The Shasta courier., 1865-07-01
NUMBER IS.
The Ancient Grape Vine of Santa Bar
bara--The Planter of it Dies at the
Age of los.

bara--The Planter of it Dies at the
Age Of los.
One of the celebrities of Spanish Califor.
MIA is the immense and beautiful grape vine
now growing at the Montecito, two or three
miles below Santa Barbara, on the road to
San Buenaventura. The planter of this
vine was Dona Marcellina Feliz de Domin-
guez, wife of the old soldier, Jose Mario
Dominguez. who came up to Alta California
with one of the earliest expeditions from
Sonora, before $780, and who were always
esteemed an honest and industrious old cou.
pie among the most respectable of the native
families and Foreigners in the country prior
to 1864. The old woman related that she
was born at Cosaa, town in SInaloa, south
Of Culiacan. and ever since the foundations
of Santa Barbara preside and Mission,
llS2-lTS6. had been an inhabitant of that
vicinity. The great grape vine which is so
often talked Of in books and newspapers for
the last thirty years, she uniformly stated
was planted by her over sixty five years ago,
from slip which She cut from the young vine
yard at San Antonio Mission, in Monterey
county, for horse whip; and on arriving
at the hot springs Of the San Miguel, finding
1t fresh and sprouting she determined to pre-.
serve 1t and plant it rs soon as she could get
| permission from the commandant at Santa
| barbara, which was done, rs nearly rs could
be ascertaintd from her failing memory,
abou: the year 1876. Her husband had got
PERMISSION 10 make a small garden near the
warm springs OF Montecito a fayorite place
Tor the washerwoman of the new settlement
OF Santa Barbara, and here she planted it on
The edge of KNOLL expecting after SO long
aJournev to see it die. But to her surprise,
1T Immediately took root and began to bud
and leaf. and from careful attention, before
she died It was made 70 produce more than
any Anown grape vine in all America, North
or South. Between 1850 and 1860 it had
been trailed over some eighty feet in circum-
ference with a trunk twelve in inches diane.
ter, rising clean fifteen feet from the ground.
| Some years it has grown over 6,00Q lunches
Of ripe and sound grapes, or close on to
| 5000 pounds, and became the wonder of
every resident or sojourner in that part of
California. And what is more, for the last
thirty years, it has principally maintained
the old woman end her numerous family.
She always for long years made her own wine
| from her own grapes, maintaining that her
wine was good for soul and body, and bet.
| ter than other wines. or all the cold water
| or aguardiente that ever flowed. After
| planting the grape cutting, the lard was of
ten troubled with drouth, which caused her
to conduct the neighboring warm spring
across the root of. the vino near her house,
and it is supposed that the mineral water has
had something to do with its we'll know lux
uriance, fruitfulness and vigor. Though
she planted small vineyard close by, none
bore such uniformly good fruit as the Para
Grande. as it is called by the natives, Prof,
Silliman when he visited it last year, said
he had never heard of such an immense
grape vine in any other country, which is
saying great DEAL as he has Travelled much
in Southern Europe. Exaggerated stories
make it over 100 years DID, but the truth is
it was not planted till several years after the
foundation, in 1856, of Santa Barbara Mis-.
sion-that is, as nearly as can he ascertain
| ed in 1906 Here the old couple lived and
raised numerous progeny of IA children-7
sons and daughters-and in 1865, before
| the mother had died, had given to California
not less than 300 descendants, including
grand, great grand and great-great grand
children, many of whom survive her. She
left one son, Jose, So years old, who s-not
so rugged as his mother for many years, and
has grandchildren.
On Wednesday, the 9th of May, current,
the old lady, after three or four years of de-
clining health, died at her own house, where
she had lived 65 years, surrounded by her
children and grand children. Up to 1861
her memory was very good, and she used to
amuse her friends with accounts of the early
times in California, as she remembered
Padre Junipero and the earliest officers and
missionary priests. Her husband died about
lS45, and he was said to be nearly 100 years
old when he expired. He married his wife
when she was only IA. They were always
much respected by the old officers of the king
and the nation or republica," for their
kindness and good conduct. The family
lived in one place probably longer than any
other in the oldest settled part Of the State,
and every one passing by, with a day to
passeur, always paid La Yieja de la Grande
Para a visit and were kindly received. She
was buried on the 1lth of May, at the old
cemetery of Santa Barbara Mission. The
venerable Father Gonzalez, who attended her
in her last moments, and had known her since
1881, calculated that she could not be less
than l02 years old, as she not only had
children when the Mission was founded in
1886, and had a son aged So, born in Santa
Barbara, but had been married many years
previous. Many assert, however, that she
was not less than los years old.
A few days only before the old lady died,
Mr.. Vischer of San Francisco who was then
in the neighbornood sketching the old Mis-
sions of the country, and was taken by
friend to see her, and took an excellent sketch
of Marcellina de Feliz, as she used to be call.
ed from her maiden, and her celebrated grape
vine so that much of good wholesome Cali
fornia antiquity is saved for future genera
tions. The gentleman referred to has filled
his sketch book with many valuable memo
rails of the South in his late tour, and de-
serves much credit from all those interested
in the historical chronicles Of the California
past-that is, the past before the Golden
Epoch He had the good luck to fall in with
an old Iudian at San Fernando Mission Of
the juvenile age of ia, WHOM he transferred
to his sketch book.-Bulletin.
A MrLKxAN's CONFESSIONAL couple Of
milkmen fell out in Sacramento and went to
law to get their rights. 1t came out in the
course Of the trial, through the testimony Of
q dairyman, that in winter twas the custom
to add half gallon Of water to two gallons OF
milk, but that in Consequence of the prone
ness Of the lacteal dnid to aqueous supera'
kuodanna IN eur&rner that varv hhndrahIA