One of Anderson Valley’s earlier pioneers was William Prather, born on a farm near “old” Vernon in Jennings County, Indiana. His father, John Lloyd Prather, had been born on the same farm in 1801. William's mother, Mary (Johnson) Prather, died when he was very small, leaving five children. Of these, Cornelius, the eldest, and William, the youngest, were both to become early settlers in Anderson Valley. The father remarried, and the new wife, Mary (Lane) Prather, proved a much loved stepmother to the children.
Giving up the farm, John Lloyd took his family to Scott County, Indiana, for a time, then in 1845 they moved to Iowa. This was in the fall before Iowa became a state. Here at Keokuk they lived for two years, then moved to Libertyville in Jefferson County. There were more children by the stepmother.
When William was about 15, he was “bound out” to a neighbor to learn the shoemaking trade. He was to serve for five years, according to the papers of indenture. But sitting at a cobbler’s bench all day, to a boy accustomed to the freedom of a farm was too much. With only a short time remaining for the fulfilling of his contract, he heard that a caravan bound for California was forming in the community. When it set out one morning, 19-year-old William was with it, riding a good horse and driving cattle for the leader of the party. This was early spring of 1852.
After an arduous journey of six months, the caravan reached Sutter's Fort on the 20th of September, 1852. Grandfather Prather spent only two weeks trying the gold mines, and “decided that that life was not for him!"
The slow trip down the Sacramento Valley came next, ending in Solano County. He worked on ranches near Benicia and Vacaville for two years, learning blacksmithing and working with metals to make farming tools.
But Grandpa Prather wanted land. Learning that the Mexican Land Grants of that area were in litigation in local courts, he decided to go farther north. Reports of a valley that was not included in land grants had reached him. On the west, the “Grant Del Norte” or Garcia Grant extended from the mouth of the Gualala River to the Mal Paso (near the Sonoma-Mendocino County line), and inland to the top of the range dividing Anderson Valley and the coast. On the northeast, the Yokayo (Ukiah) Grant which was only about eighteen miles long and one mile wide, did not include the range of hills between Ukiah and Anderson Valley. This left what became Anderson Valley free from grants.
My mother wrote that her father, William, started north “in a vehicle resembling a buckboard” and that a man came with him whose name she could not remember. This was in 1854. Driving through the level land was easy, and they reached the site of the present Cloverdale, where a trading post had just been established. A mile or so north of this, they came to the big hill. What is today’s Highway 128 zigzags relatively smoothly to the top. But the Indian trail that preceded it started to the right across the gulch.
I am sure of this because of the following incident: About 1906, my mother and I were returning from Cloverdale with Grandfather Prather driving. At the base of the hill, he pointed across the gulch and said, “There's where we came in.” There the ascent was low and gradual, leading to the open ground on the top of the range of hills. We have no facts of the rest of his trip, but he probably kept on high ground most of the time and, like the Beeson-Anderson boys before him, had his first view of Anderson Valley from “Burger Rock” on the Floyd Johnson Ranch.
About five miles down the valley, they saw a cabin to their left, on the bank of what is now Anderson Creek. Here they found Mr. Amos Burgess, who had arrived in 1853 from Virginia. He was raising stock and farming, and needed help in developing the place. Mr. Burgess and William became partners on the ranch. Here we lose track of the man who came with him into the valley.
The partnership worked well. After about five years, Mr. Burgess wrote to his sister, Nancy (Burgess) Ingram and her husband, Daniel Holder Ingram in Iowa, urging them to come to California and here. This was before the Homestead Act of 1862, and “squatters’ rights” were still legal. In 1859 the Ingram family arrived and settled on land joining the Burgess place. Their home became the property of Marion Prather, grandson of William Prather and also great-grandson of the Ingrams.
In 1860 on December 8th, William Prather married Diana Elizabeth Ingram. At that time, William and Amos Burgess sold their place to a man named Hawkins. The young couple lived with the Ingrams for a short time, and “Uncle Burgess,” as my mother called him, built a log cabin in the foothills southwest of Boonville.
In the spring of 1861, Grandfather Prather bought back from Hawkins the original place on the bank of Anderson Creek. Mr. Hawkins went to live on what is now the Fitch ranch. Grandfather added acreage to the place by squatters’ rights and by purchase. Here, on July 11, 1861, my mother, Hattie Ellen Prather was born, the eldest of nine children, eight of whom grew to adulthood, a large survival rate for the time.
The home became too small for the family. Grandfather chose a spot above the road on higher ground, dug a well and built a house. On the southwest corner, he planted a cypress tree for shade. They moved to the new home about 1874. We lived about a half mile north of this Prather home from 1890 to 1901, so I well remember the place. The cypress tree by then was huge and we children played in its branches. My older sister, Madge, climbed too high, fell out and broke her arm. .
The home became a typical pioneer farm. The fields below the road, luxuriant with wild oats at first, produced hay and grains. Two orchards and a small vineyard flourished. In a stream below the road a dam was built, providing irrigation for the upper part of one field. Here Grandfather grew the best of vegetables, berries and melons. The lower part of the stream was wooded, and provided a perfect camp spot in summer for any of the family. A spring gushed out of the bank just above. Here always hung a dipper made from a gourd. The large end of the gourd had been hollowed to make the cup part, the long part became the handle. After drying in the sun, it was a unique drinking cup. There was another one up at the house by the well for the Indians, who always stopped on their trips from Ukiah or Hopland to the coast.
We children were always excited as their parade came up the walk. The men came first, carrying nothing. The small ones came next, smiling shyly at us, followed by the squaws, their backs loaded with bundles. After quenching their thirst, the men sat down along the porch edge to rest, while the squaws went up to the chicken yard where a huge oak tree stood. They shook the branches or hit them with a long stick and the acorns came rattling down. These were piled on old pieces of cloth, the corners of which were knotted together for easy carrying.
In a short time, Grandfather appeared from the garden below with a heavy looking grain sack over his shoulder. He stepped onto the porch, put down his load and out rolled big watermelons. How their stoic faces changed. With broad smiles they began cracking the melons on the edge of the porch and devouring them. Appreciation was expressed very simply, as one of the men volunteered, “Good, Bill.” Grandfather's attitude, like that of our other pioneers, was understanding and friendly, and because of this, we had no Indian trouble.
Grandfather built a hay barn and a stable below the road. In my memory (in the 1890s), there was always a row of horses at the long manger, cared for by my uncles.
Earl and Johnny became ranchers and stock raisers, Johnny after his marriage living on the Ukiah road on what was then the Elledge ranch. Carl and Maurice were “teamsters” at that time. Hauling tanbark out of the valley around the tum of the century, meant maneuvering six horses, bells jingling, around the narrow dangerous turns. Riding today to Ukiah over Highway 253, two or three of these long abandoned bits of road can still be seen. In bringing the heavily loaded wagon around a high point, the lead horses seemed to be stepping over the edge. Small wonder that the Ukiah road was then in “Boontling” jargon, named “The Poor Way.”
Grandfather made use of skills he had learned earlier. Aunt Eva (Prather) Ornbaun told me that one day he said he was going to see if he could still make a pair of shoes. This he did, producing quite a creditable pair, “made from scratch.”
He built a shop below the road where horses were shod and metal work done. Most of the family on leaving home were given a hand-crafted fireplace set, complete with andirons, shovel, poker and tongs. He built the first bathroom I ever saw just off the kitchen. No plumbing, of course, and water had to be heated in two large black, cast iron pots and carried the few feet to the tub. This tub he made from wooden boards, and lined it with tin. These sheets of tin were salvaged from empty five gallon cans of coal oil used in lamps. Mother remembered the day when her father returned from his semi-annual trip to Petaluma for supplies, bringing their first lamp. He filled it with oil outside, but little Grandmother wouldn't let him bring it into the house. “It would explode!” All stood gingerly on the steps until he had it lighted and proved its safety.
In this home, William and Diana Prather spent the rest of their lives. Of their children, Hattie, Earl, Millie, Maurice and Car] continued to live in this valley. Johnnie and Maud, after their marriages, became residents of Ukiah, and Eva of Ornbaun Valley and later of Greenwood (Elk). In 1900, a reunion was held at the old home. We have a picture of the family at that time showing three generations.
Diana passed away July 11, 1906 and William on June 17. 1908. They are buried in Con Creek Cemetery near Boonville.
Thank you for the history of the family. I enjoy these stories very much.