When local prospector and miner Nicholas W. Keith, a native of North Carolina, and a resident of the Sacramento River township, struck the mineral vein of the Shasta May Blossom, in 1900, he discovered that this mineral vein was hosted in a body of shale and rhyolite along with dense limonite which contained a lenticular ore body comprising of the following minerals: gold, silver, and copper. He then christened it as the Shasta May Blossom. The origin of the name is uncertain.
The Shasta May Blossom mine was situated upon First Creek in Sections 14 and 15, Township, 34 North, Range, 3 West, of the Mount Diablo Base and Meridian, near the town of Bully Hill, also known as Delamar and Winthrop, which was practically one mile north of Bully Hill, and inside the mining boundaries of the Pittsburg mining district. Presently, this mine lays abandoned under the water of Shasta Lake upon the Squaw Creek arm. On August 25, 1901, it was reported by the local media that Morton Lindley purchased the Keith copper group of mines, in the Pittsburg mining district from Nicholas W. Keith for an undisclosed amount of money. Included in this transaction was the Shasta May Blossom mine consisting of 300-acres of mineral land, at that time.
Above: a branch office of the Shasta May Blossom Copper Company Consolidated at Copper City, in Shasta County, California. Circa 1936.
It was Lindley who organized the Shasta May Blossom Copper Company Consolidated headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona, with a branch office of this mining enterprise located in the town of Copper City, as shown above. It's also referred to as the Shasta May Blossom Mining and Smelting Company, in various reports regarding this lucrative mining property. It was the Granite Creek Smelting and Refining Company, of Boston, Massachusetts, who became the parent company of this newly established mining enterprise with an initial capital stock of $10,000.00.
Lindley formerly resided and mined in Shasta County between the years 1889 and 1892, becoming well acquainted within our region. After his residency in Shasta County, California, he relocated east and became employed with the Granite Creek Smelting and Refining Company as their General Manager in Boston. During November of 1901, the first enhancement work began on this lucrative mining property. A local newspaper described the following events:
"Three men are now working in the Shasta May Blossom mine near Delamar. The prospect looks fine and is pronounced as being gossan carrying a white quartz. The tunnel is something over 100-feet. Many eyes are upon this property and to almost all miners here, things look mighty good. Morton Lindley is superintendent."
Above: the main adit of the Shasta May Blossom mine with a wooden portal. Circa 1900-1906.
The above column was the start of this mining enterprise driving an 800-foot incline shaft beneath the Earth’s surface on First Creek to its face. This incline shaft formed two upper tunnels as well as a third lower tunnel which they continued further developments in. Inside the upper tunnel was a ledge of minerals which presented itself to the miners who were extracting the ore from this site along the ribs of the mine, and this same ledge showed in the middle tunnel as well. This mining company continued extracting the ore from it and investigated it further.
The main adit of this mining property, as shown above, is situated on the east slope of the hill at an altitude of 1,250-feet according to record. It measured at 720-feet and thence due north for another 26-feet. Stulls were added along the ribs and backing of the tunnel to keep portions of this mine from collapsing. A method called gobbing, (or in layman terms: stacked rock) existed within the tunnels giving miners extra room inside each tunnel of this mine to work around the loose and major rock they couldn't haul out. At 320-feet from the portal a drift measuring to 120-feet existed. In this drift is an 18-foot vertical winze in which a small lens of ore was discovered to contain gold and silver which was documented by the mining company. A later report mentioned that there was an ore bin on the property and ore tracks as well with ore cars.
County reports also describe a second adit north of the main adit at an altitude of 1,350-feet which once existed, and another called the Porter tunnel, which trends west for 600-feet was actively mined on this mineral land as well. At 250-feet from this adit, a separate portal included a 100-foot raise in its tunnel which connected with the Earth's surface. An ore-shoot inside this mine measuring at 40-feet long and 4 to 6 feet wide existed as well. The raise of this tunnel was assayed once containing 6 percent copper and $8 in gold and silver to the ton. A third former adit was also dug out to 80-feet long containing cuts and a sulfide lens with measurements of 50-feet long and 8-feet wide. The sulfide lens contained the following minerals: pyrite and chalcopyrite.
Above: A map showing Sections 14 and 15, Township, 34 North, Range, 3 West, of the Mount Diablo Base and Meridian, near the town of Bully Hill, in Shasta County, California. Source: Cal Topo.
Morton Lindley was very pleased with the progress of his men at this lucrative mining site on First Creek. On October 9, 1903, the Free Press newspaper of Redding, heralded the following article within their publication stating:
"The first hole to be drilled by the new plant at the Shasta May Blossom mine near the famous Bully Hill mine was sent in Wednesday, and Morton Lindley, the general manager of the May Blossom was present to see the new machinery started up. The big air compressor and diamond drill is operated by the latest improved expansion air engine and the plant works to the entire satisfaction of the management. The force of men are now at work cutting a large tunnel 165 feet below the old workings and expect to encounter in the new tunnel the same big vein that was struck in the upper works. Developemnt thus far on the May Blossom shows the existence of an enormous body of high-grade copper ore, carrying a large percentage of gold. Mr. Lindley was in Redding Thursday and will return to the mine Friday." (SIC)
Early on, miners used lighted candles inside the Shasta May Blossom mine to see their way through their tunnels and to finish the work they needed to get done with. By December of 1903, this lucrative mining property on First Creek obtained its power which was furnished by a large air expansion engine on the property due to the mining enterprise not being able to secure power from the local power company to utilize electricity. Under Lindley's command newer adits were formed totaling to 2,000-feet upon the property with open cuts which existed by 1908, however, its production stopped that year, due to the discovery of chalcopyrite inside the mine forcing its production of ore to stop.
Above: the lucrative mining property of the Shasta May Blossom Copper Company Consolidated is shown here on First Creek. According to records this mining enterprise produced $1,000,000 in mineral production during their first five months of operation under Morton A. Lindley's lead. Later on, it was estimated that this mining enterprise was producing between $6,000 to $10,000 daily by the time this photo was taken. The Bully Hill smelter appears in the background. Date unknown. Source: California State Archives.
After a three-year closure the Shasta May Blossom Copper Company Consolidated reopened their lucrative mine upon First Creek in 1911, with a force of men numbered at 20, under the command of Superintendent, William Wright. They resumed hard rock mining once again while extracting gold, silver and copper from this mining property. On the outside of the Earth’s surface prospectors conducted probing activities in hopes of a striking additional veins for further development as well. Due to the start of the first World War on July 28, 1914, this company shut down all mining operations and became idled during the interim of the war years. During it’s closure at this mining property, it was guarded by a watchman named Benton A. Graham who was a resident, of Bully Hill, Graham was employed by its energetic owner Morton Lindley.
Four years later, the first World War ended on November 18, 1918, and the mining company returned their attention to this mining site that year. A change of ownership occurred in 1919, from Morton Lindley to J.B. Hughes, a resident of Winthrop, becoming the owner of this mining company. At that time, it was Shasta County Sheriff James L. Richardson and H.B. Ward, who made it difficult for the company to continue their mining production on this mining site due to Richardson and Ward who purportedly claimed to have purchased shares of stock within this mining company. Together they placed this property through litigation in court which was brought to suit by it’s rightful owner J.B. Hughes for a judgement of over $3,000 in the Superior Court of Shasta County, and to recover some of this mining property near Bully Hill from them which they claimed to own.
Then on, April 10, 1920, the mining case of the Shasta May Blossom Copper Company Consolidated Vs., James L. Richardson and H.B. Ward was settled as shown in the following column from a local media outlet. Richardson and Ward lost and J.B. Hughes won. See below...
Above: the Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, April 10, 1920.
In July of 1920 the mining property changed hands again to its new owner Albert J. Pickett. Then on, September 9, 1920, the new owner located six brand-new mining claims in the Pittsburg mining district on the Shasta May Blossom mining property called the Shasta May Blossom Numbers: 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9, South Extensions which were immediately recorded with the county recorder's office that day at Redding, which added to the lucrative mining claims on the property.
The Shasta May Copper Company Consolidated brought in powerful diamond drills and sunk a hole to a depth of 170-feet, while continuing it’s ore production here. New core samples were extracted and assayed as well during this time period. Another tunnel on the property called the Porter tunnel was also placed into production. Sporadic mining activities took place after March 1921, due to legal battles within the Supreme Court, over the mining property.
Most records were not preserved by this mining company. Eventually, their mining property grew larger in 1923, with George G. Dean locating 29 brand-new mining claims for Albert J. Pickett for the Shasta May Blossom Copper Company Consolidated as shown below:
Above: the Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, March 30, 1923.
Apparently, the Shasta May Blossom Copper Company Consolidated passed into the ownership of Albert J. Pickett who filed a million-dollar lawsuit against the former owner, J.B. Hughes in the Shasta County Superior Court due to Pickett having to relocate several or more missing mining claims within in this lucrative mining property, which were either purportedly destroyed or plugged by Hughes and his employees. For years this mineral land was held up in litigation by the court system from further production until a new owner took control.
The mine changed ownership again about 1926 to J.W. Marshall. Work resumed on the property by the company’s guard Benton A. Graham who completed work for Marshall at this mining property which was recorded in proof of labor reports filed with the county recorder's office at Redding, which Graham contributed for his employer as well.
By 1927, Benton A. Graham was still employed with the Shasta May Blossom Copper Company Consolidated as their watchman according to local media reports. Sporadic mining was completed upon this mining property by Graham. By the start of World War II on September 1, 1939, it was forced to close down again due to our country being at war. This lucrative mine’s demise was due to the construction of Shasta Dam between the years 1938 and 1945. In 1942, the United States Bureau of Reclamation began flooding the newly established reservoir for Shasta Lake, World War II ended on September 2, 1945, and this mining property currently remains under water to this day.
Resources:
1900 U.S. Census
Morton Lindley Gets Keith Copper Group - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, August 23, 1901
Boston Men Bond Keith Group - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, August 24, 1901
The Shasta May Blossom - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, November 1, 1901
The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, November 25, 1901
Shasta May Blossom Like the Bully Hill - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, February 1, 1902
After More Mines About Bully Hill - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, May 8, 1902
Work at the Shasta May Blossom– The Daily Free Press, Thursday, July 24, 1902
Aubury, Lewis E. The copper resources of California: California Mining Bureau Bulletin 23: 65. , 1902
How Copper Is Produced in Shasta County, Northern California, published by the Shasta May Blossom Copper Company Consolidated by the Standard Investment Company of San Francisco, California. Copyright 1902.
State Treasurer Visits Mines - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, April 25, 1903
First Hole Drilled on May Blossom - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, October 9, 1903
Preparing For Extensive Work - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, December 30, 1903
Robert McDermott Dead - The Chico Record newspaper of Chico, March 27, 1909
The geology and ore deposits of the Bully
Hill mining district, California by A.C. Boye. Am. Inst. Mining Engineers Bull. 85, p. 57-105. Copyright 1914.
Morton Lindley, Who Opened the Mammoth Mine in Shasta County, Dies in San Francisco - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, April 23, 1915
Attached the Shasta May Blossom Mine - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, July 8, 1916
Shasta May Blossom Mine Is a Shasta County Daisy - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, March 2, 1917
Mines and Mineral Resources of Shasta County, Siskiyou County, and Trinity County, by G. Chester Brown, ©1915 published by California State Printing Office.
Notice of Sale of Real Property Under Execution - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, December 12, 1919
Coroner Larkin Made Sheriff - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, December 21, 1919
The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, January 1, 1920
Forbidden to Sell Shasta May Blossom - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, March 21, 1920
Mining Claim Suit to Begin All Over Thru Restraining Order - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, March 23, 1920
Mining Case Settled - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, April 10, 1920
The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, April 15, 1920
Locates Nine Mines - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, July 30, 1920
More Blossoms - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, September 9, 1920
Million Dollar Suit Is Filed - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, June 28, 1923
Mining Man Dies from Fall - The Blue Lake Advocate newspaper of Blue Lake, April 19, 1924.
The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, September 27, 1924
Files Twenty-Nine Location Notices - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, March 30, 1930
On Shasta May Blossom - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, July 1, 1926
The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, May 5, 1927
Mines and Mineral Resources of Shasta County, California – County Report 6 – by Philip A. Lydon and J.C. O’ Brien ©1974 by California Division of Mines and Geology
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