Colusa County
Biographies
CLEATON GRIMES
Cleaton Grimes, for whom Grimes Landing was called, was born in Maysville, Kentucky, May 24, 1815. After receiving a common-school education, he learned the trade of tanner. In 1840 he moved to Brown County, Ohio. At Georgetown, in this county, he worked at his trade for several months, for Jesse R. Grant, the father of General Grant. After various investments in Ohio and Kentucky, in the tanning business, he started for California in 1849, crossing the plains from St. Joseph, Mo., following the Fremont trail to Weaverville. His first essay at acquiring a fortune was in the mines, and for this purpose he first went to Dry Creek, south of Sacramento, and afterwards to Oregon canon, near Georgetown, working in both camps about three years. Tiring of the mines, he came to Sacramento and bought an interest in a boat carrying freight between Marysville and Sacramento. Afterwards he bought extensively of provisions and miners’ supplies, and, loading them in a wagon, he brought them to Shasta and disposed of them at a satisfactory profit.
He came to Grimes, his present abode, in the spring of 1852. He remembers when he first passed through the town of Colusa that there was only one house there and that was occupied by Will S. Green. Grimes was short of powder, so he asked Green to let him have a small quantity. He says that Green cheerfully consented to do so and that he hunted around and brought out some powder which was caked and proceeded to cut it apart and pound it with a cold-chisel, greatly to the terror of Grimes and his companion. On first arriving at Grimes, he purchased one thousand two hundred acres of land from Dr. James Morrison and then began erecting a log house. Shortly after this, Goodhue & Case built and conducted the first store in Grimes.
Mr. Grimes, besides farming, has devoted much of his time in raising stock. Raising hogs was very profitable at an early day, but he complained that the grizzlies could eat them up before he could dispose of them.
In 1876 Mr. Grimes was married to Mrs. Annie E. Rollins, of Sacramento, and with her resides on his large ranch where he first located in the county twenty-eight years ago.
“Colusa County” – by Justus H. Rogers – Orland, CA – 1891 – pp 367
E. McDANIEL
This hardy pioneer and successful farmer was born in Roane County, Tennessee, July 4, 1820. In 1834 he moved, with his family, to Illinois. He remained there, working on his father’s farm, for eight years, when he married Miss Sarah Ann Goree, and settled in Wayne County, Illinois. He removed in 1848 to Schuyler County, where he rented land until 1852, when he was seized with a longing to come to California. On March 25, 1853, he, with his family, consisting at this time of his wife and five children, put all their effects in an ox wagon and set out for the Golden State. The party met with many adventures and endured some privations on their toilsome march across the wilderness. One incident is worth preserving. One night, while in the Goose Creek Mountains, they came across a fine dog, which, having become foot-sore, had been abandoned by a preceding train. Mr. McDaniel bound up his foot, placed him in the wagon and permitted him to ride till he had fully recovered. He afterward proved an invaluable help, as he was better than a man on guard. Arriving at Lassen Meadows, they came to the Pine Trading Post and found themselves without provisions and money. The trader at this post took a fancy to the dog and bought him for seventeen dollars, so that the poor dog they had befriended was the means of supplying them with provisions for continuing their journey. In this circumstance Mr. McDaniel thought he saw the hand of Providence.
On the 8th of August they entered American Valley and here fell in with Mayberry Davis, Alexander Cooley, and a man named Painter. The latter owned the land where McDaniel’s warehouse now stands, then known as Painter’s Landing, and offered McDaniel inducements to come to his place. The party arrived there on September 1, and McDaniel went to work on a threshing-machine but was soon laid up with the chills. He built a log house above the landing, and there, on October 1, 1853, a daughter was born to them, being the first white child born on the east side of the river. After renting land and farming it with varying success, McDaniel took up a farm of his own just above Butte City, which was afterwards owned by John Parker. The land on which he had been living was claimed as a Spanish grant and so he purchased a place south of Painter’s Landing and now known as McDaniel’s old place.
Mr. McDaniel was elected justice of the peace in September, 1856, which office he held for six consecutive years. In 1863 he was elected county assessor and served two years.
On July 4, 1890, Mr. McDaniel celebrated his seventieth birthday, surrounded by his children and grandchildren, which latter numbered twenty-two.
“Colusa County” – by Justus H. Rogers – Orland, CA – 1891 – pp 367-368
JAMES BALSDON
This gentleman is one of the most prosperous farmers of Grand Island. He is a native of Indiana and born in 1824. He came to California in 1852 by way of New Orleans and the Isthmus. He stopped over on the voyage in Central America and then renewed his journey in the “North America” but was wrecked ninety miles from Acapulco. He reached San Francisco May 3, 1852, tried mining and met with little success and then concluded to try farming. Hearing of Grand Island and meeting with Samuel Morris, who owned ten thousand acres of land at the head of the island, he proposed leasing to Balsdon all the land he wanted at one-fifth of its product, but afterward proposed to sell any part at four dollars and a half an acre. Balsdon then bought three hundred and sixty acres and began cultivating it in the fall of 1853. He remained there eight years and then sold out to E. Fisher. He purchased, in 1861, a squatter’s title to three hundred and twenty acres and took up four hundred acres. He purchased in addition several other large tracts and now his home farm embraces in all nineteen hundred and twenty acres. This place is five miles from the railroad and four from the river, thus affording two outlets for the shipping of his products. He has raised in one season as high as eighteen thousand bags of wheat and barley. He has a large and handsome residence, built in 1871, surrounded by a natural grove, which is a home of contentment and prosperity. He is also very much interested in the cultivation of fruits.
Mr. Balsdon was married, in San Francisco, November 20, 1866, to Mrs. Lauretta Tripp, of Townsend, Vermont, by whom he has had two children, though Mrs. Balsdon was the mother of two children by her previous marriage.
“Colusa County” – by Justus H. Rogers – Orland, CA – 1891 – pp 368-369