The Table of Rainfall at Shingle Springs
(Altitude 1,350 Feet.)
Below we give a table of the rainfall for 19 years
at Shingle Springs, this county. It was made by the late Dr. J.R.
Edwards, beginning with September, 1849, and being continued to April
1868, which was a few months before his decease. This is probably the
only record existing of climatic observations made in the county, and
supplies the facts needed for a thorough knowledge of the character of
the climate. The heaviest rainfall in any year was 77.80 inches, during
1861-62; the lightest, 17.20 inches, during 1850-51; the average 31.64
inches-- January 1862. The next heaviest 23.76 inches--December, 1867.
The average fall during December was 10.29 inches, during January 7.55
inches--more than half of yearly rain being in these two months. A very
small amount is shown for the six months beginning with May--averaging a
little more than one inch in that month, and one tenthousandths of an
inch in August. As the result of careful observations and registrations
from the time of the first settlement, this record is worthy of
permanent preservation. |
...is situated at the eastern
terminus of the Placerville and Sacramento Valley Railroad, thirty-seven
miles by wagon, and forty-eight miles by railroad, from Sacramento City.
It took its name from a shingle machine used for the manufacture of
shingles at a cluster of springs, situated at the western extremity of
the village.
The first house was built by one Bartlett, in 1850,
and was situated on the hill near the springs, was called the
"Shingle Spring House" and was occupied as a stopping place
for travelers. In 1851, another public house, the "Missouri
House," was built a few rods east of the Shingle Spring House. In
1852, the "Planter's House" was built and occupied as a public
house by R. S. Wakefield, and has served the same purpose without
interruption, since that time. About the same time two blacksmith shops
were built here also, and just back of the Planter's House on the so
called shingle creek a stream saw-mill was erected, owned and run by A.
P. Catlin, now at Sacramento City, and S. C. Cutler now a resident of
Sly Park. This mill was in operation about two years, and it is said
that lumber was sold at the mill for one hundred and fifty dollars per
thousand, immediately after the fire of 1852 in Sacramento.
The place was surrounded by rich placer mines, and the
canyons and gulches were soon lined with miner's cabins. We quote only
Grizzly Gulch as one of the richest in the county, paying at one time
two hundred dollars to the rokcer per day.
From 1852 to '56, miners drew their supplies from the
village of Buckeye Flat, about one mile east of Shingle Springs, at that
time quite a town with two or three stores, but since gone the way of
many a mountain mining town. In 1857, the first store in town was opened
near the Planter's House and did a good business with the miners of the
vicinity.
Through all this stir and bustle Shingle Springs
remained nearly in statuquo, little more than a waystation for the
travel on the road to Placerville and Carson, Nevada, and so continued
up to the completion of the P. & S. V. R. R., which event took place
in 1865. In June of that year the company announced the completion of
the road to Shingle Springs, on Sunday June 16th, the road was opened
with a free excursion train to this place, which was then, and still is
the terminus of the road.
Then a very heavy freighting and forwarding business
was done on this road, to Placerville, all the mountain towns, and as
the easiest and best mountain road cross over the Sierra range to the
State of Nevada; this business was about to center at this place and
quite a rush to secure lots for business purposes was commenced.
The town of Shingle Spring had been surveyed, laid out
into lots, and maps drawn and exposed, and D. T. Hall, proprietor of the
Planter's House, stood ready to transfer to those who wished to
purchase. It don't take long to build a California town at the terminus
of a railroad; a tribe of aborigines with their ready made tent poles
and buffalo skin siding, could scarcely more than furnish an
illustration.
This place was no exception to the rule. Houses were
hastely* constructed, both for business and residence, a Postoffice, an
express and telegraph-office established, the railroad depot 800 feet in
length completed, freight trains crowded the place by hundreds, two
trains daily (Sunday excepted) were run from Sacramento, and many extra
freight trains had to be run to furnish carrying capacity for the
freight en route. Stages left daily, laden with passengers for points
further east, and in an incredibly short space of time the town became
one of business and activity, second to none of its size in the State.
It was not expected, however, that the amount of the
business it started with, would long remain with the place, as it was
supposed at the time, that the railroad would be pushed on to
Placerville as soon as practicable; the buildings erected, therefore,
were not for the most part, of a very substantial character. But the
railroad did not go to Placerville, and but for a still more formidable
obstacle the place would have held its own. In the summer of 1866, the
Central Pacific Railroad was completed over the Sierra Nevada mountains,
and the freight carrying business and passenger traffic for localities
beyond the mountains was diverted from the route through Shingle Springs
to the new opened route. The business of the place fell off, merchants
and others left for more prosperous locations, and it gradually
subsided, becoming "smaller by degrees and beautifully less"
until it stands at the present time, what its business as a shipping
point and the trade traffic of the surrounding makes it. The P. & S.
V. R. R., not running for about a year, on account of a pending law
suit, resumed activity about the 10th of July, 1882.
David B. Scott, in company with D. Ashley, who
afterward became a member of the Legislature in California and died in
Southern California; A. Lawyer, Sweeney, Stephens, Bisby, George
Withington, now of Ione Valley ; Buckley, Wilson and Kertland, who acted
as the captain of the company, left Monroe, Mich., in March, 1849, to
cross the plains, and this was bout the third train en route with
Canadian ponies. They proceeded to the spot where Ragtown was built up
afterwards, and send Scott ahead to go as far as Sacramento, to look
around and find out where the company could to the best when arriving in
California. On this trip Mr. Scott, together with a Dr. Ormsby, camped
on the present site of Shingle Springs, then heavily dotted with oak and
sugar pine, and was so delighted with the location that, after having
reunited with his company at Sly Park, and journeying together to
Sutterville, where they disbanded, he made up another company, and
with Withington, William Van Alstine and the Bartlett brothers, Henry
and Edward, returned to the place, where, not far from the beautiful
spring, they erected shingle machine, from which the name of the
town arose. This shingle machine was operated by horse power, producing
sixteen thousand shingles per day, worth $50 to $60 per thousand,
delivered at Sacramento, and lumber was paid for as high as from $900 to
$1000 per mille. Seom* time later Scott sold out to Mr. Bisby and
departed for the Yuba river mines, where he staid from 1850 to 1851, and
was elected Surveyor of Yuba county in 1851, holding this office for
three terms. Then he was engaged as a surveyor of Washoe county, Nevada,
and thereafter in the same capacity in Sonoma county, Cal. He also has
been engaged in the building railroads for logging and lumbering in the
mountains, and was for three years chief engineer of the Marysville and
Vallejo Railroad.
The first store at Shingle Springs was kept by E. M.
Hiatt, from Missouri, at the place now occupied by Slocum. Bartlett kept
the first hotel. He paid to Ed. Perrine's wife $150 for cooking. He sold
out to Humphrey Taylor, and he again sold to D. T. Hall. Wakefield kept
the Missouri House, a log cabin which stood on the spot where the
Planters' House was built afterwards. Mr. Hall was also the first
Postmaster in the town. The Postoffice was established in 1855. The
first school of the district was kept at
BUCKEYE
FLAT.
The Latter town received its name from the first
settlers of the place, they being men from Ohio. The first store here
was kept by Henry Kingsley. Henry Yealing, now of Sn Franchiso, was the
second storekeeter, with Fred Heldman, how of Logtown. The first hotel
was opened by Rockwell, from Salt Lake.
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