Personal Reminiscences of Early Days in California with Other Sketches | Page 8

of San Francisco and Sacramento, and must in time become the
depot for all the trade with the northern mines. I pronounced the
auriferous region lying east of the Feather River and north of the Yuba
the finest and richest in the country; and I felt certain that its commerce
must concentrate at the junction of those rivers. But, said I, to avail
ourselves of all these advantages we must organize and establish a
government, and the first thing to be done is to call an election and
choose magistrates and a town council. These remarks met with general
favor, and it was resolved that a public meeting should be held in front
of the Adobe house the next morning, and if it approved of the project,
that an election should be held at once.
Accordingly, on the following morning, which was the 18th of January,
1850, a public meeting of citizens was there held, and it was resolved
that a town government should be established and that there should be
elected an Ayuntamiento or town council, a first and second Alcalde,
(the latter to act in the absence or sickness of the former,) and a
Marshal. The Alcalde was a judicial officer under the Spanish and
Mexican laws, having a jurisdiction something like that of a Justice of
the Peace; but in the anomalous condition of affairs in California at that
time, he, as a matter of necessity, assumed and exercised very great
powers. The election ordered took place in the afternoon of the same
day. I had modestly whispered to different persons at the meeting in the

new house the night before, that my name was mentioned by my
friends for the office of Alcalde; and my nomination followed. But I
was not to have the office without a struggle; an opposition candidate
appeared, and an exciting election ensued. The main objection urged
against me was that I was a new comer. I had been there only three
days; my opponent had been there six. I beat him, however, by nine
votes.[3]
On the evening of the election, there was a general gathering of people
at the Adobe house, the principal building of the place, to hear the
official announcement of the result of the election. When this was made,
some one proposed that a name should be adopted for the new town.
One man suggested "Yubafield," because of its situation on the Yuba
River; and another, "Yubaville," for the same reason. A third, urged the
name "Circumdoro," (surrounded with gold, as he translated the word,)
because there were mines in every direction round about. But there was
a fourth, a solid and substantial old man, evidently of kindly domestic
affections, who had come out to California to better his fortunes. He
now rose and remarked that there was an American lady in the place,
the wife of one of the proprietors; that her name was Mary; and that, in
his opinion, her name ought to be given to the town, and it should be
called, in her honor, "Marysville." No sooner had he made the
suggestion, than the meeting broke out into loud hurrahs; every hat
made a circle around its owner's head, and we christened the new town
"Marysville," without a dissenting voice. For a few days afterwards, the
town was called both Yubaville and Marysville, but the latter name was
soon generally adopted, and the place is so called to this day. The lady,
in whose honor it was named was Mrs. Covillaud. She was one of the
survivors of the Donner party, which suffered so frightfully while
crossing the Sierra Nevadas in the winter of 1846-7, and had been
living in the country ever since that terrible time.
With my notions of law, I did not attach much importance to the
election, but I had a certificate of election made out and signed by the
Inspectors, stating that at a meeting of the residents of the District of
Yubaville, on the day named, an election for officers had been held,
and designating the Inspectors who were appointed, the number of
votes that had been cast for the office of Alcalde, and the number
received by myself, and the number received by my opponent, and that

as I had received a majority of all the votes cast, I was elected to that
office. It was made out with all possible formality, and when completed,
was sent to the Prefect of the District. This officer, a Mr. E.O. Crosby,
afterwards Minister to one of the South American Republics, wrote
back approving my election, and advising me to act. His advice, under
the circumstances, was a matter of some moment. The new
Constitution of the State had gone into effect, though it was still
uncertain whether it would be