ARNOLD D. PATTERSON

 

Arnold D. Patterson, deceased, was born February 25, 1804, in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. His father, Robert Patterson, was one of seven brothers, and born in Virginia. He and a younger brother, Benjamin, were both Indian scouts in the employ of the Government during the war of 1812. At the battle of Black Rock, where the city of Buffalo now stands, he was wounded. He was in all that frontier war, serving with distinction. He piloted Colonel Williamson, who was sent over by the Earl of Pultney with 300 emigrants to settle the estate in Steuben County, New York. He and Uri Stephens acted as pilots for those miles, to the estate, before the war of 1812. A.D. Patterson came from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to California in 1849, leaving in March and reaching Weaver Creek, El Dorado County, in August. He opened a store at Ringgold. Coming to Sacramento for supplies, his wagon broke down near Joseph Routier’s place, and he turned out his cattle that night, and they were stolen. This event incidentally led to his settling in this county. He located on what was then the northeast corner of Sutter’s grant, taking up 160 acres; and his partner, Charles Thorn, took up the same amount adjoining. About a year afterward, in 1852, Mr. Patterson bought out Mr. Thorn, who went down into the redwoods of San Mateo County. During this year Mr. Patterson’s family arrived from New York, leaving there July 10, and coming by way of Panama, landing at Sacramento August 20. The family then consisted of Mrs. Patterson and five children: James G., Mrs. John E. Plater, of Los Angeles; Mrs. C.H. Watt, of San Francisco; Mrs. J.C. Foster, of Sacramento, and Francis, married and living in Canada. They lost one daughter. Mr. Patterson was married in Steuben County, New York, in 1836, to Mary Starkweather, a native of Schoharie County, New York. Her father was agent for the estates of Rutgers and Livingston, and Livingston and Van Rensselaer. The latter covered almost three counties, during the time of the anti-rent riots. Mr. Patterson lived on his farm until 1856, when he moved to Folsom and built and ran the Patterson House, in partnership with J.M. Waters, until 1865. Waters took the farm here, and Patterson the Folsom property. In 1865 Waters was accidentally killed, and in 1868 Mr. Patterson leased out the hotel and moved back upon the ranch to settle the Waters estate. He built a station on the railroad three-fourths of a mile below Router station; in the fall of 1870 the building was burned, he moved further up, and during the following winter built the present station-house at Routier. He died December 4, 1884. He was postmaster over twelve years. The post office was first established in 1869, at Mayhew’s station; in 1872 it was changed to Routier, and Mr. Patterson appointed postmaster. In September 1851 he was elected sheriff of Sacramento County, and held that office in 1852-’53, and during his term three men were executed by hanging in Sacramento, the first men hanged by the authorities in this county. James G. Patterson was born in Steuben County, New York, August 21, 1837, and came to California in 1852. In 1860 he went over to Carson and Virginia City with a wagon, crossing the summit of the mountains May 10, and spent a year there in mining; then he was a year at Austin, Nevada; then a year and a half in this county, and then was in Nevada till 1870. Next he mined at Salt Lake until 1872; spent eight months in Lower California, to trace up a copper mine which he had heard of at Salt Lake; traced the mine for five miles, sunk a shaft forty feet deep and took out sixty tons of ore, which proved to contain twenty-eight percent of copper by an assay of 100 pounds made in San Francisco. This was the last of his mining, with the exception of acting as foreman of the smelting works in Sacramento about a year. He is a mining expert. He came to his present place in 1875, which comprises thirty-three acres, all in a vineyard of choice grapes. December 8, 1884, he was appointed postmaster, and was appointed express agent February 4, 1885. He was married in November 1878 to Mary Crew, adopted daughter of Dr. W.S. Manlove. They have one son – Arnold D.