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her on the Colusa trade. There were, by this time, a superabundance of little steamers plying between Sacramento and Marysville.

She was the first boat that ever did a paying business on the Upper Sacramento; and it might be well said that steamboating had just then been inaugurated on the upper waters of that river. Butler was captain of her, and Littleton pilot on the first trip. It may look strange that, with quite a number of small boats seeking employment, it was so hard to establish navigation on such a river as the Sacramento. About the time the Orient was making her first trip, Capt. A. Foster, at present assistant superintendent of the Railroad Company's steamers, and in charge of what is known as the "steam wheel fleets" on the Sacramento and San Joaquin, and Capt. G. P. Page, now in command of the Gov. Dana, and who had been in the northern mines for a couple of years, were gathering up statistics as to the amount of freight brought into that region, and, on finding that it required thirty tons a day to supply the demand, concluded to go down the Sacramento and see if it could not be navigated, and, if so, to go into the steamboat business. Foster had gone up the river in a small boat, in September, 1849, as far as Chico landing, and was of the opinion that the navigation of the river was practicable, at least, up to that point. Accordingly, Foster, Page, A. B. Montrose, and a man by the name of Church, started in a canoe from a point near Shasta, and examined the river carefully, taking soundings, and re-examining difficult places from that point to the mouth of the Feather. They arrived at Sacramento on the day of the election-first Wednesday in September-and the whole party voted for P. B. Reading for governor. When they got down they found a half interest in the Orient for sale, and Montrose, Foster and Page purchased it. As she was well officered, and no change could then be made in that particular, the two latter shipped as deck-hands. Young men in those days were in the habit of taking hold of anything that turned up, and these young men did not think that the fact that they owned twosixths of a first-class steamboat excused them from work. Capt. Wm. Pierce, one of the most successful steamboat men on the river, shipped, also, as a deck-hand on the Orient, a short time after. Of course, neither of these stayed in that position long, for they had the ability to do something else to a better advantage.

The Orient made two trips a week, regularly, until some time in November, 1851, when she was loaded by Van Wie & Co., Colusa merchants, for Red Bluff. She made a successful trip up, discharged her frieght, and started down, but ran aground, and a falling river left her high and dry. It took them some time to get her back into the river, and, while aground, the rest of the company bought out Butler, and Erastus Bartlett was placed in command. This was the first time a steamboat ever went to Red Bluff, and on that trip Geo. V. Hight and Albert Foster were the pilots. The Orient made the second trip to Red Bluff in January, 1852. In June of that year she made the first low-water trip to Red Bluff. On her fourth trip, in November, 1852, she ran on a snag, just below Monroeville, and sunk. After being repaired, she made regular weekly trips to Red Bluff until June, 1853, when she was put on the stocks and lengthened out. For some months the Orient had the Red Bluff trade all to herself, and charged one hundred dollars a ton for freight from Sacramento. After she began to make regular trips, she carried a large number of passengers. In fact, as soon as she and other boats began to make regular trips to Colusa, the Shasta stages began to connect with the boats, and the stream of travel was divided with the stage-line running by way of Marysville and Chico.

The Orient crew were pretty much all Maine men. Butler and Bartlett came from Portland. Neither of them remained long upon the river, however. Capt. Foster was born in Waterloo, Maine, October 16, 1826, arrived in California in July, 1849, went to the mines, where he worked until he began steamboating, which he has followed ever since. In 1865, he took charge of the steamer Chrysopolis, since which time he has not been much up this river, except in the capacity of superintendent of the

company's steamers. Capt. Page was born in Fairfield, Maine, July 4, 1830, came out with Foster to California in 1849, and was a mere boy when he came on this river. He soon got to be a pilot on the Orient, and has had command of a number of boats since. He has been in charge of the regular up-river boat since the railroad bought the steamers.

After trade had been pretty well established by the Orient, late in the fall of 1851, the Gabriel Winter, the Munsel White and Capt. Sutter came on the river between Colusa and Sacramento. M. Littleton was master of the latter, but we disremember the officers of the others, except that Napoleon Hight, brother of Capt. George V. Hight, was pilot on the White. The latter was a boat of pretty good carrying capacity, and did a large business. In 1852, the San Joaquin, Capt. Moore, went up the river as high as Tehama. Capt. James Rodgers, of Wellsville, Va., and who has ever since been prominently connected with steamboating on the river, was pilot on the San Joaquin on this trip. The Comanche, Capt. Grant, went to Tehama in the winter of 1851-2, made two more trips and hauled off. She was owned, principally, by Maj. P. B. Reading. The Jenny Lind made a trip to Tehama.

In December, 1852, the Daniel Moore, of which W. H. Taylor, who afterwards played so conspicuous a part in the "company," was principal owner and master, came on this trade. John Cunningham, who has been mate on some boat on the river ever since, was mate on the Moore. Cunningham came from Marietta, Ohio, and was first on a steamboat in 1840, as a cabin-boy. He commenced steamboat

ing in this state in 1851, on the Marysville trade. C. P. Littlefield, now engineer on the Gov. Dana, and who has been in constant employment on this river since that time, was the engineer on the Moore. Littlefield is from Brunswick, Maine. During the thirty years that he has been in charge of an engine, he has never had an accident to cause a moment's delay. He commenced running from San Francisco to Sacramento on the H. T. Clay. The Daniel Moore went to Red Bluff, and was the second boat to land at that point.

The Marysville, Capt. Henry Gilman, and the Gazelle, Capt. John Farris, came on the trade early in 1853. Captain Farris' father now resides in Colusa, and he is running on the Colorado. Ex-Railroad Commissioner Tuttle was part owner of the Gazelle, and ran on her as a carpenter. The Fashion, Capt. Geo. V. Hight, also came on the river early in 1853. Sam. Hulse, an Ohioan, now on the steamer Small, was the engineer on the Fashion. He ran on several other boats on the river afterwards. Capt. Sam Crossen, now of the Colusa mills, and for many years an engineer on the river, was employed on the Fashion on her first trip.

Late in 1852, or early in 1853, U. P. Monroe purchased the Express, a side-wheel boat, and she came on the river under charge of Capt. Morgan, as a Monroeville packet. In 1853, Monroe conceived the idea of clearing the river of snags between Colusa and Monroeville, and for this purpose he brought up an immense amount of anchor-chain, windlasses, etc., and began to haul the snags out by means of stationing windlasses on the bank, the power to the windlass being a yoke of cattle. He spent a great deal of money on the work, enough to cripple himself, financially, and break his contractor, Mr. Kelsey, and never received a dime of benefit. Capt. Wm. Pierce was the chief pilot on the Express. During the winter of 1853-4, a larger class of boats were put on. Among them was the Cleopatra, Capt. Taylor, owned by Reddington, Foster, Taylor and Calvert, and the Gem, Capt. W. H. Moore, owned by Gilman and Moore. The Belle, belonging to Taylor & Co., was built about the same time. The Plumas, with Capt. Pierce as chief pilot, came on the river in 1854, and was sunk near Tehama.

The Shasta, Capt. Littleton, owned, principally, by P. B. Reading, went up the river in 1854, about the time the combination was formed. Her owners refused to put her in the company, and she laid at San Francisco for a long while. She never came up the river again.

In 1854, there had got to be so many boats on the several rivers of the State, and competition was

so great, that boating was no longer a paying business, and a company was formed, by the principal owners putting their boats in at a valuation, and taking stock in the company.

This steamboat combination, as it was then called, was the most powerful corporation of its day in California. Of course, there was opposition on this river, as well as on others, but the company managed to buy off, or run off, most of the opposition boats, and held control of the carrying business of the State, until the railroads began to supplant them in the matter of carrying passengers, and then the boats were sold to the railroad company. Both the old company and the new sent up only such boats as were

necessary to do the business.

have loaded one boat a month.

At first the freight was all up. The down freight, even at the time of the combination, would not At a much later date than that-aye, even ten years later—we have seen lettuce, radishes, etc., going up to Chico.

The down freight business began to be of some importance about 1860, and grew until 1868-9, when it over-balanced the up freight, and boats had to be dispatched light to bring down the grain. When the railroad was finished to Red Bluff, in 1872, the boats shortened their trips to Colby's landing, and points below.

About 1860, Thomas Dwyer, J. H. Roberts, and others, formed the Sacramento Wood Company, and had boats and barges engaged in taking wood down the river; and then, as the grain trade developed, they put on boats and barges suitable for that, and they have ever since maintained the principal opposition to the company's boats, and have been the direct cause of low freights on the river. They now have three first-class boats and ten barges in the trade. These barges carry from three hundred to eight hundred tons at a time. The larger barges, when loaded, draw only three feet of water.

STAGE-ROUTES IN THE COUNTY.

The routes of travel through Butte county are numerous, and ample facilities are afforded, both by stage and railroad, for the transmission of mail matter and the carrying of travelers from one point to another. The first regular stage-line established in Butte county began operations in 1851. Hall & Crandall, of Marysville, were the owners. It ran from Marysville to Shasta, passing through Hamilton, Ophir and Chico. Three years later, the line was run by the California Stage Company, who extended the route to Portland, Oregon. In the early days of Bidwell, when prosperity was her portion, two daily stages ran from Marysville-one by the California Stage Company, and the opposition by Obed Sawtelle, or "Old Obe," as he was called. For some time, Mr. J. M. Brock owned a line of stages between the two places. When Oroville became the county-seat, the daily stages from Marysville to Bidwell ceased to run, changing their objective point to Oroville.

At that time, all of the important mining camps had stage facilities of more or less frequency. Berry creek, Mountain house, French creek, Pea-vine creek, Buck's ranch, Spanish ranch, Rich bar, Smith's bar, Junction bar, and many other places in the county were connected by stage with the main lines. A line was run to Bidwell from Oroville in 1856 and for some time afterwards. In 1858, the California Stage Company commenced running to Quincy, and, for twenty-four consecutive years, stages have continued to run regularly over that route. The stage-routes in the county at the present time are as follows::

Oroville to Prattville (in Plumas county), 106 miles, via Mountain house, Buck's ranch, Spanish ranch, Quincy and Greenville; tri-weekly; E. A. Halstead, proprietor.

Oroville to Susanville (in Lassen county), 160 miles, via Dogtown, Lovelocks, Powellton and Inski p

Simeon Garber, proprietor; connects with Chico stage at Powellton; tri-weekly in summer and once a week in winter.

Oroville to Woodville (in Yuba county), 30 miles, via Forbestown; F. A. Morse, proprietor; triweekly; connects at Woodville with stage from Marysville to Woodville.

Oroville to Biggs, 16 miles; daily; J. D. Finnicum, proprietor.

Oroville to Chico, 25 miles; daily; J. D. Finnicum, proprietor.

Oroville to Cherokee; daily; 12 miles; Simeon Garber, proprietor.

Oroville to Deadwood, 30 miles, via Cherokee and Pence's; daily to Cherokee and tri-weekly to Deadwood; H. P. Morrison, proprietor.

Chico to Prattville, 70 miles; tri-weekly; Charles Sherman, proprietor.

Chico to Colusa (in Colusa county), 43 miles; daily; Colusa Stage Company, proprietors.

Chico to Newville, 55 miles; tri-weekly; Mr. Kirkpatrick, proprietor.

Chico to Deadwood, via Pence's and Yankee Hill.

The inconveniences of traveling by stage in the mountains are much enhanced in winter by the snow, which falls there to the depth of from ten to thirty feet. Sleds are then substituted for the ordinary wagons, and, until a well-beaten track is made, metallic snow-shoes are attached to the horses' feet. Some horses become quite expert in the use of these implements, which are simply iron plates, nine inches square, with a facing of rubber on the bottom, to keep them from slipping and to prevent the snow from adhering to them. Before the invention of this appliance, dogs were utilized by Whiting & Co.'s express, to draw sleds across the snow, thus carrying the mail and lighter articles of express, as well, also, as an occasional passenger.

AGRICULTURE.

The agricultural portion of Butte county comprises the southern and western parts, covering an area of considerably over one-third. Though the cultivation of the soil is not confined to this section, but extends far into the foot-hills, even to the Sierra themselves, yet it is a tract that owes its rich possessions to agriculture alone. Some of this portion was originally covered by Mexican land grants. They consisted of the Fernandez grant (Moore and Henshaw), four leagues; Llano Seco (Parrott), four leagues, two of which are in Colusa; the Arroyo Chico (Bidwell), five leagues; Agua Frias (Pratt), six leagues; Bosquejon grant (Lassen or Gerke), five leagues, nearly all of which is in Tehama county; Boga (Larkin), five leagues, a large portion in Sutter county; aud the Esquon (Neal), five leagues. A Mexican league is computed to contain, in round numbers, 4,444 acres. These were the only grants confirmed in Butte county. The Cambuston grant, of eleven leagues, on the east bank of the Sacramento; the Huber, on the east bank of the Feather, from the Honcut creek north, five leagues; the Hensley grant, of four leagues, between the Chico and Butte creeks; the Nye grant, to the north of Chico grant, and one or two others, were rejected. Many are of opinion that the settlement of the county was retarded by these grants, but it does not seem that the county was much injured by them. Many other causes besides monopolizing the lands were operating against the settlement of the valleys. Nine-tenths of the emigration to California in forty-nine, and for the five or six subsequent years, came here not with the intention of settling or making this state their home, but for the purpose of acquiring a certain amount of gold, and then to return eastward to enjoy it. But the prizes in the mining lottery were not for all, and many there were who drew blanks. Many who had failed to acquire wealth in the mines began to abandon the thought, and even the desire, of returning home. Such wished to build homes for themselves here on the Pacific coast, but, as the mountains and the mining regions were uninviting to would

be husbandmen, the valleys were looked to. It is true that the Mexican grants were located along the water-courses, where there was a rich, sandy, alluvial soil, easy of cultivation and generally well timbered, and that settlers first seek such locations for homes; but experience proved that the lands back from the streams were quite as fertile, and oftentimes more valuable, as being less liable to overflow by the winter floods. Much complaint was made against the large land-holders, not because they owned so much, but because they could not or would not till their lands, using them only for grazing purposes. The fact that the adobe lands were equally as desirable was, for a long time, unknown, and the belief prevailed that no crops could be raised on them. For many years, that vast tract of adobe lands lying west of the Oregon railroad, across to the Sacramento, was not considered worth anything. Now, with a knowledge of how to cultivate them, they have become vast producers of grain, even rivaling in production the rich alluvial soils of Chico township, which so long have been the pride and boast of the county. Probably no section of country in the world presents more attractions to the farmer than Chico, Dayton and Hamilton townships. The leading article of product is, of course, wheat, and in this regard Butte county is unsurpassed by any other in the state. Barley is also produced in immense quantities, and vegetables of the rarest and finest character. All the semi-tropical fruits can be produced with ordinary cultivation in almost any portion of the county. Oranges, lemons, peaches, citrons, olives and figs reach perfection, and the product of the vine, next to grain, has long been the most important.

The first farming in Butte county was begun after the discovery of gold. By the year 1853, so much wheat was being raised that General Bidwell erected a mill on his ranch to grind a portion of the crop. This was the first flouring-mill in the county. In the year 1854, 3,725 acres of land were put into wheat, and the entire yield of this cereal was 83,812 bushels, being an average of twenty-two and one-half bushels to the acre. In 1855, the acreage was much less for some reason, being only 1,865 acres, and the amount raised was 46,625 bushels, or twenty-five bushels to the acre. In the same year 2,400 acres were sown with barley, producing 72,000 bushels, or thirty bushels to the acre. There were 175 acres of oats, and 5,250 bushels. In the line of fruit, there were 250 peach-trees fruited, and 1,000 in nursery; 100 apple-trees; 25 quince; 100 pear, and one hundred fig-trees fruited; 2,000 grapevines were bearing fruit, and 12,000 growing vigorously in nurseries. The tons of grapes produced in 1855 were only twelve. Six years afterwards the acreage of wheat had increased to 8,000, and the yield to 160,000 bushels ; 7,500 acres were put into barley, and the produce amounted to 253,000 bushels; 400 acres were in oats, and 4,000 in hay. During that year, 93,000 pounds of wool were clipped. The total number of acres of land enclosed in 1861, was 68,000, and the number cultivated was 34,500. The assessor's returns for 1861 show that a great deal more attention was being paid to fruit culture. There were 15,560 apple-trees, 105,000 peach-trees, 6,080 pear-trees, 1,700 plum-trees, 5,000 nectarinetrees, 2,520 apricot-trees, 820 fig-trees, 50 lemon and 30 orange-trees; 260,500 grape-vines were planted, and the yield of grapes was 140 tons. In the year 1867, 240,664 acres of land were enclosed, and 42,966 under cultivation. The yield of wheat that year was 482,470 bushels, being raised from 20,630 acres ; 220,350 bushels of barley were raised from 10,422 acres. The crop of peanuts, in 1867, amounted to 21,700 pounds, and that of tobacco to 3,250 pounds, from an acre and a quarter of land. The yield of wool from 64,000' sheep was 185,800 pounds. In 1875, the number of acres enclosed was 313,275, of which 190,200 were under cultivation. During this year Butte county took the front rank as a wheatproducing county, harvesting no less than 3,170,500 bushels. In 1877, she did even better, raising the figure by several hundred thousand bushels. In 1878 the crop failed; in 1880 it had dropped to 1,527,000 bushels, with an average of nearly thirteen bushels to the acre.

The number of grape-vines in 1875 was 558,000. Mulberry, almond and walnut-trees began to be quite numerous, ranging, in round numbers, from six to nine thousand. At present the number of

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