Butte County
Biographies
JOSEPH SALISBURY CAMPBELL
JOSEPH SALISBURY CAMPBELL.--One of the few remaining Argonauts and pioneer
miners in Butte County is Joseph Salisbury Campbell, born on August 10, 1824,
near Booneville, Cooper County, Mo., where he was reared on a farm. His first
marriage occurred at Lexington, Mo., where he was united with Lucy A. Cox, a
native of that state. Mr. Campbell succeeded as a farmer, and became the owner
of a good farm. With a desire to try his luck at mining, however, as soon as he
learned of the discovery of gold in California he prepared to come to visit the
land of gold, and in 1850 made his first trip to California, crossing the
plains in an ox-team train. He mined for a time in Eldorado
County, but took sick and had to leave a good prospect to recuperate. Feeling
that his health was more to him than gold, he came to Lake County the same
fall, and made his home in Big Valley. He recovered his health, and in
November, 1851, returned via Panama to his family and ranch in Missouri, where
he continued farming until 1856. Then he started with his wife and four
children overland, across the plains with ox teams, wagons and a drove of
cattle. Near Sinking Creek, a tributary of Raft River, his wife met with an
accident which resulted in her death. He had the forethought, on leaving
Missouri, to bring some nice pine lumber; and of this he made her a casket, and
gave her a Christian burial. This done, he brought his family on to California.
After his arrival in this state, Mr.
Campbell purchased a farm near Winters. There he
married his second wife, Mary Frances Canote, a
native of Ralls County, Mo. In 1859 he removed to Butte County, bringing his
cattle with him, and remained for a time on Pine Creek. A year later, he
removed to the Cohasset range, where he ranged his cattle and worked in the sawmill. Unfortunately, a disease destroyed every hoof
of his cattle here. Next he farmed for a time on the Sacramento River; and the
next year thereafter, in 1864, he took a trip to Idaho. Here he engaged in
prospecting; but losing out in his venture, in 1865 he made his way to Montana,
where he prospected for himself. He struck a rich mining prospect; but his
comrades would not stay, and so he was obliged to come out with them. The next year his brother was back there again, and found that two
men had made a fortune out of this claim, taking out three hundred thousand
dollars the first season. Returning to California, he farmed near Dayton
for two years, and then ran the West Branch Hotel, on the Humboldt road, for an
equal length of time. Thereafter he rigged up a distillery in Tehama County,
which he ran for two years and then sold out.
In 1885, Mr. Campbell took a contract to
get out three hundred cords of wood for Mr. Pushbacker,
of the Pushbacker Mine, and moved to the vicinity of
Magalia. He filled the contract, and during this time he located a mining claim
on the extension of the old Pushbacker channel, sunk
a shaft, and did assessment work until 1900, when he bonded it to the Steiffers. He has since lived retired, making his home with
his son-in-law and daughter, Mr. and Mrs. T. C. Inks, on Mosquito Creek.
Mr. Campbell’s second wife died on January
4, 1917. By her he had six children. Susie, with whom he resides, is the wife
of Thomas C. Inks, a native of Chico, and a rancher on Mosquito Creek, Butte
County. They have one child, James Gilbert, of Richmond. James O. died in
youth; A. J. is the postmaster and hotel-keeper at Lovelock; Josie died in
youth; C. B. is with the Pacific Gas and Electric Company, and resides at
Lovelock; and Maggie, Mrs. Roy Overton, resides north of Chico. By his first
marriage, Mr. Campbell had four children: Mrs. Nancy Thompson, who died on
Mosquito Creek; Mrs. Elizabeth Whiteline, who died in
Chico; John H., now residing in Chico; and Mary, Mrs. Penick,
who died in Chico. He has seventeen grandchildren and eight
great-grandchildren.
Mr. Campbell is one of the oldest settlers
in his section. He is now in his ninety-fifth year, and is hale and hearty. He
has a good memory, and is an interesting conversationalist.
Transcribed by Marie Hassard
19 May 2008.
Source:
"History of Butte County, Cal.," by George C. Mansfield, Pages
972-975, Historic Record
Co, Los Angeles, CA, 1918.
© 2008 Marie Hassard.
Golden Nugget Library's Butte County Biographies