The first American settler in Contra Costa was Doctor
John Marsh. He achieved much distinction from his letters and descriptive
articles, which gave a graphic portrayal of the primitive conditions as he
found them. To his facile pen California historians, and Contra Costa
County historians especially, are indebted for much of their data relating
to the early period.
Doctor Marsh was descended from an old New England
family, and was a graduate of Harvard College. Born in Danvers,
Massachusetts, in 1799, he came west and conducted a mercantile business in
St. Joseph, Missouri, from 1828 until 1835. During the latter year he
started on horseback for the Far West, eventually becoming one of an
exploring party which visited the Mexican states of Chihuahua and Sonora,
thence crossing the Gila River and entering California on the southern
border.
Portions of the life history of Doctor Marsh read like a
romance, as will be seen from an incident that occurred while on the journey
west. inadvertently wandering away from his party, he was captured on the
plains by the Indians while they were in the midst of exorcising an
evilspirit. They were determined to offer him as a sacrifice, and he was
saved only by wooing and marrying the chief's pretty daughter, who
interceded for him in much the same manner as did Pocahontas for Captain
John Smith. Some time afterward the band crossed the old Santa Fe trail and
Doctor Marsh escaped, having the good fortune to fall in with a caravan
which finally landed him in California.
For a while he resided in Los Angeles, but in 1837 he
obtained from the Mexican Government a grant of land at the foot of Mount
Diablo, now the center of Contra Costa County. Here he made his permanent
home. He described his tract as being about twelve miles long and about ten
miles broad. The Doctor first lived in an adobe building, but later he
built the home which afterward became famous as the Stone House. It is
situated about four miles from Brentwood. The following description of the
Marsh home is taken from the San Francisco Bulletin of July 19;
1856:
"The new and beautiful edifice, now nearly completed, is
situated in the center of the plain. It is the intention of the proprietor
to irrigate this plain by artificial means, using water of the brook for
that purpose. By this process the whole plain in front of the house may be
enameled with flowers, or, in process of time, may be dotted with trees, and
become a beautiful and extensive park, as the taste of the owner may
determine. From a quarry which has been opened upon the estate, an abundant
supply of stone for the building has been obtained. It is of the finest
quality of freestone, of a beautiful drab or cream color, slightly
variegated. The building is quite an architectural gem. The architect,
Thomas Boyd, of San Francisco, with a true artistic perception of the beauty
of the site, and of what was wanting in the building to make it harmonize
with the surrounding scenery, has departed from the sterotyped square box
with a piazza running partly or entirely around it, called a house in
California, and has adopted the old English domestic style of architecture -
a pleasing and appropriate union of manor-house and castle. The arched
windows, the peaked roofs and gables, the projecting eaves, the central
tower, sixty-five feet in height, boldly springing from the midst and
enabling the proprietor to overlook his extensive domain, must be
acknowledged by every visitor to be a most felicitous deviation from the
prevailing style of rural architecture. The material used is as easily
wrought as the Benicia stone in use here, and, like it, hardens by exposure
to the air. The corners of the building, as well as the door and
window-jambs, sills, and caps, are elaborately wrought, the spaces between
the openings being laid with rubble-stone, giving a pleasing variety to the
whole exterior. The building has a ground base of sixty by forty feet, and
is three stories in height, with three gable windows in the attic looking
east, west, and south. On three sides of the building is a piazza, ten feet
in width, supported by beautiful octagon pillars; over this is a walk on a
level with the second floor, inclosed by an elaborately finished
balustrade. The interior arrangements are as carefully planned as possible
to subserve the purposes of convenience, comfort, and beautiful finish. The
whole cost of the building, it is understood, will not exceed twenty
thousand dollars."
The Stone House remained intact until 1868, it was
partially destroyed by the great earthquake of that year. It was afterward
restored, and stands today as one of Contra Costa County's most cherished
historic monuments.
Dr. Marsh was eminently successful as a rancher. Great
herds of cattle thrived on his broad acres and added to his prosperity.
Although for some years he lived a solitary life - his nearest neighbors
were from ten to forty miles away - doubtless, with his scholarly
attainments he was not lonely. His keen mind and shrewd observation were
busily gathering information, which was afterward to enrich the literature
of the period. He was a cultivated French and Spanish scholar, and is said
to have had a deeper insight into French and Spanish manners than any other
person of the time. In appearance Dr. Marsh was tall and commanding. He
was athletic as a young man, and he remained active and alert throughout his
eventful life. Versatile and many-sided, his mind was as young as his
body.
Dr. Marsh had passed the half-century mark without
finding a mate. Then, in 1851, Romance claimed him for her own. After the
briefest of courtships he was married to Miss Abbie Tuck, of Chelmsford,
Massachusetts. She had left her home in 1850, braving the dangers of a
voyage to Callifornia, and came to Santa Clara. During the following year,
while visiting Contra Costa County, she met the Doctor, and they were
married two weeks later.
On Sptember 24, 1856, Doctor Marsh was foully and
brutally murdered and robbed while driving in his buggy on the road from his
ranch to Martinez, thirty miles distant. The next morning his horse and
empty buggy were found in Martinez, and a few hours later his body was
discovered in a ditch by the roadside. He had been stabbed in the left
side, about the face and hands, and, as a crowning act of viciousness, his
throat had been cut. Three Mexicans committed the crime, according to the
confession of Jose Olivas, who admitted being one of the trio. The other
two were Juan Garcia and Felipe Moreno, the latter a youth of only
nineteen. Olivas maintained that the actual crime was committed by Moreno,
and that he himself and Garcia were only accessories. Olivas was captured
the next day, and, after making a confession, escaped on the following day.
It was ten years before he was recaptured. Moreno was equally successful in
eluding the law, but was finally taken near Sacramento about the same time
that Olivas was caught. He was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1867.
Because of his staunch assertion that he had taken no part in the actual
commission of the crime, Olivas received a lighter sentence. Juan Garcia
was never found.
The following article, written by Doctor Marsh and
published in the New Orleans Picayune in 1846, is so fine an
example of his graphic style and is so replete with information of the
period that it is well worth reproducing here in full:
"Messrs. Editors: Certain willful, malicious and
ill-disposed neighbors of mine have entered into a conspiracy against me.
They, for some time past, instigated no doubt by their indolence and evil
dispositions, been teasing me to write articles for newspapers in the United
States. They represented to me that the people there are very desirous to
have correct information relative to California, and that they cannot easily
obtain it. That although several works on this country have recently been
published they are not entitled to implicit confidence, either because the
writers were hasty travelers, unacquainted with the language of the
inhabitants, and not possessed of the requisite information, or that these
works were published to answer a particular purpose, which was not exactly
that of the naked truth. As I have heretofore thought it better to attend
to my own business rather than undertake to enlighten the people of the
United States about California, these same ill-disposed neighbors of mine
have undertaken to place me under an interdict. They declare that unless I
will write articles for the American newspapers none of the said newspapers
shall reach me. Now, as these enemies of mine live in Monterey, where
foreign intelligence first arrives, they have actually stopped my
newspapers, and I am thus compelled to write, or not have the privilege of
reading the news. You will perceive, therefore, that if my effusions are
worthless the fault is not mine, but of those who have forced me to write
against my will. I have hesitated as to what journal to address my precious
communications, but have finally selected the Picayune, because we
consider it the best for Mexican and Texan news, in which we feel a deep
interest, and partly because we have a sort of fellow-feeling for Mr.
Kendall, on account of his romantic pilgrimage to New and Old Mexico.
"The European who first saw California was Grijalva, who
commanded a naval expedition fitted out by Cortez the Conqueror, in the year
1534. He discovered the southern part of lower California, which he
supposed to be an island, and this opinion was for a long time entertained
by the Spaniards. Lower, or Old California, is for the most part an
uninhabited and uninhabitable desert, as remarkable for its extent and
sterility as Upper California is for its fertility and beauty. The country
now known as Upper California was discovered by Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, in
the year 1542. The first settlement of the Spaniards in the territory was
begun at the port of San Diego, on the first of May, 1769. The first
governor of Upper California was Don Gaspar de Portola, a captain of
dragoons in the Spanish army. The first attempts at settlements were made
by founding missions, which were gradually extended along the coast toward
the north, wherever suitable situations could be found. The last of these
missions that was attempted was at Sonoma, which was begun about twnety-five
years ago. It was nipped in the bud by the revolutions that severed Mexico
from the crown of Spain. These missions, as long as the Spanish power
lasted, were in a most flourishing condition, possessed nearly all the good
lands in the country, and were occupied by upward of twenty thousand
converted Indians. Since the revolution these missions like everything else
in the Mexican territory, have gone rapidly to decay. At present most of
them are entirely abolished, their immense wealth dissipated, and the lands
apportioned out among private individuals. It has been usual to state the
population of Upper California at five thousand persons of Spanish descent
and twenty thousand Indians. This estimate may have been near the truth
twenty years ago. At present the population may be stated in round numbers
at seven thousand Spaniards and ten thousand civilized, or rather
domesticated, Indians. To this may be added about seven hundred Americans,
one hundred English, Irish, and Scotch, and about one hundred French,
Germans, and Italians. Within the territorial limits of Upper California,
taking the parallel of forty-two degrees for the northern and the Colorado
for the southeastern boundaries, are an immense number of wild, naked brute
Indians. Their number, of course, can only be conjectured. They probably
exceed a million, and may possibly amount to double that number.
"The climate of California is remarkably different from
that of the United States. This difference consists mainly in its
regularity and uniformity. From May to October the wind is invariably from
the northwest, and during this time it never rains and the sky is brilliant,
clear, and serene. The weather during this time is temperate, and rarely
oppressively warm. The nights are agreeably cool, and many of the
inhabitants sleep in the open air the year round. From October to May the
wind blows frequently from the southeast, and is always followed by rain.
Snow never falls except on the mountains, and frost is rare except in
December and January. A proof of the mildness of the climate this moment
presents itself in the shape of a humming-bird, which I just saw from the
open window, and this on the first day of February, in latitude thirty-eight
degrees. Wheat is sown from October until March, and maize from March to
July. As regards human health and comfort, the climate is incomparably
better than that of any part of the United States. It is much the most
healthy country I have ever seen or have any knowledge of. There is
absolutely no disease whatever that can be attributed to the influence of
the climate. The hole territory is traversed by ranges of mountains, which
run parallel to each other and to the coast. The highest points may be
about four thousand feet above the level of the sea; in most places much
lower, and in many parts they dwindle to low hills. They are everywhere
covered with grass and vegetation, and many of the valleys and northern
declivities abound with finest timber trees. Between these ranges of
mountains are level valleys, or rather plains, of every width, from five
miles to fifty. The magnificent valley through which flow the San Joaquin
and Sacramento rivers, is five hundred miles long, with an average width of
forty or fifty. It is intersected laterally by many smaller rivers
abounding with salmon. The whole region abounds with vast herds of wild
horses, elk, and antelope. The only inhabitants of this vast valley (which
is capable of supporting a nation) are about one hundred and fifty Americans
and a few miserable Indians. The Bay of San Francisco, into which all these
rivers flow, and which is the natural outlet of all this region, is
considered by nautical men as one of the finest harbors in the world. It
consists of two principal arms, diverging from the entrance in nearly
opposite directions, and each about fifty miles long, with an average width
of eight or ten miles. It is perfectly sheltered from every wind, has great
depth of water, is easily accessible at all times, and has space enough to
contain half the ships in the world. The entrance is less than a mile wide,
and could easily be fortified so as to make it entirely impregnable. The
vicinity abounds in the finest timber for ship-building and in fact
everything necessary to make it a great naval and commercial depot. Near
the entrance of this magnificent harbor, within the last seven years, has
grown up the flourishing town of Yerba Buena, built and inhabited entirely
by Americans and Englishmen.
"The agricultural capabilities of California are as yet
imperfectly developed. It is well adapted to the productions of Spain,
Portugal, and Italy, and the region lying in similar latitudes on the
western coast of Europe. The whole of it is remarkably adapted to the
culture of the vine. Brandy and wine of excellent quality are already made
in considerable quantities; olives, figs, and almonds grow well; apples,
pears, and peaches produce abundantly, and, in the southern part, oranges.
Cotton is beginning to be cultivated and promises to succeed well. It is
the finest country for wheat I have ever seen. Fifty for one is about the
average crop, with very imperfect cultivation. One hundred-fold is not
uncommon, and even one hundred and fifty has been produced. Maize grows
tolerably well, but not equal to that in some parts of the United States.
Hemp, flax, and tobacco have been cultivated on a small scale and succeed
well. The rearing of cattle is at present the principal pursuit of the
inhabitants, and the most profitable. As a pastoral country California is
unsurpassed, and perhaps unequaled, in the world. The pasturage is most
abundant and of very excellent quality. No less than seven kinds of clover
are indigenous here, and four of them are unknown in the United States.
Oats grow spontaneously all over the coast, throughout its whole extent. In
one place, near the river Merced, a little barley was accidentally scattered
by a traveler, and it has continued to reproduce itself for fifteen years.
I have known five successive crops of wheat in as many years from one
sowing. All kinds of grasses, as well as the cereal gramina,
produce an uncommon quantity of seed, and this is probably the reason why
cattle do not reach their greatest degree of fatness until about a month
after the grass is dry.
"If these desultory remarks on some of the topics
relative to this country should be found to contain interest for your
readers, at some future time you may expect to hear something of the
commerce of the country, its great mineral wealth, its political history (a
most fruitful theme), and of the manners and customs of its inhabitants,
from one of your fellow-citizens who has been here more than ten years and
has taken some pains to become acquainted with the country he has selected
for his home."
The above communication was signed "Essex," and was
dated February, 1846. To those who are familiar with present-day
conditions in California the statements of Doctor Marsh, written over
seventy years ago, seem most prophetic.
Second among the American trail-blazers
of Contra Costa County was Elam Brown. He had a varied and adventurous
life, no small portion of which was spent in Contra Costa County, in whose
affairs he played an important part.
He was born in Herkimer County, New York, June 10,
1797. The hardy traits of the pioneer were his birthright. As a child
twelvemonths old he experienced his first migration when his parents moved
to Berkshire, Massachusetts. When he was seven they came west to Ohio,
where they braved numerous hardships in true pioneer style.
To the north of their little settlement, which they
named Berkshire, for the home they had left in Massachusetts, the nearest
settlement was one hundred miles away, on the shore of Lake Erie. To the
south the nearest settlement was fifteen miles distant. In Berkshire the
lad first dipped into books, and, although his opportunities were few, he
developed a taste for literature that remained with him through life.
In 1818, at the age of twenty-one, he set out on foot
for the French trading-post of St. Louis, Missouri, five hundred miles
away. During the following winter he rafted unsuccessfully on the Missouri
River. Then he went to Illinois, where he farmed on shares for the next
three years, during which time he married the daughter of Thomas Allen.
His next venture was in moving west to what was known as
the Platte Purchase, a tract of land bordering on the Missouri River,
acquired by the Government from the Indians in 1836. There he cleared one
hundred and eighty acres of land, on which he resided for ten years. It was
there that his first wife died. He then determined to emigrate to the
Pacific Coast, and in 1846 he headed a company and started on the long
journey westward across the plains. He was appointed captain of the
fourteen families that left the Missouri on May 14. They had innumerable
adventures, and Captain Elam Brown was equal to every emergency. More than
once his diplomatic treatment of the Indians averted disaster. On one
occasion a large force of hostile braves menaced their path, but Elam Brown
came forward and smoked the pipe of peace with their chieftains. Then he
signaled for the Indians to open their lines. They did so and the
wagon-train passed through unmolested. The party forded all the rivers, as
there was not one ferry or bridge on their entire journey. The
stout-hearted little band entered California October 10, 1846, and toward
the end of the same month they arrived at the present site of Sacramento,
continuing thence to Santa Clara, where most of the party settled.
Scarcely rested from the long trek across the continent,
Elam Brown sought for fresh fields of adventure. He joined the forces under
General John C. Fremont which were fighting General Castro, in an echo of
the Mexican war in central California. He also took an active part in
suppressing the Mexican freebooter, Sanchez. The winter of 1847 he spent in
San Antonio redwoods, whipsawing lumber and boating his product across the
bay to San Francisco.
It was difficult at this time to buy land in
California. The Mexican residents were solemnly pledged not to sell a foot
of ground or give any information regarding land. But in the fall Elam
Brown finally learned that William A. Leidesdorff, a San Francisco trader,
had a ranch for sale. This was the Rancho Alcalanes, where the present town
of Lafayette is situated. The ranch was stocked with three hundred head of
cattle. This tract became the permanent home of Elam Brown in Contra Costa
County. He soon became enthusiastic over its possibilities. He was
especially pleased with the mild California winters, in marked contrast with
the severe snow-storms of the East. It was his first experience in a land
where it was not necessary to feed cattle through the winter months.
Up to this time there was no government in California,
except the military rule of Colonel Mason. On account of dissension over
the slavery question, Congress had taken no steps toward the formation of a
State. In 1848 General Riley superseded Mason. He straightaway issued a
proclamation authorizing the people to elect delegates to a constitutional
convention.
The convention met in Monterey September 1, 1849. Elam
Brown was one of the thirty-seven delegates who framed the constitution.
These delegates had come from nearly every state in the Union. They were
the virile immigrants who had the courage to seek their fortunes in a new
land. With but few statue-books to guide them, they framed a constitution
that admirably stood the test of time for nearly thirty years.
California had become a State, but, because of the
slavery agitation, Congress refused to recognize her as such. It was not
until 1850 that California was admitted to the Union, enjoying the
distinction of never having had a territorial government. Throughout this
period Elam Brown served the State ably and unceasingly. He was a member of
the first two sessions of the legislature, and was urged to run for the
United States Senate. But he felt that the destinies of his State by
adoption had been safely guided past the critical point and he retired to
pastoral scenes. There on the Rancho Alcalnes the stalwart pioneer rounded
out his days to a venerable age.
As the years go by the pioneers of Contra Costa County
are one by one answering the last roll-call, and few of the early
trail-blazers now remain. The latest summons by death was on June 10, 1916,
when Felix Grundy Coats, of Tassajara, was called. The end came to the
pioneer at his home after an illness extending over a period of several
weeks, and was directly due to the infirmities of old age.
Felix Grundy Coats was a native of Callaway County,
Missouri, where he was born on August 9, 1828. Being at his death nearly
eighty-eight years old. In May, 1849, with a number of emigrants, he left
Missouri for California, and in September of the same year the party arrived
at Grass Valley. Felix Coats then began mining on the American River, and
later operated a pack-train between Sacramento and Stony Bar. In the fall
of 1852 he came to Contra Costa County and remained a short time, returning
to the mines. In the following year he returned to Contra Costa County,
purchasing the ranch of three hundred and ninety acres in Tassajara, where
he resided the remainder of his days.
On February 23, 1860, Felix Coats married Miss Lavina
Doggett, of Tassajara. Three sons and three daughters survive their
father. They are W. Nolan Coats, of St. Helena; James L. Coats, internal
revenue inspector, of Stockton; Bethel S. Coats, of San Jose; Mrs. Ella
Seiler and Mrs. Jennie White, of San Francisco; and Mrs. Mary Horton, of
Tassajara.
Transcribed by Sally Kaleta