HE 2T\io , " - ' 5? BANCROFT LIBRARY 806riz wivd "A 'N 'asnDBJ^s * 1 >- N - !'i \ x: w * >< i ve * * t)b Li_.. i i~ i f 4 jfeS Rieofd Printing House, comer Third and J streets, Sacramento. y X 5T2.0tr3 %mk 4 u 4tvM ifrmfc %xlt\ul ft The Central Pacific Railroad Company of California was one of the Companies authorized by Act of Congress to construct a railroad from the Missouri river to the Pacific ocean a part of the Continental railroad that extends from the Atlantic to the Pacific oceans. It was empowered by Congress to construct its road eastward from the navi- gable waters of the Sacramento river until it should meet and connect with the Union Pacific Railroad. This connection was made near Salt Lake. The California and Oregon Railroad Company was authorized, by Act of Congress, to construct a railroad northerly from a point on the Central Pacific Railroad, in the Sacramento valley, until it should meet and connect with the Oregon and California Railroad, which runs South from Portland, Oregon. The Central Pacific Railroad Company of California and the California and Oregon Railroad Company, together with the Western Pacific Railroad Company, were merged and consolidated into one corporation, and a new name, " Central Pacific Railroad," given to the consolidated company. The completion of these railroads -was considered of such great national importance that the Congress of the United States, for the purpose of aiding in their construction, gave to each of the Companies an extensive grant of land. [2] As the grants are, in some respects, dissimilar in character, they will be described separately. First, the lands given to the Central Pacific Railroad of California (main line) ; and second, those granted to the California and Oregon Railroad, or California and Oregon Di- vision of C. P. R. R. Lands of Central Pacific Railroad (main line). Under the Pacific Railroad Acts of Congress, passed July 1st. 1862, and July 2d, 1864, there is granted to this Company every alternate section of public land, designated by odd numbers, within twenty miles on each side of its railroad, excepting, however, mineral lands, and tracts to which pre-emption and homestead claims had legally attached. This grant is equivalent to about twenty sections to each mile of the road, and as the sections contain six hundred and forty acres each, it amounts to twelve thousand eight hundred acres per mile, less the exceptions above noted. On the reserved mineral lands, the timber is granted to the Company. These Acts are in terms a present grant, and are, therefore, a fuM. and perfect conveyance from the original source of land titles, the National Government. Mode by which Public Lands are Surveyed and Designated. To persons not familiar with the public land system of the United States, it may be necessary to make a brief explanation of the manner in which they are surveyed, as, with an understanding of this, a defi- nite idea will be had of the extent and situation of the Company's grant of lands. The United States causes its lands to be surveyed by its officers into townships of six miles square; these townships are subdivided into thirty-six sections of one square mile each or six hundred and forty acres. Each section is again subdivided into four quarters of one hundred and sixty acres each, and again into sixteen quarter- quarter sections of forty acres each, which is the smallest quantity sold, except fractions on the borders of rivers, lakes, etc. In making these surveys in California, Mount Diablo, a prominent peak near the junction of the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers, was selected as the initial or starting point, from which four lines were run, two north and south called the meridfan line, and two east and west called the base line, and from these lines the several townships are surveyed . those north and south being numbered from the base lines 1, 2, 3, etc., north or south of the base line as the case may be, and those lying [3] east and west described in the same way, as east or west of the me- ridian line. Thus, the city of Sacramento is described as being in township eight north, of range five east, of Mount Diablo base and meridian ; that is, it is in the eighth tier of townships north of the base line, and the fifth east of the meridian line. The following is a plat showing the manner of subdividing and numbering the sections in each township ; T. 8 X., JR. 5 E. -18- -19- -30- -A- -10- -12- -1;>- -14- -15- -20- -21- -28- ]_ -20- -32- -33- -34- N W The Lands Granted to the Company. From the Acts of Congress quoted, it will be seen that the Gov- ernment has granted to the Company all the alternate sections desig- nated by odd numbers, as 1, 3, 5, 7, etc., for twenty miles on each side of the line of the road, that had not at the date of the grant been otherwise disposed of by the Government ; thus, as before stated, for each mile of road constructed it receives 12,800 acres. Process by which Title is Acquired. As each section of not less than twenty miles of the railroad is completed and accepted by the Government, the Company makes a list of the lands to which it is entitled lying within twenty miles on either side of such completed section. This list, if found correct, is duly certified by the proper United States Land Officers and forwarded [4] to the Land Department at "Washington, where it is again examined. Upon this the patent is issued and thus the title of the Company is perfected. Even Numbered Sections Retained by the Government. The minimum price of ordinary public land is $1 25 per acre, or $200 for a quarter section of one hundred and sixty acres, hut from the fact that the construction of railroads increases the value of the land in their vicinity, a general Act of Congress provides that when the alternate sections are donated to aid in the construction of a rail- road, the remaining ungranted sections are increased in price to the " double minimum," or $2 50 per acre, so that the even numbered sec- tions within the limits of the grant to this Company can only be pur- chased at that price. Character of Country through which the Road Passes. The City of Sacramento, which is the western terminus of the Central Pacific Railroad, is situated near the center of the great valley of the Sacramento ; it is in latitude 38 31' north, and longitude 121 29' west. It is the Capital of the State of California, and has a popu- lation of twenty-five thousand. From this city the general course of the railroad is northeast,, over the river bottom and level prairie lands, a distance of twenty-five miles ; at this point it meets the rolling timber lands and low hills that lie at the base of the Sierra Nevada mountains ; reaching one of the main spurs of the Sierras it ascends to the Summit, a distance of one hundred and five miles from Sacra- mento, and at an elevation of 7,042 feet above the sea. At the crest of the mountains it passes through a tunnel and along the mountain side to the bank of the Truckee river. This river is the outlet of Lake Tahoe, whose surface is 6,247 feet above the sea; its waters flow northeast and empty into Pyramid Lake, one of the lakes of the Great American Basin, whose waters have no outlet to the ocean. The road follows the banks of the Truckee river to the Big Bend of the Truckee, a distance of one hundred and ninety miles from Sacra- mento. From this point its course is northeast until it meets the Humboldt river, which flows westward and also empties into the Great Basin. It follows up the banks of the Humboldt river to its source, and so on in the same general direction around the northern end of the Great Salt Lake. Alluvial or "Bottom" Lands. From this statement of the route of the road it will be seen that [5] the Company has every variety of land, situated in the different cli- mates between semi-tropical and temperate. It has some bottom lands that is, lands that are overflowed by the swelling of the rivers and streams in Winter, and which are annually enriched by the deposits brought down by the water from the mountains. Like the valley of the Nile, they produce yearly unvarying large crops, the deposit during each rainy season causing them to be inexhaustible in their fertility. They yield every variety of garden and field veget- able cultivated in a semi-tropical climate, including potatoes, onions, cabbage, pumpkins, beets, tomatoes, peas, and the various small fruits. Large tracts are annually planted with maize or Indian corn, of which large crops are produced. Many farmers have cultivated tobacco, which has always been found profitable. On these lands are also grown large quantities of hops, from the cultivation of which many persons have become wealthy. The hops produced are not excelled by any known in the markets of the world. From the fact that it never rains in this climate during the season they are maturing, they lose no portion of the extractive principle for which they are used, and are said by brewers and others who make use of them, to be from ten to fifteen per cent, more valuable than those grown in climates where there are Summer rains. Many plantations have been made on these lands with mulberry trees, whicli thrive almost without culti- vation. It is found that the climate of California is admirably adapted to the silk worm, and that here it is not subject to the diseases that affect it in Europe. The weaving of silk goods has been commenced in California, and there are not as yet mulberry trees sufficient to supply the yearly increase of silk worms. It is expected that in a few years California will export silk. Many kinds of fruit are grown on these lands, such as the pear, apple, plum, cherry and peach. The largest peach orchards of the State are situated on " bottom lands." Wheat, Grazing and Orchard Lands. Within the railroad grant, above the bottom lands, and less than twenty miles on each side of the road, and for the length of twenty miles are the prairie lands. This is pre-eminently the wheat, grazing and orchard section of the State. The land is level, without trees, or with scattering and small groves of oak ; it has no underbrush, and with the first rains of November is, without any preparation, ready for the plow. If preserved from the herds of cattle and sheep, it produces annually, without cultivation, large crops of native grasses and wild oats, which make excellent hay. The exports of wheat from California within the past few years have attracted the attention of the world. From July 1, 1871, to January 1, 1872, there were exported, generally to the Eastern States and Europe, from San Francisco 2,007,486 centals of wheat, divided as follows : 231,919 barrels of flour, valued at ; $1,515,673 1,311,679 centals of wheat, valued at 3,178,980 Total value of wheat exports $4,694,653 Being the surplus over and above the amount required for home con- sumption for a population of about 600,000. The shippers and best informed business men estimate the probable wheat yield of the State for this year (1872) at 7,000,000 centals. The report of the Surveyor-General to the Legislature, shows that for the year 1869-70, 1,263,010 acres were cultivated to wheat, from which the product was 19,041,190 bushels, and 471,785 acres to barley, from which the product was 9,045,225 bushels. The number of acres cultivated and statistics of the product for this year have not, as yet, been reported. The greater part of these large quantities was produced in the great valleys and on the prairie lands. The principal sales by the Railroad Company have, thus far, been of this class of its lands, over 125,000 acres having been sold. There still remains unsold of the same kind of land quantities sufficient to support a population of 50,000. These prairie lands, in addition to producing wheat and other cereals, are perhaps the best in the State for general farming and orchards. All kinds of fruit that will grow in a semi-tropical or temperate climate thrive on these lands, including the almond, olive, pomegranate, plum, pear and apple, as well as many of the nut-bear- ing trees. They are also well adapted for grazing and dairy purposes. The native grasses start after- the first Winter rains of December and grow to June, when they dry to hay in the rainless Summer and re- main standing upon the ground until the rains of the following year. Farmers, therefore, are not required to cut and save hay for their dairy cattle, except for the short period between the early rains and the springing up of the new grass. Grazing Lands and Sheep Ranges. Still going east along the line of the railroad, after leaving the prairie lands, the road passes over about twenty-five miles of rolling lands and low hills. These contain groves of oak trees, and many tracts are heavily timbered. In the more elevated regions of this section the oaks are intermixed with pines. The land m this section not only produces wheat and barley, but will, if not cultivated or too closely grazed, produce the native wild oats, which were found grow- ing upon them at the time the Americans took possession of the coun- try. Among these hills are grazed large herds of cattle, horses arid sheep. At a distance of twenty-five miles from Sacramento, on the line of the railroad and within a distance of fifteen miles on each side, as many as seventy-five thousand sheep are grazed throughout the year. No hay is cut or saved for these sheep, or if any is given them it is for the short period after the first rains in December, before the springing up of the new grass. The best sheep ranges of the State are in this section ; the wild oats and native grasses are nutritious and abundant ; the groves of oaks afford shade from the heat of the mid- summer sun, and the numerous streams flowing through these hills give a plentiful supply of water. Wool. See page 21 of this pamphlet. Vineyard Lands. The success that in California has followed the cultivation of the European grape, has led to the planting of numerous vineyards. After an experience of eighteen years, the fact has been demonstrated that in no place do the various kinds of European grapes, both for wine and the table, thrive so well and produce such excellent qualities of wine and table fruit, as on the hills that lie at the base of the Sierras. The soil is composed of the worn down particles of granite, quartz and slate, intermixed with lime from the numerous strata of limestone that traverse the mountains. Since the European grape was cultivated in this State and there are vineyards planted by the Jesuit missionaries that are ninety years oldno instance has been known of a failure of the grape crop. There are no frosts' to injure it at the time it is in blossom, and no rain to injure the fruit during the period of ripening. Some of the largest vineyards in the State are on lands that have been purchased from the. Railroad Company ; many of them producing from two to ten thousand gallons of wine annually, and in one in- stance producing yearly over forty thousand gallons. More than two hundred varieties of the grape have been imported from France, Spain, Germany and Hungary, and been propagated in California. Every variety that is grown in Europe succeeds well in this soil and climate, and bears more abundantly than in its native home. The usual manner of planting vineyards in California, is to plow L8] the land thoroughly immediately after the early rains of December ; holes are then dug with a spade, eight feet from each other, in rows ; in these holes are planted cuttings, or one year old rooted vines. Cut- tings can be obtained for a trifle, and often without cost, of the kind of grapes most cultivated, at any of the vineyards during the season of pruning January and February. Oue year old rooted vines can be purchased for four or five dollars per hundred. The vines are planted eight feet from each other for the purpose of working among them with a one-horse cultivator ; and as laborers are scarce in Cali- fornia, this and all other branches of agriculture are most economically conducted, by substituting the labor of animals for that of man. If the vineyard has been planted with cuttings, an average of from ten to fifteen per cent, fail to take root, and these have to be replanted the following year. If rooted vines are planted, not to exceed two or three per cent, will fail to grow. Each year the vines have to be pruned and the vineyard plowed ; the vineyard should also be cultivated in May or June to kill the weeds. The third year the vines will com- mence bearing, and increase in quantity each year for a great many years. It has been estimated that the average annual production of all the vineyards in the State, of five years old and upwards, is one thousand gallons of wine to the acre. The process of making wine is as simple as that of making cider. The grapes when ripe are pressed, and their juice poured into clean casks, where it is left to ferment. In 1871, as shown by the report of the Surveyor-General, there were made in California three million seven hundred and ninety-five thou- sand seven hundred and twenty-nine gallons of wine, and one hundred and fifty-seven thousand nine hundred and forty-six gallons of brandy. Raisins. A considerable industry has lately been developed in California ; that is the cultivation of the raisin grape and the manufacture of raisins. The process of converting the grapes into raisins is so simple that it can be done by children ! When the grapes are ripe, the bunches are cut and spread upon boards, in the sun, and turned each day until cured ; after which, they are boxed and forwarded to market. Some vineyardists, in addition to making large quantities of wine and brandy, have each year also made thirty thousand pounds of raisins. Of the unsold lands of the Kailroad Company there are, at least, 75,000 acres suitable for vineyards. i. Valley Lands Among the Hills. Ascending the Sierras, and above the vineyard lands, the oaks [9] give place to dense forests of pines, firs and cedars. In the valleys of these hills are numerous farms and dairies, as well as sheep ranges. In these valleys all the fruits of the temperate climates are cultivated with remarkable success. The principal field crops of this region are barley, potatoes, turnips and hay. Timber Lands. The pine forests of these hills, in quantity and in the quality of lumber made, are hardly excelled on the North American Continent. They give employment to many saw mills and a large number of men. The construction of the railroad through this region has cheapened the price of lumber, and in a large measure stopped its importation from other States. A large feature in the business of the railroad, is the transportation to the valleys of lumber for building and fences. The average price in the valleys for lumber for fences, since the con- struction of the railroad through the pine forests, is from eighteen to twenty dollars per thousand feet. In a few years, when branch rail- roads shall have reached the vast mineral region of the treeless inte- rior of the continent, these inexhaustible forests will support a large population of men engaged in felling trees and manufacturing lumber. Of timber lands and valleys among the hills, of the timber region, there remain unsold lands to which the Company is entitled amounting to at least five hundred thousand acres. Dairy Lands of the Mountains. Among the higher ranges of the mountains are extensive and numerous valleys that produce nutritious and luxuriant grasses, which are extensively grazed by large and numerous herds of cattle and sheep during the Summer and Autumn months. The amount of but- ter and cheese that is sent to market from these valleys is yearly in- increasing. The quantity of butter made in this State in 1870-71, was 4,419,627 pounds, and of cheese, 5,488,266 pounds, not nearly sufficient to supply the demand ; and as yet large quantities are im- ported. Mines and Quarries. The railroad passes through the entire length of Placer county, one of the principal gold mining counties of California. Lands con- taining gold and silver are not included in the grant to the Company. All the lands in the mineral region are not what are denominated mineral lands. The mineral lands are a very small proportion of the area, even in the strictly mineral regions. Lands containing coal and [ iol iron are not deemed mineral lands. Near the line of the road are ex- tensive beds of iron ore, said to be valuable, but none of which have yet been worked. The granite quarries near the road are numerous, and those that have been opened give employment to a large number of men. Nearly all the granite now being used in the State, includ- ing that used by the Government for fortifications, by the State for its Capitol, and for the bulkhead in the harbor of San Francisco, as well as for street and building purposes, is from quarries on lands pur- chased from the Company. Lands .belonging to the Company containing limestone, with an abundance of oak and pine wood on the same, are to be found at vari- ous points near the line of the road, within a distance of forty miles from Sacramento. Many of these quarries have been opened, and large quantities of lime are transported by the railroad to Sacramento, and from this point distributed over the State. White and variegated marble, for building and ornamental purposes, have been discovered at several points, and work has been commenced in opening the quar- ries and forwarding the product to market. G-razing and "Bottom" Lands in Nevada. The railroad passes through the whole length of the valley of the Humboldt, in the State of Nevada. On the banks of the Humboldt river, and on the banks of the streams that flow into this river, are extensive tracts of bottom land that are being successfully cultivated. The hills in this section of the country are covered with bunch and other grasses, which support large herds of cattle and sheep, and within the past year the San Francisco market has been largely sup- plied with beef fattened on the natural grasses of these hills. Settle- ment has but commenced on these lands, and the Company has at least one million acres of them yet unsold. Estimated Population the Lands will Support. From what has been stated, it will be seen that the Railroad Com- pany has every variety of land for sale, including alluvial, bottom, prairie, grazing, wheat and vineyard lands, as well as lands covered with forests of oak and pine, and containing iron ore, granite, lime- stone and marble. It has been estimated that the lands of the Com- pany, remaining unsold, will support a population of one and a half million, while the estimated present population within the limits of the railroad reservation does not exceed 30,000. [41] Markets. There jet remain large quantities of land to be sold, within dis- tances from five to ten miles from railroad stations. There are also many towns and villages at various points within the reservation, and at various distances from the line of the road, so that a purchaser has no difficulty in finding land in the immediate vicinity of schools, stores, blacksmith and wagon shops. The farmer cultivating these lands has a choice among three markets in which to dispose of his productions. He can send them to the cities and towns in his imme- diate neighborhood ; to the gold mining regions of California, or to the silver bearing regions of JSPevada. Wheat, barley, and various other crops, can always be sold on the land where produced to the agents of millmen and shippers, who traverse the country for the pur- pose of making purchases. Stations on the Line of the Road. The following table shows the various stations on the line of the road, at which the cars stop and discharge and receive passengers and freight, as also the distance of these stations from San Francisco, and their elevation above the sea : Names op Stations. Total Distance from San Francisco. S < a r a 1 5 San Francisco .3 6 8 11 15 26 47 29 41 47 55 63 69 74 81 91 103 112 Oakland Wharf Oakland 11 Brooklvn 12 Melrose 18 San Leandro 49 Decoto 72 San Jose 91 Niles 87 Pleasanton 351 Livermore 485 Altamont 740 Midway 357 Ellis..' 76 Bantas 30 Lathrop 26 Stockton t 23 Mokelumne 55 Gait 50 [12] Names op Stations. Total Distance from San Francisco. 5* < * 5- -. - a o 1 a 123 53 133 51 138 30 141 52 145 55 153 154 156 163 160 249 162 403 169 970 174 1,363 180 187 1,759 2,289 192 196 202 205 2,421 2,692 3,206 3,403 206 211 213 216 221 3,612 4,154 4,411 4,678 5,230 230 233 237 5,939 6,191 6,520 243 246 257 7,017 6,781 5,846 265 276 5,533 5,138 281 292 300 312 4,927 4,507 4,404 4,263 327 329 4,077 4,155 335 346 354 4,017 4,070 4,199 361 3,894 372 3,925 379 3,918 389 400 3,977 4,183 Elk Grove Brighton Sacramento American River Bridge Arcade Antelope Junction Rocklin Pino Newcastle Auburn Clipper Gap New England Mills Colfax Cape Horn , Gold Run Dutch Flat , Alta Shady Run China Ranch Blue Canon Emigrant Gap Cisco Tamarack Cascade Summit Strong's Truckee '. . . . Boca State Line Yerdi Reno y ista Clark's Wadsworth Two-Mile Station Desert Hot Springs Mirage White Plains Browns Granite Point Lovelock's Oreana [13] Names of Stations. Rye Patch Humboldt Mill City Raspberry Rose Creek Winnemucca. . . . Tule Golconda Iron Point Stone House Battle Mountain. Argenta Shoshone Be-o-wa-we Cluro Palisade Carlin Moleen Elko Peko Halleck Deeth Tulasco Wells Moore's Independence . . . Otego Pequop Toano Montello Tecoma Lucin Bovine Terrace Matlin Ombey Kelton Monument Lake Promontory. . . . Blue Creek .... Corinne Brigham Bonneville Ogden 411 422 433 441 451 462 468 479 490 502 522 534 545 555 563 573 583 594 606 626 630 642 654 661 669 676 688 689 698 715 724 734 747 757 768 778 790 804 812 828 838 857 862 871 881 [14] Schools Education. Every sixteenth and thirty-sixth section of land, or one-eighteenth of all the land in the State was given by Congress to the State to be 6old and the proceeds applied to the support of public schools. In addition to this, Congress gave to California five hundred thousand acres of land for purposes of internal improvement ; the proceeds of the sales of these lands are also devoted by the State Constitution to public education. The interest on the money derived from the sales of these lands, as also an annual tax levied on all property, are an- nually distributed to all the school districts in the State. Whenever, in a neighborhood, a sufficient number of children can be gathered to form a school, it becomes entitled to support at the public expense. The public free schools of California are the pride of its people, and are not excelled by those of any of the new States. No child need lack an education because of the poverty of its parents ; the State provides free education, and establishes schools in every neighborhood. Every increase of population but adds to the demand for the State's land, and thus increases the fund to be applied to the support of public schools. The foregoing also applies to the State of Nevada. Climate. Our climate is similar to that of Spain, Italy and the south of Europe. The greater part of California is within the limits of the influence of the trade winds. There is no rain in Summer, from May until November. The period from November till May is called the rainy season, for in the great valleys and the lower hills at the base of the Sierras this season cannot be called Winter. In the valleys the average annual fall of rain is twenty-five inches ; this gradually in- creases, as the slopes of the mountains are ascended, to sixty inches. During the twenty-two years the Sacramento valley has been inhabited by Americans, snow has covered the ground but twice, and this had disappeared by the noon of the day on which it fell. The rainless Summers give every facility to the farmer in gathering his crops ; the hay is cut and left to cure on the ground as it fell from the mowing machine ; the wheat or barley is cut and permitted to remain for days or weeks before it is gathered and threshed, with the certainty that there will be no rain to injure it. Plowing and the sowing of grain commence with the first rains, in November or December, and by the first week in June the crop is ripe. Grapes ripen, the earlier kinds in July, the latest by the last week in October. In the valleys the heat of the midsummer sun is oppressive at noon, but the mornings, even- ings and nights are cool and bracing. There are no prevalent diseases. [ 16] In some of the low lands, overflowed by the rivers, and in placed where the reservoirs for the supply of water to the miners are con- stantly emptied and refilled, exposing the bottom to the sun, there are, in the Autumn, some forms of miasmatic disease. The prairie land, the rolling lands and hills, as well as the mountains and valleys among the mountains, are free from any peculiar disease, and their climate is considered conducive to health, especially to persons of weak lungs. Counties in which the Company Owns Lands Agricultural Productions, Etc. The Railroad Company has lands for sale lying in the counties of Sacramento, Placer, El Dorado, Sutter and Nevada, of California, and in many counties in the State of Nevada. Of these five counties in California, where large quantities of land have already been sold by the Company, the clearest exhibit of their soil and climate, and of their varied agricultural productions, will be made by the following statistics, taken from the sworn returns of the Assessors of these counties to the Surveyor-General of the State for the years 1869-70 and 1870-71. In these counties there were in those years : 1869-70. 1870-71. Acres inclosed Acres cultivated Wheat Barley Oats Rye Indian Corn Buckwheat Potatoes Sweet Potatoes Onions Beans Peanuts Castor Oil Beans Hops Butter Cheese Honey Woof Turnips Squashes and Pumpkins Beets Hay 605,714 199,880 1,057,858 1,096,951 30,278 1,159 84,202 250 71,115 78,882 42,915 18,676 8.260 281,934 479,112 48,650 40,613 435,457 119 2,679 295 46,490 670,457 235,424 848,190 1,069,106 43,843 5,048 107,035 1,536 109,379 134,117 26,473 14,770 18,460 13,000 274,400 434,191 92,408 25,797 534,433 169 2,749 272 58,503 Bushels. it M a a a a a a Pounds. a u ti a a u Tons. u U a [ ] 1869-70. 1870-71. Horses Mules Cows Calves Beef Cattle Oxen ... Sheep , Angora and Cashmere Goats Hogs Domestic Fowls Hives of Bees Apple Trees Peach " Pear " Plum " Cherry " Nectarine" Quince " Apricot " Fig Lemon " .... Orange " Olive Prune " Mulberry " Almond kC Walnut " Raspberry and Gooseberry Bushes. Strawberry Vines Grape Vines Wine Brandy Steam Grist Mills " " Run of Stones.. Water-power Grist Mills M " " Run of Stones.. Flour Indian Corn made into Meal Saw Mills, Steam " " Water Lumber sawed Shingles Broom Corn 19,591 1,469 17,611 12,361 14,197 1,750 170,574 1,224 32,251 105,917 3,777 249,532 180,528 55,033 49,623 9,715 6,906 8,077 16,035 9,763 191 240 165 1,028 542,630 3,709 8,680 96,719 665,210 4,048,279 406,843 22,703 6 26 2 3 244,500 19,000 56 19 60.940,000 32,224,000 198 22,137 1,428 20,796 15,103 19,277 1,365 171,840 2,715 38,005 156,542 4,052 282,840 196,734 72,318 45,123 18,595 10,014 8,344 19,733 10,960 651 792 226 1,892 475,254 8,205 23,338 128,182 867,352 5,129,481 534,684 14,371 6 26 2 2 259,400 21,500 56 24 61,671,620 12,955,000 1,144 Gallons. u Barrels. Bushels. Feet. Acres. The official returns for this year (1872) are largely in increase on almost every article produced, in consequence of the growth of pop- ulation by immigration, and the greater breadth of land cultivated. [17] How Lands are Sold. The price fixed by the Company for the best class of agricultural, wheat, orchard, dairy and vineyard lands, is from $2 50 upwards per acre, according to quality and location ; oak wood land $5 00 per acre, and first-class pine timber land $10 00 per acre. With a desire on the part of the Company to dispose of its lands to men who will cul- tivate the soil, it sells its agricultural lands on a credit of five years if desired, the purchaser paying at the time of the purchase twenty per cent, of the principal, and the remainder bearing interest at ten per cent, per annum. Oak and pine lands are required to be paid for at the time of purchase. At the Land Office of the Company in Sacra- mento are maps showing the route of the road, the counties through which it passes, the rivers and streams that flow through the land, and the United States surveys designating the lands granted to the Com- pany and those retained by the Government; also the towns, villages and settlements within the railroad grant. A person desiring to pur- chase is directed to points near the line of the road, where he can ex- amine the kind of land desired. After selecting the land, if he wishes to pay for it in full at the time of purchase he can do so, and takes a fee- simple deed under the United States patent. A purchaser from the Company can buy any quantity of land, or as many sections as he may desire, but, as has been explained, each odd section being sur- rounded by four even numbered sections, which are retained by Gov- ernment for settlers, no compact body of land can be sold of greater extent than one section of 640 acres. Supposing the purchaser desires to buy a quarter section a tract of half a mile square, contain- ing 160 acres and that he wishes this land on the credit allowed by the Company; 160 acres, say at $2 50 per acre, would be $400; twenty per cent, of $400 is $80 ; he would pay this $80 to the Com- pany, leaving $320 due ; on this he would pay interest at ten. per cent., or $32 per year for five years, payable yearly in advance. At the time of making the payment of $80 and the first year's interest, he would receive a contract for a deed from the Company, signed in duplicate by him and the officers of the Company, in which he v\ ould agree to pay the yearly interest and the balance due at the end of five years, and the company agreeing on its part to give him a fee simple deed when the balance was paid. At any time the purchaser desires, he is allowed to pay the balance due and take his deed, thus stopping the payment of interest ; the Company will not, however, receive it in instalments. Practically but few t persons avail themselves of the five years : credit, although purchases are frequently made on credit, yet in most instances by the second or third year they are enabled, 2 [ 18] from the sale of their crops, to pay the remainder due and receive their final deeds. Applications for Lands and Privileges gained thereby.- (For full information on this subject, see page 23 of this pamphlet.) G-rading Lands and Manner of Ascertaining their Value. (See page 24 of this pamphlet.) Advantages to the Purchaser of Railroad Lands. The purchasers of railroad lauds have many advantages over those purchasing from the Government, some of which can be best explained by stating the mode in which the Government disposes of its public lands the even numbered sections within the railroad reser- vation. A person, to acquire title from the Government by pre-emp- tion, must first go upon the land, commence its cultivation and erect a dwelling house ; he then files in the United States Land Office his " declaratory statement ;" that is, a document setting forth that he has selected a certain piece of land, describing it, together with the date of his settlement, the fact that he is a citizen or has legally declared his intention to become a citizen, his age, etc. After three months he must appear at the United States Land office, with two witnesses, where a trial is had and proof made on oath before the Land Officers that he has complied with all the provisions of the pre-emption law. If the law has been complied with he then pays $2 50 per acre and a receipt is given him ; in a year or two a patent is received and he re- turns his receipt and obtains the patent for his land. No man can obtain from the Government, by pre-emption, more than 160 acres of land, and having received this, his privilege is exhausted. There is one other way by which a person can obtain lands from the Government on even numbered sections within the railroad res- ervation and that is by filing a homestead claim on eighty acres. As in the case of pre-emption, he must erect a dwelling, live on and cul- tivate the land ; he must then file in the United States Land Office his declaration of homestead, setting forth substantially the same facts as in the case of pre-emption. On the day he files, he receives a home- stead certificate. If he continues to live on the land and cultivates it for five years from the day of filing, he can, after that time, make proof of the facts as in the case of pre-emption, and if the law has been complied with he returns his certificate, and in time will receive a patent without other expense, except the fees of the officers and the fees of an attorney, if necessary that one should be employed. A t 19] pre-emption cannot be for more than 160 acres, nor a homestead for more than 80 acres on Government land within the railroad reserva- tion. Neither the pre-emption nor homestead can be abandoned, sold, mortgaged or leased until after the patent is issued. On the other hand, the purchaser from the railroad is not limited as to quantity, and when the money is paid and the deed issued, he can do as he pleases with the land it is his in fee simple. There are no compli- cated laws or rules he selects his land, pays for it and takes a deed, or buys on credit and takes a contract for a deed, which is assignable. In either case he does with the land as he deems proper he may sell, lease, reside on the land, or reside elsewhere, or he may let it remain to increase in value, by the settlement of the country about it. Many purchasers of railroad lands do not build upon the land purchased, but erect their dwellings upon the adjoining even sections, thus taking advantage of the privilege granted by Government, and obtaining in one body a larger tract than could otherwise be acquired. Policy of the Company in the Sale of its Lands. The policy of the Company is, and has always been, to sell its lands at low prices, and upon easy terms of payment. Its Directors believe its best interests are promoted by selling its lands near the line of the road to men who will personally cultivate the soil, and who will own the land they cultivate. Any man coming to California, who can and will labor, may be certain of employment, and if he so desires, he can, w r ith the proceeds of seven months' labor, become the owner of eighty acres of the finest wheat land in the world, in a cli- mate that for salubrity has no equal ; in a State where all children are educated in free schools at the public expense, and where slavery never had existence ; among a people who honor labor, and whose laws give ample protection to life and property. General Remarks. The information contained in the following pages regarding the lands of the California and Oregon Division of the Central Pacific Railroad, and the remarks concerning " Markets," " Wool," " Policy of the Company," "Grading of Lands," "Applications," etc., may be considered as applying also to these lands. The Central Pacific Kail- road Company has adopted a uniform system for the sale of all the lands under its control. All communications in relation to the lands of the Company, if addressed to B. B. Redding, Land Agent Central Pacific Railroad Company, Sacramento, California, will be promptly answered. [20] Lands of Central Pacific Railroad. California and Oregon Division. Under the Act of Congress, approved July 25th, 1866, the Cali- fornia and Oregon Railroad Company has a grant of lands from the United States, consisting of all vacant odd numbered sections within twenty miles on each side of its road, and where the odd numbered sections have been taken up by preemption or otherwise, the Com- pany has the right to select other vacant odd numbered sections as indemnity, within thirty miles on each side of its line. This road commences at Roseville, in Placer county, California, on the line of the Central Pacific Railroad, and extends north by way of Marysville, in Yuba county, through Chico, in Butte county, to Red Bluff, in Te- hama county, and so on north through Shasta and Siskiyou counties to the State of Oregon. This road is now completed to Redding, in Shasta county, and is being rapidly extended. The route of this road is nearly parallel to the general course of the Sacramento river, and its grant embraces some of the finest bot- tom lands of the Sacramento valley. The grant lies in the counties of Placer, Sutter, Yolo, Yuba, Butte, Colusa, Tehama, Shasta, Plumas and Siskiyou. The lands are diversified in character, consisting of plains, allu- vial bottoms, rolling prairie, low hills and mountains. The plains and rolling prairie contain large quantities of rich agricultural lands, adapted to the growing of wheat and other cereals, which, when properly cultivated, yield most abundantly ; also, to the culture of grapes, apples, peaches, apricots, plums, nectarines, and other fruits, which are produced in endless variety, of most excellent quality and in large quantities. The portions not suitable for farm- ing purposes are covered with wild oats, bunch grass, and a variety of other grasses, affording rich and abundant pasturage. The alluvial bottoms in the Sacramento valley, as also in the smaller valleys of the tributaries of the Sacramento river, are very rich. Here is a broad scope of the best grain growing lands in this State. Almost every species of agricultural productions can be raised on these lands. Here can be made large and prolific gardens, orchards [21 ] and vineyards. The pastures on the low lands for cows are rich, green and succulent, giving opportunity for profitable employment in mak- ing cheese and butter. Swine thrive and fatten on the tule roots growing on the low lands, which, furnishing a cheap and nutritious food, enables the farmer to raise these animals with but little expense. The low hills furnish also pasturage of excellent quality for sheep and cattle, while for the culture of grapes and fruits .of almost every kind, the soil is unsurpassed. Nearly all the grapes from which wine is made in California are grown in the foot-hills. The mountainous districts contain a heavy growth of coniferous forests, comprising sugar and yellow pine, red spruce, cedar, fir, etc., also a heavy growth of oak timber. There are many fertile and well sheltered valleys and mountain meadows, admirably suited for agri- cultural and grazing purposes. Most of these valleys are covered with a luxuriant growth of natural grasses, the adjacent mountains in very many places also affording much pasturage. The greater part of these lands are generally well watered. Markets. There is always a ready market for all farm and agricultural pro- ducts at Marysville, Sacramento, San Francisco, and in the towns and villages of the mining districts. "Wool. Among these lands are some of the best sheep ranges in the world. In 1869 the product of wool in California was 18,000,000 pounds. In 1870 it was about 20,000,000 pouuds, and in 1871 it was over 24,000,000 pounds. Many persons in this State, who commenced this business in absolute poverty, have in a few years grown wealthy. The climate is peculiarly favorable to sheep. They need neither shelter nor cultivated food at least most of them never receive either. Sheep husbandry in California will always pay better than in any other State in the Union, for here the weight of the animal is ten per cent, greater than in the Eastern States, while the fleece is twenty per cent, larger and the increase one hundred per cent, more ; besides, the sheep generally live longer. There is no disease among them ex- cept scab, and that is never fatal. If the exemption from disease, the more rapid increase, the greater weight of fleece and mutton, the sav- ing in buildings, sheds and in cultivated food, and the difference in the cost of the pasture land, be taken into consideration, there is a large total in favor of the wool grower in California. [22] Stations on the Constructed Line of the Road. Names of Stations. w ^5. Junction (on main line C. P. R. R.) Lincoln Ewens. . .. Sheridan Wheatland Reeds Yuba Marysville Lomo Gridleys Biggs Nelson Durham Roble Ohico Nord Anita Soto Yina Sesma Tehama Red Bluff. Hooker Buckeye Cottonwood Anderson Clear Creek Town Redding 156 166 170 174 177 183 188 190 197 207 211 221 227 229 233 240 213 248 252 260 261 273 283 288 290 296 303 307 163 161 113 113 84 69 68 67 71 97 98 124 161 176 193 153 162 186 212 240 222 307 545 432 421 432 467 558 Price of Lands and Manner of Selling them. The price fixed by the Company for its agricultural, farming and grazing lands, is from $2 50 upwards per acre, according to quality ; for first class timber land, $10 per acre, and for second class timber and wood land, $5 per acre. The timber and wood lands must in all cases be paid for at the time of purchase ; but the other lands can, in tracts of not less than eighty acres, be bought on credit, if the pur- chaser desires twenty per cent, cash, and the remainder payable at any time within five years, with interest at ten per cent, per annum, [23] which must be paid yearly in advance. This will be better explained by the following example : 160 acres (say at $5) is $800 00 20 per cent, of $800, cash down, is 160 00 Kemainder, payable within live years $640 00 The first payment would, therefore, be 20 per cent., as above. $160 00 First year's interest on $640, as above, in advance 64 00 Total $224 00 The other payments would be the $64, the annual interest in ad- vance, and, at the end of five years, $640, the remainder of the prin- cipal. On page 17 of this pamphlet will be found further details on this subject, which can be considered as referring to these lands, the Rail- road Company having adopted a uniform system for the disposal of all the lands under its control. Policy of the Company Applications for Land and Privileges gained thereby. As soon as a section of twenty miles or more of the railroad is completed, equipped and in operation, it is examined by the United States Railroad Commissioners, who make a report to the Government. If found to be constructed in all respects as required by law, the sec- tion is accepted and the lands listed and patented. When the patent is received the lands are oifered for sale. This road is now constructed to Redding, which is situated 170 miles north of Sacramento and about six miles east of the town of Shasta. A portion of the road has already been examined, and it is expected in a short time that the entire line, as far as completed, will be examined and accepted. Some of the lands, as far north as Chico, are now offered for sale. Appli- cations to purchase are received and filed in the Land Office of the Company and blanks will be furnished for that purpose. The policy of the Company has always been, and is now, to encourage the settle- ment of its lands in small tracts, by persons who will live on and cul- tivate them. To this end settlers are invited to make applications to buy and to occupy and put to use the vacant lands until such time as they shall be ready for sale. If the settler desires to buy, the Com- pany gives him the first privilege of purchase at the fixed price, which, in every case, shall only be the value of the land, without regard to the improvements. It must be understood that the application of a speculator, or of a person who does not improve or occupy the land, [24] will not, although received first, take precedence or priority of that of the settler whose application may, perhaps, be filed last of all. The actual settler, in good faith, will be preferred always, and the land will be sold to him as against every other applicant. The Company also wish it to be known that a mere application to buy land, unac- companied by actual improvement or settlement, confers no right or privilege which should prevent an actual settler from taking it, if vacant, into possession, and cultivating and improving it. In filling in the blank application, persons are requested not to put the lands in two or more townships in the same application. Use a separate blank for each township. Grading Lands and Manner of Ascertaining their Value. When lands are ready to be sold, the Company sends a man well acquainted with the quality of soil and skilled in determining the kind of agricultural product to which it is best adapted, as also in determin- ing its true market value, to look at the various sections and tracts. Af- ter personal examination, he grades the land as being first, second or third quality of farming, vineyard, timber, or grazing land, and re- ports the value of each piece. His report is examined and, if found correct, a price is established. The price is generally that of unim- proved land of the same quality in the immediate vicinity at the time of the grading. In ascertaining the value, any improvements that a settler or other person may have on the land will not be taken into consideration, neither will the price of the land be increased in con- sequence of them. Further, there is but one price that fixed by the Company and land will be sold at that rate to those who in equity have the best right to buy, even if others should offer more per acre than the amount asked. Settlers are thus assured that, in addition to being accorded the first privilege of purchase at the graded price, they will also be protected in their improvements. General Remarks. All that has been written regarding the lands of the Central Pa- cific Railroad (main line) and the manner of acquiring title to them, as also respecting Climate, Vineyards, Schools, Education, etc., and all other matters (excepting the grant to the Railroad and its lands in the State of Nevada) may be taken as applying generally to all the lands of this Railroad. All communications addressed to B. B. Redding, Land Agent Central Pacific Railroad Company, Sacramento, California, will re- ceive prompt attention. [25] %mfa