Amos P. Catlin

Amos P. Catlin, a young New York attorney, sailed to California in 1849 to mine for gold and practice law. He settled at Mormon Island and established the Natoma Mining Company. In 1851, Amos organized the Natoma Water Company to build a dam on the South Fork of the American River, above Salmon Falls, and then run a water ditch down to the Folsom region. Amos also managed the construction of the North Fork Ditch on the North Fork of the American River. Remnants of both of these important Gold Rush era water projects can be seen when Folsom Lake water levels are low.
In 1852, Amos was elected to the California Senate as a member of the Whig party. He wrote the legislation to relocate California's Capital from Benicia to Sacramento in 1854. The permanent move of California's Capital to Sacramento forever changed the city and kept it on the map as a destination for decades to come.
Amos was an investor, director, and promoter of both the Sacramento Valley and California Central railroads. Parts of the of old California Central Railroad are preserved as important streets such as Greenback Lane. Amos formed a close friendship with Theodore Judah and was involved in Judah's early survey work for a Pacific Railroad.
Gold mining, railroads, and water ditch construction was not Amos' true passion. He loved studying and practicing law. In 1863, Amos traveled to Washington, D.C. to defend the original map of the Leidesdorff land grant map before the U.S. Supreme Court. With a favorable decision from the Supreme Court, Amos' law career was set.
The town of Folsom was Amos' home for many years. When he had the opportunity in 1856, Amos purchased several blocks in Folsom. Eventually, Amos would move to Sacramento where he became a highly esteemed attorney and counselor to Sacramento City and County. His legal opinion that a proposed ordinance to evict Chinese people from Sacramento City limits was unconstitutional sank the proposal.
Amos was elected a Sacramento Superior Court Judge in 1890. Public opinion would turn against Judge Amos after he ruled that Charles K. McClatchy, editor of the The Sacramento Bee, to be in contempt of court regarding stories involving a divorce case. Judge Amos lost his reelection bid in 1896, but continued to practice law until he died in November of 1900.
The biography of Amos P. Catlin was developed using Catlin family letters from the early 1850s, documents and letters on file at the Bancroft and California State libraries, along with maps, and hundreds of newspaper stories that mention Amos P. Catlin in California.