Slike strani
PDF
ePub

George C. Yount, the first settler in Napa Valley, after wandering as a trapper and hunter through the valleys of the Platte, Arkansas, Green, Colorado, Mojave and Sacramento, in 1830 reached the beautiful place where he settled and ended his days, surrounded by as much refinement and social cultivation as if all his days had been spent in what the world calls society. His neighbor, Nathan Coombs, the famous ranchero of that valley, did not arrive in California till 1843.

J. J. Warner, Esq., the well known viniculturist, and Federal Assessor of Los Angeles, was a trapper on the Sacramento River in 1831. Trapping for beaver and otter was carried on, on the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers, until 1845. Captain Merritt had a large party of trappers on the Sacramento in that year.

'The name of one of these early trappers, Jedediah S. Smith, has been mixed up with a number of stories of a very contradictory character, but each vouched for as correct by gentlemen deserving belief. The late Edmund Randolph, in a famous oration delivered before the Pioneer Association of California, credits Smith with being the first white man who crossed the Sierra Nevada mountains.

We have been at considerable trouble to unravel these various stories, and have gathered the following particulars from those who knew Smith personally, and shared his perils, and from documents in the State archives.

The first of the trappers in the country west of the Rocky Mountains was W. H. Ashley, of St. Louis, who left the Missouri River in 1823, and is supposed to have reached the Sierra Nevada mountains in that year. In 1824 he discovered Salt Lake, and built a fort and station there, between which and the Missouri River, loaded wagons passed as early as 1828. In 1826, Ashley sold his interest to this Jedediah S. Smith, Jackson, and Sublette, who formed the American Fur Company.

In 1824, this Company was organized at St. Louis, (Mo.) It immediately sent out several parties, to trap or hunt in the country west of the Rocky Mountains. In the spring of 1825, Smith, who was at the head of this Company, with a party of forty trappers and Indians, left their rendezvous on the Green River, near the South Pass, and pushed their way westward, crossing the Sierra Nevada into the Tulare Valley, which they reached in July, 1825. The party trapped for beaver, and other animals, from the Tulare to the American fork of the Sacramento, where there was already a camp of American trappers. Smith established his camp near the site of the present town of Folsom, about twenty-two miles north-east from the other party.

From this camp Smith sent out parties, in several directions, which were so successful that, in October, leaving all the others in California, in company with two of the party he returned to his rendezvous on Green River, with several bales of skins. His partners were so pleased at the success of the first expedition that in May, 1826, Smith was sent back with a considerable re-inforcement. On this trip, he led his party further south than on the former one, which brought them into the Mohave settlements on the Colorado, where all the party, except Smith and two companions named Galbraith and Turner, were killed by the Indians. These three made their way to the mission of San Gabriel, on the 26th of December, 1826, where they were arrested on suspicion of being spies or filibusteros, and sent to the Presidio at San Diego, where they were examined by General Echandia, the commandante of the territory. It was not until several Americans, who were then at San Francisco, certified that Smith and his companions were hunters and trappers, that they were permitted to purchase horses and provisions, to proceed to the camp at Folsom.

The following is a verbatim copy of this curious certificate:

"We, the undersigned, having been requested by Capt. Jedediah S. Smith to state our opinions regarding his entering the Province of California, do not hesitate to say that we have no doubt but that he was compelled to, for want of provisions and water, having entered so far into the barren country that lies between the latitudes of forty-two and forty-three west that he found it impossible to return by the route he came, as his horses had most of them perished for want of food and water; he was therefore under the necessity of pushing forward to California-it being the nearest place where he could procure supplies to enable him to return.

"We further state as our opinions, that the account given by him is circumstantially correct, and that his sole object was the hunting and trapping of beaver, and other furs.

"We have also examined the passports produced by him from the Superintendent of Indian affairs for the Government of the United States of America, and do not hesitate to say we believe them perfectly correct.

“We also state that, in our opinion, his motives for wishing to pass, by a different route to the Columbia River, on his return is solely because he feels convinced that he and his companions run great risk of perishing if they return by the route they came.

"In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands and seals, this 20th day of December, 1826.

"WILLIAM G. DANA, Captain of schooner Waverly.
“WILLIAM H. CUNNINGHAM, Captain of ship Courier.
“WILLIAM HENDERSON, Captain of brig Olive Branch.
"JAMES SCOTT,

"THOMAS M. ROBBINS, Mate of schooner Waverly.
"THOMAS SHAW, Supercargo of ship Courier."

In the summer of 1827, Smith and all his party, (except Galbraith and Turner, who settled in California,) left the Sacramento valley, with the intention of reaching the settlements on the Columbia river. They reached the mouth of the Umpqua river, near Cape Arago,

when the party were surprised by Indians, and all killed, except Smith and two Irishmen named Richard Laughlin and Daniel Prior. These, after terrible sufferings, reached Fort Vancouver, where they were kindly received. Smith, soon after, returned to St. Louis, and his companions went to Los Angeles, California., where they resided for several years.

Another version of the story is, that Smith returned from Fort Vancouver to the place where the party were killed, accompanied by a strong force of men in the service of the Hudson Bay Company, who, meeting no Indians on the way, went with him as far as the Sacramento valley, where they established a camp near the junction of the American and Feather Rivers, which was, during the first season, under command of a Scotchman named McLeod. This was the first party of Hudson Bay trappers known to have been in California.

Thomas Sprague, an old resident of California, in a letter to the Hon. Edmund Randolph, dated "Genoa, (Washoe,) Sept. 18th, 1860," states that Smith was the chief trader in the employ of the American Fur Company, at its rendezvous on the Green River, in 1825; and in that year was sent, with a party of trappers, to hunt in the country west of Salt Lake. It was during that trip that he discovered the Humboldt River, which he called the Mary, in compliment to his Indian wife. This river is still known as the Mary, by the old hunters in Utah. It was always called by that name till Fremont changed it in 1846. Traveling west from the Humboldt, he crossed the Sierra Nevada, at a point near the head of the Truckee river, and went down the Sacramento Valley, and as far south as San José and San Diego, and obtained horses and supplies to return. Coming back, he crossed the Sierra Nevada mountains, by what is now known as Walker's Pass, and discovered Mono Lake, between which and Salt Lake he found placer gold, of which they took a considerable quantity to the rendezvous of the company on Green River, or Sidskadee, one of the head waters of the Colorado. This gold, and the large quantity of furs brought by the party, so pleased the agent of the company, that Smith was directed to return to the place where the gold was found, and thoroughly prospect the country. Sprague states that it was on this second trip that Smith wrote the letter to Father Duran, of the San Gabriel Mission, which Mr. Randolph read at the celebration of the Pioneers at San Francisco, in 1860, and which is still preserved. The following is a copy of this letter:

"REVEREND FATHER-I understand, through the medium of one of your Christian Indians, that you are anxious to know who we are-as some of the Indians have been at

[ocr errors]

the mission and informed you that there were certain white people in the country. We are Americans, on our journey to the River Columbia. We were in at the Mission San Gabriel, in January last. I went to San Diego and saw the General, and got a passport from him to pass on to that place. I have made several efforts to pass the mountains, but the snows being so deep, I could not succeed in getting over. I returned to this place-it being the only point to kill meat-to wait a few weeks until the snow melts, so that I can go on. The Indians here also being friendly, I consider it the most safe point for me to remain until such time as I can cross the mountains with my horses-having lost a great many in attempting to cross ten or fifteen days since. I am a long ways from home, and am anxious to get there as soon as the nature of the case will admit. Our situation is quite unpleasant -being destitute of clothing and most of the necessaries of life, wild meat being our principal subsistence. I am, Reverend Father, your strange but real friend, and Christian. "May 19th, 1827. J. S. SMITH,'

Mr. Sprague says, the party reached the place where the gold was found, when, in a battle with the Indians, Smith, and nearly all his party were killed. Greenhow, in his "History of Oregon and California," says Smith was killed by the Indians northwest of Utah Lake, in 1829. Both Sprague and Greenhow were evidently misinformed on the subject, as it is known by Mr. Smith's acquaintances, some of whom still live in California, that he returned to St. Louis in 1830, where he sold out his interest in the fur company, and, in 1831, left Missouri, with eleven wagons and mule teams, laden for Santa Fé, and was killed by Indians, while on this journey, on the Cimeron river, near Toas.

A

In 1825, another company of trappers, under the command of James O. Pattie, started from the Mississippi valley to reach the Pacific coast, overland. But, keeping too far to the south, they passed through New Mexico into the valley of the Gila, where they were plundered by the Yuma Indians, and escaped by means of rafts, which carried them down that river to its junction with the Colorado. report of this expedition, published at Cincinnati, in 1832, under the title of the "Hunters of Kentucky," was greatly instrumental in attracting the attention of emigrants to this coast. The particulars of Pattie's journey were published with President Jackson's message to Congress, in 1836. The subject of emigration to the Pacific coast at that time occupied much of the attention of Congress.

Walker, whose name is wedded to so many localities in the Stateand who still resides in it; Pauline Weaver, the pioneer of Arizona; Kit Carson, Maxwell, and Bill Williams, whose name is famous in the regions of the Colorado River, were all men of this class, several of whom probably hunted in California before Smith.

Having devoted as much space to this subject as the object of our work will permit, we must proceed with our outline of the history of the early settlers of California.

The large quantities of tallow which were received at Callao, known to be the product of cattle killed expressly to procure it, attracted the attention of John Begg & Co., an enterprising English firm at Lima, Peru, who, in 1824, entered into a contract with the Peruvian Government, to supply it with California salted beef, for the use of its army and navy. To carry out this object, Messrs. McCulloch & Hartnell established a packing house at Monterey, in the fall of 1824, and imported about twenty salters and coopers from Ireland and Scotland to conduct the business. It was for this work that Mr. David Spence, a well known citizen of Monterey, came to California from Lima, on the 29th of October, 1824, and has remained there ever since.

This pioneer packing establishment shipped several cargoes of meat to Peru, which were pronounced of excellent quality, but the government of that country, at that time, had no funds to pay for its supplies, the contract was broken, and the business ended in 1825. At first, the company used salt imported from Peru, but it was soon discovered that California produced a much better article.

In September, 1828, Timothy Murphy arrived at Monterey, from Lima, and was employed as a clerk by Messrs. McCulloch & Hartnell.

In 1829, Jean Louis Vigues, a native of Bordeaux, France, the founder of the well known house of Sansevain & Co., the pioneer wine makers, arrived at Monterey, from the Sandwich Islands, but removed to Los Angeles in 1831, where he died in 1863, aged eighty-two years. The missionaries in the southern counties had made both wine and spirits for several years prior to the arrival of M. Vignes, but he was the first to make these articles as a business, in California. In 1846, he had the largest vineyard in the whole of Upper California. His nephew, Don Luis Sansevain, who had been many years connected with M. Vignes in the management of the business, has become famous for the quality of the wine made from the pioneer vineyard.

The subject of emigration from the States east of the Rocky Mountains to the territory on the Pacific Coast, had occupied the attention. of Congress for many years before California came into possession of the United States. As far back as 1820, Mr. Floyd, who was then a Representative from the State of Virginia, offered a bill "favoring emigration to the country west of the Rocky Mountains, not only from the United States, but from China."

[ocr errors]

The reports circulated concerning the country had, as early as 1825, induced quite a number of persons to find their way overland to the Pacific coast, so that, before 1830, there were nearly five hundred foreigners on the west side of the Sierra Nevada mountains. In 1831,

« PrejšnjaNaprej »