Fremont Landing, California
Encyclopedia
Fremont Landing was a former settlement in Yolo County
, California
, United States
. It was located on the Sacramento River
5.5 miles (8.9 km) east-southeast of Knights Landing
, at an elevation of 26 feet (8 m).
into the Sacramento River
. Lt. George H. Derby wrote about the town on his report to the Secretary of War in 1849 and stated, "The Town of Vernon is situated at the junction of the Feather and Sacramento Rivers, and that of Fremont immediately opposite. Each contains some twenty houses and one or two hundred inhabitants."
Spect chose to settle at this site because of the potential business benefits of being upriver. Mexican law entitled people to a three league town if they would start a ferry service, which Spect then began. He hired John I. McCaughn to survey his three league town soon after he started his ferry business. The town was named after John C. Frémont
, who had risen to public notoriety only three years beforehand. During the Municipal Election of October 1, 1849 there were around 300 voters in the area.
On April 5, 1850 the town received its first post office, the Fremont Post Office, and the title of County Seat
. Severe floods during the previous winters foreshadowed the fall of the city. These floods allowed for travel upriver, and led to the founding of Marysville, closer to the mines. A legal battle for land rights between Spect and James Madison Harbin didn't help assuage fears of the townspeople. In 1851 the town of Fremont was disbanded; people moved out and took the town's buildings with them. Washington became the county seat on June 30, 1851. Very few citizens stayed in the area, with only three voters in the September 1855 General Election. The post office was also closed, then opened again in the same year. The post office closed its doors permanently in November 1864. In 1870 the town had one house left.
Yolo County, California
Yolo County is a county located in the northern part of the U.S. state of California, bordered by the other counties of Sacramento, Solano, Napa, Lake, Colusa, and Sutter. The city of Woodland is its county seat, though Davis is its largest city....
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It was located on the Sacramento River
Sacramento River
The Sacramento River is an important watercourse of Northern and Central California in the United States. The largest river in California, it rises on the eastern slopes of the Klamath Mountains, and after a journey south of over , empties into Suisun Bay, an arm of the San Francisco Bay, and...
5.5 miles (8.9 km) east-southeast of Knights Landing
Knights Landing, California
Knights Landing is a census-designated place in Yolo County, California, USA founded by William Knight. It is located on the Sacramento River in the northeastern portion of the county. Knights Landing's ZIP Code is 95645 and its area code 530. It lies at an elevation of 36 feet...
, at an elevation of 26 feet (8 m).
History
The area was settled by Jonas Spect on March 22, 1849, one half of a mile below the merging of the Feather RiverFeather River
The Feather River is the principal tributary of the Sacramento River, in the Sacramento Valley of Northern California. The river's main stem is about long. Its length to its most distant headwater tributary is about . Its drainage basin is about...
into the Sacramento River
Sacramento River
The Sacramento River is an important watercourse of Northern and Central California in the United States. The largest river in California, it rises on the eastern slopes of the Klamath Mountains, and after a journey south of over , empties into Suisun Bay, an arm of the San Francisco Bay, and...
. Lt. George H. Derby wrote about the town on his report to the Secretary of War in 1849 and stated, "The Town of Vernon is situated at the junction of the Feather and Sacramento Rivers, and that of Fremont immediately opposite. Each contains some twenty houses and one or two hundred inhabitants."
Spect chose to settle at this site because of the potential business benefits of being upriver. Mexican law entitled people to a three league town if they would start a ferry service, which Spect then began. He hired John I. McCaughn to survey his three league town soon after he started his ferry business. The town was named after John C. Frémont
John C. Frémont
John Charles Frémont , was an American military officer, explorer, and the first candidate of the anti-slavery Republican Party for the office of President of the United States. During the 1840s, that era's penny press accorded Frémont the sobriquet The Pathfinder...
, who had risen to public notoriety only three years beforehand. During the Municipal Election of October 1, 1849 there were around 300 voters in the area.
On April 5, 1850 the town received its first post office, the Fremont Post Office, and the title of County Seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
. Severe floods during the previous winters foreshadowed the fall of the city. These floods allowed for travel upriver, and led to the founding of Marysville, closer to the mines. A legal battle for land rights between Spect and James Madison Harbin didn't help assuage fears of the townspeople. In 1851 the town of Fremont was disbanded; people moved out and took the town's buildings with them. Washington became the county seat on June 30, 1851. Very few citizens stayed in the area, with only three voters in the September 1855 General Election. The post office was also closed, then opened again in the same year. The post office closed its doors permanently in November 1864. In 1870 the town had one house left.