The Shasta courier., 1859-05-28
Letter from Mendocino County.

pKIAH, May IA, 1859.
EDS. CoURIER:-Our election passed off quiz
etly, and the result has been, as general thing,
the selection OF the best men who have offered
themselves as candidates for the various Offices
Over one thousand votes were polled, but | have
not as yet ascertai ined the exact number VIM
Neely johnson, brother of ex- Governor johnson,
and clever gentleman, I believe, has been
elected District Attorney OF the other persons
VINO nave been elected will not speak, as their
names would be unknown to a majority of your
readers. Ukiah has been chosen county seat
Ihis, under the circumstances. is probably the
best selection that could have been made, as il
is the most centrally located SO far as popua-
ton is concerned, and whenever it ceases to be
so, another site can be chosen.
Will now try to give you description of the
topography OF our county. All along the west
valley OF the Sacramento, from the mouth of tho
river to Its source, stretches chain of noun
tains, generally known as the Coast Range
From their name it might be supposed that i'm
mediately to the west of them would be found
the Paelhc Ocean ; but this is not the case. Still
another chain of mountains borders on tho
coast, between which and the range to which
have just been referring, many fertile valleys arc
found, and among them the one in which our
, county seat is located. A line running directly
west from the town of Colusa would pass about
five miles north of ibis place. q
Mendocino county is about one hundred miles
IN length from north to south, and about eighty
miles in width. 1t is bounded on the east by
the Coast Range, on the west by the Pacific
Ocean, on the north by Humboldt county, and
on the south principally by Sonoma county Its
: assessment last year was one million of dollars
this year, am informed, it will reach nearly
twice that amount
= The principal advantage appertaining to tho
country lying west of the Coast Range is its
mild, pleasant, and healthy climate.such a eli
pate as person who has become tired of trav-
o cling and Wishes for permanency should be con-
r tent to settle in for the remainder of his life
!. The wages of labor and the interest on money
- are about the same on the west as at CORES
! ponding latitudes on the east es the Coast Range
i the difference at present in our favor, Il any
: there be, consisting in the better chance we have
of enjoying good health and the pleasures of life
: accompanying it.
IS think that the northern portion of this coln-
n ty now offers more inducements to emigrants
p than the southern; it is not SO crowded with
settlers, and hence gives better chance to Sc
> lect a location. From Shasta think that the
: best way to come into the county, during the
: summer season, would be to leave the Sacra-
> mento river at Tehama, and to follow the road
. leading to the Nome Cult Indian Reservation
: which is in the northeast portion of Mendocno
!, county.
;, There must be considerable section in tho
southern portion Of Humboldt county which is
/ also suitable for grazing and agricultural pur-
: poses but having having never been there, nor
: received any definite information in regard to it,
. cannot speak of it with much assurance.
As to our people. Have you ever noticed that
the settlers of new countrics-wth the excep-
, ton, perhaps of the early California immigra-
ton-are generally of roEger character-that
they approximate mofe nsafly 10 The aborigines
of the soil-than those who follow them in LATER
years? This seems to be especially the case in
Mendocino. A large plumber ef the carly settlers
of our county are about as rough specimens of
humanity as person viii meet with anywhere.
have no fault to find " ith them. It seems to be
destined by Providence that they Should be the
pioneers of civilization, encounter the hardships
and dangers of frontier Iifc and prepare the way
for others who lay higher claims to civilization
and refinement. | said that a portion of our
settlers were rough still we have variety of
all llsorts-Southerners and Northerners, Yankees
and Missourians, native born and foreigners, to-
gether with tolerably fair share of women and
children.
| OF lawyers we have some six or seven in the
| county-more than can make living at their
profession; of doctors, enough for all the busi-
ness that is to be done but of mechanics, and
merchants with capital, hardly suficiency. /
suppose, however, that the wants of our COM
munity in regard to these latter classes will soon
be supplied. Enough for the present.
Yours truly, LucIEN EvERTs.