Excerpts from History of
Placer and Nevada County
1924 Lardner and Brock
pages 879-881
. . .born in Franklin, County, Mo, February 11, 1822. . . .he and his brother served in the Mexican War. He was married to Sally A. Woodland, who was born in Louisville, Ky.
In the early spring of 1850, a covered wagon train drawn by mules and oxen left Independence, Mo. bound for the gold fields of California. . .in the party were Perry Richardson, 28; his wife, nineteen; his brother Straud; Robert Woodland, his brother-in-law, sixteen and and Henry Beatty, sixteen, his nephew. They had many narrow escapes in their encounters with the Indians. . . and suffered many privations before reaching their goal.
They had to lighten the load of their poor animals to rush through a fatal epidemic of cholera, their fear greatly magnified. . .by the fresh graves along the trial. However, there was not a single death in the whole train.
The train broke up in Utah, going in different directions. Richardson’s party headed straight for California. . .they were now feeling the pangs of hunger because of provision left behind. The hope of soon approaching a trading station kept up their courage. . . when at the very point of starvation they found the station (now Dayton) abandoned. . .they soon came upon comrades in a covered wagons and were able to secure enough food to sustain them while crossing the summit of the Sierras. . .
After all the adventures of that historical trip, they arrived in Hangtown, now Placerville. . .
Their party arrived in Sacramento "broke" on Sept. 1, and pitched their tent at what is now known as Seventh and J, the principal street. That evening he took a walk down the line and glancing through a door, he saw a young fellow soldier from the Mexican War dealing faro. He owed Richard $120. He walked into the room and was warmly greeted. All kinds of money was on the table. He told his friend if he would let him have $60.00 he would call it square . . .Before leaving Sacramento for the mines, he had a wonderful offer and always said he turned down the opportunity of a lifetime. A man who owned all of the Livermore Valley and ranged thousands of head of cattle offered him half of the lay-out if he would go there and manage them; but he was bent on the mines and nothing could turn him. . . .they located in a mining camp at Rose’s Bar on the Yuba River, Yuba Co. where he soon found out he was not a miner. He and his brother conducted a store and hotel there, where they bought gold dust making a good stake.
. . .in 1852 he bought a fine ranch at Kemptons Crossing on the Bear River, Sutter County, below Wheatland called a garden spot. . in 1856 he bought the Oak Grove Ranch in Timbuctoo near Smartsville, Yuba County, now the Sanford place, where they ran a dairy. . .besides having range cattle.
In 1862 he and his brother bought a very rich mine in Mexico. He took his family to San Francisco where they took the steamer for Matzatlan, the family remaining there. They invested $40,000 in preparatory work, but were forced to abandon their holdings, owing to a great Mexican disturbance, making it unsafe to even live there. They came back to the ranch in Sutter County, but by that time the debris from the hydraulic mines was making its appearance. He sold out. . .and bought the famous Cox and Quinn Ranch on Coon Creek, Placer County, where he moved his family in July, 1864. This was his last move. The house was a show place and also a lively stage station for Marysville, Grass Valley, Auburn and Sacramento. Lotta Crabtree sang and danced there. . .the ranch was of very small acreage when he bought I, but he accumulated land all around him, aggregating 6000 acres. He had a find range in the mountains at Weber Lake and Sierra Valley, and his property line ran through the middle of Weber Lake. . . he was extensively engaged in the sheep and cattle business, giving most of his attention to sheep. Robert Woodland, his brother-in-law was his foreman. Mr. Richardson had the distinction of taking the first band of sheep over the summit, breaking through the snow.
Sally Richardson died in April, 1875. Perry Richardson was a Mason, a staunch Jeffersonian Democrat, a politician but not an office holder.
Twelve children were born to them, of whom six survived. Lucy A. Rains, Sheridan; W. J. Richardson, deceased; G. B., Richardson, of Roseville; T. J. Richardson of Taft; Robert H Richardson of Tehama; and Mattie R. Wiswell of Lincoln, who owns and conducts the old home place being in the stock business. The original house was destroyed by fire in 1890. There are seven grandchildren; Oliver Perry and Helen, children of G. B. Richardson; Edward R. and J. W.
Jr; sons of Lucy A. Rains; Walter R., Merle H., and Lucile E Kahl, children of Mattie R. Wiswell. and five great grandchilden: Camille, daughter of J. W. Rains, Jr.; Robert W., Mary Louise and Marie Lucile, children of Walter R. Wiswell of Lincoln, Cal.; and Leonard Perry Kahl, son of Lucile, E. Kahl who live in Sacramento.