STORIES OF STANISLAUS

(Cover & Title Page)

A Collection of Stories on the History and Achievements of Stanislaus County

By

Sol P. Elias

Modesto, Cal.

Dedication

To the Pioneers, whose vision and energy made the Stanislaus of today possible, many of whom the writer knew intimately in his youth, and to their sacred memory, this volume is reverently dedicated.

Foreword

The inspiration that came from association with the pioneers in the writer's youth prompted the writing of these stories. It has been a labor of love – of love for the county and city in which the writer has spent the better part of his life – and an appreciation of the sturdy character of the men and women who were the first settlers of these plains.

From a trackless wilderness on the pristine prairies of the Valley of the San Joaquin, Stanislaus has, by dint of the energy, the foresight and the loyalty of the pioneers, been transformed into a garden of fertility and a community of progress in every line of human endeavor that marks an advanced civilization. Its wonderful career – that is yet in its infancy – is indeed worthy of portrayal.

That the romantic traditions and the interesting history of the county of Stanislaus may be preserved for posterity has been the purpose of the author.

CONTENTS

Chapter	Title	Page No.
1	The Early Vision of Irrigation	11
2	First Efforts to Secure Irrigation	20
3	West Side Irrigation District	31
4	Economic Transformation 1870/1	40
5	Economic Progress, 1871/1886	48
6	Passage of the Wright Law	55
7	The La Grange Dam	62
8	Organization of Modesto District	68
9	The Modesto District	75
10	The Modesto District	87
11	The Modesto District	94
12	The Compromise Agreement	101
13	The Modesto Jubilee	107
14	The Cost of Litigation	114
15	Newspaper Fight for Irrigation	120
16	The Jubilee's Advertising Effect	130
17	Progress of Modesto District	136
18	Turlock Irrigation District	142
19	Other Stanislaus Districts	153
20	Progress Under Irrigation	158
21	The Story of Estanislao	163
22	Organization of Stanislaus County	170
23	Indians of Stanislaus	176
24	The Treaty with the Indians	189
25	Carson's Description of the Indians	196
26	La Grange	203
27	Social Life of La Grange	216
28	Romantic Knight's Ferry	223
29	County Seat Wanderings	250
30	Adamsville and Grayson	260
31	Tuolumne City, Paradise, Langworth	266
32	Pioneer Journals and Editors	275
33	Hill's Ferry	287
34	The Vigilante Era	293
35	The Vigilante Era	303
36	Modesto's First Theater	318
37	Modesto's Incorporation	324
38	Dedication of Modesto's First School	328
39	Modesto's First Fourth of July Celebration	333
40	Modesto's First Graduation Class	341

Transcribed by: Jeanne Sturgis Taylor.

Source: Elias, Sol P., Stories of Stanislaus – A Collection of Stories on the History & Achievements of Stanislaus County. Modesto, CA. 1924.

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© 2012 Jeanne Sturgis Taylor.

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