HISTORY OF AMADOR COUNTY CALIFORNIA 1881 Oakland California Thompson and West 1878 1878 January 23. Willow Springs school-house burned. February 15. Death of the Hon. Robert LUDGATE, member of the Assembly for Amador County. February 17. Mequel VARA found dead in his cabin in Butte City. High water at Ione all the western part of the county, destroying much property. Highest water ever known in Amador City, destroying considerable property and flooding some of the mines. Great flood in Jackson, drowning seven persons and carrying off and wrecking fifteen buildings. Loss, thirty thousand dollars. February 23. James TIPPET killed in the PHOENIX mine by falling out of the bucket while ascending. February 26. High wind, unroofing and blowing down buildings; Catholic Church at Butte City blown down, steeple blown off Catholic Church at Jackson, trees, fences, barns, flumes, and other things destroyed. February. The name of Fiddletown changed to Oleta, by Act of the Legislature. March 20. H. (Henry) TRUEB and Louis DABOVICH taken to the asylum. May 3. House of Mrs. BOTTO, Sutter Creek, destroyed by fire. Loss, two thousand dollars. Difficulty between E. M. PHIPPS and Fred VARVIGAT, Ione, the latter being killed. May 12. Big reservoir of the Amador Canal Company blown up and destroyed. June 5. Body of Giovani ARATA found near Jackson. June 8. Jackson and Sutter Creek united by telephone. June 14. Largomarcini's hotel at Amador destroyed by fire. June 19. Special election for delegates to Constitutional Convention; John A. EAGON and William H. PROUTY, elected. July 3. Barn owned by Mr. COX, near WHITMORE's Mill, burned. July 5. Shooting affray between George HARVILLE and Peter SMITH, the later being instantly killed. July 10. MCDONALD's (McDonald) house, at Amador City, destroyed by fire. August 22. MOORE Mine started up. September 22. New York Ranch house, blacksmith shop and barn burned, with all the contents. October 8. Mrs. Joseph CARREAU, of Jackson, while in a condition of mental aberration, committed suicide by shooting herself through the head with a shot-gun. November 8. E. C. E. VILE, of Ione, committed suicide by cutting his throat with a pen-knife. 1879 January 4. Henry PECK, County clerk, died of heart disease. He was a "49er," had been an extensive traveler, having visited Australia, the Amazon Mines, Nevada, ect; was a native of New York. January 6. Little daughter of Mrs. HUDSON, near Ione, accidentally shot by a playmate. February 1. Death of William H. HOOPER, in Oakland. He was formerly a proprietor of the PHOENIX Mine at Plymouth. February 5. SOROCCO's store and adjoining building at Drytown, burned. February 21. Hugh WARD killed in a hydraulic claim at Irish Hill. May 6. Johnson drowned in Mokelumne River, near Clinton Bar. May 10. O. N. MORSE's house, at the Q Ranch, destroyed by fire. This was one of the oldest houses in the county, the Q Ranch having been a noted place since '49. It was originally claimed by members of Company Q, United States Infantry. May 25. Edward PHIBBS killed in a difficulty with Jesse VALLES, near Jackson Gate. June 18. Ione connected with Jackson by telephone. June 25. Amador Sentinel started. September 1. Dr. MORSE's fruit dryer, Q Ranch, destroyed by fire. Loss fifteen thousand dollars. September 4. The house of David SCHULER, Jackson, destroyed by fire with all the contents. September 19. R. H. YOUNG, of Amador, committed suicide by taking poison. September 30. Five hundred feet of the Amador Canal Company's pipe, near Clinton, blown up by giant power (probably Powder); supposed to have been done by parties damaged by the breaking of the reservoir, February 17. (Probably means May 12, 1878, unless it was blown up twice my note) October 15. Boardinghouse of Solano, at Keystone Mine, destroyed by fire. October 19. Son of Ed WILY, at WILY Station on the Amador wagon road, fell into a deep well and was drowned. November 6. Two men, Richard COLLICT and John BACHI, seriously injured, the latter fatally, by premature explosion of blast. November 15. Lodge of I. O. G. T. organized at Amador. November 17. John BACHI died from the effect of a premature blast in the Oneida Mine. December 6. A. SWITHENBANK caught in the machinery of the Marble Mill, near Plymouth, and torn to pieces. December 12. A Cornishman by the name of MOYLE fatally injured in the original Amador Mine by the fall of a rock down the shaft. December 17. J. M. MYERS robbed by highwaymen near Jackson.