california history - California Historical Society

This 1885 view captures the sparsely populated ranch lands surrounding Mission San Buenaventura in Ventura County,where James Seymour Severance moved in the early 1870s to escape the influence of his Boston drinking companionsand where he established his sheep camp. In a letter addressing her son’s resolve to cure himself of alcoholism, Carolineappealed to his better nature: “You are too much of a man my dear S. and have too good a brain to be so idiotic.”California Historical Society/USC Special CollectionsJudging by several letters Seymour penned to hisfather whenever he could spare a moment, hewas clearly in his element. Seymour (who wouldlive to be ninety-four) found California’s brisk,sunny winters invigorating. “Warm weather willsoon make dust,” he wrote to T.C. from camp,“. . . but just now we are having quite cold nightsand mornings and the sun makes mid-day justabout perfect. This morning there was a whitefrost on the grass at camp and ice in our washbasin out-doors, the first time since I have beenthere. . . . There have been some heavy blows oflate in the valley and open country, but we feltthem only last Thursday night, when I thought itwould take my cabin down. But no snow or zeroweather, thank you!” And he enjoyed the rigors of“ranch life,” despite his mock complaints: “I letmy herder off for four days to attend to some ofhis own business, and had to play herder myself,besides cooking my own meals and getting woodand water. It is quite like work, I assure you,lighted by the herder’s return last evening.” 37After another busy spell, Seymour apologizedfor not having written more frequently: “I intendto get letters started, at least, in my cabin, to befinished up when I come to town, but it is justlambing time, and everything is on the jump.The wooly devils, as Sib calls them, are in threebands, and I seem to have done nothing the lastten days but drive and ride round from one campto another, looking after sheep, corrals, herders,supplies, etc. Up before sunrise and early to bed,with plenty of appetite for sleep.” 38“Sib” was his brother Mark Sibley, named forMark Hopkins Sibley, a New York state senatorwho was Caroline’s temporary guardian followingher father’s early death. A graduate ofHarvard College and a former assistant librarianat the U.S. Library of Congress in Washington,D.C., Sib had spent the summer of 1872 as apublicist with the U.S. Geographical Survey Westof the 100th Meridian, led by Lieutenant GeorgeMontague Wheeler. After encountering suchwonders as Native Americans, the Mormon faith,wine produced from mission grapes, the Grand1