Think about this narrative next time drive 100 miles non stop: History needs to interpreted from the time it is written, not from our own. This account is extracted from Footprints on the Mendocino Coast by John Simpson Ross. He was a Baptist Minister who came from Canada to California for health reasons. He traveled from Nebraska to San Francisco over the 3 month old Transcontinental Railroad then on to Caspar. He states in Mendocino:. “The population was settled on the ocean front. The business was principally lumbering, and the mills were generally at the mouths of the rivers and creeks, where they emptied into the ocean. Rough roads extended near the banks of the ocean. There were miles along the road without any settlers. The interior of the country was secluded from the coast by a dense forest of towering redwoods, thirty- five to forty miles wide. There were bridle tracks from the main coast road, leading into the valley to carry provisions for the men cutting logs. It was fall now, and I did not wish to settle down without looking around the country, testing my health and finding some opening where my labors would not interfere with my convalescence.” He sails from Mendocino to San Francisco in December and pastors a Baptist Church in San Pablo until March. He missed the wooded area of Northern California. Below is his account returning to Caspar from Petaluma. This is written 21 years after the discovery of gold in California. “I left San Francisco that afternoon by a steamer that made trips to Tomales or some place near it on the coast, and thence by a narrow gauge railroad to Petaluma. I stayed there a day or two. I attended the prayer meeting in the Baptist Church on the hill. They had no stationed pastor, but Mr. Johnson, a returned missionary, was acting pastor for a time. There was a fair attendance and considerable interest manifested From Petaluma, I went by heavy, thorough-braced stages. My companions were two men from Novato, with their wives, en route to the Garcia to build a flume to carry the lumber to Point Arena The roads, then, were in a bad condition. The roadbed was still soft with the rains of winter. The jolting was terrific. The men got out and walked, to lighten the stage. After a time, owing to the rocking and plunging, the ladies became deathly sick and could no longer hold up their heads. They hung onto the strap supports as long as they were able, but finally became so deathly sick they could hold on no longer. Then, helpless they crouched down in heaps on the floor of the stage. I pitied the poor sufferers and so strong was my sympathy, I was soon as helpless as my companions. I remember that we reached Santa Rosa The creek was overflowing its banks. The town was but a small Village then, but roses were everywhere conspicuous. We reached Cloverdale and spent the night with Gerkhart, who with his wife, managed the house, filling every position necessary for running a-hotel. This house was a famous stopping place, along the way, having the best beds north of San Francisco. It was refreshing to get settled in a bed after the experience through which we had passed on the previous day. Next morning found us all improved and encouraged to pursue our journey.” Coming through Anderson Valley, we found the road almost impassable. The heavy, lumbering stage sank deep into the mud. When we got to Dry Creek, we crossed and re-crossed it for many miles. The stage driver said crossed it nineteen times. It was after dark when we reached our resting place, which was in a dense redwood forest. The house was kept by a Ray family. The heat in the house was suffocating and. I found it hard to induce sleep. Next day, we had to get out seven times to assist in prying the stage out of the clay in which we were stuck. One means of getting out of these hard places was to make raids on the fences along the road, carry rails, get them under the wheels, pry them up, and then start when we were released. I often passed along that road in later years, but never forgot the experiences of that first trip.
Posted on: Fri, 07 Nov 2014 23:54:40 +0000