst of a gloomy desolation. He
dreamed his dream on three successive nights, after which he related it to
others, among whom were a few who had been on hunting expeditions in
the Sierras. These wished for a precise description of the scene foreshad-
owed to him. They recognized the Truckee. now the Donner Lake. On
the strength of this recognition Mr. Yount fitted out a search expedition,
and, with these men as guides, went to the place indicated, and, prodigious
to relate, was one of the successful relieving parties to reach the ill-fated
Donner party.

THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY. 103

THE POLITICAL HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

EARLY POLITICAL HISTORY — FIRST CIVIL OFFICER COMMISSIONED — GOVERNOR
BOGGS AND STEPHEN COOPER APPOINTED ALCALDES — PEOPLE OBJECT TO A
MILITARY GOVERNMENT — PROCLAMATION OF BRIG.-GENERAL RILEY — THE
CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION — SUPERIOR TRIBUNAL OF CALIFORNIA IN

1849 — APPOTNTMEET OF JUDGE OF FIRST INSTANCE — FIRST ELECTION
TICKETS — FIRST ELECTION IN SOLANO COUNTY — ELECTION MATTERS FROM

1850 TO 1877 — TABLE OF OFFICERS FROM 1850 TO 1877.

The early political history of Solano county is enveloped in considerable
mystery. Prior to the acquisition of California by the Government of the
United States, the large District of Sonoma, which included all the territory
between the Sacramento river and the ocean, and Oregon and the Bay of
San Francisco, was under the rule of the Mexican Government, who pro-
mulgated their laws after the year 1835, when General Vallejo took
command, from Sonoma. The District was apportioned into Prefectures,
amenable to a grand council at that town, the holders of office being known
as Alcaldes.

The first civil officer commissioned, after the American occupation, was
John Nash. He had a very exalted idea of the dignity of his office ;
assumed ministerial as well as judicial powers ; signed himself " Chief
Justice of California," and otherwise made himself and his office ridiculous.
Squire Nash, as his neighbors called him, was a good-natured, illiterate, but
honest man, who was employed by several persons to proceed to the mines
on the discovery of gold in 1848. He returned with gold dust to the value
of eight hundred dollars, and shortly after, going to Mormon Island with a
company of Sonoma miners, he died there during the winter. He was
succeeded in office by Lilburn W. Boggs, Ex-Governor of Missouri, in the
office of Alcalde ; a like appointment being made for Benicia City, as will
be seen by the accompanying commission :

" Know all men by these presents, that I, Richard B. Mason, Colonel 1st
Regiment of Dragoons, United States Army, and Governor of California, by
virtue of authority in me vested, do hereby appoint Stephen Cooper an
Alcalde at Benicia City, at present in the District of Sonoma.

" Given at Monterey, the Capital of California, this third day of January,
A. D. 1848, and of the Independence of the United States the 72d.

(Signed) "R. B. Mason,

[official seal.] " Col. 1st Dragoons,

"Governor of California."

Let us see what was the state of the political horizon at that time.
According to Tuthill — as to civil law, the country was utterly at sea. It
had a governor in the person of the commandant of the military district it
belonged to, but no government. While the war lasted California, as a

104 THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

conquered province, expected to be governed by military officers who, by
virtue of their command of the Department, bore sway over all the territory
that their Department embraced. But after peace had come and the suc-
cession of military governors was not abated, a people who had been in the
habit of governing themselves, under the same flag and the same constitu-
tion, chafed that a simple change of longitude should deprive them of their
inalienable rights.

General Persifer F. Smith, who assumed command on arriving by the
California, the first steamship that reached San Francisco (February 28,
1849), and General Riley, who succeeded him (April 13, 1849), would have
been acceptable governors enough, if the people could have discovered any-
where in the Constitution that the President had power to govern a territory
by a simple order to the commandant of a military department. The power
was obvious in time of war • but in peace it was unprecedented. Left en-
tirely to themselves, the people could have organized a squatter sovereignty,
as Oregon had done, and the way into the sister-hood of States was clear.

They felt that they had cause for complaint, but in truth they were too
busy to nurse their grievance and make much of it. To some extent they
formed local governments, and had unimportant collisions with the mili-
tary. But, busy as they were, and expecting to return home soon, they
humored their contempt for politics, and left public matters to be shaped at
Washington. Nor was this so unwise a course under the circumstances, for
the thing that had hindered Congress from giving them a legitimate con-
stitutional government was the ever-present snag in the current of American
political history, the author of most of our woes, the great mother of mis-
chief on the Western continent — Slavery.

When it was found that Congress had adjourned without doing anything
for California, Brigadier-General Piley, by the advice, he said, of the Presi-
dent, and Secretaries of State and of War, issued a Proclamation,- which
was at once a call for a convention, and an official exposition of the Admin-
istration's theory of the anomalous relations of California, and the Union.
He strove to rectify the impression that California was governed by the
military arm of the service ; 'that had ceased with the termination of hostili-
ties. What remained was the civil government, recognized by the existing
laws of California. These were vested in a governor, who received his ap-
pointment frftn the supreme government or, in default of such appoint-
ment, the office was vested in the commanding military officer of the de-
partment, a secretary, a departmental or territorial legislature, a superior
court with four judges, a prefect and sub-prefect, and a judge of the first
instance for each district, alcaldes, local justices of the peace, ayuntanien-
tos, or town councils. He moreover recommended the election, at the same
time, of delegates to a convention to adopt either a State or Territorial Con-
stitution which, if acquiesced in by the people, would be submitted for ap-
proval to Congress.

THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY. 105

In accordance with these announcements we find that the " Superior
Tribunal of California " existed at Monterey in 1849, for in September of
that year a " Tariff of Fees for Judiciary offices " was published, with the
following order of the Court : " That the several officers mentioned in this
order shall be entitled to receive for their services, in addition to their
regular salary, if any, the following fees, and none other, until the further
order of this Court." Here is added a list of the fees to be appropriated by
Judges of First Instance, Alcaldes and Justices of the Peace, Clerks of the
several courts, Sheriff, or Comisario, District Attorney, and Notaries Public.

Stephen Cooper, already alcalde of the city of Benicia, was appointed by
General Riley, in August, Judge of First Instance, and commenced his
labors in that function in October, 1849, as appears in the only record of the
proceedings of that Court extant in the office of the county clerk, at Fair-
field.

The record of one of the cases tried is reproduced as an instance of the
short but quick justice that was doled out in 1849 :

" The People of California Territory,
vs.
George Palmer.

" And now comes the said people by right their attorney, and the said de-
fendant by Semple and O'Melveny, and the prisoner having been arraigned
on the indictment in this cause, plead not guilty. Thereupon a j ury was
chosen, selected, and sworn, when, after hearing the evidence and argument
of counsel, returned into Court the following verdict, to wit :

" The jury, in the case of Palmer, defendant, and the State of California,
plaintiff', have found a verdict of guilty on both counts of the indictment,
and sentenced him to receive the following punishment, to wit :

" On Saturday, the 24th day of November, to be conducted by the sheriff
to some public place and there receive on his bare back seventy-five lashes,
with such weapon as the sheriff may deem fit, on each count respectively,
and to be banished from the district of Sonoma within twelve hours after
whipping, under penalty of receiving the same number of lashes for each
and every day he remains in the district, after the first whipping.

"(Signed) Alexander Riddell,

" Foreman.

" It is therefore ordered by the Court, in accordance with the above ver-
dict, that the foregoing sentence be carried into effect."

The manifesto calling a Constitutional Convention divided the electoral
divisions of the State into ten districts ; each male inhabitant of the
country, of twenty-one years of age, could vote in the district of his resid-
ence, and the delegates so elected were called upon to meet at Monterey, on
the 1st day of September, 1849. The number of delegates was fixed at
thirty-seven, five of which were apportioned to San Francisco. Those
elected from the district of Sonoma, were General Vallejo, Joel Walker, R.

106

THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

Semple. L. W. Boggs was also elected, but did not attend. As resolved,
the Convention met at Monterey on the date above named, Robert Semple,
of Benicia, one of the delegates from the district of Sonoma, being chosen
president. The session lasted six weeks ; and notwithstanding an awkward
scarcity of books of reference and other necessary aids, much labor was per-
formed, while the debates exhibited a marked degree of ability. In framing
the original Constitution of California, slavery was forever prohibited
within the jurisdiction of the State; the boundary question between
Mexico and the United States was set at rest ; provision for the morals and
education of the people was made ; a seal of State was adopted with the
false Greek, though now more famous motto of Eureka, and a quantity of
other matters discussed. It was submitted to the people in English and
Spanish ; and on November 13th, was ratified by them.

The Constitution was adopted by a vote of twelve thousand and sixty-
four for it, to eight hundred and eleven against it ; there being, besides, over
twelve hundred ballots that were treated as blanks, because of an inform-
ality in the printing.

The following are two of the tickets which were voted at the time and
were destributed in and around Sacramento and the upper portion of the
State.

people's ticket. people's ticket.

FOR THE CONSTITUTION.

FOR GOVERNOR,

John A. Sutter.

FOR LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR,

John McDougal.

FOR REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS,

William E. Shannon,
Pet. Halsted.

FOR STATE SENATORS,

John Bidwell, Upper Sacramento,
Murray Morrison, Sacramento City,
Harding Bigelow, Sacramento City,
Gilbert A. Grant, Vernon.

FOR ASSEMBLY,

H. C. Cardwell, Sacramento City,
P. B. Cornwall, Sacramento City,
John S. Fowler, Sacramento City,
J. Sherwood,
Elisha W. McKinstry,
Madison Walthall, Coloma,
W. B. Dickenson, Yuba,
James Queen, South Fork,
W. L. Jenkin, Weaverville.

FOR THE CONSTITUTION.

FOR GOVERNOR,

Peter H. Burnett.

FOR LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR,

John McDougal.

FOR REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS,

Edward Gilbert,
George W. Wright.

FOR STATE SENATORS,

John Bidwell, Upper Sacramento,
Murray Morrison, Sacramento City,
Harding Bigelow, Sacramento City,
Gilbert A. Grant, Vernon.

FOR ASSEMBLY,

H. C. Cardwell, Sacramento City,
P. B. Cornwall, Sacramento City,
John S. Fowler, Sacramento City,
H. L. Ford, Upper Sacramento,
Madison Walthall, Coloma,
W. B. Dickenson, Yuba,
James Queen, South Fork,
Arba K. Berry, Weaverville.

THE HISTOKY OF SOLANO COUNTY. 107

The result of the election was : Peter H. Burnett, Governor ; John Mc-
Dougal, Lieutenant Governor ; and Messrs. Wright and Gilbert were sent to
Congress. In regard to our especial subject General Vallejo was then elected
to the Senate, his seat, however, was first given to Jonas Spect, but on the
22d of December the official return from one of the polls gave' Spect but
two votes instead of twenty-eight, a total of but one hundred and eighty-
one votes against General Vallejo's one hundred and ninety-nine. Mr. Spect
then gave up his seat to the General, who during that session of the Legis-
lature, made his memorable report on the derivation and defination of the
names of the several counties of the State ; a report unsurpassed in its style
and its store of interesting and valuable information.

On Saturday, December 15, 1849, the first Legislature of the State met —
it will, however, be unnecessary here to enter into its movements until finally
located at Sacramento, such will be found fully discussed in the history of
the city of Vallejo.

The earliest record of an election in Solano is one held on April 1>
1850, to chose the following State and county officers, viz.: Clerk of the
Supreme Court, District Attorney, County Judge, Clerk, Attorney, Surveyor
Sheriff, Recorder, Assessor, Coronor, and Treasurer. L. B. Mizner being
appointed Inspector ; William McDaniel and Sarshel Cooper, Judges ; with
Joseph Winston and W. Rowe, Clerks. The officers being duly sworn by
Stephen Cooper, Judge of the District of Sonoma, the polls were opened,
and one hundred and seventy-six duly qualified electors deposited their
ballots.

The result of the election was :

Votes.

For Clerk of Supreme Court E. H. Tharp 142

For District Attorney R. A. Maupin 107

For County Judge James Craig 88

For County Clerk Sarshel Bynum 107

For County Attorney D. R. Wright 94

For County Surveyor Benjamin W. Barlow. . 137

For County Sheriff Frank Brown 86

For County Recorder Sarshel Bynum 143

For County Assessor Stephen Cooper 174

For County Coroner W. F. Peabody 178

For County Treasurer David F. Beveridge 100

The foregoing poll included the votes of officers and soldiers of the United
States Army, and the officers and sailors of the Navy, to the number of
forty-three, as is shown by the statement submitted by the President and
Canvasser, on April 8th. The election was held pursuant to an Act of the
Assembly of the State, approved March 2d, 1850.

108 THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

It was found, however, that James Craig, the nominee for the County
Judgeship, had failed to qualify according to law ; the office was therefore
declared vacant, and a new election called in accordance with the above
quoted Act, by F. M. Warmcastle, Judge of Contra Costa County, to be held
on May 11, 1850, at two precincts in Solano County, which he had named,
viz., the Court House at Benicia, and the residence of Daniel M. Berry,
in Suisun Valley, the Inspectors being respectively George H. Riddell,
of Benicia, and D. M. Berry. The result was the election of Joseph
Winston, with sixty-six votes, as against forty-seven for William McDaniel.
Thus, Judge Winston was the first Judge for Solano County who actually
took his seat; and on the assumption of his office, almost his first duty was the
organizing of the county into the two townships of Benicia and Suisun, and
fixing certain boundaries, consequent on the necessity to elect two Justices
of the Peace and one Constable for the newly partitioned districts. This
election was called for May 25th, and on June 1st the elected Justices were
directed to meet at the City Hall, in Benicia, for the purpose of electing two
of their number as Associate Justices, to sit with the County Judge, to form
the Court of Sessions of said County of Solano. There is, unfortunately, no
record of the names of the Justices then elected. In the meantime, the
office of County Attorney was declared vacant, and C. Gillis, being the
only candidate, was duly elected July 22, 1850. On October 7, 1850,
another election was held for the appointment of a Clerk to the Supreme
Court ; Superintendent of Public Instruction ; Attorney General ; District
Attorney, for the district composed of the counties of Marin, Sonoma, Napa,
Solano and Mendocino ; Senator for the district composed of the counties of
Marin, Sonoma, Napa, Solano, Mendocino, Yolo, Colusa, and Trinity ; and a
Member of the Assembly, for the District composed of the counties of
Marin, Sonoma, Napa, and Solano, while the votes of the people were called
to settle the location of the seat of government, with the following result :

Votes.

For Clerk of the Supreme Court E. H. Tharp 96

For Superintendent of Public Instruction. .Fred. P. Tracy 56

For Attorney General James A. McDougal ... 98

For District Attorney J. D. Bristol 132

For Senator Martin E. Cook 101

For Member of Assembly. . John S. Bradford 113

While, for the location of the seat of government, Vallejo received one
hundred and eighty-six votes, as against one for each of the cities of San
Jose and Monterey. Shortly after this, the offices of Sheriff and County Sur-
veyor, held by Messrs. Francis Brown and Benjamin W. Barlow, had become
vacant ; another election was held on December 21st, when B. C. Whitman
was chosen for the first named office, and A. F. Bradley for the latter.

THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY. 109

Thus the electoral interests for the year 1850 were brought to a close.
In this year party spirit had not yet run very high. The bulk of the early
settlers were pretty evenly divided between the Whigs and Democrats,
while of the officers elected, the opposing factions shared the honors more
or less equally.

On January 25, 1851, Calvin Brown and J. G. Dennis were respectively
elected to the offices of Justice of the Peace and Constable for Benicia
Township, while, in March, two more vacancies occurred in the offices of
Sheriff and County Attorney, consequent on the resignation of Messrs. B. C.
Whitman and C. Gillis. To fill these offices a special election was called, as
also to choose two Justices of the Peace and one Constable for each of the
townships of Vallejo, which would appear from the Petition of Electors to
have then been named Eden and Suisun. At this epoch of the county's
history, the list of votes was : For Benicia Township, 174 ; for Vallejo,
29 ; and for Suisun, 72. The result of this election, which was held on
March 24th, was :

Votes.

For County Sheriff Paul Shirley 83

For County Attorney Thomas M. Swan . . 128

For Justice of the Peace, Vallejo Township. >- j ! ^ ai ,^ e " ' '

For Justice of the Peace, Suisun Township. \ TT ^ ^ ' rr ^' " no

r ( U. P. Degman 63

For Constable for Vallejo Township. . ..William E. Brown, D. C. . 28
For Constable for Suisun Township . . . .William Munn 69

On the 9th September, 1850, California was admitted into the Union,
and the pleasing, though foreordained intelligence, was hailed with much
enthusiasm when brought to San Francisco, on the 18th October, 1850. On
September 3, 1851, the first gubernatorial election was held under the new
order of things. The event being so important a one, we reproduce the
entire vote throughout Solano County, as gleaned from the official records
of the county.

THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

FOR GOVERNOR.

Reading, Pierson B.

No. of Votes.

Benicia. . 182

Vallejo 93

Suisun 67

Vacaville 51

Bigler, John.

Benicia 98

Vallejo 77

Suisun . .„-„-.;-. .... 41

Vacaville-. 17

LIEUT. GOVERNOR.

Baldwin, Drury P.

Benicia. . 166

Vallejo 91

Suisun 67

Vacaville 49

Purdy, Samuel.

Benicia 112

Vallejo 78

Suisun 41

Vacaville 17

justice supreme court.

Heydenfeldt, Solomon.

Benicia 110

Vallejo 77

Suisun 43

Vacaville 17

Robinson, Todd.

Benicia 159

Vallejo 92

Suisun 65

Vacaville 50

Total.

393

233

ATTORNEY-GENERAL.

Hastings, S. C.

No. of Votes.

Benicia 114

Vallejo 78

Suisun 44

Vacaville 16

Fair, W. D.

Benicia 162

Vallejo 90

Suisun 64

Vacaville 50

state comptroller.

373

- 248

Pierce, Winslow T.

Benicia Ill

Vallejo 78

Suisun 42

Vacaville 17

Abell, A. G.

Benicia 166

Vallejo 90

Suisun 64

Vacaville 49

Houston, John S.

Benicia 1

247

SURVEYOR-GENERAL.

366

Eddy, Wm. M.

Benicia 119

Vallejo 77

Suisun 41

Vacaville 17

Herron, Walter.

Benicia 159

Vallejo 89

Suisun 66

Vacaville 49

Total.

252

366

248

369

254

363

THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

Ill

STATE TREASURER.

Roman, Richard.

No. of Votes.

Benicia 118

Vallejo 130

Suisun 43

Vacaville 27

Burt, J. M.

Benicia 159

Vallejo 38

Suisun 65

Vacaville 39

Gift, Col. W.

Benicia 2

CONGRESSMAN.

McCORKLE, JOS. W.

Benicia 107

Vallejo 82

Suisun 42

Vacaville 19

Marshall, E. C.

Benicia 118

Vallejo 86

Suisun 43

Vacaville 27

Kewen, E. J. C.

Benicia 170

Vallejo 87

Suisun 65

Vacaville 49

Moore, B. F.

Benicia 157

Vallejo 88

Suisun 64

Vacaville 38

Bryan, D. C.

Benicia 34

Vallejo 4

Suisun 18

Va aville 7

Total.

318

301

250

274

371

347

Dorland, James.

No. of Votes.

Benicia 48

Vallejo 8

Suisun 47

Vacaville

Total.

103

STATE senator to represent the

COUNTIES OF SOLANO AND NAPA.

Bradford, John S.

Benicia 157

Vallejo 9

Suisun 50

Vacaville 5

Estell, James M.

Benicia 129

Vallejo 147

Suisun 52

Vacaville 46

Long, James H.

Vacaville 2

Sawyer, Jesse.

Benicia 1

Vacaville 1

Semple, Rorert.

Vacaville 1

221

374

memrers of assembly to represent
solano county.

Graham, James S.

Benicia 122

Vallejo 117

Suisun 28

Vacaville 45

Semple, Robert.

Benicia 85

Vallejo 28

Suisun 17

Vacaville 15

312

145

112

HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

COUNTY SHERIFF.

Shirley, Paul.

No. of Votes.

Benicia 195

Vallejo 122

Suisun 84

Vacaville 62

Stocker, James.

Benicia 91

Vallejo 38

Suisun 26

Vacaville 6

COUNTY CLERK.

Bynum, Sarshel.

Benicia 259

Vallejo 148

Suisun 107

Vacaville 65

Jones, J. W.

Benicia 1

DISTRICT ATTORNEY.

Swan, Thos. M.

Benicia 145

Vallejo 102

Suisun 65

Vacaville 43

Blair, J. D.

Benicia 134

Vallejo 48

Suisun 35

Vacaville 14

COUNTY CORONER.

Peabody, Wm. F.

Benicia 169

Vallejo 18

Suisun 57

Vacaville 45

Total.

463

161

579

355

231

289

Hamm, Samuel F.

No. of Votes.

Benicia 109

Vallejo 122

Suisun 41

Vacaville 14

COUNTY TREASURER.

Evans. O. H.

Benicia 194

Vallejo 77

Suisun 73

Vacaville 43

Hayden, C. W.

Benicia 73

Vallejo 52

Suisun 21

Vacaville 14

Leviston, Geo.

Benicia 1

COUNTY SURVEYOR.

Loring, F. R.

Benicia 153

Vallejo 76

Suisun 67

Vacaville 43

Bradley, A. F.

Benicia 124

Vallejo 56

Suisun 34

Vacaville 14

COUNTY ASSESSOR.

Vaughan, Singleton.

Benicia 192

Vallejo 78

Suisun 47

Vacaville 33

Total.

286

387

160

339

228

350

THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

113

COUNTY ASSESSOR.

Howell, E. P.

No. of Votes. Total Votes.

Benicia 69

Vallejo 53

Suisun 54

Vacaville 25

201

Cooper Stephen.

Benicia 16

Suisun 7

PUBLIC ADMINISTRATOR OF SOL. CO.

Currey, John

Benicia 136

Vallejo 76

Suisun 71

Vacaville 43

Leviston, Geo.

Benicia 135

Vallejo 51

Suisun 24

Vacaville 14

326

Luce, S. W.
Benicia .

224

JUSTICES OF THE PEACE FOR BENICIA.

Riddell, Alexander
Wetmore, C. E. .
Gillis, Calvin . . .
Hyam, B. D . . . .
McDougal, John
Lowry, Dick. . .
Bennett, Bill . . .

CONSTABLES FOR BENICIA.

Brown, A. W . .
Brown, Jno. S.
Siddons, Wm. .
Mitchell, I . . . .
Jones, John W
Brown, W. C. .
Andrews, J. H .

150

199

188
169
126
1
1
1
1

DISTRICT JUDGE 7TH JUDICIAL DIST.

Total Votes.

Hopkins, Robert 1

Boggs,T. J 1

Whitman, B. C : 1

Lee, Harvey 1

JUSTICES OF THE PEACE FOR VALLEJO.

Hook, Henry 101

Tierney, E. P 36

Leslie, Lyman 77

Shipley, David 31

Veeder, Charles 13

Loveland, J. E 3

CONSTABLES FOR VALLEJO.

Brown, W. A .....116

Bryant, W. T 87

Dupaix, Henry 13

JUSTICES OF PEACE, SUISUN.

Berry, D. K.

Suisun 67

Vacaville 9

Degman, U. P.

Suisun 50

Vacaville 49

Beveridge, David F.

Suisun 54

CONSTABLES FOR SUISUN.

Stevenson, G. B.

•

Suisun

. . 62

119

Munn, Wm.

Suisun

.. 49

Lindsey,.Wm.

Suisun

. .

.. 23

Scattering:

.. 6

114 THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

On September 11th, notice was given in accordance with the Fourth
Article of the Constitution of California, by Robert Semple, of his intention
to contest the election of James S. Graham to the seat in the Assembly ;
there is no reason to believe, however, that the case ever came to a recount.

The division of votes showed a democratic preponderance for the State
offices ; while for those of the county, the Whig party had the majority of
positions.

In this contest, Bigler, who received twenty-three thousand seven hun-
dred and seventy-four votes in the State ; while Pierson B. Reading, his
Whig opponent, got twenty-two thousand seven hundred and thirty-three,
had the assistance of that new power which had commenced to creep into
the State, in the shape of the squatting element. He was Democratic in
his manners, being " hale fellow " with all. Not so his opponent, who was
a gentleman of more genteel bearing than the kind-hearted, unambitious,
landless Governor, who was always mindful of his friends. Bigler, in all
his messages, urged economy, but found it difficult to prevent an office being
made for a friend. Tuthill remarks: "It was his pet project to unite the
Southern and Western men of his party, and let the free-soilers shift for
themselves ; but it is not in that direction that party cleavage runs. The
Southeners scorned the alliance. They were ' high-toned,' and looked down
upon a Missourian as little better than a man from Massachusetts. The
Governor's project would not work. He carried water on both shoulders,
and spilt very little on either side."

In regard to the election of officers to fill the positions required in those
years, it was very hard to find those willing to, or capable of, undertaking
the arduous duties : besides, everyone was on the qui vive for news of gold
on the first receipt of which, judges and constables alike, would leave their
more dignified duties, and make for the mines, caring not who their succes-
sors might be, or how they were appointed.

But few changes of any political moment occurred in 1852, save the
establishment of a polling precinct at the Suscol rancho, at the residence of
L. Curtis ; and the Presidential election of November 2nd, when we find
the three well-known names among the successful candidates for county
honors, of Judge E. W. McKinstry, now of the Supreme Bench of Califor-
nia, then elected for his first term as Judge of the Seventh Judicial District;
Andrew J. Bryant, the present Mayor of San Francisco, then a Constable
of Benicia township ; and Dr. Sylvester Woodbridge, Junior, the eloquent
pastor of a Presbyterian Chuich, in San Fiancisco, at the time of which
we write, a resident of Benicia, and the first Commissioner of Common
Schools in the county.

On February 19th, of the following year, Sarshel Bynum, resigned his
office, when Joseph P. Vaughn was appointed interim County Clerk, in
which charge he was confirmed, at the general election of 7th September.

THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY. 115

On May 18th, an Act, apportioning the State into certain Senatorial and
Assembly districts, was passed ; the " Tenth Senatorial District," being com-
prised in the counties of Solano, Napa, and Yolo, with power to elect one
Senator, while one member of Assembly was to be returned from each.

It would appear that at this juncture the number of residents in the
county had so increased, that greater facilities had to be given to the public
for recording their votes. The distances from the principal locations of the
townships being so great, new precincts were made ; the city of Benicia
being divided into two wards ; the headquarters of one being at the Pacific
Works, and the other at the Court House. The Vallejo township comprised
Vallejo and Suscol. Wolf skill's and Montezuma belonged to Vacaville ;
while Suisun and Green Valley each had their polling places. At their De-
cember term, the Court of ^Sessions ordered that the salary of the District
Attorney should be fixed at one hundred and twenty-five dollars per month,
or fifteen hundred dollars per annum,, commencing from the first Monday
in October.

In the year 1855, a vacancy occurring in the office of County Treasurer,
by the death of John C. Gulick, Jabez Hatch was appointed in his stead.
In this year, too, the Court of Sessions was abolished, and a Board of Su-
pervisors created in lieu thereof. The first Board consisting of Lloyd A.
Rider, A. W. Rodgers, and John C. Fisk, met at Benicia on May 7th, under
the Presidentship of the first-named gentleman, when they appointed
George Leviston to be a Justice of the Peace, vice Alexander Rid dell
deceased.

On May 4, 1855, an Act of the Legislature was approved, "to take the
sense of the People of the State, at the General Election in A. D. 1855, on
the Passage of a Prohibitory Liquor Law ;" the provisions of which were,
that the manufacture and sale of all spirituous and intoxicating liquors,
except for mechanical, chemical, medicinal and sacramental purposes, should
be prohibited. On being put to the vote in Solano county, the result was :

Yes 143 votes.

No 378 "

The precincts for polling purposes were divided by the Supervisors in
this year, to be as under :

Green Valley 1

Suisun 2

Vacaville 2

Montezuma 1

Tremont 1

Benicia 1

Vallejo 1

On November 13, J. W. Jones was appointed to the position of County

116 THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

Coroner, vice Larkin Richardson, who had failed to file his certificate of
election. On August 21, 1855, it was directed by the Board that the Su-
pervisoral districts be changed, as under :

( Benicia.

District No. 1 <

( Vallejo.

C Green Valley.

District No. 2 <

( Suisun.

f Vacaville.

District No. 3 < Montezuma.

( Tremont.

In the years 1856 and '57, nothing of any moment occurred in the county,
in regard to its political aspect. In 1858 the removal of the county seat
occurred, a full account of which will be found in the chapter on County
Organizations, in this work. On January 22, 1859, the Board of Supervis-
ors accepted the Bond of Captain Waterman, in respect to the handing
over certain lands in Fairfield, for county purposes. On March 14th, they
opened the bids for the erection of the Court House and Jail there, viz :

Larkin Richardson, for Court House and Jail $24,440

J. D. Perkins, for temporary Court House, etc 1,373

And on September 1st, the buildings were handed over by the contractors.
By an Act of the Legislature, approved April 28, 1857, the Supervisors
of the county of Yuba were authorized to subscribe a sum of $200,000 to a
railroad company which should connect the city of Marysville, and either
the city of Benicia or any point on the Sacramento River, at or near
Knight's Ferry or Sacramento City. In May, of the same year, the Super-
visors of Solano county proposed that $250,000 worth of stock should be
taken in the Sacramento and San Francisco Railroad, another company
which had been started with warm advocates in Benicia. The newspapers
of the time ardently urged the adoption of this scheme, and its submission
to the vote of the people, which was afterwards done, and carried by a large
majority. In a little while the Marysville company awoke to a sense of their
danger in the opposition of the contemplated Sacramento road, when the
former association filed their articles of incorporation forthwith, and
commenced operations. The road is set forth as commencing at Marysville,
and extending through Yuba, Sutter, Yolo, and Solano counties, to a point
on the San Pablo Bay, near Vallejo, eighty -five miles in length, which was
expected to cost $3,000,000. The bill was duly introduced into the Senate,
and approved. On April 16, 1859, an Act authorizing the county of Solano
to subscribe $200,000 to the capital stock of this railroad, was approved,

THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY. 117

subject to the accepting thereof by the people, which was submitted to their
vote at the general election of 1859, with the following result :

Yes 796

No 661

The Supervisors were empowered to issue bonds bearing interest at the
rate of seven per cent per annum from date of issue, payable half-yearly.
Only $100,000 of these bonds were paid, however, to the company, who, not
having fulfilled the contract under which the amount was subscribed,
an amended Act was submitted to the Legislature, during the regime of
Messrs. Mizner and J. B. Frisbie, as Senator and Assemblyman respectively,
and approved March 26, 1868, by which the California Pacific Railroad
Company, a new corporation which had been started and duly incorporated
under the general laws of the State, were to have assigned and transferred
to them all stock subscribed for the San Francisco and Marysville Railroad
Company. This was not to be limited to the first named corporation, how-
ever, for section 14 of the Act directs : " The said Supervisors are hereby
authorized and empowered to issue and deliver to the proper officers of any
railroad company which may, within two years from the passage of this
Act, complete and have in running order a railroad from the Straits of
Carquinez, or Vallejo Bay, to the northern boundary line of said Solano
county, the same amount of bonds as the said San Francisco and Marysville
Railroad Company would have been entitled to, had its said road have been
fully completed in the year 1861, less the amount already issued." Of the
original stock there is still $112,000 outstanding, which is being reduced at
the rate of $9,000 a year.

An Act, approved May 13, 1861, to separate from the office of County
Clerk, the office of County Recorder took effect on the first Monday of Octo-
ber, and an election for the latter office was also ordered to be held at every
succeeding general election. To the duties of Recorder were added those of
Auditor. An Act was also approved on the 14th of May, in which it was
provided that Road Masters be elected, so soon as the County shall have
been divided into Road Districts, at the general election of Sept. 4th, whose
duties were " to have the care and general supervision of the public roads
within the district, to maintain them in as good repair and to erect such
necessary bridges and culverts as the means at his command will permit ;
and he shall also, by direction of the Supervisors, cause suitable guide-
boards to be erected at the intersection of inrportant roads. He shall
oversee and direct the labor expended upon the roads, and see that teams,
ploughs, scrapers and other implements, are furnished for the road service.
He shall, between the first day of October and the first day of June, in
each year, give to each person in his road district, who is liable to pay road
tax, at least three days notice of the time and place at which such person
shall appear for the purpose of working on the public roads," etc.

118 THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

In February, 1867, the county was divided into assessment districts con-
forming to those which elected Supervisors, offices which were afterwards
discontinued as being unwieldy.

Nothing of any particular importance to affect the county occurred in the
few following years until 1871 — the year of the Tapeworm ticket; the
following history of which has been kindly supplied by Mr. George A.
Gillespie.

FAC-SIMILE OF THE TICKET.

Republican State Ticket. — For Governor, Newton Booth. For Lieutenant Governor, Roraualdo Pacheco. For Secretary of State, Prury Melone.
For Controller, James J. Green. For State Treasurer, Ferdinand Baehr. For Surveyor-General, Robert Gardner. For Attorney-General, John L.
Love. P'or Clerk of the Supreme Court, Grant I. Taggart. For State Printer, Thomas A. Springer. For Harbor Commissioner, John A. McGlynn.
For Amend, to Art. 1 of the Const.— Yes. Refund Debt.— No. For Congressman— Third District, John M. Coghlan. For Assemblyman, M. J. Wright.
For Sheriff, Joseph Jacobs. For Treasurer, E. D. Perkins. For Recorder, Geo. C. McKinley. For Clerk, Chas. A. Kidder; For District Attorney, J. F.
Wendell. For Assessor, Joseph Hoyt. For Surveyor, Win. W. Fitch. For Supt. of Schools, Wm. H. Fry. For Pub. Administrator, Hazen Hoyt.
For Coroner, C. E. Holbrook, For Supervisor, 1st Dist., A. D. Starr. For Constables, Ed. Longan and W. Markey. For Roadmaster, A. E. Thurber.

The so called " Tape-worm Ticket," the use of which at Vallejo, at the
election of 1871, caused so much comment and adverse criticism, both in
and without the State, and even in the United States Congress, had its
origin in this wise : The Navy Yard, at Mare Island, after the election of
Abraham Lincoln to the Presidency, passed into the control of the Republi-
can party, and, especially during the war, a very large number of mechanics
and laborers were given employment there. These men, or a large majority
of them, prior to each general election, became enrolled members of Repub-
lican clubs, and were to all ajjpearances, supporters of the Republican ad-
ministrations, but it was found at the counting of ballots at each election
there were an uncomfortably large number of Democratic votes in the
ballot boxes. To remedy this, various kinds of " non-imitative " and " non-
scratchable " ballots were devised, both printed and engraved, but in every
case the Democrats, by the use of tissue-paper " pasters," and other devices
circumvented the vigilance and craft of the administration politicians and
managed to have a large number of Democratic votes put into the ballot
boxes by these professed Republicans. At a meeting of the Republican
County Central Committee of Solano in August, 1871, after it had made
arrangements to supply all the precincts of the county with a sufficient
quantity of Republican ballots — save Vallejo, the members from that
section announced to the committee that it would be necessary to have a
new and different style of ballot for that precinct in order to prevent
imitation, pasting and scratching. After some deliberation the matter was
left to a sub-committee of two persons, with orders to have printed three
thousand ballots of a design which it should adopt. This sub-committee
subsequently went to San Francisco, and applied to the printing stationers,
William B. Cooke & Co., to have the proposed ballots printed. They were
not decided as to the plan or style of the ballots needed, so Mr. Cooke
suggested to them that he would have several different designs prepared by
his foreman-printer during the day, and if they would call on the following

THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY. 119

morning they could make their selection as to which they would order.
Four or five designs were prepared, and among the lot was this " tape-worm
ticket," which in the judgment of the committee seemed specially designed
" to fill the bill," and it was selected by them and an order given to print
the required three thousand. These ballots were sent to Vallejo, and on the
night previous to the day of election they were parcelled out to the Navy
Yard foremen, who in turn reparcelled them out to their workmen, and they
were very extensively voted during the day, carrying the precinct largely
for the Republican party. But even with all the intricacy of its design
and make up, one hundred and twenty-eight of these ballots were scratched
and pasted by Democratic voters. Hundreds of these ballots were preserved
by the curious as mementoes of political intimidation, and one of them in
the hands of Senator Casserly, found its way to the United States Senate
where it was exhibited to the gaze of astonished Senators as the acme
of " bull-dozing " acumen. This episode in Solano's political history, dis-
graceful as such proceedings were claimed to be, was not without a benefi-
cial result, for beyond 'a doubt, to this tape-worm ticket and its use are we
indebted for our present wise, and satisfactory uniform ballot law.

On May 7, 1873, the offices of Recorder and Auditor were consolidated,
by direction of the Board of Supervisors, whose numbers were in this year
increased from three to five, while the new office of Commissioner of High-
ways was created ; but after one term it was abrogated, the duties of the
office lapsing into the hands of road-masters, as before. At the Judicial
Election, held on October loth, the votes for County Judge resulted in a tie,
as under :

O. B. Powers receiving 1,241 votes ; John M. Gregory, Jr., receiving a
like number. A new election was therefore called for December 16th, when
Judge Gregory received 1,286 votes, as against 1,212, obtained by Mr.
Powers.

An Act to permit the voters of every township or incorporated city in
the State to vote on the question of granting licences to sell intoxicating
liquors was approved by the Legislature, March 18, 1874. It was famil-
iarly known as the " Local Option Law," and was put to the voters of
Solano County on May 30th of that year, showing :

For liquor license 1,022

For no liquor license 904

Majority of 118 for license.

The office of Auditor was established and made separate from that of
Recorder by Act of the Legislature, approved March 30th, T. P. Hooper
being the first incumbent of the former office. The same Act also pro-
vided that the County Treasurer should be ex ojficio Tax Collector, thus

120 THE HISTORY OP SOLANO COUNTY.

abolishing that office, while the offices of Public Administrator and County
Coroner were united and consolidated on May 11th, 1875.

We now come to the last great event in the political history of Solano
county, namely, the order for a new Constitution of the State, and its ulti-
mate passage by an immense majority, that in Solano being two hundred
and ninety -three.

It was found that the provisions in regard to taxation and property were
of too vague a nature to be allowed to hold at this period of progress. At
the time when the old Constitution was framed in Monterey, it was never
contemplated that the State would be ever anything but a purely mining
country ; and as each mining section had its own local laws, more distinct
terms in regard to what was legally meant by property and taxable pro-
perty, were not thought to be necessary. At last the day came when a de-
cision of the Supreme Court ruled that credits are not property in the
sense in which the word property is used in Section 13 of Article XI of the
Constitution, and cannot be assessed for taxes, or taxed as property, even if
secured by mortgage. (The People vs. Hibernia Bank, Cal. Exports, 51.)

The popular voice became clamorous on this decision for a change of rule ;
and though having been before mooted, and successfully balked by former
sessions of the Legislature, an Act to provide for a Convention to frame a
new Constitution for the State of California was approved on March 30,
1878 ; and by a Proclamation of the Governor an election throughout the
county of Solano was ordered to be held on June 19, 1878, for the pur-
pose of electing delegates to a Constitutional Convention, to meet at Sacra-
mento, on September 28th. Thirty-two delegates were to be elected by the
State at large, of whom not more than eight should be residents of any one
Congressional District. One delegate was allowed for the counties of
Solano and Yolo, jointly, and three for Solano county alone. The result
was :

Delegate for Solano and Yolo counties, jointly :

C. F. Reed (of Yolo) 741 votes.

For Solano county :

Joel A. Harvey 859 votes.

J. M. Dudley 821 "

S. G. Hilborn 769 "

The election for the adoption or rejection caused a deep seated feeling
throughout the entire State, and for months the county was in a perfect
ferment ; at last the 7th of May arrived ; the following morning the news
was flashed throughout the length and breadth of the land of the adoption
of California's new organic law ; and now nothing but Time can solve the
riddle as to whether the decision was a wise one or not.

THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

121

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THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

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P. McEIroy, Vallejo

R. S. Maguiness, Vallejo

H. Norton, Benicia

R. E. Bournes, Benicia. .
W. A. Field, Green Val-
ley.
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C. Loomis, Suisun

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130 THE HISTORY OP SOLANO COUNTY.

MEXICAN GRANTS.

BY A. J. DOBBINS.

SUSCOL— SUISUN — TOLENAS — LOS PUTOS — RIO LOS PUTOS —

ULPINOS.

When California was acquired by the United States by treaty with the
Mexican Government, the larger portion of the five hundred and forty-five
thousand four hundred and forty acres included in the present boundary
lines of Solano county was covered by, and claimed under, six Mexican
grants, distributed as follows :

" The Suscol," lying in the southern and western portion of the county,
including the townships of Vallejo and Benicia, and containing about eighty-
four thousand acres.

The " Suisun," lying to the eastward of the Suscol, including within its
limits the whole of Suisun valley, together with the towns of Suisun and
Fairfield, and containing seventeen thousand seven hundred and fifty-two
acres.

The " Tolenas," or " Armijo," lying to the north and east of the Suisun,
and containino- thirteen thousand three hundred and fourteen acres.

The " Los Putos," or Vaca and Pena, lying to the northeast of the Armijo,
covering the town of Vacaville and the whole of Vaca valley, and contain-
ing forty-four thousand three hundred and eighty acres.

The " Eio Los Putos," or Wolfskill, lying to the northwest of the Los
Putos, and on both sides of Putah creek, in both Solano and Yolo counties.
That portion situated in Solano county, containing eight thousand eight
hundred and eighty acres.

The " Ulpinos," or Bidwell, located in the eastern portion of the county, at
the junction of the Sacramento river and Cache Slough, covering the town
of Rio Vista and the Montezuma hills, and containing seventeen thousand
seven hundred and fifty -two acres.

By the terms of the treaty of Guadaloupe Hidalgo, the United States,
upon proper showing of titles by grantees of the Mexican and Spanish
Governments, was found to confirm them, and not only were perfect titles
acquired by the inhabitants under Mexican domination agreed to be
respected, but also such equitable claims as had their origin in the action
of the Mexican Government, but were undeveloped and incomplete at the
date of the treaty ; and it was stipulated that such steps should be taken
as were necessary to protect the same. The rights of property of the
citizens of the ceded territory were to remain unchanged. By the law of

THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY. 131

nations those rights were sacred and inviolable, and the obligation passed
to the Government of the United States to protect and maintain them by
proper legislative action when the requisite protection could not be afforded
by the ordinary course of judicial proceedings in the established tribunals
or by existing legislation.

In many instances, however, the boundaries of the grants were indefinite,
and the titles to some being imperfect, for years the affairs of the county
were in an unsettled condition, consequent upon the frequent recurrence of
acts of violence and bloodshed growing out of the litigation of land titles.
Surveying parties were frequently forced to desist and driven off by armed
gangs of squatters, who destroyed and removed monuments and land-marks,
obstructed the officers of the law in the discharge of their official duties, and
who carried their lawlessness to such an extent that many bona fide pur-
chasers willingly disposed of their claims for a nominal sum and betook
themselves to some more quiet county, where the danger of loss of life or
limb was not a necessary concomitant upon the ownership of real estate.

The bitter and protracted controversy which arose out of the dispute as
to the location of the line between the Suisun and the Armijo Grants, pre-
sents a striking illustration of the indefinite and uncertain manner in which
these grants were located by the original grantees, at a time when the
question of a few hundred, or even thousand, acres was a matter of so little
importance as to be unworthy of attention. But, subsequently, as the years
rolled on, and the increase in values required the boundary lines to be
distinctly and permanently settled, the latitude which had formerly been
allowed to the original grantees in locating their grants, as necessity or
convenience dictated, proved a source of almost interminable annoyance
and vexation, as well as a heavy expense to those who purchased under
them.

On the 16th of January, 1837, Francisco Solano, the chief of the tribe of
Indians known as the Suisunes, presented to Commandant-General M. G.
Vallejo a petition for a grant of land in the following terms :

" To the Commandant-General :

" Francisco Solano, principal chief of the unconverted Indians and born
captain of the ' Suisun,' in due form before your Honor represents ;

" That, being a free man, and owner of a sufficient number of horses and
cattle to establish a rancho, he solicits from the strict justice and goodness
of your Honor, that you be pleased to grant him the land of the Suisun,
with its known appurtenances, which are a little more or less than four
square leagues from the ' Portzuela to the Salina de Sacha.' Said land
belongs to him by hereditary right from his ancestors, and he is actually in
possession of it, but he wishes to revalidate his rights in accordance with
the existing laws of our Republic and of the order of colonization recently
decreed by the Supreme Governement.

132 THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

" He, therefore, prays that your Honor be pleased to grant him the land
which he asks for, and procure for him, from the proper sources, the titles
which may be necessary for his security, and that you will also admit this
on common paper, there being none of the corresponding stamp in this
place.

(Signed) " Francisco Solano.

" Sonoma, January 16, 1837."

To this petition the Commandant-General responded by issuing a decree,
in which he granted to Solano, temporarily and provisionally, the use of
the land petitioned for, to the amount of four square leagues, at the same
time instructing the grantee to ask from the governmental of the State the
usual titles, in order to make valid his rights in conformity with the order
of colonization.

Accordingly, on the 15th of January, 1842, Solano presented a petition to
Governor Juan B. Alvarado, accompanying it with the above petition to the
Commandant-General, together with the temporary grant made by that
officer, and asked for a permanent and perpetual grant of the premises.

In answer to this petition, Governor Alvarado, on the 21st of January,
1842, issued a grant in due form, of which the following is a copy :

[seal.] " Juan. B. Alvarado,

" Constitutional Governor of the Department of the Californias.
" Whereas, The aboriginal, Francisco Solano, for his own personal benefit
and that of his family, has aske*d for the land known by the name of Suisun,
of which place he is a native, and chief of the tribes of the frontier of Sono-
ma, and being worthy of reward for the quietness which he caused to be
maintained by that unchristianized people ; the proper proceedings and
examinations having previously been made as required by the laws and
regulations, using the powers conferred on me in the name of the Mexican
nation, I have granted to him the above mentioned land, adjudicating to
him the ownership of it, by these presents, being subject to the approbation
of the most excellent Departmental Junta, and to the following conditions,
to- wit :

1. " That he may inclose it, without prejudice to the crossings, roads, and
servitudes, and enjoy it freely and exclusively, making such use and culti-
vation of it as he may see fit ; but within one year he shall build a house
and it shall be inhabited.

2. " He shall ask the magistrate of the place to give him Juridical posses-
sion of it, in virtue of this order, by whom the boundaries shall be marked
out ; and he shall place in them, besides the land-marks, some fruit or forest
trees of some utility.

3. " The land herein mentioned is to the extent of four ' sitios de ganado
mayor,' (four square leagues) with the limits, as shown on the map, accom-
panying the respective expediente. The magistrate who gives the possession

THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY. 133

will have it measured according to ordinance, leaving the excess, that may
result, to the nation for its convenient uses.

4. " If he contravene these conditions he shall lose his right to the land
and it may be denounced by another.

" In consequence, I order that these presents be held firm and valid ; that
a register be taken of it in the proper book, and that it be given to the
party interested, for his voucher and other purposes.

" Given this twenty-first day of January, one thousand eight hundred
and forty-two, at Monterey.

(Signed) "Juan B. Alvarado.

(Signed) " Manuel Jimeno, Secretary."

In September, 1845, the Committee on Vacant Lands submitted to the
Departmental Assembly a report in which the approval of the grant was
recommended ; and, thereupon, in the following month, that body issued
the following order :

"Angeles, Oct. 3, 1845.
" In session of this day. the proposition of the foregoing report was
approved by the most excellent Departmental Assembly, ordering the
original expediente to be returned to His Excellency, the Governor, for
suitable purposes.

(Signed) " Pio Pico, President.

(Signed) " Augustin Olona, Secretary."

A copy of the order of approval was issued to Solano on the same day.
The first application of Armijo for his grant was made some two years
subsequent to that of Solano, and was in the following language :

" Senor Commandant- General :

" Jose Francisco Armijo, by birth a Mexican, before your Honor, in the
manner which may be best for me in the law, say : That having four
sons, natives of the same country, without owning any lands to cultivate,
finding myself owner of about one hundred head of cattle, the product of
which I annually lose, supplicate that your Honor will be pleased to con-
cede to me the place known to ine by the name of Tolenas. That in
company with my son, Antonio Maria, I dedicate myself to the cultivation
of my own land and the breeding of cattle, with the understanding that the
land which I solicit is from the place already mentioned to Ololatos creek,
containing about three leagues of land, more or less, and it joins with the
Suisun rancho.

" For this I pray that you will be pleased to decree as 1 have petitioned,
for which I respectfully forward, herewith, the map.

" This favor I shall perpetuate on my memory.

[Does not know how to sign.]
" Sonoma, Nov. 22d, 1839."

134 THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

Immediately upon the receipt of the petition the Commandant-General
made an order upon its margin, in which permission was given to Armijo
to occupy the premises described therein upon condition that he should not
in any manner molest or disturb the wild Indians who lived upon it ; but,
on the contrary, he should endeavor to inspire them with confidence in the
whites ; and should any act of rebellion occur among them he should imme-
diately communicate the same to Solano, the chief of the " Suisunes," with
whom, by reason of his proximity with both parties, it would be convenient
to advise as to whatever might conduce to the lives and tranquility of the
settlers. Armijo, upon this order, entered into the possession of the land,
and subsequently presented a petition substantially the same as the one to
the Commandant- General, to Jose Castro, the Prefect of the First District,
asking for a permanent grant, in accordance with the law of colonization.

This petition the Prefect referred to the Governor, together with his
Report upon the same, as follows :

" Most Excellent Senior Governor :

" The Prefecture being informed of the petition which Jose Francisco
Armijo makes in claiming the land which he indicates, and of the order
of the Senor Commandant-General, no objection is found to the concession
which the Government ought to decree, provided the party interested ob-
tains the necessary requisites to be attended to, and that the place which he
solicits is found to be entirely vacant.

(Signed) Jose Castro."

In response to the petition, Governor Alvarado, on the 4th of March,
1840, issued a grant to Armijo for the three square leagues, to which grant
the same conditions were annexed as were contained in the grant to Solano,
relative to the manner of acquiring possession, establishing boundary lines,
and the planting of trees within its limits, to which an additional condition
was annexed that through no motive whatever should he in any manner
molest the Indians who were there located, nor the immediate neighbors
with whom he would adjoin.

The grant was issued in all respects with due regard to form, with the
single exception that it never received the approval of the Departmental
Assembly, as was the case in the Suisun grant. However, it was subse-
quently decided by the Supreme Court of this State that such lack of ap-
proval did not in any way impair its title.

Solano's title to the Suisun grant was subsequently acquired by M. G.
Vallejo, by purchase, and that of Armijo to the Tolenas, upon his death, in
1849, by his son Antonio.

Before the death of the elder Armijo, some time in the year 1847, a dis-
pute arose between M. G. Vallejo, Solano's grantee, and Armijo, concerning

THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY. 135

the location of the boundary line between the two grants, which resulted in
the institution of an action of tresspass by Vallejo against Armijo, before
Alcalde L. W. Boggs, Armijo claiming that a certain arroyo seco, or dry
gulch, formed the line, and Vallejo placing it some distance to the north-
ward, the difference in question involving several thousand acres- of land.
It was finally, agreed, however, that the matter be submitted to two arbi-
trators, whose decision should be final. Accordingly one Cajetano Juarez
was selected as arbitrator on the part of Vallejo, and one Salvador Vallejo,
on the part of Armijo.

The arbitrators held a meeting in August, 1847, at which time proofs and
documents on both sides were presented to them, and on the 16th of that
month they submitted the following award :

" We, the undersigned, appointed arbitrators by and for Mariano G. Vallejo,
and Francisco Armijo, to decide upon the question existing between them
for having the last trespassed his limits, and usurping part of the land be-
longing to the farm of the first, as it is expressed in the complaint presented
before the Alcalde of the jurisdiction, L. W. Boggs ; and after hearing the
declaration of both parties, and examination made of the proofs and docu-
ments presented to us, we find that the limits of each farm are clearly deter-
mined, in their respective titles, being those of the Tolenas farm, according
to the said, the Suisun creek, which runs to the N. N. E. of Suisun, and be-
ginning from thence, at the first limits mentioned there are to be measured
three leagues running at E. N. E. as the ridge (Sierra) runs ; leaving the said
ridge the natural limits lying between the two farms, separate them, leaving
one at the north and the other at the south. Thus neither of the both
parties is prejudicated, and the titual meaning of the respective titles to
both farms are fulfilled with, and in order to so not burden one part more
than another, the costs of the judgment and those of the tribunal ought to
be paid equally by both parties.

"And for the fulfillment of the contents of this present writing, we sign it
by our hands and seals before the Alcalde of this jurisdiction, on the 16th
day of August, A. D. 1847.

(Signed) Cajetano Juarez,

Arbitrator for M. G. Vallejo.

(Signed) M. G. Vallejo.

(Signed) Salvador Vallejo,
Arbitrator for Francisco Armijo.

(Signed) Francisco Armijo."

This award as before stated, was made upon proofs and documents pre-
sented by both parties, and was recived as a victory for the Armijo faction.
For a time the matter was regarded as settled ; but the question subse-
quently came again into dispute between purchasers under the respective
claimants, in which the Armijo faction claimed that the award was final

136 THE HISTOKY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

and conclusive of the action in their favor, and they also offered testimony
to show that Vallejo and others claiming under him had stated to certain
parties that the arroyo seco, or dry gulch, in reality formed the north line
of the Suisun grant, and contended that such admissions fixed the boundary
at that point.

One Archibald A. Ritchie had in the meantime purchased Vallejo's in-
terest, and procured a United States Patent for a large tract of land, which
included in its limits that in controversy. The Ritchie purchasers claimed
that the patent was in effect superior to the award made by the arbitrators,
though issued at a later date, and for a time a bitter warfare, not un-
attended with frequent acts of violence and bloodshed, was waged both in
and out of Court. The matter finally culminated in the celebrated case of
Waterman vs. Smith, in which it was decided upon appeal to the Supreme
Court that the award was only conclusive until the action of the General
Government.

The dispute was continued for several years, however, until all the land
in controversy was finally settled by compromise, or otherwise, and the
danger which had formerly been attendant upon its ownership being
removed, it rapidly increased in value, amply repaying those who had suc-
ceeded in retaining their claims after so many years of stubborn and tena-
cious warfare.

The most noted litigation almost in the annals of the State, grew out of
the Suscol and the so-called " El Sobrante," or Luco grants. In the case of
the former, it was claimed that General M. G. Vallejo had at various times
during the Mexican troubles furnished the Government with large sums of
money and other supplies ; and in consideration of these favors and in part
payment for his services as an officer in the Government employ, the Suscol,
an eleven leagued grant, had been deeded to him. The title subsequently
came into dispute ; and after a most vexatious and expensive contest in the
Courts, the grant was declared invalid and became public land. The Con-
gress of the United States came to the relief of purchasers under the Vallejo
title by the enactment of a special Pre-emption Act, allowing them to enter
such lands, at $1.25 per acre.

In the case of the " Sobrante," one Juan Luco claimed to have purchased
from a Mexican vaquero a grant which he had received from the Mexican
Government, of the stupendous quantity of two hundred and eighty-four
thousand acres ; but this grant, after a number of years of litigation, was
rejected by the Courts, and that vast extent of territory added to the public
domain.

In respect to the Vaca and Pena grant, nearly the entire property has
gone out of the hands of the original grantees, they farming and owning but
a very small portion of the original estate, while a history of the Los Ulpino
grant will be found in the description of the township of Rio Vista.

THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY. 137

MURDER TRIALS OF SOLANO COUNTY.

THE PEOPLE VS. EDWARD CROCKER — WILLIAM KEMP — BEVERLEY WELLS —
GEORGE K. MANN — ROBERT B. MCMILLAN — PHILANDER ARNOLD — JACOB
ZAESCK — MERRILL JAMES — D. H. FITZPATRICK — FRANK GRADY — WILLIAM
WESTPHAL — D. G. GORDON — PANCHO VALENCIA — GUADALUPE VALENCIA —
JAMES MALLON — JAMES LOWTHER.

Mention has been made in another portion of this volume, of the estab-
lishment of Perfectures, and a Judge of First Instance; while the judg-
ment decreed in a suit heard in the court of the latter, has been copied
verbatim.

With the acquisition of California by the Government of the United
States, and the increase of population, better provision was made for carry-
ing out the law. County Courts were established, and the Seventh Judi-
cial District Court, among others, inaugurated. The first Judge of this
Court was Robert Hopkins, who was succeeded by E. W. McKinstry, now
of the Supreme Court.

In the following resume of the chief trials which have taken place in
Solano county, we have confined ourselves to those of individuals who have
been arraigned for the crime of murder. It has, however, been deemed best
to refer to the following curious case as a starting point.

The People v. Edward Crocker. — This was a case instituted at the
instance of S. G. Hastings, Attorney-General, complaining that the defend-
ant had intruded himself into the office of County Treasurer, and un-
lawfully held and exercised the duties of said office, and received the
emoluments thereof. The plaintiff represented the different appointments
to the office from its incipience in 1851, until the election of November,
1852, when George Leviston was preferred to fill the unexpired term for
which Osgood H. Evans, the original Treasurer, since dead, had been
elected. That in due time his certificate of election had been granted
and bond filed ; but, on demanding the books from S. C. Gray, the ap-
pointee of the Court of Session as the locum tenens of Evans, prior
to the general election, he refused to deliver them to the said Leviston, and
continued to exercise the duties of the office and receive the emoluments
until the 14th of December, 1852, when he left the county. That on or
about the 16th of December, the defendant, Crocker, intruded himself into
the office without legal authority, and unlawfully held the books and papers
from Leviston, to the detriment of the public interests.

138 THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

In answer, the defendant gave a general denial to the case as set forth in
the complaint, which, on going to trial, Judge McKinstry, on February 3,
1853, found for the plaintiff with costs. »

The People v. Peter William Kemp. — The first murder trial in Solano,
county was that of Peter William Kemp, for the killing of Thomas Sullivan
on the night of February 1, 1855. The victim was a fireman on board of
one of the steamers then lying in the port of Benicia, while the slayer was
a workman in the blacksmith's shop of the Pacific Works there. From the
evidence adduced at the trial, it would appear that Sullivan and Kemp,
who lived together, had a quarrel as to which of the two should cook their
supper, and that the latter took up a Mississippi rifle which was within
reach, and followed the former into a room, in the act of doing which the
piece exploded, killing Sullivan. The verdict at the trial was one of not
guilty.

Among the witnesses examined in this case for the prosecution were Bev-
erley Wells, whose trial for murder immediately follows this, and that of his
boon companion, John C. Heenan, the " Benicia Boy," of prize-fighting fame.

The People v. Beverley T. Wells. — The facts of this distardly deed
are these : James H. Dunn, was Third Assistant Engineer of the Pacific
Mail Steamer " Golden Gate ;" he was killed by Beverley Wells, under the
following circnmstances : It appears that Dunn and Wells had been inti-
mate friends for some time ; that whenever the " Golden Gate " was in port
they were constant companions, and never had any difficulty previous to
the 17th February, 1856. On that morning they went out together to take
a pleasure ride in a buggy. In the evening they returned and proceeded to
the steamboat landing. After remaining there a short time, Wells got into
the buggy, and started up town ; Dunn ran after him, saying, " Hold on ! "
what, are you going without me ?" and caught the horse by the head. Some
angry words passed between them, when W T ells proceeded to the stable of
the American Hotel with the buggy, and paid the bill. He then went to
the store of Mr. T. Pander, and purchased a large knife, and then walked
down towards the wharf. When about half-way along the plank road lead-
ing from the ferry house to the landing, he was met by Dunn and a man
named James Morgan. Dunn said : " Hallo Beverley ;" and immediately
Wells struck him with the knife several times in quick succession. Dunn
fell, crying : " Morgan, run for a doctor — I'm stabbed ; Oh, Mother ! Mother !
Mother ! " He expired in about ten minutes. On examining the body, four
ghastly wounds were found, one in the abdomen at least six inches long,
through which the bowels protruded ; one in the right breast ; one in the
right thigh, six or eight inches long, and another on the right arm, near the
right shoulder, completely severing the muscles. Wells was a large, power-

THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY. 139

ful man : Dunn, about the medium size, slightly built. The murderer was
at once arrested ; but there being no jail in Benicia, where the foul deed
was perpetrated, he was confined in Martinez prison, Contra Costa County.

The trial of the accused commenced on June 17th, and lasted the two
following days; and was fully argued on both sides, when on the 19th the
following verdict was brought in : " The jury in the case of the People of
the State of California vs. Beverley T. Wells, find the said Beverley T.
Wells guilty of the crime of murder. John Doughty, Foreman."

Monday, the 23rd of June, was fixed by the Court to pronounce sentence,
which was done as follows : It is ordered, adjudged and decreed by this
Court, that the said Beverley T. Wells be remanded to jail in charge of the
Sheriff, from whence he be taken to some suitable place, to be selected by
said Sheriff, in Solano county, on Friday, August the eighth, A. D. 1856,
between the hours of ten A. M. of that day, and four P. M. of the same
day, and then hung by the neck until he be dead.

As the execution of Wells was the first to take place in Solano county,
we reproduce an account of it from the " Herald " of August 9th, 1856 :

" Upon examination, it was found that our jail did not afford the neces-
sary room, and no other place could be procured in town (Benicia) for the
purpose. It was, therefore, necessary to have the scaffold erected in as
secluded a spot as possible, in the hills adjacent to the town. «

' The ferry-boat, ' Carquinez,' being laid up, repairing, the Sheriff found
it necessary to provide a small vessel to transport the prisoner from Marti-
nez (where he had been confined). An escort of twenty men was detailed
from the Solano Engine Company, at the request of the Sheriff, to perform
guard duty, and all left at an early hour for Martinez. The prisoner had
been attended by the Rev. Mr. McDonald (at present writing, pastor of the
Church of the Ascension, at Vallejo), and he was immediately taken on
board the vessel, which arrived at the wharf at half -past eight — Rev. Mr.
Woodbridge met them there. The prisoner appeared quite weak from loss
of blood, but was calm, and expressed himself as prepared to die. He had
a short interview with one of his counsel, to whom he renewed his assur-
ance of the truth of his former statements of the affair, and referring to a
letter he had written about the time of his first attempt to commit suicide,
requested that it might be published after his death.

" At precisely ten o'clock the procession moved to the place of execution,
accompanied by a large number of people. On arriving at the place,
he ascended the scaffold, attended by the Rev. Messrs. Woodbridge and
McDonald, Mr. Sheriff Shirley, and one of his deputies.

' The Sheriff immediately proceeded to read the warrant, and, upon its
conclusion, informed the prisoner that he could then have an opportunity
to say anything he might wi.-:h Whereupon, he stepped forward firmly,
and in a clear, unbroken voice, spoke, substantially as follows :

140 THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

" ' Gentlemen — This is a malicious murder ! James Morgan has perjured
himself on the trial, not once, but fifteen or twenty times ! He is my mur-
derer ! The homicide of Dunn, I am sure was justifiable ! I forgive Morgan.
I am about to die like a man. I commit myself to God, and die on ami-
cable terms with all men.'

" He then stepped forward on the drop ; his arms and limbs were tied by
the Sheriff, and the prayers of the Episcopal Church were read by the Rev.
Mr. McDonald; at their conclusion, and at the given signal, the drop fell.
To all appearances he died instantly ; and after one or two slight convulsive
struggles, all was still.

" The execution was witnessed by about four hundred people, all of whom
seemed deeply affected, and throughout the entire scene the most perfect
decorum prevailed. Mr. Paul Shirley, the Sheriff, and Messrs. Estell and
A. J. Bryant, Under and Deputy- Sheriffs, respectively, performed their re-
spective duties in a highly satisfactory manner."

The following is a letter which Wells wrote while in Martinez jail at the
time when suicide was contemplated by him :

" To the Public — Gentlemen : My life is a burden to me at this present
time ; and being of a proud spirit, and the way that I have been so unjustly
dealt with, I have come to the conclusion to dispose of myself in the man-
ner which you here observe. I think that I am in my rational mind, al-
though sorely afflicted with my present position, together with the false
heart and flattering tongue of James Morgan, has caused me to commit
myself in the manner that I have, and to present my soul to Almighty God
for forgiveness of the so-called unpardonable sin. My exposition on the
23rd of June, in the Court House, at Benicia, was the truth, and is my
dying declaration. I die, knowing that he, James Morgan, has swoi'n to
several malicious and absolute falsehoods knowingly ; but yet I forgive him.
I hope that I leave this world on amicable terms with all mankind. After
this publication let my name be ignored.

" Beverley T. Wells.

" Martinez Jail, July, 1856."

It may be interesting here to note that Sheriff Shirley is now Senator
from Contra Costa county ; Under-Sheriff Estell is Under-Sheriff of Sacra-
mento county ; and Deputy-Sheriff Bryant, the Mayor of San Francisco.

It should here be observed, that as early as 1854 a case of homicide
occurred in the count}^. when Jonathan Cook was killed by a gun-shot from
George K. Mann ; but, owing to the absconding of the culprit, with Sifford,
an accomplice, the case was never brought to trial. The facts are these :
Cook, it appeared, had missed a considerable amount of money, and charged
Mann with the theft of it, which was indignantly denied ; while Cook was
warned not to repeat such an accusation. He disregarded the warning ;

THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY. 141

angry words ensued, which was followed by the killing of Cook as above
described. This deed was done in the presence of a Justice of. the Peace,
and others ; yet the prisoner escaped.

The People v. Robert B. McMillan. — This was a case of killing which
occurred in Vacaville, whereby the defendant was indicted for the murder
of John Parks, by reason of a dispute which took place through the alleged
trespass of certain stock, the property of the defendant. The case was
brought for trial before the District Court; but on September 30, 1859, the
venue was changed to Yolo county, on motion of the attorney for the
defendant.

The People v. Philander Arnold. — The defendant was indicted and
tried for feloniously killing one John M. Sweeney, at a certain corral in the
township of Montezuma, in Solano county. The plea put in was that the
homicide was in self-defense. The testimony, was, however, somewhat con-
flicting as to the facts occurring at the time of the killing ; or, at least, was
claimed to be so by the defendant. The reason for the shooting would
appear to have been, that a difficulty occurred on the 24th of August, 1859,
between Philander Arnold and Sweeney, in the course of which the former
discharged a double-barrelled shot-gun at the latter, the charge taking effect
in his thigh, causing Sweeney to fall forward, from the effects of which he
died on August 27th. At the time of the charge of murder being brought
against the defendant, the charge of aiding and abetting was preferred
against Oscar D. Arnold, the son, who had brought the weapon to his father.
The Court, in its instructions to the jury, took occasion to make the follow-
ing logical remarks, which for forcible diction, cannot well be surpassed :
" When you were being impanelled, certain of your number declared that
they were strongly opposed to the infliction of capital punishment, but were
not prepared to say that this opposition would preclude them from finding
a verdict of guilty. I understood them to indicate only that as citizens —
by vote and influence — they would endeavor to bring about such a change
of legislative policy as would abrogate the death penalty, and substitute
another punishment in its stead. This repugnance to taking part in a pro-
ceeding which may result in depriving a human being of that life which we
can never recall, is natural. I am not prepared to say that it is not highly
proper ; at least, when it is not indulged in to such an extent as to cause
us timidly to shrink from one of the duties which, as freemen, are imposed
upon us as the means of preserving our liberties, among which, trial by
jury, has ever been regarded as one of the most valuable of our privileges.
I trust that, not only those of your number who are opposed to capital
punishment, but all of the jurymen, have well considered the consequences
to this defendant, of a verdict of murder in the first degree. Upon such
verdict will follow an ignominious execution — the disgrace of an interesting

142 THE HISTOET OF SOLANO COUNTY.

family — and, whether or not, he be prepared for the awful separation — the
dissolution of those mysterious bonds which unite the soul to its earthy
tenement.

" Logically, it might be argued that the jury have nothing to do with all
this ; that their task is simply to ascertain whether the prisoner at the bar
be guilty or not guilty of the offense charged in the indictment. But it
would be demanding too much of human nature, as it is constituted, to ask
that these incidents shall be disregarded ; nor do I think it desirable to
require twelve rational men to shut their eyes to the consequences of their
own acts. Accord them all due importance to these considerations. They
can do no harm ; while they operate to urge you on to a full and candid in-
vestigation into the facts of this case. I would have you feel the weight of
the responsibility imposed upon you. But I would also have you summon
all the faculties of your mind— especially all your moral courage — that you
may make yourselves equal to the responsibility. I would have you prove
yourselves worthy of the position you occupy — worthy of the confidence
reposed in you, not only by the prisoner and the Court, but also by the
District Attorney, the representative of the People. Remember the evil
consequences, if you permit a mistaken clemency to overwhelm the dictates
of reason. Although they may not seem so distinctly visible and immediate,
they are no less certain than those which flow from an error in the opposite
direction. If, through your instrumentality, an innocent man should suffer,
or a guilty man escape, you may not cast the fault upon the court, the
counsel, or even upon the witnesses ; for you must say whether the latter
are to be believed or not. You must endeavor in such case to satisfy your
own violated consciences, and make peace with the offended God, in whose
name you have sworn ' a true verdict to render, and true deliverance to
make: — according to the evidence.' "

After a full trial, the jury brought in a verdict of manslaughter.

The People v. Joseph Zaesck. — The above case is another of those of
trespass, with a resort to violence, to enforce what was thought to be right.
It would appear that the defendant had ordered off Daniel Thompson, and
his brother, Ole, the man killed by Zaesck, off certain grounds, situated on
the Montezuma hills, and also refused to give up certain sheep, their prop-
erty, which had strayed into the flock of one Ambrose, for whom defendant
had been a herder. A dispute ensued, which resulted in the stabbing of
Ole Thompson, by Zaesck, inflicting a wound, from the effects of which he
died on the 14th day of November, 1861, the day succeeding the commis-
sion of the crime. A verdict was rendered of guilty, on May 20, 1862,
and he was finally sent to the State prison for four years.

The People v. Merrill James. — This was a case in which the defendant
shot one Ashford Ashbrook, when at a dance at Mr. Fowler's in Green
valley. James effected his escape, and has never been brought to trial.

THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY. 143

The People v, D. H. Fitzpatrick. — This was one more of those cases
arising out of a trespass, where the use of firearms was resorted to by Fitz-
patrick, to assert his rights, resulting in the shooting of one Croesdale, a
squatter, on the Potrero Hills. The trial was had in due course, and on
Saturday, May 21, 1864, defendant was sentenced to ten years in the
State prison : but, after serving two years, through the indomitable perse-
verance and energy of his wife, he was pardoned.

The People v. Frank Grady. — This was a cutting affair which occurred
at the election polls at Bridgeport, on the 6th of September, 1865, in which
a man named English was killed and two others fearfully wounded, while a
third received two shots in his breast and shoulder from a pistol. The cir-
cumstances attending the emeute are briefly these : About this time
English aud his two sons, Charles and Perry, were cutting wood on land
owned by Perry Durbin, and the latter restrained them by injunction, on
account of which, it is supposed Charles English made complaint to the
military authorities at Benicia and caused the arrest of Durbin, Ramsey,
Lamoree, Stilts and others for rejoicing over the assassination of President
Lincoln. While at the polls, as above stated, English and Durbin were
conversing ; English gave the lie to Durbin ; Durbin made a motion as of
drawing a weapon, whereupon Charles English drew his revolver and com-
menced firing, two of the shots taking effect upon Durbin, hitting him in
the left breast and shoulder. Durbin then drawing his knife, turned upon
Charles, who, in attempting to escape, ran out of doo s, but stumbled and
fell, and commenced cutting at his throat, presenting a most horrible sight.
Perry English on seeing his brother in a critical position, ran to his assist-
tance, but just as he reached the contending parties, Frank Grady drew
his revolver and shot Perry just at back and under his right ear, killing
him instantly. Grady mounted his horse and left for parts unknown. The
father then went to the relief of his son Charles, when Durbin turned upon
the old man, and stabbed him in the breast three times, making fearful
wounds. Durbin and the elder English were brothers-in-law. In due
course Grady was captured and twice tried, when on 19th September, 1866,
he was acquitted.

The People v. William Westphal. — The facts of this case are : Two
Prussians, Fritz Poizing and William Westphal, were engaged in hauling
barley from Westphal's ranch, about five miles south-east of Denverton, to the
residence of Poizing, and when near the latter place went to the house and
informed Mrs. Westphal, half sister of Poizing, that he had fallen from the
wagon, and had been killed by being run over. She at once repaired to the
spot and found Poizing still living and able to raise upon his elbow and
signify by motions that he wanted water. She at once started to procure

144 HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

the required beverage for the wounded man, when, after proceeding a short
distance, on looking around, she saw Westphal strike Poizing three times
upon the head with an axe, exclaiming " I will fix you out this time," and
on again returning to the spot found life extinct. The defendant was found
not guilty in the May term, 1866.

The People v. D. G. Gordon. — The particulars of this case are : The
crime was committed at Vacaville by the killing of William Byron by
David G. Gordon. It appears that Byron and Gordon had been on terms
of enmity for some time, and during the day had been using severe language
towards each other. Just before the occurrence Byron was playing billiards
in a saloon with Antonio Do Santos, and was just preparing to make a play,
when Gordon came in somewhat intoxicated. The latter approached Byron,
put his arm around him, and the two talked for a little while apparently
very amicably. They then shook hands, but as Gordon turned to go away
Byron struck him with his cue, raising it to strike him again, when Gordon
drew his pistol and shot Byron in the stomach. The latter then ran out of
the back door and Gordon pursued him to the creek, firing at him four
different times, each shot taking effect. Byron fell near the creek and ex-
pired in a few moments. On 21st May, 1868, Gordon was convicted of
manslaughter.

The record of crime of this man Gordon did not cease here, for he has
since in the State of Missouri been found guilty of murder and sentenced
to death, which was afterwards commuted to imprisonment for life.

The People v. James Campbell and Annie Robinson. — This was a case
of poisoning which took place on the 25th January, 1869, whereby Jabez
Robinson lost his life by the administering of strychnia at the hands of
the defendants. Campbell, who though only an accessory before the fact,
was indicted and tried as a principal and convicted and sentenced to death.
Against this judgment he appealed to the Supreme Court, on the grounds
that the verdict was insufficient inasmuch that the jury had omitted to
specify the degree of murder in their finding. This was held to be good in
law by Judges Crockett, Rhodes, Temple and Wallace of the Supreme
Court. Judgment was therefore reversed and the cause remanded for a
new trial. This was appointed to take place on January 23, 1871, and one
hundred persons were summoned for difficulty was expected in the selection
of a jury. One, however, was impanelled, who brought in a verdict of not
guilty.

The People v. Pancho Valencia and Guadalupe Valencia. — The cir-
cumstances attending this murder are briefly these : On the night of the
3d March, 1871, at seven o'clock, after the family of Joseph W. Hewitt
had taken supper and retired to the parlor with some visitors, one of the
family went to the door, in opening which she discovered two men crouch-
ing low and approaching the house; finding they were observed they

TH2

THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY. 145

straightened up and coming towards her asked for " the man of the house."
The little girl, Lizzie, who had gone to the door, went into the inner room
and called her father, who came to the door ; she followed him. Upon this
one of the men asked Hewitt if they could stay there all night. Hewitt
replied that in consequence of there being company in the house, and his
barn having been burnt but a few weeks ago, he could not accommodate them,
but informed them that they would be able to obtain the desired lodgings
at the next ranch where there was a barn. The man who had questioned
him at first, now asked him if he would mind coming out a little way and
point out to them the direction. Hewitt complied and stepping off the
porch walked down the yard a few paces, and while raising his hand to
direct them, the larger of the two men — he who had spoken during the
interview — drew a pistol and shot Hewitt who fell crying " I am murdered."
The defendants were traced into Contra Costa county, arrested, brought
home and put upon their trial for murder. Guadalupe was discharged, but
Pencho was convicted and sentenced to death, said sentence having been
carried out on November 24, 1871, making the second execution in Solano
county.

The People v. James Mallon. — A case of wife murder which occurred
at Benicia on the evening of the 23d May, 1877, where the defendant came
home drunk and beat his wife until death ensued. He was in due course
arrested, tried and convicted of murder in the first degree, and on Septem-
ber 25th, was sentenced to imprisonment for life.

The People v. James Lowther. — On Sunday, June lGth, 1878, the town
of Rio Vista was thrown into a high state of excitement by the killing of
John Thompson by a stranger, and apparently in cold blood, without cause or
provocation. The shooting occurred on Thompson's door step and in full
view of his wife. The murderer gave himself up to the officers and was
lodged in jail, and in due time tried. At the trial the following facts were
developed : The murderer's name was James Lowther, a resident of San
Francisco. He had a sister named Rebecca to whom it was alleged that
Thompson had been engaged to be married at one time, and while so en-
gaged to her had seduced her. It came to Lowther's ears that Thompson
had made his boast of his seduction, whereupon Lowther took the steamer
the following Sunday for Vallejo, thence by rail to Fairfield, thence in
a ' sulky ' across the country to Rio Vista. Once there he inquired for
.Thompson and was shown his house. (Thompson was married to another
woman and was living in his own house). Lowther went to the door,
knocked, and Thompson came to the door. A very few words passed be-
tween them when Lowther drew a revolver and shot Thompson, the ball
taking effect in the region of the heart. Thompson lived but a few
minutes. Lowther was tried twice for the murder, and both times the
jury disagreed. He is at present out on bail.
10

146 THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

BBNICIA.

The following interesting record of the township and city of Benicia has
been most kindly furnished to us by S. C. Gray, Esq., an old pioneer of that
city. We reproduce it, because a fuller and more concise record would be
hard to find ; and we take this opportunity to thank the author for his
kindness in extending to us the permission to allow it to form a no mean
portion of the history of Solano county :

"RECOLLECTIONS OF BENICIA.

A Lecture— By S. C. Gray.

From the Pacific Ocean, whose waters press the shores of California,
along a coast line scarcely less than one thousand miles in extent, between
the 117th and 124th parallels of W. longitude, and from the 32d to the 42d
parallel of N. latitude, the main entrance into this great State for the ship-
ping and commerce of all nations, is through the world-renowned " Golden
Gate," the outlet for the waters contained within the Bay of San Francisco.

The striking features of the " Golden Gate " have been described again
and again, by many writers ; and its praises will continue to be sounded so
long as the soul of man is touched by those beauties of nature that are pre-
sented to his appreciation through the medium of his sight.

As a counterpart, or, perhaps, a continuation of this" charming " Golden
Gate," may be regarded the less renowned but equally beautiful, " Straits of
Carquinez," constituting the passage from the San Francisco and San Pablo
bays into Suisun bay, that receptacle for all the interior waters of the State,
which from the length and breadth of the Sacramento and San Joaquin
valleys, have here descended to flow on their way to the sea through the
deep and commodious channel of these Straits.

On account of their bold shores and beautiful outlines, the Straits have
been likened to the Bosphorus, near Constantinople ; and it may well be
predicted, that in time when these hillsides have been subjected to the
culture and adorned with the improvements of which they are susceptible,
they will fairly rival that famous highway in attractiveness.

On the north side of these Straits, at a distance of twenty-eight miles
from San Francisco, by the usual traveled route on steamer, but of not more
than twenty-three miles north-eastwardly, in an air line, is situated the
whilom city of Benicia, the scene of the reminiscences which are to be made
the subject of this brief sketch. And what claim has Benicia, or its history,
to our present consideration ?

THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY. 147

As we proceed, it is hoped that in due time this shall be made satisfact-
orily to appear.

Occupying a site, acknowledged to be rarely equalled for its natural
advantages, on account of its capacious, land-locked harbor, having a great
depth of water (not less than ten fathoms in mid-channel), its continuous
water front for miles, the shores gently sloping up to the hills in the back-
ground, thus affording a perfect natural system of drainage, its position as
a center towards which the great lines of travel must necessarily converge,
and of its picturesque surroundings, it early attracted the attention of ad-
venturous travelers, a few of whom, at least, confidently believed it to be
fitted by nature, and destined to become in time, a commercial city of very
considerable importance.

For a time, within the present generation, this view seemed likely to be
realized ; but that time has passed ; and if it is to be renewed, it must be
in the uncertain future, farther than the most gifted are permitted now to
discern.

The panorama visible from the highest point within its limits, is one of
surpassing beauty, such as few cities anywhere can boast, and needs but
to be seen to be admired. From this point, which is easily reached, at the
moderate elevation of 400 feet above the level of the bay, and distant but
two miles from the water-front, may be seen, looking northward at a dist-
ance of about 20 miles, the twin peaks of the Suisun mountains, which
separate Napa valley from Suisun valley, with a glimpse of the Vaca mount-
ains, distant about 30 miles ; N. E. the range of Green valley hills, which
hide from view Suisun and the great valley of the Sacramento ; eastward,
the whole extent of Suisun bay, bounded by the Montezuma hills, 20 miles
distant, with the white line of the Sierra Nevada rising in majesty, 100
miles beyond; S. E. the Black Diamond coal hills, and grand old Mount
Diablo, which, though 20 miles distant, looks scarcely more than five, in all
its full proportions, from base to summit, towering above the valley which
bears its name ; S., the village of Martinez, snugly embowered in its cosy
shelter under the lee of its own wooded hills, with the great coast range of
mountains stretching out beyond ; S. and S. S. W., the placid Straits of Car-
quinez, hemmed in by the Contra Costa hills, which conceal from view the
cities on the lower bay, but cannot prevent stern Mount Tamalpais from
asserting itself prominently against the. south-western sky ; then westward
the eye rests and lingers enchantedly on this second " Golden Gate " of the
Straits, opening out into San Pablo Bay, of whose broad bosom the view is
only limited by the distant hills of Marin county, some 25 miles away ;
then W. N. W., the city of Vallejo and Mare Island Navy Yard, in the fore-
ground, with the hills near Petaluma in the distance ; and finally, in the N.
W., the Sonoma mountains, and in the N. N. W., the Suscol hills, amid
which, the view ends with Sulphur Spring mountain, some five miles dis-

148 THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

tant, as its most distinct and prominent object in that direction. In this
panorama, which takes in a circuit of many hundreds of square miles, and
a great variety of scenery the central object, spread out at your feet and
skirting along the shore of the Straits, is the village of Benicia, resting as
if in quiet and undisturbed repose, for no sound comes from its smooth
streets, which are still comparatively in a state of nature, neither cobble-
stones, nor basalt blocks, nor carbonized brick, nor any other patent
pavement having, as yet, profaned them, the plank-road leading to the
steamboat landing, alone furnishing the kind of music that responds to
passing wheels. In close connection with the village, and flanking it on the
east, looms up the Military Post, including Benicia Barracks, the Arsenal
buildings and greatly embellished grounds, the magazine, hospital, store-
houses, etc. These occupy the point fronting on Suisun bay, and overlook-
ing Martinez on the opposite shore.

As early as in 1844, this peninsula had attracted the attention of our
highly-esteemed fellow citizen, Senor Don'M. G. Vallejo, a native of Mon-
terey, who soon became the possessor of its territory, as is shown by the
grant from the Mexican Government, (referred to in another part of this
work.)

It was in the fall of this year, 1844, that Henry Clay was defeated, and
James K. Polk elected President of the United States. Upon this fact
hinged the momentous issue of the annexation of Texas, and the consequent
war with Mexico in 1846-7, one of the results of which was the conquest
of California, and its absorption by the United States, under the treaty
concluded at Guadalupe Hidalgo, on the 2d of February, 1848.

Among the irregular proceedings in California during the war with
Mexico, was the raising of the Bear Flag, by Capt. Granville Swift and his
party, of whom Dr. Robert Semple was lieutenant, and the co-operation
with them of Col. John C. Fremont, in the surprise and capture of Sonoma.
They took Gen. Vallejo prisoner, and sent him in charge of Dr. Semple on
a launch up to Sutter's Fort, where Gen. J. A. Sutter was in command, as
well as supplying stores and war materials to Fremont. On the way up, the
vessel necessarily passed through the Straits of Carquinez, which were then
seen for the first time by Dr. Semple. This was in June, 1846. General
Yallejo remained a prisoner at Sutter's Fort about a week, when he was
released by Commodore Stockton (Governor of the conquered territory), on
his parol of honor, and Dr. Semple accompanied him back to Sonomo. Pass-
ing through the Straits again on their return, Dr. Semple became greatly
impressed with the advantages here presented for the location of a city,
which he explained to the General, who had been so kindly treated, that he
not only ceased from opposing, but became friendly to the invaders of his
native State, and to encourage them to come within and settle it, not long
afterwards donated to Dr. Semple the site which had impressed him so
favorably.

THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY. 149

In pursuance of this agreement the site was surveyed by Jasper O'Far-
rell and Lieutenant Warner, and the plat of this survey became substan-
tially the map of Benicia. At that date no habitation of man adorned or
disfigured the face of the land, which was absolutely in a state of nature,
a luxuriant growth of wild oats holding undisputed sway over its un-
dulating and treeless hills.

And now commences the story of its early times. About the last of June,
Mr. William I. Tustin, a native of Virginia, subsequently a resident of Il-
linois, whence he had emigrated to California, and was sojourning at
Sonoma, having heard that a town was being laid out on the Straits, came
with his wife and son, a lad of four years, to take up his residence in the
newly surveyed place. These constituted the first man, first woman and
first child of the white race that ever settled and lived in Benicia. It is
probable that the aboriginal Indians may have some time preceded them,
but there was nothing to indicate it. They found nothing but the sur-
veyor's stakes, and no human being in sight, save the surveying party just
going away over the hills towards Suisun Valley, having completed their
labors for the time being. This family of three camped a few days among
the wild oats, until the arrival of Dr. Semple with a cargo of lumber which
he had brought in a brig from Bodega. Having made arrangements with
the Doctor for two lots on which to build, Tustin dug a well and com-
menced making " adobes."

In making his adobes, Mr. Tustin had the assistance of a new comer, a
well educated and worthy young man named Charles L. Benedict, who was
provided with unusually large feet, and who remarked that he never knew
before what they were good for. He speculated on the prospect of some
day becoming an old man, and narrating to his grandchildren this exploit
of his youth, the honor of tramping in the mud to make adobes for the first
house ever built in Benicia, This house, now nearly thirty years old, still
stands with its thick walls in a good state of preservation, and constitutes
part of the residence of Jerry O'Donnell.

The second house built was a one-story and attic frame, put up for and
occupied by Dr. Semple himself. This house became the scene of some of
the most interesting transactions of those early days. After, passing
through several hands, and being now greatly improved, it belongs to Mrs.
J. W. Jones, and is occupied by George A. Hastings and family. It was my
residence in 1849-50. *

The third house was an adobe built by Benjamin McDonald, and first oc-
cupied by Capt. E. H. Von Pfister as a store, subsequently by the firm of
Bicker & Evans. This is also in a good state of preservation, and is now
occupied as a residence.

Quite a number of houses were built in the Fall of 1847, and families
came in and set f led. Among these were Major Stephen Cooper, bringing

150 THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

with him a load of cabbages from Napa, Mr. Landy Alford, Mr. Nathan
Barbour, their respective families, and others.

About this time the settlement of Yerba Buena having adopted the name
of San Francisco, and becoming known thereby, the name of Dr. Semple's
town which at first had been called Francesca, was changed to Benicia, to
avoid complications. This name was given as required by the original con-
veyance from General Vallejo, and in compliment to his wife, Francesca
Benicia Felipsa Carrillo, daughter of one of the influential families of this
department. The signification of the name is blesssed!

In August or September, 1847, Capt. E. H. Von Pfister, a native of New
York City, who had been in the habit of trading on this coast, arrived from
Honolulu, bringing with him a stock of goods, which he opened and dis-
played in the adobe store just spoken of. This being 25x40, was commo-
dious enough to constitute the rendezvous of the whole town by day, and
to accommodate everybody in want of lodgings by night. The Captain
being one of the jovial and hospitable sort, everybody was at home in his
presence or under his roof.

Major Cooper's family occupied the house which had been built for Dr.
Semple, and furnished board to quite a number of the Captain's lodgers. A
year or two later, the Major kept a real Hotel.

About Christmas, 1847, the Major's eldest daughter, Miss Frances
Cooper, was married to Dr. Semple, ex-Gov. L. W. Boggs, formerly of Mis-
souri, but then Alcalde of Sonoma, officiating. The Governor made the
journey from Sonoma to Benicia expressly to perform the ceremony.

As this was the first marriage ever celebrated in the place, the boys deter-
mined to honor the event with all the eclat possible. They found in Capt.
Von Pfister's stock of goods a lot of white linen pants, and a dozen blue
cloth dress coats with brass buttons, and of most approved swallow tail cut.
The following are the names of the parties who decked themselves in a
suit of this kind for the occasion, viz. : Landy Alford, Wm. Bryant, David
A. Davis, Benj. Forbush, Charles S. Hand, Edward Higgins, F. S. Holland,
Henry Matthews, Benj. McDonald, Wm. Russell, Geo. Stevens and Wm.
Watson.

These twelve good and true men, having first imbibed some good " old
rye," the generous beverage of that day, which the Captain had first brought
out by the decanter, but as that did not suffice, then by the bucketful, and
being thus fortified in the inner man against the overpowering bashfulness
that is generally experienced when faultlessly attired in store clothes,
marched in procession up to Major Cooper's mansion, and were ushered into
the august presence of the bridal party, and it is doubtful if ever on any
similar occasion heartier congratulations were extended or reciprocated than
on this.

Twenty-nine years later the hearty old Captain who was an eye-witness

THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY. 151

of the scene, relates the event with as much gusto as if it had occurred but
yesterday. He alone of all that company, still resides in Benicia.

The second marriage, that of Mr. Benjamin McDonald with a daughter
of Landy Alford, was solemnized by Major Cooper, who in January, 1848,
had been appointed Alcalde by General Mason.

Some years previous to this date, the peninsula had been visited by a
restless native of Yankee land, who recognizing the advantages of the
position conceived that some day he would come again, possess himself of
the land and perhaps found a city upon the Straits, whereby to make him-
self great, and perhaps perpetuate his name. At a subsequent visit, about
this time, late in 1847, or early in 1848, to carry his design into effect, he
found he was too late, the chivalrous son of Kentucky having anticipated
him and gained the prize. In full faith, however, of the future greatness
of the place, he obtained a number of its vacant lots, determined to share in
the development then so confidently looked for, but died ere he saw any
likelihood of his dreams being realized. On Cemetery Hill his resting-
place is marked by a plain, white marble monumental shaft, bearing this

inscription: —

The Mountaineer's Grave,

Here he sleeps, near the Western Ocean's wave !

Miles M. Goodyear,

Born in New Haven, Conn., February 24, 1818.

Died in California, November 12, 1849.

Selected as his future home, Benicia, where he wished to live, and to be
buried at his death.

Dr. Semple was one of the remarkable men of his day and generation.
When standing erect he was about seven feet in height, and being rather
spare in figure did not impress one as being well proportioned. His hands
and feet were large, as well as his mouth, which was seldom untenanted by
a chew of his favorite tobacco. He was so long limbed that when astride
of a mustang or mule, his feet nearly reached to the ground (within six
inches), rendering it necessary for him to attach his spurs to the calves of
his boots instead of to his heels. From having to stoop so much when
entering or leaving doors of ordinary dimensions, his form was somewhat
bent, and it seemed necessary for him not to stand upright, in order the
more conveniently to carry on conversation with his fellow-men. In tem-
perament he was sanguine and impulsive, in disposition kind and con-
siderate, but quite determined to have his own way, in judgment rather
erratic, and disinclined to accept the counsel or advice of others, feeling
convinced that he knew better than they. Some illustrations of these char-
acteristics may possibly appear in the course of this narrative.

It is related of him that a few weeks after his marriage, business called

152 THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

him to Monterey. Crossing the Straits with his horse on the open scow
ferry-boat, he left directions with the ferrryman to be on the lookout for
his return. After wending his way through San Ramon Valley, San Jose
and Salinas, to his destination, in the course of two or three weeks he was
back again to where Martinez now stands, but the boat was on the Benicia
side, and all the signals he could make failed to induce Captain Davis to
venture out against the strong head wind that was blowing, and the Doc-
tor had to sleep on the ground in his blankets. This state of things con-
tinued for two days, and on the third the patience and endurance of the
Doctor having been tried to the utmost, he considered that something must
be done to enable him to reach home. He could not swim, and even if he
could, a swim of two or three miles was a hazardous undertaking, so he
finally managed to secure two or three pieces of scantling and a plank,
with which by the aid of his riata he improvised a raft, on which with a
fair wind and tide he set out astride, pushing himself along as best he
could. An hour or two later he was discovered by some of the friends on
shore, who did not know what to make of the singular looking object ar-
rayed in a bright colored serapa, and holding aloft a signal violently wav-
ving. A boat was immediately manned and sent to his relief, and great was
the surprise and joy of the men when they found they had rescued the fore-
most man of the village. His objurgations on account of the apparent neglect
to which he had been subjected were rather more emphatic and vehement than
classic or polite, but good humor was soon restored, congratulations ex-
tended, jokes cracked, and the Doctor's health drank in something stronger
than water. In fact the Doctor had water enough in getting across. They
got up a yarn that he was wading across, which made him mad.

A year or two later, the doctor had his scow ferry boat worked by horse-
power, having fortunately come into possession of two such machines, for
which there was no other use.

Four years latter, when Capt. 0. C. Coffin put on the steam ferry boat
" Ion," which could go against wind and tide, the Dr. was heard to apostro-
phise steam, and sing in praise of Fulton, who had first succeeded in
harnessing it to such use.

Hitherto the immigration into California has been attracted by the fact
that it was a new country, just coming under the jurisdiction of the United
States and likely soon to become a part of its territory. It was known to
have some characteristics of climate peculiarly its own, on the whole rather
pleasant, and it apparently offered the opportunity for that free and easy
out-door life so fascinating to frontiersmen. To the vivid imagination, the
land of the getting sun was some degrees nearer paradise than any in the
same latitude on the continent, and doubtless it would gradually have
developed into an ordinarily prosperous and inviting country. But what
might have been is not in order to discuss. The turning point in its destiny
had now been reached.

THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY. 153

Simultaneously with the signing of the treaty at Guadalupe Hildalgo, in
February, 1848, occurred that wonderful discovery near Sutter's Mill at
Coloma, which soon afterward electrified the nation, set the whole world in
motion, and has since been the means of adding a thousand millions to the
gold and silver treasures of the earth. It was a month or two before the
incredulity of Californians could be overcome, and their belief in the reality
of the discovery assured.

Early in April, the men of Benicia who usually congregated at Von
Pfister's rendezvous, were sitting there discussing the future prospects of
the country under its new ownership, and the conversation turned upon
coal mines, and the great advantage that would result from their discovery,
which was much hoped for. They little dreamed that within 25 miles of
them, among the foot-hills near Mt. Diablo, the " Black Diamond " mines
were awaiting the prying eyes of the prospector. During the conversation,
a man named Bennett, who had been engaged with John W. Marshall, at
Coloma, in building a mill for Gen'l Sutter, and who was on his way to
Monterey, listened quietly for some time, and finally said that something
better than a coal mine had been discovered where he had been at work,
something which was believed to be gold, and General Sutter had paid his
expenses to Monterey to see Gen'l Mason, and have some specimens that he
had with him tested, no acid being obtainable at Sutter's Fort. He then
displayed about four ounces in small pieces such as had been discovered
when the water was first applied to turn the mill. Of course this display
produced a profound impression, and much difference of opinion was ex-
pressed, Dr. Semple declaring that he would give more for a good coal mine
than all the gold mines that were likely to be discovered.

Bennett went on his journey, and had not been gone more than 5 or 6
days when a number of Mormons came along with quantities of the shining
dust, fully convinced it was gold. Sam Brannan, who had been up to
Sutter's Mill to learn the truth of the gold discovery, stopped at Benicia on
his return to the Bay, said to Von Pfister : " Come, Von, break up here and
go in copartnership with me, and we will establish a business near this new
gold mine." Von Pfister did so, put all his goods on Dr. Semple's ferry boat,
hoisted a sail, made the trip to Sacramento (then known as the " embarca-
dero "), and in due time arrived at Coloma. On the return of the ferry
boat to Martinez after an absence of two weeks, there were 40 or 50 wagons
waiting to cross the straits on their way to the new El Dorado.

Von Pfister continued in business with Brannan until October, when he
sold out to another partner of Brannan's at Sutter's Fort, named Stout
being moved thereto by grief at the loss of his brother who had. just arrived
from Honolulu, and who was inhumanly murdered by an entire stranger on
the night of his arrival, before Von Pfister, who was temporarily absent
had the opportunity of seeing him. The murderer fled, and Von Pfister

154 THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

pursued, but after an unavailing search of nearly a year he finally gave up
the chase and returned to Benicia, where for the last quarter of a century
he has constantly resided ; sometimes filling offices of honor if not of profit.

On the night of Sam Brannan's arrival at Benecia a high tide had drifted
Dr. Semple's ferry boat some 200 or 300 yards upon the tule, and leaving
her high and not exactly dry, and disappointing our friend Tustin, who
being engaged getting out lumber for Thos. 0. Larkin, was anxious to get
back to the redwoods, which he had temporarily left for a day or two to
look after his family at Benicia. So he built him a raft of tule reeds some
6 or 8 feet long, making it about 2 feet wide, and a foot thick, on which he
proposed to make the crossing. His friends remonstrated with him and tried
to dissuade him from going, but to no purpose. Go he would, and so with
an old shirt for a sail, and a high wind blowing, he set out. The tide took
him down about two miles to Dillon's point, then it turned, drifting him the
other way, and by the aid of the wind, notwithstanding his frail bark after
getting saturated, bent double under his weight, he finally got across and
landed in a mud flat, where he met a man who wanted to cross over to
Benicia, and who asked him if he might have his raft. He told him yes,
but doubted if it would be of much use to him. However the gift was
accepted and the man had a very hard time getting over, for the tide took
him some distance up Suisun bay, and it was a day or two before he was
rescued, in a forlorn and nearly starved condition. Friend Tustin (now a
successful windmill builder in San Francisco) has since attained to alder-
manic proportions, quite unsuited to the repetition of his rash experiment.

The natural effect upon Benicia, of this gold discovery and excitement,
was to draw away from it its male population, leaving some twelve or
fifteen families of women and children only. In common with all other
settlements near the bay and the sea, it was neglected for the superior
attractions offered by the gold placers. Towards the end of the year, Dr.
Semple realizing that the fame of the gold discovery had now gone abroad
over the whole earth ani foreseeing that there would be a great immigration
into the State, mostly of course by sea, and that sooner than he had antici-
pated his opportunity to found and establish an important commercial city
would be presented, began to cast about for the means and appliances to
aid him in realizing his dream. During the winter of 1848-9 he became
acquainted with Bethuel Phelps, with whom he made a bargain for the
erection of the needed improvements.

As a further step in the way of progress, he formed a copartnership with
Wm. Robinson, John S. Bradford, and L. B. Mizner, under the firm name of
Semple, Robinson & Co., for the transaction of general business. This firm
purchased the Chilian bark " Conf ederacion," with an assorted cargo of East
India goods, and about the 1st of March, 1849, she sailed up to Benicia and
was moored along side the bank to be used as a landing place in lieu of a

THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY. 155

wharf. She was dismantled and afterwards known as the " jld hulk," and
most of her cargo was transferred to the mines. To facilitate access to and
from the upland, the firm laid down, across the tule, a large number of
boxes of tobacco, the market already being so glutted with the article as to
render it comparatively valueless. The firm were so well pleased with
their business that within the year they built a substantial two-story ware-
house for its accommodation, a short distance from the landing. Subse-
quently, however, as the town began to grow and competition became
active, the members found attractions in other vocations. Dr. Semple was
elected delegate from Benicia to the Convention which framed the State
Constitution, and was President of the Convention, the labors of which
were completed on the 13th of October. Bradford was elected to the
Senate, and served Solano county in the first session of the Legislature at
San Jose in 1850. He subsequently returned to Illinois and became Mayor
of Springfield. Robinson went to Shasta county and was elected County
Judge. He afterwards joined the fortunes of Gen. Flores in South America.
In September, '49, Mizner and S. K. Nurse started a 4-mule stage or mud-
wagon, making tri-weekly trips from Benicia to Sacramento, connecting
with San Francisco by sloop. This continued a month or two until the
arrival of steamers from the East to be put on the Sacramento river, when
they hauled off their stage " in double quick," as Nurse expresses it, and
sold their mules. Nurse has lived in Denverton since 1854, and has been
Postmaster most of the time. Mizner became a lawyer and removed to
San Francisco, but some ten years since returned to Benicia, where he now
resides. He was State Senator for Solano county in the session of 1871.

Bethuel Phelps was active in the performance of his contract, and during
1849-50 a large number of dwellings and stores were erected, being
occupied before finished and ready. In fact the demand for houses was
greater than the supply. With lumber ranging from $300 to $G00 per thous-
and, sometimes more, and carpenters' wages at $16 to $20 per day, it is not
very surprising that complaint should have been made of slow progress in
building. So the firm of Henry D. Cooke and Wm, M. Stewart, who were
somehow concerned in the sale of the bark " Confederacion " and her cargo
to Dr. Semple, became interested in Benicia, and contributed largely to its
development. Of their agency something may be said after mentioning
others, whose influence was brought to bear in advance of them.

Among the passengers on the bark " Confederacion," from Saucelito to
Benicia, were Gen. Persifer F. Smith, U. S. A., with some of his staff, and
Mr. C. E. Wetmore and wife, who had been in San Francisco since July,
1848. Mr. Wetmore had purchased the house heretofore mentioned as the
first frame built for Dr. Semple, and had come with his family to settle.
Gen. Smith was so convinced of the importance of the point that he imme-
diately entered into negotiation with Semple, the result of which was that

156 THE HISTOEY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

the portion of the town site bordering on Suisun bay was secured for the
Government as a Military Reservation, on which have since been erected
Benicia Arsenal, Benicia Barracks, magazines, hospital, Quartermaster's
store houses, etc., and many troops have from time to time been stationed
here.

Com. Thomas Ap. Catesby Jones, U. S. N., had preceded Gen. Smith a
few weeks, having taken up to Benicia the first Government vessel that
ever entered the straits, the U. S. store ship " Southampton." In honor of
her the shoal water space on the north side of the straits and just west of
Benicia was called Southampton bay, and is known as such to this day.
Special reasons, varying very much from one another, have been given for
conferring this name. Com. Jones was enthusiastic in his admiration of
the site — the harbor and surroundings — and predicted that the commercial
emporium of the coast would here be established. Being in command of
the fleet, he had the vessels severally brought up and anchored in the
harbor for the benefit of the fresh water. The 74-gun ship " Ohio," then
the largest ship in the navy, the frigate " Savannah," the " Congress," the
" Preble," the " Falmouth," the " Vandalia," and the transport " Fredonia,"
were among them. The propeller " Massachusetts " was kept moving on
frequent trips between Benicia and San Francisco.

After the establishment of the military post, the French ship "Julie" was
sent up with stores and moored along side the bank near where Benicia
Arsenal now stands. Col. Silas Casey, TJ. S. A., the first commander of the
post, was quartered on board this old hulk from the 1st of May for some
five months with his family, until quarters were erected for them on shore.
The ribs of this vessel may be seen to this day at low tide, where she finally
sunk at her moorings. Col. Casey had arrived on the ship " Iowa," com-
manded by Capt. John Deming, and having on board Gen. Riley and staff,
two companies of the 2d Infantry, and other troops from Monterey. Gen.
Riley located the Arsenal.

The very favorable opinion expressed, followed by really substantial
movements on the part of such men as Com. Jones, Gen. Smith, Gen. Riley,
and other Government officers, naturally had the effect of inducing a portion
of the immigration then coming into the State to locate at Benicia. Among
the earliest was the Rev. S. Woodbridge, by whose instrumentality a Presby-
terian Church was organized on the 10th of April, which is claimed to have
been the first Protestant church ever founded in California. Among its
original members were Prof. Shepherd, Col. S. Casey, Mr. C. E. Wetmore,
and Mr. 0. P. Evans. Mr. Woodbridge also opened and kept a day school,
and kept the records of the township. In August a school house was built
which was used on Sundays for divine service, under his ministration, for
some two years thereafter. This modest little building, little used of late
years, having been superseded by more pretentious edifices, is still standing,

THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY. 157

a monument of the foresight displayed by the founders of the town regard-
ing the educational needs of the hoped-for rising generation. The church
edifice, which took its place in 1851, stood for about 20 years, when it was
taken down and put to other use, the society having disbanded and its
members scattered. Dr. Woodbridge is now pastor of a church lately built
for and named after him in this city near the Mission Dolores.

In April W. S. Ricker and O. P. Evans started a bakery and country
store in the adobe that had been occupied first by Von Pfister. Ricker was
the jovial and Evans the serious man of the firm. Profits were large, but
their small establishment was six months afterwards overshadowed by the
large stocks introduced by the adventurous immigrants that then began to
flock in by way of the sea. Evans was gathered to his fathers more than 20
years ago. Whether Ricker still survives is unknown.

In May the large adobe building known as the California Hotel was
erected. Capt. Von Pfister rented it at $500 per month, and kept it a year,
when he sold out to Capt. Winn. Subsequently it was kept by Major
Cooper, father-in-law of Dr. Semple. During a part of this time, owing to
the great drought of 1850-51, there was a scarcity of such food as is usually
provided at hotel tables. Col. Casey one day asked Mr. Woodbridge about
the fare, and his reply was that they had beef and molasses for breakfast
and molasses and beef for dinner. In those days onions were $2 per pound.
Major Cooper is still living at Colusa, a well preserved man, who will com-
plete his 80th year in March next. For the last 20 years this establishment
has been owned and occupied by Mr. John Rueger and family, and known
as the Benicia Brewery.

Before Col. Casey got his family into quarters on shore in the summer of
1849, he was ordered in command of an expedition for the first exploration
ever made for a railroad route across the Sierra Nevada. The surveying
party, when about 70 miles from the valley of the Sacramento, in the
mountains, were attacked by the Pitt River Indians, and the Engineer
officer in charge, Capt. Warner, was killed. This fact, connected with the
ravages of fever and scurvy, forced a return of the party without fully
accomplishing its object. Col. Casey lay twenty-five days in the mountains
sick with a fever, and all but two, in a party of thirty-five, were taken
sick. Gen. Casey is still living at a ripe old age in Brooklyn, New York, on
the retired list. His son, Commander Casey, U. S. N., is stationed in San
Francisco.

In May F. W. Pettygrove and A. E. Wilson formed a co-partnership for
the transaction of a general business. They built a frame hotel, which
they called the Benicia H ouse. They brought with them from Oregon nine
frame buildings, which were erected in different parts of the town, and
some stand to this day.

On the 7th of June the writer of this sketch, with his young wife, came

158 THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

upon the scene. The women who ventured to come to California in those
days were few in number, but courageous in spirit. We had left Baltimore
on the last of January ; New York the 15th of March ; crossed the Isthmus
about the 29th; and after a detention of seven weeks in Panama, em-
barked on board the good steamship Panama, Captain Bailey, on the
17th of May, on her first trip to San Francisco, which was accomplished
in seventeen days, calling only at San Diego on the 1st of June. Among
our fellow passengers were Mrs. Fremont and her daughter Lilly, Mrs.
Alfred De Witt, Mrs. Robert Allen (now living in San Francisco,
Hon. Wm. M. Gwinn, John B. Weller, Col. Joseph Hooker, Lieut. Derby
(afterwards known as Squibob and John Phenix), John Bensley, Hall
McAllister, F. F. Low, afterwards Governor of this State, S. W. Holladay,
Dr. S. P. Harris, and other well known citizens that have since attained
distinction.

Having come to California at the suggestion of my brother-in-law, Mr.
C. E. Wetmore, and on arrival finding him located at Benicia, I was in-
duced to join him there. We formed a co-partnership for the transaction
of a general business, and soon after commenced the erection of a frame
building, 30x60 feet, for a store and warehouse none too large for the exten-
sive stock of goods afloat for us on several vessels then on their way around
Cape Horn, and bound for the land of gold.

With little or no previous experience as business manager (I had thus far
been principally a thorough accountant), and with others to provide for, we
could not see the way clear to locate in San Francisco ; and as it really
seemed an open question which place should take the precedence and
become the commercial center, it was comparatively easy to make up our
minds to settle in the one that apparently possessed the most attractions or
prospective merits, and so our lots were cast in Benicia.

For ten or fifteen years I was satisfied of the correctness of this choice,
and on every return from a temporary visit to San Francisco, or elsewhere,
regarded Benicia as a charming and blessed place, little short of Paradise.
Since then, however, the thought has sometimes occurred that our location
there was a mistake ; but as that is a problem that may not be solved in
this life, the attempt will not be made. It is useless to speculate on ' what
might have been ;' and therefore as our living there has had its influence in
various ways and upon others, probably the wisest conclusion is that ' it
was all for the best.'

Sometime in the summer of 1849, Dr. W. F. Peabody established a hos-
pital, and soon secured a large and paying patronage from returning miners.
After a residence of fifteen years Dr. Peabody located elsewhere, and has
since established himself in San Francisco. [I am happy to say he is a
member of the C. U., &c] His former associate in the hospital, Mr. J. W.
Jones, has remained in Benicia to this day, a well known business man, and

THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY. 159

prominent citizen. In July and August ships began to arrive in numbers,
bringing adventurers, some of whom, with their stocks of goods, thought
best to locate in Benicia. Among these were Webb, Beveridge, and Miller,
and McConkey & Hall, with goods from Baltimore (per " Greyhound," and
" Jane Parker "), brought upon brig " Josephine," and bark " Hebe," and J.
Hatch & Co., who had come from Boston on the " Edward Everett."

The ship " Leonore," which arrived in Benicia on the 8th July, brought
the first side-wheel steamer ever built in California. It was framed at the
East, put together at Benicia, and finished about the middle of August.
They called her the " New England," but her machinery proved to be so
powerfully weak as to render her practically useless for a steamboat.
During the summer three other small steamboats were built here, called re-
spectively the " Linda," the " Edward Everett," and the " Phenix." They
made a few trips up the Sacramento river, but their day was short, for late
in October (the 26th and 28th, if I mistake not), the propellers " Hartford,"
and " McKinn," commencing running for passengers and freight on the
route between San Francisco and Sacramento, via Benicia. These were the
first sea-going steamers to make this trip. They were succeeded by the
side- wheel steamer " Senator," which commenced her trips on the 3d day of
November, charging $30 fare from San Francisco to Sacramento, and $15
from Benicia to either place. The " Senator " is said to have earned millions
of dollars in a few years. And now, 27 years later, she is still running as a
sea-going steamship.

Later in November the little iron steamer " Mint " commenced making
trips to Stockton. She was brought out on deck of ship " Samoset," in
September.

On his return from Monterey, where he had presided over the Constitu-
tional Convention, in the winter of 1849-50, Dr. Semple became impressed
with the idea that steam-boating must be a profitable business, and ac-
cordingly he determined to build one on correct principles, that should
astonish the natives, but all lookers on. So far as the hull was concerned,
this was easily managed, as material was readily obtained. His favorite
idea that her bow must be made duck-breasted, was carried into effect ;
and when launched her appearance on the water was rather attractive. But
it was when the machinery was to be applied that the " true inwardness " of
the Doctor came to the surface. Steam-engines were not so plenty in those
days as in these, a quarter century later ; and so as two could not be had
that were exactly alike, he obtained two of different make, one being fully
twice as large as the other. When the absurdity of furnishing the boat
with engines varying so greatly in power was pointed out to the Doctor,
his genius rose equal to the occasion. He could manage that. But how ?
asked the practical, common sense, incredulous observer. Why, by gearing,
of course. With cog-wheels, and other appliances, we'll gear up the one

160 THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

engine, so as to equalize its power with that of the other. In spite of re-
nt onstance, argument, ridicule, and other elements of opposition, this idea
was adhered to, and the natural result followed as a matter of course. On
her first trip she was at the mercy of the current and the wind. The strong
engine overpowered the weaker one, giving her a forward movement in the
direction of a great circle, the tendency being to bring her round to the
point started from. However, by the help of the tide and other favoring
circumstances, they managed to reach Colusa with her, for which place she
was named. Her first trip, though, proved to be her last as a steamboat.
The engines had to be disposed of, and she was converted into a barge.
Her builder, Mr. F. P. Burch, with his family, still resides in Benicia ; and
her engineer, Mr. R B. Norman, has for many years been a well known
citizen of Sacramento.

The last exploit of Dr. Semple's that occurs to me was his building a
house for the use of his family, with an inverted roof — so that what is
usually the peak or highest part, was in this instance the lowest, and the
roof slanted upwards towards the eaves, instead of downwards, there being
but one eave trough, and that in the middle of the roof. What his reasons
were for this peculiar construction may have been explained at the time,
but are not now remembered. Some are sarcastic enough to say it was
from motives of economy in the matter of eave trough.

Among the many early settlers in Benicia was Capt. John Walsh, whose
family arrived from Valparaiso in November, 1849, occupying at once the
house he had built for them. The captain is a well known citizen, whose
fame has gone all over those parts of the world that are visited by ships. He
is a privileged character, of whom many amusing incidents are related,
some of which he tells at his own expense. Although old and infirm, being
now in his eightieth year, and bereft of kindred, who have all preceded him
in their flight to the spirit land, he retains much of his original vivacity,
and is generally ready to provoke a smile from any visitor by his ready
wit. He is able to attend to his duties as Custom-house Inspector, which
are performed satisfactorily to the Department. A favorite grandson is the
only relative living near him, or in California.

Dr. Semple and his associates, Larkin, Phelps, Stewart, and Cooke, did
much to improve Benicia, and make it attractive ; and they spared no pains
in publishing to the world its advantages, but they failed lamentably
in the very particular most necessary to make their enterprise a success.
They placed too great a valuation upon their lots, and by demanding high
prices drove away from them the very persons they should have induced by
liberal terms to settle and build up the town. This was unjust to those
that had already settled, and who hoped to see others coming in and pro-
moting its substantial growth. But so convinced was the Doctor that the
town must develop into a great city, and that nothing could prevent it, that

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THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY. 1G1

nothing could prevent it, that he would listen to no suggestions on this
head. On several occasions men wanting to buy property gave up the idea
on account of the terms. Had each one of them been presented with a lot,
the object of the proprietors might have been accomplished, and themselves
rewarded by prosperity and affluence, instead of reaping the disappointment
which followed.

A notable instance of their fatuity occurred immediately after the great
fire of 4th May, 1851, which destroyed the entire business portion of the
eity of San Francisco. A large number of her influential merchants were
so disheartened at the repeated misfortunes thus befalling them that they
were ready and anxious at onca to transfer their business to Benicia, and a
delegation waited on its proprietors to see on what terms they would be
received and provided for. The terms were too exacting ; the application
failed, and the opportunity was lost — absolutely thrown away. The appli-
cants were angered at their failure, and embittered against Benicia, a feeling
which survives measurably to this day — while the bona fide settlers of
Benicia, who would have welcomed their San Francisco brethren, were dis-
gusted with the cupidity and bad management of its founders.

As another illustration of events in these days, it should not be forgotten
that Capt. Lyon, who had been sent out to punish the Indians that were
hostile and troublesome, came very near being killed by the awkwardness
of some of his own men, a bullet from one of them passing through his hat
from back to front. In mentioning it to General Riley on his return, and
exhibiting the hat, he claimed that that shot did not come from an enemy.
The General's reply was, it certainly did not come from a friend. This
brave officer was afterwards, during the war of the Rebellion, the lamented
General Lyon, who fell at the battle of Lexington, Missouri, in August, 1861.

Among the immigrants of 1849, were some old farmers from the East, to
whom the alternation of the wet and dry seasons appeared to present in-
superable objections to the idea of this ever being an agricultural country.
The laws of nature to which they had been accustomed were here set at
defiance, and their conclusion was that cultivation of the ground would be
useless in the absence of summer showers. Yet here on these rolling and
dry hills waved the luxurious, almost rank growth of wild oats, four or five
feet in height. The soil being adobe, and two or three feet in thickness,
has since nullified the opinions of these good old farmers, and still persists
in yielding fine crops of grain, notwithstanding fifteen years of cultivation.

In the remarkably wet winter of 1849-50, it was no easy task to walk
on this adobe ground where traveled upon, without being in danger of
losing a boot when drawing: one's feet out of the mud. and so it came to
pass that long rubber boots were at a premium.

As an offset the following winter, that of 1850-51, to which this present
one of 187G-77 bears a close resemblance, was correspondingly dry, and
rubber boots proved a bad speculation.

162 THE HISTOEY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

The Constitution of the State of California, which had been framed by
the Convention at Monterey, in October, was adopted by the people at an
election held on the 13th November, 1849, and in accordance with its pro-
visions the first Legislature met in January, 1850, at the Pueblo de San
Jose, the first Capital of the State. The first two cities incorporated by
this body were Monterey and Benicia, both on the same day, the 27th of
March, 1850. Some days afterwards, San Jose, Sacramento, Stockton and
Los Angeles were incorporated. San Francisco followed, on the 15th day
of April.

Under its charter, Benicia had nine Mayors, as follows:

Capt. James Kearny, from May 1850, to May, 1851.
Dr. W. F. Peabody, from May, 1851, to May, 1852.
Capt. D. M. Fraser, from May, 1852, to May, 1853.
Capt. Alex. Riddell, from May, 1853, to May, 1854.
Charles French, from May, 1854, to November, 1855.
W. S. Wells, Acting from November, 1855, to May, 1856.
J. M. Neville, from May, 1856, to May, 1857.
T. B. Storer, from May, 1857, to May, 1858.
Charles Alison, from May, 1858, to May, 1859.
The charter was amended in 1851 and 1854, and repealed in 1859, since
which time the government of the city has been vested in a Board of
Trustees. The city charter was found to be an expensive luxury, by means
of which the city debt was incurred little short of $100,000 in 1859. This
has since been reduced, uutil at the present time an arrangement has just
been effected by which it can all be redeemed for the sum of $6,000, and
the taxpayers breathe freer.

Mayors Kearny, Fraser, Riddell and French died some years since.
Mayors Peabody, Wells, Neville and Alison are residents of San Francisco,
and Mayor Storer lives in Virginia City.

A. J. Bryant, who was City Marshal of Benicia in 1854, is now Mayor of
San Francisco.

At the same first session of the Legislature, Benicia was named the
county seat of Solano county, and so continued for eight years, when it
was superseded in 1858 by the present county seat, Fairfield.

The first Sheriff of the county was B. C. Whitman, afterwards Clerk of
the Common Council, subsequently a leading lawyer in Benicia, and now an
ex- Judge of the Supreme Court in the State of Nevada. The second Sheriff
was Paul Shirley, who held the office several years. He now resides on the
other side of the Straits, in Martinez, and is State Senator from Contra
Costa county.

The fourth session of the Legislature was held in Benicia early in 1853,
and on the 18th of May of that year an Act was passed making it the
permanent seat of Government, but as no appropriation was made for the

THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY. 1G3

erection of public buildings, and the Capital in those days was notoriously
on wheels, it was not a difficult matter at the fifth session to move it again,
and so on the 1st day of March, 1854, the Legislature and attaches, furni-
ture and all, left Benicia on the steamer Antelope for Sacramento, where
the Capital has since remained with some show of permanence. This move-
ment was brought about by a combination between the workers for Sacra-
mento and the friends of the lamented David C. Broderick, who desired
and expected thereby to be elected to the United States Senate, but who
was disappointed in that expectation, although in a subsequent Legislature
he was successful. Broderick was absent from Benicia when the vote was
taken on the removal question, and there was no telegraphic communica-
tion then with San Francisco. If there had been, the result probably
would have been different. Either Broderick would have been elected
first, or the Capital would have remained at Benicia. On such slender
threads does the fate of communities sometimes depend.

In those palmy days Benicia boasted among its residents, some of the
prominent and distinguished men of the State, among whom may be men-
tioned Judges S. C. Hastings, John Currey, S. F. Reynolds, E. W. McKinstry,
and others, who have since been absorbed by the commercial metropolis.

The Masonic Order made an early start in Benicia. Benicia Lodge, No.
5, was formed in 1850. Masonic Hall was built in 1850, and is a substan-
tial edifice to this day. The lower floor was occupied as the Court House,
County Clerk and Recorder's office until the State House was built in 1852.
The State House became the Court House until 1859, when on account of
the removal of the County Seat, it became the property of the Board of
Education, and has ever since been occupied as the Public School, one of
the most commodious and substaintial in the State, and being of brick is
likely to last for several generations. The attendance is large.

The Odd Fellows organized somewhat later than the Masons, but have
flourished so successfully as to possess a fine brick edifice of their own
which affords them most desirable and satisfactory accommodations. They
are known as Solano Lodge, No. 22.

Several newspaper enterprises have from time to time been established in
Benicia, but none of them now remain. The Benicia Gazette was published
in 1851, by St. Clair, Pinkham & Co. A bound volume of this publication
is in the possession of the Society of California Pioneers. The Benicia

Vedette was published by Mathewson in 1853. The Solano County

Herald commenced its publication in November, 1855, and three years after-
wards was moved to Suisun, where it still flourishes under the altered name of
the Solano Republican. The " Pacific Churchman " was published here in
1869-70, since which time it has been established in San Francisco. The
The " Benicia Tribune" was published by R. D. Hopkins in 1872-73 ; since
then it has been transferred to Dixon, where it still flourishes as the Dixon

164 THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

Tribune. There was a Benicia Sentinel at one time, but it was a short-
lived affair.

In 1850-51 when it was difficult for masters of vessels to retain their
crews, on account of their disposition to desert to the gold fields, and try
their hands at digging or mining, as many as 60 or 70 ships were to be seen
at anchor in Benicia harbor, most of them loaded with lumber, which
became a drug in the market and was offered for freight and charges.
After the 4th of May fire in San Francisco this state of the lumber market
was remedied, and the ships gradually withdrawn.

The P. M. S. S. Co., for whom Alfred Robinson and Geo. W. P. Bissell
were agents, established the depot for their shop and supplies at Benicia
early in 1850, when their first wharf was built. In 1853 they increased
the size of the wharf to its present dimensions, and put up the machinery
shops and foundry.

From this time on for 16 years or more the company enjoyed an era of
unexampled prosperity, every attempt at opposition helping as much as
hindering it. By steady accumulation and the growth of its business its
capital was increased from year to year until in 1869 it amounted to not
less than ten millions. In 1869 came its first encounter with its great
competitor, the Overland Railroad. Up to this time Benicia had been
greatly benefited by the location of the company's works, and its liberal
disbursements. As long as the company remained at Benicia they were
prosperous. Then came a dispositson to branch out, to water the stock and
provide for the friends of the new management. All this was not so con-
veniently managed while the works were located at Benicia, so it was
determined to move everything to the city. From that time the history of
the company shows a series of questionable managements, and a departure
from its old prosperous ways. From being worth about $150 or more per
share its stock has fallen to $20 — the present price being about $24.
Benicians remember the periodical visits of the California, the Oregon, the
Panama, the Tennessee, the North ener, the Golden Age, St. Louis, Sonora,
Golden Gate, Golden City, Sacramento, John L. Stephens and others with
regret, that the noble ships which succeed them come not in their place.

The Marysville & Benicia R. R. Co. was incorporated in 1853, with a
capital of $3,000,000 ; $10,000 was spent in surveys, by Wm. S. Lewis, Esq.,
as Chief Engineer, with the celebrated Mr. Catherwood as consulting engi-
neer.

So strongly impressed was Mr. Catherwood of the feasibility of this
scheme, that he went to England to present the plan there ; and with the
aid of a brother of his, who was one of the cashiers in the Bank of England ,
he raised $1,000,000, which was one-third of the capital ; but on his return
to this country from England, went down in the ill-fated steamer " Arctic,"
off Newfoundland, which put an end to that project,, which would mater-
ially have advanced the fortunes of Benicia.

THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY. 165

This imperfect sketch of the " Early Times in Benicia," cannot properly
be brought to a conclusion without a brief reference to the educational and
religious movements of the place. To Benicia belongs the honor of having
established the first Young Ladies' Seminary in the State, under the auspices
of the Protestant churches. In June, 1852, the enterprise was proposed,
and immediately enlisted the favor and hearty symyathy of many friends.
A Board of Trustees was organized, a suitable building purchased, and the
school opened about the 1st of August, with Mrs. S. A. Lord as Principal,
and Miss Georgia Allen, and Miss F. A. Allen, as Assistants. The second year
Miss J. M. Hudson became Principal, with the same Assistants. The third
year, the school became the property of Miss Mary Atkins, whose fame as
a teacher has since become part of the educational history of this State.
The school became deservedly popular and successful ; and its graduates,
under Miss Atkins' administration, have since taken rank in society as
among the best educated and most cultivated women in our State. After
twelve years spent in her high vocation, Miss Atkins sought rest ; and in
186(3, transferred the school to Rev. C. T. Mills and wife, who kept it up in
a high state of efficiency and prosperity, until 1871, when they, having
been induced to move to Alameda county, disposed of the school to Rev.
Chas. H. Pope, who, during the year that he held it, made some valuable
additions and improvements. Since 1873, the school has been under the
management of Miss Mary Snell, who, with her sisters, and other accom-
plished teachers, have maintained its excellent reputation as one of the best
schools in the State. In October, 1871, under the auspices of the Rev. Mr.
Pope, then Principal, a re-union of graduates and pupils was held in honor
of the visit then paid to the institution of its former proprietor, Mrs. Mary
Atkins-Lynch, with her husband, the Hon. John Lynch, then U. S. Surveyor-
General for the State of Louisiana, and during the past year, Centennial
Commissioner for the same State. His duties in that capacity will detain
him in Philadelphia until March next, after which time Mr. and Mrs. Lynch
will take up their permanent residence in California.

In June next, the Young Ladies' Seminary, of Benicia, will celebrate the
25th anniversary of its fdundation. Two of its original Board of Trustees
have died — the other seven are still living, and one of them stands before
you.

On the 1st of January, 1853, St. Catharine's Acadamy, under the charge
of the Roman Catholic Sisters of St. Dominic, was established at Benicia,
having been removed from Monterey to this, as the more eligible location.
This school for young ladies has been uniformly well attended, and appears
to have enjoyed a satisfactory degree of patronage. Everything about it
wears an air of comfort, cheerfulness, and prosperity, and it enjoys an ex-
cellent reputation. The grounds are extensive and well cultivated, and the
buildings commodious.

166 THE HISTOEY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

In the summer of 1853, the Rev. Charles M. Blake established a boarding
school for boys, which a year or two afterwards passed into the hands of
Mr. C J. Flatt, under whose proprietorship it was known as the Collegiate
Institute, connected with which some ten years later was a Law School.

In December, 1867, Mr. Flatt disposed of the property to the Pacific
Coast Mission, of which the Rev. Dr. Breck was the head, and the school
then became the nucleus of what has since grown to be St. Augustine's
College, with the history of which this audience should be somewhat famil-
iar. The premises have been greatly enlarged and improved, affording
accommodations for one hundred boys, which number, however, has not yet
been secured, though the institution well deserves them. Not less than
fifty thousand dollars have been expended upon the property, which is in a
good state of preservation and cultivation, making it an attractive seat of
learning. The college owns fifty acres of land within the city limits, which,
in time, must constitute for it a valuable domain. The whole is under the
special supervision of Bishop Wingfield, who, with his family, has his Epis-
copal residence on the premises.

One of the objects of the Pacific Coast Mission was to establish a church
school for girls. Accordingly, in June, 1870, the Rev. Dr. Breck purchased
a block of land in the vicinity of St. Augustine College, and commenced the
erection of the buildings for " St. Mary of the Pacific." A year or two later
these were completed, and has ever since constituted the chief ornament of
the town. The garden and surroundings of St. Mary's, make it an attractive
spot. The school grew and prospered steadily under the fatherly care of Dr.
Breck, until his untimely death, which took place on the 30th of March
last, at which time the school was so full that the good Doctor had had it in
contemplation to put up additional buildings, in case his health was restored.
But it was not so to be, for our all-wise Heavenly Father was then pleased
to take him to Himself. As a natural consequence of his death, the school
has since fallen off some ; but is now recovering, and will doubtless soon
enter upon a renewed career of prosperity, under the rectorship of the Rev.
John H. Babcock, who, with his wife, have just been placed in charge of the
establishment by Bishop Wingfield. By former Experience and present in-
clination, Mr. Babcock is well fitted for the position and its various duties.

Reference has already been made to the Presbyterian Church, which was
founded here in 1849, and abandoned in 1869, for want of adherents. It
flourished until 1861 — the first year of the civil war — when it began to
decline rapidly on account of dissatisfaction in the congregation at the de-
determined political stand taken by the pastor, who was several times a can-
didate for office on the unpopular side. Two years before its final abandon-
ment, it was supplanted by the First Congregational society, who built, and
still possess, a very comfortable house of worship, with a parsonage at-
tached. The bell in its tower was cast in 1853, at the P. M. S. S. Co's.
works, and was in use there until the works were abandoned.

THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY. 167

The Methodists maintained an organization for a year or two, while
Benicia was the Capital of the State ; but thereafter they withdrew from
the field, and their insecure little building was blown down and destroyed in
a S. E. gale which visited this part of the State, the 1st of January, 1855.

One or two attempts were made in early times to form a Baptist society,
but without success.

The Roman Catholics founded their church of St. Dominic in 1851. It
has always been sustained liberally by its adherents, and is apparently
flourishing. In its tower is a large and very fine-toned bell, equal to some
of the best in our city churches. The well-known Father Villarassa is the
ehief pastor here. A substantial, two-story edifice, has recently been added
to the premises, as a home for the Brothers, and a Theological School.

The first regular service of the Protestant Episcopal Church in Benicia
was held on Sunday the 24th of September, 1854, in the court room of the
City Hall. Major E. D. Townsend, U. S. A., a lay reader appointed by Rt.
Rev. Bishop Kip, read the service and a sermon. On Sunday, the 22d of
October, the Bishop himself officiated, and administered the Holy Commun-
ion. From this time the services were regularly maintained, and a chapel
was fitted up in the Masonic Hall early in 1855. On the 13th of February,
1855, a parish was formed under the name of St. Paul's Parish, to which
the Bishop gave his approval on the 22d. The Vestry then organized,
electing Paul K. Hubbs, Senior Warden ; Eugene Van Ness, Junior Warden ;
the other Vestrymen being John Curry, Joseph Durbrow, C. W. Hayden, J.
Howard, and John Taylor. Some of these names must sound familiar here,
even at this late day. Col. Van Ness and Col. Hubbs have gone to the
eternal world. Gen. Townsend is now Adjutant-General of the United
States at Washington, where, also, Mr. C. W. Hayden resides. Judge
Curry and Mr. Durbrow are among the honored citizens of San Francisco.
Among the others that have since been Wardens and Vestrymen of St.
Paul's, may be mentioned the names of Gen. John S. Mason, U. S. A., Hon.
E. W. McKinstry, Dr. Robert Murray, Hon. S. F. Reynolds, Capt. F. F. Flint,
Dr. Cooledge, Col. J. McAllister.

The first missionary to St. Paul's Church was the Rev. David F. McDon-
ald in 1856. He had then recently been ordained deacon in San Francisco.
He is now a D.D. ; rector of a church in Dardanelles, Arkansas.

Since his time the church at Benecia has been served with more or less
regularity by Rev. E. W. Hager, Rev. James Cameron, Rev. E. G. Perryman,
Rev. Dudley Chase, Rev. Henry G. Perry, and Rev. J. L. Breck, D.D. Mr.
Cameron was rector from 1860 to 1865, and Dr. Breck from 1868 to 1876.
Since the death of Dr. Breck, Bishop Wingfield has accepted and exercised
the office of rector.

A church edifice was erected in the fall of 1859, and consecrated in
February, 1860. In 1863 it was greatly enlarged and improved by the

168 THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

addition of transepts, mainly through the liberality and exertion of the
Rev. James Cameron, who, at the same time, presented the church with a
very acceptable pipe organ, that is still in use. At the same time a par-
sonage or rectory was built and presented to the church by Col. Julian
McAllister, now Senior Warden of the Parish. In 1873, under the admin-
istration of Dr. Breck, the church was again enlarged by lengthening the
nave, and it is now, in its interior arrangements, one of the best planned
and most attractive churches in California. Being attended regularly by
the pupils of St. Mary's school and St. Augustine College, and a goodly
share of the town's people, the congregations are generally large and the
services full of interest, being participated in very heartily. It is quite
refreshing to one accustomed to the low murmur of our city congregations
to listen to the outspoken responses characteristic of this wide-awake
assemblage.

There are many other topics that might properly have been introduced
into this sketch and have proven, perhaps, more interesting than those
actually touched upon, such as the history of military officers and their
operations at the arsenal; the barracks and the Quartermaster's department;
the pleasant character of the society that for so many years, during Benicia's
palmy days, became a distinguishing feature in its history ; the visit of
Com. Perry's squadron in 1854, after its voyage around the world and its
brilliant achievement in causing the ports of Japan to be opened to our
commerce ; the many attempts at railroad building that have from time to
time been unsuccessfully made and the hopes still entertained of success in
the near future ; the many fires that have destroyed once valuable property;
the founding and maintenance of manufacturing establishments for cement,
leather, flour, etc., as well as personal reference to many friends, once resi-
dents, now scattered all over California and other parts of the United
States; but it is already too long, and this task must be considered com-
pleted.

It has cost much time, application, research, labor, and self-denial, but if
it shall have afforded entertainment, instruction, and food for thought to
you who have so courteously bestowed upon it your attention, it will not
be in vain that the sacrifice has been made."

With reference to the Deed mentioned in the foregoing lecture of Mr
Gray, the tenor of it is in a few words : Five miles of land in the Suscol
estate was ceded, transferred, and bestowed, freely and spontaneously to
Don Thomas O. Larkin and Don Robert Semple, and their heirs and success-
ors, by General Vallejo, as per measurement made by Don Jasper O'Farrell:
" Beginning at a stone marked ' R. S.' and running N. 76 degrees W. to a

THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY. 169

corner or angle five English miles ; from thence in the direction S. 14
degrees W. to an angle one mile, a little more or less ; thence following the
sinuosities of the bay, of the straits to the place where the measurement
commenced., which, altogether, makes an extent of five English miles ; fol-
lowing the turn of the bay, the sinuosities of the land, according to the
measurement of plan above referred to." To this gift were attached the
under-mentioned provisions : " First. — The grantees were to bind them-
selves to found a city to be named Francesca or Benicia, and to divide the
land into lots to be disposed of by sale, and establish ferry boats on the
Staits of Carquinez. Second. — As soon as the city should contain one
hundred families a magistrate or municipal authority shall be named. The
ferry boats, together with the landing places, shall belong to the town, and
their products used for the establishment of public schools. Third. — Until
such hundred families are established the ferry boats and landings to belong
to Robert Semple." The deed was executed on May 19, 1847, before Lilburn
W. Boggs, Alcalde of the District of Sonoma.

This transaction afterwards proved invalid, the General, it was held, not
having a good title to the lands of Suscol ; therefore a new form was gone
through to establish the claim of Messrs. Semple and Larkin. Pursuant to
an Act of the Legislature of the State of California, entitled "An Act to settle
the title of lands in the town and city of Benicia, in the county of Solano,
approved February 20, 1866," and in accordance with an Act of Congress,
entitled " An Act to quiet the title to certain lands within the corporate
limits of the city of Benicia and the town of Santa Cruz, in the State of
California, approved July 23, 1866," notice was given to claimants to file
their respective claims for lots and parcels of land.

An Act to incorporate the city of Benicia was passed April 24, 1851,
bounding the site thus : " And that tract of land lying on the north side of
the Straits of Carquinez, as surveyed by Benjamin W. Barlow, Esq., late
City Surveyor, and designated by his map now on file in the office of the
Clerk of Solano county, the southern boundary shall extend to the middle
of the channel of the Straits of Carquinez." Following this the city was
divided into two wards. Article two of the Act provides for the election of
city officers ; article three apportioned their duties and powers ; article four,
their compensation ; article five, the establishment of Recorder's and Jus-
tice's Courts. Supplementary to the foregoing, was passed on April 13,
1854, an Act incorporating the city and granting additional powers to the
Council ; while the water front was ceded to the corporation by Act of the
Legislature approved May 3, 1855.

After the survey of the site in 1847 it was laid out in streets and squares,
there being twenty lots retained for public uses, besides the City Hall lot and
two half blocks for parks, etc, From its start until April 18, 1859, the city
was governed by a Mayor and Corporation, when on that date an Act to

170 THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

repeal the several Acts incorporating the city of Benicia, was approved, and
placed the town under the government of Trustees, who were to be elected
to serve, thus : The party receiving the highest number of votes was
chosen for three years, the second, for two, and the third for one year ; and
each following year, one Trustee should be elected for three years. A list of
the Mayors has been already given, let us now present one of the Trustees :
Those called upon to serve during the first term were George H. Riddelh
three years, May, 1859 ; John J. Barry, two years ; C. W. Hayden, one year,
Thereafter there ensued a yearly election for a term of three years : 1860 —
C. W. Hayden, G. H. Riddell, J. J. Barry. 1861— S. C. Gray, C. W. Hayden,
G. H. Riddell. 1862— T. B. Storer, S. C. Gray, C. W. Hayden. 1863— E. Dan-
forth, T. B. Storer, S. C. Gray. 1864— S. C. Gray, E. Danforth, T. B. Storey
(resigned), C. B. Houghton, (elected). 1865 — C. B. Houghton, S. C. Gray,
E. Danforth, (resigned), J. Hatch, (elected). 1866— E. H. Von Pfister, C. B.
Houghton, S. C. Gray. 1867— J. F. Swain, E. H. Von Pfister, C. B. Hough-
ton. 1868— C. B. Houghton, J. F. Swain, E. H. Von Pfister. 1869— E. H.
Von Pfister, G. B. Houghton, J. F. Swain. 1870— J. F. Swain, E. H. Von
Pfister, C. B. Houghton. 1871— C. B. Houghton, J. F. Swain, E. H. Von
Pfister. 1872— James Flannery, C. B. Houghton, J. F. Swain. 1873—
John J. Barry, James Flannery, C. B. Houghton. 1874 — C. B. Houghton,
J. J. Barry, James Flannery. 1875 — J. R. Brown, C. B. Houghton, J. J-
Barry. 1876— J. J. Barry, J. R. Brown, C. B. Houghton. 1877— C. B"
Houghton, J. J. Barry, J. R. Brown! 1878— D. N. Hastings, C. B. Hough-
ton, John J. Barry. 1879 — James Barry, D. N. Hastings, C. B. Houghton.
The office of City Clerk was filled by the following gentlemen: 1850-51 —
B. D. Hyam and John B. Dow. 1851-54— B. C. Whitman. 1854-56—
David F. Beveridge. 1856-57— E. H. Von Pfister. 1857-59— J. W. Kin-
loch. Since the election of Trustees one of their number has officiated as
Clerk until 1878. The City Assessors were : 1850-51 — Stephen Cooper.
1851-53— Singleton Vaughn. 1853-54— H. P. Ammons. 1854-55— H.
Norton. 1855-56— J. W. Kinloch. 1856-58— Peter Wright. 1858-59—
H. Norton. From this year up until 1877, inclusive, the county officials
assessed, collected, and disbursed the funds. In 1877 E. H. Von Pfister was
elected to the office, a position which he still retains. The City Marshals
have been : 1850 — John S. Brown. 1851 — Beebe Robinson. 1852-53—
A. H. Estell. 1854-55— A. J. Bryant. 1856— D. F. Beveridge. 1857-58—
Luke Bond. From this period until the year 1872 the city was without a
Marshal; in that year Jeremiah O'Donnell was appointed. In 1873 he again
held the office. 1874— Patrick McNally. 1875-77— A. J. Glover, and
1878-79 — F. P. Weinmann. The City Treasurers have been during that
period, respectively : Messrs. D. F. Beveridge, Edward Crocker, R. M.
Holladay, John J. Barry, with a long interregnum wherein the County
Treasurer performed the duties for the city, when, in 1877, the present

THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY. 171

incumbent, John Reuger, was chosen to fill the office. Space will not per-
mit of our entering more fully into the names of the other officers who
served Benicia, indeed it has been an arduous task, the tracing these we
have enumerated. Suffice it to say that among the City Attorneys we find
such well-known names as Leslie and Wells ; while her Surveyors were
Barlow, Patton, and De Hemmecourt.

Mention has, in a general way, been made of the schools of Benicia. We
will now present the reader with a slight sketch of two of the principal
seats of learning in the city :

The Young Ladies' Seminary. — This school was established in 1852,
and was managed by a Board of Trustees for two years and a half. The
following named gentlemen served on the Board : Hon. S. Bvnam, Hon. S.
Cooper, Capt. D. M. Fraser, S. C. Gray, B. W. Mudge, Dr. W. F. Peabody,
Capt. J. Walsh, C. E. Wetmore, Rev. S. Woodbridge, E. Crocker, J. W. Jones,
D. N. Hastings.

During the latter part of 1854, Miss Mary Atkins became the Principal of
the school ; but in January, 1855, the proprietorship and sole management
passed into her hands.

For nine years she labored successfully to bring the institution up to the
highest standard, and when, in 1864, she was compelled to take a season of
rest, she rented the Seminary to Miss Lammond, it then having about one
hundred and fifty pupils, and an unequaled reputation for giving thorough
training and a solid education.

Within a year Miss Atkins returned to her school, and found so few
pupils that much of the work of building up had to be done once more. By
untiring energy she re-established it, and it took, again, its place as the first-
class school of the State.

In 1865, worn by years of unceasing labor, Miss Atkins retired from
teaching. She sold the Seminary to Dr. and Mrs. C. T. Mills. They faith-
fully labored to maintain the high position of the institution, and had six
years of uninterrupted success. In 1871 they removed from Benicia to
Seminary Park, Alameda county, where they had" erected large and well-
adapted school buildings.

Rev. Charles H. Pope then took charge of the Benicia Seminary, a trust
which he faithfully administered for three years, when he removed from
the State, and the school came under the principalship of Miss Snell.

In the spring of 1878 Miss Snell organized a school in Oakland, and Miss
Atkins, after years of pleasant wandering, full of rich experience, has come
back to the old roof-tree.

The following address was delivered by the Rev. Sylvester Woodbridge,
D.D., of San Francisco, on October 11th, 1878, at a re-union of former
pupils, held for the purpose of organizing a society to perpetuate the history

172 THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

of the school, as well as making a presentation to Mrs. Atkins-Lynch on
her return to Benicia :

" Memory and Hope are two angels that with golden chains bind the past
to the future. We cannot afford to lose either. Without the former, our
identity of being would cease, our treasures be lost, our responsibility be
overwhelmed in the cold waves of oblivion. Without the latter, the future
could have no encouragement, nor could we press forward and upward to
success, reward, and the crown of glory.

THE PAST.

We cannot live over the past. We would not if we could. What once
was vivid in its freshness and novelty would now seem cold and effete.
The pleasures that once stirred the pulses to impetuous rebound, would
cause them to thrill no more. The pains, then half neutralized by the daily
stimulus of duty and zeal, would cling with iron grasp to us till we sank
down exhausted.

But when we relegate the past to Memory's bright domain, the sweep of
her magic wand spreads enchantment over the scene. The pains become
but the foil and the background which serve to set off the successes and the
joys, and bring them out in more brilliant colors. There we see the fields
of usefulness, where the precious harvests were reaped ; there the forms of
beauty that ' are a joy forever ; ' there were awakened the friendships,
whose light will endure beyond the shining sun.

THE BENICIA YOUNG LADIES' SEMINARY.

Radiant in the history of this State of California, lighted up by the glory
of past years of success and great usefulness, stands this distinguished
institution of learning. It began when innumerable and apparentty insur-
mountable obstacles stood in the way of success. But the need of its
establishment, and the pressure of what they esteemed to be duty, rested
upon those who felt called upon to engage in the enterprise. Therefore they
manfully undertook the task, girded themselves for the arduous duty, made
the great and needful sacrifices of money, time and toil, and in the year
1852, the Seminary was launched forth on the perilous seas of California's
fluctuating fortunes. Often was the institution near bankruptcy and de-
struction. But a kind Providence still and ever interposed, and in nothing
more decidedly than when that eminent teacher to whom to-night we render
the just honor which is her due, took charge of the Seminary.

THE PREVIOUS TEACHERS.

We would diminish nothing from the respect due to the principals and
teachers who had charge of this institution during the earliest years of its

THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY. 173

existence. Mrs. Wells, assisted by an able corps of teachers, took charge at
the inception of the work, and toiled faithfully and successfully. Then
Mrs. Nevins, whom we are pleased to see present to honor this occasion, and
who labored unweariedly at her task. But the difficulties, chiefly pecuniary,
and the burden of carrying the institution when there were so few young
ladies yet in the State, and so small a proportion of that number seeking a
liberal education, was calculated to paralyze the energies of the patrons of
the institution. "

MRS. MARY ATKINS-LYNCH.

At the hour of utmost discouragement, Miss Atkins (that was, and she
will allow me to recall the name which is so fragrant in our memories)
became principal of the Seminary. She took upon herself with daring zeal
all the responsibilities of its management and pecuniary liabilities. She
became by purchase the owner of the buildings and other property, and
boldly went forth to meet the dangers of the way.

Let no one suppose them to have been small. What perils were encoun-
tered ; what lonely hours of weakness, weariness and discouragement were
passed ; what tears flowed, and saddened prayers were offered, and pangs of
disappointment were suffered before the sunlight rose, God only perfectly
knows. It is well that the memory, or at least the vividness of the memory
is hidden in the sombre shadows of the night of the past.

Then the Seminary began to rise before our people in all its excellence.
Miss Atkins' high repute spread abroad. As fast as her means would allow,
she surrounded herself with teachers of superior excellence. Classes of
young ladies from the best families in the State gathered in these halls,
The successful examinations, the fine exhibitions of talent at the Commence-
ment exercises, the eclat given by the learning, refinement and superiority
of the graduated pupils, placed the Benicia Young Ladies' Seminary in the
front rank with the best institutions in America.

And the credit of this is due to Miss Atkins. Her pupils have made
their mark in the world, and speak for themselves. They are among the
most distinguished women in this State for all that makes women pre-emi-
nent in intelligence, position and piety. On this platform I see one lady,
(Mrs. Kincaid,) a graduate of this institution, who has made teaching her
profession. She is one of the most distinguished and successful teachers in
the Girls' High School in San Francisco. Everywhere in the families, the
neighborhoods, the schools, the cities of our State, have the instructions
and influence of Miss Atkins left an impression, deep, broad and abiding.

Nor is that influence confined to us. Many of the bright pupils who once
lent radiance to these scenes, have left the dark earth, guided by that
divine faith which led their steps up the heavenly way. The earliest and
foremost of the graduates (Mrs. Walsh Ferguson) thus departed in the hope

174 THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

of glory. Others have followed her. But last week there was one in San
Francisco (Miss Mary Dollarhide) who hoped to have been present on this
occasion. But this very week we have been called to follow all of her that
was mortal to the house appointed for all living. But it is believed by
many that the dead are sometimes permitted to revisit the earth, and
though unseen by us, pass through our midst and rejoice in our joy. It is
in speaking of the faithful dead that the Scriptures say : ' Seeing therefore
that we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses!'' The beautiful
dead who have gone up from us may return to hail and applaud our con-
tinued zeal and efforts for good.

HOPE.

The Word of God forbids us to dwell amid the former scenes ' Forgetting
the things that are past, press toward the mark for the prize ' which God
from on high is calling to us to attain, Mr. Moody's favorite song is one that
it behooves us all to sing :

' More to follow, always more to follow ! '

It is consumate folly always to be dawdling over what might have been.
The past is gone. Nothing can recall it. The present and the future, un-
der God, are ours.

It was a most noble suggestion to bring back to this school the person who
at an early day made it so famous. She comes indeed under better auspices
than before. She is no longer alone, but with her much esteemed and
honored husband (Mr. Lynch) she brings accumulated force and courage to
her grand task. It seems to us that there is almost everything to encourage
and hope for in this renewed undertaking. Certainly the field is very
different from what it was formerly. Schools for young ladies, distinguished
for the character of the teachers and their elegant adornings, are numerous.
The public schools are aiming at the most thorough training of their pupils.
But this Seminary, under the experienced, skillful 'and kindly direction of
Mrs. Lynch, need not fear to enter into competition with any or all of them.
Her reputation goes before her, and is known of all. The many superior
ladies, graduates of this school, who adorn California society, are her stand-
ing advertisement.

We tender to the citizens of Benicia our hearty congratulations for the
great acquisition to this Young Ladies' Seminary of its eminent former
principal, and to Mr. and Mrs. Lynch our best wishes and prayers that they
may secure the triumphant success they justly deserve."

THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY. 175

OFFICERS OF GOVERNMENT AND INSTRUCTION FOR 1879-80 ARE

Mary Atkins Lynch, Principal; Martha Hathaway, Latin, Litera-
ture, History and Geography ; Francis C. Bauman, Mathematics ; Anne C.
Craig, Natural History, Elocution and Drawing ; A. Roger, French ;
Josephine Abele, French, German and Piano ; F. Corbaz, Piano ; Susie
I. Morgan.. Singing ; Harrie H. Riddell, Painting ; Eliza E. Crocker,
Matron ; Laura Lamme White, Assistant Matron and Teacher of Saving.

The College of St. Augustine — Was founded A. D. 1867, and in-
corporated in 1868. It is under the Rectorship of the Rt. Rev. J. H. D.
Wingfield, D.D., LL. D., and is governed by a Board of Trustees and a
Board of Instructors ; is located at Benicia, California. The buildings oc-
cupy an elevated site and command an extensive view of the Straits of
Carquinez and the beautiful hills beyond, with Mount Diablo on the left
and San Pablo Bay on the right. The grounds are sixty acres in extent, a
portion of which is tastefully laid out and decorated with flowers, orna-
mental trees and shrubberry. Having been erected expressly for Academical
purposes, the buildings are strictly adapted to the needs of the students,
being commodious and inviting, well ventilated and heated. In the
domestic arrangements eveiy care is taken to unite the culture and comforts
of a Christian home with the strict discipline of a school. Attention is paid
to the personal habits and manners of the Cadets. They sleep in single al-
coves, in dormitories, under the charge of Teachers and Military Officers.
The Teachers and Cadets meet as one family in a commodious Dining Hall,
and attend Divine Service daily in the College Chapel.

It is designed in this Institution to combine with moral and mental
education a thorough course of Military instruction, consisting of daily ex-
ercise in Infantry, Cavalry and Artillery Tactics, in which every Cadet is
required to participate. In all the routine of duties, each Cadet is subject
to a system of regulations, designed to make him prompt, systematic, and
gentleman-like. This Military Discipline, by its thoroughness and impar-
tiality, is eminently fitted to perfect the physical man, and to give habits of
quick obedience, order, politeness and manliness.

The spacious parade-ground affords a superior and attractive place for
drill and physical recreation, while a large building, erected for the
Eulexian Literary and Dramatic Society, and for an Armory, with Gym-
nasium attached, furnishes the Cadet with unusual advantages of in-door
exercises.

In the work of instruction, the Rector is aided by a Corps of Experienced
and Competent Professors and Teachers, who devote their time exclusively
to the business of the College.

Each Instructor has been selected because of his peculiar fitness for the
Department to which he is assigned, and is held responsible for the faithful

176 THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

discharge of his duty to his classes. In order to satisfy himself of the
proper advancement of all Cadets, the Rector frequently examines the
respective classes.

The College Session consists of Two Terms of Twenty Weeks each.

Trinity Term begins on the Thursday after the 28th of July, and closes
on the Thursday next before the 23d of December. After a vacation of
four weeks, the EASTER TERM begins on the second Thursday in January,
and closes on the Thursday next after the first Wednesday in June.

Punctual attendance on the first day of the term is imperative. To insure
high standing, the Cadet must answer at the roll-call at 7 o'clock on the
evening of the opening day. No alcoves are reserved, the first on the
ground has the first choice in the Dormitory to which he may be assigned.

Every Cadet, on his arrival, shall immediately report himself to the
Rector, the Commandant of the Corps, and the First Sergeant.

No furloughs are granted after entrance. Patrons are urged not to ask
permission for Cadets to leave the College for any cause. Under no cir-
cumstances can any Cadet be received for less than a term. He is expected
to remain at least one Session of two terms, during which period his whole
time and energies are required. New Cadets will be admitted at any time ;
and, after the first • month will be charged from date of entrance to the end
of the term.

No visitors are welcome on the Lord's Day.

There are, besides these two Academies, the School under the Catholic
clergy, and the College of St. Mary.

While on the subject of schools, we would here draw attention to what
has been done for the education of the yonng of the county in the past
thirty years.

If there is one man more than another to whom praise is due for the
present educational prosperity of the State, and therefore of Solano county,
in which he was especially interested, that man is the late Hon. Paul K.
Hubbs. From the first arrival of this accomplished statesman in California,
he strove manfully and ardently to systematize its educational interests.
He served for a long time as the head of that especial department in the
State Legislature, and it is worthy of note that during his tenure of that
responsible office, in three years, the number of schools in the State in-
creased from twenty to three hundred and sixteen, while the attendance
rose from three thousand three hundred and fourteen to twenty-six
thousand one hundred and sixty. This was more than twenty years ago;
what are the school statistics of the county at present !

On the 30th of June, 1878, the number of first grade schools in Solano
county were twenty-six ; second grade, thirty-eight ; and third, seventeen.
Of these one school-house is built of brick — -that at Benicia, formerly the

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THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY. 177

State Capitol, and fifty-two of wood, while four new school-houses have
been erected in the last year. These schools are taught by eighty-one
teachers, of whom fifty are females and thirty-one males, the former having
an average monthly salary of $63.52, and the latter $91.16 ; eighteen of
these preceptors hold life certificates. In the year ending, as per above
date, two schools were maintained less than six months, twenty-four for
more than six and less than eight, while twenty-one were continued for
eight months and over. Within that period fifteen certificates were
granted to male, and thirteen to female teachers, and twenty applicants
rejected, while there were twenty-three certificates renewed. Five students
from Solano were at that date attending the State Normal School, and in
regard to the county's division there are forty-eight districts, three of
them being fractional, and in one of these the school-house is situated
without the limits of the county. The rate of county school-tax levied
to October, 1877, was 25 per 100. County assessment roll of taxable
property for 1877, $9,022,101 ; amount received from county taxes, $23,-
157 59 ; amount received from poll-tax, $3,771 85 ; cash drawn from un-
apportioned County Fund for Board of Examination, $244 55 ; cash drawn
from unapportioned County Fund for postage, stationery, etc., $25. The
value of the school lots, houses and furniture to that date was $98,600 ;
cash in hand in various districts on June 30, 1878, $16,809 67 ; received
from State Apportionment School Fund, $36,119 89 ; from County Appor-
tionment in total, $28,355 55; from City and District Taxes, $4,212' 47,
and from miscellaneous sources, $945. Teachers' salaries have been paid to
the amount of $49,443 92 ; fuel, rent, etc., $9,151 08; libraries, $1,397 61 ;
apparatus and other necessaries, $138 10, and sites, furniture, etc.,
$9,675 43. Thus it is seen to what vast proportions the educational in-
terests of one county may spring in what is not quite half a life-time.

Secret Societies, Associations, Etc. — All cities, how small they may
be, have each their lodge, brotherhood or guild; as is natural, Benicia is not
without such representation ; indeed she would appear to have been one of
the first to whom was extended the right hand of brotherly love.

Benicia Lodge No. 5, F. and A. M. — Has a history of rare mark. On
June 5, 1849, certain Master Masons received from the Grand Lodge of
Louisiana, permission to congregate into a Traveling Lodge, to be held in
California. A Lodge, und.er this Dispensation, was opened by L. A. Besan-
con, one of the original number, who appointed D. B. Hyam, W. M.; James
H. Saunders, S. W.; and L. B. Mizner, J. W., the officers in the original Dis-
pensation of that rank, being permanently absent. The first meeting of the
Lodge was held and officers appointed, on March 6th, 1850. On application,
a Charter was granted by the Grand Lodge of California ; on the 26th of
12

178 THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

November, of the same year, the first officers appointed, being D. B. Hyam,
W. M.; L. B. Mizner, S. W.; and Alexander Rid dell, J. W. The number of
members on the roll are now about forty -five ; while the officers for the
current year are : W. M., George Poor ; S. W., Murdoch McArthur ; J. W.,
Louis Weinmann ; Treasurer, John Reuger ; Secretary, Charles Spalding ;
S. D., William R. Carnpbell ; J. D., John Mounce ; Marshall, F. P. Wein-
mann ; Stewards, F. D. Blake, and Edwin Esty ; and Tyler, T. Sage. The
Trustees are : R. Westerby, T. McKay, and V: Newmark. It meets on the
Wednesday of, or preceding, the full moon ; and we are happy to say that
this old institution flourishes, it having a cash-balance on hand, as well as
owning the hall wherein the craft meet, and the lot on which it has been
erected.

Benicia Chapter No. 7, R. A. M. — This Chapter received its Charter
on May 1, 1855 ; the members applying, and whose names appear on the
parchment, being Charles French, John L. Sanborn, Thomas Farmer, Wil-
liam McGufnck, Thomas Brownlee, Henry Hook, B. Robinson, J. C. Stone,
R. N. Woode, H. Wheeler, John Tucker, and Sydney Maupin. The first
officers who served after the institution of the Chapter, were : John L.
Sanborn, High Priest ; Charles French, King ; and Thomas Farmer, Scribe.
The present office-holders are : High Priest, Timothy Sage ; King, Thomas
McKay ; Scribe, Murdoch McArthur ; Treasurer, John Reuger ; Secretary,
Charles Spalding; Captain of Host, George Poor ; Prin. Sojourner, Wm.
R. Campbell ; Roy. Arch. Captain, L. B. Mizner ; Master, 3rd. Vail, E.
H. Von Pfister ; Master of 2nd Vail, Joseph Green Johnson ; Master of 1st
Vail, Archibald McDonald; Guard, Robert Steuart. Past High Priest,
Timothy Sage. The members on the roll at present are twenty-three in
number ; while they meet on the Tuesday of, or preceding, the full moon.

Solano Lodge, No. 22, I. 0. 0. F. — This, another of California's first
organized Lodges, was instituted by Right Worshipful Grand Master, S. H.
Parker, on April 8, 1854, having, for its Charter members, George H. Rid-
dell, Paul Shirley, Charles W. Hayden, George Leviston, and John S. Brown.
The first officers who served, were : George Leviston, N. G.; Paul Shirley,
V. G.; C. W. Hayden, Secy.; and T. B. Storer, Treas., who, on being installed,
at once held a meeting, and conferred degrees upon several applicants. The
number on the muster-roll of the Lodge now, is sixty-two ; while the officers
jn the different chairs, are; N. G., Dr. V. Newmark; V. G., (vacant) ; Sec-
retary, Charles Spalding ; Treasurer, S. J. Filer ; W. Warden, Willaim
Fox ; Conductor, H. A. Booth ; O. G., William Kuhland ; I. G., A. P. Whit-
man ; R. S. to N. G., D. E. Roberts ; L. S. to N. G., John Binnington ; R. S-
to V. G., Daniel Cameron ; L. S. to V. G., Joseph Roskilly ; R. S. S., Fred.
Fried ; L. S. S., George Roskilly. Trustees, J. R. Brown, A. P. Whitman,

THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY. 179

William Kuhland. This Lodge owns its hall wherein the brethren meet ;
and we are happy to announce that it was never in so properous a condit-
ion as it is to-day. Meetings every Monday evening.

Industries. — Without doubt the industries of Benicia are centred in its
tanneries, of which there are three of extensive proportions in operation,
giving employment to nearly three hundred men. The day has gone, when
in the workshops of this, then thought to be the rising city of the Pacific
coast, the noise and bustle of manufacture was heard. The works of the
Mail Company, which used to pay out as much as $60,000 per month in
wages alone, have long ago been abandoned ; and Mr. Westerby, the present
proprietor, who has lately acquired the property, is now hunting the tule
for old chains, for many years hid by mud and rushes. Ditches have ceased
to be dug, or streets to be graded ; and but for its tanneries, this fair city,
which once had such fair prospects, would be a city of the dead indeed.

The Pioneer Tannery. — This establishment, as its name signifies, was
the first tannerry started in Benicia. About eleven years ago, J. R. Brown
and Thomas McKay decided to try the experiment of running a tannery
at this place. They started in with four tan vats, and only a few hundred
dollars in money, but with a whole fortune of pluck. By hard work,
superior skill, and close attention to business, they made the enterprise
a success from the start, when failure was prophesied from all quarters ;
and now the Pioneer tannery is one of the most important in the State.
It has a reputation that extends to Boston. The buildings and yards
occupy between four and five acres of ground. They have two currying
shops that are 35x45 feet in size ; a beam house that is 75 feet long
by forty wide ; a splendid wharf, with a building on it, 75 feet long
and two stories high, that is used as a warehouse, drying-room, and
bark-shed. They "have other buildings, consisting of numerous bark-
sheds, bark-mill, engine house, boarding house, etc. The machinery of the
establishment is run by a 15 -horse power engine. They have here all the
latest improved machinery, consisting of a glassing jack, roller, slicking-off
machine, etc. Some idea of the amount of capital required to run this
place may be formed from the fact that they have on hand between eight
and ten thousand dollars' worth of tan bark alone. Some thirty men find
steady employment here. The tannery is producing now six hundred sides
per week. The manufactures of this establishment consists principally of
sole, harness, buff, shoe and polish leather. Mr. Alexander Chisholm, shortly
after the tannery was started, was taken in as a partner, and in July last,
he and Mr. McKay bought out Mr. Brown's interest, and the tannery is now
owned and run by McKay & Chisholm, who were both almost raised tan-
ners. They give their personal supervision to the mechanical department,
which may in part account for the success of the institution.

180 THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

The Benicia Tannery. — Some five years after the starting of the
Pioneer, Mr. Robert Stewart started a tannery near it. After a year
or two's proprietorship, he was succeeded by Messrs. Moore & Cummings.
The new firm had hardly got in good working order, when the whole
establishment, in a few short hours, was destroyed by fire. This was a
severe blow to the young men composing the firm ; but Mr. E. Dan-
forth, an old resident of Benicia, having confidence in their business
qualifications, skill and enterprise, furnished them means to build and
conduct the tannery now owned and run by them at the foot of First
street. The establishment occupies two acres of land for its buildings,
yards and sheds. The currying shop is 40x60 feet, and three stories
high, connected with which are drying-rooms, bark-mill, beam-house, etc.,
nearly 200 feet in length. Near this building is an immense bark shed,
which holds between five and six hundred cords of bark — worth $10,000 —
which is laid in every fall to carry over to the next season. They have also
warehouse room for storing leather and material used in the manufacturing.
They make eighteen different kinds of leather here. They have between
thirty and forty hands, and have between fifteen and twenty thousand dol-
lars invested in stock all the time. Their monthly pay-roll for wages
amounts to about $2,000. They manufacture about 3,000 sides per month.
Mr. Chas. Moore attends to the business department, and Mr. Frank Cum-
mings to the mechanical department. The latter gentleman is a manufact-
urer of some twenty years' experience in the Eastern States, where he
acquired a thorough and practical knowledge of making all the finer grades
of leather ; such as glove kid, Russia, pebble goat, shoe, buff and leather for
hand satchels or bags. To him for the skill, and to Messrs. Brown &
McKay for the enterprise, is the State indebted for adding these to the
wealth of California manufactures. The manufacture of the hand-bag
leather has led to the establishment of a manufactory of those articles in
San Francisco, and Messrs. Moore & Cummings have the orders for the
leather. Mr. Cummings, when he arrived in California, went to nearly
every tannery and sought to introduce the manufacture of these fancy
leathers, and especially buff leather, which was at that time extensively
shipped to this State. His efforts were fruitless until he met with Messrs.
Brown & McKay, who were clear-headed enough to see the advantage and
profit of making that leather in California, and had the pluck to run the
risk of the experiment. The result was all that Cummings claimed, and all
Brown & McKay expected. It soon gave to Benicia the reputation of being
the hub of the tannery interest of the State. The Benicia tannery has a
large amount of its leather made up into boots and shoes in San Francisco,
and they intend that as soon as it can be accomplished, to have that manu-
facturing done in Benicia. The different varieties of leather manufactured
at this tannery were displayed at the Mechanic's Fair in a very attractive

THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY. 181'

manner, and was examined by a large number of experts who pronounced
the display in the highest degree creditable to the exhibitors. The manag-
ers of the institution awarded them the Grand Medal for the finest display
in their line of goods. On the 1st of January next there will be a change
in the firm's name, the new firm will be composed of Mr. C. J. Moore, F.
Cummings, and Mr. E. P. Danforth, who will own equal interests. Success
to them.

Brown's Tannery. — Mr. J. R. Brown some months previous to selling out
his interest in the Pioneer Tannery had started a small tannery near the old
establishment on his own responsibibity and after settling up with his old
partners immediately went to work to put his small establishment on an equal
footing with his neighbors in facility and capacity. He erected new buildings,
put in a steam engine, bought more land, and soon had an establishment that
was creditable to Mr. Brown's enterprise and a substantial addition to the
manufacturing interests of Benicia. The main building is 100x30 feet in
size with three floors. A short distance from it is the bark mill, also a beam
house. Mr. Brown gives employment to some twenty hands, and is now
manufacturing from 75 to 100 sides per day. Dan. Chisholm, a practical
tanner of great experience, is the foreman. The production of this tannery
is principally sole, harness and light leather. The machinery of the estab-
lishment is run by a fifteen horse-power engine and the steam is furnished
by a thirty horse-power boiler. Both were built by J. L. Heald, of Vallejo.
The engine is a beautiful piece of mechanism. About one-half of the pro-
duction of the tannery is bought from the city tanneries partly tanned and
is finished here. Since the 1st inst. he has increased the size of his beam
house, and has a force of carpenters at work increasing the number of his
vats. Mr. Brown is not only an enterprising and successful tanner, but is a
most valuable citizen. He is at present one of the City Trustees, and ever
on hand to give his personal aid and time to assist any project of public
character or enterprise of benefit to Benica.

Pacific Cement Company — P. Martin, proprietor and manager, was estab-
lished in 1864 and is situated on blocks 35 and 36 in the city of Benicia.
The establishment is comprised in seven buildings, viz.: Kiln-house, mill-
house and warehouses, with cooper's shops, etc. The machinery used is
worked by a steam engine of twenty horse-power, with a capacity of turn-
ing out 140 barrels of cement a day. The material used is obtained from
within a circuit of six miles ; it is easily procured and of the first order,
the quality of the cement, when mixed, being asserted to be equal to that
of the best Rosendale. There is a capacity for the employment of fifty
men on the works, while every facility for shipment, in regard to wharves
and warehouses, are to be found on the premises. The company owns a
schooner of its own which plies between the works and San Francisco.

'182 THE HISTOKY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

Benicia Brewery. — The Benicia Brewery stands on lot sixteen, block
twenty, and is the adobe building erected by Major Stephen Cooper in 1847,
and used first by him and after by Von Pfister as the California Hotel. In
the month of August, 1855, the structure was purchased by John Reuger
who started a brewery, a portion of the materials and machinery being
brought by him from Marysville where he had previously engaged in the
business. The structure has, since its abobe days, been considerably im-
proved by brick and wooden additions, making now a main building 62x46
feet of two and one-half stories, with necessary cellars. The front portion
of the first floor consists of six rooms, used as a saloon and for dwelling
purposes, the second floor has five sleeping rooms, and the third is the air
drying-room for malt. Besides these there are in other buildings, the malt
house, the granary, brewing room and beer cellars. On the floor above the
brewing room is a beer kettle of fifteen barrels capacity, a crushing mill
for malt, and the beer cooler. Mr. Reuger's establishment is one well
worthy a visit, while his business, we are informed, considering the times
is fairly prosperous.

Hotels. — The old original hotels mentioned in these pages have long
since made way for others, but with no marked success, it is to be presumed
in regard to the number of guests or the returns to their tills; mayhap the
railroad may do some good ; if it should, time will tell. To-day the hotel
proprietors would not seem to be reaping a golden harvest ; in olden days
affairs were different in the matter of houses of entertainment. In 1849,
when Capt. Yon Pfister was proprietor of the California House, he paid his
cook $150 a month, two stewards $125 each, a dishwasher $65, a house-
keeper and bar-tender $100 each, while with a rental of $500 per mensem,
he cleared, for eleven months, a free sum of $1,000 for each month. In
1852, Tom Maguire, the present lessee and manager of Baldwin's Theatre
in San Francisco, arrived in Benicia and built a gorgeous " gin mill " near
where the Solano Hotel now stands, indeed the place is now the barber's
shop. This saloon was at the time the finest in the State ; two large bars
were kept constantly at work, while the attractiveness of the establishment
was materially enhanced by the presence of a noble band of music — these
were the days of reckless squanderings and riotous living.

Solano Hotel — Is the principal hostelry in the city where the traveler
will receive every attention to his wants, and be courteously treated by the
host, F. P. Weinmann. The building was owned and carried on as a hotel
by his father before him, and to-day the establishment receives most of the
patronage which comes to Benicia.

It is now in contemplation to change the present route of the overland
train, bringing it from Sacramento by way of Suisun and Benicia, thence

THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY. 183

crossing the straits of Carquinez to the line now running to Martinez and
Oakland. Large ferry slips are being built Tor this purpose, but it will be
some months ere the works are completed.

In conclusion we will draw attention to Benicia as a place for manufactures.

We have before this alluded in general terms to the advantages which
Benicia possesses, and pointed out several classes of such enterprises to which
it presents exceptional facilities. The list of these can be easily extended.

We do not know of a town in the State which offers a better location for
a box manufactory than Benicia. Boxes can, in the first place, be made
cheaper here than in San Francisco, the present great center of the business.
The lumber can be brought here directly from the Coast mills and as
cheaply as to San Francisco, and the ground for the establishment can be
bought or leased a great deal cheaper. This later is no small item. Box
manufactories require a great deal of extra ground to hold their stock of N
lumber and furnish a place for seasoning it. There is one box manufactory
in San Francisco the value of grounds alone is worth, if our memory serves
rightly, over a hundred thousand dollars. This represents an extra amount
of capital which its business requires, and in reality increases the expenses
of the building by about one thousand dollars a month or whatever the
interest on the valuation may be.

Now as to the market. Benicia is right at the door of as good a local
market, at least for some classes of boxes, as there is in the State. For
fruit boxes the demand in this section is immense. There are the orchards
and vineyards of Napa county, of Green Valley, Pleasant Valley, and in
fact of the whole of Solano county — an area embracing one of the most
abundant fruit producing sections of the State. All this section could be
supplied to advantage from a Benicia factory. Last and by no means least
are the immense and prolific orchards of the Sacramento river, but a step as
it were from our city. Here is a supply of fruit requiring three or four fruit
steamers to carry it to market ; and the product rapidly increasing. This
section promises to be one vast orchard before many years, as to supply
almost the State with some kinds of fruit. A Benicia manufactory ought
to be able from its position to meet at least a large share of the box con-
sumption required in this immense business.

A sketch of the newspapers that have been published in Benicia has been
given elsewhere. At the present time there exists The New Era — which
was first printed on December 22, 1877, edited and published by F. A.
Leach, manager of the Vallejo Chronicle Publishing Co. On January 12,
1878, Mr. E. A. McDonell was admitted a partner in the concern, and on
May 22, 1879, owing to ill-health Mr. Leach withdrew from the firm dis-
posing of his interest to Mr. McDonell, his partner. The Era has a circula-
tion of about seven hundred, while most of the " old timers " who now reside
in other parts of the United States are on the subscription list. We wish,
prosperity to the pleasant sheet and its pleasant and kind editor and proprietor

184 THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

VALLEJO.

To General Mariana Guadalupe Vallejo belongs the honor of selecting the
spot on which the city which bears his name now stands. The Suscol
ranch had been granted to him by the Mexican Government, and in it was
comprised what is now Vallejo city. As far back as 1837, then what may
be considered the dark ages of the Pacific coast, the district had no resident
save the aboriginal Indians, the herds of undomesticated cattle and horses,
the beasts of prey, and the fowls of the air. Wild oats grew in every valley
and on every hill-top. Trees of any size were few and far between. The
rivers and bays teemed with fishes. ; while game, both large and small, of
every kind found shelter in the nooks and crevices of the canons. In that
year, or, perhaps, the following, the General undertook a pilgrimage to
these fair leagues of his from Sonoma — a town which he had already laid
out by direction of the Commander-in-Chief — accompanied by his youthful
bride ; both were full of promise, high in spirits and exultant in aspirations;
the journey Was an arduous one for the fair Senora, but made as comfort-
able as circumstances would permit, as might be expected for the wife of
a heroic soldier. Seated in her chair-saddle (the precursor of those of a
later date), she passed through mile upon mile and acre after acre of her
husband's possessions, looking with satisfaction upon a territory worthy, in
her eyes, of so great a hero. Her retinue were silent with wonder at what
they saw, and conversed in whispers ; while the proud owner of so fair a
domain, with head erect and eagle eye, pointed out the more prominent
land-marks. Coming in view of a hill, which he named the Balcony, about
six miles north of the present city, they rode to its summit and called a halt
to enjoy the ravishing prospect, and here the General, after the manner of
De Foe's hero, inferred :

" I am monarch of all I survey,

My right, there is none to dispute ;
From the centre all round to the sea,
I'm lord of the fowl and the brute."

Resuming their voyage of discovery they arrived on the site where the
Capitol was afterwards built, and ascended the knoll ; from this vantage
ground could be viewed the undulating wastes promising a rare fertility,
the sloping hills, the level shore, the Carquinez straits and the bay with its
many inlets and well protected harbor, and from this height, almost in the

THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY. 185

spirit of prophecy he declared that here should he found a city, a city
which would not only hand down his name to posterity with honor, but
make a name for itself in the annals of the world — he not only foreshadowed
the line o f railway which now stretches its giant arms across this vast
American continent, but he also told of how ships of every flag would
peacefully ride upon the placid bosom of her bays, and how every nation
under the blue canopy of heaven should join in the busy whirl of business
and this future city of his become the vast emporium of trade on the Pacific
Coast, and the half-way house of commerce between Europe and Asia. To
this the lady listened with bated breath and answered that she feared he
was too visionary and far ahead of the times ; he may have replied thus, if
not in so many words, assuredly he did so in spirit — mark my words ! what
I have to-day spoken shall come true. I feel a spirit within which tells me
that this Hacienda of mine shall be the neuclus of a vast State, of which I
shall be Governor. It shall be bounded on one side by the Isthmus of
Panama, the northern sea shall only check its limits on the other hand,
while the Rocky mountains, high though they be, shall only encourage me
to surmount them, so that my Province may be widened ! ! ! 'Twas from
this spot that the Senora Vallejo cast longing eyes upon the fertile slopes
of Mare Island, at the time expressing an implied wish that it was hers,
when her magnanimous liege spoke forth " it is yours," and thereafter it
was looked upon and known as her own private property.

For twelve years after the above described journey General Vallejo ruled
his miniature kingdom of some 90,000 acres. The Aborigines were a happy
and pastoral race, knowing no guile and living in a state of nature, they
had quietly acknowledged the superior influence of the mighty mind and
paternal government of their white chief, who had never hurt their feelings
or ridiculed their prejudices. The Christian religion was expounded to
them by missionaries capable of undertaking so high a labor while with
filial obedience they looked to the General as their protector. He built an
adobe house on the Suscol fresh water creek, about eleven miles from the
sea, where he established Solano, the chief of the Suisun tribe, and former
lords of the soil, and after his death, one of his eleven wives found shelter
for years under the roof of this large hearted man. The following interest-
ing, remarks are taken from the Vallejo directory of 1870. " The toilet of
the women was more pretentious (than that of the males), consisting only
of a scanty apron of fancy skins or feathers, extending to the knees. Those
of them who were unmarried wore also a bracelet around the ankle or arm
near the shoulder. This ornament was generally made of bone or fancy
wood. Polygamy was a recognized institution. Chiefs generally possessed
eleven wives, sub-chiefs nine, and ordinary warriors two or more according
to their wealth or property. But Indian-like they would fight among
themselves long before the Spaniards came, and bloody fights they often

186 THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

were. Their weapons were bows and arrows, clubs and spears, with which
they were very adroit. They had also a kind of helmet make of skins. In
times of peace they kept up the martial spirit by sham fights or tourna-
ments. Their women participated in their battles not as actual belligerents
but as a sanitary brigade ; they followed their wairiors and supplied them
with provisions and attended them when wounded, carrying their pappooses
on their backs at the same time. These Indians believed in a future exis-
tence and an all powerful Great Spirit. But they likewise believed in a
Cucusuy.. or Mischief-maker, who took delight in their annoyance, and to
him and his agent they attributed all their sickness and other misfortunes."

It may not be out of place to relate the following legend : When the
Spaniards were crossing the mountain called Bolgones, where an Indian
spirit was supposed to dwell, having a cave for his haunt, he was disturbed
by the approach of the soldiers, and, emerging from the gloom, arrayed in
all his feathers and war paint, with very little else by way of costume,
motioned to them to depart, threatening, by gesticulation, to weave a spell
around them ; but the sturdy warriors were not to be thus easily awed.
They beckoned him to approach ; this invitation, however, the wizard
declined, when one of the men secured him with his lasso to see if he were
" goblin damn'd " or ordinary mortal. Even now he would not speak, 'but
continued his mumblings, when an extra tug caused him to shout and pray
to be released. On the relation of this, the Indians pointed to Bolgones,
calling it the mountain of the Cucusuy, which the Spaniards translated into
Monte Diablo. Hence the name of the mountain, which is the meridian of
scientific exploration in California.

The first authentic record of a carriage to be found is that in which Gen-
eral Vallejo's family traveled from Sonoma to Benicia in the year 1848.
The undertaking was a difficult one enough. The country was innocent of
roads or bridges, so that when a creek was gained the horses were unyoked
and forded over, while the vehicle was lifted bodily and carried to the
opposite side. This may be called the first streak of daylight in the hith-
erto darkness of locomotion on this part of the coast. About this period
would-be settlers first made their appearance, and, after viewing the country,
returned to whence they came. In the following year, with the discovery
of gold, people from every quarter of the habitable globe flocked to Cali-
fornia, which was admitted into the United States of America. The
position of this hitherto unpopulated spot was brought prominently forth.
Government Surveyors commenced operations, and towards its latter end
the settlement of the city may be said to have commenced. No accurate
data can be procured of what transpired in the first settlement of the city,
or who were the very first families to locate here ; but this is beyond dispute,
that in the spring of 1850, the name of Vallejo was given to the city out of
compliment to that gentleman, who had worked so indefatigably in its behalf,

THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY. 187

with what result will be hereafter shown. It had been decided that the Capi-
tal should be removed from San Jose hither — a decision which was carried
by an almost unanimous vote of the people — therefore the State House was
finished toward the end of that year, and, to celebrate the event, the follow-
ing card of invitation was issued for a grand re-union in the State building.
There being few of these now extant, while, from the eminence since gained
by many of the managers, this historical card — historical alike to California
as a State and Vallejo as a city — has been deemed worthy of being repro-
duced in its entirety :

" A grand Christmas ball will be given at Vallejo, on the evening of the
25th instant, in the Senate and Assembly Chambers of the new State
Capitol, on which occasion the Hon. Isaac E. Holmes will address the
ladies and gentlemen at 7\ o'clock.

M , the pleasure of your company is respectfully

requested."

MANAGERS.

Hon. Isaac E. Holmes ; Gen. P. A. Morse ; Hon. T. Butler King ; Hon. L.
M. Boggs ; Hon. William Smith ; Hon. Martin Cook ; Hon. Robert Hop-
kins ; Hon. Daniel Fisk ; Hon. E. Heydenfelt ; Hon. B. F. Keene ; Hon.
Geo. Walton ; Hon. James Walsh ; Hon. Wm. H. Lyons ; Hon. J. C. Fre-
mont ; Hon. P. W. Keyser ; Hon. Jas. Hudspeth ; Hon. James Law ; Hon.
G. D. Hall; Hon. A. J.' Cost; Hon. N. Smith; Hon. Jas. F. Graham; Hon.
Jas. F. Burt ; Hon. J. B. Weller ; Hon. T. J. Henley ; Gen. M. G. Vallejo ;
Gen. D. F. Douglass ; Gen. John E. Addison, Gen. A. M. Winn ; Gen. S. M.
Miles ; Gen. D. P. Baldwin ; Gen. Richardson ; Gen. Thomas J. Green ; Gen.
A. McDowell ; Gen. G. F. Rains ; Majors P. B. Reading ; S. Cooper ; George
Wyatt ; Loring, U. S. A. ; E. H. Fitzgerald ; N. Davis, U. S. A. ; Wm. Mc-
Daniel ; Robt. Allen ; F. A. Sawyer ; Colonel J. Hooker, U. S. A. ; Gens. J.
M. Estell, and S. A. Booker ; Captains Folsom, U. S. A. ; John A. Sutter ; H.
Riddell ; J. B. Frisbie ; Steel, U. S. A. ; Doct. Dyerlie, U. S. A. ; Lieut. G.
Page,U. S. A. ; Captains J. Watkins, P. M. S.Co. ; Randall, P. M. S. Co. ; Totten,
P. M. S. Co.; Walsh, P. M. S. Co. ; Cols. John C. Hays ; William Smith ; H.
Clay Mudd ; J. B. Starr ; Captains C. Hyatt ; George Yount ; Sam Graham ;
Wm. McMickle ; E. Barry ; J. W. Hulbert ; S. Smith ; Thomas Hunt : Col.
R. Rust ; Harvey Sparks, Esq. ; H. Lee, Esq. ; Hon. J. C. Winston ; F. C.
Ewer, Esq. ; Judge M. Lewis; L. P. Walker, Esq.; M. T. McLeland, Esq. ;
Judge Stark ; Judge Kilbourn ; M. Combs, Esq. ; Wm. Baldridge, Esq. ;
George M. Cornwell, Esq. ; J. D. Bristol, Esq. ; J. S. Cripps, Esq. ; J. O.
Farrell, Esq. ; E. L. Stetson, Esq.; F. Vassault, Esq.; J. E. Lawrence, Esq.;
L. B. Mizner, Esq. ; T. J. Harnes, Esq. ; S. Barnum, Esq. ; James Cooper,
Esq. ; L. Q. Wilbur, Esq. ; E. F. Willison, Esq. ; John Nugent, Esq. ;
Samuel Martin, Esq. ; Col. John R. Boyd ; Dr. Robert Semple ; Dr. Morse ;

188 THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY.

B. F. Osborne, Esq. ; Capt. F. Marryatt ; Capt. W. A. Howard, U. S. R. S. ;
George N. Shaw, Esq. ; Dr. P. C. Pope ; Cols. J. C. Johnson ; A. M. Latham ;

C. K. Fish; Stewart Perry; Dr. Pickering; Dr. Nicholas Parr; Hon. P.
Tompkins ; Major John Caperton ; Col. J. Long ; E. C. Kemble, Esq. ; F.
Argenti. Esq.; Charles P. Strode, Esq.; Richard Maupin; Dr. Levi
Frisbie ; S. C. Massett, Esq.; Major Burney ; Dr. Archibald Tennant;
Richard Barry, Esq. ; J. L. L. F. Warren, Esq. ; T. K. Batelle, Esq. ; Col.
Gregory Yale ; E. G. Austin, Esq. ; F. R. Loomis, Esq. ; W. F. Kelsey, Esq. ;

E. M. Hayes, Esq. ; L. D. Slamm, TJ.'S. N. ; Capts., U. S. N. : Aug. Case ; J.
Alden ; S. R. Knox ; G. W. Hammersly; Lieuts., TJ. S. N. : T. H. Stevens ; L.
Maynard ; T. B. King, Jr., Esq. ; Wm. H. Davis, Esq. ; Hon. S. E. Wood-
worth ; R. H. Taylor, Esq. ; Capts. A. Bartol, Douglass Ottinger, TJ. S. R. S. ;
Col. Geo. McDougal ; Capts. W. D. M. Howard, C. G. ; N. H. Wise ; Henry

F. Joseph, Esq. ; J. H. Redington, Esq. ; Dr. Hitchcock, U. S. A. ; Hon. H.
Fitzsimmons ; James Hubbard, Esq. ; Theodore Payne, Esq. ; Wm. H. Tal-
mage, Esq. ; Dr. H. M. Gray ; Hon. P. A. Morse ; Charles L. Case, Esq., and
Joseph C. Palmer, Esq. On the reverse side of the card the names of the
committees were printed, as under :

Red Rose.

COMMITTEE OF ARRANGEMENTS.

Captain John Frisbie; Major Robert Allen; Gen. T. J.Green; Capt.

Edward Barry; Major Wyatt; C. H. Veeder, Esq.; F. Argenti, Esq.; H.

Clay Mudd, Esq.

Blue Rose.

COMMITTEE OF RECEPTION.

Hon. Isaac E. Holmes ; Hon. John B. Weller ; T. Butler King ; Capt. J.

Alden, U. S. N. ; Col. J. Hooker, U. S. A. ; Hon. B. F. Keene ; Major F. A.

Sawyer; Capt. G. W. Hammersley, U. S. N. ; Col. E. J. C. Kewen; Hon.

Tod Robinson.

White Rose.

BALL-ROOM COMMITTEE.

For Senate Chamber — Gen. S. M. Miles ; Gen. J. E. Addison ; Col. Hervey
Sparks ; Levi D. Slamm, U. S. N. For Assembly Room — Dr. Dierly, TJ. S.
N. ; Capt. F. Marryatt ; Dr. L. Frisbie, and E. L. Stetson, Esq.

Thus by a ball of the most magnificent proportions was Vallejo inaugur-
ated as the seat of Government.

Let us now consider the establishment of the State offices, the erection of
the Capitol, its removal, its return, and then its final exit from Vallejo.

THE HISTORY OF SOLANO COUNTY. 189

In the year 1850 General Vallejo, who had previously been elected to the
Convention called to frame a State Constitution, became convinced that the
capital of California should be established at a place which he desired to
name Eureka, but which his colleagues, out of compliment to himself, sug-
gested should be called Vallejo. To this end the General addressed a mem-
orial to the Senate, wherein he graphically pointed out the advantages pos-
sessed by the proposed site over other places which claimed the honor,
dated April the 3d, 1850. In this remarkable document, remarkable alike
for its generosity of purpose as for its marvelous foresight, he proposed to
grant twenty acres to the State, free of cost, for a State Capitol and grounds,
and one hundred and thirty-six acres more for other State buildings, to be
apportioned in the following manner :

Ten acres for the Govern