Mendocino County

History

History of Mendocino County California - Alley, Bowen & Co., San Francisco, 1880

BIG RIVER.

        GEOGRAPHY.—This township is bounded on the north by Ten-mile River township, on the east by Little Lake, Calpella and Anderson townships, on the south by Arena township, and on the west by the Pacific ocean. The boundary lines of the township are very sinuous, as is the case with all the townships in Mendocino county, thus making its contour very irregular. There are no navigable streams in Big River township, although an Act of the Legislature, approved May 2, 1861, declares Big, Noyo and Albion rivers to be navigable for a distance of three miles from their mouths, but this is for purposes of franchise only, and not that any vessel or craft larger than a canoe was ever expected to pass along them clefting their waters with its prow.

        TOPOGRAPHY.—The topography of this township is wonderfully varied, and yet there is a close resemblance between it and all the other coast townships. Along the ocean there is quite a strip of mesa land, and back of that it is all mountains, intersected by rivers and streams putting back from the sea, which course along through deep cañons with steep and abrupt sides, varying from less than a hundred to more than a thousand feet in depth.

        STREAMS.—As stated above, there are no navigable streams in the township, but there are several of considerable importance for the purposes of log driving, etc. Beginning at the south there is Elk creek, Greenwood creek, Nevarra river, Salmon creek, Albion river, Little river, Big river, Caspar creek, Noyo river, Pudding creek, and on the northern boundary line Ten-mile river. Of these only those that are designated as rivers have enough water in them to be of any practical use in log driving, but some of those have a good depth of water extending far back into the woods, and the body of the water has been increased materially by dams, so that in some of them logs may be driven for a long distance even in the summer season, and of course for a far greater distance during the winter. On the banks of all these streams, and adjacent to them, are immense bodies of redwood timber, and at or near their mouths the great milling industry of Mendocino county is prosecuted. These streams have their sources far away up among the mountains many miles from the sea-coast, and one wonders at the fact that an opening is found through all these mountain ranges for a stream to pass down to the sea. The contortions of their courses are something wonderful to behold, and a study for the geologist and topographer, and a sore puzzle for the casual observer, and to him who reads the emblems of the handiwork of the great creator, God, in all his works there is a fund of study and thought which will furnish food for meditation and admiration for many days. Surely chance could not have arranged the hills and dales, mountains and valleys of that section so that the far reaching arteries of the streams could tap the drainage of the far away interior valleys and bear it through solid walls, as it were, of adamantine rock which has had its existence "since first the morning stars sang together" on creation's early morn, ere aught that we see now had existence save in the conceptive will and purposes of God. No; but rather a master intelligence has planned and arranged it all, and we see in it one of the most striking and wonderful displays of His power and wisdom, excelled only by the dividing of the waters from the dry land. What beautiful streams these are flowing from the very heart of the mountains, their fountain heads bursting, as it were, from the living rock. Then in tiny, prattling, bubbling brooklets it is gathered into the more stately stream, and as it passes sea-ward it receives recruits at every mile-post until it becomes a broad ribbon of silver, on whose bosom is reflected the bright rays of a California sun, which serves also to throw the dense shadows of the great forest upon its waters. Thus it passes onward, downward, from the brook laughing on the mountain side to the sombre river which kisses the hem of its mother ocean in all meekness.

        SOIL—The soil along the coast on the mesa is universally rich and productive in this township; but back in the mountains, not so much can be said for it, although it is very rich along the streams. It is well adapted to the growing of grain, vegetables, fruits, and vines, and in many places on the mesa it is so rich that grain grows too rankly. Here it is a rich, black sandy loam, to which, in many places, a goodly amount of calcareous matter is added, much to the advantage of the soil, by decaying shell deposits, or mounds. As there are a number of these shell-mounds in this township, we append the following article, taken from the Overland Monthly of October, 1874, entitled "Some Kjökkenmöddings, and Ancient Graves of California," by Paul Schumacher, which will give the reader a fair understanding of these wonderfully curious collections of shells. It is evident that these belong to a race which long antedates the Digger Indian of to-day, and hence, no information concerning them can be gotten from the present races. It is, however, doubtful whether they were used solely for places of sepulture, although Mr. Schumacher's theories harmonize very well with the prevailing facts, as revealed upon investigation :--

        "During my last visit to that part of the Californian coast between Point San Luis and Point Sal, in the months of April, May and June of this year, I had occasion to observe extensive kjökkenmöddings, like those I found, about a year ago, so numerous along the shores of Oregon. These deposits of shells and bones are the kitchen refuse of the earlier inhabitants of the coast regions where they are now found, and, though differing from each other in their respective species of shells and bones of vertebrates—according to the localities and the age to which they belong—they have yet, together with the stone implements found in them, a remarkable similarity in all parts of the North American Pacific coast that I have explored—a similarity that extends further to the kjökkenmöddings of distant Denmark, as investigated and described by European scientists.

        "In Oregon, from Chetco to Rogue river,* I found that these deposits contained the following species of shells: Mytilus Californianus, Tapes staminea, Cardium Nuttallu, Purpura lactuca, etc.; eight-tenths of the whole being of the species first mentioned. In California, on the extensive downs between the Arroyo Grande and the Rio de la Santa Maria--the mouth of which latter is a few miles north of Point Sal--I found that the shells, on what appear to have been temporary camping places, consist nearly altogether of small specimens of the family Lucuia; so much so that not only can hardly any other sort be found, but hardly even any bones. My reason for supposing these heaps to be the remains of merely temporary camps is the exceptional paucity of flint knives, spearheads, and other implements found therein, as also the absence of any chips that might indicate the sometime presence of a workshop where domestic tools and weapons of war were manufactured—a something that immediately strikes the accustomed eye in viewing regularly well-established settlements. On further examining this class of heaps by a vertical section, we find layers of sand recurring at short intervals, which seem to prove that they were visited at fixed seasons; those moddings exposed towards the northwest being vacated while the wind from that quarter was blowing sand over them, and mutatis mutandis, the same happening with regard to camps with a southwest aspect while the southwest wind prevailed. It is fair, then, to suppose that these places were only the temporary residences of the savages to whom they appertained, and that they were tenanted during favorable times and seasons for the gathering of mollusks, which, having been extracted from their shells by the help of the flint knives found here, were dried in the sun for transportation to the distant, better sheltered, permanent villages—the comparatively small quantities of shell remains now found at these regular settlements going also to support this theory. No graves have been found near those temporary camps of the earliest known Californian pioneers. I discovered, indeed, one skeleton of an Indian, together with thirteen arrowheads, but it was plainly to be seen that the death of this person had happened during some short sojourn of a tribe at this place, as the burial had been effected in a hasty and imperfect manner, and the grave was without the usual lining which, as we shall see, is found in all the other tombs of this region.

(* Of the collections made by Mr. Schumacher at that place, the complete and illustrated description will be found in the Smithsonian Report for the year 1874.)

        "On the extremity of Point Sal, the northern projection of which is covered by large sand-drifts, we find down to the very brink of the steep and rocky shore other extensive shell deposits, which, with few exceptions, consist of the Mytilus Californianus and of bones, flint-chips being also found, though very sparsely, in comparison with the mass of other remains. The sea having washed out the base of this declivity, and the top soil having, as a consequence, slid down, we can see on the edge of the cliff shell-layers amounting in all to a thickness of four or five feet; that part closest to the sublying rock appearing dark and ash-like, while the deposit becomes better preserved as the surface is neared. At other places, for example on the extreme outer spur of this Point Sal, the shell-remains have so conglomerated and run together with extreme antiquity as to overhang and beetle over the rocks for quite a distance.

        "Leaving now these temporary camps, we shall visit the regular settlements of the ancient aborigines. Traces of these are found near the southern Point Sal, at a place where it turns eastward at an angle of something less than ninety degrees behind the first small hill of the steep ridge which trends easterly into the country, and which up to this spot, is, on its northern slope, covered with drift-sand and partially grown over with stunted herbage. Further traces of a like kind are to be seen on the high bluff between North and South Point Sal. Here the shells are piled up in shapeless, irregular heaps, as they are met in all localities on the coast where there were the fixed dwelling-places of people whose principal food consisted of fresh shell-fish; for, in the neighborhood of these permanent homes the shell-remains were always put away in fixed places, while in the temporary camps they were carelessly distributed over the whole surface of the ground. Very vividly did these bleached mounds recall to my mind the immense remains of such heaps that I had seen in Oregon on the right bank of the Checto, as also near Natenet, and near Crook's Point, or Chetleshin, close to Pistol river. I remembered also how I had watched the Indians in various places—near Crescent City on the Klamath and on the Big Lagoon—forming just such shell-heaps; two or three families always depositing their refuse on the same modding.

        "To return to southern California. A deposit similar to those of Point Sal, although much smaller, stands on the left bank of the Santa Maria river, near its mouth. Both at the first described fixed camps, and at this place, there are to be found tons of flint-chips, scattered about in all directions, as also knives, arrowheads and spear-heads in large quantities. I was somewhat perplexed, however, by being unable to find any graves; such numerous moddings revealing the existence of important settlements that should have been accompanied by burying-places. I therefore moved further inland, seeking a locality where the soil could be easily worked, where a good view of the surrounding country could be had, and where, above all, there was good fresh water—all of which requirements appear to have been regarded as necessary for the location of an important village. I soon recognized at a distance shell-heaps and bone-heaps, the former of which gets scarcer as one leaves the shore. Approaching these, on a spur of Point Sal upon which a pass opens through the coast hills, and on both sides of which are springs of fresh water, though I did not succeed, after a careful examination, in distinguishing single houses, I believe I found the traces of a large settlement on a kind of saddle on the low ridge, where flint-chips, bones and shells lie in great quantities. Further search at last revealed to me in the thick chaparral a few scattered sandstone slabs, such as in that region were used for lining graves. Digging near these spots, I at last found the graves of this settlement—a settlement that the old Spanish residents called Kesmali.

        "Here I brought to light about one hundred and fifty skeletons and various kinds of implements. The graves were constructed in the following manner: A large hole was made in the sandy soil to a depth of about five feet, then a fire was lit in it until a hard brick-like crust was burned to a depth of four or five inches into the surrounding earth. The whole excavation was then partitioned off into smaller spaces by sandstone slabs, about one and a half inches thick, one foot broad, and three feet long, in which smaller partitions the skeletons were. One of these slabs generally lay horizontally over the head of the corpse as a kind of protecting roof for the skull, just as I had found them at Checto river, although in the latter instance the graves were lined with split redwood boards instead of stones. Such careful burial is not, however, always met with, and must evidently be taken as the sign of the respectability or the wealth of the deceased; the more so, as in such graves I found usually many utensils, something not the case with the more carelessly formed tombs, which were only very slightly lined, and in which the heads of the dead were covered with a piece of rough stone or half a mortar. The slabs above mentioned were generally painted, and a piece which I carried off with me was divided lengthwise by a single straight, dark line, from which radiated on either side, at an angle of about sixty degrees, thirty-two other parallel red lines, sixteen on each side, like the bones of a fish from the vertebra. In most cases the inner side of the slab was painted a simple red.

        "In these graves the skeletons lay on their backs with the knees drawn up, and the arms, in most cases, stretched out. No definite direction was observed in the placing of the bodies, which frequently lay in great disorder, the saving of room, having been apparently the prime consideration. Some skeletons, for example, lay opposite to each other, foot to foot, while adjoining ones again were laid crosswise. The female skeletons have, instead of the protecting head-slab, a stone mortar placed on its edge so as to admit the skull, or a stone pot, which latter, if too narrow in the neck to admit the skull, is simply buried underneath it. Cups and ornaments, both in the case of men and women, lie principally about the head, while shell-beads are found in the mouth, the eye-sockets, and in the cavity of the brain, which latter is almost always filled with sand pressed in through the foramen, magnum. The skeletons were in some cases packed in quite closely, one over another, so that the uppermost were only about three feet below the surface of the ground. The stain of poverty is very evident on these, except, perhaps, where they are females, as they are in the majority of cases. I cannot accept the hypothesis that these were the slaves of some rich man and buried with their master; for the lower skeletons were generally found to have been disturbed in a very singular manner, such as could only have been occasioned by a reopening of the grave after decomposition had set in. I found, for example, a lower jaw lying near its right place, but upside down, so that both the upper and the lower teeth pointed downward; in another case, the thigh­bones lay the wrong way, the knee-pans being turned toward the basin; and, in other instances, the bones were totally separated and mixed up—all going to show that the graves had been repeatedly opened for the burial of bodies at different times. Once I even found, upon piercing the bottom crust of one sepulcher, another lying deeper, which perhaps had been forgotten, as the bones therein were somewhat damaged by fire. Plenty of charcoal is found in these tombs, usually of redwood, rarely of pine; and I could not determine any third variety. Sometimes there were also discovered the remains of posts from three to six inches in diameter, and of split boards about two inches in thickness. These are probably the remains of the burned dwelling of the deceased, placed in his grave with all his other property, after a fashion I observed in Checto last year.

        "I examined other graves resembling those described of Point Sal. These others are known by the name of Temeteti. They lie about fourteen miles north of the Point Sal graves, and are situated on the right bank of the Arroyo de los Berros, opposite to the traces of former settlements about seven miles inland. These tombs only differed from those of Kesmali in not being lined with the thick burnt, brick-like crust mentioned above, but with a thin, light-colored crust, slightly burned, and not more than a quarter of an inch thick.

        "In company with the well-informed and industrious antiquaries, Doctor Hays and Judge Venabel, I explored another aboriginal settlement known by the name of Nipomo. It is situated on a large rancho of like name, and distant about a mile and a half from the Nipomo Ranch House, occupied by the hospitable Dana brothers. Lastly I examined the Walekhe settlement. About twenty-five miles from the mouth of the Santa Maria river, there empties into it the Alamo creek, bringing down rather a large amount of water. Following the wide bed of the Santa Maria for about seven miles farther up stream, one reaches a smooth elevation, which at this place rises about sixty feet above the bend of the creek, and which trends in a curve toward the mountains on the right bank. At the farthest end of this, at a place where a fine view over the whole valley is had, we find the traces of the ancient village now known as Walekhe. A short distance from the former dwellings on the highest point of the ridge, a small excavation marks the spot where once a house stood, probably that of a chief. And here, indeed, I voluntarily imagined that I saw with my bodily eyes the strange primeval race that once called this place home. I saw the mothers of the tribe, lying with children at their breasts, or bending above the wearying mortar, while the sweat rolled over their dusky skins, painted with the colors and decked with the pearls that we at this day find lying beside them in those silent graves whose secret we have caught. Under the neighboring oaks—old oaks now, but young enough then—I saw the squatted men smoking their strange stone pipes; while, in the creek below, the youth cooled their swarthy bodies, or dried themselves in the sun, lying sweltering on its sandy banks. I heard the cry of the sentinels, as they, ever watching warily for an approaching possible enemy, caught sight of the returning hunter, loaded with elk and rabbits. And now—their graves lie there.

        "With regard to the general character of the domestic utensils, arms and ornaments which I found in the digging down to, and examining of, about three hundred skeletons in the graves of Kesmali, Temeteti, Nipomo and Walekhe, these things from the different localities named resemble each other very closely, seeming to show that all their possessors belonged to the same tribe. First of all, the large cooking-pots draw one's attention—hollow globular or pear-shaped bodies, hollowed out of magnesian mica. The circular opening, having a small and narrow rim, measures only five inches in diameter in a pot with a diameter of eighteen inches. Near the edge of the opening, this vessel is only a quarter of an inch thick, but it thickens in a very regular manner toward the bottom, where it measures about one and a quarter inch through. Made of the same material, I found other pots of a different shape—namely, very wide across the opening, and narrowing as they grow toward the bottom. With these I have also now in my possession many different sizes of sandstone mortars of a general semi-globular shape, varying from three inches in diameter and an inch and a half in height, up to sixteen inches in diameter and thirteen inches in height—all external measurements—with pestles of the same material to correspond. There were, further, quite an assortment of cups, measuring from one and a quarter to six inches in diameter, neatly worked out of polished serpentine. The smallest of these that I found was inclosed, as in a doubly covered dish, by three shells, and contained paint; traces of which, by the by, were found in all these cups, from which we may suppose that they were not in use for holding food.

        "Neither spoons nor knives were found in these graves. I got, however, three beautiful cigar-holder-like pipes of serpentine, much stronger than, but similar in shape to, those dug out in Oregon. But few arms were picked up here—only a few arrowheads and spear-heads; these, however, mostly of exquisite workmanship. A spear-head of obsidian, five and a half inches long, was the only object I found of this material; another lance point of chalcedony, nine and a half inches long, and one and a quarter inch wide, was beautifully shaped and carefully made.

        "Many of these objects were found perfect, and those that were broken had been broken by the shifting and pressure of the soil, as could easily be seen from their position. It is, therefore, certain that the bulk of the property buried with a person was not purposely broken or destroyed—the same thing holding true in my investigations in Oregon. I even found mortars and pestles which had been repaired and cemented with asphaltum. The richer occupants of these graves had shell beads in great numbers, sickle-shaped ornaments of the abalone shell, and an ornament resembling the dentalium but made of a large clam-shell within or strewed about their heads—striving, though they brought nothing into the world, at least to carry something out."

        CLIMATE.—There is but little variety in the climate in the different sections of this township, as it on the western slope of the Coast Range mountains facing the ocean. The ordinary climate is foggy and cold, even in the heart of the summer season, but there are days of unparalleled beauty and brightness here, which are only the more appreciated on account of the contrast with the damp, sunless days which are so frequent. A writer from Mendocino City in 1866 thus graphically and beautifully describes the close of one of those delightful days:—"Just now the clouds are tinged with the lovliest crimson. The sun has set, leaving the pathway he has so lately traversed lined with heaven's varied hues. Sparkling beneath those golden clouds lies the ocean, its bosom now calm, as if subdued by the beauty of God's handiwork; as if, by one common impulse, all nature is sinking to repose.

"See the glowing sunset now

Tinge the mountain's misty brow,

Over field and meadow bright

Spread a flood of golden light.

"Over vale and crystal stream,

Shedding now its level beam,

Soon the night, with sable wing,

Rest to weary ones will bring,"

        But for pure, unadulterated sea air, full of fog and oxygen, charged with ozone, salubrious and salsuginous, invigorating and life-giving air, that will make the pulses leap and bring the roses to the cheek, One should go to Mendocino City, where it can be had at first hand, bereft of nothing. Every breeze that blows, except the east wind, is fraught with the odors of the sea; but the wind of all winds, the one which seems to come directly from the cave of Erebus, is the northwest breeze. It swoops down across this section with all the fury of old Boreas, but fortunately it is shorn of his icy breath; still, retaining enough of it to make one need flannels during all the days and nights of its reign. In short, the climate is very cool and invigorating during the summer months, and very pleasant and mild during the winter, and when one has become accustomed to the fogs and the winds it is hard to find a place which will suit better than here. The extremes both of heat and cold are unknown.

        PRODUCTS.—The soil and climate of this township adapt it specially to the growth of vegetables, while the cereals and fruits thrive well, except that the fogs darken the grain, and mildew the fruits. The small fruits and berries are especially thrifty here, and the latter grow in large quantities wild in the woods, and afford ample opportunities for picnic excursions during the summer season. Of the vegetables grown here, it is evident that the potato is the most productive, and grows to the greatest advantage, of which large quantities are grown yearly and shipped to the city, affording an article of export, and yielding in the aggregate, a handsome return of golden dollars.

        TIMBER.—Here, as all along the Mendocino coast, the prime conception of the idea of timber is redwood. There are great forests of this timber along the entire length and breadth of this township, and it is such an extensive industry, and so closely allied with the prosperity of the citizens of this section that it comes naturally first upon the catalogue in summing up and describing the timber of the township. It was here that the redwood forests first attracted attention; and here that the pioneer mill of Mendocino county was put in motion, and the hum of the first saw blended with the roar of the ocean to make harmonious melodies. These trees grow much larger in the deep cañons and along the streams putting back from the coast, where the fog has banked up amid their clustering foliage for ages during their growth; and right royally they have grown, so that now these grand old forests primeval are the peers of any of their congeners in the State, always excepting, of course, the "Big trees of Calaveras." On the ridges they grow more sparsely, and on the spurs of the mountains they hardly grow at all, but the few which did have the hardihood to spring up in such forbidding places, were stunted in their growth by the bleak winds from the northwest and warped into unseemly dwarfs of a monster race. Their leaves and limbs have long since succumbed to the fierce blasts of old Boreas and their trunks now stand mere bare poles, looking much like skeleton sentinels guarding the destinies of the race of men who have so fully supplanted the people which knew and, perhaps, loved them in their quasi and quondam glory. Of the other woods the oak is the most plentiful, while fir, pine, and alder are common. The chestnut oak is the most profitable as its bark yields a handsome return, and its wood is good for burning.

        EARLY SETTLEMENT.----It is impossible to fix the time now, when the first white men began going up and down the coast, and passing through and tarrying temporarily at least in this township. It is quite certain that Captain William Richardson, of Saucelito, Marin county, was here as early as 1845 or 1846, for he applied to the Mexico-Californian Government for a grant to the tract of land known as the "Albion," before the surrendering of California to the United States by Mexico, and as the disseño is almost a perfect map of the country, it is evident that the old veteran passed over the ground himself and examined it thoroughly. It was not, however, till 1852 that any real settlement was made in the township, although previous to this, probably in 1850, a man by the name of William Kasten, had squatted upon the site of Mendocino City. This man was on his way up the coast in some sort of a sailing craft, and hard weather caused him to seek the shelter of a port, and chance brought him into this one. It is not known whether he had companions or not, or what became of his craft, or what induced him to remain on what must then have been a very bleak and inhospitable headland, so far removed from all association with his fellow-mortals. But be all this as it may, the fact still remains that he resided here from the time of his landing at the port until about 1854, when he went to Mexico and died there.

        During the winter of 1851-2, a vessel laden with silk and tea from China and Japan to San Francisco, was driven ashore at the mouth of the Noyo river. Reports of this wreck extended down the coast till it reached the settlement at Bodega, whence a party went for the purpose of salvage. In passing up and down the coast the large and available redwood forests on Big river attracted attention, and wonderful reports concerning these woods, and their resources, were carried back to Bodega. At this time the price of lumber had declined so much more in proportion to the wages of the men, that availability was one of the greatest factors to be considered in operating a saw-mill. The Bodega woods were never very accessible to the port, and were getting worse every year, while the Bolinas, San Rafael and Corte de Madera woods, had been well cut out, hence new fields of operation must be sought for by the mill men.

        About this time the well-known and enterprising Harry Meigs, arrived on the coast with a full and complete saw-mill outfit, and began casting about for a place to put his mill in operation. Being at Bodega at the time the party returned from the silk vessel expedition, and hearing their goodly reports concerning the forests, and the eligibility of that place for the erection of a saw-mill, he determined to go at once to the place and take possession of it. He accordingly went to San Francisco and purchased the brig Ontario, and placing his machinery on board of it, and putting it in charge of a competent crew of men, he dispatched it to Big river.  The vessel passed over the bar at San Francisco on the 19th day of June, 1852, and after a cruise of thirty days, beating against heavy adverse winds and meeting other contingencies of a sea voyage, they dropped anchor on the 19th of July. Of those who came up on the brig on that trip, only John E. Carlson, and William H. Kelly, still reside in Mendocino City; Captain D. F. Lansing came up on the vessel and resided here till his death, which occurred in 1877, and his family still reside in Mendocino City; J. B. Ford came from Bodega, overland with eight yoke of oxen, and arrived ten days previous to the brig. William Kasten claimed the water front on the north side of the bay, and Meigs purchased his claim, from Big river to the ocean front. For this, in part payment, Meigs gave Kasten the lumber, with which was built the first dwelling-house of sawed lumber, ever erected in the township. This house is now located north of Albion street and on the east side of Kasten, Mendocino City, and is owned and occupied by William Heeser as a dwelling-house. It is not known what kind of a house Kasten had lived in, but probably in a rough log shanty, or possibly with the Indians who had a rancheria near by. What a life was this that this pioneer of pioneers must have led, so far removed from all associations with others of his kind. It is not probable that he saw a white man's face once a twelve-month, and perhaps not so often, for communication up and down the coast at that time was very difficult and dangerous, and was undertaken only by the hardiest and most daring adventurers, and only on occasions of importance by even them.

        Old settlers who have had occasion to pass over the coast trail, will well remember the Mal Paso, and how well it deserved its name. Hence it can be readily comprehended, how completely this man was shut out from all connection with the civilized world.  He, no doubt, had supposed that he had gotten beyond the pale of civilization and the influences of human association, and was content to sit down there on the shore of the grand old Pacific and eke out the remainder of his existence in that sequestered spot. To him, life was shorn of its obligations, and his days were spent cum otium, and we doubt not he was in a measure happy in his way. Long absence from home had broken off all ties and association with that sacred place, and when the love of home is lost, happiness is not found by association with men, but in solitude, and solitude supreme reigned here on this projecting point of land, extending far into the very heart of the ocean. Vessels skirted the western horizon, going to and from the busy world, but little cared he for that.

        No messages of love, no letters from home were on board those ships for him. Never again should he see the face of mother, sister, or wife, never hear the innocent prattle or gleeful laughter of children. All that was past —aye, dead in his memory ! Of the future, he recked not, nor cared so long as he was left undisturbed. But a change came, and the waves from the human seas to the eastward began to dash against the adamantine walls of the Rocky mountains, just as the ceaseless surge of the mighty Pacific broke on reefs at his feet, and at length the crested waves began to dash over and fill the valleys below, and when the tide reached him, instead of being lapped up by the swelling surf and becoming a part of the great body politic, he vanished, seeking shelter in the fastnesses of the mountains of other lands. As it was with him, so has it been with almost all the pioneer pioneers. Whither they have gone, no one knows, no trace is left behind and they have, probably, all gone to that undiscovered country from whose bourne no traveler bath yet returned, "unwept, unhonored and unsung."

        Of course, as soon as the mill was established at Mendocino City quite a settlement sprang up around it, and others were attracted to the section, until in 1854 there were settlers all along the coast of this township. Beginning at the southern line, we find their locale to be as follows: At Cuffy's Cove there was Frank Farnier, known in all the country round as " Portugee Frank;" also at this place were the Greenwood brothers, consisting of Britton B., William, Boggs and James. They lived in a square house constructed of split redwood boards, which were riven on the top of one of the adjacent hills and brought down to the building site on the back of a horse. This was doubtless the first real house that was ever built in the township. Passing on up the coast the next settler was at Nevarra, and was that staunch old pioneer, Charles Fletcher. His house was on the south side of the river, about where his present residence now is. He had a ferry established there, and used an old "dug-out " canoe for the purposes of his business. At the Albion, Manuel Lawrence lived on the hill on the south side of the river. Lloyd Bell had a place just north of Little river, where William H. Kent now resides, and he was engaged in hunting game for the mill company. At Mendocino City, or Big River as it was then called, there were two mills, and all the men and buildings necessary to conduct that enterprise; there was also the house built by Kasten. On the northern side of Russian Gulch Messrs. Simpson & White, now of Cahto, had a log house. At Pine Grove Captain Peter Thompson had a house, and farmed and had a band of cattle there. On the north side of Caspar creek there was a man by the name of Caspar,—hence the name,—who had a small band of cattle and a few horses. At the Noyo river Captain Rundell had located, just on the south side of the river, and above him, about one and a half miles, Samuel Watts had a claim and was living on it. This list of names has been kindly furnished us by that worthy pioneer G. Canning Smith, hence is perfectly reliable, and we are thus enabled to fasten upon the pages of history, ere the remembrance of them has faded away, a full and complete catalogue of the settlers along the coast of this township at that time, 1854, in which we must include Mr. Smith himself, as he had settled permanently in this township at this time, that being the year of his location here.

        Of course, we are unable to give all the names of those who were connected with the Big River mill in those early days, for a quarter of a century or more has had the effect of beclouding the memories of the "old boys" more than even they are willing to acknowledge. As far, however, as we have been able we have gathered these names together, and the year in which they arrived in the township, and will here place them on record, so that they may be handed down to succeeding generations as the pioneers of the Big River coast. In 1852 we find that the following men came in and located: William H. Kent, now at Little River; W. H. Kelley and John E. Carlson, now of Mendocino City; J. Scharf; Gebhard and George Hegenmeyer, the former of whom now resides in Mendocino City; J. C. Byrnes, now of Noyo; Robert White and John C. Simpson, now of Cahto. In 1853 there came A. F. Mahlman, now of Little River. In 1854 we find that G. Canning Smith, L. L. Gray and James Nolan came into the township, and they are still residents of the township. In 1855 James Townsend, now of Albion, came to the township. In 1856 Silas Coombs and Ruel Stickney, both of Little River, now came into the township. In 1857 Thomas Walsh, William Reeser, now of Mendocino City, and E. W. Blair came in and located. In 1858 Haskett Severance, now of Nevarra, C. R. Kaisen, A. Heeser, now of Mendocino City, F. P. Furlong and J. D. Murray came in and settled. In 1859 N. E. Hoak came in. After this the settlement of the township was more rapid, and it is impossible to carry the list any farther and hope to have it at all complete. We would be glad to give a short sketch of all the pioneer settlers of the township, and so far as we have been able to secure them we have inserted them, and they will be found in their appropriate place in this volume, and certainly do not form the least interesting portion of our work, for it is of the experiences and doings of men that history is made.

        Ah! those hardy old pioneers ! What a life was theirs, and how much of life was often crowded into a year, or sometimes even into a day of their existence. Now that the roads are all made, and the dim trail has been supplanted by well-beaten and much-traveled highways, how complacently we talk and write and read of their deeds and exploits. The writer of fifty years hence will be the man who will have the license to color up the heroic deeds of valor, and set forth in fitting words a proper tribute to the valor and prowess of the generation that is just now passing from our midst. We of to-day cannot, dare not, say it as it should be said, for there are living witnesses who would say it was too highly colored—too romantic, too fanciful. Heroic deeds do not seem so to the enactors of the drama of pioneerism.

        It has been theirs to subdue the wilderness and change it into smiling fields of bright growing grain. Toil and privations, such as we can little appreciate now, was their lot for many years. Poor houses, and even no houses at all, but a simple tent or even an Indian wickeup sheltered them from the rigors of the storm and the inclemency of the weather. The wild beasts of the woods were their night visitors, prowling about and making night hideous with their unearthly noises, and working the nerves of women, and often, perhaps, of men, up to a tension that precluded the possibility of sleep and rest. Neighbors lived many miles away, and visits were rare and highly appreciated by the good old pioneer women. Law and order prevailed almost exclusively, and locks and bars to doors were then unknown, and the only thing to fear in human shape were the petty depredations by Indians. For food they had the fruit of the chase, which afforded them ample meat, but bread was sometimes a rarity, and appreciated when had as only those things are which tend most to our comfort, and which we are able to enjoy the least amount of. But they were happy in that life of freedom from the environments of society and social usage. They breathed the pure, fresh air, untainted by any odor of civilization; they ate the first fruits of the virgin soil, and grew strong and free on its strength and freedom. They spent their leisure hours under the widespreading branches of the giant forest monarchs, and their music was trilled forth upon the silver air by the feathered choristers of "God's first temples."

        As a reminiscence of those old by-gone days, and to give to future generations an idea of what the pioneers had to undergo at times, we give below an account of the journey of two ladies — Mrs. W. H. Kent and Mrs. J. F. Hills—from San Francisco to Mendocino City via Petaluma, Cloverdale, etc. We will go and meet them at New York City, and follow them on their long and tedious journey to their new home in the Golden West. They took passage from New York on the steamer George Law, and after a successful passage, although fraught with all the tedious vexations of a sea voyage on the rough Atlantic, they arrived at the Isthmus, which they crossed on the second train of cars that ever passed over that road. On this side they embarked on the steamer Golden Age, arriving in San Francisco March 27, 1855. They expected, of course, to meet their husbands at the wharf, but it must be remembered that communication was not so perfect in those days as now, and failure to meet engagements and appointments where any great distance had to be traveled was the rule, and not the exception, as now.  Just at the time the husbands expected to start to San Francisco to meet their wives, a heavy rainstorm caused all the streams to swell beyond their ordinary flood levels; and they were detained for three weeks, during which time the ladies were doing the best they could, under the circumstances, in a strange city, full of strange people and stranger customs. At last Mr. Kent arrived in San Francisco, and proceeded at once to meet his wife. When they had parted in their Eastern home, Mr. Kent was dressed as an American citizen, having on a dress suit, white shirt, and all the et ceteras that go to make up the garb of an Eastern gentleman of a quarter of a century or more ago. But when they met how changed was his appearance ! He had on a blue flannel shirt, checked pants, black cravat, and all the other articles of apparel which were usually worn by the early Californians. But we doubt not Mrs. Kent was just as glad to see him as she would have been under any other circumstances, and perhaps was never so rejoiced before nor has been since to see his familiar face. They then began casting about for a way to get up to Big River, but no schooner could be found bound to that port, as the mills were shut down just at this time, so they had to make the journey overland. They took the steamer to Petaluma, where they spent the night at Tony Oakes' hotel. That genial mein host, who will be remembered by all the pioneers of Mendocino county with feelings of kindness for the many favors extended to them by him in the years long agone, still survives the storms of life, and now presides over the destinies of an extensive caravansary in the beautiful little city of Haywards, Alameda county, and is still the same genial Tony that all knew and loved so well. From Petaluma they took a carriage for Cloverdale, paying $20 each for the passage. On the way to Santa Rosa they only passed one house. At Santa Rosa they took dinner, and then proceeded on their journey, going as far as the widow Fitch's place, near Healdsburg, that night. The house on this ranch was an adobe, and looked more like some old castle on the Rhine than like the dwelling-houses which the eyes of our travelers had been accustomed to look upon. Now the weather was the most delightful, and the full glory of a California spring-time was visible on every hand. The green grass had sprung into such life that it covered the valleys and mountain sides with an emerald carpet. The myriads of wild flowers, just now in the full exuberance of their wonderfully beauteous blooming, served to heighten the beauty of the scene, and to break the monotony of the verdant foliage and grass which formed the background to the picture. On the distant mountain sides and in the nearer valley, the beautifully bright sunlight fell in a shimmer of golden flood, making the world a truly beautiful paradise. In the morning, after a breakfast made on hot sheep, they proceeded on their journey. They had to be ferried across Russian river in a small skiff, and the horses were led after them and swam across. At Cloverdale they stopped at Markell's house, so well known in the early days, and so well remembered by all old settlers in this section of California. From Cloverdale to Mendocino City there was no road, and only a trail led from one place to the other, and this part of the journey had to made on horseback, and for this purpose Indian ponies were provided; and the cavalcade started off full of life and buoyant spirits, bent on making the most enjoyment possible out of the tedious trip. The trail led up through Anderson valley, and came out on the coast below Greenwood creek, thence up the coast to Big River.

        But changed are all things now !  Where was then the wilderness, are now the fields of shining grain. The rude saw-mill site has developed into a handsome village, with its church spires pointing like finger-boards, the way the worshipers at its shrine are wont to travel, from the church militant below to the church triumphant above. At every mile-post almost, along the road are reared the bulwarks of our religious liberty, social freedom, and of our vaunted civilization—the public school-houses, in which the youth of the land receive instruction in all that goes to make the free American citizens. The arts and trades thrive, and on every hand the marks of prosperity are visible. And above all, standing out in bold relief, are the happy homes of the people, who now live where the pioneers endured such hardships, and best of all, is the fact, that many of the good old pioneer fathers and mothers still remain with us, in the full vigor of their manhood and womanhood to enjoy these hard-bought privileges and pleasures. Others still are with us, but in the waning, mellow glow of life's setting sun, looking back upon the life they have led, with a remembrance mingled with joy and sorrow, shaded and lighted by their varied experiences; looking out upon the results of their labor with feelings of exultant pride, knowing and feeling that the generations yet to come, will rise up and call them blessed; looking forward with glowing hearts, full of hope, trust and loving faith to the joyful time when they shall hear the Master's voice bidding them come up higher, and enter into his joy; when the gladsome welcome, "well done" shall thrill their hearts with a pleasure that shall never die. Others have gone on before, to that reward, already, and their places are occupied by their children, and even their children's children, and a strange people who knew them not will soon fill the land. So, here on history's page, let us render a fitting tribute to their revered memory:—      

"No more for them shall be

Earthly noon or night,

Morn or evening light.

But death's unfathomed mystery

Has settled like a pall

Over all."

Transcribed by Kathy Sedler.