Churntown: An Original Gold Mining Community

The town of Churntown in 1887. The building on the left is the general merchandise store and the building to the right is a private residence with a smaller building in front of the house. The people are posing for a photograph on the street, and on the porch of the private residence. Courtesy of Shasta Historical Society.

Scores of miners prospecting for gold in 1849 staked out placer mining claims along the channel of Churn Creek in Shasta County. These miners pitched up tents and cooked their food in an open fire pit, mostly eating wild game that they killed, along with additional provisions they packed in with them as the advent of the California Gold Rush burgeoned with success in our area. They used rockers and sluice boxes simultaneously as mining activities progressed along this creek.

The Shasta Historical Society published this version of the creeks naming in the 1952 Covered Wagon, on page 5, it states that: “rocks and boulders tumbling down from the mountain sides wore holes in the sandstone base of the creek resembling a churn. One can see this formation in Churn Creek a few miles north of Redding beside Highway 99.” Another theory of its naming appears in Gertrude Steger's book, Place Names Of Shasta County, relating that "a waterfall in the stream near the site of Churntown has carved a hole in the rocks that resembles an old-fashioned churn.” Since its naming, Churn Creek has retained its name over the years.

The community of Churntown came into fruition near the site of this waterfall in October or November of 1849, becoming one of Shasta County's original gold mining communities. Churntown began as a tent community which was prone to Indian attacks. The name Churntown derives from Churn Creek.

The nearest communities to Churntown was Newtown, which was located one mile north, and Buckeye, which was located three miles south of Churntown. Both communities were established as gold mining communities in 1849. According to local historian Edward Peterson in his book, In The Shadow Of The Mountain, he claims the following on page 83: "the site of the first quartz ledge on the east side of Churntown was, nevertheless, in a precarious position to Indian attack."

In January of 1850 the first cabin was erected at Churntown. Unfortunately, there is no record documenting the demise of this building. Additional buildings were erected in the settlement. Extreme threats of Indian attacks remained high as the miners took the risk to mine the area between the years 1850 and 1853.

The Churn Creek diggings near Churntown were yielding lucrative results in April of 1854 as the area was still developing. The name of the settlement was also spelled as Churn Town. According to an excerpt of an article from the Shasta Courier newspaper on Saturday, November 25, 1854, it related the following:

"We also hear that on Thursday last the Indians in large numbers visited Churn Town, on the east side of the Sacramento River, and ran the whites away from the place. The people of Churn Town had, on the day previous, pursued and killed several of the savages while making their way to the mountains with a lot of stolen property." (SIC)

Apparently the above story was one event that the Shasta Courier fabricated and did not check their source, as the newspaper didn't print a retraction, other media outlets in the state heralded the same news obtained from them. Their article caught the eye of a Churntown resident who wrote to them the following correspondence on Saturday, December 2, 1854:

"Churntown is not taken by the Indians, nor is it at all likely ever to be so taken. Neither has there been Indians killed around here for the last two years, nor have they stolen five dollars worth of property during that time. This much, so as not to alarm the friends and relatives of those who are now residing here." (SIC)

According to the above correspondence in later part of this letter there were at that time twenty new homes which were built by local carpenters at Churntown. More buildings were in the process of being constructed as well. As the placer mines continued to yield lucrative deposits it attracted new settlers to the area. A new town was established, that month, located one mile south of Churntown called Manikinsville named after a rather large family who lived in the area by the surname of Manikins. At that time Churntown residents believed that Manikinsville could rival Churntown with an increasing population.

Miners at Churntown in December of 1854 were making $3 to $5 per day while shoveling out dirt with their shovels and using their picks as other miners were sluicing the ground. In 1855, a pioneer by the name of John Mahan, a native of Ireland, relocated from Wisconsin and settled in Churntown. He married Margaret Wallace. Mahan began working as a miner and he held title to a number of placer mining claims in the area, one of his well-known mining claims was the Julia, which was in the Churntown mining district.

The Sacramento Daily Union newspaper of Sacramento heralded the following article on December 23, 1856:

"SHASTA MINING - Accounts from Shasta County give assurance of better times in that region- the streams having been supplied with water to enable the miners to resume work, with assurances of no further interruption for some time. In the extensive diggings of Buckeye and Churntown, between three and four hundred are at work- the claims yielding eight dollars and upwards to the hand per day. Cabins are also being built, and the work of prospecting is constantly going on. It is estimated that with the water already fallen, $60,000 will be taken out."

Over the next two years Churntown boomed with mining activities, and heavy rain storms arrived in the area in early March of 1858. The rain gave miners an additional abundance of water in the channel of Churn Creek and its tributaries for them to use in their placer mining claims. Local miners were kept busy extracting gold from their mining properties. The Republican newspaper from Shasta on Saturday, April 3, 1858, noted the following entry: "Eighty-one quartz claims have been recorded during the last week. All of them are on the east side of the Sacramento near Buckeye and Churntown." Churntown had a lucrative future as additional placer mines and quartz mines were located.

During the years 1857 and 1860, a man by the surname of McManus was the proprietor of a general merchandise store at Churntown. During the local primary elections McManus's store became the local polling place when the elections were held. In fact, the future stores in Churntown became the future polling sites during the elections.

A heated argument ensued between Giles Wauson and Charles Patrick, which turned into an assault, and became deadly, in January of 1861. Patrick pounded on Wauson's door and confronted him about stealing from him. After many offensive remarks and threats against Wauson, Patrick pulled a bowie knife upon him as he attacked him. Wauson freed himself and ran out of his own residence.

After realizing that Patrick departed his house Wauson returned home. Patrick returned within the hour with the intentions of assaulting Wauson again. Wauson had no desire to fight him and he wanted to be left alone. Patrick approached his door and was given a warning from Wauson to back off. Patrick continued without realizing Wauson was armed with a loaded gun and he fired upon him through an open window as his lifeless body fell to the ground.

Wauson surrendered himself to Sheriff John S. Follansbee at Shasta. This is where he went before a Justice Court, and the following week while Wauson was on trial he denied robbing Charles Patrick. It was Justice of the Peace, Chauncey C. Bush who released him from custody due to Bush believing the shooting was made in self-defense. Wauson returned home to Churntown and he continued mining with great success.

The April 13, 1861 edition of the Northern Argus, a newspaper from Horsetown, reported the following about Wauson:

"NUGGET - Wauson & Co., found recently in their claim at Churntown, a piece of pure gold weighing nineteen ounces and five dollars."

A school house was erected on the north bank of Churn Creek at Churntown when a grammar school was organized in that building on November 6, 1862. The school served a long lost void in the community for those families with children in the area. The school was organized the same day as the Churntown School District. The first teacher at the Churntown schoolhouse was Augusta Eames of Shasta. She would commute from Shasta to Churntown each day while the school year was in session. At Shasta in 1874, Eames married a Churntown resident by the name of William C. Whiting, a native of New York, and together they relocated to Shasta. Her husband served as a Deputy Sheriff of Shasta County in 1880.

Sylvester Hull, was a Churntown resident who married Martha Whiting a sister of William C. Whiting in 1862 at Shasta. He owned and operated a general merchandise store in Churntown. Local residents of Churntown petitioned the United States Postal Service headquarters in Washington D.C., for a post office to be established called Churntown in June of 1863. Their petition was accepted and the post office name was granted as Hull became their first and only postmaster who took charge on June 12, 1863, his store became the post office. 

Churntown was now an official town recognized by the United States Postal Service. Hull served, honorably, until the post office was discontinued on December 12, 1866. In September of 1871, Hull began serving as Shasta County Sheriff, and held the position until 1881. Then in 1877, Hull relocated from Churntown to Shasta when George Burtt acquired his store from him.

Above: Sylvester Hull was born at Twinsburg, Summit County, Ohio on June 21, 1831 to Samuel P. Hull and Emily (Post) Hull. He died on November 23, 1899 at Redding, Shasta County, California. He was given the nickname of "Vet". He first came to Buckeye in 1854, where he mined for gold. He was interred into the Shasta Masonic Cemetery. Courtesy of Shasta Historical Society.

John Mahan's wife Margaret gave birth to their first born child Julia Ann Mahan in Churntown on August 4, 1864. Julia’s birth is the earliest record of a child birth in Churntown that I uncovered during my research, however, previous births may have occurred in this town. Their daughter Julia became a life-long resident of Churntown who eventually married John Flanagan a placer miner in the area. Present day Flanagan Road is named after this family which is located just off Lake Boulevard in north Redding.

Another daughter named Mary Mahan was born to John Mahan and Margaret (Wallace) Mahon on March 11, 1868 at Churntown. Both daughters Julia and Mary were raised there. It's more than likely that John Mahan's noted placer mining claim was named after his first born daughter, Julia. 

During the year 1865 an express company from Red Bluff began conveying passengers into Shasta County and hauling the United States mail. The name of this express agency was Watkins Express and Passenger Line, whose proprietor was Caleb Watkins and he had offices located in Red Bluff and Shasta. This line conveyed passengers from Red Bluff to Jelly's Ferry, Battle Creek, Parkville, Millville, Buckeye and Churntown.

Patrick Mullee and his wife Ann were natives of Ireland. The 1867 Great Register of Shasta County records Mullee spelled (Mulee) living at Churntown and working as a merchant. He registered to vote on April 29, 1867. Then on January 14, 1868, local residents were astounded when Patrick Mullee's general merchandise was destroyed by fire.

After the store burned down Mullee became a full-time miner. According to the 1870 U.S. Census the Mullee's was living at Stillwater that year, where Mullee did some mining. According to the Shasta Courier edition of March 13, 1871, the Board of Supervisors ordered North Cow Creek, Copper City, Churntown, Buckeye and Round Mountain to transition into an election precinct called Township Number 5.

Mullee did a little mining at Churntown as well. Mullee and his wife Ann eventually returned to Churntown where Patrick was elected as a Justice of the Peace in November of 1874 for Township Number 5 of Shasta County. Mullee died in Churntown in 1876. He is buried in the Shasta Catholic Cemetery in Shasta.

However, in 1871, a small number of arson related fires occurred in Churntown and finally one of the culprits was captured when a cabin belonging to Thomas Keaton near Churntown was destroyed by fire. A suspect by the name of John Wooley was arrested on suspicion of starting the fires and he was later indicted by the county court in September of 1872. A jury found him guilty of 2nd degree arson and he was sentenced by Judge Hopping to serve three years imprisonment at San Quentin Prison.

After a long declining state on March 23, 1878, Churntown locals witnessed a rejuvenation period when local miners discovered an immensely rich quartz ledge at Rat Tail Gulch near Churntown. Media outlets reported the strike and the town boomed once more reminding locals of the town’s glory days. During the 1880s a series of placer mines were located by various miners.

Another pioneer by the name of Isaac M. Hiatt, also known as Ike, was a native of New York, who earned his fortune at Churntown while mining for gold. This is where he had resided since 1867. At a later date he became the proprietor of a general merchandise store in town. Hiatt employed Frank Wentworth as his store keeper and together they served the community of Churntown until Hiatt's death in 1884. 

George Porter Seamans, a native of New York, was a rancher during the 1870s in the Churntown region who kept a large and valuable ranch. He worked as a farmer. In 1879, he was a proud owner of a large and desirable vegetable garden. He sold vegetables in Churntown and loaded his wagon with a variety of vegetables to sell in Newtown, Buckeye, Redding and Shasta. His wife Romanda (Hill) Seamans sometimes accompanied him during these business trips. 

Above, L-R: George Porter Seamans and Romanda (Hill) Seamans. This picture was taken at Churntown in June of 1902. Courtesy of Shasta Historical Society.

A miner named Ben Martin discovered a rich gold bearing pocket on a branch of the east fork of Churn Creek about one mile from Churntown in May of 1883. His discovery attracted additional attention to the area. The town continued as Hiatt's store closed it remains unclear if Hughes and Croft purchased Hiatt’s store or if it's an entirely new enterprise. However, they began operating a new general merchandise store in Churntown. During the latter portion of the 1880s they were known for their wild holiday parties as Christmas celebrations would be held there for the community to enjoy. Presents would be given to those who showed up, as it brought a little holiday cheer to this mining town.

A miner by the name of George P. Jewitt located the Blue Ribbon placer mine in the Churntown mining district on January 31, 1884. It yielded him lucrative results. Then on Saturday, May 17, 1884, the Shasta Courier reported the following about the Churntown and Buckeye communities being an anti-Chinese region:

“The Churntown and Buckeye miners never have, nor now propose to allow Chinamen to work in the mines of those districts, and all attempts to introduce the Mongolians there fails. We hope that every Mongolian who there hereafter attempt to put a pick in the ground of those districts will be sent away with stripes on his back minus his cue.” (SIC)

Another miner named Jesse Walcott located the Diablo placer mine in the same mining district on November 10, 1884. Desiring a good rainy season the miners hoped to continue to work their mining claims in 1884.

The Churntown School was reestablished as part of the Churntown School District on May 4, 1885 because there were more families with children in the area at that time with L.B. Greer as their teacher. Churntown was then located nine miles from Redding. Community dances were held at the local school house and they were great events for the people of the town to gather and enjoy themselves. Sometimes a potluck would be held with the dance.

Above: the students of the Churntown school on the school property at Churntown. The students are unidentified. Courtesy of Shasta Historical Society.

During the decade of the 1890s Churntown stayed prominent as correspondents writing to local newspapers kept track of their local daily activities and it remained the same well into the turn of the twentieth century. The school stayed active off and on, until it was reestablished for the last and final time on October 4, 1938. The Churntown Cemetery is still there today off Nellie Bell Lane on private property, according to records at the Shasta Historical Society, the earliest known burial in this cemetery dates back to 1901. Today, the town of Churntown is no longer there due to their community becoming a suburb of northern Redding with Buckeye. Reminisces of historical names on different street signs provide us with glimpses into the past.

RESOURCES:

The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, November 25, 1854

The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, December 2, 1854

Shasta Mining - The Sacramento Daily Union newspaper of Sacramento, December 23, 1856

The Republican newspaper of Shasta, April 3, 1858

Nugget - The Northern Argus newspaper of Horsetown, April 13, 1861

In the Shadow of the Mountain A Short History of Shasta County, California, by Edward Petersen ©1965

The 1867 Great Register of Shasta County

1867 California Voters Registration

1870 U.S. Census

The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, March 13, 1871

1873 Great Register of Shasta County

The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, September 23, 1876 - Patrick Mullee death notice.

1880 U.S. Census

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.

The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, November 25, 1899 - Sylvester Hull obituary.

1900 U.S. Census

Index To Mining Claims Book 1, in the archives of Shasta Historical Society.

Index To Mining Claims Book 1, 1877-1909, in the archives of Shasta Historical Society.

Our Storied Landmarks – Shasta County, California, written by May H. Southern, published by Balakshin Printing Company, ©1942.

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

The Covered Wagon, 1952. Published by Shasta Historical Society.

Place Names of Shasta County by Gertrude Steger, published by La Siesta Press, ©1966

The Flanagan residence at Churntown on Flanagan Road. Date unknown. Courtesy of Shasta Historical Society.

The Corrine: A Lucrative Mining Property

Adit one of the Corrine mine. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on August 1, 2016

The Corrine mine was part of the Salt Creek Group of Mines which included the Bonanza, Gold Coin, Jumbo and Phoenix claims. The Corrine was the largest lucrative producer of gold amongst them. It is located one mile west of Redding on Salt Creek, and was originally in the Lower Springs mining district. The mine is on the opposite side of the Salt Creek Trail along Highway 299 West. A miner and prospector by the name of E.P. Connor owned the mine in 1897. That year, Connor had an arrastra erected on his Salt Creek mining property.

The arrastra measured at 10 inches in diameter and it was used to help crush the ore. A ditch was dug by his miners from Salt Creek to the mining claims on the property. When water was available it assisted the miners in the extraction of the ore they sought after. In later years, the arrastra was torn down and it was replaced by a stamp mill. The stamp mill crushed the rock in a vertical position rather than a circular position like an arrastra did.

In 1901, C. Watson & W.D. Watson acquired a lease from Connor to work the mining property. The Watson brothers were exploring in a crosscut tunnel of 100 feet on the property and they cut out new drifts which were 3 ft., on the ledge of the tunnel. Drifts were a slightly horizontal passage ways which followed a vein of ore. They were also working on a series of upraises.

Above: a portion of the Corrine mining property, along Salt Creek. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on August 1, 2016.

In 1915, the Corrine mining property included 160 acres of land and it was owned by E.P. Connor and J.C. Connor of Redding. They hired two miners to operate their mine that year. The property contained four tunnels ranging between 60 to 430 feet long, and a 110 foot shaft, in which their miners toiled away in as they extracted the ore. The gold is mixed in with sulphides. It also contained a 200 foot pay shoot which was 15 inches wide. 

Above: adit two with its iron gate intact. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on August 1, 2016.

The Connor siblings placed a five stamp mill on the property which weighed 750 pounds in stamps. It crushed the rock for them that they obtained on the property. They also placed one Wilfrey table on the property. Wilfrey table’s were concentrating tables used by miners for preliminary scaling. A year later, the production of the Corrine mine stopped and the mine laid idled and abandoned. The production notes for this mine were not kept. 

On July 23, 2018, the Carr Fire which began near the junction of Carr Power House Road and Highway 299 West at Whiskeytown district ravaged places in its course of destruction from there to this historic mining site. The fire burnt through Salt Creek’s channel and burned through the abandoned mine. Today, its part of the Kett mining district due to the boundaries of the Lower Springs mining district changing. The adits on the property survived the disastrous flames but the adit of number two had its iron gate blown out.

Above: the destruction from the Carr Fire. A burnt out Salt Creek channel at the Corrine mine. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on August 12, 2018.

Above: the destruction from the Carr Fire, a portion of the Corrine mine tailing's. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on August 12, 2018.

Above the destruction from the Carr Fire at adit one. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on August 12, 2018.

Above: a close-up of adit one at the Corrine mine.  This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on August 12, 2018.

Above: looking in between the iron gate at the entrance of the tunnel of adit one.  This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on August 12, 2018.

Above: destruction from the Carr Fire, note the burnt ground. A portion of the Corrine mining property, along Salt Creek. Above: a portion of the Corrine mining property, along Salt Creek. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on August 12, 2018.

Above: destruction from the Carr Fire, note the burnt ground. A portion of the Corrine mining property, along Salt Creek. Above: a portion of the Corrine mining property, along Salt Creek. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on August 12, 2018.

Above: adit two with its iron gate blown out. Note: the burnt rock walls. Destruction from the Carr Fire, the fire went inside this portion of the tunnel. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on August 12, 2018.

Above: the view inside adit two. Note: the burnt rock walls. Destruction from the Carr Fire, the fire went inside this portion of the tunnel. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on August 12, 2018.

Above: a slightly different view of adit two. Note: the burnt rock walls. Destruction from the Carr Fire, the fire went inside this portion of the tunnel. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on August 12, 2018.

RESOURCES: 

Appendix to the Journals of the Senate and Assembly of the Thirty-Second Session, of the Legislature of the State of California, Volume V.  Report of State Mineralogist ©1897 Sacramento, California, by A.J. Johnston, page 364.

The Corrine mine

Mining Notes - The Shasta Courier newspaper, February 25, 1899

The Engineering And Mining Journal Volume LXXII  ©1901, Page 146.

Mines and Mineral Resources of Shasta County, Siskiyou County, and Trinity County, by G. Chester Brown, ©1915 published by California State Printing Office. Page 39.

Mines and Mineral Resources of Shasta County, ©1974, Philip A. Lyden & J.C. O'Brien

Redding's first class hostelry: the Golden Eagle hotel

This is the earliest known sketch of the Golden Eagle hotel in Redding. There is a sign promoting Dooley's Restaurant and the hotel bar. Taken from a late 1880s Birds Eye View Map of Redding. Proprietors: Spellman & Kern. From the collection of Jeremy Tuggle.

The beginning of the Golden Eagle hotel in Redding was reported in this column from the Republican Free Press newspaper on April 9, 1887:

“Barney Conroy is figuring on a two-story brick building on the corner of Yuba and California Streets, and it is rumored that he and Mr. Wiseman, his son-in-law, will go into business.” (SIC)

Bernard “Barney” Conroy was an Irish immigrant and a pioneer settler of Shasta County, who arrived in 1856 from New York with his wife Mary (Flannigan) Conroy and their daughter Ellen. Another child named Stephen was added to the household that year when they settled at Horsetown where Conroy previously owned and operated a saloon. Barney and Mary had six more children between the years 1858 and 1872, respectively.

  

Conroy had experience as a hotel proprietor since he formerly owned the Redding Hotel in 1881. While plans were underway to erect this new two-story building, the local media often referred to it as Conroy’s building, its official name wasn’t released until a later date. It was the Holt & Gregg Company of Anderson who received the contract from Conroy to do the brick work of his building. Apparently, he did not go into business with Wiseman but allowed him to rent one of his own business offices in the hotel for his son-in-law’s company. John T. Wiseman was a native of Texas who married Conroy’s daughter Catherine and they lived in Redding. In May, the construction began as the Holt & Gregg Company had an overflow of bricks in their brickyard ready to start the construction of the first-story. Eventually, they had to produce additional bricks at their brickyard by burning a new kiln on the property specifically for this project.

  

During July, a laborer working on the Conroy building fell off a scaffold with a loaded wheelbarrow of bricks. His body hit the hoist and he fell to the ground as the bricks fell on top of him which critically injured him. The wheelbarrow landed near him. The unidentified man was rushed to a local hospital where his injuries were treated. It was the only injury during the course of the hotel’s construction.

  

One of the first companies to move inside the Conroy building was the John T. Wiseman & Company. The following article was heralded in the Republican Free Press newspaper on July 16, 1887:

“J.T. Wiseman & Co.

This is the name of the firm which will occupy the first two rooms of Barney Conroy’s new brick building on the corner of Yuba and California Streets. The first room, 25x90, will be filled with groceries, hardware and goods of that character, and the second store 22x50 feet will be the dry goods and fancy goods department. These rooms will be finished right away, and the firm expects to be ready for business near the first of August. J.T. Wiseman is a son-in-law of Barney Conroy and for a long time was identified with Sisson & Crocker at the railroad front, and at present owns an interest in a store at Deming, N.M. The company will be W.E. Chesley, wholesale dealers in wines, liquors and groceries, and who is well known to every business man in the upper country. This firm has plenty of capital and will doubtless, with our other large stores, make Redding a center for a large trade. We like to see business men come among us, for business men attract business the world over.” (SIC)

The Holt & Gregg Company completed the brick work on July 30, 1887, which gave the hotel an imposing site. The new hotel would soon be opened to the public on the first day of August. From the start the hotel lacked a few things including some of its furniture, its bar and its restaurant. A month later, a Canadian immigrant by the name of Thomas Dooley, a resident of Chico established his new restaurant in Redding inside Barney Conroy’s hotel. Dooley had twenty years as an experience restaurant owner and he was quite impressed with Redding’s growth and prosperity, which is why he selected the city to be his new place of business. He already had restaurants in operation in Willows and Chico. These restaurants were well favored by the public.

  

Thomas Dooley offered the following foods on his menu: “the choicest cuts of meat, the different variety of game, changes of vegetables daily, and receive directly from Morgan & Co’s large oyster beds (selects),  the choicest and largest eastern oysters, also crabs and shrimp weekly. Fresh and salt water fish.”  Dooley hired only the best cooks at his establishment.

That year, the Conroy building was well underway of becoming a first class establishment as it was preparing its self to compete in business against the following hotels and boarding houses: the New City hotel, proprietor Henry Clineschmidt, it was located on Market Street near Tehama Street. A two-story lodging house owned by A.S. Castle on California Street between Butte and Tehama Streets. It was eventually leased to S. Clein. The Major hotel which was located opposite of the Castle lodging house and post office, proprietors Kunene & Blohm. The Paragon hotel was located opposite of the Redding Depot, proprietor George Groves, and later the Del Monte hotel which was under construction. The Del Monte hotel’s construction was almost completed by October 8, 1887.

The original two-story structure of the Golden Eagle hotel included forty-two rooms on the second floor and the first floor included a meeting parlor (banquet room), Dooley’s Restaurant and a bar. Additional business offices were built into the building also on the first floor; some were described in an earlier paragraph. Both floors of this building were connected by a staircase. This hotel was based on what is called the “European plan” where the owners only charged their customers the rent of the room and not for meals. There were additional charges for the meals.

The imposing brick work of the Golden Eagle hotel gave the local media the following to boast about on October 1, 1887:

“There will be a solid block of brick from the corner of California and Yuba Streets to the corner of Placer and Market Streets. Two and a half blocks.” (SIC)

That month, Barney Conroy finally received his new furniture that he had ordered for his business. Some of the furniture included the tables and chairs for his banquet room. He also received a liquor license which was granted to him by the Shasta County Tax Collector so he could begin operating his new bar. Then on, November 12, 1887, the local media announced the following...

“Barney Conroy has christened his hotel the “Golden Eagle”.  It took several of them to build it.”

In November, a jeweler by the name of B.H. Bacon a former resident of San Louise Obispo relocated to Redding in 1887, and opened a jewelry and confectionary store inside the Golden Eagle hotel. Bacon was also a chocolatier that made fresh homemade chocolates and candies. He also packaged them and sold them inside his store. Bacon also sold American watches manufactured by Seth Thomas and other brands from different clock manufacturers.

Another new addition that month to the Golden Eagle hotel was the law office of William D. Biegle, a native of New York, and a former miner. Biegle originally mined for gold at Whiskeytown. Whiskeytown is where he lived and he commuted to work in Redding each day.  Fraternal societies began using the hotel’s parlor room (banquet room) for many luncheons and other events as well. Conroy enjoyed having a successful business. During December of 1887, the first doctor to run a practice inside the hotel opened an office inside room number eleven. His name was Doctor J.A. Dawson. Dawson was a former resident of Oakland, and he relocated to Redding that month. Eventually, he found a more suitable office space in Redding and moved out of the hotel.

During May of the following year, the Bennett-Mackey Cable Company moved into the Golden Eagle hotel after a business office became available to rent from Conroy, when a former tenant had moved out. Local and national newspapers were being sold by a man with the surname of Woodward. Woodward operated Woodwards Newspaper Stand which was also located inside the Golden Eagle hotel.

Then in, November of 1888, John T. Wiseman purchased stock within the McCormick-Saeltzer Company of Redding, and he saw a need to relocate his store from his father-in-law’s hotel into the building of the McCormick-Saeltzer Company which was then located on the west side of Market Street. It was general merchants Abram & Karsky of Weaverville who occupied the store space that formerly belonged to the John T. Wiseman Company inside Conroy’s Golden Eagle hotel. Then in, December of that year, a second doctor by the name of Benjamin E. Stevenson, M.D., a physician and surgeon opened his doctor’s office inside the hotel. It was a regular business office and not a regular hotel room like the previous doctor had.

Conroy sold his hostelry to John Spellman and his partner E. Kern in 1889, and they became the new proprietors of the Golden Eagle hotel. Under their ownership, the Golden Eagle hotel included: Dooley’s Restaurant, the Golden Eagle Barber Shop, and a bar. By that time, Dooley’s Restaurant had changed hands and it was now owned by J.H. Duffield who offered the same menu that Thomas Dooley did.

Under the new ownership, a surprising suicide took place in the Golden Eagle hotel on March 21, 1889, when the body of C.E. Crookshanks was discovered in room number 35. It had been determined that poisoning from morphia sulphate was the cause of his death. He was found by both Spellman and Kern. Crookshanks was a native of Oregon who registered at the hotel on the 18th of that month. The sheriff and the coroner were both notified of the death, and a Coroner's Inquest was held upon the body.

It’s possible that it was Spellman & Kern who sold this establishment to James M. Bryan and his brother Thomas D. Bryan. During the 1890s new businesses were brought into the Golden Eagle hotel building which included: a bar, and a billiards room. There was also the Golden Eagle Barber Shop whose proprietor was E. Kern, the Golden Eagle Jewelry Store whose proprietor was Adolph Dobrowsky. The Redding Cigar Factory, and the Golden Eagle Cigar Store whose proprietor was John W. Potts.

The Daily Free Press newspaper of Redding published this advertisement on August 27, 1897, by the Bryan Brothers for their Golden Eagle hotel, offering a first class service in Redding and free bus to and from all trains.

Then on, May 1, 1899, the Bryan brothers leased the hotel to J.H. Leveck who ended up buying the hotel from the Bryan brothers, and Leveck became the new proprietor. It was J.H. Leveck, who turned a room of this hotel into his residence. Room rates at the Golden Eagle hotel cost travelers $1.00  a day and upwards, and the meals were twenty-five cents a plate. The Golden Eagle hotel flourished with success and Leveck saw a need to improve the building.

In September, Leveck negotiated a contract with the Holt & Gregg Company to add a third-story to this building. In addition there would be fifty-eight new rooms, which gave the hotel a total of 100 rooms. As construction began the hotel kept busy with new daily arrivals checking in.

During 1904, Leveck sold out to the Hurst siblings, George & Ferdinand, who purchased the hotel and operated this hostelry for a short time. They kept the same rates Leveck offered. That year, it was W.H. Nutting who was the proprietor of the Golden Eagle Barber Shop, a clean cut would have cost you fifteen cents. Two years later, the Hurst brothers eventually sold the establishment to the Gronwoldt siblings. It was George Gronwoldt and Augustas H. Gronwoldt who took possession of the hotel on March 15, 1906, and they began operating it. 

The next week on March 24, 1906, the pioneer Bernard "Barney" Conroy died in San Francisco at the home of his son-in-law, John T. Wiseman. He died after a brief illness. Conroy was the original founder of the Golden Eagle hotel. The news of his death was heralded all over the state by the media and many people mourned his death.

The Gronwoldt’s had a hotel monopoly in Redding and at one time owned the Alta House and the Redding Hotel as well as other establishments. They had a knack for the hotel business and they promoted the name of the Golden Eagle as much as possible by slapping the name on china, silverware, hand towels, ivory soap bars with special wrapping, match boxes, and other novelty items. It was Augustas H. Gronwoldt who became a four-time Mayor of Redding.

Above: the Golden Eagle Cigar Store on July 4, 1907. L-R: are the new owners, John Bartosh and George Bartosh who purchased this store from John W. Potts at the beginning of the month. Courtesy of Chet Sunde.

The Gronwoldts eventually sold some shares of the hotel to James Hoyle, and it was Hoyle who sold his interest in the hotel to Henry Wagner of Sacramento in June of 1909. Wagner was previously employed as a railroad man and he became a new partner with the Gronwoldts. 

During May of 1914, the Gronwoldt’s planned additional improvements to the hotel by including the installment of a heating and air conditioning system at a cost of $3,500. The improvements on the agenda included a new kitchen, and a new dining room, and a remodel of the entire first floor.  The media speculated that the upgrades would take all summer to complete.

Another addition to the building was a wireless telegraph tower for a new telegraph station at Redding and the spot chosen for the tower was the roof top of the Golden Eagle hotel. The man in charge of installing the new tower in August of 1914 was the jeweler, Adolph Dobrowsky, who was also the watch inspector of the Southern Pacific for the Shasta County division. Dobrowsky would receive telegraph reports from Mount Hamilton through radio transmission. 

In 1917, my great-great paternal uncle Otto M. Tuggle was employed by the Gronwoldt siblings as a bell hop at this hotel. He worked for them during a three year span. Years, later Tuggle wrote down some of his fond memories of working at the Golden Eagle hotel in Redding which are kept in the archives of the Shasta Historical Society.

The restaurant inside the hotel during the 1920s was called the Golden Eagle Grill. During my research the earliest address that I have found for the Golden Eagle hotel is from 1926 when it was located at 425 Yuba Street. That year, the first floor of the hostelry included the following: the Golden Eagle Drug Company, the Golden Eagle Jewelry Store, and the Golden Eagle Cigar Store. Two years later, the first floor stayed the same with the exception of the Golden Eagle Drug Company which appears to have been a short lived business venture.

In the decade of the 1930s the hotel’s address changed from 425 Yuba Street to 1449 Yuba Street, and it now included the Golden Eagle Coffee Shop. The coffee shop replaced the former Golden Eagle Grill, and it advertised as serving the best meals at moderate prices. The first floor also included the following: the Golden Eagle Liquor Store and the Golden Eagle Tavern. In 1938, the Grownoldt brothers still had ownership of this hotel, it appears that the third parties ownership dissolved long before this year commenced.

Two years later, the Gronwoldt's still kept a first class hostelry. Dobrowsky still owned the Golden Eagle Jewelry Store, and James Bartosh kept a variety of cigars in stock at the Golden Eagle Cigar Store. The Golden Eagle Tavern served mixed drinks and cocktails, while the Golden Eagle Liquor Store provided locals with all sorts of packaged liquors and wines. A number of small robberies occurred during the years too, which gained the Gronwoldt's and other various businesses inside the hotel unwanted media press.

After the death of Augustas H. Gronwoldt Sr., in Redding on June 15, 1945, his son Augustas H. Gronwoldt Jr., and his widow Sophronia (Brown) Gronwoldt became the new proprietors of the hotel. They operated it until they were bought out by Clark R. Nye and David W. Hinds in 1958. Then on, September 22, 1962, a ravaging fire destroyed the historic Golden Eagle hotel. The following people were the three individuals whose life’s perished in the fire: Charles Brack of Idaho Falls, Idaho, Edward De Bob of Eureka, California, and a local Redding area rancher named Herb Johnson.

During the excitement of the blaze people were departing the burning building any way they could which included jumping from the third-story and landing in the street. This caused critical injuries to their bodies and quite a number of people ended up injured and in the local hospital. To this day, it’s a well-remembered establishment by many local residents.

THE HOLLYWOOD CONNECTION:

In 1961, the parents of nationally renowned Hollywood actor Tom Hanks (born in 1956) were employed at the Golden Eagle hotel. Hanks’ mother Janet (Frager) Hanks was the hotel manager at that time and his father Amos M. Hanks was a cook at the Golden Eagle Coffee Shop. Tom Hanks and three of his older siblings would often visit their parents while they worked there. They lived in a house at 2132 West Street in Redding; the former Hanks home is still standing today at that location. At a later date, Hanks’ parents divorced and it was Janet (Frager) Hanks who relocated to Red Bluff.

Above: the Golden Eagle hotel with early day automobiles parked in front of the hostelry. Circa, 1920s. Courtesy of Steve Brui.

Above: an interior view of the Golden Eagle hotel banquet room, circa 1920s to 1930s. Courtesy of Steve Brui.

Above: the interior view of the Golden Eagle hotel lobby, 1941. (Public Domain.)

Above: the interior view of the Golden Eagle Coffee Shop, 1941. (Public Domain.)

Above: an interior lodging room of the Golden Eagle hotel, 1941. (Public Domain.)

Above: the Golden Eagle hotel at Redding, California, postcard by J.H. Eastman in 1945. Courtesy of Steve Brui.

Fire gutted the historic Golden Eagle hotel building on September 22, 1962. The building was in such bad shape it couldn't be remodeled, and it was soon demolished. (Public Domain.)

Above: this marker dedicates some of the early history of the Golden Eagle hotel which operated on this lot from 1887- 1962. It was dedicated as a historic site on September 22, 2017 by the Grindstone Club in cooperation with the City of Redding. The site is located where the double parking structure is on Yuba and California Streets. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on October 3, 2017.

GOLDEN EAGLE HOTEL NOVELTY ITEMS:

Above: this plate is from the Golden Eagle Grill restaurant. Its manufactured by Warwick. Warwick's iconic decal on the back of the plate dates back to the 1920s. From the Gronwoldt period. From the collection of Jeremy Tuggle.

Above: an opened Golden Eagle hotel reverse strike match box, complete with matches. From the Gronwoldt period. Manufactured by the Diamond Match Box Company of Chico, California in the 1920s. From the collection of Jeremy Tuggle.

Above: a hand towel from the Golden Eagle hotel. White with blue pin stripe and white lettering which states, "Golden Eagle Hotel - Redding". From the Gronwoldt period. Manufacturer: unknown, manufactured in the 1920s. From the collection of Jeremy Tuggle. 

Above: an opened Golden Eagle hotel reverse strike match box, complete with matches (same as below). Advertising the Coffee Shop and Tavern. From the Gronwoldt period. Manufactured by the Ohio Match Company of San Francisco, California in the 1930s. From the collection of Jeremy Tuggle.

Above: a closed Golden Eagle hotel reverse strike match box, complete with matches (same as above). Photo of the hotel on the front cover. From the Gronwoldt period. Manufactured by the Ohio Match Company of San Francisco, California in the 1930s. From the collection of Jeremy Tuggle.

RESOURCES:

1880 U.S. Census

Barney Conroy’s brick - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, May 21, 1887

Holt & Gregg - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, May 21, 1887

A laborer fell - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, July 16, 1887

Furious Flames - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, July 30, 1887

Dooley - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, September 24, 1887

The Del Monte Hotel - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, September 24, 1887

Dr. J.A. Dawson – The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, December 17, 1887

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, October 1, 1887

Attention - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, January 7, 1888

Howell & Wood - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, March 3, 1888

The Bennett- Mackey Cable Company - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding May 26, 1888

Our County Dads - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, October 8, 1888

Suicide - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, March 23, 1889

John W. Potts - The Daily Free Press newspaper of Redding, August 10, 1897

John W. Potts - The Daily Free Press newspaper of Redding, August 8, 1899

1899 City of Redding Directory

Golden Eagle Hotel advertisement - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, September 2, 1899

Local Happenings - Red Bluff Daily News newspaper of Red Bluff, September 20, 1899

1900 U.S. Census

Barney Conroy Is Dead - The Sacramento Union newspaper of Sacramento, March 27, 1906

Buys Golden Eagle Interest - The Sacramento Union newspaper of Sacramento, June 26, 1909

To Improve Redding Hotel - The Sacramento Union newspaper of Sacramento, May 28, 1914

Redding To Have Wireless - The Sacramento newspaper of Sacramento, August 11, 1914

World War 1 Draft Registration Card for Otto Tuggle, June 5, 1917.

Old Timer Passes In San Francisco - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, August 22, 1923

No Arrests Yet In Hotel Safe Money Mystery - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, February 12, 1929

1938 City of Redding Directory

1940 City of Redding Directory

1951 City of Redding Direcotry

1960 City of Redding Directory

1961 City of Redding Directory

The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, September 23, 1962

6 Dead Or Missing As Fire Destroys Hotel At Redding, The San Bernardino Sun newspaper, September 23, 1962

Two Killed In Redding Hotel Fire - The Santa Cruz Sentinel newspaper of Santa Cruz, September 23, 1962

Searchers Have Found A Third Body - The La Habra Star newspaper of La Habra, September 24, 1962