*** Source: Thompson, Robert A., Historical and descriptive sketch of Sonoma County, California. Philadelphia: L.H. Everts & Co., 1877, 122 pgs. Notice: This data is donated to the Public Domain by TAG, 2004, and may be copied freely by anyone to anywhere. *** ---page 98--- his purpose and returned to Bodega from the capitol. Dawson, on examining the papers, found that they were made out in the name of McIntosh, and that he was left out in the cold. Well authenticated tradition says that when Dawson made this discovery, he first gave his partner a thrashing, and then with a cross-cut saw he sawed the house, in which they had been living, in two parts and removed his half to the place where F. G. Blume's house now stands, in Freestone. In fact, we have been told that portion of this, the only orig- inal severed house on record, stands to this day. Dawson afterwards applied or and received the Canada de Pogolimi grant, and his widow, who afterwards married F. G. Blume, of Freestone, received a patent for the same. The mill on the Jonive was completed, and run until 1849, by McIntosh, James Black, Thomas Butters, William Leighton, Thomas Wood, and a pioneer, who went by the euphonious soubriquet of "Blinking Tom". That year they sold all the lumber they had to F. G. Blume, and left for the gold mines. In 1849 Jasper O'Farrell bought the Estero Americano ranch, of two leagues, one thousand five hundred head of cattle, and one hundred and fifty head of horses, in consideration of a promise to pay McIntosh an annuity of eight hun- dred dollars, or, should he elect in lieu of the annuity, the sum of five thousand dollars in cash. The latter sum was afterwards paid by Mr. O'Farrell, who acquired title to the property. Mr. Blume and his wife still reside within the limits of the town of Freestone, and are the oldest settlers. The Hon. Jasper O'Farrell exchanged a ranch, which he owned in Marin, with Black for the Jonive, on part of which Freestone stands. He resided there until his death, which occurred a few years ago. Freestone is on the line of the narrow-gauge road just now completed, and has a very flattering prospect for the future. It is rapidly improving, and houses are in demand. It is within a few hours' travel of San Francisco, and trains pass the place every morning for that city, returning every afternoon. F. G. Blume is postmaster. There is one store, a blacksmith shop, two hotels, a livery stable, and a number of residences. And so the wheel of time has brought it round that in less than forty years after the settlement of the pioneers, Black, Dawson, and McIntosh, on the frontier of Bodega, to check- mate the Russians, the shrill whistle of the locomotive is echoed by the hills back of Ross as the trains speed by; but three hours from a city of three hun- dred thousand inhabitants--and the then defenceless colony, a dependent of a distracted government, has now become a great and powerful State in the American Union. Such a change would have seemed to the pioneer wilder and more improbable than the enchantment wrought by the Genii of Aladin's wonderful lamp. MOSCOW. This place is situated on Russian River, opposite the terminus of the coast narrow-gauge road at Duncan's mills. One of the principal mills of the Russian River Land and Lumber Company is located here. Just below here the railroad crosses the river, on a splendid Howe truss bridge, to Duncan's mill. It will doubtless grow to be a place of importance. *** end ***