Person:Asa Howard (2)

The following was sent by Nancy Weed and I repeat it here because he had a very interesting life.

THE GRAPHIC LIFE SKETCH OF A DEAD PIONEER

Asa Howard, a veteran of the far west, passed from life to death

Attorney Reynold's eulogy on a friend:

Asa Howard was born in Taunton, Mass on August 30, 1815. His ancestors belonged to the Puritans, of New England. He was in many respects an extraordinary man. He possessed a bold, and daring nature and from his youth manifested a love for travel and adventure that led him, in early life, to the frontiers of the far West. He was silent and retiring in disposition and to strangers uncommunicative, but when in the company of friends and acquaintances was a social and genial companion. He had a warm and generous heart that won him the esteem and friendship of all with whom he came in contact. It might be truly said of him that "those who knew him best love him most." At the age of twenty he emigrated with his father's family, to Illinois and settled in Knox County. This was on the border of civilization. Here he was engaged in farming. He was married to Miss Eliza Fink on November 20th, 1841, with whom he lived happily and contented for nearly fifty-five years. Six children were born to them, four girls and two boys, five of whom are still living, honored and respected members of our community. He prospered and soon became the owner of 320 acres of land, a sawmill and gristmill. His adventuresome spirit was roused by the wonderful stories attending the finding of gold in California in 1848. In the company of his brother, David Howard, and a few friends, he fitted out some ox teams and started overland for California in the spring of 1849. The journey was a long and dangerous one, but the party at last arrived in the new El Dorado of the far West.

Here he engaged in mining of the Yuba and Feather rivers with good success. In less that two years he had taken from the mines over ten thousand dollars, realizing four thousand dollars in one day from the bed of the Feather river. Once having seen the mountains and valleys of California and felt the excitement of the mighty rush to the golden shores, he determined to return east for his family. He accordingly loaned the greater portion of his wealth to parties in Sacramento and started for home in the fall of 1851, by sailing vessel from San Francisco. The voyage was a long and stormy one, and the vessel scarcely seaworthy. He crossed the Isthmus on a mule and set sail for New York, finally arriving home in January, 1852. The following spring, with his wife and three children, and in the company of the other families, he once more set out for California. The train left Illinois on April 3rd, and consisted of ox teams and loose cattle.

His outfit consisted of five yoke of oxen and a wagon loaded with provisions, a carriage drawn by two horses, five milch cows, thirty young heifers and six saddle horses furnished the young men to assist in driving the loose stock. The journey across the plains lasted six months and three days and was attended by great hardship and danger. At the first crossing of the Platte river they were compelled to take their wagons all apart and ferry them over on a raft made of cottonwood logs which had been floated for some distance down the stream and for which he paid $30. A man was drowned while crossing the river, and the following morning a young lady belonging to one of the families died and was buried on the bank of the stream. These sad events cast a gloom over all of the party, and it was with sad hearts that they renewed their journey. Howard's train was known on the plains that summer as "the hog train" from the following singular circumstance: While passing through one of the settlements of Missouri, a hog fell in with the train and followed it as far as the Cascade mountains, where it was lost. I mention this incident to illustrate what slight circumstances may connect events in after years. Long afterwards, in her home in Quartz Valley, Mrs. Howard and Mrs. Campbell, in talking over there journey across the plains in '53, found that they met as strangers at the burial of this young lady.

Space will not permit me to recount the many trials and hardships which attended them on this journey, the climbing of rugged and difficult mountains, the lowering the wagons down steep declivities, the fording of deep and rapid streams, of wild stampedes and the danger from the savages. All were finally passed and the party arrived in Salem, Oregon, on September 5th, 1853. In the spring of '54 he started his stock overland for California and took his family by water to Sacramento, intending to settle there; but the Indians attacked the party on the Siskiyou mountains and after killing one of their number, carried off the entire band of horses and cattle. News was at once sent to Fort Jones, and the soldiers were sent in pursuit of the savages. A nephew carried the news to Sacramento. Howard lost no time, but immediately started north to assist in regaining his property. The trail of the Indians was taken up and followed until the stock was overtaken and recaptured, save one horse that had been killed and eaten by the Indians. It was at this time that he first saw and became charmed with the wild and romantic loveliness of Scott Valley. He was a man of quick, decisive character, and determined to make it his future home. His cattle and horses were placed in charge of his brother David, who then lived on what is now known as the Jones ranch, in Quartz Valley, while he at once returned to Sacramento for his family.

There were few settlements started at that time in Scott Valley. There were no wagon roads, to speak of, north of Shasta; the only highways of travel were the narrow trails which had been blazed out over the mountains for packtrains to pass in carrying supplies to the miners. Mrs. Howard was compelled to ride on muleback from Shasta to her new home in Quartz Valley, and carry her baby in her arms.

The first house they stopped in after leaving Shasta was the Lowry place, at Crystal Creek, in Scott Valley. The party consisted of Howard, his wife and three children, and a nephew of Mrs. Howard's named Charles Fink. The Indians were numerous and quite troublesome on the trip, and they felt greatly relieved on arriving in Scott Valley. They landed here August 20th, 1854, and settled on the land where they now live. At that time there was not a single white woman living in Quartz Valley. John Meamber and family were living on what is now known as the Charles Hammond place. Howard set himself to work with an earnest zeal to build himself a home. He build his own sawmill, sawed his own lumber, burned his own lime and made his own brick with which he built the once famous "Howard House", that for many years remained the chosen resort for the hardy miners of those earlier times. All produce at that time brought what now seems fabulous prices; wheat, $3 a bushel; butter, $1.50 per pound; eggs, $1.00 a dozen and hay, $100 a ton. Fortune smiled on his efforts and he soon became one of the leading men of Scott Valley.

Here he lived until his death, an honorable, upright life, respected and esteemed by all who knew him. He was the soul of generosity and was ever quick to relieve the wants of others. He at one time paid $8 for a single basket of apples, of a woman who had them for sale, and when her children cried for one, he set the basket down and told them to help themselves, which they did, and the basket was emptied. The closing years of his life were marked by sickness and suffering. For many years he was compelled to keep to his room, and bed, but he bore it with the same courage that marked his life. One of the most touching tributes of respect to his character, shown at his funeral, was by the Indians with whom he had lived side by side in peace for over forty years, and who came to express, in their humble way, their sincere sorrow at this death.

It is difficult to speak of Asa Howard without mentioning his good wife. Their lives were so inseparably connected that to speak of one necessitates the mentioning of the other. I confess an admiration for those brave and hardy pioneers, who led the vanguard of civilization across our western mountains to the shores of the Pacific. To my mind they were a marvelous race of men and women, many of whom, were their lives property written, would occupy no mean place in the history of our country. It was my good fortune to meet and cross the ocean with Asa Howard in early life, and to have closely associated with him in after years. I desire to leave this humble tribute to his memory. I have seen him, when the mighty wind lashed the ocean into fury and men quailed with fear; amid the angry crowd when wild passions were loose; in the crowded bustle of the great city and in the quiet retreat of his own home, and he was ever the same brave, noble, generous, warm-hearted man whose heart warmed into sympathy towards those in distress and kindled into resentment at wrongs of others.

One by one the pioneers are passing away. Soon another generation will take their places. Let us at least pay humble tribute to the good which they have done. May he rest in peace.

Kind, noble and generous friend, farewell. I. A. Reynolds- attorney

1. ↑ Peggy Whipple, ([email protected]) in email rec'd 9/23/00.
2. ↑ ^2.0 2.1 Nancy Weed (descendant) in email of 8-24-09.