Tacitus was born in Lafayette County, Missouri (not Laclede County, MO. That was an error that my mother made when giving his history to the author of the book on Arbuckle, CA) in 1834 to Rev. Cyrus and Diana Evans Arbuckle. He was the second of seven children. He spent the first 15 years in the family home in Henry County, MO and then went to live with his uncle and Great Uncle General Matthew Arbuckle on Arbuckle Island in Arkansas. At the age of 19 the news of gold in California caused him to travel west driving a herd of cattle or an oxen team and he traveled the southern route taking 6 months to reach California. He did some mining on the Russian River but soon left this to raise cattle. He also worked a butcher and spent some time in the silver fields of Virginia City, NV. On June 9, 1855 he married Amanda Melvina Tinker in Napa County, CA. They became the parents of 14 children. They purchased a stock ranch on Ranchirita Creek at the head of Anderson Valley in Mendocino County and lived there until 1866 when they purchased land in Colusa County, CA. When they first moved to Colusa County they had 160 acres but they later owned an interest in 7320 acres there. It was here that Tacitus learned the railroad was coming north and he offered his land for a depot and gave free nails to anyone who would buy a lot and build a home on land they purchased from him. Thus, the town of Arbuckle, CA was laid out and surveyed in 1875. Tacitus built a large livery stable and a public meeting hall with Post Office and dance hall. This all burned without insurance and he began to have financial trouble. It was then that he packed up his coon dogs and family and moved to a ranch just above Callahan in Scott Valley, Siskiyou County, California. He died there of a brain tumor at the age of 65 and is buried on the hillside above the ranch. This grave is just a glimpse away from the Old Oregon Trail, a trail that he had traveled most of his life as he pioneered the West so it seems a fitting resting place.