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A Bonanza in Hay Land Reclamation on San Pablo Bay Note: The following article is based largely on a talk given at Skaggs Island by Gregory Jones, Sr. (now deceased) on October 15, 1977 to a group of Naval and civilian personnel about Skaggs Island and nearby reclaimed land. The occasion was the 202nd Birthday of the US Navy. by Sherman Boivin In 1848, California was ceded by Mexico to the United States and became a territory. In that same year, Gold was discovered at Sutler's fort on the American River, and as the news spread the Gold Rush got under way. Land speculation became more rampant and uncontrolled than ever, bringing on many years of fighting and litigation. Despite the rampant land speculation in early Sonoma, link consideration was given to a very large area of tidelands on the north shores of San Francisco Bay and its branches. None of the names of the settlers are associated with that land, and for good reason, since under conditions then existing the land had little or no use. The tidelands vary somewhat in elevation but on an average, in their natural condition, are about 5 feet 3 inches above mean low tide. The tidal variation during calm weather runs from a high of about 6 1/2 feet above mean low tide to a low of more than 1 1/2 feet below mean low tide. About every 24 hours there are two high and two low tides. One high and one low approach the extremes, while the other high and low tides for the day are much more moderate in range. As a result these tidelands are briefly flooded during high water, so without levees the areas are mostly for the birds, although when higher ground and fresh water is nearby, small animals such as raccoons are often present, too. There is evidence that early attempts were made by squatters to reclaim the land by pick and shovel. They built dikes in tiny portions of the marsh in sheltered spots away from wind-driven waves, but there is apparently no evidence this was done by larger owners until much later. Speculation augmented by the Gold Rush soon reached people in Europe. Some enterprising salesman, ignoring waterways and natural boundaries, sold many small plots of marsh land to numerous gullible buyers in Switzerland! The parcels they bought were impossible to develop or even resell. Records show that someone acting as their agent must have consolidated their holdings in such a way as to create a saleable unit. The parcels ignored most of the natural waterways and the fact that title to the land lying between high and mean low water was vested in the State of
Object Description
Title | A bonanza in hay |
Creator | Boivin, Sherman |
Type of object | Article |
Subject |
San Pablo Bay (Calif.) Land use |
Region | Sonoma County (California) |
Original source | Journal of the Sonoma County Historical Society, (1993): 1 |
Place of publication/Origin | Santa Rosa, California |
Date created | 1993 |
Location ID | rhart003-008-001 |
Source collection | Charles Rhinehart Papers |
Digital collection | Environmental History Digital Collection |
Repository | Sonoma State University Library, Rohnert Park, California |
Copyright | Restrictions may apply. For more information see http://library.sonoma.edu/specialcollections/usingcollections/rights/ |
Corporate copyright | © Sonoma County Historical Society |
Digital reproduction |
Original document scanned at 300 dpi-Displayed in Adobe pdf format at 150 dpi |
Date digitized | 4/9/2013 |
Description
Title | Page 1 |
Repository | Sonoma State University Library, Rohnert Park, California |
Copyright | Restrictions may apply. For more information see http://library.sonoma.edu/specialcollections/usingcollections/rights/ |
Transcript | A Bonanza in Hay Land Reclamation on San Pablo Bay Note: The following article is based largely on a talk given at Skaggs Island by Gregory Jones, Sr. (now deceased) on October 15, 1977 to a group of Naval and civilian personnel about Skaggs Island and nearby reclaimed land. The occasion was the 202nd Birthday of the US Navy. by Sherman Boivin In 1848, California was ceded by Mexico to the United States and became a territory. In that same year, Gold was discovered at Sutler's fort on the American River, and as the news spread the Gold Rush got under way. Land speculation became more rampant and uncontrolled than ever, bringing on many years of fighting and litigation. Despite the rampant land speculation in early Sonoma, link consideration was given to a very large area of tidelands on the north shores of San Francisco Bay and its branches. None of the names of the settlers are associated with that land, and for good reason, since under conditions then existing the land had little or no use. The tidelands vary somewhat in elevation but on an average, in their natural condition, are about 5 feet 3 inches above mean low tide. The tidal variation during calm weather runs from a high of about 6 1/2 feet above mean low tide to a low of more than 1 1/2 feet below mean low tide. About every 24 hours there are two high and two low tides. One high and one low approach the extremes, while the other high and low tides for the day are much more moderate in range. As a result these tidelands are briefly flooded during high water, so without levees the areas are mostly for the birds, although when higher ground and fresh water is nearby, small animals such as raccoons are often present, too. There is evidence that early attempts were made by squatters to reclaim the land by pick and shovel. They built dikes in tiny portions of the marsh in sheltered spots away from wind-driven waves, but there is apparently no evidence this was done by larger owners until much later. Speculation augmented by the Gold Rush soon reached people in Europe. Some enterprising salesman, ignoring waterways and natural boundaries, sold many small plots of marsh land to numerous gullible buyers in Switzerland! The parcels they bought were impossible to develop or even resell. Records show that someone acting as their agent must have consolidated their holdings in such a way as to create a saleable unit. The parcels ignored most of the natural waterways and the fact that title to the land lying between high and mean low water was vested in the State of |