Tuolumne
County
Biographies
PRENTICE M. TRASK
Prentice M. Trask is carrying on
farming in Tuolumne County, and the years of his identification with the
interests of this portion of the state covers almost five decades. He arrived in the county in 1852 and is now
residing upon a good farm near the town of Columbia. Born in the far off state of Maine, he is a
native of the town of Industry, in Franklin County, his natal day being May 9,
1829. The blood of English and German
ancestry flows in his veins, for from both the fatherland and the merrie isle came his ancestors to the new world, first establishing
homes in New Hampshire and later in the Pine Tree state. Jonathan Trask, the father of our subject,
was born in New Hampshire and was married in Maine to Miss Martha Jewell. They were farming people and highly respected
citizens, and they became the parents of fourteen children, of whom thirteen
reached maturity, although only four are living at the time of this writing,
near the close of the year 1900. One of
the sons, John Ruggles Trask, came to the Pacific coast in 1853.
The subject of this review was
educated in his native state, and with the hope of bettering his financial
condition in California he started for the Pacific coast. He made the journey by way of the Isthmus of
Panama. Many of the passengers had ship
cholera and a number were buried at sea.
Such experiences on those plague-stricken ships were very trying, but
Mr. Trask was fortunate enough to escape the disease and arrive safely in San
Francisco on the 11th of July, 1852.
He made his way direct to Columbia, which was then a town of miners, and
much excitement existed owing to the rich gold finds of this locality. The number of miners and settlers was so
great that the town was the third in size in the state, being exceeded in
population only by San Francisco and Sacramento. At that time and for years afterward the
whole country for miles in every direction was considered good mining property
and vast quantities of gold have been taken from among the rocks and in the
gulches and ravines.
Mr. Trask at once engaged in mining
in Coral Gulch, and for eight years had numerous claims which he worked and
sold. He has taken out from eight to
thirteen and a half ounces of gold in a single day, and after operating his
mine sold the property at from three hundred to five hundred dollars. His experience, however, has not been
altogether fortunate, for at times he has met with failure and disaster, and
like others, he has paid considerable money for claims that proved to be of
little value. Probably not a resident of
the entire state found that his career as a miner was altogether
fortunate. Periods of prosperity were
followed by periods of financial depression, some claims yielding rich
deposits, while others gave nothing in return for labor. Mr. Trask is thoroughly familiar with the
history of the excitement in the early mining camps and knows fully the story
of the development of California as it became settled with emigrants from all
over the land. Many men of worth came to
the state, but there were others who had little regard for law or the rights
and liberties of those with whom they were associated. Such men were not deterred from the
perpetration of any crime, and the law-abiding citizens were forced to take
matters in their own hands. Vigilance
committees were formed and without trial by court or jury the offenders
suffered summary justice. Although Mr.
Trask participated in no hanging, he witnessed several and endorsed the action,
for the punishment was fully merited.
His career, however, was rather a peaceful one, as he was never robbed
or was never in any great danger that he knew of from that class of people.
In 1860 the subject of this review
turned his attention to farming, securing one hundred and sixty acres of land a
mile and a quarter north of Columbia.
Here he is engaged in the raising of vines and fruits of many
varieties. He has departed from the old
method of irrigating and cultivates entirely without water. A visit to his farm to see the luxuriant
growth and the healthy condition of his vines and trees is all that is needed
to convince one that his method is practical, his returns larger and his labors
and expenses much reduced. He is the
first man in Tuolumne County to have adopted this method of raising fruit, and
is exceedingly well pleased with the results.
His vineyard contains twenty-five acres, or about twenty-five thousand
vines, and has six acres devoted to fruit trees of various kinds.
His home is located on the summit of
a large hill, being two hundred feet higher than Gold Springs, of one hundred
rods distance, and affords a most commanding view of the surrounding
country. The trees which adorn his home
and the fruit trees on the top of the hill are all of his own planting. Upon that farm he has since resided and he
now has a good home and all the needed comforts of life. His prosperity is well merited, for it has
been secured by honest effort and indefatigable energy. Throughout the long years of his residence in
this state he has been ably assisted by his wife and children. In 1854 he returned to Maine, to wed “the
girl whom he had left behind,” and there he was happily married to Miss Susie
M. Pierce. He spent nine months in the
Pine Tree state and then, accompanied by his bride came by way of the Nicaragua
route to California, locating first at Gold Springs, where he now resides. Four children came to bless his home, of whom
three are still living, namely: George
M., who is now the owner of a livery barn in Columbia; Florence M., the wife of
Adolphus C. Davis, the leading merchant of Columbia; and Clara J., the wife of
Edward Doyle. The mother departed this
life on the 1st of January, 1897.
She was a most highly esteemed lady, a faithful wife, a devoted mother
and an accommodating friend. Mr. Trask
has since remained single, living upon his farm, which he owns in connection
with some valuable mining interests, being one of the owners of the American
quartz mine, which is an excellent producer.
He has been a life-long Republican and an enterprising, honest and
industrious citizen, temperate in all things, faithful to every trust, one of
California’s best pioneers.
Transcribed by
Gerald Iaquinta.
Source:
“A Volume of Memoirs and Genealogy of Representative Citizens of Northern
California”, Pages 220-222. Chicago Standard Genealogical Publishing Co. 1901.
© 2010
Gerald Iaquinta.