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- Pen Pictures of Our Representative Men
By Hugh J. Mohan, E.H. Clough, John Paul Cosgrave
Hon. John S.P. Bass
That was an awakening light which shone upon the fair acres of old Missouri and showed the poor farmer a broad pathway across the prairies to the fertile valleys of the Golden State; it shone upon grassy and fir timbered slopes where the lowing cow could chew her cud; sometimes, however, at the risk of the grizzly which stood in a fair way of chewing the cow and cud together. Be that as it may, however, the news of the discovery of gold drew to the pacific coast some of the most enterprising spirits of the far West. The steady going, sober minded, unambitious mechanic or farmer could not be tempted to brave the dangers of a long sea voyage or the wearisome tramp across the dusty prairie. The opening of the new world of the farther West was not left for these to accomplish; it was the young man, light of heart, strong of purpose, and brave of soul, that dared to face all these dangers of the unknown world, and give the best years of his life to the building up of this great State. Among the many we are pleased to inscribe the name of the Hon. J.S.P. Bass, at present Assemblyman from Shasta County. Mr. Bass was born in Boone County, Missouri, fifty-eight years ago, and was educated as a farmer. He arrived in California in 1849 ?over the Plains? and after trying his fortune at mining for two years settled down in to a pursuit which, in the long run, is the only one that perpetuates the prosperity of a country, and that is farming. Since 1851 he has been engaged in that occupation, and had thus far proved that he is possessed of great ?staying? qualities. He has always been a Democrat, and has resisted all inducements to swerve from his allegiance and affiliate with any of the bastard parties, such as the Dolly Vardens and the Workingmen. He never sought an office and never held one before, and we may add that he accepted with reluctance the nomination for the present high position he so honorably fills. Mr. Bass is a married man and a good citizen. He has proved himself to be a faithful legislator, true to the people on all questions, and true to the Democracy on party questions. He is a useful member of the Committees on Agriculture, Mining, and Mechanics? Arts College.
Weekly Searchlight, Redding, California, 7 December 1909
Death Claims Shasta?s Most Beloved Pioneer
J.S.P. Bass Died Sunday Morning in Chico At The Age of 88 Years
J.S.P. Bass, Shasta County?s oldest and most beloved pioneer, died in Chico at 3 o?clock Sunday morning in the home of his daughter, Mrs. Mary B. Walker. The pioneer suffered a stroke of paralysis last Thursday and his great age of nearly 89 years was a warning that the end was approaching.
Though entirely helpless on the left side, Mr. Bass retained his senses and in a measure the power of speech. When his sons, Herbert Bass and Seymour Bass, of this county, arrived at the bedside Friday, their father recognized them. His mind was so clear and so much at ease that he even enquired of his elder son to learn how the Heroult iron smelter was doing and what showing was being made in the Bella Vista oil well, enterprises in which he was interested. Death came Sunday morning without a struggle. Surrounded by those dearest to him, the pioneer dropped off quietly into the sleep from which there is no awakening in this world.
The body was brought to Redding Sunday evening and put in the care of the T.J. Houston Undertaking Company. The funeral will be held at 2 o?clock Wednesday afternoon from the Methodist church, of which the decedent was a member. Burial will be made in the Redding cemetery by the side of the wife who died in 1906.
J.S.P. Bass was born in the State of Missouri February 2, 1821, making his age 88 years 9 months and 22 days. He came across the plains in the rush of 1849 and settled at Hangtown, now Placerville, where he mined for a year or two. That was the day when a miner was limited to a claim fifteen feet square. Mr. Bass came to Shasta County in 1851 and settled in Shasta, the one of the most stirring mining camps in the State, and for a while operated a pack train between Shasta and Yreka.
Mr. Bass was twice married. His first wife died in Missouri before he came to California. They had one daughter, who is now Mrs. Day Dunning, living in Burbank. Mrs. James Bradley, living in Shasta in the earliest days, was made a widow when her husband was slain in a battled with the Indians. She had one son, who is now Otho R. Bradley, a blacksmith living in Santa Cruz.
Mr. Bass and Mrs. Bradley were married in Shasta October 26, 1852, and for forty-eight years, or until her death in 1900, the lived happily together. Herbert Bass, their first son, now the Montgomery Creek merchant, was the second white child born in Shasta County. Other children of the pioneer couple are Seymour Bass, foreman of the United fishery at Baird; Miss Caro Bass, living in Chico, and Mrs. Mary B. Walker, in whose home in Chico the pioneer passed away.
In 1853 Mr. Bass bought the farm on Stillwater which for over half a century has been known as the ?Bass place?, and a famous stopping place in the days of the stage coach. There he and his wife lived for nearly fifty years.
The pioneer endured great hardships in the early days and took an active part in several engagements with the Indians in the days when the redskins fought with bow and arrow and the tomahawk. In a table near the town of Shasta he was hit in the breast by an arrow. He plucked out the point and went on fighting.
The pioneer was always a Democrat. He was elected to the Legislature in 1880, but he seldom sought political honors, though he served one term as supervisor. He died not belong to any fraternal order. He was a member of the Methodist church.
The death of Mr. Bass recalls the fact that it was his horse which Joaquin Miller, the poet, stole in the early days. Miller was indicted by the Grand Jury and was locked up in the county jail, but he escaped and was never prosecuted.
There was no more upright citizen in Shasta County than J.S.P. Bass. He was honorable in his business dealings and could brook no deceit in anyone with whom he came in contact. He was of a kind disposition and was always ready to help the needy and relieve the suffering. His life in Shasta County was an open book and not a single page of it bears a blot. His influence was always for better citizenship. He took a deep interest in politics and was patriotic to the very core.
A few years ago, the pioneer, knowing that according to the laws of nature he would not live many years more, placed his business affairs in the hands of his older son, Herbert Bass. He was then prepared to spend hi last days in peace and comfort, waiting of the final summons that came so quietly in Chico Sunday morning.
The Grizzly Bear, January, 1910
J.S.P. Bass
J.S.P. Bass, Shasta county?s oldest Pioneer, passed away at Chico, December 5th, at the age of 88. Deceased came across the plains in the rush of ?49 and settled at Hangtown, now Placerville, and mined there for a year or two. In 1851 he went to the old town of Shasta and operated a pack train between that camp and Yreka. In 1853 he purchased a farm in Shasta county, on which he lived up to three years ago. Bass engaged in several battles with Indians on Pit River and near Shasta in the old days when the redskins fought with bows, arrows and tomahawks, and once received the point of an arrow in his breast, in a battle near Shasta, but pulled out the arrow and went on fighting. In 1852, Bass married a Mrs. James Bradley, whose husband had bell killed by Indians, and their first child was the second white child born in Shasta county. In 1880, deceased represented Shasta county in the State Legislature.
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Bassett Family Association Database
1821 - 1909 (88 years)