DATE VISITED: 04/11/2015
HISTORICAL
SITE: Sheldon Grist Mill
Site
LOCATION: 12700 Meiss Road, Sloughhouse, Sacramento
Co., CA
MARKER
#: 439
DEDICATED: September 26, 1997
"Site of grist mill built by Jared Dixon (Joaquin)
Sheldon 1846-47 on Omochumnes Rancho, granted to him by Mexican government
1843. Sheldon born Vermont January 8, 1813, came to California 1832. Sheldon
shot July 11, 1851, by miners in quarrel over dam he built which flooded
miners' claims."
**closer look below
MARKER
PLACED BY: California
Centennials Commission. Base furnished by Liberty Parlor No. 213 NativeDaughters and Elk Grove Parlor No. 41 Native Sons of the Golden West.
PERSONAL
REFLECTIONS: This
stop occurred quite by happenstance. Driving down Hwy 16, I had told Daniel to
be on the watch out for any historical monuments.
I had looked in my rear view mirror and the receding
mountains were beautiful. I asked Daniel to get a picture and suggested he aim
the camera into the mirror on his side. He took a great picture of the mirror!
We have to try this again....I'm still not sure it wouldn't have worked but a curve in the Highway, and the
view was gone.
After we passed one going about 75...ummm, I mean 65, I told
Daniel I wasn't very impressed with his co-piloting. Within a few miles we saw
a sign announcing another monument. With a quick check that Daniel was game, I
pulled into the parking lot of the Sloughhouse Inn.
Interesting thing about Jared Dixon Joaquin Sheldon's
name... Dixon is a town, Joaquin is a county and Sheldon is a Street.
Sheldon came to the area after receiving a land grant from
the Mexican Government. "Omochumnes Rancho" was about 14,000 acres
encompassing Sloughhouse & Rancho Murieta.
In 1845, Sheldon built a grist mill to mill wheat for
Captain John Sutter on the Consumnes River.
The grinding stones were originally cut from a place called Stony Creek,
about 25 miles from Sutter Fort. Archaeologists and geologists suspect they
probably came from the area of present day Rocklin.
Sheldon was known for getting along with the Indians, employing local
Miwoks. True or not, it was said that Indians on the Great Plain nursed Sheldon
back to health when his companions abandoned him and that he hid with American
Indians after a dispute with Mexicans near present day Los Angeles.
In 1850
and 1851, the area had a problem with horse and cattle thieves. As was normal
for the time, vigilante groups meted out justice and locals, including Sheldon,
took law into their own hands. Sheldon was known to be involved in several
cases of whippings and hangings.