MEMORIES: MY SEVENTY-TWO YEARS IN THE ROMANTIC COUNTY
OF YUBA CALIFORNIA
BY W. T. Ellis
with an introduction by Richard Belcher
EUGENE: THE UNIVERSITY OF OREGON
PRINTED BY JOHN HENRY NASH
1939
Copyright, 1939, by W. T. Ellis, Marysville
DEDICATED TO MY OLD HOME TOWN MARYSVILLE
PREFACE
ABOUT nine months ago, my friend Frank Nickey, loaned me a book
to read, saying, “Here is a book which may interest you, it has considerable to
say about Marysville in early days.” The book was entitled, MY SEVENTY YEARS IN
CALIFORNIA, the author, being Mr. J. A. Graves, President of the Farmers and
Mechanics Bank in Los Angeles. Mr. Graves told of his experiences in California,
his family having lived at various places in the State, at one time in
Marysville, and he mentioned many old pioneer residents of Marysville, many of
whom I had known personally. The thought came to me, why not a book entitled my
SEVENTY-TWO YEARS IN YUBA COUNTY, particularly with the idea of embodying a
record of a lot of accumulated data in connection with flood control, levee
construction, hydraulic mining litigation, river records, etc., a large amount
of which I have been accumulating in my office for many years and most of which,
I was quite confident, no one but myself has.
There is a saying, that, “when a person gets old, he lives in the past,” and as
a result of this “thought,” for the last nine months, I have been living in the
past and at odd times have been “punching out” on my typewriter, my “memories,”
as contained herein. It has been a comparatively easy task for the reason that,
besides having this accumulated data, mentioned above, I have been one of those
“cranks” who keeps a “scrap book”; in fact, I have five large scrap books,
containing clippings, etc., of local interest, and extending over a period of
fifty years and, in addition, I have two other books of photographs of various
flood pictures, etc., all of which make for a rather condensed “history” of
interesting local events. In addition to the above, I have accumulated
throughout the years, a mass of reports relating primarily to floods, their
effects, and measures taken for their control, not only on the rivers of
California, but of other States in the Union and of various rivers of Europe and
Asia as well, but such matters, while they have been interesting to me, might be
of little interest to others, possibly none, so I have not included any such
data. After having completed the following (112) chapters, I was tempted to add
nineteen other chapters, mainly on other local past events, all of record but,
no doubt, either forgotten or possibly never heard of by many. However, time
mellows many things and sometimes it is best to “forget and forgive,” so I
resisted the impulse and have endeavored to chronicle only those things which I
felt might prove of interest and worth perpetuating in this book; as it is,
possibly I may have “stepped on the toes” of some, but if so, it has been
without malice and has been done only with the idea of recording events, as they
have occurred.
INTRODUCTION
W. T. ELLIS and I were born within a block and a half and a year
and a half of each other and our friendship has existed through life, personally
and professionally. Many of the incidents referred to by him are within my
knowledge.
It has been unfortunate that the early settlers in California have not more
frequently recorded their experiences as history could glean from such records
many important facts. This book contains material of such sort.
The personal experiences of a young man of ample means are not only interesting
as characteristic of a class, but are amusing as related and, of course for me,
make entertaining reading, but the all important value of this book is embraced
in the experiences of the author in the past forty years with reference to the
river and levee conditions of the State.
No man of whom I know, whether layman or engineer, has the same knowledge of, or
the records which Mr. Ellis has of flood conditions and levees constructed
during that period. He has become an authority constantly consulted by engineers
and those interested in the subject. His information as set forth in this book
and the records in his office are invaluable and will be of inestimable worth to
his successor.
Situated, as it is, at the confluence of the Yuba and Feather Rivers, both
rapidly rising streams, Marysville has had to contend with a serious water
problem, and it had to, and has, protected itself by levees which rank with the
dykes of Holland. As a result, as shown in the book, the last flood in the city
was in 1875. The citizens then became convinced that if the town were to survive
and their property be kept safe, it was necessary to take drastic action. A bill
was drawn by a lawyer whom I have always looked up to and respected as one of
the great lawyers of the State, and was passed by the Legislature, which gave to
the Levee Commission of Marysville unique and all embracing powers to meet
emergencies in any way which it saw fit. The Levee Commission appointed under
that bill was of the highest type of citizen and has so continued, free of
politics, until the present time.
It was on this Commission and as its Manager, that Mr. Ellis has acted for the
past forty years, carrying on, extending and improving the work done by his
predecessors. Today the City is, in my opinion, in an impregnable position.
One does not call a doctor until one is ill, nor does one appreciate the work
done by doctors unless he has occasion to consult with them. Such a condition
exists in Marysville; only when the water rises against the levee do new-comers
seek assurance of the safety of the city, from Mr. Ellis. The old-timers know
that only in the most extreme case could there, or would there be any danger
here. In time of storm, and after the drop of the rivers, the author of this
book is admittedly the City's first citizen.
Having spent four decades in this work, with practically no compensation, the
greatest honor is due him for the successful pursuit of a fad which has
contributed to the benefit of his home city.
This book should remain as a text-book for all persons interested in flood
conditions in the Sacramento Valley.
RICHARD BELCHER.
Dated: February 1, 1938.