us Tr,, ,I ry COUNTY LIBRARY WEAVERVILLE, CALIFORNIA Ubrarr DI TRINITY RJVCR BASIN Use RESOURCE LIBRARY OniJ N2

1960 v 6 (c.i') NATURAL RESOURCES OF NORTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA

PRELIMINARY REPORT APPENDIX

RECREATION RESOURCES • SUPPLEMENT HISTORY AND ARCHEOLOGY

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

PACIFIC SOUTHWEST FIELD COMMITTEE

PREPARED BY THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE TRINITY COUNTY LIBRARY WEAVERVILLE, CALIFORNIA TRINITY RIVER BASIN RESOURCE LIBRARY NATURAL RESOURCES

OF

NORTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA

PRELIMINARY REPORT APPENDIX RECREATION RESOURCES

SUPPLEMENT HISTORY AND ARCHEOLOGY

UNITED STATES

DEPARTMENT Of THE INTERIOR

PACIFIC SOUTHWEST FIELD COMMITTEE

by

HYMAN PALAIS- PROFESSOR OF HISTORY Humboldt State College and ADAN E. TREGANZA - PROFESSOR OF ANTHROPOLOGY San Francisco State College for NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MAY 1958 FOREWORD

In the investigation of the recreation resources of Northwestern California, an attempt has been made to consider recreation in its broadest aspects. Contemporary features, which have been or could be made available for active, participant recreation represent only one phase of the investigation. Of importance, as well, are the subjects of early-day explorations, the settling and development of the country, and the story of its native people. To the student, and to others interested in these subjects, the history, archeology and ethnology of an area afford not only educational, but also recreational outlets. This supplement to the recreation resources appendix is pre­ sented in a separate volume, because of its special treatment and appeal, and because the manuscripts were prepared under contract. The section on History was prepared by Dr. Hyman Palais, Pro­ fessor of History at Humboldt State College, while the story on Ar­ chaeology and E-thnology was the responsibility of Dr. Adan E. Treganza, Professor of Anthropology at San Francisco State College. Both manu­ scripts have been reviewed and edited by National Park Service per­ sonnel. CONTENTS Page PART I. HISTORY Letter of Transmittal ...... • ...... 3 INTRODUCTION ...... • . . . • ...... 5 HISTORICAL NARRATIVE ...... 7 Coastal Area ...... 7 Humboldt County ...... 13 Del Norte County ...... 23 Trinity County ...... 28 Mendocino County ...... 32 Siskiyou County ...... 36 HISTORIC SITES OF SPECIAL INTEREST ...... •..... 43 Humboldt County • ...... 43 [)el Norte County ...... 48 Trinity County ...... • ...... 52 Siskiyou County ...... 56 BIBLIOGRAPHY ...... • ...... 61 PART II. ARCHEOLOGY AND ETHNOLOGY Letter of Transmittal . . . • . . • ...... 65 PREFACE ...... 67 THE NORTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA CULTURE AREA ..• 71 NORTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA SITES

RECOMMENDED FOR PRESERVATION ..•.••. 0 •• 75 OTHER AREAS ...... 82 Upper Trinity River ...... 82

Eel River Drainage . . 0 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 82 CONCLUSION ...... 85 BIBLIOGRAPHY . • ...... • ...... 87 PART I

HISTORY Mr. Lawrence C. Merri8Dl Regional Director National Park Service 18o New Montgomery Street San Francisco 5, California

Dear Mr. Merriam:

In fulfillment of Contract 14-10-434-93, entered into with the National Park Service in 1956, I attach my report Which embodies the research covering my study of the history of North- western California.

The report is based on field investigations, interviews with old-time residents, and review of published materials in libraries throughout the study area, as well as at Berkeley and

Los Angeles.

The sites selected as having special interest !rem a recreational standpoint have been chosen from a long list. They by no means represent the complete story of the exploration and development of the study area, but do constitute a tair repre- sentation. other researchers might well consider other sites as being more important, and it is probable that as ti.lle goes on additional sites will be recognized.

Sincerely, ~az.v:.~ Hyman Pal.ais Professor of History Humboldt state College

3 THE H1STORY OF NORTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA by HYMAN PALAIS

INTRODUCTION

The history of Northwestern California is relatively recent. Aside from a few early explorations by Europeans, there was little activity in this part of the State prior to the last quarter of the eighteenth cen­ tury. From about 1775 or 1800, however, interest in the area became intense, and its history includes almost the complete range of ex­ periences found anywhere in California. Sea voyages of exploration by Spaniards, Frenchmen, Englishmen, Americans, and Russians; over­ land treks by fur trappers and explorers; skirmishes with Indians; excitement following the discovery of gold; agricultural settlement, and the rise and fall of small cities all have their place in the history of this relatively remote part of the State. Because of the nature of the general Northwestern California In­ vestigation, which is primarily concerned with river basins, the his­ torical section is organized by counties. The coastal areas, however, represent a unique and different aspect, so they are treated separately. This has r esulted in some unavoidable overlapping and repetition. For reasons of simplicity, and to set them out more distinctly, a few sites, carefully selected as being of special interest, have been grouped at the end of this r eport, rather than being mentioned in the county discussions.

5 HISTORICAL NARRATIVE

COASTAL AREA The first Europeans to explore the coast of Alta California were the Spaniards, Juan Rodriquez Cabrillo and Bartolome Ferrelo, who in 1542 probably reached a point north of Cape Mendocino. The following year Ferrelo's explorations led him as far north as the mouth of the Rogue River, Oregon. Because of severe storms he was almost ship­ wrecked, and was compelled to keep seventy or eighty miles off the coast while sailing northward. Francis Drake passed southward along the California coast in June, 1579. His ship was leaking badly and he was searching for a safe harbor where he might make repairs. Most historians believe the place he selected was Drake's Bay, thirty miles northwest of San Francisco, although one prominent historian, H. R. Wagner, claims Drake landed at what is now Trinidad Bay. During the winter of 1602-03 Sebastian Vizcaino was engaged in exploring the northwest coast. His two vessels, the San Diego and the Tres Reyes, became separated. The San Diego reached Cape Mendocino on June 12, 1603, and then continued northward to latitude 42 o, but storms prevented a close inspection of the coast. The TYes Reyes con­ tinued northward to the vicinity of Cape Blanco, latitude 43°, but no adequate study of the coastline could be made because of the diffi­ culties and dangers encountered on the voyage. For the next 166 years, with the possible exception of the visit of the annual Manila galleon, whose mission did not allow much time for coast exploration, the Spaniards did nothing to explore and settle California. In 1769, aroused by jealousies caused by Russian explora-

7 tion of Alaska, the Spaniards began to plant their missions in Califor­ nia. Then voyages by Perez, Ayala, Martinez, Haro, Artega, Fidalgo, Quimper and others widened the knowledge of the coasts of California, Oregon and Washington, but failed to discover any important details. In 1775 two vessels under the command of Bruno de Heceta worked their way up the coast of California. One of these ships, the schooner Sonora, under the command of Juan Francisco de la Bodega y Cuadra, with Francisco Mourelle as pilot, seeking a sheltered anchorage, en­ tered Trinidad Bay and spent the time from June 9 to June 20 exploring, charting the harbor, planting a cross on the hill, and making valuable observations on the rocks, tides, fish, birds, mammals, forest, flora, and inhabitants. On June 11, the Spaniards took formal possession of the country, and since this was Trinity Sunday, they named the port accordingly. The discovery of Trinidad Bay was productive of no permanent results. Father Junipero Serra, president of the California missions, urged that the Spanish claim to this territory be strengthened by making settlements and founding establishments among the natives similar to those in the region farther south. The death of his supporter, Antonio Bucareli, Viceroy of New Spain, deprived him of a friend at court, and the enterprise was abandoned. In 1790 the king of England sent out two ships under the command of George Vancouver to explore the Pacific. In April, 1792, Vancouver explored the area around Cape Mendocino, and returned the following year to look for Trinidad. His ships were anchored in Trinidad Bay from May 2 to May 5, 1793, while the party spent two days on shore exploring, charting the bay, studying the natives, and securing the necessary supplies.

8 - e

...... ~ ...... d!imrM:• -

Tinidad Bay, discovered in 1775, became the objectiveof the early explorers of Northwestern California. In the early part of the nineteenth century the search for fur­ bearing animals, especially the sea otter, brought many adventurers to the region. Captain William Shaler brought the American vessel the , Lelia Byrd to Trinidad Bay on May 11, 1804. Water, wood and spars were obtained, but trading with the natives became too dangerous, and the ship departed on the 18th. In May, 1805, Captain Jonathan Winship, while in Sitka with the O'Cain, made a contract with the Russian Governor, A. Baranov, to take one hundred Aleuts with fifty small boats on a ten to fourteen months' hunting trip to California to search for sea otter. The profits of the expedition were to be divided between Winship and the Russian­ American Company. The O'Cain sailed into Trinidad Bay on June 11, 1805. Trade was carried on with the natives and a large supply of furs was obtained, but because of the danger of a war with the Indians the ship left Trinidad on June 22. The following year, 1806, the O'Cain re­ turned to the Trinidad area, and Winship was the first to discover and enter the waters of Humboldt Bay. Winship's chart of Humboldt Bay was published in an atlas compiled by T ebenkov in St. Petersburg in 1852. After Winship left, there is no record of any ship entering Hum­ boldt Bay previous to 1850. Trinidad Bay, on the other hand, was visited by several ships, and many descriptions of the Trinidad region are to be found. Russian fur-trappers led by Kushov of the Russian-American Company landed at Trinidad in 1808, but found the supply of s ea otter depleted. Not being impressed with this place as a location for settle­ ment, Kushov continued on to the south and anchored in Bodega Bay. After the Russian fur traders lost inter est in the area, American and

10 British trappers took their place. These trappers operated mostly in the interior valleys, but occasionally parties found their way to the coast region. The first of these parties was under the leadership of J edediah Smith, one of the first Americans to reach California by an overland route. In 1828 Smith decided to return to the East by a northern route. In search for this route, he turned west from the Sacramento Valley and carne to the headwaters of the Trinity River, which he followed to its junction with the Klamath River. He then went along the coast until he reached the Urnpquah River in Oregon, where the expedition was almost entirely destroyed by the Indians. Smith and two of his men escaped and reached Fort Vancouver, the headquarters of the Hudson's Bay Company. The Company promised to aid Smith to recover his furs and equipment from the Indians. McLeod, the agent for the Company, entered the Sacramento Valley in 1828, and after trapping the streams of the upper Sacramento, returned to Oregon by a route through the Shasta Mountans. Another party of the Company, led by Ogden, followed Smith's trail into Cali­ fornia, along the eastern side o_f the Sierra Nevada. In the fall of 1828, Ogden trapped in the San Joaquin Valley, and the following year return­ ed to Oregon. On his return journey, he followed the route Smith had taken to the coast and thus returned to Vancouver. The Company schooner, the Cadborough, under the command of Captain Brotchie, ex­ plored the coast in the Klamath River area in 1836. The Frenchman, Mofras, visited Trinidad on a tour of exploration in 1841, and in his Atlas showed two routes of travel in northern California, one by the interior valleys, the other along the coast. Although no journals or accounts by the actual travelers themselves are available, there is

11 little doubt but that this region was visited many times, both by land parties and by groups who approached from the sea. In 1849 a party of miners at Rich Bar on the Trinity River, find­ ing themselves without sufficient food for the winter, decided to reach the coast by following the stream to its mouth. The party consisted of Dr. Josiah Gregg, Thomas Seabring, David A. Buck, J. B. Truesdell, Charles D. Southard, Isaac Wilson, L. K. Wood, and a Mr. Van Duzen. They started on the fifth of November and on the seventeenth, D. A. Buck, who was in advance, discovered the South Fork of the Trinity. This they followed to its junction with the main Trinity, and then struck across the mountains direct for the coast. They emerged from the for­ est at the mouth of Little River, forty days from the date of starting. They followed the coast northward to Big Lagoon, and then returned to Trinidad, which they named Gregg's Point, unaware that it was the bay which had been discovered years previously by Spanish explorers. A few days later they reached a stream which they named Mad River, because of a disagreement which arose in the party when Dr. Gregg wished to remain and take observations in regard to latitude and long­ itude. On the twentieth of December, D. A. Buck, who as usual was in advance of the party, discovered Humboldt Bay, which was thought to be the bay noted on the Spanish charts and called Trinity Bay. On the twenty-first, the party reached the entrance to the bay and camped there, but retraced their steps up the peninsula on the twenty-second, camping on the site of Arcata, about two hundred yards east of the present plaza. One of the party killed an elk, and they had elk meat for their Christmas dinner. On the morning of the twenty-sixth they started around the southern side of the bay, and camped that night upon the site of Bucksport. Continuing south they came to the river which they

12 called the Eel River because of the great number of eels found there. The Indian name of this river was Weott, meaning "plenty,'' the word having direct reference to the great number of salmon caught. At the junction of the Eel River and the Van Duzen a disagreement broke out, and the party broke into two parts. One group, headed by Dr. Gregg, attempted to follow the coast, but encountered numerous hardships. Dr. Gregg died in the Clear Lake area from the rigors of the journey, and was buried in an unmarked grave. The other party followed up the Eel River, and finally arrived in Sonoma, February 17, 1850. HUMBOLDT COUNTY Shortly after the discovery of gold in California, busy mining camps sprang up in the mountains of the present Trinity and Siskiyou counties. The large population in the new settlements was dependent on the slow and expensive interior route up the Sacramento Valley for travel and for the transportation of supplies. It was believed that a coast route by water would divert this traffic, and in the hope of es­ tablishing coastwise communication with the mines by some navigable stream, several expeditions were fitted out. Twelve ships began the search in March, 1850, the Cameo, Arabian, Paragon, California, Laura Virginia, Galindo, Isabel, James M. Ryerson, Ariel, Mallory, Whiting, and the General Morgan. When the Cameo came in sight of Trinidad Head on March 16, 1850, a part of the crew was sent ashore to examine the coast. Bad weather forced the Cameo to put to sea. Abandoning the land party, the ship sailed northward, exploring the coast around Point Saint George and the mouth of the Klamath River. Meanwhile, the Cameo's land party discovered the elusive Trinidad Bay of the Spanish navigators, and while waiting for the return of the Cameo, they piloted the Cali-

13 jornia and the Laura Virginia into the bay. The California soon re­ turned to San Francisco with the news of the success of the expedition. The Laura Virginia had been sent out under the auspices of the Laura Virginia Association, with Lieutenant Douglas Ottinger, on leave of absence from the U. S. revenue cutter Frolic, in command. The vessel was provisioned for a two months' voyage with fifty pas­ sengers. While sailing up the coast north of Cape Mendocino, Lieu­ tenant Ottinger saw the mouth of the Eel River and came to anchor two miles off the bar. The next day three other vessels also anchored in the same locality. A boat from one of them-- the General Morgan - crossed the bar and entered the river. Seeing the General Morgan's boat cross the river bar safely, Ottinger launched two boats for the same purpose, one commanded by himself and one by Albert Swain. On the bar the breakers capsized Swain's boat, which was in advance, and Ottinger put back to the ship, where the second officer, H. H. Buhne, took a crew and rescued four of the men. The fifth man of the crew was drowned. Ottinger abandoned the exploration of Eel River and sailed north­ ward. From the masthead the waters of Humboldt Bay were seen, but the water was breaking heavily over the bar, and the entrance could not be discovered. The vessel sailed on up to Trinidad and thence fifty miles farther north to the open roadstead where Crescent City is now located. Here there was one vessel, the Cameo, at anchor, and another, the Paragon, stranded on the beach. After r emaining in the roadstead for two days , the Laura Vir­ ginia returned to Trinidad. While running down the coast, the crew noticed a streak of fresh-looking water making out from the land, and found that it came from a large river. Second officer Buhne was or-

14 dered to sound the bar but not to attempt a crossing. Buhne followed instructions and returned to the ship. The river whose mouth was thus discovered was the Klamath. They reached Trinidad on April 4, 1850, and a party of six, led by E. H. Howard, was landed for the purpose of exploring the large bay to the south which had been seen from the ship. They traveled down the coast and camped on the peninsula, at a point where the Humboldt Light House was subsequently erected. The Laura Virginia arrived shortly thereafter and took them aboard. The vessel returned to Humboldt Bay, and on the following day, April 9, 1850, a small boat was launched, and a party headed by H. H. Buhne came over the bar and landed at a point opposite the entrance known as Humboldt or Buhne's Point. When high water covered the bar at one o'clock in the afternoon, Buhne returned to the ship, and later that afternoon piloted two boats, loaded with tents, provisions, and passengers, across the bar. They spent the night on the north beach, near the small lagoon. The next day they crossed over to Humboldt Point and pitched their tents. Fog obscured the sky all day on the lOth, but on the 11th a ship was sighted, and Buhne and his party emerged from the north channel and found a schooner, the James R. Whiting, anchored off the bar. Anxious to avoid spreading any knowledge concerning the existence of Hum­ boldt Bay, the Buhne party returned to the Laura Virginia which im­ mediately sailed away to the north. On the 14th, however, they returned to Humboldt Bay and sailed into the harbor. The members of the party at once commenced surveying the land, staking out quarter sections, and putting up tents and cabins. Humboldt Point was looked upon as the most central location, and here the city was located and named in honor of the distinguished naturalist, Alexander von Humboldt. For a year or more Humboldt City kept ahead of the other towns on the bay,

15 but gradually the advantage of a nearer route to the mines and an Indian trail from the head of the bay that did not require costly improvements, settled the rivalry in favor of Union. Humboldt City gradually faded and soon disappeared. Meanwhile, on April 8, 1850, Captain Robert A. Parker brought the James R. Whiting into Trinidad Bay and landed a party which proceeded to lay out streets and blocks for a town. They were joined shortly by Captain Warner of the Isabel, and the town for a time was known as Warnersville. As soon as the survivors of the Josiah Gregg and L. K. Wood party had sufficiently recuperated, they decided to return overland to Humboldt Bay. Thirty-three men organized themselves into the Union Company and set out for Humboldt Bay. On April 19, 1850 they reached a bay a short distance below where Eureka now stands and left four members there to locate a town and make improvements. This place was named Bucksport in honor of David A. Buck, one of its founders. The remaining members of the company then crossed the bay with the assistance of Indians, and proceeded up the peninsula to a point at the head of the bay, which they reached on April 21. There they located a town and called it Union, a name later changed to Arcata. A few days later they carne down the bay and located the townsite of Eureka. Although the members of the Laura Virginia party were the first settlers upon the present site of Eureka, the town was laid out in the spring of 1850 by James T. Ryan and John Davis for the Mendocino Ex­ ploring Company. Ryan was chosen as the first alcalde or mayor. The site was at that time covered with heavy timber which extended to the waterfront. In March, 1850, the schooner ·General Morgan., commanded by

16 I: .1 ·1·1 I 11

Photo by Howard 8. Melendy Courtesy Humboldt County Planning Commisfion The Humboldt County Courthouse, in Eureka, is shown here as it appeared in 1903. It has since. been razed, because of extensive earthquake damage. Captain John Brannan, anchored off the mouth of Eel River and a party headed by Sammuel Brannan was sent ashore. They went by way of Table Bluff into the bay and then continued up the coast to Trinidad. The 'General Morgan: was compelled to put to sea because of a storm which came up, and a number of the party settled at Trinidad and Eureka. The remaining members of the party sailed from Trinidad to San Francisco. On July 20, 1850, the schooner Francis Helen sailed from San Francisco for Humboldt Bay with eighteen passengers. Members of this party built the first lumber mill in Eureka, the Pioneer Mill. Seven laborers were brought who cut pilings for a return cargo. The county was organized by act of the Legislature on May 12, 1853, its affairs up to 1855 beingadministeredby the Court of Sessions, In 1855 the management passed into the hands of a Board of Supervisors under an act of that year authorizing the election. The Board consisted of five members, the county being divided into five supervisorial dis­ tricts, each returning one member. The county seat was first established at Arcata, then called Union. Its removal to Eureka, its present location, was effected in May, 1856, by act of the Legislature, the first court house being erected nearly five years later. This building continued in use until 1889, when a magnificent structure was completed, which was used until weakened by the earthquake of 1954 and subsequently razed. One of the pioneer residents of Arcata was Francis Bret Harte, the noted writer who arrived in 1857. He wrote his first article for the Humboldt Times in which he told about an Indian fight and r eferred to the male Indians as "bucks." Harte acted as agent for the Wells, Fargo and Co. and at the same time assisted S. G. Whipple in the editing of the Northern Californian. He learned to set type during this period and in

18 1860 went to San Francisco where he served as compositor on the old Golden Era, to which he contributed articles. President U. S. Grant, while a captain in the U.S. Army, was also for a short time a resident of the county, being stationed at F art Humboldt, the ruins of which are still in existence. The known facts of his life while in the county are very meagre, but it is known that he arrived abouttheendofOctober, 1853,andafter remaining a few months, resigned his commission and left to rejoin his family in the East. The Humboldt Land District was established by an Act of Con­ gress approved March 29, 1858. The first Register and the first Re­ ceiver arrived on July 22, 1858, but the Land Office was not opened for business until October 11, 1858. The office was first located at Hum­ boldt Point, but since there was nothing there, it was removed to Bucksport in the latter part of the same month. The first land purchase made in the Land Office was by Seth Kinman in October, 1858. He selected eighty acres about one mile directly east of the site upon which the Table Bluff Lighthouse was subsequently erected. Land was first advertised for sale by the Land Office in Augus~. 1858, and the first public sale was made on Monday, February 14, 1859. The Land Office was removed to Eureka in May, 1859. Communication in Humboldt County often came to a complete standstill in the early days when the steamers failed to cross Humboldt Bar because of storms, or when the pack trains were snowbound. Mail, papers and small packages were carried by an expressman on horse­ back, while heavier items went by mulepack. There was no postoffice in Humboldt untill853. At first, mail was cared for and carried by express companies. The rates were three dollars for carrying a letter and one dollar and fifty cents for a magazine

19 or newspaper. In June, 1853, postmasters were appointed for Union, Eureka, Bucksport and Trinidad. Although appointments had been made, no provision for the transportation of the mails had been considered. Mails were irregular and were often received only once in four weeks. A. E. Ragnes established the first express to the mines. He began his run in the spring of 1851 from Trinidad to Bestville. Other express pioneers established lines to Crescent City and Gold Bluff. An express and banking house was established in Arcata by the Adams Company with operations extended from Bucksport via Eureka to Union. Other enterprises were established in November, 1854, when Strawbridge and Company established an express with a route from the towns of the Klamath, Trinity, and Salmon River mines. It was in this same year that Chism and Company brought into the county the first Concord coach to run between Eureka and Eel River. Filley and Com­ pany began to operate an omnibus between Eureka and Eel River. Packing to the Salmon and Trinity mines from Trinidad began in 1850. This busjness expended rapidly, and during the week ending August 1, 1857, 600 heavily loaded mules left Arcata for Trinity, Weaverville, Klamath, and Salmon River. Each animal was carrying 275 pounds. The amount of goods taken out by pack train was 165,000 pounds. In the spring of 1851, to accommodate the travel between Trini­ dad and the Salmon River mines, a ferry was built to cross the Klamath some five miles below the mouth of the Trinity on the regular road to Bestville in Siskiyou County, one mile from Sawyer,s Bar. The pro­ prietors were Gwin R. Tomplans and Charles McDermitt. A man

20 named Blackburn was placed in charge, and the crossing soon became known as "Blackburn's Ferry." The state legislature of 1873-74 authorized Humboldt County to issue bonds for the construction of a road from a point eight miles east of Eureka to Round Valley in Mendocino County. It was well known to oldtimers as the Kneeland Prairie-Round Valley Road. The route was completed under the act as far as Blocksburg, a distance of seventy­ four miles. Later it was extended one hundred miles southwest from Eureka. Bonds totalling $125,000 were issued for the construction work. The route was ten feet wide with turnouts fifteen feet wide and fifty feet long. The Eureka-Round Valley road was used daily from April to December by the stages of the Humboldt and Mendocino Stage Company, which carried the mail from San Francisco. In the summer it took the stage three days to cover the route, and in the winter, the least time required was four days. In 1861, H. W. Lake constructed a wooden bridge across the Trinity River. It was fourteen feet wide and was considered a sub­ stantial structure. One of the first suspension bridges made its ap­ pearance in this part of the state when John F. Martin put a wire sus­ pension bridge across the Klamath at a cost of $4,000. The first railroads in California were those constructed in Humboldt County. By 1854 there was a substantial route serving county logging and lumbering operations. Arcata claims the first railroad. The country around Arcata, or Union as it was then called, proved fertile , and substantial crops wer e raised. Products were shipped to San F rancisco and supplies were brought in to Arcata by boat, but because of the shallow water of the bay, it was a laborious job to get the products to and from the boats

21 in deep water. On December 15, 1854, the Union Wharf and Plank Walk Company was incorporated and in the spring of 1855 built a railroad from Union, two miles over the mud flats of the bay to deep water where ships could tie up to receive and discharge passengers and merchan­ dise. The track was made of wooden rails set to a gauge of forty-five and one-half inches, over which a four-wheel car was drawn by an old white horse, named uspanking Fury/' which served for many years as a locomotive. It was said th~lt this was the nearest thing to a passenger railroad in California in 1855. In 1873, John Vance sought the aid of the citize ns of Humboldt for the construction of a railroad from Eureka to Eel River Valley. His plea was turned down. Even though he had been spurned, he procc:eded to build a road on his own from tidewater to his mills on the Mad River. This road opened up fine farming areas. A Baldwin locomotive and about thirty truck cars were used to carry vast loads of redwood to vessels on Humboldt Bay. Later the road was made public and a warehouse built for freight. Shipbuilding began in Humboldt Bay in 1854 when a small steamer, the Glide, was built by Alle n and Company. The abundance of timber close to the wate r's edge had early led those familiar with ship building to realize the opportunities hl:rc offer ed for the industry, and numerous ~:>a ilin g vvssels and steamers were built during the fifties. Late r Bcndixsen and Cousins became the two chief leaders in this activity. The industry continued to flouris h un­ til after World War I, and the names of Humboldt-built ships were known all along the Pacific Coast and the South Pacific. Little was known of the fishing industry in Humboldt prior to 1854, but at that date both whale and shark-fishing, as well as salmon

22 fisheries, wer e attracting much attention. Shellfis h were also found to be profitable . Recognizing that the entrance to Humboldt Bay should be main­ tained at an adequate depth if the commercial importance of the port was not to suffer, the federal government constructed a system of jetties at the entrance to the harbor during the years 1887-1899. After additional work, a rock jetty, completed in 1925, exte nded from the end of the North Spit about 4500 feet into the ocean, and the south jetty, which was comple ted in 1927, was 5100 feet long. DEL NORTE COUNTY Del Norte County is situated on the northern coast of California, approximately midway between San F rancisco and Portland. It is the northernmost county of the State of California, and its name, Del Norte, means uof the north.,, The area was first explored by Jedediah Smith, an early day western trapper of the Rocky Mountain Fur Company. While traveling through California in the spring of 1828 he encountered great difficulty in passing through the inte rior of the State with his 300 horses. Hoping to find traveling easier near the coast, Smith headed west from the Sacramento Valley to the headwaters of the Trinity River, which he followed to its junction with the Klamath on May 3, 1828. He followed down the Klamath River, crossing at a point southeast of the present town of Klamath and south of the Del Norte-Humboldt County line. On June 8 he and his party came to Wilson Creek, a few miles north of the mouth of the Klamath River and about fifteen miles south of what is now Crescent City. He pushed north to the future site of Crescent City, camping near where the Crescent City hospital now stands. Proceed­ ing north, the party came to Lake Earl, where they met a number of

23 Indians who were found to be friendly. It is believed that these white men were the first these Indians had ever seen. Smith and his men pressed on to the north and discovered what is now called Smith River. Later, they were attacked by the Umpqua Indians in southwestern Oregon, and many of Smith's men were killed. Only Smith and two others escaped to Fort Vancouver. Other fur traders and trappers passed through this region, but no permanent settlements were made, and no records remain today to indicate their successes or failures. Del Norte was originally part of Trinity County, but when Kla­ math County was carved out of Trinity County in 1851, Del Norte be­ carne part of Klamath County, where it remained until it gained in­ dependent status in 1857. The first settlement was made at Happy Camp along the Klamath River wher e gold had been discovered that spring. The county seat was established at Trinidad. Klamath County included all of the present Del Norte County and parts of Humboldt and Siskiyou counties. Because of the mountainous terrain and the poor transportation facilities, it was very difficult to get to Trinidad from the east to transact business at the county scat. When Crescent City developc<.l into a sizeable community there was a demand that the county scat be changed from Trinidad to Crescent City. This was done in 1854, but Crescent City was even more unsatisfactory to the people who lived to the south and east of the Klamath River than Trinidad had been, and a demand was made for a more centrally lo­ cate<.l county seat. This demand resulted in a third change, and the county scat was moved to Orleans Bar on the Klamath River. In the early part of 1856 a petition was circulated requesting the division of Klamath County because of the impassable mountains divid-

24 ing the extremes of the county. Financial difficulties had placed the county in a precarious position, so in 1857 a bill was introduced in the Legislature proposing the creation of a new county to be named Buchanan in honor of the newly-elected President of the United States. The Legislature rejected the name and the Committee on Counties eventually reported to the Legislature with an amendment to the bill recommending the name Del Norte. The Spanish name, meaning 110f the north," seemed more appropriate for the new county. The bill passed, and the county of Del Norte was formed with Crescent City designated as the county seat. On February 22, 1857, the steamer Columbia arrived in Crescent City from San Francisco, bringing the news that the bill for the division of Klamath County had passed the Legislature. Kla­ math County was finally dissolved in 1874 and enjoys the dubious dis­ tinction of being the only county in California that has ceased to exist as a political unit after having once been organized. The territory of the county and its public debt were divided between Humboldt and Siskiyou counties. The brig Cameo left San Francisco on February 27, 1850 and arrived at Trinidad Bay on March 16, 1850. Because of stormy weather, the brig continued northward and landed ten passengers at Rocky Point near Point Saint George off Crescent City. One group under Eugene du Bertrand took a life boat and went by sea to the Klamath River. The other group under Herman Ehernberg went by land and on April 7, 1850 discovered gold at Gold Bluffs situated between the mouth of the Kla­ math River and Trinidad. Ehernberg and his party decided to continue on to Trinidad where they arrived on April13, 1850 and found 500 white men already living there. Ehernberg returned to the Klamath River and on April 19, 1850 began to lay out the streets and lots of a town to be

25 called Klamath City. After a rapid rise, the new city was abandoned before it was a year old. The city depended for its wealth upon the trade with the min­ ing camps, but the river bar proved too dangerous to be crossed in safety by large vessels, and the merchants could not bring their wares in by sea. The city disappeared so completely that no vestige can be seen today. Early in the spring of 1850 a schooner named the Paragon from San Francisco, while on a trip up the coast, came to the Crescent City harbor and sailed in to anchor. A sudden storm _appeared and dashed the schooner to pieces upon the rocks. The crew survived. Not until a year later in the spring of 1851, when a party under Captain McDermott was searching for a legendary cabin and lost gold mine in the vicinity of French Hill, was Crescent City harbor again mentioned. When McDermott's party reached the top of French Hill, they· saw before them a broad and beautiful expanse of ocean which had one particular indentation in the rocky· coast line. They believed that here was to be found a bay of considerable importance. In 1852 another party of explorers hearing the story of the bay, started the long journey from San Francisco. The journey was rough, and they had to remain alert against unfriendly Indians. The party spoke of the majestic beauty of the redwoods and the fields of tall ferns and shrubs. Just before reaching their destination, they came upon a herd of elk feeding on the grass. They looked back upon the hills which they had descended and then out upon the blue Pacific. They decided to name the new valley in which they were camped, uElk Valley." It still bears this name. Early next morning when the party arrived on the beach they made

26 . their camp and then set about to explore their new home. After finding the wreckage of the schooner Paragon they decided to name the bay "Paragon Bay." Captain McDermott sent a messenger to San Francisco to get more supplies for the oncoming winter. This messenger induced J. F. Wendell, of San Francisco, to organize an expedition to Point Saint George just north of Crescent City. They chartered the schooner Pomova and arrived sometime in the fall of 1852. Mr. Wendell immediately became enthusiastic about the possibi­ lities of a large town and harbor, and a land warrant was issued to him in 1853 for 320 acres of land, the same land on which Crescent City now stands. The town was officially located in 1853, and after much discussion the name ucrescent City" was decided upon because of the shape of the bay on which the town was to be built. In February, 1853, T. P. Robinson surveyed the land for the town and ·divided it into lots. The first building built was a block house. In less than six months ninety houses had been built and by June, 1854 there were nearly three hundred buildings. Crescent City was incor­ porated in April, 1854, when organization of the city government was completed. The survey for the first road into Crescent City was completed in October, 1854 by T. P. Robinson. A company was formed in 1857 which was called the City and Yreka Plank and Turnpike Road. The road was finished in May, 1858, and the first stage left Crescent City on May 19, enroute for Sailor Diggings, Oregon. It ran tri-weekly, connecting at Sailor Diggings with the stage line for Jacksonville, Ore­ gon, and Yreka, California. This first stage line was established by McClelland and Company and P. J. Mann. After leaving Crescent City,

27 the stopping places for the stage were at Smith River Corners, Alta­ ville at Low Divide, North Fork on Smith River, Tailor's on top of McGrew Mountain, and Sailor Diggings, Oregon. In 1858 Nicholas McNamara, Sr. with Messrs. Stateler, McKay, and Dobson formed a company to keep the freight business flowing through Crescent City. They paid $50,000 for mules and made contracts to deliver freight to Fort Jones, Yreka, and Jacksonville, or to any place in northern California or southern Oregon. That same year the Fraser River gold rush took most of the miners from this part of the county, and the freight business diminished. Except for narrow trails through the mountains and along the ocean shore the only way in and out of Crescent City in the early days was by freighter on the ocean. These ships made occasional trips from San Francisco with supplies for the miners and lumber workers. If upon arrival the sea was too rough for entering the harbor, the ship would have to lie at anchor off shore until the storm abated. Passengers and freight were often taken ashore in surf boats, but sometimes pas­ sengers would wait on the ship in sight of land for a week or more. On the return trip the vessel would carry a light cargo of lumber and butter. The butter was packed in large wooden boxes. It sold in San Francisco for twenty-five cents a pound. There were only about thirty mules in all Del Norte County during the 1850's and they had to pack food for over a thousand miners. In 1853-1854, when Crescent City was founded, an acre lot sold for be­ tween $100 and $1,000, but after 1857-1860 prices went down to $1.50 to $2.00 an acre. TRINITY COUNTY Trinity County is almost entirely mountainous, with rugged

28 The Trinity County Courthouse, in Weaverville, is and excellent example of the type of architecture and construction employed in the late 19th century. terrain, steep slopes, and many areas accessible only by saddle horse or on foot. About three-fourths of the area of the county is in the Trinity National Forest, and there are additional portions within the Six Rivers and Mendocino National Forests. Two wilderness areas, the Trinity Alps and the Yolla-Bolly-Middle Eel are included. Trinity County was one of the original twenty-seven counties created on February 18, 1850, by Act of the California Legislature. It owes its name to an error on the part of Pierson B. Reading, who, when he came upon the river in 1845, called it the Trinity, the English ver­ sjon of Trinidad, in the mistaken belief that it emptied into Trinidad Bay. The county boundaries were designated as follows: ..,Beginning on the parallel of 42 degrees north latitude at a point in the ocean three English miles from shore; and running due east on said parallel to the summit of the Coast Range; thence in a southerly direction to the pa­ rallel of 40 degrees north latitude; thence due west to the ocean, and three English miles therein; and thence in a northwesterly direction, parallel with the coast, to the point of beginning.'' The lands thus des-. cribed now constitute the counties of Del Norte, Humboldt, and Trinity, containing an area of 8,329 square miles. Subsequent statutes of the California Legislature created out of this territory the county of Hum­ boldt with an area of 3,507 square miles, and the county of Del Norte with an area of 1,546 square miles, leaving within the county of Trini­ ty, as now existing, an area of 3,276 square miles. As originally created, Trinity County was attached to Shasta County for purposes of administration, and it was not until 1851 that its courts and other governmental institutions were formally organized. Many hunters and trappers · passed through the rugged terrain of Trinity County. In 1828 one of the great western explorers, Jedediah

30 Smith, crossed this area on his way through California, making the first known contact of white men in this region. Soon after came the trappers of the Hudson's Bay Company, who followed Smith's route to the Sacramento River and other streams of California. In view of this fact, it is somewhat surprising to find that on a map of the Oregon Territory, drawn for a U. S. Senate committee in 1840 by David H. Burr, although Point Trinidad, Cape Mendocino, Smiths River, Shasty River, and Clamet River are mentioned, there is no river drawn on the map that would correspond to the location of the Trinity. In the spring of 1845, Major Pierson B. Reading left Sutter's Fort to trap the waters of northern California and Oregon. Accompanied by a party of thirty men, he crossed the mountains after leaving the Sacra­ mento River and reached a large stream which he called the Trinity River, supposing it led into Trinity Bay, as marked on the Spanish charts. He spent three weeks trapping beaver and otter on the river, then recrossed in the fall to Sutter's Fort. In 1848 the discovery of gold led Major Reading to do some prospecting. He crossed the Coast Range at the head of the Middle Fork of Cottonwood Creek and struck the Trinity River at the place now called Reading's Bar, where he found gold in sufficient quantities so that he could return to his 26,000 acre rancho, San Buenaventura, and enjoy the tranquil life of a farmer. Early in the spring of 1849 a Frenchman named Gross crossed Trinity Mountain and found gold at Rich Gulch and later at Evans Bar on the Trinity River, where he built the first log cabin in the county. In November, 1849, two parties left the Trinity mines to s earch for the elusive Trinidad harbor. One party went by way of the Sacra­ mento Valley to San Francisco and there commenced fitting out a sea expedition to explore the coast. The other party, led by Dr. Josiah

31 Gregg, followed down the Trinity to the Bald Hills, and then crossed over to the coast. Thus they failed to discover the fact that the Trinity River emptied into the Klamath and did not empty directly into the ocean. They eventually found what they thought was Trinity Bay, then travelled south and found the Eel River, and then went to Sonoma, where their reports sent many ships in search of Trinidad. A young miner named Weaver founded the town of Weaverville in 1850, and by 1852 there were occupants at every bar along the river from Salyer to Carrville, and practically every section of the gold­ bearing region had been explored and prospected. The balmy climate, abundance of water, fertile agricultural spots, and magnificent tracts of timber also attracted a great deal of attention, and during the early 1850's farms, orchards and gardens were established, with many farmers flocking to the rich agricultural lands of Hayfork and Hyam­ pom valleys. Gold was irrevocably linked with the history of Trinity County and still continues to be important, but not in the grandiose pattern of the past. The days of giant dredging operations and hydraulic mining are but a passing scene. There is a dredge operating extensive gravel deposits along the Trinity River above Lewiston. The atmosphere of the Gold Rush is still pret)ent. Many historic structures remain in Lewiston, Weaverville and Trinity Center, and the legends and stories of old Trinity County still circulate. MENOOCINO COUNTY Mendocino County was one of the original twenty-seven counties formed in California in 1850 and took its name from Cape Mendocino, although the cape was not then and is not now in the county. The cape may have been sighted by Bartolomeo Ferrelo, chief

32 pilot for Juan R. Cabrillo, who took command of the expedition on the death of Cabrillo. The first redwood lumber mill on the Pacific Coast was estab­ lished in Mendocino County in 1852, after the county's timber resources were discovered by a party sent to salvage a vessel driven ashore in the mouth of the Noyo River. Lumbering flourished there, as did mining in other parts of the state, and by 1872 there were nineteen sawmills producing some fifty million board feet of lumber annually. With the increasing population the county's agriculture flourished. Lumbering declined, however, and many of the boom towns became the equivalent of ughost towns" in the Mother Lode area. Near Willits is the Black Bart rock, reported to have served as a hiding place for the legendary bandit who robbed mail stages during the 1870's and 1880's leaving facetious rhymes in the boxes he rifled, and living a dual life as a ban­ dit and respectable San Francisco mining man. By an Act of the Legislature in April, 1878, the county was divi­ ded into five supervisorial districts. Only one of these, consisting of Little Lake, Long Valley and Round Valley townships, is included in this

study area ~ Round Valley township takes its name from its principal valley, which derived its name from its shape. It lies entirely on the head waters of the easterly sources of Eel River and is bounded on the north by Humboldt and Trinity counties, on the east by Tehama County, on the south by Little Lake township, and on the west by Little Lake and Long Valley townships. It is extremely mountainous being em­ braced, as it were, by the Mayacmas range and an offshoot therefrom, and surrounded by peaks that exhibit snow-covered tops in winter, and on the eastern range snow lies in places until late summer. It has two

33 considerable valleys, Round and Eden, and numberless small ones of one-farm size, and much cultivatable land not classed as valley land. Round Valley was first discovered by white men in 1854, but there were several claimants for the title of the first white man in the Valley. Frank Asbill claims it, a Mr. Williams claims to have seen the valley from the eastern hills prior to the Asbills coming into it, and Charles Kelsey blazed a trail from Clear Lake through Round Valley in 1854. (It is generally conceded that Frank Asbill named Round Valley.) In 1854 Frank and Pierce Asbill, accompanied by Jim Naphus, left Bodega, Sonoma County, and in a short time fell in with Kelsey and a party who were on their way to the south fork of Eel River. They passed over the summit of Sanhedrin mountain into Eden Valley, to which Pierce Asbill gave its name, fancying that it must resemble the home of our "first parents.'' Their camp was set up near the middle fork of the Eel River, and on the morning of May 15, Frank went out upon the mountain side to catch their horses and while gone discovered Round Valley and named it thus because of its shape. After a skirmish with some Indians, in which forty natives were killed, the Asbill party left the valley. Their trail was still discernible a short while later when the George White party entered the valley by way of Anthony Peak. George E. White took up a homestead in the valley and built a cabin, the first in the valley. He left Charles Brown in charge and built a second cabin, thus eatablishing his claim to the valley. Devinna and Craft built the third cabin in the valley, on what was afterwards the Melendy farm, near where Lindsley Williamson's house now stands. Lawson and Ben Arthur built the next house, which still stands as part of the Hemenway Apartments. This house marks the beginning of the town of Covelo, named after a fortress in Switzerland, by Charles

34 Eberle. The present Round Valley Indian Reservation began with the es­ tablishment of a fann in 1856. It was called the Nome Cult Nomlaki Indian farm, and was used principally as a breeding and fattening sta­ tion for beef to supply the reservations on the coast. In 1858 it was established as a reservation, containing 25,000 acres, and in 1868 its limits were extended northerly to the summit of the range. On March 30, 1870, by proclamation of the President, all land embraced within its boundaries was set aside for reservation purposes. The reserva­ tion contained 102,118 acres and was to care for 1,000 Indians, includ­ ing the Pomos, Ukiahs, Little Lakes, Redwoods, Conchas, Pit Rivers, Yukas, and Wylackies. Since most of the Pomos, Ukiahs, and Red­ woods returned to their old homes, there were seldom more than 500 Indians on the reservation. The reservation was managed first by civilian appointees, then by military officers detailed for that purpose, then by the Methodist Episcopal Church, and by them relinquished to civilian appointees again. In 1863 Camp Wright was established there, and sixty men from Company upu Second Regiment of Infantry, California Volunteers, were placed there. The Indians have gradually left the reservation, and the latest census shows about 350 remaining. They are governed by an Indian Council, each tribe having a representative, which transacts business with advice from Indian office officials. Native languages have been forgotten. There are no original basket makers left, but many homes contain the fine woven baskets of the old time Indian woman's skillful work. The tribes have intermarried. The only all-Indian elementary school in this state is on the Round Valley reservation with about

35 eighty pupils attending. They later attend the Round Valley Union High School at Covelo which is open to all races. The reservation was gradually reduced to 160 acres of land in the valley and 500 acres of range land adjoining. Covelo celebrated its centennial with appropriate festivities on May 14, 15, and 16, 1954. Willits, located in the center of the county in Little Lake Valley, serves an area of some 8,500 people. The Baechtel Bros. brought a band of cattle from Marin County _in September, 1855, and established a ranch one mile south of Willits. A store , a saloon, and a public hall were built on the ranch by 1860, but difficulties arose over business, and an opposition town (Willits) was located a mile north of the Ranch. Willits was incorporated in 1888. North of Willits are Laytonville and Piercy, r edwood lumbering communities, located on the Redwood High­ way. Laytonville, which was founded in 1874 by F. B. Layton, was con­ nected to Covelo by a road opened in 1885. Another road to the rail­ road connection at Longvale was finished in 1912 and established a new route between Sherwood Valley and Humboldt County.

SISKIYOU COUNTY When California was divided into counties by an Act of the Legis­ lature in F ebruary, 1850, the s ection north of Butte County and east of the Coast Range was called Shasta County. Siskiyou County was formed in 1852 from parts of Shas ta County and some additional territory from Klamath County was added later. The name Siskiyou was, perhaps, derived from the French uSix Cailloux," or six stones, the name of a place wher e the Hudson's Bay Company's trail crossed the Klamath River, although it is als o claimed

36 that the name Siskiyou meant "bob-tailed horse" and was given to this area when a valuable bob-tailed race horse was lost here by some Hud­ son's Bay Company's trappers in 1828. Hudson's Bay trappers passed through this area as early as 1825, searching for fur-bearing animals. Peter Skene Ogden, in 1827, referred to the river passing through this area as the Sastise River, and the mountain as Mount Sastise. Some time during the same period a group of Hudson's Bay trappers are said to have established a post on the trail from Shasta Valley to Scott Valley, not far from the present town of Gazelle. According to legend, a pile of rocks from the camp corral remains to remind the traveler of this encampment. The strange volcanic cliffs of Sheep Rock were a famous landmark for the fur brigades and later the miners and the settlers. The trails from the Sacramento Valley, from Fort Vancouver, and from the eastern United States met at the southern end of this rock. Near a spot where a water-worn rock has been found with the inscription "Died Jno. B. Smith - June 10, 1839" are still to be seen the indistinct foundations of three small cabins, and under the crum­ bled stones of the fireplace was found the back of a Hudson's Bay trade mirror of the kind used in barter with the Indians. This stone may have marked the first grave in the Siskiyou area. Hopeful prospectors in search of gold came north from the Sacramento Valley and south from Oregon, as well as from the eastern United States. By 1850 most of the streambeds of Siskiyou County were being prospected for gold. In the spring of that year John W. Scott and his party picked up the first nugget and started the rumors spreading about the richness of the northern.mines. This discovery at Scott Bar near the mouth of Scott River brought miners hurrying into Siskiyou

37 County, which was still called Shasta County. The miners required innumerable supplies, and so stores were built and stocked with goods brought through the mountains by pack train. Within a year the area was dotted by small mining towns, many soon to vanish, but others continued to grow.

In March, 1851, Abraham Thompson, coming from Oregon, stop~ ped at Greenhorn Creek and panned quantities of the gold. In a few weeks, two thousand persons were camped on the flats at Thompson's Dry Diggings. A town soon took form, and its name was changed to Shasta Butte City, then to 1-e-ka and finally to Yreka, the Indian name for Mount Shasta. Yreka is now the county seat. The first type of mining was designed to simply separate the particles and the nuggets of gold from the soil by means of gravity. Then, as the surface gold became more difficult to obtain, other mining methods came into use. Gold bearing veins of quartz were dug out of the mountain sides and crushed in the crude arrastras and later in stamp mills. The hydraulic miners turned their giant nozzles upon the hillsides of the streams and rivers and washed down the earth and gravel, the water carrying away many tons of soil but leaving behind the nuggets of gold which were caught behind the riffle boards of the sluices. Hydraulic mining has become uneconomical, but dredging of stream deposits continues. The gold dredging boat was introduced into the county in the first years of the present century. This form of wash­ ing the gravel and extracting the gold is the latest means of tearing up and washing the soil for the precious metal. The immense boat, th~ intricate machinery, the gold savings appliances, the tearing up and washing of the gravel, the electric lighting, and the electric motors used in the dredging work illustrate the development which has been

38 The simple mining methods of early days have given way to dredging operations, which leave vast piles of cobblestones in their wake. View in Scott Valley. made in the use of machinery since the days when the miners used the rocker and the pan in the 1850's. Other Americans, however, were intrigued by the thought of rich farms and lucrative business opportunities, and they, too, came to this land of promise after a long, hard journey. While these pioneer families were entering Siskiyou County from the inland approaches, others were sailing around the Horn to land at Trinidad. From there by mule back or on foot they made their way through the Klamath Mountains to the valleys of the Scott and Shasta rivers and to the arable lands in eastern Siskiyou. Here they took up farms and built homes in which to raise their families. Many of their descendents are still farming the lands taken up by their forefathers. Although more than one hundred years have passed since the discovery of gold on the American River, the old boom town excite­ ment of 1849 is once more being felt in Siskiyou County because of the expanding lumber industry. Actually there is nothing new about lum­ bering in Siskiyou County, but the demand for building material is so great that this industry has recently swollen to gold rush proportions. Logging and milling settlements have sprung up in rnany parts of the county, closely resembling the early mining centers of 1850. The population of Siskiyou county has increased greatly in the past few years, primarily because of lumbering. The increased activity, which has been experienced since the w~r. has brought destruction to some of the old historic landmarks. The county's first grist mill, located in Quartz Valley; the Forks of Salmon Hotel, and the Upper So­ da Springs Hotel were outstanding points of historic interest which have recently vanished because of industrial advances.

40 HISTORIC SITES OF SPECIAL INTEREST

A few historic sites have been selected from the scores visited, as having special interest from a recreational and interpretive view­ point. They also serve to highlight the explorations and settlement of this vast area. Some of the selected sites have already received attention, to the extent of being identified by State historical markers. Others have not yet been so recognized. It would be desirable to mark them all at the earliest opportunity. Most of these sites are in private ownership. Many of them are being well cared for, and there is every evidence that they will continue to be adequately preserved and protected in the years immediately ahead. However, there are a number of sites for which the future is uncertain, and it would be in the public interest for some public agency to acquire them so that they may be preserved for the education, in­ spiration and enjoyment of present and future generations. The selected sites, discussed below, have been arranged by coun­ ties. Their locations are shown on the accompanying map, each with its own key number. HUMBOLDT COUNTY Humboldt County has a considerable group of sites of special interest. H-1: California's first drilled oil wells are located along the north fork of the Mattole River about 3 miles northeast of Petrolia. State Historical Marker No. 543 presently identifies the site. H-2: The Carson House in Eureka was begun in 1885 and com­ pleted in 1886. It has 18 rooms with fir timbering, interiors of red-

43 The Carson House in Eureka, built in 1885, is considered one of the finest examples of Victorian architecture in America. A wooden cross was erected on Trinidad Head overlooking the Bay, by Spanish explorers, in 1775. It has since been replaced by this granite cross. wood, oak, Philippine mahogany and primavera wood which Carson brought in his own ship from South America. The house is considered one of the finest examples of Victorian architecture still standing and is one of the most photographed buildings in America. It is beautifully preserved and is now owned by a group of private citizens under the name of "Ingomar Club of Eureka." H-3: The Trinidad Cross of Rockland White granite was erected on September 9, 1913 by the clubwomen of Humboldt County. It stands nine feet high mounted on a two-foot granite base with the arm measur­ ing four and a half feet across. Mrs. Annie Zane Murray remembered as a child seeing the remains of an old cross made of pine supposedly placed there by Bodega and Heceta when they took possession of Trini­ dad on June 11, 1755. The present cross was placed at the site under Mrs. Murray's guidance. State Historical Marker No. 146 commemo­ rates the event. Title to the land is in conflict between the Coast Guard and the County, with the Coast Guard taking care of the cross at the present time. H-4: Gunther Island is a large island in Humboldt Bay opposite Eureka. From earliest times it has been occupied by peaceful Indians, whose greatest offense has been occasional pilfering from the whites. During the latter part of February of each year, these Indians, together with their neighboring kinsmen on the Eel and Mad Rivers, celebrated a religious festival consisting of feasts and dancing. On the night of February 25, 1860, when the Indians were completely exhausted from their week's r evelry and lay in sound sleep, a party of 6 or 7 men armed with axes, knives and clubs came suddenly upon them and killed or wounded all who came within their reach, including men, women and children. Great excitement ensued when the people of Eureka heard what

46 had taken place, and became even more intense when it was learned that on the same night other Indian villages around the bay had been attacked in like manner. The exact number of those killed is not known; the Humboldt Times in reporting the affair places the number not far below 150, but more conservative and probably more accurate reports say 40 (Humboldt Times, March 3, 1860). Gunther, who owned the island at the time, says he counted 16 bodies the next morning and that 16 had been taken away by Mad River Indians and he estimated 40 were killed. (Bledsoe, Indian Wars, pp. 302-13, says 250). That this action was the result of a well-laid plot is evident from the fact that three massacres occurred simultaneously. It was suggested at the. time that th.e men responsible for the action were those who had so keenly felt the recent attacks of the Indians in the mountains around Hydesville, and were led to believe that the Indians of Humboldt Bay were giving them assistance. Beyond this suggestion, the names of the perpetrators of the crime never became publicly known, and the Grand Jury, which met in April, 1860, failed to get any more definite information and limited its report to a condemnation of the deed. H-5: Fort Humboldt, located at Bucksport on a high bluff 30 or 40 feet above Humboldt Bay, was occupied by United States troops from 1853 to 1865 as protection against the Indians of the region. It con­ sisted of 18 buildings. U. S. Grant was stationed here in 1853. Aban­ doned in Jan. 1867, it fell to ruin. In 1925 one building, the commis­ sary, was restored and the Fort is now a State Park. State Historical Marker No. 154 commemorates the historical importance of Fort Humboldt. H-6: The Humboldt Court House site in Eureka is County property today. In 1860 Humboldt County purchased a block of ground between

47 I, K, Second and Bay Streets for $5,507. The frame Court House was 3 stories. high and contained offices, jail, court room and juryroom. In 1885 a new court house was constructed and the old one was burned to dispose of it. A severe earthquake on December 22, 1954 damaged this structure so badly that it was condemned. It has since been de­ molished. The site is purely of local value, since nothing of the old building remains. Possibly a plaque on the new court house commemo­ rating the old one would suffice. H-7: Camp Curtis, located a mile north of Arcata on the Redwood Highway (U. S. 101), was a rendezvous for a group of soldiers under the command of Capt. Owsley from 1862-1864. State Historical Marker No. 215 was erected in memory of the Mountaineers who served their country during the Civil War. H-8: The Northerner was a ship owned and operated by the Paci­ fic Mail Steamship Line and commanded by Capt. Wm. Doll. It struck a rock at Blunt's Reef, off Cape Mendocino, on Friday, January 7, 1860 and went aground six miles north of Bear River, about one mile below Centerville. A concrete cross 18 feet high has been erected on a hill overlooking the knoll on Centerville beach where the victims were buried to commemorate "the memory of the 38 pioneers who lost their lives" in the disaster. This cross is also identified by State Historical Marker No. 173 and is important as an example of one of the many sea accidents which occurred in the area. The country during that period was completely dependent on sea transportation for supplies and com­ munication since roads were non-existing. DEL NORTE COUNTY Del Norte County has two historical sites of special interest. DN-1: The site of Ft. Terwer is on the Klamath Indian Reserva-

48 The Northerner, and earlrday supply ship, was wrecked near Centervi lie Beach in 1860. This 18-foot cross waserected to memorialize the event. tion. In trying to lessen the friction between the new Californians and the Indians, the United States Government, on November 16, 1855, es­ tablished the Klamath Indian Reservation. The Government hoped to appease the Indians of the region most seriously affected by the rapid growth of the mining population by compensating them for land which the Californians had usurped in their lust for gold. A strip of land one mile in width was set aside for the Indians. This extended along both sides of the Klamath River for a distance of 20 miles inland from its mouth. The Reservation Indians included those from the Pitt, upper Sac­ ramento, and Klamath Rivers, and from Shasta and Scott Valleys. S.G. Whipple was the Indian Agent. He appointed H. B. Dickinson of Crescent City to instruct the Indians in various duties and pursuits on the reser­ vation. The agent traveled among the various tribes, straightening out their difficulties and sometimes furnishing food to those who were starving. He was there to punish the marauding Indians, protect the friendly Indians and guarantee the safety of the white men. Friction continued and on August 17, 1857, Major Heintzleman called all the lead men of the Klamath tribes together. The tentative agreement decided upon at this meeting did not last and in October 1857 Co. D, 4th Infantry, with 52 men under the command of Lt. Crook arrived in Crescent City and moved on to the reservation. Lt. Crook established Fort Ter-Waw (as it was then spelled, coming from the In­ dian name of the locality meaning "pretty, or unice place,). The Fort was situated on the north side of the river on a peninsula which was at that time clear of timber, about 6 miles from the mouth of the Klamath River. It is now part of Klamath Glen and the McBeth ranch in Terwer

50 Valley. A small sawmill was constructed to saw lumber for buildings on the post. Quarters were erected, as well as Government stores, and barracks. In all about .25 buildings were built on the level ground that spread from the timber land to the river. Most of the freight for the reservation was brought from Crescent City by canoe or surf boat. The soldiers maintained a vegetable garden on the post. In August 1859, Major Heintzelman was removed as Indian Agent of the Klamath Reservation and Col. Donald E. Buell was appointed as his successor. On June 11, 1861 Lt. Crook and his company left the fort, but due to protests of the Crescent City populace, Capt. Hunt with his company was assigned there on Aug. 28, 1861. The winter of 1861- 62 was a wet one and floods caused a great deal of damage. The San Francisco Bulletin of Dec. 18, 1861, reported that 20 buildings at Ft. Terwer were carried away, and this was followed by the disappearance of the three officer buildings, the store and all improvements on the reservation. In November 1861, Capt. May's company had relieved Capt. Hunt's men and they were ordered to rebuild the flood damage. Brig. General George Wright ordered Capt. Stuart's company to relieve Capt. May and his men for duty on the overland route on March 14, 1862 and the fort was evacuated on June 19, 1862.

Today the site has reverted to forest and portions have been con­ verted to farming. No signs of the fort remain except two large red­ wood trees, one of which has the inscription u Jard 1862 R.B." carved on it. These trees were used .by Capt. May to hang three Indians on Feb. 18, 1862, for their murdering of a deserter of Capt. Hunt's company. The land is still part of the Klamath Indian tteservation where 1,500 Indians live in about 150 huts.

51 DN-2: The site of Fort Lincoln is located on the Kings Valley Road about six miles north of Crescent City. The first site of the fort (known as old camp Lincoln) was on what is now the farm of Henry Westbrook Jr., but it was only used for a few months. The new Camp Lincoln was located where Judge Samuel Finley's home now stands. Part of his home was formerly the Captain's and one of the old bar­ racks, used by the soldiers, is across the road from the Finley home. State historical marker No. 545 marks the fort site. Fort Lincoln was established after Fort Terwer was demolished by the 1861-62 floods and abandoned. Its principal function was to protect the populace from Indian marauding. TRINITY COUNTY Trinity County has four sites of special interest. T -1: The town of Weaverville was one of the most important of the early day mining towns. Today it is the county seat of Trinity County. It is noted for its many historic landmarks, with a colorful past well worth preserving. The most important of these is the Chinese Joss House. Built in 1875 to replace the one destroyed by fire the previous year, it is one of the oldest and best preserved temples in the state. The priceless flags, banners, tapestries and golden scroll work which was made in China and transported to Weaverville in 1854 for the ori­ ginal temple erected in 1853, are proudly displayed by one of the few Chinese remaining of the hundreds of his countrymen of earlier days. Outside, ancient locust trees surround the building. The California State Park Commission took over the custody of this building in 1956. Other buildings of interest in Weaverville are the Weekly Trinity Journal office and the Memorial Hall with its numerous relics of pioneer days. Reminiscent of the 19th Century are the outside winding

52 In Weaverville, winding outside staircases of wrought iron are reminiscent of the 19th century. staircases of wrought iron, leading to the balconies of many of the old buildings. The Trinity County Museum, located in the basement of the historic courthouse, contains many relics of the Gold Rush Days. Weaverville was founded on July 8, 1850 whenconstruction of the first log house was begun. The Court House and the Marshall's resi­ dence were later constructed on either side of this building. A dis­ cussion took place as to what the town should be named, and since a young miner named Weaver was leader and favorite among the men, the town was named after him. Weaver had come seeking gold in 1848, landing at Big Bar; he left later to explore the Trinity River and was not heard from again. In the fall of 1850, Weaverville was well-settled with miners who prospered; the town then became a fact, as much so as a hotel, a butcher shop and a cake shop could make it. James Hower kept at this time the butcher shop, Mr. and Houghton the hotel, and Mrs. Walton the cake shop. Numerous gambling houses were established very early in the fast growing mining camp. The Catholic Church was built in the summer of 1853 at a cost of $4,500. In 1856 the Methodist Church was begun on the site now occupied by the Chinese Joss House. In 1854 a newspaper The Times began pub­ lication, followed by the shortlived Democrat in 185.5. In Jan. 1856 the Journal began publication and it is still in existence. As early as 1854 a private school was started by subscription with J. Adams as the teacher. In 1856 Mrs. Niblett also started a private school and in that same year a public school was built. The German Hospital was founded March 2, 1850. In the same year an intellectual group called the Lyceum was organized, which held debates and ordered books for a circulating library.

54 On March 7, 1853, one half of the town burned, with damages estimated at $100,000. Again on September 7, 1855, fire destroyed 29 houses, with an estimated $100,000 damage . On December 15, 1855, fire broke out in the St. Charles Hotel. After that all rebuilding was done with brick, mortar and iron instead of clapboard and shingles. Nearly all the brick buildings in Weaverville were built between 1855 and 1858. Weaverville population in 1858 was 800 whites, and 200 Chinese. T -2: Reading Bar is at the mouth of Readings Creek, a stream emptying into the Trinity River a little west of the south end of the l1ridge crossing the river at Douglas City on U.S. 299. The land mined is now within the Trinity National Forest on what is known as Marshall's Road and Smith's Flat. This site is worthy of a historical marker. T -3: Lewiston had its China town located on the west side of the Trinity River about half a mile from town. It consisted of a number of stores on both sides of a narrow street. At the farthest end was a temple very similar to the Joss House in Weaverville. In 1852 there were over a thousand Chinese here. Nothing remains of the town and since Lewiston has expanded due to construction activities, trailer camps have sprung up all along the river bank. Some artifacts of Chines~ origin have been found in the past years. The site is worthy of a his­ torical marker. T -4: Lewiston on the Trinity River was an old mining town which has seen quite a change since 1957 when construction activities com­ menced on the Trinity and Lewiston Dams. Where in 1956 only the old sleepy town remained, today it is a busy booming town of trailer courts, jerry built stores and a hospital, churcht:s, movie house and all the appurtenances of modern construction camps.

55 The old school house that still stands in Lewiston was erected in 1862, as a meeting place for Division No. 219 of the Sons of Temper­ ance Lcxlge. The Lcxlge surrendered its charter on July 9, 1865, and ever since that time the building has been used as a school house. In later years, girls and boys ante rooms were added, and more recently another wing has been added. The Lewiston Hotel was run as a stopping place between 1860 and 1870. The miners, who were numerous at that time, stayed there, as did the passengers from the Redding-Weaverville Stage in the winter time. The charge was $.25 a meal and the same for a bed. The tavern was owned and operated by William Burber. In 1883 Mr. Burber sold his hotel to Mike Newman, who ran the hotel and bar on the same high level as Mr. Burber. After a number of years as proprietor, Newman sold to Mart Van Matre, a native of Minersville. VanMatre put in a grocery store in the old bar room in 1890. In 1897 VanMatre sold to Johnny Koll. The famous stopping place burned the next year and im­ mediately thereafter reconstruction began, and was completed in 1899. The carpentry work was in charge of Charley Camp, The substantial and well built hotel is in a fine state of preservation today but has been enlarged due to the increase in business. It was sold recently to Mr. Mason Gray. The Lewiston Store was first run by L. B. Matlock in 1860 and later sold to Hi Hays about 1870. It has changed hands many times since then, but is still a going concern. SISKIYOU COUNTY In Siskiyou County there are three historic sites of special interest. S-1: Thompson's Dry Diggings, the spot where gold was dis-

56 The general store, Post Office and allied enterprises in Callahan are housed m this attractive building dating back to the Gold Rush days. covered in 1851, is located just east of the city limits of Yreka. On June 27, 1948, the Siskiyou County Historical Society dedicated a memorial plaque inscribed as follows: "Gold was discovered here in March 1951 by Abraham Thompson, member of a party which was en­ route from Oregon to Scott Bar. Following a heavy rain storm, parti­ cles of gold in the roots of grass pulled up by pack animals caused Thompson to wash three pans of gravel. The results convinced the party that the area was rich enough to work. In the party were Dr. F. G. Hearn, Judge Silas J. Day and a Mr. Bell, Thompson's partner. All staked claims on these flats, thirty feet square, and it was named 'Thompson's Dry Diggings.' Within six weeks 2,000 prospectors rushed here to mine, but need of water caused the settlement to move to the creek, and it became known as Shasta Butte City. This name being con­ fused with Shasta, in Shasta Co., was changed to 'I-E-KA,' the Indian word for Mt. Shasta (now Yreka) in 1852." S-2: The First White Grave consists of a plain, water worn rock found near Oro Fino at the northern end of Scott Valley, about nine miles from Ft. Jones (T43N, R9W, S18). On this rock are crudely etched these words: "Died Jno. B. Smith, June 10, 1839." So far as is known, this stone marked the first white grave in Siskiyou County. Near the spot where the stone was found there are the indistinct foundations of three small cabins, presumably built by beaver trappers before gold was known to exist in this area. The County Historical Society has placed a marker here. S-3: Fort Jones. This site has been commemorated by State Historical Marker No. 317 erected in 1946. It states: "On this ground there was established October 16, 1852, a military post by Companies A & B First U. S. Dragoons. From April 23, 1853 until June 23, 1858,

58 the date of its abandonment, this fort was garrisoned by Company E 4th U. S. Infantry. Named in honor of Colonel Roger Jones, Brevet Major General, the Adjutant General of the Army, 1825-52. Dedicated this 14th day of July 1946 to the officers and men who served here, among whom were Sgts. James Bryan and John Griffin and Pvt. Gundor Salverson who upon their discharge became pioneer settlers of this valley. Erected in their memory by the County of Siskiyou." This fort was established to protect settlers and was the only official military post in Siskiyou County. It is now on lands of the Klamath National Forest.

59 BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bancroft, H. H., History of California Carpenter, A. 0. and Millberry, P. H., History of Mendocino and Lake Counties (California), (Historic Record Committee, Los Angeles, 1914). Cox, Isaac, Annals of Trinity County, (San Francisco, 1858). Coy, Owen C., The Humboldt Bay Region 1850-1875, (California State Historical Association, Los Angeles, 1929). Dunsmuir New$, Dunsmuir, California Franch, Harold, Siskiyou County, California, 1915, (booklet issued by the Board of Supervisors and the Panama Pacific International Ex­ position Commission of Siskiyou County). Giles, Rosena A., Centennial History of Shasta County, (Brobooks, Oakland, California 1949). Hall, Ansel F., Natural History o(Mt. Shasta, in Sierra Club Bulletin, XII, No. 3 (1926). Harland, Mrs. Hester, Reminiscences -- Black Bear Mine, (California State Library). Jones, J. Roy, Saddle Bags in S.iskiyou, (News-Journal Print Shop, Yreka, Calif., 1953). Kidder, Leroy L., Story of a Siskiyou Argonaut, MS, (California State Library) McBeth, Frances Turner, Lower Klamath Country, (Anchor Press, Berkeley, Calif., 1950) Marshall, Emma Seclde, ,.In the Shasta Country," Sunset, (Nov. 1902). Mountain Herald, early Yreka, Calif., newspaper.

61 Nixon, Robert J., and Wilson, S. G., "Sawyer's Bar," Overland Monthly, (Jan. and Feb., 1897). Palmer, Lyman L., History of Mendocino County, California, (Alley, Bowen and Co., San Francisco, 1880). Republican Free Press, Siskiyou Characters Butte Valley, Calif., June 4, 1886 Roberts, Frank C., "Wonderful Mineral Deposits in Siskiyou,'' San Francisco Post, Feb. 1, 1896, in California State Library. Ryder, David Warren, Memories of the Mendocino Coast, (privately printed, San Francisco, 1948). Scott Valley Mirror, (Fort Jones, Calif.) Scott Valley News, semi-weekly, (Fort Jones, Calif.) Siskiyou Chronicle, early Yreka, Calif., newspaper Smith, Esther Ruth, History of Del Norte County, (Homes Book Co., 1955. Watson, C.B., "Siskiyou Mountains (In the Siskiyous)", Sunset, April, 1907, Vol. 18: pp 566-571. Wells, H. L., History of Siskiyou County, California, (D. J. Stewart and Co., Oakland, Calif. 1881). Western Sentinel, (Etna, Calif.) Weston, Margaret Lewis, Siskiyou County's Early History, Grizzly Bear Vol. 5:7 Supplement (June 1909). Wilson, Bourdon, "'The Fruit Lands of Siskiyou,'' Sunset, (1911) Vol. 27: pp 465-8. Yreka Journal, weekly and semi-weekly, (Yreka, Calif.) Yreka Union, weekly and semi-weekly, (Yreka, Calif.)

62 PART II

ARCHEOLOGY AND ETHNOLOGY Mr. Lawrence C• Merriam Regional Director, Region Four National Park Service 18o New Montgomery Street San Francisco 5, California

Dear Mr. Merriam: In fulfillment of contract No. 14-10-434-168, entered

into ~th the National Park Service, I attach my report, entitled

An Evaluation of the Pre-Caucasian Human Resources of Northwestern

California: Archeology and Ethnology.

The contract required a review of the literature relating to the archeology of the drainage basins of. the Eel, Van Duzen,

Mattole, Mad, Trinity, Klamath (below Copco Lake) and Smith Rivers and their tributaries, and of Redwood Creek and its tributaries.

Special reference was to be made to a manuscript on this subject prepared by Dr. Hyman Palais, Professor of History at Humboldt

State College.

The object of this review was to obtain a comprehensive view of the archeology of the region, and to point out significant sites of archeological i~ortance. Sites recommended for preserva- tion are shown on a map accompanying the report.

Sincerely yours,

~'i~.~za ~NO •M•o ~ Professor of Anthropology San Francisco State College AN EVALUATION OF THE PRECAUCASIAN HUMAN RESOURCES OF NORTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA: ARCHEOLOGY AND ETHNOLOGY by ADAN E. TREGANZA

PREFACE

Presented here is an anthropological overview of the pre-White human resources of Northwestern California as it is understood through published scientific literature and from various personal experiences and contacts. Special reference will be directed toward the historical significance and potential salvage value of the California Indian re­ mains which abound in the area. The region to be considered extends from the Oregon State line south along the coast to a point opposite Willits, California and includes the following interior drainage basins: the Eel, Van Duzen, Mattole, Mad, Trinity, Klamath (below Copco Lake) and Smith Rivers with their tributaries, and Redwood Creek with its tributaries. This report stands as a supplement to the historical sec­ tion prepared by Dr. Hyman Palais. At the outset it should be noted that although the domestic re­ mains of the California Indians are perhaps not as spectacular as in some other sections of the United States, such as the Southwest, not a single aboriginal structure has been preserved intact in California. Only through archeology has some of the fast vanishing information been recovered. This is unfortunate since only a few years back ample living and ceremonial cult houses were still observable. There remain now but a few faded images of the past. The truncated-gabled plank houses of the Klamath river people and the great circular semi-subterranean

67 dance houses us'ed in the cult religions of central California present unique examples of the architecture of native North America. Only within the past twenty years, with a shift of emphasis toward chronological sequences in archeology, have the potential aboriginal resources of California been recognized, and even now this knowledge and appreciation is shared by only a small circle of professionals. Though some spark is present, public interest and support is yet to be stimulated. What is chiefly needed is a means of communicating with the layman to increase his awareness of the rich historical resources which surround him. It should be emphasized that once these tangible records of the past are gone they will have vanished forever. Not until 1948, with the appearance of ulndians Before Colum­ bus" Y was anything available to the general reader which suggested that California prehistory possessed any real structure and depth. Re­ cently much additional data has been collected, but we are still prodding the frontiers of understanding. If this northwest area appears, as a result of this report, to be lacking in resources it is only because adequate surveys and excavations have yet to be conducted. Regions which have been examined attest to the quantity and quality of there­ sources,2/ Two decades ago, little was known of California archeology, and technical methods of analysis were largely lacking. This is no longer the case. Various reports in the scientific journals, and particularly

]:.! Martin 1948

~/ Heizer and Mills, 1952; Meighan 1955; Mills 1950; Treganza 1952, 1950.

68 MAP 1

LEGEND DRAINAGE BASINS AND ETHNOGRAPH IC AREAS

~~NORTHWEST CA L IFORN IA CULTURE ~AREA ~ CENTRAL CALIFORNIA CULTURE l8&3 AREA ARCHEOLOGICAL AREAS I HEI Z ER AND MILLS 1952 2 TREGANZA 19 52 3 TREGANZA,SMITH, ET AL 1950 4 MEIGHAN 1955

9 5 10 15 10 MILES the efforts of Dr. Robert F. Heizer in creating and editing the Reports of the University of California Archaeological Survey, have opened new vistas of comprehension, and technical studies by researchers have provided new tools with which to work.~/ Although this report concerns itself with the geographic terrain of Northwestern California, the river drainage basins involved traverse two of California's three major culture areas. The middle and upper Eel, the Van Duzen, the upper Trinity, the Mad, and the Mattole rivers are contained within the northern portion of the Central California Cul­ ture Area and would include such different ethnic (linguistic) groups as the Porno, Yuki, Lassik, and Kato. Redwood Creek, part of the Mattole, lower Trinity, Smith and Klamath rivers all coincide with the North­ western California Culture Area and include such people as the Yurok, Karok, Hupa, and the former Wiyot. Of these two areas the latter will dominate in this report since it contains the greater area and has better preserved resources. For purposes of organizarion, the two culture areas (1) North­ western California and (2) Central California will constitute the basis for the discussion in this report as they constitute a logical cultural dichotomy and would naturally define any projected plan of reconstruc­ tion. Since the river drainage basins overlap the cultural areas, each will have to be considered as it applies to the immediate problem. (Map 1). Any possibility that "Early Man" sites must be involved in this

'}_/ Cook, 1946, 1950; Cook and Heizer 1947; Cook and Treganza 1947, 1950; Gifford 1949; Greengo 1951; Treganza and Cook 1948

70 area has so far failed to materialize. 4/ This does not preclude the possibility that in time such discoveries might be made, but currently even the more recent archeology is not too suggestive of any great antiquity, especially along the northern coast and lower Klamath drainage.

THE NORTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA CULTURE AREA

Here, as in central California, no particular attempt will be made to distinguish between the historic Indian and prehistoric archeology unless some specific point is involved. This is particularly true of the northwestern area where so many Yurok village sites bear historic data but are now deserted or rest on older archeological remains, and as such they represent but a continuum of the prehistoric past as exemplified at the Yurok site of Tsurai. Scientific archeology in Northwestern California found its origin with L. L. Loud's uEthnography and Archaeology of the Wiyot Terri­ tory"~ wherein the main focus was around Humboldt Bay and the archeological sites on Gunther Island. In this case the Wiyot as a living culture were long since gone and most of what remained was a matter of archeological interpretation. Loud, though lacking in formal train­ ing, had an inquisitive mind, a flar e for originality, and above all a personal devotion to detail and exactness even to the extent that at times it engulfed the immediate problem. Regardless of recent develop-

~/ Heizer 1948 §.1 Loud 1918

71 ments, Loud's efforts rank high among the contributions of that day. Although he was pioneering, many of his interpretations can now be viewed, in the light of additional knowledge, as having an extended meaning directed toward wider objectives. From 1918 to 1949 the archeology of the northwest coast lay dor- mant. It was under the stimulus of Dr. Robert F. Heizer, of the Uni­ versity of California, that interest was resumed, culminating in a num­ ber of publications .§I The result of these current works produced the basic outline of a cultural time perspective for northwestern California. The most recent evaluation of the local archeology may be found in uThe Four Ages of Tsurai, 7./ which provides a pleasant combination of the historic and prehistoric in the picturesque environment of Tri­ nidad Bay. Both the specific and the general are portrayed. Excavations at the archeological site at Patrick,s Point State Park provide the depth, and the Yurok village site at Tsurai establishes the connecting link between the past and the present. The rather tragic plight of the village of Tsurai in its struggle against Caucasian contact argues the point justifying an immediate program of preservation. It is difficult to make recommendations for the preservation of archeological sites in an area which is as yet really unknown in that respect. This report, in itself, is a recommendation for further work and research in the region. The ethnographic picture is better, since for some years North­ western California has been a training ground, like much of California,

!!_! Heizer 1950, 1951, 1953, 195 7; Heizer and Mills 195 2; Mills 1950 11 Heizer and Mills 1952

72 for many neophite anthropologists as well as being one of the first areas studied regarding its native inhabitants by the pioneer students of the California Indians.~/ What provides a distinctive flavor to this region is that in addition to the general California pattern of acorn gathering, hunting and fishing, here is to be found a faded but distinctive phase of the very elaborate totem cultures of the North Pacific Coast, which reached their peak of florescense between southern Alaska and central Oregon. These North Pacific traits emphasizing wealth, private ownership of property, pride in the perfection of the arts and crafts, and a distinct type of architect­ ural construction involving the manufacture of wooden planks, etc., set Northwestern California aside as a separate culture area. These are but the very broadest outlines characterizing this culture area. Any plan of restoration for public interpretation should also include the specialized tools (artifacts) that are so distinct for this area and which in part made this material culture a reality. Gracefully shaped elk horn spoons, carved mush paddles, steatite pipes and containers, blunt-end river boats, head rests, twined baskets and hats, large obsidian blades, dentalia shell money, stone adzes, stone mauls, and a variety of elk horn wedges and chisels are but a few of the diagnostic traits pointing up the area as being unique. All this material culture in turn has to be placed in a socio-religious environment of the World Renewal Cult System, which centers around the annual dances of the White Deer Skin and The Jumping Dance, and projected· against a backdrop of Klamath

~/ Goddard 1903; Kroeber 1925; Holmes 1902; Loud 1918; Rust 1905; Schumacher 1877; Waterman 1920.

73 river village sites, each one proud of its independent existence.V As a specific example, if any of the more prominent Yurok towns were reconstructed in architectural exactness, provided with the typical material items for conducting daily activities, and given the feeling of the socio-political-religious integration that bound the group together, there could be recreated here the uMesa Verde'' of California, differ­ ent, and in its way far less spectacular, but reflecting just as important a part of the story of the American Indian as does any other current National or State monument or park. Fortunately for this area, some aboriginal remains still exist, good ethnographic documentation is in print, the archaeology is so far not too disturbed, many Indians are receptive to the idea of the per­ petuation of their culture, and understanding individuals and organiza­ tions in the white communities will lend support. It cannot be over­ emphasized that the time to act is now. Some Indians still exist who could function as advisors in reconstructing the old way of life. There is still a spark of interest in preservation, but once the present genera­ tion takes one more step into the engulfing pattern of Caucasian accul­ turation even this will be lost.

Jj Driver 1931; Drucker 1936; Erikson 1943; Goddard 1903; 1904; Goldschmidt and Driver, 1940; Gunther, 1928; Harrington, 1932; Kroeber 1925, 1936; O'Neale, 1932; Powers 1877; Roberts, 1932; Sport, 1942; Waterman, 1920.

74 NORTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA SITES RECOMMENDED FOR PRESERVATION Dr. A. L. Kroeber, of the University of California, an outstanding authority and pioneer in the study of the California Indians, has pro­ vided a list of what he considers to be the most important Indian Village sites in Northwestern California which would be suitable for preserva­ tion or reconstruction. Those who are familiar with Dr. Kroeber and his constant devotion to the India:n way of life in California can appreciate his list as being more than merely a casual recommendation. His selec­ tion embraces the sincere feeling of a man who has experienced life along the Klamath in the true spirit of the native environment. In short, he both feels and speaks for the Indian. The following paragraphs discuss the sites recommended by Pro­ fessor Kroeber: For the location of the sites mentioned by Kroeber see Map 2. Site 1. REKWOI: Rekwoi (Old Requa), is on the NE side of the mouth of the Klamath River. This was a village of the Yurok tribe and is perhaps one of the more impressive coast Yurok villages both in setting and tradition. Still preserved are some of the Indian structures reflecting the abori­ ginal theme of life. Waterman 10/ presents a contour scale diagram of the town which contains such valuable data as the names of various domestic houses, sweat houses, and place names. His map indicates such items as native structures still standing, former house locations,

10/ Waterman 1920, Map 8.

75 possible former house sites and the direction of doorways. In addition, Waterman's text contains a wealth of pertinent data. Full appreciation of this Yurok town cannot be visualized unless it is superimposed upon the socio-religious backdrop so distinctive of northwest coast culture. To recreate this atmosphere Kroeber and

Gifford's ~~'World Renewal, A Cult System of Native Northwest Cali­ fornia" should be consulted. This is an excellent documentary study of the religious practices of the Yurok.!!/ The dark, ashy, shell-charged soil emerging from under the present rustic structures of the town of Requa attests to its ancient heritage. Presented here is the opportunity to recapture both the his­ toric and prehistoric story of an aboriginal Klamath river people. Con­ siderable interest has been expressed by various individuals in pre­ serving this village as a state park. Site 2 - HOSTLER VILLAGE Hostler Village, along the east bank of the Trinity River was occu­ pied by the Hupa tribe. The old sacred "big house' with its carved stone terrace and the sweat house have been maintained by the Indians for religious reasons, culminating in the biennial Deerskin Dance (pre­ sented each August during odd numbered years). However, the land upon which the structures stand is allotted to an Indian, and in the past there have been some factional or family quarrels about control, rights, ad­ mission of visitors, etc. If the California State Division of Beaches and Parks could take over this site guaranteeing the Indians the perpetual right to perform

.!!/ Kroeber 1925: Kroeber and Gifford 1949, p. 91.

76 MAP 2

HOSTLER VILLAGE 11 TSURAI "TAKIMITLDING

5 Mi.

N.W. CALIFORNIA SITES RECOMMENDED FOR PRESERVATION their tribal rites, both Indians and whites would profit. The structures were in good condition in 1941. This Hupa town on the Trinity river was known by the aboriginal name of Takimitlding. Archeologically nothing is known about this site. If exploration is undertaken the excavator will have the advantage of possessing an excellent sketch map of the village as it existed in 1901.12/ Here is provided a complete village layout consisting of such pertinent data as: old houses, doors and platforms, modern houses and barns, sweat house, and place of the Jumping Dance. Site 3 - CLEAR CREEK (Pick-Aw-Ish) Clear Creek is located at the mouth of Clear Creek where it empties into the Klamath River some ten miles below Happy Camp. This is the most upstream site of the "'World Renewal'' (Pick-Aw-Ish) rite on the Klamath, performed by the Karok Indians, according to the moon, about August. This was theonlymajorrite performed in the open, without a sacred structure. It is not known when it was last presented. The U.S. Forest Service had a public camp site on the west bank a little below the dance site in 1923, with signs about the Indian dance . No archeological data is available for this site. The above three sites still contain some of the aboriginal setting. When these localities lose their character nothing will r emain which can be consider ed as authentic. The r est ofthe sites mentioned are of a secondary order but still should be considered as the best of possibly restorable villages or sites. They are all sacred sites of the uworld Renewal" cer emony at which either the Woodpecker (Jump) Dance or the

~/ Kroeber 1925, fig. 2. See also Kroeber and Gifford 1949, Map 1.

78 White Deerskin Dance was performed. Site 4 - KATIMIN The village of Katimin of the Karok tribe was located on the Klamath River above Somes bar. It was a very picturesque open site. The sacred house and sweat house appear in Kroeber's handbook.!2/ As can be observed from the illustrated references there existed at this site an excellent example of a sacred house, a sweat house, and a dwelling house. Probably at present these features would have to be examined in the light of archeology. Their near recent (1925) existence is a just reminder of the rapidity of extinction. A view of the illustra­ tions in Kroeber and Gifford 14/ provides both the cultural and geogra­ phical setting. Site 5 - P ANAMENIK The Karok village of Panamenik was at Orleans, on the Klamath River. Grover Sanderson 151 (Chief Eaglewing) might be contacted for further information about this village . .!E/ Site 6 - WEITCHPEC Weitchpec was a Yurok village. No structures remain today. The Woodpecker dance was held on Burrill Peak, 3 miles north of Weitchpec village at an elevation of about 4000 ft. with a magnificent view includ­ ing Mt. Shasta. A trail to the site with a commemorative tablet and possibly the construction of simple camp facilities, since there is a

13/ Kroeber 1925, Pl. 22 and 12. 14/ Kroeber and Gifford 1949, Pls. 3, 4 and p. 144. 15/ Grover Sanderson lives at 227 Rivoli St., San Francisco 16/ Kroeber 1925, pp. 101-104; Kroeber and Gifford 1949, p. 144.

79 good spring near the cedar under which the dance was held, might be a worthwhile project . .!2/ Site 7 - PEKWAN (Pecwan) Pekwan village at the mouth of Pekwan creek as it empties into the Klamath River is a Yurok town. They used to hold the Woodpecker Dance here. The sweat house might still be left, or could be rebuilt. Kroeber and Gifford.!~/ provide some excellent photographs of some of the structures as they existed about 1900. Waterman .!2/ contains a map of this town drawn to contour intervals of 20 feet. Indicated on this map are native structures, old house pits, and the cemetery. Such a map would be a great aid in the event of restoration. Site 8 - OREKW Orekw or Awrek village site, near Orick, is on a bluff overlooking Redwood creek lagoon from the south. It has a charming view. This site used to belong to a Yurok Indian called Orick Bob but may possibly have been taken over by Highway 101 when it was rerouted along the beach.l9Aj Site 9- TSURAI Old Tsurai, a Yurok village near Trinidad, overlookh a picturesque bay. The physiographic setting for this site could well be adapted to a plan of restoration. The site is easily reached from the main coast high­ way and is adjacent to the town of Trinidad. Both the immediate beach

17/ Kroeber 1925, p. 7, 116, 128, 897. 18/ Kroeber and Gifford 1949, PI. 6b.. d. 19/ Waterman 1920, Map 15. 19A/Waterman 1920, Map 30 and PI. 13.

80 below the Yurok village and Trinidad Bay offer additional attractions. Documentation concerning the original structure of Tsurai is not lack­ ing. Heizer and Mills in their "Four Ages of Tsurai" provide a rather complete historical and archeological study of this town and the general region. Waterman again provides a detailed contour map indicating house locations, as well as an early photograph of the town in relation to Trinidad Bay.20/ There has been considerable interest by various people in incorporating this site into the State Park System. Since this village was seen and recorded as early as 1600, it could well be pre­ served for historic as well as archeological values.

20/ Heizer and Mills, 1952; Waterman, 1920, Map 34 and PI. 16.

81 OTHER AREAS

Though there are both historic and prehistoric sites in the drain­ age basins involving the Van Duzen, Mattole, Mad and Smith Rivers, none are well enough known or are significant enough to warrant speci­ fic recommendations. This should not be taken to mean valuable re­ sources are not present but rather to indicate a general lack of know­ ledge about these areas. Upper Trinity River This area of the Trinity River from below Lewiston to above String Town, involving the region which will be flooded by the Trinity dam now under construction, was surveyed by the author in 1952, and a report exists in manuscript form: uThe Archaeological Resources of Seven Reservoir Areas in Central and Northern California.''21/or. Treganza has conducted salvage excavations at Sites TR-48, 49, 55, and 58 during the summer of 1957. This region, like the Mother Lode area of the Sierra Nevada, was subjected to an early gold rush, and mining activities of the day largely destroyed the aboriginal resources. Eel River Drainage A large part of this drainage system, especially the lower region, remains unknown as to its Pre-Caucasian resources. The region occu­ pied historically by the interior Yuki Indians has been thoroughly sur­ veyed along· with some minor excavations. The introduction of a paper by Treganza, Smith, and Weymouth serves to provide a general state­ ment of the r egional archeological resources: 11Tbis report presents

~ Treganza 1952.

82 the results of an archaeological survey of the region occupied in his­ toric times by the Yuki Indians ... The area lies wholly within the drainage pattern of the Middle Fork of the Eel River and includes Eden, Hull, Williams and Round Valleys. "The cultural position of the Yuki has posed a problem to several investigators and has been the subject of much speculation and theoriz­ ing based solely upon ethnological data. The recovery of archaeological material makes possible a correlation of anthropological theory and archaeological fact that may produce informative results. What new light these results will throw on Yuki prehistory will depend on the amount and nature of the data derived from archaeological undertakings. Our problem at present is not too much concerned with end results; the aim is rather to establish a starting point for the more detailed work which lies ahead. We have attempted to ascertain the location and dis­ tribution of archaeological sites and select the most promising for excavation. "In the course of the survey, other problems have arisen con­ cerning the interaction of the human group and the natural environment. These will be treated in this paper whenever they warrant discussion. "Before our survey, little was known about the extent of aborigi­ nal occupation of the area. Ethnographic accounts of the Yuki give only a limited picture, consisting mainly of matter gleaned from the old people's memories ... Foster, for example, provides data on 25 his­ toric sites in Williams and Round Valleys. To date some 380 sites have been mapped in an area of less than 100 square miles. This figure in­ cludes only the villages to be found in the valleys and along the rna jor stream courses. How many sites remain scattered over the moun­ tainous terrain is still unknown, although it seems safe to assume the

83 number will be well below the figure for the valleys. It is of interest to note that, of this total of 380 sites, 225 lie within the limits of Round Valley, which comprises an area of only 36 square miles."22/ Subsequent to this study, original work in the Yuki area centered at Covelo in Round Valley. Dr. Clement Meighan excavated on the extreme southern periphery of this Northwestern California area in the region of Willits23/. He attempts to organize the prehistoric resources of the North Coast Ranges (from San Francisco Bay north) into some con­ ceptual scheme of archeological patterning.

22/ Treganza, Smith & Weymouth, 1950, p. 113. 23/ Meighan 1955.

84 CONCLUSION

No attempt has been made to present at this time what might be called "The Archeology of Northwestern California." The data indicate that this would be a premature venture, since much of the region still remains unsurveyed and excavations still represent exploratory testing. The vital problem is the fast disappearing ethnological structures that provide the last glimpse of native Indian California. Every attempt should be made to preserve these remains within the next 10 years. As mentioned earlier, part of the physiographic basins involved in this paper overlap into the cultural area of Central California, primarily that portion involved in the Eel and Upper Trinity drainage. What is barely related here are some of the features of the Kuksu or "Big Head" cults of central California. Whereas the plank houses and sweat houses of the Yurok and related people are predominant in the Northwestern area, the large semi-subterranean dance houses become spectacular in the central California area. The region involved in the present paper does not include any of these ceremonial centers, but just to the south there still ·remain a few preservable sites. The point is made here, at this time, that the need for immediate action in this related southern area is just as important as the situation already cited for the northern area. No attempt has been made to consider this latter area since it involves another study.

~ 85 SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY FOR NORTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA

ABBREVIATIONS AA American Anthropoligist A Ant American Antiquity BAE-B Bureau of American Ethnology, Bulletins CAS-R California Archaeological Survey, Reports SI-CK Smithsonian Institution, Contributions to Knowledge SM-M Southwest Museum, Memoirs UC-AR University of California Publications, Anthropological Rec- ords UC-P AAE University of California Publications in American Ar­ chaeology and Ethnology USNM-R United States National Museum, Reports

Cook, S.F. 1946 A reconsideration of Shellmounds with Respect to Popula­ tion and Nutrition. A Ant 12:50-53 1950 Physical Analysis as a Method for Investigating Prehistoric Habitation Sites. CAS-R 7. Cook, S.F ., and R.F. Heizer 1947 The Quantitative Investigation of Aboriginal Sites: Analysis of Human Bones. Amer. Jour. Physical Anthro, M.S., 5:201:220. Cook, S.F. and A.E. Treganza 1947 The Quantitative Investigation of Aboriginal Sites: Compara­ tive Physical and Chemical Analysis of Two California In­ dian Mounds. A Ant 13:135-141.

87 Driver, Harold E. 1939 Culture Element Distributions: Noethwest California UC­ PAAE 35:23-28. Drucker, Philip 1936 A Karuk World-Renewal Ceremony at Panaminik, UC­ PAAE 35:23-28. Erikson, Erik Hamburger 1943 Observations on the Yurok: Childhood and World Image UC-P AAE 35:257-302. Gifford, E. W. 1949 Diet and the Age of California Shell mounds. A Ant 14: 223-224. Goddard, Pliny Earle 1903 Life and Culture of the Hupa. UC-PAAE 1:1-188 Cited as Hupa Life and Culture. 1904 Texts. UC-PAAE 1:89-368. Goldschmidt, Walter R., and H.E. Driver 1940 The Hupa White Deerskin Dance, UC-PAAE 35:103-142. Greengo, R.F. 1951 Molluscan Species in California Shell Middens. CAS-R 13. GUNTHER, Erna 1928 A Further Analysis of the First Salmon Ceremony UW -PA 2': 129-173 Harrington, M.R. 1939 Trailing Early California. SM-M 13:163-166. Heizer, R.F. 1948 A Bibliography of Early Man in California. CAS-R 2. 1950 Observations on Historic Sites and Archaeology in Califor-

88 nia. CAS-R 9. 1951 A Prehistoric Yurok Ceremonial Site (Hum-174). 1953 Sacred Rain Rocks of Northern California. CAS-R 20. 1957 An Unusual Antler Zooform Club from Northwestern Cali­ fornia, CAS-R 38. Heizer, R.F. and J .E. Mills 1952 The Four Ages of Tsurai. University of California Press. Holmes, W.H.

1902 Anthropolo~ical Studies in California. USNM-R (1900), pp. 155-187. Kroeber, A.L. 1925 Handbook of the Indians of California. BAE-B 78. 1936 Prospects in California Prehistory. A Ant 2:108-116. Kroeber, A.L. and E.W. Gifford 1949 World Renewal, A Cult System of Native Northwest Cali­ fornia. UC-AR 13:1-155. Loud, L.L. 1918 Ethnography and Archaeology of the Wiyot Territory UC­ PAAE 14:221-436. Martin, P .S., G.I. Quimbly, and D. Collier 1948 Indians Before Columbus. Chicago (Chap. 28: California). Meighan, C.W. 1955 Archaeology of the North Coast Ranges, California CAS-R 30. Mills, J.E. 1950 Recent Developments in the Study of Northwestern California Archaeology. CAS-R 7. O'Neale, L. M. 1932 Yurok-Karok Basket Weavers. UC-PAAE 32:1-184.

89 Powers, Stephen 1877 Tribes of California. U. S. Geographical and Geological Survey of the Rocky Mountain Region, Vol. 3. Roberts, Helen H. 1932 The First Salmon Ceremony of the Karuk Indians AA 34: 426-440. Rust, H.N. 1905 The Obsidian Blades of California. AA 7:688-695. Schumacher, P. 1877 L'age de Pierre Chez les Indians Klamaths. Revue d'eth­

nographie, L~ 500-504. Spott, R. and A.L. Kroeber 1942 Yurok Narratives. UC-PAAE 9:143-256. Treganza, A.E. 1952 The Archaeological Resources of Seven Reservoir Areas in Central and Northern California. CAS-Manuscript 147. Treganza, A. E . and S.F. Cook 1948 The Quantative Investigation of Aboriginal Sites: Complete Excavation with Physical and Archaeological Analysis of a Single Mound. A Ant 13:287-297. Treganza, A.E ., C.E .Smith and W.O. Weymouth 1950 An Archaeological Survey of he Yuki Area. UC-AR 12: 113-123. Wallace , w.j. a Wallace, W.J. and E.S. Taylor 1952 Excavation of Sis -13, A Rock-s helter in Siskiyou County, California. CAS-R 15. Waterman, T.T. 1920 Yurok Geography. UC-PAAE 16:177-314.

90 GPO 974393