Yuba County
History
Chapter XLV - General Description
California has the form of an irregular parallelogram, and contains nearly one hundred and sixty thousand square miles, or nearly one hundred and three million acres. The extent along the coast from northwest to southeast is about seven hundred miles, while the average breadth is about two hundred miles. Its surface is widely diversified, the mountains, plains and bodies of water affording abundant opportunities for the exercise of many branches of trade and agriculture. About sixty million acres can be utilized for grazing and agriculture. The mountains with the coverings of timber occupy about twenty-three million acres; the arid plains and deserts, land of little value, take up ten million acres; the unreclaimed swamp and overflowed lands contain about three million acres; the remainder is covered by the waters of the bays, lakes, rivers and smaller streams. Two systems of mountains traverse the State in lines nearly parallel to the coast. The Coast Range as its name indicates is on the western border, and the Sierra Nevada mountains are on the eastern limit. They join in the north at Mt. Shasta and in the south near Fort Tejon, forming the great basin of the Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys. Through these flow the two large rivers of the same names. The first draining the land north of Suisun bay and the latter carrying off the surplus water from the region south of that body.
TOPOGRAPHY
Yuba county is situated on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada mountains and in the valley at their base. The rich valleys of Yuba, Bear and Feather rivers, afford fertile soil for the production of cereals, fruits and vegetables; the foothills forming the transition from plain to mountains furnish abundant space for the feeding and raising of flocks and herds; from the bosom of the Sierras are dug and washed vast quantities of mineral wealth. In the little canyons and valleys among the mountains and hills considerable attention is paid to the cultivation of the soil. The county is bounded on the northwest by Butte county, separated by Honcut creek; on the east by Sierra and Nevada counties, separated partly by the Yuba river and its forks; on the south by Nevada, Placer and Sutter counties, separated partly by Bear river and Yuba river and its forks; on the west by Sutter county, separated by Feather river. Its greatest length is from northeast to southwest. There are no noted peaks within its limits although the average altitude is quite high.
SOIL
The soil on the river bottoms in the valley is deep black alluvial, well adapted for the production of almost any kind of grain, vegetables or fruit. Back from the river and extending even up the slope of the foothills, the surface earth is of a red color called the "red lands." While not as productive as the first mentioned, wheat can be raised to the extent of fifteen or twenty bushels to the acre. The culture of the vine is carried on here to a great extent. The foothills are in some places quite rocky and are utilized principally for grazing; vineyards and orchards thrive in the soil of the little mountain valleys. Finally even in the higher parts where the mountains separate to form a few acres of lower and more level land, little ranches are located. One reason for the greater fertility of the soil in the Sacramento valley over that of the San Joaquin is the nearness of the water to the surface of the ground. In the Sacramento valley water can be found at a depth of about twenty feet, while in the San Joaquin it is not unusual for a well to be sunk one hundred and twenty-five feet. According to the Sonoma County Land Journal for 1878, the average price per acre of land in Yuba county was four dollars and sixty-five cents, while in Sutter county it was seven dollars and thirty cents. The average for the whole State was ten dollars and eighty cents. The surface and soil of Yuba county is capable of sustaining a large population, and in the near future when the State has become more fully settled, when labor is cheaper and when small farms are in order, this will become one of the densely populated counties.
The following extract from a volume published in 1846, by "a New Englander" (supposed to be Rufus B. Sage), and entitled "Scenes in the Rocky Mountains," will doubtless prove instructive, as it describes the condition of the country and the productiveness of of the soil at an early date.
"Among the grains, grasses and fruits indigenous to the country are wheat, rye, oats, flax and clover (white and red), with a great variety of grapes, all of which are said to grow spontaneously. Wild oats frequently cover immense spreads of bottom and prairie land, sometimes to an extent of several thousand acres, which resemble in appearance the species common to the United States. They usually grow to a height of between two and three feet, though they often reach a height of seven feet. The wild clover of these valleys is much like the common red, and, in some places, is afforded in great abundance. It attains a usual height of two feet and a half, though it often measures twice that height, standing as thick as it can well grow."
The following reports of rainfall have been recorded by the Central Pacific Railroad and private individuals. From the season of 1849-50 to 1869-70, the nearest point reported is Sacramento.
From 1870-71, to 1876-77, the rainfall in Marysville was as follows:
| 1870-71 | 6.55 |
| 1871-72 | 21.60 |
| 1872-73 | 13.04 |
| 1873-74 | 26.87 |
| 1874-75 | 13.84 |
| 1875-76 | 17.36 |
| 1876-77 | 12.16 |
| The following shows the fall during the winter of 1877-78: | |
| October, 1877 | .50 |
| November, " | 1.68 |
| December, " | 1.55 |
| January, 1878 | 9.47 |
| February, " | 5.32 |
| March, " | 3.53 |
| April, " | 1.30 |
| May, " | .39 |
The winter seasons of the different years have been widely differed. Claude Chana's recollection of the seasons on Bear river, is as follows: -
From Judge O.P. Stidger, the following information was obtained in regard to a few of the later seasons: -
The general rainy season commences from the first to the last part of November, and ends from the first to middle of May. The description of the floods which have occurred since the occupation of the county by the whites, will be found in another chapter. December 3, 1873, snow fell to the depth of one foot on the streets of Marysville. Light snow had fallen in 1851, 1853, 1858, 1868, and some other years, but at no time so heavy as this.