^^^ ;e$ource$of Placer county €altfornm •. •• • • • .• • • .* • - - >• • ••• • • • •*• : •• ••• • •••• Che Cand of Sunsbine, fruits and flowers k a 1800 jM aass_ Y^kL^ Pnnk ^1?^:^ RESOURCES ...or... PLACEP COUNTY CALIFORNIA Lssued upon the authority of the Board of Supervisors, and compiled by the following committee, any one of whom will be pleased to give to the intending settler any information they may have con- cerning this favored locality : A. G. BELL, .... Colfax, Cal. HON. W. B. LARDNER, . . Auburn, CaL J. F. MADDEN (Chairman), . . Newcastle, CaL D. BARNICOTT (Secretary), . . Newcastle, Cal. F. BUDGETT, .... Penryn, Cal. F. W. TURNER, . . . Loomis, Cal. JOHN HAENNY, .... Lincoln, Cal. ROBERT HECTOR, Newcastle, Cal. [The committee acknowledges the financial assistance of the following named public spirited citizens: Col. W S. Davis, Hon. H. T. Power, D. W. Lubeck, H. H. Richmond, Hon. J. A.Filcher, A.S. Moore, Towle Bros. Co. and the Placer Bank.] PRESS OF THE PLACER HERALD AUBURN, CAL. 1901 p LACEP COUNTY , CALirORNIA. J«.s«LOCATION, CLIMATE AND PRODUCTS>s«^ Localities Q a. 2 o o 1 ll CD S.2 Ss H ^1 m Average Temperature Roseville Lincoln Roeklin Loomis Penryn Newcastle — Auburn Clipper Gap... Applegate Colfax Cape Horn . . [Mills Gold Run Dutch Flat.... Alta Tovvles Blue Canyon.. Emigrant Gap Cisco Summit Ti'uckee Tahoe City . . . 108 163 120 110 112 219 115 400 118 626 121 970 126 1360 133 1759 141 2285 141 2422 149 2676 155 3222 157 3595 159 3697 160 3704 168 4695 174 5221 182 5934 195 7017 210 5819 229 6216 60° to 68 = Corresponding 1 : with I I Los Angeles, ' I Oroville, 25 in. 1- i Nice, Naples, I Algiers, I Gibraltar, j 1 Smyrna, ! Messina. 1 1 52 o to 60 ° I Corresponding 35 in. '. i with I San Francisco, I Venice, J Mentone, Rome I I II 41° to 52° Corresponding I j with I Yo Semite, Tahachapi, I Dover, 45 in. 5'! Copenhagen. Edinburgh, Hamburg, Munich. Geneva, Dantzig, Frankfort. M 30 ° to 44 ° I Mountains. «-a 9 o rt I ^ > 5 'I INTRODUCTION THIS pamphlet seeks to draw your attention to certain facts. It belittles no other section, but invites you to come to Placer County, and then judge for yourself. Nothing is misstated. Naught set down in exaggeration. No claim is here made that cannot be verified. We have climate, soil, water, railroads, ready markets and limitless power. We need capable, energetic, homeseekers, who mean business. Also capital to develop our endless resources. Placer County is in North Cen- LOCATION tral California. The Southern Pacific Railroad enters the State at the eastern boundary of the county, and traver- ses its entire length— a distance of about one hun- dred miles. Hence its name the "Gateway Coun- ty." The Oregon Division of the Southern Pacific Railroad runs North and South through the West- ern portion of the County. The 39th parallel of latitude north, runs through the county. Its latitude, therefore, cor- responds closely with the State of Maryland and with Southern Italy. Placer County contains 1386 square miles, and is somewhat larger than the State of Rhode Island. Sacramento City, the Capital of the State, can be reached in a few hours, and the traveller return to his home the same day. Three regular overland trains carry you to San Francisco (the metropolis of the west) every day; and three overland trains pass your door daily for the East. There are also local and special trains. There is also a Portland train run- ning North and South, each way, daily, also a local, each way, Sacramento to Colfax— making ten passenger trains daily in and out of the County, besides about one freight train each hour during the busy seasons. Surely Placer County's Railroad facilities are the best. TOPOGRAPHY AND CLIMATE The West line of the County, in the basin of the Sacramento, is at an elevation of less than one hundred feet above sea level. Its East line lies among the summits of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, at a height of more than eight thous- and feet. The lands of the valley merge into rolling foothills, which gradually increase in altitude, un- k"^^^^^!^^^^^* i^^#j=i^/^' '^ HAYING AT ROSEVILLE til is reached the heavy timbered mountain mea- dows and snow-clad peaks of the Sierras. The scenery is grand. Here majestic snow-crowned peaks rise from the deep gorges and canyons. At their bases, and held in depressions of their sum- mits, may be found beautiful lakes that rival those of far famed Scotland. On the summit border- land, between the State of Nevada and the bound- aries of Placer, at an altitude of 6,280 feet, lies $200,000 COURT HOUSE AT AUBURN, MADE OF PLACER COUNTY GRANITE AND TERRA COTTA Lake Tahoe, covering an area of two hundred and twenty square miles, and having a known depth of two thousand feet. It is the largest body of fresh water in the world, at that altitude. We have but two seasons— the wet and the dry. In the foothills flowers bloom continually during every month of the year. In summer, when the rains have ceased, the blue sky, practi- cally free from clouds during the entire season, surpasses in beauty that of fair Italy. The nights are cool and owing to the dryness of the atmos- phere, the heat is not oppressive. The foothills of Placer are famous as a health- ful region. Physicians, the world over, recom- mend this section for bronchial, asthmatic or catarrhal effections. Auburn, the County seat, is in the center of this favored spot We have the best schools and in every district the school is easily accessible to all. In Auburn there is a High School, which is accredit- CHURCHES A^D SCHOOLS ed to the State and Stanford Universities. There are many Fraternal Societies and Social organiza- tions, with churches of the principal denomina- tions, and all in all, Placer County presents an ideal community in which to rear a family. Thousands of dollars are an- ROADS AND ,, ^ . . nually spent on roads, and some DRIVEWAYS of the driveways are pictur- esque in the extreme, either through the orchard and vineyard of the valley, or through the rugged mountain to some spot where the sportsman may divide his time in hooking the "speckled beauty" or in hunting quail, grouse, deer and other large game. To the invalid, searching for A LAND OF , . , ,.^ . warm skies and a lite-givmg HOMES • X ^1 1 • air; to the business man, weary of the turmoil of the city; to his wife, worn by the ceaseless demands of society; to the family man, desirous of seeing his children develop strong and hearty; to the man of wealth, looking for profitable investments; to the man of moderate means, hunting for the most favorable place to locate; to the young man, anxious to get a start in life; to the old couple, seeking a comfoj-fable home in which to pass their declining years, the hills and vales of Placer County offer endless at- tractions. It is a land of homes. The glory and the wonder of HORTICULTURE the California of to-day is her fruit, which, because of its sur- passing excellence, finds its way in some form or other into every corner of the earth. For beauty, for flavor, for keeping-quality of her fruit, Placer County, of the fifty-three counties of the State, acknowledges precedence to none. Taking into consideration early maturity of fruit and market facilities, it has advantages over any county in the State, and is by adoption, if not by nature, the home of every semi-tropic and temperate zone fruit that grows. Placer County produces in large quantities for the Eastern and territorial markets: Oranges, Lemons, Olives, Figs, Pomegranates, Japanese Persimmons, Almonds, English Walnuts, Italian Chestnuts, Peanuts, Grapes, Peaches, Pears, Apples, Quinces, Apricots, Nectarines, Cherries, Currants, Plums, Prunes, berries and small fruits of every description, and it has well gained for itself a reputation that gives it an advantage in the markets over the fruits from any other sec- tion. Why? Because nature has been peculiarly kind to this certain portion of the earth's surface in arranging soil and clim'ate in a combination that produces the best fruits in the world. In 1900 Placer County shipped ONE-FOURTH of all the deciduous fruits sent out of California. The natural home of the peacli PEACHES AND OTHER , . ^. ^^ seems to be m the Sierra foot- DECiDUOUS FRUITS hills, where drainage is per- fect and irrigation is practiced, and these are the two conditions that make the crop a certainty every year. Trees come into profitable bearing at three years of age, and soon after into full bear- ing, which can be continued for an indefinite period, as there are examples of trees in this county that have constantly borne fruit for more than twenty years. Other deciduous fruits grow in this county equally well as peaches, and sell at the same rela- tive profit, because of their early ripening and the freshness with which they reach the Eastern markets. It is desirable that ail these fruits be grown here in quantity corresponding to the de- mand of consumers, who usually want an assort- ment of every variety of fruit in their season when they order in car lots, as they generally do because of cheaper freight rates. The first cher- ries sent from California to the East are. usually from Placer county, selling at high prices, and the entire crop of early cherries is disposed of BLOCK OF FRUIT SHIPPING HOUSES AT NEWCASTLE before they ripen in many other sections of the State. The largest cherry trees in the world are to be found on the ranch of Robt. Hector, near New- castle. From one of Mr. Hector's trees he has picked as high as 3000 pounds of fruit in one season. BERRIES. QRAPE5 ^"^ ^^ ^^^ "^^^^ important AND OLIVES branches of the fruit industry in Placer county is the grow- ing of strawberries, blackberries and raspberries, which here ripen earlier than in any other part of California, and if early varieties are exclusively planted, they can nearly all be marketed, without competition, at great profit. Between the trees of a newly planted orchard can be set three or four rows of strawberries. They come into profitable bearing in the second year, and three yearly crops can be gathered, by which time the trees will give a profit from their fruiting. Grapes are successfully grown, both for wine and raisins, as well as for the table. Olive culture is another industry particularly adapted to this section. The finest olive orchards in the world are situated where the soil, climate and configuration of the country are almost exactly like that of Placer county. The trees grow here with wonderful vigor, fruit at an early age, and there are no insect pests of any kind affecting them. Oranges ripen in Placer county ORANGES from a month to six weeks earlier than they do in the most favored portions of Southern California. By planting early varieties of oranges in Placer county the grower succeeds in marketing them before the holidays, and secures ready sales at high prices because of lack of competition. The oranges of Placer county are all bright and free from scale or smut, which affects the fruit of some other portions of the State, especially where the trees are exposed to ocean fogs. **A tree covered with black scale and smut may be moved from these regions to Placer county and will, owing to the clear, dry atmosphere, become entirely clean before the end of the second season after transplanting." An orange grove in Placer county, if well cared for, will net the owner $250.00 per acre. All the fruit lands of Placer COST OF LAND County are within ten miles of the railroad, proximity to which will in a measure fix values. At points distant from six to ten miles from depots, land can be bought at prices varying from $15.00 to $50,00 per acre, and good land, too; distant from three to six miles for from $25.00 to $100.00 per acre, while nearer the railroads it is held at from $50.00 to $200.00 per acre. Improved places can be bought and an income can at once be derived from these places that will pay fair rates of interest on investments. Placer County is pre-eminently PLACER COUNTY'S . , . ... rich in minerals. In its boun- niNINQ STORY , . , ^ , , daries may be found the pure sparkling water of the medicinal springs, the iron and copper ore, the monumental marble, the granite of the quarries, the deep quartz veins with the bonanza of golden metal, or its rich placers, in the gently sloping ravines, the rugged canyons, or in the beds and banks of its rivers. Gold was first found by Claude Chana, in Auburn Ravine, May 16, 1848, just three months after its discovery at Sutter's Fort by James Marshall, and almost within sight of where the first nugget was unearthed. Samuel Seabough, in his sketches of the beginning of Placer mining in California, says: "In the dry diggings near Auburn, during the month of August, 1848, one man got $16,000.00 in five cart loads of dirt. In the same diggings, a good many were collecting ELECTRIC MOTOR AT H I DDEN TREASURE .WINE from eight hundred to fifteen hundred dollars a day." The region soon acquired the name of ''Woods' Dry Diggings," and in the summer of 1849, when the settlement became more concen- trated, it was given the name it now bears — Auburn. Since the injunction proceedings of 1880 where- by certain restrictions were placed upon the hydraulic method, attention has been paid to the deep auriferous gravels of ancient channels, lying high above the present river beds They are mined through the medium of tunnels, and have proven wonderfully rich and profitable. ''The Hidden Treasure" at Sunny South, is the largest drift, or gravel mine in the world, removing 500 cars of gravel per day. Quartz mining is as yet in its infancy, but the possibilities in this direction are unlimited. There are at the present time some thirty mills, with a .capacity of three hundred stamps River and hydraulic mining are operated upon an extensive scale in some parts of the county. ''Mammoth Bar" a river mine in full operation, near Auburn, is the richest of its kind in the world. Hundreds of men find it still profitable to work the ravines by the old placer process. The gold mines of Placer County have contributed over seventy-five millions to the world's wealth. In 1900 the output was $1,600,000.00. The granite quarries in Placer GRANITE County are not only the most important in the State of Cali- fornia, but rank with the best in the United States. In every case they are contiguous to the railroad, thus affording easy transportation. The street curbing and granite fronts of San Francisco, are nearly all from Placer quarries, while the capitol building in Sacramento, the famous Crocker GRANITE QUARRY AT ROCKLIN monument, and many county court houses, are examples of the value and beauty of the foothill granite. The largest quarries are to be found at Rocklin, Penryn and Loomis. Is carried on upon an extensive LuriBERiNQ scale. The annual output is sixteen million of feet. There are some spruce, fir and cedar, but principally yellow and sugar pine, the latter being the most valuable lumber produced in California. The largest shipping camp is at Towle. SCENE IN PLACER'S LUMBER REGION This has become a very impor- POTTER'S CLAY- taut industry. From it is man- ufactured sewer pipe, tiling, pressed brick, and architectural terra cotta. A late departure is a perfected system of ''glazing" for interior decoration. Among the notable speci- mens of this work is the interior finish of the Mills Building, the finest in San Francisco. The , m ^■1^1 ^^K ^ L^ta^ •^ ^Kt-r^^m '''f, r 1 W.ric4_i, . X-, ■-'*>'*■•._- .i«w9BC l-.«AvC^ *t».W.y„,fK.*.»».««r POTTERY AT LINCOLN Lincoln Pottery is now furnishing terra cotta tor a hotel in Los Angeles, said to be the finest in Southern California. The largest deposit of this potter's clay is to be found at Lincoln. Some one hundred thousand GRAINS acres are annually devoted to wheat, barley, oats and hay. In manv localities the land will produce thirty bushels of wheat to the acre. The grain lands are located principally in and about the towns of Roseville, Lincoln and Sheridan. Horses, sheep, cattle and hogs LIVE STOCK are raised in great numbers, the merging of the mountain and valley sections, furnishing both summer and winter ranges. Much attention is given to stock of high pedigree, and between Roseville and Sac- ramento is located the Rancho del Paso, one of the largest and most noted horse farms of the West. Are now being bored in west- oiL WELLS ern Placer, with every indica- tion of success. The soil shows shale, salt marshes, coal, natural gas, and mani- festations usually present in oil districts. Aside from the Lincoln Oil Company (a local concern) parties from abroad are now bonding all the land obtainable. The South Yuba Company's WATER POWER irrigating canal, which finds its head in the limitless water- slieds of the Sierras, and runs through the entire fruit belt, opens up great possibilities in the line of manufacture. Nowhere can power be obtained more cheaply. Already this water system is fur- nishing power wherewith every town along its course is lighted with electricity, including the City of Sacramento, Capital of the State. We have, together with box CANNERIES factories, dryers, olive oi] works, fig marmalade factor- ies, etc. etc. We need many more. iAKVLhll Ih.-Ak ^>RCHARD AT COLFA: THE VARIOUS PLACER COUNTY DISTRICTS AND THEIR LEADING PURSUITS Beginning at the western border of the county, 12 miles from Sacramento, the Capital of the State, we come to Roseville, at an altitude of 60 feet, it is located at the junction of the main line of the Southern Pacific Railroad and the Oregon Branch. Twelve miles north on the Oregon is the town of Lincoln and four miles north is Sheridan. These towns are all in the midst of the vast grain and stock fields of the county. Sheep, cattle, horses and hogs are raised by the thousand. Between Roseville and Sacramento is located the Rancho del Paso, one of the largest and most noted thoroughbred horse farms of the West. There are also many orchards and vineyards in this section. Some of the largest watermelon patches in Cali- fornia are to be found in the vicinity of Roseville. Lincoln shows up rich deposits of coal, sand for glass making, granite and potter's clay, and as before mentioned supports the largest pottery plant in the country. Copper is found at Sheridan, and indications of oil are present throughout this entire section. On the main line of the Southern Pacific Railroad come in order Rocklin, Loomis and Penryn, respectively, three, six and nine miles east of Roseville. These are all places of note in the matter of granite quarrying. The first full carload of raisins ever shipped from Cali- fornia to the East, came from Rocklin, and were grown in the vineyard of J. Parker Whitney. Oranges of superior excellence are raised at Rocklin, and the production of other fruits is of large extent. , Loomis is becoming noted for the early ripening of its oranges, berries, peaches and other fruits. Each succeed- ing year notes an increase in the amount of fruit shipped East, and it is today the second largest shipping point in the county. Its location upon the railroad and the large fruit shipping houses thereon afford easy and ample mar- kets. Orange land is offered for sale near Loomis upon terms that are very attractive. The object is more for the purpose of inducing neighborhood improvements than for the purpose of making sales of land, as the owner is a gen- tleman of large means and is himself now planting orange trees extensively. Loomis, Penryn, Newcastle and Auburn, the last two being respectively three and eight miles east of Penryn, are in what has for years been the greatest green deciduous fruit shipping section of California. PUBLIC SCHOOL HOUSE AT LOOMIS Penryn is in the lower foothills. Its sightly knolls, its orange groves, its evidences of culture and refinement, at once impress the stranger with the idea that it is a land of homes — a place where people come with a settled conviction that here is a nook to which the Creator has been kind, and where nature beckons on to peace and quietness. The entire line of semi-tropic and deciduous fruits thrive here in endless profusion. One party has planted during the present season (1901) over 11,000 orange trees. Newcastle is in the centre of the Placer County fruit belt. It was here that fruit growing and shipping first sprang into importance in this part of California. From the ship- ment of a few berries In the 70's, the business has grown to mammoth proportions. Millions of dollars have returned to the producers and an era of prosperity has prevailed. More green deciduous fruits are raised at, and shipped from Newcastle than from any other point in California. The limit as to variety (as at Loomis and Penryn) has never been reached. Oranges, olives, figs, grapes, peaches and in fact all the fruits, flowers, vegetables, grains and grasses of the temperate and semi-tropic regions thrive to perfec- tion. There were shipped during 1900 from California 6037 carloads of green deciduous fruits, of which Placer County shipped lT74cars,to which Newcastle contributed 1054 cars. Like the preceding towns, Newcastle is lighted by electric- ity, water power being provided by the South Yuba Ditch Co. Auburn is frequently called the "Queen of the Foothills." Here is located the county seat, high school, and the city is the proud possessor of a $200,000 court house, which was built almost entirely of Placer county granite, brick and terra cotta. The city has an electric light plant, water works, and a street railway is in course of erection. Its banking facilities are ample, the Placer County Bank hav- ing correspondents all over the world. Besides being a storehouse for the mines and orchards. Auburn is pre- eminently a health resort, and to that end maintains six first class hotels. In the summer time, if one is desirous of visiting any of the many resorts located at Applegate Towle, Cisco, Gold Run, Blue Canyon, Soda Springs or Lake Tahoe, all are on the main line of the railroad, and within easy access from Auburn or any other point. Clipper Gap, Applegate and New England Mills produce all the deciduous fruits, while the sections of Gold Run, Dutch Flat and Towle have established a reputation for their apples. Good apples are also grown on the two great mining divides — Forest Hill and Iowa Hill. Nothing could be more picturesque than the approach to Colfax from the East. When the conductor calls "Cape Horn" then if our tourist friend will "rubber," and do it quickly, for 'tis only for a moment, he will be treated to one of the most gorgeous scenic views of California obtain- able from a car window. To the East he will see the washed out banks of Iowa Hill, the famous mining town, where millions of dollars have been dug out of the ground. Directly south over the cliff of fifteen hundred feet (for you are practically suspended between heaven and earth) you find Burnt Flat below you and Rice's bridge spanning the American river, that zig-zags its way towards the horizon, like a silver thread glittering in the sun, till it is lost to view behind a jutting hill. Now to the West we turn our gaze, across intervening orchards and vineyards and catch our first glimpse of Colfax, cosily nestled against the bosom of Mt. Schuyler. The village is 2426 feet above sea level, and its climate is unsurpassed for the invalid. The Bartlett pear and Tokay grape are grown without irrigation (as the average rainfall is 48 inches) and they rank second to none in flavor, coloring and shipping qualities and so far have brought the highest prices in Chicago and New York markets. Although fruit growing is practically in its infancy, H3 carloads have been shipped from here in a season. Colfax is a distributing point for Iowa Hill and Forest Hill and other mining towns, and at this point a Narrow Gauge Railroad from Grass Valley and Nevada City con- nects with the Southern Pacific. COUNTRY HOME AT PENRYN TESTIMONIALS The following abbreviated communications are self ex- planatory. They may be verified by addressing the writers at Newcastle, Placer County, California. Ill health caused my physician to urge me to leave New York in 1884. Regained it here. Have orchard of oranges and other trees. Have been well pleased with new home, and my early ripening oranges are a source of satisfaction and profit. WM. B. GeSTER. Have successfully engaged in fruit and berry culture. The early ripening fruits and Newcastle market have secured success. G. F. KUYKENDALL. Have cherry trees over sixty feet high. Have picked in one year from a single tree 3000 lbs. My oranges ripen and are marketed before the holidays. ROBT. HECTOR. In 1894 I exchanged my Iowa property for unimproved Newcastle fruit land. My place is all cleared and planted. I think I have found the best part of California. J. C HAMAKER. I was a miner up to 1882. Began at Newcastle on wild land without capital. Products of my land supported me. My property is all improved and in bearing. Have fences, driveways, residence, other buildings etc. My property is not for sale. C CARLSON. Began by securing 80 acres. Did well. Sold out for $9500.00. Wanted to do better. Tried elsewhere and got broke. Returned to Newcastle; bought 20 acres wild land at $100.00 per acre on credit. My place is all in bearing. Have refused $5750.00 for it. A. S. PRATES. Started with a few hundred dollars on 20 acres, which I planted with berries and fruits. Later bought 45 acres more. My place is all in bearing. My progress has been made from the products of my land. Have rented more land and am now planting 20,000 each Raspberry and Blackberry plants and 2500 fruit trees. Early ripening fruits and Newcastle market have enabled me to do this. J. F. Dudley. The early fruits and special marketing facilities of New- castle place success at the hands of the careful and indus- trious orchardist. The geographical location is also a very important feature in favor of the Newcastle shipper where- by twelve to twenty-four hours are saved. EARL FRUIT CO., By EdlKatzenstirn, Agt. Geographical location, soil formation, superior irrigating facilities, the better transportation, and free from frosts makes Newcastle a most profitable section for growing and marketing green fruits. PRODUCERS FRUIT CO. Per B. W. Shepherd, Agt. Early berries, peaches, other fruits and vegetables afford the Newcastle orchardist advantages of much importance. The oranges of the district ripen as early as November and the bulk of the crop is moved before the holiday season is over. Geographical location gives Newcastle a decided advantage. SCHNABEL BROS. CO. Per A. H. Schnabel, Mgr. Early ripening, great variety, causes great demand for fancy Newcastle foothill fruits. Geographical location effects a saving of 12 to 24 hours in getting carloads to market PORTER BROS. COMPANY, By Geo. W- Bisbee. Began fruit culture in 1878, when I shipped a few cases. Since that time the house of which I am the head has shipped thousands of carloads of fruits. The early ripening berries and fruits have always brought good returns. Newcastle is one of the earliest sections in the State in the ripening of fruits. W. J. WILSON SR., Of VV. J. Wilson & Son. Came here in 1888. Bought 56 acres of land; 5 acres improved. Paid ^3700.00; $800.00 in cash, balance mort- gage. Sold off at different times all but 2(5 acres, all unim- proved. 16 in bearing now. In four years paid off all in debtedness. Rent now and netted $550.00 last year. Make nearly all support of self and \yife off of chickens. Came from Nebraska. Enjoy better health than before coming here. N. G. PERRY, Loomis, Calif. w^^i>ivjnc:oo Hill II 017 169 058 4