Roadtrip 2019 style

by Rain Trueax

It is in human DNA to travel. While some stay where they were planted ideas and growth as a culture come from moving on and up-- or down. At different times it has been on foot and in search of better hunting grounds or maybe out of fear of what had moved into the area. If they wanted more than what could be carried on their backs, humans have used wagons, carts, travoises, or a pack animal. Heavier items had to be left behind. For Native Americans grinding stones would be stashed to return and use for another season. Most recently, we've seen this happening across the world as people leave regions they find less hospitable and hope for a better life elsewhere.

Not all travel then or now has been permanent. Humans go on vacations, explore new regions, and some take roadtrips. In modern times, innovations have allowed us to take more with us-- in fact, everything. Modern homes on the road can have the same luxuries possible at home-- just less of them. Some are making motor coaches, trailers, etc. into full-time homes as they move around the country for jobs or just exploring. With the use of solar panels, heat, refrigeration, or cooling even in the middle of the wilderness, modernity is possible.

RIches From the Empire Mine

By Paisley Kirkpatrick

The Empire Mine, located in Grass Valley, California, is one of the oldest, largest, deepest, longest, and richest gold mines in California. Between 1850 and its closure in 1956, the Empire Mine produced 5.8 million ounces of gold, extracted from 367 miles of underground passages.

My grandparents lived in Nevada City, another town situated in the Mother Lode. I loved exploring and visiting the gold mines and finding remnants lying on the ground not far from their house. Grandma and I found checks dated in 1901 from a gold mining company, crucibles (a ceramic container in which gold was melted at very high temperatures), and several other gold containers. I remember the first time I visited the Empire Mine. We actually stepped about four feet into the mine to the place where the miners loaded and unloaded into the cart that carried them deep down inside the mine.

We learned they kept canaries in cages. If one died, they knew methane gas (a colorless, odorless flammable gas that is the most common dangerous gas found in underground gold mines) was in that section. They would vacate that section of the mine. We also found out they'd take mules down into the mines to carry what the miners dug out of the walls.

In Oct. 1850, George McKnight discovered gold in a quartz outcrop (ledge) called the Ophir Vein. It was bought and purchased several times until the Empire Mining Co. was incorporated in 1854. Miners from the tin and copper mines of Cornwall, England, arrived to share their experience and expertise in hard rock mining. Particularly important was the Cornish contribution of the Cornish engine, operated on steam, which emptied the depths of the mine of its constant water seepage at a rate of 18,000 gallons per day. This increased the productivity and expansion underground. Starting in 1895, Lester Allan Pelton's water wheel provided electric power for the mine and stamp mill. The Cornish provided the bulk of the labor force from the late 1870s until the mine’s closure eighty years later.

A stamp mill machine crushes material by pounding rather than grinding, either for further processing or extraction of metallic ores. See below.

William Bowers Bourn acquired control of the company in 1869. Bourn died in 1874, and his estate ran the mine, abandoning the Ophir vein for the Rich Hill in 1878. Bourn's son, William Bowers Bourn II, formed the Original Empire Co. in 1878, took over the assets of the Empire Mining Co., and continued work on the Ophir vein after it was bottomed out at 1200 feet and allowed to fill with water. With his financial backing, and after 1887, the mining knowledge and management of his younger cousin George W. Starr, the Empire Mine became famous for its mining technology. Bourn purchased the North Star Mine in 1884, turning it into a major producer, and then sold it to James D. Hague in 1887, along with controlling interest in the Empire a year later.

Bourn reacquired control of the Empire Mine in 1896, forming the Empire Mines and Investment Co. In 1897, he commissioned Willis Polk to build the Cottage on land near the mine, using waste rock from the mine. The Cottage included a greenhouse, gardens, fountains and a reflecting pool.

Overview of California Agriculture in the Nineteenth Century

When I say "overview," in this instance, I mean a very brief overview.

The first half of the the 1800's, California was ruled by Spain, then starting in 1821, by Mexico. The Anglo population was mostly concentrated along the coast, sticking close to the missions. On mission lands, using the indigenous native populations for what amounted to slave labor, the land grew a variety of crops including fruit orchards, vineyards, truck garden vegetables and wheat. 

Mission San Juan Capistrano

While most of the ranchos granted to Californios were located along the coast, a few in the center of California and the Sierra-Nevada foothills were granted to foreign nationals, such as John Sutter. When the Mexican government secularized the mission system, instead of the land going to the indigenous people as originally intended, it was sold to the highest bidders--the Californios. Many of the crops originally grown were mostly discontinued with the exception of the vineyards for wine and wheat. The primary agricultural product was cattle.

As Mexican government officials and explorers moved north into Alta California, they brought the vaqueros who drove herds of cattle. If you think longhorns were only found in Texas, think again. That breed of Mexican cattle also found its way into California. Soon, the hides and tallow became Alta California's biggest export and form of monetary exchange.

 At first, the great central valley in California (drained by the Sacramento River to the north and the San Joaquin River to the south) was considered a desert not fit for agriculture.The first group who tried to grow wheat in the San Joaquin Valley were Mormons who had arrived in San Francisco in 1846 on the Ship Brooklyn at the start of the Mexican-American War. They brought supplies and equipment with them, including plows and a mill. Using the sail launch named The Comet, they sailed up the San Joaquin River to a point called Moss Landing. They grew wheat along the Stanislaus River near today's Caswell Park by Ripon. Unfortunately, malaria had spread down to the region, and that coupled with flooding, doomed the project.

After the United States won the war with Mexico in 1848 and Alta California became first the territory of California, and quickly the state of California after the discovery of gold, the focus of the incoming Anglos was primarily on mining. The Californios struggled to retain control of their land, and the often hostile Anglo influence prevailed. However, once the easy gold from placer mining disappeared, Americans from back east faced the choice of returning home often worse off than when they came, or of settling in California. Those who stayed often turned to the occupations they held back east, primarily farming.

Droughts in the early 1860's ruined the cattle industry. Starting in the 1866-67 years, the weather patterns through the 1870's were such that plentiful rain in the summer allowed for "dry farming," or farming that does not require irrigation. Wheat became the largest crop grown in California, particularly in the great Central Valley. Isolated as it was by vast under-populated territories to the immediate east, wheat found a market in the California, Oregon and, once the Trans-continental Railroad was completed, across the United States. The wheat market collapsed during the national financial panic of 1893. However, even before then, in the mid-1880's, wheat markets began to decline due to competition from the Missouri-Mississippi Valley region and Russia.

As wheat production fell, and irrigation systems developed and spread, the Central Valley developed more orchards, vineyards and fields of row crops. When I moved to Stanislaus County in the San Joaquin Valley several decades ago, I recall driving for miles past orchards full of peach and almond trees. I still live across the street from an almond orchard. And wheat is still grown today, as evidenced by this field about three miles from my home.

Although the method of watering trees has mostly changed from flood irrigation to sprinklers or drip systems, such orchards are among the 80 agricultural products of California's Central Valley that make it one of the most diverse and productive agricultural regions in the world today.

In my latest book, Millwright's Daughter, Eliza' uncle is one who first came to California in the late 1850's in search of gold, but soon turned to the trade he had been raised in at home in Ohio--that of being a millwright. The setting of the story is loosely based on the Tulloch Mill in Knight's Ferry (but not Mr.  Tulloch himself. I would not want the descendants of that family coming after me claiming I defamed their ancestor.)

How's that for a teaser? For a short time, you may find Millwright's Daughter as part of the nine author anthology, Under a Mulberry Moon. To read the book description and find the purchase link, please CLICK HERE.


Sources:
Wikepedia
The Comet-1846-First Sail Launch, State Registered Landmark.
Bean, Walton E.; California-An Interpretive History; McGraw-Hill Inc., USA: 1968, 1973

CALIFORNIA'S RUSSIAN PRINCESS

By Arletta Dawdy

“Settlement Ross” 1841 by Ilya Gavrilovich Voznesensky

California’s vibrant history reflects a multitude of invasive ethnic groups long past the emigration of First Peoples coming down through Canada or other far horizons. Among the most intriguing adventurers were members of the Russian-American Company who ventured south out of Alaska to seek trade and agricultural venues. The fur trade was diminishing in early 19^th Century waters off the Pacific coast. Harsh conditions in the far north meant scarcity of foods for increasing population growth. Exploration moved south as early as 1803 and by 1812 Fortress Ross was established on what is now the Sonoma County coastline.

 Fort Ross State Park Russian Orthodox Chapel, Frank Schulinburg

The colony lasted until 1842 when John Sutter of Gold Rush fame bought the settlement; it passed to ranchers and farmers until bought by the state in 1903. The site deteriorated over the years due to fires, the 1906 earthquake, road building across it and abandoned ruins. The wooden structures were reconstructed over the years. The park is listed on various state and national registries.

What follows is a piece I wrote more than 30 years ago while living at the Russian (or Slavyanka) River. Princess Helena, her husband Alexie and M. du Mofras are real historical characters in 1841.

SPRING RETREAT

            “But Alexie, we have made a good life here. What is there for us back in Russia other than ostracism by my family? They’ll never forgive us for eloping and father will block your advancement every way he can. You can do better here or in Sitka.” It wasn’t the first time Helena made the plea to her husband.

            “My dear, I know better in these matters and you really must let me do what I think right.” He planted a brief kiss on her forehead. “Hadn’t you best see to Monsieur de Mofras’ entertainment?  The Captain and I will tend to the provisions going on board the ship for the Alaskan settlements. He already has my letter requesting my transfer and will send it on its way to St. Petersburg “ Having said his piece, Alexander Rotchev,  commandant of Russia’s southermmost possession on the North American continent, made an about face and left the room and his frustrated wife.

            With a sigh that might have been of sadness, Princess Helena of the house of Gargarin, watched their guest make his way from the rose garden. He was with the French legation in Mexico City and touring the coastal area. Alexie thought the man’s motives were innocent given his skills in the sciences but Helena had her doubts. She had grown up in the midst of household and political intrigue and was suspicious.

            Dinner last night went nicely enough when she delighted in serving her best Bordeaux. The Frenchman was genuinely surprised to see and hear her play from an original Mozart score. The distraction of an interesting guest would be more enjoyable is only Alexie would be more reasonable.

            “Ah, Madame, I am not disturbing you?”  Eugene Duflot de Mofras entered the house with the barest of knocks on the half-open door.

“Please, Monsieur, won’t you join me for tea? The samovar is always at our call.”  She enjoyed using her best Parisian French. “Perhaps you know the story of our settlement?” Last night’s conversation was all about recent events abroad.

“Wasn’t it Captain Ruskov who founded the Ross Colony?”

“Yes, he came from Sitka to establish gardens for the Alaskan communities.” She offered him tea in a delicate China cup and showed him to a seat at the window. “He went as far south as the bay the Spanish call Bodega, but he found this area more to his liking.”

Shifting his cup from one hand to the other, de Mofras said, “I suspect he found the soil and climate better for crops.”

“I’m sure you are right. He became a folk hero, traversing the wilds with one good leg and opening up new territories. He found the native Kashsaya Pomo to be friendly.”

“And did they freely give over their land?”                               

“He got a very good bargain for three blankets, three pair of britches, three horses, two axes and some beads. I am afraid it wasn’t any more honorable a price than the Dutch paid for Manhattan.”

De Mofras chuckled and added, “Perhaps those items were worth more thirty years ago!”

An hour later, a mounted party left the Fort: two Russian soldiers led Helena and her guest, the woman’s Kashaya maid, and another servant burdened with a picnic hamper and blankets. The soldiers and the Frenchman were armed against the occasional bear or wild boar known to roam the coastal mountains. The ride passed quickly and, deep into the hills, the party stopped to eat. At elena’s suggestion, Monsieur and the soldiers cont

Helena’s suggestion, one of the soldiers and Monsieur continued on, leaving Helena with her guard and her private worries. Resting against a young redwood tree near a bed of bright white trillium, she looked down on the fort, its surrounding orchards and grazing lands, out to the sea.

“Oh, Alexie, can’t you see the wealth, the beauty and the potential here! Thirty years is nothing in the march of history. We devoured the seals and the otters. Leave them be and they’ll be back. Let their Highnesses wear rabbit! The orchards are flourishing; we only need to plant more. The sea and the fog may not be right for grain, but what of the cattle and sheep that flourish. We can be a self-sufficient colony. There is little we cannot grow or build. And, we’ve only begun to explore the Slavyanka and her primal forest.”

The heady wine, the warm sun and her feelings overcame Helena. In her dream, she saw the history of Russia, past and future. Blood ran, flags and crowns passed. Through the violence, the laughter and tears, she saw one face clearly and it was Alexie’s. Her dream tried to awaken her. A gentle petting of her shoulder brought her to consciousness

“Darling, I’m here. Have you lost our guest?” teased Alexie.

Trembling and reaching for him, Helena spoke. “I was in St. Petersburg, and there was much trouble and danger but we were together. Alexie, I am so afraid.”

“Nonsense, Helena. It was nothing more than a bad afternoon’s dream. You will see. All your friends and family long for your return. I’m sure your father will forgive our elopement. You are too precious to him for us to remain in exile forever.”

Helena gave up her efforts to win him over. She missed her family and there was always the music and ballet. Perhaps he was right. She would return with him, but they must find a way to share their thoughts and feelings. She would insist.

The exuberant M. de Mofras and his guide returned to find the Rochevs restored to each other’s good graces. The party followed the sun’s path, reaching the fort just as the sun took its plunge into the reflecting mirror that was the sea.

EPILOGUE

Sometime after their return to Russia, the Rotchevs’ marriage ended in divorce. De Mofras published a book about his travels in Alta California and Oregon with reference to the couple and the Mozart score..

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I write about strong women of the Old West whom I research deeply and whose territory I travel. I find the courage, perseverance, and strength of the characters in my work inspire me to continue on the difficult path to publication.Originally an east coaster, I live in Northern California, an area rich in beauty and history. There are many stories yet to be written here but my fascination is with the American Southwest and the Rockies. Find out more about me and my books at www.arlettadawdy.com.