Sacramento Union, 5 March 1922
Native Californian of 1850 Revives Memories of Early Days
WILLIAM H. HOLLAND OF SACRAMENTO
RICH IN LORE OF ROMANTIC GROWTH
OF STATE FROM DAYS OF GOLD RUSH
Local Man, Now 72, and Remarkably Clear in Memory,
Tells Some Experiences of Himself and Parents During
Building of Western Empire.
Living in the old fashioned house that has stood for many years, but surrounded with evidences of the modern trend of things—paved streets, tall buildings, electric lights, telephones and fashions of the day—is William H. Holland of 1521 Fourth street, one of Sacramento’s oldest native Californians. And as discussion of the Days of ’49 Celebration progresses, his thoughts cannot help but turn to the days of gold, in which his parents and many other relatives played their part and he as a boy looked on with no thought of the interest that some day would be centered in the story he could tell of those early events. Born in Yuba City in 1850, Holland has treked the valleys and mountain trails that are marked with the historic spots that once were live, thriving towns, teeming with eager pioneers who were seeking fortune or adventure in the land of promise—California, the magic word that has ever held a fascination for all of America and many from other shores.
Although he is 72 years old and is willing that others shall struggle for life’s rewards or penalties. Hollands mind is an active storehouse of reminiscence. He can relate stories of those hardy pioneers by the hour, never faltering in a sentence, so vividly does he recall the times. Crossing the plains in 1844, Holland’s parents settled for a time in the north of Oregon, then a territory of the United Stales in which the government gave married couples 160 acres of land in order to get them to settle there.
MAGNET FOR MANY.
This seemingly magnificent inducement caused many a girl of 12 or 13 years of age to marry and with her husband cross the dangerous trails to reach independence in the land of the golden sunset. But Holland’s parents did not tarry long in the webfoot state and in 1847 when California became a part of the United States, they moved to this part of the state with their little daughter, now Mrs. Minerva Ellis, 1036 Second street, Napa, who had been born in Oregon. Mrs. Holland was one of the first American women to cross the line into the state of California and Holland relates a story of his parents having lived near a family whose son found nuggets which the settlers believed to be gold, but had no way of determining absolutely.
The name of the boy was Weimer and the men of the camp in which the family was located tried homely means of determining whether the nuggets the lad had found were really gold. They boiled the stuff in lye made from wood ashes and used other methods, but never came to a definite conclusion. So it was. says Holland, that when John Marshall brought his nuggets to Sutter’s Fort, there being no way of telling whether Marshall’s find was gold, the nuggets were sent to the nearest assayer at Monterey, whose answer was made known to the world.
Marshall and Sutter’s Fort grew famous overnight, this district becoming the mecca for the prospectors whose valor and sturdy worth will be commemorated by the celebration here in May. Members of the Weimer family were living in Frans valley, Sonoma county, sixty years ago. says Holland, but he has no recollection of their movements or fortunes after that time.
KNOWS DONNER SURVIVORS.
He relates an incident in connection with the Donner party which met with disaster near Lake Tahoe, in the Sierra Nevada mountains, when many of the party perished in the snow. Few survived the terrible experience, among whom were members of the Owsley family, two of whom Holland knew personally; Mrs. Rebecca Brown of Calistoga, Napa county, and Mrs. Elizabeth Howeil of Ukiah, Mendocino county. At the time the Donner party was struggling with the elements in their effort to reach the land of sunshine and gold, the story was told that George Yount, founder of Yountville, dreamed on three successive nights that there was a party in distress somewhere in the hills. So vivid was Yount’s dream that he organized several searching parties and sent them out to rescue the refugees. Some of the Donner survivors were found by one of the rescue parties sent out by Yount. These went to Napa county and settled there as a result, descendants of many remaining in that section of the state to this time.
Yount, Holland relates, was the first white man to obtain a grant of land from the Mexican authorities before California became a part of America. Holland learned his trade as flourmiller at Yount’s mill. His sister’s husband was also an employe of Yount and the couple lived near the mill for fifty-one years. The foundation and old water wheel are still standing.
THREW NUGGETS IN PLAY.
Holland tells of playing with nuggets in the sluice boxes of the miners in the old town of Shasta, throwing the gold back to the boxes when he tired of the play. His father operated a freight line between Red Bluff and Yreka, Siskiyou county, and at Cottonwood, then in Tehama county, he owned a large ranch and stock farm. Mrs. Holland passed away in October, 1859, and her husband died in March, 1860. Both were buried at Cottonwood and the young son went to live with a cousin, Frank Everts, in Plumas county. Everts was the senior member of the then widely known express and freight firm of Everts & Wilson, which operated from Marysville to the mining towns of Plumas county. It was Everts who named La Porte, changing that place’s early cognomen from Rapid Creek, so called because of the rapid stream in which the miners washed out their gold. Contrary to popular belief, La Porte was not named to signify the entry to the high Sierras, says Holland. Evert was a native of La Porte, Ind„ and he circulated a petition to the postoffice department to name Rapid Creek after his home town.
An Interesting feature of Holland’s stories of the early days is the fact that because there were so few American women in the state —the proportion was about one woman to every 1,000 men—the men many times at dances took the woman’s part, Holland being of small stature was often called upon to play such a role and as a distinguishing mark he would tie a handkerchief around his arm. When he desired to dance “with his girl,” he would remove the handkerchief. Evert’s partner, Wilson, was married to a cousin of Holland in Marysville in 1854, the event being one of the early marriages of American people in the state. To this union there was born a son, Ralph Wilson, and a daughter, now Mrs. John L. Shearer, both residing at Napa at present.
Stage drivers took the place of the matinee and movie Idols of those days. And they were real heroes, often taking their lives in their hands to carry the United States mail, the express and passengers. The girls honored the drivers more than governors, says Holland. He tells of knowing one driver who played a heroic role. He and his express messenger were able to save themselves by cutting two of their six horses loose and riding away when a band of hostile Indians attacked them. This driver reached Yreka with two lndian arrows sticking in his body, but recovered to give the Indians a run another day.
The Oatman massacre is recalled by Holland, who tells of one of the girls of the party, 12 years old, who was taken prisoner, kept by the Indian tribe for a number of years and forced to marry the son of the chief. She escaped fifteen years later and arrived in a white settlement with her face marred by tattoo marks, in accordance with a custom among the Indians of that time.
An epidemic of cholera claimed many of the emigrants of ’49 and ’5O and those who died were hurriedly buried in shallow graves along the trail. The parents of Holland’s brother-in-law both died in one night and a brother succumbed the next day. He tells of eating some of the first peaches that were grown in California. They were produced at the Bidwell ranch at Chico. In those days the fruit consumed by the pioneers came from Chili and the dried apples were strung together on twine. Holland tells of begging his mother for the twine so that he might chew it to get out the sweet juice.
SAW FIRST HANGING.
The first hanging party at Hangtown, now Placerville, El Dorado county, in which Americans figured was witnessed by Holland’s mother. Three horse thieves were strung up to limbs of trees. Holland lived in Sacramento when the state Capitol building was at Seventh and I streets and the city and county hospital was located at Tenth and L streets. And he settles the much mooted question, “Hoop skirts or no hoop skirts?” Women did not wear hoop skirts in ’49, says Holland. And he says he has good reason to remember correctly. It was in 1855 that hoop skirts came into fashion. Holland’s mother had attended the state fair here in 1855 and had arrived home with hoops and the material for skirts of the new mode. His sister wanted to have such a skirt, but because girls did not wear them, her mother would not consent. Nothing daunted, Holland’s sister got him to break up several sugar and flour barrels, saving the hoops. Then with him acting as the dress “I stood for an hour at a time while my sister worked out her dress,” says Holland. ‘Til never forget hoop skirts as long as I live.” He adds that pantlettes were worn by younger girls, but he does not remember if older women wore them.
SCHOOLMATE OF CASEY’S SON.
Holland recalls the hanging by the vigilance committee of Supervisor James Casey, who killed John King of Williams, editor of the San Francisco Bulletin, in 1856. He went to school with Casey’s son, Joseph Casey, who in 1881 shot and killed James Madison in Willows. Casey, Jr., pleaded guilty and was sentenced to serve life in prison. He was a gate keeper, trusty, at Folsom in 1904 when Red Shirt Gordon and his gang made a break for freedom and by shutting the gate against a number of prisoners prevented their escape with those who got away. He was later pardoned for this act by Governor Pardee. Casey’s wife and daughter waited for him for fourteen years. Holland also went to school with Mrs. Casey in 1865. Her husband lived only a year after being pardoned. Holland’s memory is bright concerning the duel between David Broderick and David S. Terry, who were Political enemies. The latter’s second set his watch a minute ahead of Broderick’s Second, allowing Terry to shoot Broderick in the back. Terry was killed by a United States marshal named Neagels at Lathrop while seated In a restaurant with his wife, Holland says.
INTERESTED IN CELEBRATION.
Holland married Ada Root, daughter of Mrs. S. E. Howe, now living In San Diego, in her 87th year. The marriage occurred in Yountvllle on November 25, 1880. Mrs. Howe was a sister of Dr. W. A. Root, dentist of this city, whose widow, Mrs. May Root, is still living here. She is a daughter of the late Syd Eldred, pioneer builder and former owner of the Eldred hotel, which stood on ground now partly occupied by the Hotel Sacramento. Eldred also owned the State House, which stood on the site of the present Hotel Land. Mrs. Holland died In May, 1895, and is interred here. Holland now lives at 1521 Fourth street, in property formerly owned by him. He is alive to the needs of the city and highly Interested In the successful outcome of the “Days of ’49” celebration. His son, H. H. Holland, and his daughter, Miss Mae Holland, also reside in this city. H. H. Holland is manager for Latourette-Flcal Co. He has two daughters. Miss Billy and Miss Paddy. Incidentally, Holland says, he or some member of his family has been a subscriber to the Sacramento Unoin since 1854.