County Histories

Colusa County

“Colusa County lies in the west central portions of the Sacramento Valley.  It consists of valley and foothill lands, the western boundary extending into the Coast Range Mountains.  Butte Creek and the Sacramento River mark the eastern boundary of the county.  The Sacramento River runs in a southerly direction through the county for a distance of about twenty miles.  All the land along the river is wonderfully rich and is planted to alfalfa and orchard.  A few miles back from the river is a large area of fertile plain land reaching to the foothills, farmed mainly to grain and held for the most part in great tracts.  There are about 450,000 acres of agricultural land and 60,000 acres of mountain land in the county.  The balance is classed as grazing land and lies on the east slope of the Coast Range.

“The foothills of Colusa do not contain much commercial timber, though there is some good pine in the higher sections.  A small oak grows in the foothills valuable for fuel and there is but little brush.  There are many small pretty fertile valleys in the westward lying hills.  They are mostly occupied by attractive farms.  Small streams are numerous in these valleys and furnish water for irrigation.  The soil on the hill slopes is productive and in the higher elevations there is much good apple land.  The rounded hills are suited for grapes and, if irrigated, for deciduous citrus fruits.

“The depth of the soil of the river and plain lands is almost incredible.  An unusually deep well five miles out from the city of Colusa, showed no bedrock at 288 feet.  It is believed that in many places a depth of 1,500 feet could be shown.  the Valley of the Nile shows no better soil.

“Climatic conditions are about the same as those of other counties of the Sacramento Valley.  The temperature is not excessive in Summer and the Winter is characterized by the fall of ample rain to assure sufficient moisture for all cereal crops.  The average annual precipitation is about 25 inches and while successful farming is done without irrigation, the tendency during the past few years is to irrigate and thus get the maximum production from the land.  Irrigation in the county is done by gravity canals and by deep wells.  In almost any part of the county ample water can be found by sinking wells.  This source of supply has never failed, even during the dryest (sic) seasons.  The lands along the Sacramento River do not need irrigation for ordinary crops.  These lands are very productive; the soil is silty and easily worked.

“Much of the land of Colusa is farmed to wheat and barley, which a quarter of a century ago was the chief crop.  In recent years, however, many new settlers have been buying farms and they have been introducing diversified crops.  Alfalfa is becoming an important crop and in some sections, where water is not far beneath the surface of the ground, it is grown without irrigation.  Stock raising has followed alfalfa growing and there are many dairies and several creameries and skimming stations in the county.

“A large acreage in Colusa County is devoted to the culture of rice, which produces heavily on certain irrigated lands.  In 1914 the yield was 150,000 sacks.  Rice pays well and it is sure to become one of the important crops of Colusa.

“Every kind of deciduous fruit grows to perfection in Colusa.  Prune growing is particularly profitable.  The orchards produce a fine grade of drying prune and the climatic conditions are ideal for curing this fruit in the sun during the cloudless Summer days.  Peaches, pears, cherries, apricots, figs and grapes grow to perfection and excellent raisins are produced.

“The almond is an important product of Colusa.  Certain favored sections on the higher plain lands are ideal for the almond.  These lands are in a practically frostless belt and there is little danger of injury to the almond crop by cold nights, after the blossoming time in the early Spring.

“The lands of Colusa are also well adapted to the culture of citrus fruits.  During the past few years thousands of acres have been planted to lemon and orange trees by a single company of Southern California capitalists.  After a thorough investigation as to climatic and soil conditions, these capitalists planted thousands of acres of foothill lands to citrus trees.  When these groves reach maturity, oranges will be one of the chief fruits shipped out of the county.  Oranges have been grown in small groves for a quarter of a century, but it was only recently that planting has been done on an extensive scale.  Colusa oranges ripen in the latter part of October and in November.

“Transportation facilities in Colusa are excellent.  The main line of the Southern Pacific Company traverses the county from north to south, affording direct passenger and freight service with Sacramento and San Francisco.  The Southern Pacific also operates a branch line through the rich sections that are not served by the main line.  The Northern Electric operates a branch electric line from Marysville, in Yuba County, to Colusa.  This line makes connections at Marysville for all points on the east side of the Sacramento Valley.  Cheap water transportation on the Sacramento River is available for all non-perishable products.  The new west side electric road, which at this writing is in course of construction, will pass through Colusa County, giving transportation facilities to sections not before served by a road.

“There has been a marked growth in Colusa County during recent years.  This has been due in a large measure to the fact that the great grain ranches of former years are gradually being subdivided and sold in small tracts to new settlers.  Irrigation has also played an important part in the development of the lands of the county, and cheap electric power has been a factor in irrigation development.

“While the county is not noted for its mineral production, still, it possesses some valuable mineral lands.  The foothills of the Coast Range yield a blue sand stone, which is valuable for building purposes.  Mineral springs, from which flow waters valued for their curative powers, are numerous in the higher foothill sections.

“Colusa, a pretty little city of 3,000 inhabitants, is the seat of the county government.  It has good schools and churches and excellent business and county buildings.  Other leading towns, which are centers of farming districts, are Maxwell, Williams, Arbuckle, College City and Princeton.”