Marysville, California

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Ellis Lake, Marysville, CA. 2004.

Marysville is the county seat of Yuba County, California, USA. The population was 12,268 at the 2000 census. It is included in the Yuba City Metropolitan Area. The Yuba City-Marysville area is often referred to as the Yuba-Sutter area after the 2 counties Yuba and Sutter.

1 Geography
2 Demographics
3 Historical Information
4 Sights of Marysville
5 External links

[edit] Geography

Marysville is located at 39°8′58″N, 121°35′8″W (39.149343, -121.585544)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 9.4 km² (3.6 mi²). 9.1 km² (3.5 mi²) of it is land and 0.3 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (3.31%) is water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 12,268 people, 4,687 households, and 2,826 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,353.3/km² (3,501.1/mi²). There were 4,999 housing units at an average density of 551.5/km² (1,426.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 70.95% White, 4.80% African American, 2.30% Native American, 5.99% Asian, 0.19% Pacific Islander, 10.10% from other races, and 5.67% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 17.54% of the population.

There were 4,687 households out of which 32.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.8% were married couples living together, 15.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.7% were non-families. 31.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.14.

In the city the population was spread out with 27.5% under the age of 18, 11.7% from 18 to 24, 29.2% from 25 to 44, 18.4% from 45 to 64, and 13.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 99.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $28,494, and the median income for a family was $33,474. Males had a median income of $27,630 versus $20,240 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,315. About 15.2% of families and 18.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.9% of those under age 18 and 7.4% of those age 65 or over.

Marysville is home to a significant Chinese American community since the 1860s, descendants of gold miners and rail workers whom came into the area. Other large ethnic groups include Irish, Germans, Poles and Italians. Marysville, like Yuba City, has a large Hispanic population, mostly consists of Mexican Americans.

[edit] Historical Information

In 1842, John Sutter leased land to Theodore Cordua, who raised livestock and in 1843, built a home and trading post. The trading post and home was situated at what would later become the southern end of 'D' Street, Marysville's main street.

By 1844, Cordua had obtained seven additional parcels of land from the Mexican government.

In 1848, a former employee of Cordua, Charles Covillaud, discovered riches in the gold fields and bought half of the Cordua Ranch. Then, in January 1849, Michael C. Nye and William Foster, brothers-in-law to Covillaud's wife Mary Murphy, bought the other half of the Cordua ranch. They later sold their interest to Covillaud. In October of the same year, Covillaud sold most of the ranch to Jose Ramirez, John Sampson, and Theodore Sicard.

In the days of the Gold Rush, the ranch was a stopping point for riverboats from Sacramento and San Francisco. The boats carried miners on their way to the digging grounds. In 1850, Covillaud, Ramirez, Sampson, and Sicard hired Augustus Le Plongeo, a French surveyor, to create a plan for a town.

Stephen J. Field, a newly relocated attorney, purchased 65 lots of land and drew up proper deeds for land being sold. Then, just three days in the mining camp, he accepted the nomination to run for alcalde, a Mexican official like a mayor and justice of the peace, in a new government that was being formed. On January 18, 1850, Field defeated his rival, who had been in town just six days, and a town council was elected. That night, the townsfolk decided to name the new town Marysville, after Mary Murphy, the wife of Charles Covillaud, who was one of the few survivors of the Donner Party.

After Marysville was incorporated by the new California Legislature, the first mayor was elected in 1851. Field went on to become one of the longest sitting members of the United States Supreme Court.

By 1853, the tent city had been replaced by brick buildings. In addition to the brick merchant buildings, Marysville had developed mills, iron works, factories, machine shops, schools, churches and two daily newspapers. The population was almost 10,000.

By 1857, Marysville was a prospering city; in fact, it was one of the largest cities in California, due to strategic location during the Gold Rush. Over $10 million in gold was shipped from the banks of Marysville to the U.S. mint in San Francisco. The city's founders imagined Marysville becoming "The New York of the Pacific."

However, because of the hydraulic mining on the Yuba River, above Marysville, sediment raised the riverbeds of both the Feather and the Yuba Rivers and made Marysville vulnerable to flooding during winter storms and spring run-offs. The city built a levee system that is still maintained today. The levee system sealed the city off and has made additional city growth virtually impossible. Since the days of the Gold Rush, the population has not increased much. Marysville hasn't flooded since 1875, but the town is now known as "California's Oldest Little City."

Also, the newly raised riverbeds made the Feather River more and more difficult to navigate and soon the riverboats could not make the trip to Marysville.

A sign on the roadside as one enters Marysville still carries the slogan: "Gateway to The Gold Fields".

[edit] Sights of Marysville

[edit] The Mary Aaron Memorial Museum

Built in 1855, the Gothic revival residence was one of the first brick structures. Home to the Aaron Family until 1935, it is now held in trust by the City of Marysville and Yuba County. The forgotten lives of local residents are documented by photographs, costumes and other furnishings in the changing exhibits.

Also included in the Museum are special interest exhibits depicting the lives and traditions of the early Marysville Chinese community. The Museum is located at 704 D Street, Marysville. The phone number is (530) 743-1004. Admission is free.

[edit] Oldest high school in the western US

Marysville High School claims to be the oldest high school west of the Mississippi River [this claim may be in error], it opened its doors in 1871. It was the first feeder school to UC Berkeley [which the same source claims is the oldest college west of the Mississippi, established in 1868--this in in error, as a number of colleges west of the Mississippi pre-date Berkely]. As of June 2006, it has had 134 graduating classes, perhaps the most in the Western US. The school mascot is the Indians (the "offensive" nickname itself caused controversy for two decades, but the school board voted to keep the mascot and nickname), and the school colors are orange and black.

[edit] The Bok Kai Temple

Five Years after the first contingent of Chinese arrived in California to work the gold mines, a temple to worship their gods was erected in Marysville. The year was 1854 and the foremost of the Gods that were worshipped there was Bok Eye, the god of water, who had the power to control the rains.

Unfortunately, the original temple was destroyed by fire. The temple was replaced in 1880 and remains a great focus of the present Marysville Chinese community, who have dedicated themselves to preserving the temple. The Bok Kai Temple is the only one of its kind in the United States.

The Bok Kai Temple is located at the corner of D and First Street, Marysville. Tours are by special appointment; contact the Marysville Chamber of Commerce.

[edit] The Bok Kai Festival

Annually, Marysville celebrates the Chinese New Year and the Bok Eye god with a festival. The parade has been produced each year for more than a 120 years and is the oldest continuing parades in California. People from as far away as Taiwan come to worship at the secluded temple. The crash of gongs, the crack of fireworks, and the pounding of drums signal the beginning of the Bok Kai Parade. Marching bands, fire trucks, antique cars, floats and dance groups walk the streets of historical downtown. Over 15,000 spectators each year come to watch the parade's greatest asset, a 150-foot long dragon.

Other activities include martial art demonstrations, food vendors, and art exhibits.

The festival concludes with the firing of 100 ceremonial bombs with "good luck" rings contained inside the bombs.

Because the fesitval celebrates New Year according to the Chinese lunar calendar, the date of the parade is different each year.

Another interesting fact is that it has never rained during the parade, and has very seldom rained on the day of the parade.

[edit] Ellis Lake

The most memorable centerpeice of Marysville is Ellis Lake, a sparkling lake surrounded by lush greenery and sidewalks.

Ellis Lake was once an unsightly swamp. It wasn't until 1924 that the Women's Improvement Club of Marysville commissioned Robbie McLaren, famed designer of the Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, to turn the swamp into a beautiful lake. The project was completed in 1939.

The lake, named for Marysville citizen W.T. Ellis, Jr. offers a pleasant walk, picnic areas, fishing and pedal boats. For decades, Ellis Lake hosted a 4th of July celebration every year, an event that is composed throughout the day of power boat and cardboard boat races (youths build boats out of cardboard and duct tape, trying to cross the lake without sinking). An annual fireworks display was cancelled in 2004 after a young girl lost part of her leg due to a rogue firework shot from the island in the center of the lake into the gathered crowd. That year they had twice as many fireworks than usual, which made shooting the fireworks more difficult and dangerous. The lawsuit finally closed 11 months later when the California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection released a report stating that mortar shells burst low into the crowd onto the other side of the lake from Gazebo Island.

At the moment, the city is starting to build a restaurant and small shopping center at the southwest corner of the lake.

The lake is bounded by 9th street to the South, B Street to the East, 14th Street to the North and D Street to the West.