Table of Contents of
Memories; my seventy-two years in the romantic county of Yuba, California, by W.T. Ellis
Reformatted from the Library of Congress on-line site:
https://cdn.loc.gov//service/gdc/calbk/136.pdf
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CONTENTS
PAGE
PREFACE
xi. . . . . . . .INTRODUCTION Mr. Richard Belcher, Vice-President, State Bar of California
xiii. . . . . . .CHAPTER
I . . . . . . . .Family History and Random Boyhood Memories 1
II. . . . . . . Education 10
III. . . . . . .Our Family Chinese Cook, Yuen Yeck Bow (Jack Ellis) 12
IV. . . . . . .Vacations 13
V. . . . . . . .Early Days of Gambling in Marysville 18
VI. . . . . . .How I was Cured of Gambling 20
VII. . . . . .The City of Marysville in Early Days 22
VIII. . . . . Judge Stephen J. Field 26
IX. . . . . . .Gold Dust Shipments from Marysville 30
X. . . . . . . Religion in Marysville in Early Days and Schools 30
XI. . . . . . .Early Day Theatrical Amusements in Marysville 32
XII. . . . . . The Marysville Bar in Early Days 34
XIII . . . . . .Early Day Railroads, Steamboats and Stages 39
XIV. . . . . . Fire Departments of Early Days 40
XV. . . . . . . List of Hotels in the County of Yuba in 1858 Outside of The City of Marysville 41
XVI. . . . . . .Stage Lines Running from Marysville, in 1861 42
XVII. . . . . . Early Day Newspapers 43
XVIII. . . . . .Mining in the Streets of Marysville Prohibited 44
XIX. . . . . . .A Labor Strike in 1853 46
XX. . . . . . . State Reform School in Yuba County 46
XXI. . . . . . .A Duel in Marysville with my Two Uncles as Seconds 47
XXII. . . . . . Yuba County's English Lord 48
XXIII. . . . . .Black Bart, Stage Robber 50
XXIV. . . . . .Historic Yuba Dam 52
XXV. . . . . . .Business Experience 54
XXVI. . . . . .Experience as a Traveling Salesman 57
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XXVII. . . . . . .Experience with the Lodge of E Clampus Vitus 64
XXVIII. . . . . . Orchard and Vineyard Experience 66
XXIX. . . . . . . System of New Year's Calls 67
XXX. . . . . . . .Skating on Ellis Lake 68
XXXI. . . . . . . Four Homes I Have Lived In 69
XXXII. . . . . . .Peter Jackson, World's Champion Heavy-Weight Prize Fighter 71
XXXIII. . . . . . Chinese Tong Wars 72
XXXIV. . . . . . Saturday Night and Sunday Too Club 74
XXXV. . . . . . .A Typical Mountain Fourth of July Celebration 74
XXXVI. . . . . .A Fourth of July Celebration in 1895 76
XXXVII. . . . . Dove Stews at Shelton Grove 77
XXXVIII. . . . Attempted Invasion of the City by Caterpillars 78
XXXIX. . . . . .The Failure of the English Dam and Comments on Other Dams 79
XL. . . . . . . . . .Some Record Snowfalls in the Sierras 82
XLI. . . . . . . . .San Francisco Earthquake and Fire 84
XLII. . . . . . . .Military Experiences and the Debs' Strike 87
XLIII. . . . . . . Liberty Loan Drives 91 XLIV Navigation on the Feather and Yuba Rivers 91
XLV. . . . . . . .Dredging Feather River for Navigation 95
XLVI. . . . . . .Experience as a County Supervisor, First Time 96
XLVII. . . . . .Experiences with James D. Stewart 98
XLVIII. . . . .Experience with L. L. Robinson, President of the North Bloomfield Mine 105
XLIX. . . . . .My Warning to Professor G. K. Gilbert 107
L. . . . . . . . . Ellis Lake 108
LI. . . . . . . . A Big Fire Loss 113
LII. . . . . . . Trustee for Bondsmen 115
LIII. . . . . . .President District Agricultural Fair 117
LIV. . . . . . .A. C. Bingham 118
LV. . . . . . . .First Campaign for Mayor and Defeat 121
LVI. . . . . . .Elected Mayor, First Term 123
LVII. . . . . . Elected Mayor, Second Term 130
LVIII. . . . . .Marysville Levee Commission 132
LIX. . . . . . .Levee Foreman 133
LX. . . . . . . President Hallwood Irrigation Company 134
LXI. . . . . . .Amusing Experience in a Federal Court 136
LXII. . . . . .The Great Floods of the Winter of 1861-62 139
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LXIII. . . . . . . Flood of 1875 146
LXIV. . . . . . . Flood of 1881 148
LXV. . . . . . . . Flood of 1904 148
LXVI. . . . . . . Flood of 1907 151
LXVII. . . . . . .Flood of 1909 157
LXVIII. . . . . . Flood of 1928 158
LXIX . . . . . . .Presented with a Service Medal 160
LXX. . . . . . . .A Contest with Henry Hazelbush 161
LXXI. . . . . . . The “Eccentric” Flood of 1937 163
LXXII. . . . . . .Criticisms of My Management 174
LXXIII. . . . . . Artificial Channel Alterations Near Marysville 179
LXXIV. . . . . . .Monies Raised by Taxation for Marysville Levee System 185
LXXV. . . . . . . Outside Monies Which Have Been Raised by the Levee Commission for the Benefit of the City's Levees 188
LXXVI. . . . . . .Manner in Which the Marysville Levee was Raised and Strengthened after the 1907 Flood 192
LXXVII. . . . . . A $200 Investment Which Paid The City Big Dividends 198
LXXVIII. . . . . .River Gauges at Different Places 199
LXXIX. . . . . . . High Water Readings of the Yuba River at the “D” Street Bridge, Marysville 203
LXXX. . . . . . . .Record of Low Water Readings of the Yuba River at the “D” Street Bridge, at Marysville 204
LXXXI. . . . . . . Zero Reading on D Street Gauge 206
LXXXII. . . . . . .Gauges on Marysville Levee System 206
LXXXIII. . . . . . Water Pressure 207
LXXXIV. . . . . . Agitation for New Levee Commissioners 208
LXXXV. . . . . . . Agitation to Widen the River at the D Street Bridge and Replace with a New Bridge at Simpson Lane 209
LXXXVI. . . . . . Why Our Present High Water Mark of 24 feet at Marysville will be Exceeded at Some Future Flood 212
LXXXVII. . . . . .Early Day Suggested Plans for Flood Control and First Reclamation Board Act 215
LXXXVIII. . . . . Seasonal Weather Variations and Rainfall Records 218
LXXXIX. . . . . . .How I Lost an Opportunity to be Sent to State Prison 221
XC. . . . . . . . . . . .First Training Walls, Above and Below, from Daguerre Point 224
XCI. . . . . . . . . . . Construction of Two Parallel 750 Foot Channels Down Stream from Daguerre Point 227
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XCII. . . . . . . Benefits of Dredge Mining on Yuba River 230
XCIII. . . . . . .Right of Way Agent for Western Pacific Railroad 232
XCIV. . . . . . .State Reclamation Board 235
XCV. . . . . . . .Congressman Kent's Public Hearing at Marysville, November 9th, 1915 238
XCVI. . . . . . .How I Came to Leave the Reclamation Board 256
XCVII. . . . . .The Attempted Resurrection of Hydraulic Mining in 1927 259
XCVIII. . . . . Discussions Before the Commonwealth Club 266
XCIX. . . . . . Final Action on the Seawell Bill 267 C James Stewart's Threatened Referendum 269
CI. . . . . . . . .Water Conservation Project Referendum Election in December 1933 282
CII. . . . . . . . Meeting of Hydraulic Miners Association in Marysville 286
CIII. . . . . . . .If the Hydraulic Mining Debris Dam is Constructed Near Smartsville, Will the Charge for Storage Repay the Government for its Investment and Can the Mines Afford to Pay the Storage Charge 288
CIV. . . . . . . .My First and Only Law Suit 290
CV. . . . . . . . .Committee of Five 293
CVI. . . . . . . .Is the Flood Control Plan Designed to Safely Control Any Floods Which May Occur? 297
CVII. . . . . . .Yuba County 299
CVIII. . . . . . Marysville as a Business Town 301
CIX. . . . . . . .Days of Forty-Nine Celebration 302
CX. . . . . . . . Just Some Warnings for the Future 303
CXI. . . . . . . .Keeping Cool and How to Grow Old Gracefully 304
CXII. . . . . . . Conclusion 306
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List of Illustrations
PAGE
The Author, W. T. Ellis . . . . . FRONTISPIECE
The Author's Father and Mother . . . . 4
Four of My Mother's Lady Friends. . . . 5
The Author's Oldest Sister with Indian Nursemaid . . . . 8
The Author in 1875 9 Chinese Cook for W. T. Ellis Sr., Yuen Yeck Bow . . . . 12
Tom Jones, English Hostler for W. T. Ellis Sr. . . . .13
View of Marysville From an Old Engraving Made in 1856. . . . 22
Yuba County Court House, Erected in 1856. . . . 23
St. Joseph's Church, Erected in 1856. . . . 30
St. John's Episcopal Church, Erected in 1855. . . . 31
Presbyterian Church, Erected in 1855. . . . 32
Convent of Notre Dame, Founded in 1856. . . . 33
Stephen J. Field, First Alcalde of Marysville. . . . 34
Belcher Brothers, Attorneys at Law, Established in Marysville 1856. . . . 35
Charles E. DeLong, Member of Marysville Bar 1857-63. . . . 36
William Walker, “The Gray-Eyed Man of Destiny”. . . . 37
Timbuctoo Rescue Hose Company No. 140 Old Miners' High Suspension Flume Constructed in Early Days Over Brandy Gulch. . . . 41
The California Diggins. . . . 42
The Main Street of Timbuctoo, Yuba County. . . . 43
Judge Thomas B. Reardan. . . . 48
Judge Gordon N. Mott. . . . 49
Residence Erected by John C. Fall in 1855. . . . 68
Residence Built in 1851 by J. M. Ramirez, One of the Founders of Marysville. . . . 69
Residence of W. T. Ellis Senior, Erected in 1855. . . . 70
Residence Erected by Warren P. Miller in 1856. . . . 71
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The Author, 1887. When President of “The Saturday Night and Sunday Too Club”. . . . 74
Menu of “Saturday Night and Sunday Too Club”. . . . 75
The “Dining Room” at Shelton's Grove 1898. . . . 78
The “Kitchen” at Shelton's Grove 1898. . . . 79
Large Cloth Sign, on the Wall of the Partially Destroyed “Ellis Block”. . . . 114
Largest Gold Dredger in the World. . . . 115
A. C. Bingham, 1847-1917. . . . 118
The Author, When Appointed to State Reclamation Board in 1912 119 W. T. Ellis Senior, 1826-1913. . . . 124
The Author, When First Elected Mayor in 1894 125 Flood of March 19th, 1907. . . . 152
Flood of January 16th, 1909. . . . 153
Getting Ready for the Coming Flood of January 16th, 1909. . . . 156
Flood of March 1907. . . . 157
Concrete Dam, Constructed With Federal Funds, Destroyed by Flood in 1907. . . . 158
Flood of March 27th, 1928. . . . 159
Days of '49 Celebration in Marysville. . . . 302
Ellis Lake. . . . 303
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