hubert howe bancroft - Central Pacific Railroad Photographic History ...

FINANCES. 441
for state purposes other than schools, $1,853,112.
The bonded indebtedness of the four principal cities
of California was together only $7,055,115, of San
Francisco alone, $4,161,500.
with the county seat at Downie\ille, whence it has never been removed—
first comm'rs, John James, Francis Anderson, John Craycroft, C. E. Smith,
and J. M. Ramsdell. Tulare, taken from the southern portion of Mariposa,
county seat at Woodviile, as 1 have elsewhere related—the name refers to
the reedy nature of the bottom-lands—present county seat is at Visalia.
Siskiyou—the origin of the word Siskyou and its meaning has often been
given on questionable authority, Ihe only sensible, and reasonable history
of its derivation was given to the legislature by J. R. Snyder, who explained
that when Michael La Frambois and his French trappers in 1832 made an
excursion into Cal., they crossed a stream in the mountains by a ford composed
of six large stones—hence the name ax ceUloux ford or mountain.
The sound of the French words bears out the statement. Snyder however
located the ford on the Umpqua and said he had seen Frambois* map of his
route. But he might easily have been mistaken among the half-a-dozen
ranges which the trail crossed, and the ford may have been on the Klamath
or on the Rogue river, between which streams lie the Siskiyou mountains,
but probably on the former. The first comm'rs of Siskiyou co. were H. G.
Furrls, David Fowry, R. F. Rae, Judge Tutt, and Judge Smith. The
county seat was established at Yreka, where it remains.
Three counties were created in 1853, namely: Humboldt, taken from the
western portion of Trinity—first comm'rs A. H. Murdock, H. F. James,
James Ryan, John Kingsbury, and K. Dobbins—county seat chosen by election,
was at Union, but in 1856 the legislature changed it to Eureka, where
it remains. San Bernardino, out of the east portion of Los Angeles; county
seat at the town of San Bernardino, which was incorporated in 1854—first
comm'rs Isaac Williams, David Seely, H. G. Sherwood, and John Brown. Alameda,
the name signifying a shaded promenade, when created extended 'east
* to the junction of the San Joaquin and Tuolumne counties.' Its first comm'rs
were James B. Larue, Michael Murry, J. S. Watkins, J. S. Marston, and
Gustavus Harper. They were to meet in the town of Alvarado, which
should be 'known as the seat of justice,' but the same act says that New
Haven should be the county seat. In 1856 it was removed to San Leandro,
and is now at Oakland.
Three counties were created in 1854, namely: Stanislaus, from the west
part of Tuolumne—first comm'rs John D. Patterson, Eli S. Marvin, G. D.
Dickinson, W. Loud, and Richard Homer—boundary settled in 1855 and
county seat established at Knights Ferry, since removed to Modesto; Amador,
cut off from Calaveras by election—comm'rs appointed were William
L. McKim, Alexander Baileau, Alonzo Platt, H. G. Sneath, and P. W.
Gemmill—county seat fixed at Jackson by a vote of the inhabitants, where
its remains. Plumas, cut off from Butte, first county seat at Elizabethtown,
American valley, now at Quincy—first comm'rs H. J. Bradley, W. S. Dean,
John W. Thompson.
Iwo counties were formed in 1855, namely: Merced, out of the southern
portion of Mariposa—first comm'rs A. Stevenson, William Neal, W. J.
Barfield, Charles V. Snelling, John McDermott, Samuel Lovejoy, and C. F.
Bloodworth— county seat at Snelling, now at Merced. Buena Vista, taken
from the north part of Tulare, not organized.
Three counties were organized in 1856, namely: Fresno, taken from parts
of Mariposa, Merced, and Tulare, with the county seat at Millerton, removed
to Fresno City—first com'rs Charles Hart, Ira McRae, James Cruikshanks,
0. M. Brown, H. M. Lewis, H. A. Canal and J. W. Gilson. Tehama,