DUNNIGAN, CA. (ANTELOPE)
As Compiled by Nancy Hatcher McCullough
02/96
The first settlers in the Antelope (Dunnigan) area were John Wilson and J. S. Copp
who moved here when flood waters from the Sacramento River to the east forced them
to leave in 1852. In October of 1853, Anthony Wayne Dunnigan came to the area and
settled on 700 acres he named the Dunnigan Ranch, known today as the Decker/Allen
place. In the same time period many other early settlers began to arrive in the
small settlement. In 1855 Mr. Dunnigan built a hotel known as the Dunnigan House on
what would later be Main and Railroad Streets. At the same time Mr. Dunnigan build
a large barn that became the Antelope Stage Depot (1855); the stage made daily runs
between Knights Landing and Colusa on what was known as "Tule Road", carrying passengers,
cargo and the mail. The Dunnigan House (hotel) would accommodate the food and rest
need of the passengers. The stage depot/barn was torn down about 1945 to make way
for "modern day farming" and the hotel was occupied until it was destroyed by fire
in the mid-1950's.
The next ten to fifteen years was a time of rapid growth for the settlement of Antelope:
George Lewis built the first general store, later owned by William Earll; Joe Gray
opened a saloon; Z.T. Haines started a drug and notion store which was later inherited
by G. W. Gray; another building owned by Mr. Dunnigan was known as the Lodge Hall
which he rented to various organizations, The Grange, I.O.O.F., Good Templars, United
Workmen and others of that period; James Johns opened a meat market and from his home
ranch on Johns School Road in Colusa County, brought fresh meat each day that was cut
and prepared the night before; Tom Mitchell and Henry Yarick owned and operated a
blacksmith shop on the south side of Main Street just west of First Street; a couple
of other saloons and a barber shop were opened and four homes were completed, two of
these historic homes are still here today and are an asset to Dunnigan. The Antelope
Brick Yard was about two miles north of the settlement on Buckeye Creek, so bricks for
foundations and buildings were always available. In the late 1860's a school was
located on the George Lewis property now the Fletcher ranch; a new and larger school
was constructed near the older one in the 1890's, this one having nine grades. A
large grain warehouse was owner and operated by William Earll, later owned by Ward
Hunt and now Adams Grain.
In 1876 the Northern Railway later known as the Southern Pacific Railroad, completed
its roadbed through the community and the Antelope Stage Depot became the railway
station with Burnell Wilkerson being the first depot agent. On November 1, 1876
the community of Antelope became the Town of Dunnigan and the Town Plat was recorded
at the Yolo County Seat at 3:00 P.M. in Book V, page 98 of the Yolo County Records.
A church was completed in 1894 and was called the Dunnigan Community Church.
The land was donated by Mrs. Kate Laugenour, an early resident of Dunnigan, and the
contractors were the Gruing Brothers of Knights Landing and the builder was Marsh Peart
of College City. The architectural lines are of a transitional style popular at that
time in the western United States, it resembled churches built in New England during
that period. At some time in the late 1960's, a group of interested persons worked on
having the church designated as a historical site either locally or statewide.
In the early 1900's a company called the Yolo Hardwood Subdivision I, II, III and so on,
planted eucalyptus trees on large tracts of land northwest of Dunnigan with the intention
of making furniture with the wood. Surprise! They found out the furniture should have
been made the day the wood was cut! As a result of this failed venture, most of the
land and trees were abandoned. Then in the 1930's along came the "Dust Bowl" refugees
in search of anywhere to call home, many of them settled in the hardwoods, building
shelters with whatever was available to give their families a home. As the economy
improved, many of these people were able to own the land by paying the back taxes
and others just stayed and claimed the land as theirs. After World War II, several
people from the Bay Area purchased hardwood lots (again, many for just the back taxes)
to build their retirement homes. Some of those people and/or their families are still
there today.
The first Dunnigan Fire Truck was purchased in 1926-27 and Bill Morris was hired as the
driver/fire fighter/maintenance man and a small tin building was constructed to house
the new truck. The Dunnigan Volunteer Fire Department Was formed in 1941 with John Case
as Fire Chief, driver and maintenance man with a salary of $100.00 for three months in
the summer during fire season. The Dunnigan Volunteer Fire Department has had many
changes since its beginning: Today, there are 25 active non-paid Volunteer Fire Fighters,
6 fire/emergency vehicles-adequate but old-the newest engine being a 1978 model.
A large percentage of calls are now medical-aid, both local and freeway/business related.
The hill grain fires during the summer are not very common today, but there are several
freeway related grass fires.
On an old copy of a hand drawn plat map there are seven streets and perhaps, one or two
more not shown, that make up the 1876 recorded Town of Dunnigan. This small community
has so much history being one of the early settlements in what is now Yolo County; the
information above just touches on that historic value.
Dunhstry.2/96
By Nancy Hatcher McCullough
