The Knave - Oakland Tribune, 20 May 1956

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I'm leaving out the first few paragraphs, which deal with current politics, and moving right to the histories and stories. Click the clipping below if you want to read what you missed, here. - MF

Pioneer Lafayette


The Knave: Next Wednesday evening, May 23, the Contra Costa County Historical Society will hold its spring meeting and banquet at the Pioneer Village Restaurant in Lafayette. Judge A F. Bray, society president, will be in charge, and the speakers will be Mrs. William Rosenburg, [Margaret Jennie Bickerstaff Rosenberg] pioneer school teacher, and the Rev. John W. Winkley, amateur California historian. Lafayette is the oldest settlement in Contra Costa County. Elam Brown, its founder, was the second white American to make his residence in the county. Brown arrived at Sutter's Fort on Oct. 10. 1846, with a company of 24 families and 16 wagons which had crossed the plains that summer. He was a native of New York State. After a visit to San Jose he returned to the Oakland hills and spent the year of 1847 whipsawing redwood lumber which he hauled to the San Antonio Landing and shipped to San Francisco. During the year 1847 Brown learned that William A. Leidesdorff was offering for sale his "Rancho Acalanes," which lay in the area east of the Oakland-Berkeley hills. This rancho land had been granted to Candelario Valencia in 1834. The name "Acàlanes" apparently came from the small Indian village called "Akalan which stood somewhere in the vicinity of modern Lafayette. As often happened to the Spanish Dons, Valencia fell into debt and was forced to sell his land. It was acquired by Leidesdorff. Elam Brown purchased the rancho from Leidersdorff in the fall of 1847 and moved his family to the rancho proper on Feb. 7, 1848. He had a small shack built and occupied by the evening of the same day. Later he built a better house of lumber which he had cut in the Oakland hills. This stood two miles from Lafayette on land later owned by Thomas W. Bradley. Later in that same year he moved his home to a site near the Plaza. Since Brown had to haul his flour from San Jose by way of San Ramon he bought a horse-power mill at Benicia in 1849, then in 1853 superseded it with a grist mill built near his home. One of the old millstones was placed in the little Plaza a year ago by the Lafayette Lions Club. The inscription on the stone dates Brown's settlement in Contra Costa as 1846, but this should have been 1848. It was also 1848 that Brown sold 300 acres of his Rancho, at the east end of Lafayette, to Nathaniel Jones for $100. Jones built a house on "Locust Farm," as he called it, in 1848. Benjamin Shreve, a schoolteacher, passing Brown's home in 1852, was persuaded to stay and teach school. He later opened a store and in 1857 applied to the Federal Government for a post office under the name of the French General Lafayette, only at that time it was spelled “La Fayette." Milo Hough built a hotel in 1853; Jack Elston opened a blacksmith shop and sold it in 1859 to Peter Thompson: A church was erected on Golden Gate Way about 1856, thus Lafayette was on its way to become a community. - John W. Winkley.

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Where's Weaverville?


Was there a Weaverville in El Dorado County during the very early days of the Gold Rush? Most historians today insist that any reference to the name of Weaverville in El Dorado County was a misnomer for the town of Webberville. But every now and then the name of Weaverville pops up in letters and journals written by early prospectors for gold in the area now called El Dorado County. It's hard to believe that all these men misspelled or miswrote the name for that of Webber(ville). And we know for certain that what is now Webber Creek, where Webberville once stood, was originally known as Weaver Creek. It appears so on maps and surveys as late as 1860, according to Beverly Cola of Placerville. Today the creek is called Webber Creek, and few persons are aware of a town called Weaverville ever having been in El Dorado County. Information found in Walter N. Frickstad's recently published "A Century of California Post Offices" places the only official California post office named Weaverville as being in Trinity County. However, there appears in Frickstad's excellent research work an endorsement in the Auditor's Review Section which notes this particular post office as being "late in El Dorado County." Frickstad tells us that these endorsements were usually intended to correct a previous error. Post Office records show that the first Weaverville postmaster was one A. Woodworth, appointed April 9, 1850. The name A. Woodworth does not appear in El Dorado County registers, so he must correctly belong to the Weaverville Post Office in Trinity County. The question of a Weaverville in El Dorado County comes to mind as the result of a letter written by John Fuller to his brother in Ohio. The epistle is dated Aug. 11, 1850, at "Weverville, 50 miles from Sacramento City.” The spelling isn't too important in this instance, as you will discover in reading the uncorrected contents of Fuller's letter brought to us by Mrs. A. C. Krampff of Albany, a great-great-granddaughter of the author. Among other instances of references to the El Dorado County Weaverville is that of Dr. William Wallace Wixom's journal. Dr. Wixom was the father of the once famous songstress Emma Nevada. He was mining in the vicinity of Hangtown (Placerville) in the fall of 1851 and on Sept. 20 noted that "D. Petty and myself started for Auburn; arrived at Weaverville about 10 o'clock; went to Coloma, stayed all night at the Scisson Wade Hotel." Again on Sept. 24 he wrote: "Went to Pleasant Valley to camp. The boys had taken out $200 since had been away. Remained on Clear Creek until Oct. 2. Made $300. Oct. 2, packed and started for Auburn. Went to Weaverville, stayed all night..."

Sacramento 50 Miles


Now for the letter thật brought about the quandary about Weaverville. Unfortunately, John Fuller's letter throws no additional light on this early El Dorado settlement other than to note it was "50 miles from Sacramento City." He wrote his brother: "I am here and all is well at present and have bin since I wrote to you from Ft Laramie, also Salt Lake, and must acknowledge that I have seen the Elephant. The first curiosity after we left Salt Lake was some Salt Springs as salt as brine also cold and hot Springs within ten rods from each other are so cold that the water would make your teeth ache and the other so hot that it would scald a hog. After this we started over some dreary desert without much grass or water until we came to the Humtate river where we had plenty of water but very little grass without swimming for it and then cutting it with butcher knives to keep our stock from starving. The river had no ferries on it, and we had to cross it twice. The river being high in order to save our provision we had to unload our waggons swim the horses and mules and carry the provision over on our shoulders to keep from getting it wet. After this we came to the great American Desert. Before we entered it we found plenty of grass, at least 10,000 acres of clover and other grass which we mowed and cured for the purpose of feeding our animals across the Desert, though horable to relate, the heart-rendereing scene had just commenced. All most one half of the emigrants were out of provision, a great many had to kill their horses and mules and eat them to keep from starving to Death. Others were seen shooting and drowning themselves to keep from Starving.

Miners Everywhere 


“On the desert," Fuller's letter continues, "we found men and animals perishing to death for watter, men offering five to fifty dollars for one pint of watter and some of them Died for the want of it. For my part
I had plenty and some to spare which no doubt was the means of Saving the lives of others. We got within about 7 miles of Psalmon-trout river on the west side of the desert before we had any trouble. There the team gave out and some of the com. wanted to leave the animals and go through for fear we would perish. We were then in sight of timber on the river. I told the boys I would take the stock and go to watter and done so, watered them, returned again and brought the wagon and the balance of the com. through. The emigrants divided their provision until they were all about out when we met provision trains from California which releaved them at the moderate rate of two dollars per lb. for flower and the same for wheat. Well says you why don't you say something about the mines. I have not worked any in the mines yet. After working a while I will doo like everybody else. Write to you all I know about them and a great deal more. It is impossible for me to tell (when) I will be at home. The whole country is fluded with miners and I don't beleave that one tenth of them will ever leave here as well off as they left the States. For my part I came here to make a pile and intend to doo it or Die in the attempt. Give my best respects to all enquiring friends. It is impossible for me to write about every thing at one time. Write your letter to Sacramento City, Calif. Yours in friendship forever, John Fuller. Near Sunset." A postscript read: “The big Storys you have heard about the Sickness of the country are all false. I have slept on the
ground for 120 knights and never had better health in my life and others have done the same."

Awh, What the Heck!


Alex Rosborough, whose Siskiyou County historical items have entertained so many readers of these columns, recently took time out to visit his old Oakland haunts. He was in town only a few hours before he found his way to the Knave's hideaway where he immediately began complaining about "the great hurry" he met on the Oakland streets he preferred to remember as pacific and stroll-inviting. "If we had rushed around like this in our day we'd have a policeman putting his hand on our collar," he chided. “Nowadays everybody is in such a hurry they even cut diagonally cross the corner at 14th and Broadway with a policeman's blessing. The only thing that looks natural to me is the southeast corner of Broadway at 14th. I remember when they were tearing down a building there to put up the Macdonough Theater which became the Henshaw Building. Before that particular day there was a little, narrow walk that stretched between Broadway and Franklin that was known as 'Lover's Lane.' That's been swallowed up by 14th Street, and now they're putting up another skyscraper where the Henshaw Building stood. In the old days the Presbyterian church stood at the northeast corner of 14th and Franklin, and Tisch had his barbershop in the basement of the bank building at Broadway and 14th. Washington Street didn't go any-farther north than 14th where it smacked into the old City Hall, and a big wooden hotel known as "The Centennial" stood at the northeast corner of 14th and Clay. Mrs. Johnson was proprietoress. Very noticeable to a man from the mines is how drug stores have changed. They've added dining counters where office girls now take a running jump at something to eat, while blowing cigaret smoke into the other fellow's coffee. No doubt about it, we fellows from the tall timber country will probably soon be going to these drug stores to buy our thrashing machines and farm equipment.

Train in the Estuary


"The big block bounded by 14th, Franklin, 13th and Webster Streets, where they're now stacking automobiles on top of one another, was the terminal for the Narrow Gauge Railroad in the days of my youth," our visitor recalled. "The train tracks ran down Webster Street and crossed the estuary on a pivot-swinging bridge. Over in Alameda the tracks turned west and paralleled the estuary on the south side on down to the station where ferry boats docked for San Francisco passengers. Another track on the Alameda side turned south and crossed the marshland, passing the swimming and picnic resorts along the Alameda bayshore. The wagon road from Oakland to Alameda crossed the estuary on the same bridge as the Narrow Gauge, but it was a much shorter route between the bridge and the swim resorts than the railroad. One day we young fellows were over in Alameda for a swim and as the Oakland train was not due at the Baths for some time we decided to walk to the bridge via the wagon road. We were almost to the bridge when the train we should have been on rounded the curve. Lo and behold, the bridge was open! The engineer socked on the brakes and blew a blast on the whistle, but he couldn't stop her. The engine dove off into the deep water tugging the first car along; the front end of this car clinging to the submerged engine. The rear end of this coach was held out of the water by its coupling to the second car. But everybody and everything in the front end was submerged under water. I got across the estuary by boat and went at once to the Oakland Daily Times office on Broadway, between Ninth and 10th Streets. The editor assigned me to Woolsey Hospital, down on 12th Street across from the present Post Office. My job was to interview the injured brought in from the wreck.

Time's Alterations


"The hand of time," continued Rosborough, "has done more for Lake Merritt than anywhere else in Oakland. In the old days 12th Street joined Oakland and Brooklyn (East Oakland) by a narrow, dirt fill called the 'Lake Merritt Dam.' The land south of the dam was mere tideland. Now 12th Street is a beautiful, broad boulevard, and the land to the south holds the Oakland Auditorium, Exposition Building and an attractive playgrounds. Up at the north end of the Lake stands the Convent of the Holy Names. It has been there a long time, but I understand that, too, will soon be gone. In its place will rise a great business development center. The idea of the school's moving is rather sad to me, for it was there that my sister went to classes long ago. Another missing landmark is the old Reliance Athletic Club over at 17th and San Pablo Ave. Whoever tore it down must have had a job on his hands for it was one of the stoutest brick buildings to be built in Oakland. The Reliance was a great club in its day. Many athletes trained there. In 1888 the Reliance walked away with the amateur baseball championship in the Bay Area, and for several years held the football championship. The club's bicycle riders were tops. Its teams competed under the name of the 'Highland Park Wheelmen.' I remember the 50-mile race from Gilroy to Redwood City, and a 25-mile race on the course termed the 'San Leandro Triangle." In each of these events there were 'headers' who would toss men out of the race for any rule violations. After the Gilroy-Redwood City race three members of the Highland Park Wheelmen - after a dinner at Redwood City - rode back to San Jose and then to Oakland, making a total of 120 miles for the day. The old Reliance gym was the scene of many splendid exhibitions of boxing, wrestling and bar exercises."

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That Breyfogle Mine


Long has been the search for the lost Breyfogle Mine in Nevada. The following is a report from Austin's Reese River Reveille of Nov. 18, 1871. "We yesterday published a letter from Eureka stating that a man named Brown had got news that the party which started from that place a short time since had struck the long-sought Breyfogle mine, which said mine can be traced for eight miles and assays all the way from $9,000 to $18,000 per ton. The letter was from Mr. Blain, a former resident of Austin, and we have no doubt was written in perfeet good faith, for Mr. Blain is an honorable man. But notwithstanding all this we
must be permitted to say that we consider the whole thing an absolute hoax, at least a gross exaggeration. In the first place we do not believe that any such thing as the 'Breyfogle Mine' ever existed. It was our misfortune to be one of the first victims of this man Breyfogle. On the strength of his positive assertion that such a mine had been found by himself and another man named Milligan, whilst lost in the desert and trying to reach the Colorado River, we consented to 'put in' toward fitting out an expedition led by Breyfogle himself to go in search of and locate the aforesaid mine. He produced very rich specimens, showing both free gold and horn silver, which he affirmed he had gouged out of the mine with his knife, the only tool he and his companions had. We will here remark that subsequent investigations have convinced us that these specimens were taken from the cropping of the Gold Hill mine ore of the Comstock range. The expedition returned without finding anything but a horrible desert country; but this man Breyfogle pretended that he had got offended at some actions of one of the members of the party and would not disclose the locality of the mine until another expedition was organized which would not comprise the obnoxious member.

Symptoms of Excitement


"A second expedition,” the report continues, "ended in the killing by the Indians of two good men named McBroom and Sears, and the wounding of two others, Messrs. Simons and Gearheart. As for the
mine, it was still non est. By this time we had invested seven hundred dollars in this Breyfogle venture and concluded that was enough for us. He subsequently made his way to San Francisco and victimized another party there, who went to Death Valley by the way of Los Angeles. The poor devils passed through Austin on their return from their fruitless search, ragged and dirty, and cursing all the Breyfogles that ever lived. The man was evidently a monomaniac on that particular subject. That he ever saw such a mine as he described no man familiar with his actions in connection with this search will believe. It may be that the Eureka party may have struck a rich mine; if they have it is something entirely new, for Breyfogle never saw any mine in that country. The description given, however, is calculated to shake the faith of the most sanguine. A vein eight miles long, assaying not less than $9.000 a ton, is too steep a yarn for any miner endowed with common sense to believe. Had the informant of Mr. 'Brown' made his assays a little lower and reduced the length of the mine by about seven miles and a half he might have deceived somebody. As it is, we shall believe the whole thing to be an unmitigated hoax til positive proof is produced ..."

1866-05-29 Reese River Reveille

Moral Responsibility


Recent suggestions that parents be held responsible for the behavior of their children is by no means a new idea. The following is some "Town Talk” that appeared in the Virginia City Enterprise of June 1, 1888, when that city was something more than a Nevada ghost town. "I notice by the Enterprise," said a minister of the gospel yesterday, "that boys throw stones at passing trains of cars. It is a dangerous practice, and a boy strong enough to throw a heavy stone has reason enough to realize the chances he takes of doing someone great injury, if not actually taking chance of committing murder. In regard to this matter, I don't think that parents fully realize the situation. Let me put it this way: Suppose it becomes known that John Brown's and Bill Smith's and Sam Jones' sons throw stones at the cars, and indulge in other dangerous and reckless pastime. Those who employ Brown, Smith and Jones will argue, properly, that if they do not care enough about the moral training of their children to do something toward keeping them out of jail, they are not trustworthy men, and the first thing they know these men find themselves on the retired list, and after that it is only one step to the indigent list. I think parents are morally responsible for the acts of their children, and the hardboiled business world holds them as such in a great measure, too."
 

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