The Shasta Catholic Cemetery at Shasta, established 1855.

A state park sign marking the restoration of the historic Shasta Catholic Cemetery. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on April 28, 2016.

In 1855, a Catholic Cemetery was established at Shasta. This cemetery is located on the hillside above the Pioneer Union Cemetery. Today, its known as the Shasta Catholic Cemetery. Sadly, the cemetery fell into disrepair and vandals continued vandalizing the head stones well into the 1980s. Under the direction of the California State Parks in 2005, this cemetery was cleaned up and restored. A black gate was placed around its perimeter complete with a lock. This locked gate helps prevent further vandalism to the headstones of the early Shasta pioneers who are buried here with their families.

Among those people buried here is a German immigrant by the name of Henry Blumb. Blumb arrived in California by the way of Panama in 1854 and he settled at Shasta during the latter part of the 1850s. At Shasta Blumb was naturalized as an American citizen on January 22, 1859, by the District Court of Shasta County. During the following year he married his wife Mary Garrecht, also of German descent. 

In 1878, Henry Blumb acquired a building along Main Street at the corner of Boell Alley which formerly housed the U.S. Bakery, established in 1859 by Charles Boell who the alley way is named for. After Blumb bought it, he renovated it and turned it into a thriving saloon and bakery. He operated it until he had a stroke in 1918. Blumb died in 1924. His wife Mary preceded him in death in 1919, and is buried next to him.

An Irish immigrant by the name of Patrick Mullee, and his wife Ann, were residing at Iowa County, Wisconsin in 1850. This is where was Patrick Mullee was naturalized as an American citizen on October 28, 1850 in the Circuit Court of Iowa County. At a later date, Mullee relocated his family from Iowa County, Wisconsin to California where they settled at Churntown, in Shasta County, and he became a merchant who owned his own store. 

Churntown was one of the original 1849 gold mining communities of Shasta County. Mullee is recorded on the 1867 Great Register of Shasta County, but this document misspells his surname as Mulee. Three years later, Mullee became a miner according to the 1870 U.S. Census. The 1870 U.S. Census notes that Patrick Mullee was age 55, Ann was noted at the same age, and their daughter Winnifred was age 20. 

At that time, the Mullee's were residing at the community of Stillwater. Patrick Mullee died at Churntown and his remains were brought to Shasta where he was interred into this cemetery. Ann Mullee survived her husband by another 16 years before she died on April 5, 1892, eventually she was interred into this cemetery as well.

Another pioneer by the name of Theobald Garrecht  (D. April 18, 1875) was a native of Offenbach by Landau, Rheinptaltz (Bavaria). Garrecht departed his native country in 1860 and he arrived in the United States of America. In America, Garrecht, ventured towards the West Coast and settled at Shasta, California, that year. Garrecht was employed as a saloon keeper. Theobald married a woman named Catherine.

Five years later, tragedy struck the Garrecht family when Theobald & Catherine’s daughter, Apollonia (Garrecht) Wentz died on December 21, 1865. She wasn’t buried in the Shasta Catholic Cemetery. Her remains ended up being interred in the Shasta Masonic Cemetery located on Muletown Road just south-west of Shasta. Apollonia married Henry Wentz. The following year, Theobald Garrecht was naturalized as an American citizen in the District Court of Shasta County at Shasta on May 14, 1866. He then registered to vote in July of that year. In 1870, the pioneer was still employed as a saloon keeper, he and his wife Catherine were living in the home of their son Lorenz Garrecht, a prominent Shasta butcher.

There are many other notable Shastan’s who are buried in this historic cemetery. According to my research the last recorded interment in this cemetery was that of James Stephen Coughlin Sr., in 1936. At different times the Shasta State Historic Park offers cemetery tours of both the Shasta Catholic and the Pioneer Union Cemetery, explore it when you can.

L-R: The headstones of Patrick Mullee (D. September 1, 1876) and Ann Mullee (D. April 5, 1892). This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on April 28, 2016.

Above: In Memory of Theobald Garrecht. Died April 18, 1875. Catherine Garrecht died December 13, 1870. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on April 28, 2016.

Above: the headstone of James Smith who died February 23, 1862. Smith was a native of Parrish of Lava, County of Cavin, Ireland. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on April 28, 2016.

RESOURCES:

REPORT  of the Proceedings of the Board Of Supervisors, For May Term 1855 - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, June 9, 1855

1867 California Voters Registration

1870 U.S. Census

1873 Great Register of Shasta County 

The Shasta Courier, Saturday, April 24, 1875 Theobald Garrecht obituary

The Shasta Courier, Saturday, September 23, 1876 Patrick Mullee death notice.

The Blumb Bakery, a publication by Shasta State Historic Park

Shasta County, California A History by Rosena Giles, published by Biobooks, ©1949

Shasta: The Queen City by Mabel Moores Frisbie and Jean Moores Beauchamp, published by the California Historical Society, © 1973

The Bates Family Pioneer Cemetery

This granite marker which is visible from the roadside is in the historic Bates Family Pioneer Cemetery. This historic cemetery was rededicated in 2012 by the Millville Historical Society. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on June 23, 2018.

This small and oft-forgotten cemetery is located in the Enterprise area of the Redding city limits. The Bates Family Pioneer Cemetery is located on Rancho Road, and since it’s establishment in 1878, it become the target of vandalism and blight. Today, only a few of the original burial markers remain in this historic cemetery.

The Bates Family Pioneer Cemetery is within the boundaries of the Millville Cemetery District. A granite marker with a 2010 date etched into it was donated to the Millville Historical Society by the Allen and Dahl Funeral Chapel of Redding. Then in October of 2012, the pioneer cemetery was cleaned up and rededicated by revealing the new granite marker which lists the names, birth and death dates of the individuals buried in this cemetery. The Millville Historical Society celebrated in grand style with a potluck and special appearances from the Shasta County Board of Supervisors. The descendants of Salem Bates and his wife Rebecca (Horton) Bates were also in attendance that day.

The first recorded burial in this cemetery is that of Dan Bates who died as an infant child on March 3, 1878, his death remains a mystery to me. He was a son of A.S. Bates and Sophia (Keefer) Bates who are buried in Colusa County, and during my research I didn’t find any relation between them and the Salem Bates family. It appears the A.S. Bates family were passing through the area heading south when their baby boy died.

Salem Bates and Rebecca (Horton) Bates were both natives of Vermont. They were married in the town of West Haven in 1832. They became the parents of four children, two boys and two girls, which were born between 1835-1844, respectively.

Salem Bates led an estrange life. A search for him in the 1870 U.S. Census yielded no results, yet his wife Rebecca is noted as living with her son Hiram F. A. Baker in Hartford, Ohio, that year. Hiram was a working as a farmer and his mother was unemployed, but she kept house. Salem Bates last appeared in the 1860 U.S. Census living at Putah in Yolo County. His occupation was noted as a farmer. He boarded with a man named Benjamin White. There were no other family members who were documented as living with him in California at that time.

Once again, another search for Salem Bates in the Shasta County Great Register of 1879 yielded no results. With this register lacking Bates’ name it suggests that the Bates family arrived in Shasta County sometime after the register was taken or in the early weeks of January 1880. The earliest record I located the Bates family on is the U.S. Census Mortality Schedules 1850-1880 for Hiram F.A. Baker and his mother Rebecca (Horton) Bates, available on Ancestry.com

Upon their arrival in Shasta County, tragedy struck the Salem Bates family when his son died of heart disease at the age of forty-four, on January 10, 1880. Hiram was soon interred into this cemetery. Eighteen days later, Salem’s wife Rebecca (Horton) Bates died on January 28, 1880, of the same complication as her son. She was interred here as well. After the deaths of his wife and son, Salem Bates settled in township number six of Shasta County, working as a laborer at the age of 70. According to the 1880 U.S. Census, Bates was boarding with the family of John Thompson.

Thompson was a 52-year-old broom maker. He was married and had at least two children of his own to provide for. Five years later Salem Bates is living on his own in Pacheco and working as a farmer. He died on March 9, 1894, and he was interred into this cemetery, near his wife. Eventually, additional interments were made in the Bates Family Pioneer Cemetery through the years. The last interment to be made into this cemetery was that of Earl Stenerson in 1936.

  

   

A fence surrounds the perimeter of the Bates Family Pioneer Cemetery on Rancho Road, to keep people out. The cemetery is on private property. All photographs taken with permission. Parking is limited. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on June 23, 2018.

Above: fallen headstones covered by plants, weeds and dry grass. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on June 23, 2018.

Above: the fallen headstone of Rebecca (Horton) Bates. The wife of Salem Bates. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on June 23, 2018.

Above: a faded burial marker within the cemetery. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on June 23, 2018.

Above: an unknown burial that is fenced off inside the cemetery. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on June 23, 2018.

RESOURCES:

1860 U.S. Census

1870 U.S. Census

U.S. Census Mortality Schedules 1850-1880 for Rebecca (Horton) Bates (Ancestry.com)

1879 Shasta County Great Register. (No mention of Salem Bates.)

1880 U.S. Census

1885 California Voters Registration

Millville Historical Society Gives Bates Cemetery New Life - East Valley Times newspaper, October 17, 2012.

Shasta County Resources

The International Order of Odd Fellows Building at Redding

The International Order of Odd Fellows hall with wagon's and buggies in front of it. (Public domain.) 

In 1888, the International Order Of Odd Fellows, Reading Lodge No. 271, at Redding had a two-story brick building constructed by carpenters Farhner & Herron, at the present site of 1445 Butte Street. The Holt & Gregg Company was awarded the contract to do the brick work. Construction costs exceeded over $14,000. The Odd Fellows and other fraternal organizations still use this building. 

The common name for this lodging house style of architecture is Italianate style, and the building was designed by A.A. Cook. The upstairs included a spectacular lodge room 30 x 47 feet, with a raised platform four feet wide around the hall. The building included ventilation and lighting. The ground floor of the building included three stores.

Once the building was completed that year, they were able to remove their possessions from the Good Templars hall which is where they previously met, also located on Market Street, that building was built in 1877 and it was destroyed by fire in July of 1890. The Redding branch of the I.O.O.F., was established in Redding as the International Order of Odd Fellows, Reading Lodge, No. 271. This lodge was commissioned to organize by F.P. Dann and Thomas Burton Smith on February 20, 1878 at Redding. Then on March 6, 1878, the lodge was instituted by Smith.

The Odd Fellows was a fraternal organization who assisted in helping others during times of distress  and sickness. The Odd Fellows offered help to men who wanted to improve their life and character. Drinking was prohibited while being a member of this society. They assisted in burying the dead as well.

L-R: Redding Odd Fellow founder Thomas Burton Smith (1844-1919) and his wife Martha (McFarlin) Smith (1851-1941). Martha (McFarlin) Smith was my paternal great-great-great-great aunt. Martha was a member of the Daughters of the Rebekahs, a branch of the I.O.O.F., for women. This photograph is from the collection of Jeremy Tuggle.

RESOURCES:

History and Business Directory - Shasta County - 1881 by B.F. Frank and H.W. Chappell. Redding Independent Book and Job Printing House, Redding, California, ©1881.

Certificate of Organization – I.O.O.F. Reading Lodge 271

I.O.O.F. Hall – The Republican Free Press, Saturday, April 28, 1888

BIG BLAZE – The Free Press, Saturday, July 19, 1890

Redding The First Hundred Years by Edward Peterson, ©1972, page 16. Printed by

Historic Structures - Compiled by the Department of Planning & Community Development, April 1986

International Order of Odd Fellows Building by Shasta Historical Society

The El Dorado mine on Mill Creek

   

The entrance to the El Dorado mine along Mill Creek. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on April 15, 2015.

The El Dorado mine is located along Mill Creek in the Tower House Historic District, which is included in the boundaries of the French Gulch Mining District. A prospector by the name of William Paul, a native of England, located this mine in 1885. That year, Paul dug a 500 foot shaft on his property and he began toiling away in it in hopes of striking valuable ore. Since it was located the mine yielded lucrative results during its production of ore.

   

According to W.B. Tucker, a mining engineer, the El Dorado mine was actively producing between the years 1912 and 1919, the ore was free milling. During the interim, in November of 1915, this mine was yielding $40 per day, while a man by the surname of Connor owned and operated it. He was busy improving the mining property with new developments. 

  

At that time, the El Dorado mine included several tunnels on the property and a two-stamp mill which was in operation 24 hours a day. When the rock was crushed at the stamp mill, the ore was collected and it was alloyed together using mercury. A brick valued at $400 was the final result of Connor’s clean up that month. 

   

It wasn’t a major producer of gold but it was a relevant mine. Production notes state that during these years the mine produced a total of $25,000. This mining property consisted of 40 acres of land which was patented. Then in, 1967 the National Park Service purchased this mining property from a man named Frank Bickford.  

   

Many relics were preserved at the mining site by the National Park Service which are original to the property and were used in the mine. Old long tom's, ore cars, sluice boxes, gold pans and other equipment are locked inside the tool shed and scattered around the bunk house at this mining site. The stamp mill remains there today as well as a quartz crusher that was used. It's an easy .03 miles to the El Dorado mine on the Mill Creek Trail near the historic Camden House for those with children.  

Aditional pics:

The Stamp mill. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on April 15, 2015.

Ore cars, long tom's and sluice boxes mixed with other equipment is visible at the El Dorado mine. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on April 15, 2015.

Mining equipment with pipe and bricks are located at the El Dorado mining site. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on April 15, 2015.

A rocky staircase leading up a slope at the El Dorado mine. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on April 15, 2015.

A quartz crusher beside the tool shed at the El Dorado mine. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on April 15, 2015.

RESOURCES:

Mining In California, January 1922, published by California State Bureau. District Reports of Mining Engineers by W.B. Tucker. Page 405

Trail Guide: Clear Creek Vista Trail by National Park Service, Whiskeytown National Recreation Area

Sketches of Levi and Charles, Tower House Historic District: A Field Trip Journal Teacher’s Edition.” National Park Service

Small Quartz Mill Averages $40 Daily - The Sacramento Union newspaper, November 22, 1915 

https://www.mindat.org/loc-92585.html

The Historic County Jail at Anderson

The historic county jail at Anderson. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on May 13, 2018.

Located on Freeman Street in the City of Anderson is this jail, which dates back to 1910. The jail was used as a drunk tank for local offenders. Then in 1936, it was reconstructed under the Works Progress Administration. It was kept in use until the 1950s. The jail included two cells, a drinking fountain, a toilet, and a wash tub. A cot was included with an oil stove and blankets. There is a historic plaque on the front of the building.

C-Block Markers

 This C-Block Marker is located along 299 East just  above Montgomery Creek about 43.1 miles from Redding. This photo was taken March 16, 2016 by Jeremy Tuggle.

These concrete markers were once a regular feature of the highway system in California and they were used to mark the right-of-ways along the various highways. They were also used as survey monuments. They are called C-Block Markers and they were placed along the highways in the state by the California Division of Highways between 1914 and 1934.

The California Division of Highways managed our state highways as early as 1912. It was the predecessor of the California Department of Transportation (CalTrans). They stopped placing these in 1934. Today, CalTrans and other agencies still use C-Block Markers to help them survey the highways.

This C-Block Marker is located in Shasta Lake City. Park on Union School Road just east of the overpass and walk back over to the west side, trail starts to the north over the guardrail. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on May 27, 2017.

The Redding Free Bridge

The Free Bridge piers from the top looking across where the bridged deck would be. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on June 7, 2018.

During May of 1883, a group of local Redding citizens met to discuss the possibility of erecting a new non-toll bridge in the town of Redding to connect with the east side across the Sacramento River. They were tired of paying high prices to commute across the toll bridges and toll ferries in Redding. A proposition was made that a subscription of donations could be raised for the bridge's construction. However, the media responded to their proposition that it would cost ten or twelve thousand dollars and it was unlikely that this amount could be raised. 

   

A bridge committee was organized to began promoting and collecting donations on behalf of the local citizens. Five months later, on August 10, 1883 an impressive $12,160 was raised by them for the bridge. Then on, September 8, 1883, the Republican Free Press newspaper announced that there were three construction companies who were interested in bidding on the contract of the new Free Bridge. Those companies were the following: the Pacific Bridge Company, the San Francisco Bridge Company, and the California Bridge Company. The company who submitted the lowest bid to the Board of Supervisors would receive the contract to do the bridge work.

   

It was the California Bridge Company who submitted the lowest bid at $13, 440, but the exact total of money donated by the public is not known, at that date. The actual cost of the bridge was not reported, even though the money was raised and it was paid for.

    

A man by the name of Robert Lee Reading was hired to design the bridge. Reading was the son of Major Pierson B. Reading, an early pioneer and the first European-American settler in Shasta County. The design of the bridge was called Pennsylvania Through Truss. The lead engineer on the project was a man by the name of O.H. Burrell who was employed by the California Bridge Company.

   

On September 29, 1883, the Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding reported the following:

“The contract for the free bridge across the Sacramento River at Redding has been signed by the Supervisors and the California Bridge Company, and work will be commenced next week. The bridge timbers will arrive in Redding tomorrow night or tomorrow. One hundred barrels of cement have arrived. D. Breslauer, who has the contract for hauling the material from the cars, has his wagons and teams readiness. Supervisor Robinson will act as Superintendent of construction. The bridge must be finished by the first of January, until completed our readers will be kept posted regarding its progress.” (SIC)

As construction began it took the rest of the year for it to be be completed. The Republican Free Press updated the public on the construction of the bridge on December 29, 1883: 

“The bridge is completed, all that is now necessary is to make the fill at the end, which will take about four days, and will be started as soon as the weather will permit. This great enterprise, that created so much opposition and discussion, now be proved. People who have paid ferriage for years will have free access to the railroad, to Redding, and the County seat. This great boon is hardly appreciated at the present time, as compared with what will be after a few months of experience, and all, who voted for a free bridge, will be in short time the most popular men in Shasta county, and those even damned them, will be loud in their praise in the sweet by and by.” (SIC)

The Free Bridge was thrown open to the public in January of 1884. This would be the most direct route into the town of Enterprise and other locations point east. The bridge lasted twenty-two years with out any problems occurring and then during the winter of 1906 the Free Bridge was destroyed by the flooding of the Sacramento River.

The reconstruction of the bridge began in early August of 1907. Once again, it was the California Bridge Company who did the repair work with O.H. Burrell as the lead engineer. Burrell employed a crew of thirty men who were on a deadline to get the bridge completed by January 1, 1908 to restore the bridge to its former glory. A new decorative lightning system was installed on the bridge by the construction crew making it passable during night travel. Construction was steady and the necessary repairs were made but they still failed to meet the deadline due to the late arrival of bridge material. The steel material for the bridge cost them $18,000.

   

Thirty-four years later the bridge made headlines again as flooding damaged the bridge but the damage was quickly repaired. Then in 1948, a new bridge was constructed just north of the Free Bridge. This bridge was called the Cypress Avenue Bridge. 

   

Traffic used both bridges until 1951 when the Free Bridge was closed to motor vehicles. During 1955 another flood made further damage to the bridge and it was ruled to be unsafe for pedestrians to cross. In 1956 the Free Bridge met its fate when it was authorized to be dismantled. Today, the only remains of the Free Bridge are the piers located on the east and west side of Sacramento River at the end of Smile Place.

The structural foundation of the Free Brodge on the west side of the river. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on June 7, 2018.

The structural foundation of the Free Bridge on the west side of the river. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on June 7, 2018.

The Free Bridge piers looking east across the Sacramento River. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on June 7, 2018.

The foundation of the Free Bridge pier on the west side of the river. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on June 7, 2018.

A solo picture of the Free Bridge on the west side of the river looking south-east. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on June 7, 2018.

Looking south from the west side pier of the Free Bridge. The Sacramento River in Redding. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on June 7, 2018.

RESOURCES: 

Up And Down The River - The Sacramento Daily Union newspaper, May 25, 1883

The Redding Bridge - Tocsin Journal newspaper, August 18, 1883

Free Bridge - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, September 8, 1883

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding,  September 22, 1883

The Free Bridge - The Marin Journal newspaper, January 17,  1884

The Redding Bridge - The Sacramento Union newspaper, August 4, 1907

Granted An Extension - The Sacramento Union newspaper, December 25, 1907

Free Bridge To Soon Be Ready - The Sacramento Union newspaper, January 7, 1908

Transportation Bridges File 386.0 on file at the Shasta Historical Society. Contains information on the Redding Free Bridge.

https://bridgehunter.com/ca/shasta/free/

The Historic Free Bridge Substation

The Free Bridge Substation, June 7, 2018. Photo by Jeremy Tuggle.

The Free Bridge Substation was erected in 1897 in Redding and it served the Free Bridge subdivision as an electrical sub-station. A power source for the area. The power that was channeled through this historic building was sent from the town of Manton. Located in between Parkview Avenue and Smile Place, the substation was named after the (Old) Free Bridge which stood near it from 1884-1906.

 

In 1906 the bridge washed out. It was rebuilt in 1908 and it was kept in use until 1956. Only the remains of the Free Bridge piers exist today, and the piers still tower above the Sacramento River just off of Smile Place. Freebridge Street retains its name. There is a plaque mounted on concrete that provides its history in front of the building, but it is closed off due to a fence around the building’s perimeter.

Exploring Shasta County history with Jeremy M. Tuggle

Welcome to my new Blog Spot, Exploring Shasta County History, created by Google! If you enjoy Shasta County history then this is the place for you to be. I'm very passionate about local history, I own most of the photographs that will be used on this Blog Spot. If I don't own the rights to publish the photographs then a ‘used courtesy of’ will be granted to those who allow me to post their pictures.

 

Before we dive into the rich and compelling history of Shasta County, here is some information about me.  My name is Jeremy M. Tuggle and I was born in Redding in 1982. I earned the rank of Eagle Scout from Boy Scouts of America in November of 2000, earning the highest award one can achieve in scouting. I graduated from the class of 2001 from Central Valley High School in Shasta Lake City.

I am employed at the Shasta Historical Society as their Visitor And Historical Services Associate and I also work for In Home Health Services providing care for my great grandmother. I am a descendant of 11 Shasta County pioneer families recognized by the Shasta Historical Society, the majority of my family settled between 1849-1889 in Shasta County. I am the author of two published books, Rooted in Shasta County (2003) and A Journey Through Time: Ono and the Bald Hills (2008) including various articles on local history.

As the Visitor and Historical Services Associate for the Shasta Historical Society, I visit the local schools, senior citizen homes and various organizations in our area. During my presentations I give intriguing programs and lectures about Shasta County history. I am also an active and lifetime member of the Shasta Historical Society and a member of the Society of Mayflower Descendants in the State of California.

 

My wife, Leah and I, have one son, Carson. Carson's identical twin brother, Jason, died shortly after birth.  Just recently, on October 2, 2017, the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, Major Pierson B. Reading Chapter of Redding honored me with their Community Service Award, a prestigious National award honoring my work in historic preservation in the community throughout my personal and professional life and a Chapter Achievement award. I was very pleased and honored to receive these awards from them. One minor detail I need to mention is that this web-site is not associated with the Shasta Historical Society in any form. Thank you for visiting.

Jeremy M. Tuggle giving a power point presentation to the Shasta Miners and Prospectors Association in Anderson. This photo was taken by Leah Tuggle on August 17, 2017.

The attending crowd at a presentation given by Jeremy M. Tuggle on August 17, 2017.