Chariton courier., 1920-06-18

ly large company to make such an
undertaking safe, he went back to
Suffers Camp, where he did black
smithing for Captain Sutter. This
Sutter was a Swiss and is well known !
in American history because it was
on his land that gold was found in
1849.
In 1S43 an incident took place that .
led to Peter Lassen's striking out in
to entirely new and moccupied parts.
The incident itself was trivial enough.
Mr.. Lassen, who by this time had ac-
quircd about three hundred heads of
cattle, discovered one morning that
some travellers on their way to the
: Oregon country had stolen some of his
! cattle. Accompanied by two friends
, he started out in pursuit and was
4 lucky enough to overtake the thieves
and recover his property near the
q present Red Bluff, about one hundred
4 and twenty miles north of Sacramen-
S to. The important thing about this
+ expedition, however, was his discov-
: cry of the rich fertility of the soil in
this vicinity. He at once made appli-
o cation to the Mexican governor for
!. grant of land in these parts, and the
+ following year found him upon his
own land on Deep Creek in Tehama
= County. His nearest white neighbor
lived about sixty miles to the south,
at Marysville.
Peter Lassen now conceived the am
bilious scheme of building large
city on his land, to be populated only
by citizens of the United States. A
town was started and named Bentor
CITY in honor of Jessie Benton, whit
married the famous General Fremont
The population of this city was aug
mented in 1S47 by the arrival o
twelve large prairie schooners file,
with emigrants from Missouri, whom
Mr. Lassen on a personal visit to hi
old haunts had induced to come D
this trip he was accompanied by tn
famous naval officer, Stockton. Ben
ton City was forsaken in 1S49, how
ever, during the gold rush. The pres
ent town of Vina has later been bui
in the same vicinity.
Mr.. Lassen was a close friend {
John C. Fremont. This friendshi
began in 1876 when Fremont, then
colonel, with following of fifty me
staid some weeks on the Lassen Ranc
on a demonstrative ride through Me-
lean California toward Oregon.
few days after the colonel's departu
for the north one Lieutenant Gillie
pie arrived at the Lassen Ranch wi
message to Fremont from Preside
Polk. Nobody seems to know Ju
what this message was, but that
must have been an important one
evident from the fact that Gillesr
came directl yfrom the president. n
Lassen at once offered to take t
messenger to Col. Fremont, an of
which Mr.. Gillespie accepted wi
alacrity. Toward evening on M
9th they overlook Fremont at La
Klamath, right on the boundary Ii
between California and Oregon. c
Fremont and his troops once turn
: southwark and began the campai
against Mexico, which eliminated
the cession of California and mi
land to the east to the United Stat
=. The part that Peter Lassen pla!
in this struggle was by no means
4 significant. He was with Fremont
Sonoma June IA, 1886, where he r;
? ed the famous "Bear Flag" and ?
|. claimed the independence of the
public of California, preparat
step to American annexation.
4 On his trip to Missouri Mr.. Las
discovered the so-called "Las
i Trail" which was shorter than
usual Humboldt Trail" to Califor
~ and few years later he found e
I'd shorter cut, which was dub
"LassenS Horn" as travellers TO
its passage as full of difficulties {
voyage around Cape Horn. WI
. his route diverged from the old r'
Mr.. Lassen placed massive sign
:D bearing this legend: "Lassen's +
= to Guide the Nnwary Emigrant."
the Lassen Trail never became p'
- lar because of the danger of S
storms in the passes.
After the gold rush of '49 had
most depopulated Benton City, T
Lassen sold his lard in Tehama G
ty and settled some years alter
Honey Lake in what is now La
County. This region was entirely