The Shasta courier., 1868-07-25
obituary Of Pierson B. Reading.

| ~
ieave 10 ask attention to the narrative they
have endeavored to prepare to the best OF
their ability. in the discharge of the sad duty
conhded to their friendship.
| The various works which at various times
| have been published upon California have
been carafully examined by this Committee
in the discharge of its sad task. and the re.
suit has been attended with a sincere regre,
that in respect to the deceased. as also in
regard to many who have preceded to regions
beyond the tomb. scarcely a record of the
events in which they so actively participated
can now be found.
| The Committee have endeavored to obtain
from parties now living who crossed the
plains at the same time as the deceased, and
of those who participated in the events which
induced the settlement Of our people in this
region, and led to its acquisition by our gov
ernment, a knowledge of the incidents which
would prove of interest to our fellow-mem
bers. ana be worthy Of record Tor the future
compiler of the annals of our times. but those
ef'rts, we say with regret, have been at.
tended with trifiing success
The reliable details which are now present.
cd were principally furnished by the Hon.
John Bidwell Major jacob R. Snyder, and
Major ALI. Gillespie. gentlemen whose in
innate social relations with the deceased have
enabled them to bear witness to the noble
impulses of character which marked his in
tercnurse with his fellow men.
| The sad intelligence of the death of Major
Reading, announced by telegraph. elected
from the various journals published in this
State, tributes of respect to his memory all
united in mentioning the noble qualities which
in an eminent degree distinguished his mind
and heart; and from those sources in addi-
ton to the friendly remembrances of the
gentlemen herein mentioned may be COM
piled the story of his sojuurn among us.
Piersnn B. Readiug was born in New Jer-
sey, 26th of Nov. 1916, and died at his
ranch, Buena Ventura, in Shasta county, on
the 29th of May. 1868, aged 81 years and six
months. For about quarter of century
he had occupied prominent position in CAL
ifornia. In l84S. he crossed the plains in
com pany with the late Sam'l j. Hensley,
and some Is others, and from that period
was thoroughly identified with this region Of
the Continent The route by which the
party arrived is thus described by Hon. John
Bidwell:
1.-The route by which they had come, had
never to- my knowledge been visited or ira
versed by any srve the most savage Indian
tribes; namely from Fort Boise, on Snake
river, to the Sacramento valley. via the up
per Sacramento or Pitt river. The hostility
as well as courage of those savages is well
known and may refer TO the conflicts with
them of Fremont in 1916, Of the lamented
Captain Warner in 1919, and Of Gen. Crook
in 1867"
In l844. Reading entered the service of
Gen. Suffer- and was at the Fort when Fre-
mont first arrived in California, in the spring
of that year. In 1915 he was left in charge,
while Sutter marched with all his forces to
assist Micheltoreno in queling the insurrec-
tion headed by Castro and Alvarado. The
former had shown his partiality for Ameri-
cans by granting them lands, and this led to
the espousal of his cause by our people
Reading. in 1874, had received grant in
what is now known as Shasta county Later
in l845 he visited on hunting and trap
ping expedition. nearly all the northern part
of California, the western part of Nevada, az
also Southern Ore,on. He was afterwards
extensively engaged in trapping-the seasons
of lS45 and '46-0n the lower Sacramento
and San Joaquin rivers. In all these dan
gerous expeditions, his intelligence, bravery,
and imposing personal appearance exercised
over the hostile Indians a commanding infu-
ence that protected himself and party not
only from hostile attack. hut also secured
| their friendly aid in his undertakings
When it became probable that war would
be declared against Mexico, Reading enlisted
under Fremont; and on the organization of
the California Battalion by Com. Stockton,
was appointed Paymaster. with the rank Of
Major, and served until the close of the war
in this country. After it's termination. Read
ing returned to his ranch in Shasta, which
he made his permanent home.
In the events preceding and accom- mpanying
the acquisition of this Territory, the knowl-
edge and experience of Reading were of
great advantage to the Government, and
that the flag of our Union instead of that of
another nation now waves over it, is in n
great measure due to hose early pioneers
who entered California before the existence
of gold in its soil was even surlnised.
In l84o, Reading was among the first to
visit the scene IF Marshall's gold discovery
Coloma-and shortly after engaged extern
sively in prospecting for gold, making dis
coveries in Shasta, at the head waters OF the
Trinity, and prospecting that river until he
became satisfied that the gold region extend
| ed to the Pacific Ocean. A portion of these
explorations were made in company with
Jacob R. Snyder. A large number of In,
dams were WORKED with great success, until
all we're disabled by sickness. In l849, with
llensley and Snyder, Reading engaged ex-
tensiveiy in Commercial business in S,cra-
mento, and continued the firm until 1850.
In the fall of lo49. Major Reading fitted
out an expedition to discover the bay into
which he supposed the Trinity and klamath
rivers must empty. The bark josephine. in
which the party sailed, was driven bya .torm
Tar out OF her course to the northwest Of Van
c. uver's Island and had to return. Others,
subsequently, acting on the idea. discovered
and called the bay after that worli-renowned
traveller Humboldt, by whose name it is now
known.
In 1850, Major Reading visited Washing
ton to settle his accounts as paymaster of the
California Battalion. The disbursements ex
ceeded $l66. 600, and had been kept with
such neatness and accuracy, supported bv
vouchers, that the Auditor complmented
them as being the best of any presented dur
ing the war
While in the States, on this occasion, he
visited bis old home, Vicksburg, where in
1857 ne succumbed to the crisis which caused
such widespread ruin among the merchants
OF the Southwest. His object was to pay in
gold the principal and interest of his long
outstanding and almost forgotten obligations.
This he did to the exfent Of $50 .0OO-an in.
stance of commerc al in egriry of which our
own State has reason to be proud.
In 1851, Major Reading was the candi.