BELLA VISTA: A LUMBER TOWN

The original carpenters behind the famous Shasta Lumber Company's flume (also known as the Terry lumber flume) were Orison D. Morse and his siblings who completed the first five miles of lumber flume in 1886 before Morse sold the lumber flume to Holbrook and Phillips. Later, these gentlemen sold out to Joseph Enright, a native of Ireland, and the energetic owner of the Shasta Lumber Company. This company immediately erected a sawmill at Hatchet Mountain, and then they extended the lumber flume’s course of construction from where Holbrook and Phillips stopped and brought it down the canyon.

Then in, December of 1887, the Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding reported the following account:

“Shut Down - Nick Stewart, who has been blacksmithing for the Shasta Lumber Company, informs us that about forty men were discharged last week, and the mill and logging camp had been shut down for the winter. About twenty men are still employed on the flume, which has reached Scroggins’ place near the junction of Cow and Cedar Creeks. Snow at the mill is two feet deep, while twelve miles this side the grass is growing. There is enough lumber on hand to build fourteen miles of flume.” (SIC)

Construction of this lumber flume continued after winter. By June 30, 1888, the Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding stated the following in an excerpt of an article about the Shasta Lumber Company’s lumber flume:

“…it is now an undisputed fact that this gigantic enterprise is rapidly nearing completion and in a few months the products of our vast lumber region in the northern and eastern parts of the county will be put on the market.” (SIC)

This lumber flume was completed by the Shasta Lumber Company in August of 1888 when it reached the vicinity of present-day Bella Vista, they ended the course of construction at the end of what is now Meyer Road (just off Deschutes Road.) The lumber flume was a V-shape structure which was elevated to 90’ in height and supported by scaffolds. Enright purchased the Gipson ranch at that location in order to have a stopping point for his company’s lumber flume. This area was the end-of-the-line for the lumber flume and Bella Vista was originally called, the dump, because it was the dumping point of their lumber coming off the lumber flume. The original town site was established with a general merchandise store owned by the Shasta Lumber Company, company offices, a planning mill and additional buildings.

The distance of this lumber flume was 32-miles long from its start at Hatchet Mountain to its dumping point. From the dump, the Shasta Lumber Company wanted to continue construction of the lumber flume towards Anderson, but the valley terrain was too level to allow the lumber flume to operate and they had to think of additional methods to transport their lumber from the dump to the Southern Pacific’s station in Anderson for their product to be shipped to the market.

Above: the Shasta lumber flume (also known as the Terry lumber flume). Courtesy of Shasta Historical Society.

Then in 1889, E.W. “Pike” Roney constructed a grounded telephone circuit for the Shasta Lumber Company at Bella Vista which was installed between that town and their yard in Redding. This was a line used by company officials only. The installation process that Roney used to create this telephonic line was: “black iron balling wire, salamoniac batteries and Bell company instruments secured from the Bell Telephone Company. Another instrument was connected to this line and located in the apartment of Vuave, assistant superintendent for Enright”. (SIC) This was the first telephone line in operation at Bella Vista.

Now for some myth busting of my own, over the years a number of researchers and local historians have stated that the Anderson-Bella Vista Railroad was established in 1889, but that is false primarily because Bella Vista was still called the “dump” at that time, and this railroad was not constructed yet. This brings us to the following column printed by a local media outlet on, December 13, 1890:

“The Anderson Enterprise accredits Mr. Joseph Enright as saying that as soon as the roads become impassable for hauling lumber the teams will be set at work on the railroad grade from the dump to Anderson; that next spring or early in the summer he expects to unload lumber by rail in Anderson.” (SIC)

Above: the Terry Lumber Company store and mill, between the years 1910 to 1913 in Bella Vista. This photograph was taken by Titler. Courtesy of Shasta Historical Society.

Above: the Terry Lumber Company store and office. Additional buildings on the property as well, between the years 1910 to 1913 in Bella Vista. This photograph was taken by Titler. Courtesy of Shasta Historical Society.

In addition to the above incorrect information this railroad was referred to as the Shasta Lumber Company’s railroad and not the Anderson-Bella Vista Railroad, early on. Another newspaper article from the San Francisco Call on February 25, 1891, refers to the railroad by that name and states the following information:

“Building Its Own Railroad

Anderson, Feb. 24 – The grading for the branch railroad of the Shasta Lumber Company of this place to the end of the flume is commenced and will be completed to the Sacramento River by the 15th of April. The line is sixteen miles in length and is standard gauge, fifty-six-pound iron rails. The Shasta Lumber Company is a rich corporation owning 20,000 acres of the finest sugar pine in the State. This road undoubtedly will be extended to the valleys north.” (SIC)

During March of 1891, a meeting was held at Bedford’s hall in Anderson for the purpose of gathering businessmen to secure funds for the completion of the Shasta Lumber Company’s railroad to Anderson. Two of the final phases of construction of this railroad was to install the rails and to build a bridge over the Sacramento River for the train to continue its course into Anderson. The bridge was estimated at a construction cost of five or six thousand dollars. At that time, Joseph Enright managed to negotiate a contract with the Southern Pacific Company to “furnish him with sixteen miles of rails as soon as the grade is completed.”

By April of 1893, the construction on the Shasta Lumber Company’s railroad wasn’t completed yet. Flooding from the recent rains had caused the delay. However, the Shasta Lumber Company had been transporting 60,000 feet of lumber daily from the dump to Anderson. Eventually, the Shasta Lumber Company’s railroad was completed that year. The first mention that I found of their engine in operation comes from the following article printed by the Republican Free Press newspaper on November 18, 1893:

“Engine Overboard

Yesterday morning, about 8 o’ clock the Shasta Lumber Company’s engine, attached to a car loaded with lumber while going to Anderson from the dump , and upon being transferred to the ferry boat on the Sacramento River, shot off the boat into deep water, the car following half way, the rear end remaining on the boat. It is thought that it will take about three days to secure the car and lumber and place engine on terrafirma.” (SIC)

The Shasta Lumber Company didn’t retrieve their engine until the following month when the Shasta Courier newspaper printed the following account on December 18, 1893:

“The Shasta Lumber Company’s engine has been “snaked” out of the river, where it has been in soak for two or three weeks.”

It wasn’t a glorious start to the Shasta Lumber Company’s engine on their newly completed railroad. The route of the Shasta Lumber Company’s railroad started from the planning mill at the dump, and along present-day Deschutes Road to the Southern Pacific Company’s station at Anderson. Joseph Enright had this railroad built because it was quicker way to transport their lumber to the market and it helped the company reach Anderson over the flat terrain where the lumber flume would have failed.

Above: is the Terry Lumber Company planning mill at Bella Vista, between the years 1910 to 1913. If you look at this photograph closely to the left hand corner of the photograph where it says "Titler photograph" you will see the standard gauge railroad tracks of the Anderson-Bella Vista Railroad. This photograph was taken by Titler. Courtesy of Shasta Historical Society.

As I stated before, the original location of Bella Vista was at the dump at the end of present-day Meyer Road on the former Gipson ranch. The man who named the town of Bella Vista was Robert Hamilton and he was employed by the Shasta Lumber Company. After Hamilton purchased property nearby, he erected a house on a knoll north west of Cow Creek. Due to the beautiful views from this location Hamilton named it Bella Vista which is the Spanish translation for the English meaning of “beautiful view”. Bella Vista was never referred to as the dump again. 

Additional employees also settled near the Hamilton residence. A pair of so-called subdivisions were also established by lumber company employees on the west bank of north Cow Creek which they referred to as Upper Stringtown and Lower Stringtown. Bella Vista became a booming lumber community.  

Above: dumping lumber at Bella Vista. A man pulling a log out of the lumber flume. This photograph was taken by Titler, between the years 1910 to 1913. Courtesy of Shasta Historical Society.

Above: the Bella Vista lumber yard. This photograph was taken by Titler, between the years 1910 to 1913. This location is at the end of Meyer Road in present day Bella Vista. Courtesy of Shasta Historical Society.

Above: the lumber yard at Bella Vista, California. Date unknown. This location is at the end of Meyer Road in present day Bella Vista. Courtesy of Shasta Historical Society.

Then on, May 18, 1893, a post office was established by the United States Postal Service headquarters in Washington D.C., called Bella Vista which appointed Robert Hamilton as the first postmaster, and the community was now a thriving little town of 200 residents. Most of the settlers were employed by the Shasta Lumber Company, however, early pioneer settlers did live along Cow Creek who were mostly farmers in the area. Among these early pioneer settlers were Frederick V. Meyer Sr., a native of Bremen, Germany, and the author’s maternal great-great-great-great grandfather, who arrived and settled there in 1851. The original Meyer ranch remains in the family today, and in 1953 was inducted into the State of California's 100 Year Club for being in business for more than 100 years. Meyer Sr., raised a large family of fourteen children with his wife Caroline (Notten) Meyer. Yank Creek runs through the Meyer property. Yank Creek was named after Joseph Yank who lived on its channel. Another early settler named Christian A. Lemm also raised a large family of his own. Additional people quickly moved into the area acquiring farmland.

Above: the Frederick V. Meyer Sr., family poses for a photograph in front of their two-story farmhouse on Cow Creek near Bella Vista. Meyer Sr., originally owned 160 acres of land and he accumulated additional property later on. From the collection of Jeremy Tuggle.

Above: the Lemm farmhouse, located on Salt Creek beside Highway 299. It was remodeled in 1917. Fire destroyed this Victorian farmhouse in the early 1970s.

Due to the early residents in this territory the oldest schoolhouse in the area was established on August 3, 1875 which was called the Eureka Schoolhouse. It was located near the present-day town of Bella Vista on what is now Blue Sky Road (formerly Aloha Road) on Salt Creek at on Highway 299E. It was a one-room schoolhouse. Several of my relatives on my maternal side were educated here. In addition to that, my maternal great-great-great-great aunt, Olive (Meyer) Chatham taught during the 1911 and 1912 school years as a teacher and so did Franklin R. Love a great-great-great-great uncle of mine by marriage who married Olive’s sister Mary (Meyer) Love. Love taught here in 1887, 1891 and 1897.

A secondary school was established on August 7, 1884, and it was originally called the North Branch schoolhouse. Then on, July 20, 1896 the school was renamed as the Bella Vista Schoolhouse. Like the Eureka Schoolhouse it continued to serve the area through educational purposes.

Above: the Eureka Schoolhouse is pictured here with Olive (Meyer) Chatham standing beside it. Year: 1974. It was demolished in 1980. Courtesy of Shasta Historical Society.

Above: Bella Vista students pose for a class photograph standing against a wall of the Bella Vista Schoolhouse. Year: 1910. Courtesy of Shasta Historical Society.

According to local historian Myrtle McNamar she states that Cow Creek was “first called Arroyo de los Eresnos (Rivulet of the Clover)”.  It became Cow Creek in 1845 when Captain John Fremont ventured through the area it was renamed by him after some cattle Fremont saw in the area and the name stuck to this creek. Bella Vista was devastated by fire that ravaged the Shasta Lumber Company property in August of 1895. According to the San Francisco Call newspaper it heralded the following account:

“Bella Vista Blaze

The Shasta Lumber Company’s Boiler House Destroyed.

Anderson, Cal., - August 10, - A fire broke out Thursday night in the boiler house of the Shasta Lumber Company’s factory at Bella Vista, destroying the building and badly damaging its contents. The other factory buildings were saved by the hard work of the employees. The fire causes a serious impediment to operations of the different departments as they depend almost entirely upon steam for their motive power, the waterpower being sufficient to operate only one or two machines at a time. The company has large orders for material especially for fruit-packing purposes, and the filling of these will be delayed until the damage can be repaired.” (SIC)

Enright and his employees repaired the damages caused by the fire and they continued their shipment of orders. Joseph Enright sold out to Joseph E. Terry in 1897, Terry got quite a bargain for this Shasta County plant and all the Shasta Lumber Company holdings including the railroad when Terry purchased it for less than $100,000. At the time of the sale the Shasta Lumber Company owned about 28,000 acres of land in Shasta County and most of it was timber land. It was Joseph E. Terry who established the Terry Lumber Company, at that time.

On June 15, 1910 another ravaging blaze wiped out the Terry Lumber Mill at Bella Vista which resulted in $75, 000.00 worth of damages to the Terry Lumber Company. In the fire the company lost the box factory, planning mill, two warehouses and large quantities of lumber in the lumber yard. The fire was partially covered by insurance. It’s owner Joseph E. Terry, said that “we will rebuild as soon as our new equipment arrives.”

Above: Anna M. Taylor poses for a photograph with two of her children at their home in Bella Vista. A young male child is standing on the left side of Anna and in the house looking out is a young female child. A chair can be seen inside their home. Circa 1917. Courtesy of Shasta Historical Society.

In 1916, Terry employed three hundred men who worked on site at the Terry Lumber Company at Bella Vista.  Terry directed his foremen to run two shifts over a twenty-four-hour period both day and night. Then in August of that year the Terry Lumber Company began sawing 175,000 feet of lumber per day. Most of the lumber was transported by railroad to the Southern Pacific station at Anderson to be sent out to the market.

Above: the employees of the Terry Lumber Company are getting ready to ship lumber to the market from Bella Vista. Date unknown. Courtesy of Shasta Historical Society.

Four years later, the Terry Lumber Company was sold to the Red River Lumber Company of Westwood, Lassen County, California, who purchased the holdings of the Terry Lumber Company in January of 1920. By January 17, 1920 it was confirmed by the Red Bluff Daily News in a letter written by Willis J. Walker, vice president of the Red River Lumber Company that, to the local media outlet:

“In regard to the Terry property I would say that we have purchased this property of all kinds and expect to begin improving the ranch at Bella Vista right away. We have made no definite plans as to what will be done with the remainder of the property beyond taking care of miscellaneous property and will probably repair the flume so as to use on the ranch. Our plans beyond that are not at all definite.” (SIC)

According to Ethel (Saxon) Ward whose article “Pioneering In Lumber Transportation” was published by the Shasta Historical Society in the 1964 Covered Wagon writes the following:

“The Red River Lumber Company succeeded the Terry Company in ownership of their timber lands and flume. Harvey Klingler, the old-time flume boss, was recalled to repair the flume. The mill operated from 1920 to 1922. Evidently the operation was not profitable as mill and flume were abandoned in 1922.” (SIC)

During its prime the town of Bella Vista had a thriving population of 2,000 people. Over the years, Bella Vista’s community consisted of saloons, barber shops and various stores, including gas stations. Later, Deschutes Road was cut and graded in 1945 and it replaced the Anderson-Bella Vista Railroad when it was abandoned, that year. Meyer Road was named after Donald Meyer and his wife Thelma (Stone) Meyer. Donald Meyer is a grandchild of pioneer Frederick V. Meyer Sr., and together they purchased the land in 1949, to establish their Meyer Ranch at that location where Bella Vista was established.

During the year 1977, Ed Carmichael donated a half-acre lot located about a mile east of Deschutes Road on Highway 299 E near Dry Creek Road for the Bella Vista Volunteer Fire Company. At that time, they lacked a fire station. Soon, they would have their new fire station erected which was used as their new headquarters under Fire Chief, Orval Pressley. Previously, they gathered at the Bella Vista Elementary School where training exercises were held as well. At that time the fire department had 22 members ready to serve the community when the alarm rang out.

In 2010, the U.S. Census documented that the population for Bella Vista reached 2,781. The Bella Vista Elementary School in the Bella Vista School District continues the education of local children from grades Kindergarten through 5th grade, and life in the town continues to thrive daily. The only items remaining of (Old) Bella Vista are concrete blocks and one single railroad tie located on private property at the end of Meyer Road.

Above: a county map before the establishment of Bella Vista showing the junction of Dry Creek and north Cow Creek, also the Gipson ranch, the Frederick V. Meyer Sr., ranch (misspelled as Myers) the surname was never corrected on this map, the Joseph Yank ranch and others along north Cow Creek appear on this map as well. This is the 1884 Map of Shasta County.

POSTMASTERS OF BELLA VISTA:

Robert Hamilton - 5-18-1893

Robert S. Roycroft - 11-12-1896

Francis Ray Drennon - 6-29-1916

Joseph E. Terry - 10-27-1916

Note: The Bella Vista Post Office was discontinued on June 30, 1918 under Terry, and the Mail was rerouted through Palo Cedro. The Bella Vista Post Office was reinstated on August 12, 1920 under Welder.

Albert L. Welder - 8-12-1920

Mary Luella Lofton - 7-19-1922

Edna D. Nasland - 6-8-1937

Vera F. Mallard (Acting Postmaster) - 3-23-1939

Charlotte L. Hamlin - 8-1-1939

Florence Violet Wilson - 7-15-1945

Gertrude Sims - 10-15-1944

Virginia L. McGrew - 7-17-1971

Marian R. Rutherford - 4-27-1985

Kathleen Munhollon - 7-2-2011

Walter C. Evans III - 11-26-2016

Above: the 1904 Edward Denny & Company's Map of Shasta County showing the town of Bella Vista. The Frederick V. Meyer Sr., ranch is noted on here and the surname is spelled correctly. However, in 1904 it was the Terry Lumber Company that owned the lumber flume which is shown here as being owned by the Shasta Lumber Company. Other ranches appear on the map as well.

RESOURCES:

Shut Down - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, December 17, 1887

That Lumber Flume – The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding June 9, 1888

The Shasta Lumber Co’s Flume – The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, June 30, 1888

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, August 4, 1888

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, August 11, 1888

California Voters Registration, 1890

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, December 13, 1890

Building Its Own Railroad – The San Francisco Call newspaper of San Francisco, February 25, 1891

Railroad Grading Commenced – The Sacramento Daily Union newspaper of Sacramento, February 25, 1891

Important Meeting – The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, March 7, 1891

Joseph Enright and R.G. Hamilton - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, April 29, 1893

Engine Overboard – The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, November 18, 1893

A Mammoth Lumber Enterprise – The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, December 9, 1893

The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, December 10, 1893

Great Register of Shasta County, California 1894

Bella Vista Blaze - The San Francisco Call newspaper of San Francisco, August 11, 1895

A Great Bargain - The Sacramento Union newspaper of Sacramento, May 30, 1897

The Shasta Lumber Company – The Daily Free Press newspaper of Redding, June 1, 1897

Fire Wipes Out Shasta Plant - The Sacramento Union newspaper of Sacramento, June 16, 1910

Bella Vista Mill Employs 300 Men - The Sacramento Union newspaper of Sacramento August 6, 1916

Morse Originator of Famous Shasta Lumber Flume - The Chico Record newspaper of Chico, May 5, 1917

Terry Lands Are Sold to Walker Company – The Red Bluff Daily News newspaper of Red Bluff, January 17, 1920

Walkers Improving Lumber Property – The Sacramento Union newspaper of Sacramento, January 27, 1920

May Develop Terry Timber – The Sacramento Union newspaper of Sacramento, January 28, 1920

New Building Marks 47 Years of Telephone Progress Here - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, January 11, 1927

School Districts of Shasta County, 1853-1955

History of Telephones in Shasta County by Peggy Kesterson. On file at the Shasta Historical Society in VF 621.0 Utilities, 1973-1974.

In the Shadow of The Mountain by Edward Peterson

Pioneering in Lumber Transportation written by Ethel (Saxon) Ward, The Covered Wagon 1964, pages 32-36, published by Shasta Historical Society.

The Meyer Family written by Edna (Chatham) Wallace and Suzanne Kershaw, The Covered Wagon 1974, published by Shasta Historical Society.

The Lemms of Bella Vista Ten Sons by Ruth (Lemm) Martin and Jane (Lemm) Long, The Covered Wagon 1979, pages 61-69, published by Shasta Historical Society.

Fire Company Finds Land In BV - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, June 16, 1977

VF 979.424 Bella Vista on file at Shasta Historical Society

The Wedding Photograph of George G. Tuggle and Maud (Turner) Tuggle, 1900.

L-R: George Griffin Tuggle and his wife Maud (Turner) Tuggle, pose for their wedding photo. Taken by W.O. Amsden.

This photograph has quite the story... it was found by a non relative in a salvage shop (antiques and things) in Berkeley, California this last week. So she purchased the photograph. The image was inscribed on the back as to who the couple were. The discoverer then took it home to try to find their family online and through Ancestry.com, the discoverer was then placed in contact with a distant cousin of mine. My relative told her about me and that I am a historian in Shasta County who works for the Shasta Historical Society, the cousin then said it should go to Jeremy. After that, she found my works website online and emailed me about it telling me the unique story behind this photograph and asking me if I would like to have the original. So, of course, I said yes! Today it arrived in the mail.

This is the first photograph my family has acquired of my paternal great-great-great uncle George Griffin Tuggle (1870-1955), and the second photograph of his wife Maude (Turner) Tuggle (1872-1974) that we have. The other picture of Maud is her at a later age.

George and Maud were married in Manton, California on December 24, 1900, this is their wedding photograph taken in Redding by local photographer W.O. Amsden who was an active photographer in the area between 1899 and 1900. See his label on the lower right hand corner. George G. Tuggle’s occupation was a farmer and a millwright.

George Griffin Tuggle is a son of William Harvey Tuggle and Melinda (Ferrel) Tuggle, and Maud is the daughter of Jacob Turner and Nora Turner.  George and Maud had an infant male baby who was born in 1901 and died in 1901. Their infant male baby is buried in the Mountain Home Cemetery near Shingletown. George G. Tuggle and Maud (Turner) Tuggle are buried in the Evergreen Cemetery, in Oakland, California. It appears that the hand writing on the back of the photograph is Maud’s writing. 

This year has been a very good year so far for recovering photographs of the Tuggle family, I’m pretty stoked about it! 

Above: the back of the photograph with the original inscription, plus a sticky note from the discoverer of the photograph.

From Shingle Camp to Shingletown

Above: an early photograph of Shingletown. From the collection of Jeremy Tuggle.

Shingletown was first called Shingle Camp, it was established in 1848 as a tent community, and its name derives from the first production of shingles and shakes in Shasta County. Due to the abundance of sugar pine and cedar trees the lumber was easily placed into production. There are numerous creeks which flow through and around the settlement. One of them is Ash Creek which retains its name from the numerous Ash Trees growing along its channel, and because of the ash like soil at the mouth of the creek. (Brand Spring is the head of Ash Creek, which receives its name from Harriett Brand who sold her property along the headwaters of Ash Creek to the Northern California Power Company in 1899.)

Another creek is Baldwin Creek which retains its name after an early pioneer settler named James H. Baldwin who camped on its channel in the early 1850s. Local historian, Myrtle McNamar relates in her book "Way Back When", that Battle Creek was formerly called Nozi Creek (Nosa), due to a small Indian tribe of the same name that formerly lived on this channel near Bloody Island. In 1845 the name was changed to Battle Creek after a battle occurred there between the European-Americans and the local Indians. The small Indian tribe was killed during the battle.

Other notable creeks are: Bear Creek which was named after the numerous grizzlies, black and cinnamon bear dens in the pioneer days that covered this creek. Lack Creek, a tributary to Bear Creek, named for an early pioneer settler by the name of DeMarcus F. Lack who resided on its channel, and Millseat Creek, a tributary of Battle Creek, retains its name after the first sawmill in the area. The mill sat upon this channel. It also supplied the McCumber sawmill and later the Klotz sawmill with water. Shingle Creek is another channel which retains its name after the first production of shingle and shakes in the area.

The first settler of Shingle Camp was an European-American by the name of Charles B. Ogburn who settled on the plateau in a tent in 1848. Additional men followed suit due to the abundance of lumber the area offered. However, his time spent upon the ridge was cut short as he traveled back home to Forsyth County, North Carolina. He later returned to the area with a younger sibling by the name of John W. Ogburn sometime between 1852 and 1853. Charles eventually returned to his former home and he resided there until his death in 1873. John W. Ogburn stayed in Shasta County, married and raised a large family in the area.

During the year 1850, two men named James M. King and Thomas Asbury arrived and settled at Shingle Camp. Together they continued the production of shingles and shakes at that place along Shingle Creek. Some historians credit them with being the first to produce them. Two years after their arrival, the Nobles Emigrant Trail passed through Shingle Camp. This trail was the most popular route traveled by the early pioneers as they ventured into Shasta County heading west from distant places. The route which was named for William H. Noble and discovered by him remained active until the 1860s.

Pioneer resident Abraham Cunningham was quoted as saying “…a forest primeval consisting of the greatest stand of pine and sugar pine the world has ever known stood from Manton to Whitmore and from Inwood to the base of the High Sierras.”

This area become the nucleus of the lumber industry for many years. Sawmills existed elsewhere in Shasta County, but it was this area and along the Shingletown Ridge that boomed. The lumber industry began in 1844 at Balls Ferry, and it was the second industry created in this county.

Pictured: L-R: Pioneers Abraham Cunningham and his wife Samantha Cunningham. Courtesy of Shasta Historical Society.

Records indicate that the first sawmill erected in the area was the McCumber sawmill which was built by a millwright with the surname of Wiemer and owned by George W. McCumber. It was located beside Mill Creek. The second sawmill followed in 1853, it was a lumberman by the name of Jim Dry who claimed ownership of a sawmill at Sugar Pine Gulch near Shingletown.

He hired two millwrights, John W. Dinsmore and Mariman Ferrel, to build a water-powered mill like its predecessor, which he named the Dry Mill, after himself and perhaps as an ironic nod to its power source. Construction was completed in 1853 and a 100-foot long flume towered above the mill pouring water into a 90-foot over-shot water wheel. Ferrel is the authors’ paternal great-great-great-great uncle.

In order to power the water wheel a ditch was dug from Shingle Creek to convey water from the creek to the mill, about a half-mile distance.

The first source that I have located during my research which uses the name Shingletown but spelled as Shingle Town was written by John A. Driebelbis in a lengthy article about the Nobles Emigrant Trail which was printed in the Shasta Courier newspaper in November of 1853. Driebelbis also mentions that the Jack Hill ranch was located at Deer Flat. This supports the fact that by this date the name Shingle Camp was no longer used by its residents. Driebelbis wasn’t a resident of the community, but he did reside in Shasta County, however, he was a traveler who had been over the route four different times and knew the route well. He also wrote down notes during each journey over this pass.

By 1854, a general merchandise store was erected by John Freeland at Shingletown. This store was in the center of the community. All kinds of trade and sales were conducted here, and business was successful. Then on, September 2, 1854, the Shasta Courier newspaper heralded the following account about the McCumber sawmill;

“Joyous Tidings - Let the bachelors of this region rejoice, for behold we bring them glad and joyous tidings. Among the emigrants now stopping temporarily on the Noble route, thirty or forty from this place (Shasta), as well as among those who have not yet reached that point, there are a goodly number of beautiful and marriageable young ladies. Indeed we hear that the tones of the “light guitar” struck by fairy-like fingers, and strains of the richest melody, warbled forth from fairy-like throaths in loving words pronounced by fair-like lips, every night by the “pale moonlight”, awake the echoes of the brave old forests where the emigrants are now sojourning. It may be slightly foreign to the subject to remark in this connection, that we have some idea of making a trip out to McCumber’s sawmill, on the Noble route, in the course of a few days. We go, we would have it understood, for the sole purpose of seeing how the land lies- and making examination of its adaptability to “stock-raising”.” (SIC)

Another column printed the same day as the above article states:

“The Emigration - We are informed that a very large number of emigrants, just arrived from the plains, are now stopping in the vicinity of McCumber’s Mill and Jack Hill’s Ranch. They have a great quantity of stock with them, which, owing to the abundance of grass on the Noble route, are in fine condition. Several gentleman just returned from the Humboldt, and who went out for the purpose of purchasing cattle, say that the emigrants refuse to sell at anything like reasonable prices, generally asking higher figures than the animals will command in this valley.” (SIC)

Without a doubt, the bachelors of the area were delighted about this emigrant party’s arrival due to the women. One surprising discovery which was made by George W. McCumber in the Shingletown area relates to a vein of coal. The following column was written by the Shasta Courier newspaper on February 10, 1855;

“Coal Mine. - Mr. McCumber informs us that he is about making to thoroughly prospect a vein of coal, which he has discovered in the immediate vicinity of the Emigrant Road, and near the McCumber Saw Mill. The vein has already been traced a distance of several miles, the mineral thus far rising above the surface of the earth. In this distance the vein is cut in two by a ravine, discovering the fact it is immense size. None of the coal except that from exposed portions of the vein, has yet been tested. Hence we are not prepared at present to express an opinion as to its quality. The vein is thought to be between four and six feet deep, by twenty-five and thirty wide.” (SIC)

Time away from the McCumber sawmill allowed McCumber to prospect this new discovery further and work the coal mining site. Eventually, the hype around this coal mine died out. After this period, the McCumber sawmill continued its operation under different owners until 1896 when the McCumber sawmill was relocated to Viola and became part of the Vilas sawmill operation owned by Marcellus B. Vilas. After he took control of the sawmill, he sold it to the Red River Lumbering Company.

Prior to 1855 the Dry Mill was sold in various transactions but in 1855 William Hyde of Shasta acquired it. Hyde eventually sold it to a man by the name of Hobson and Hobson sold to William Worth Smith. Smith operated the property until 1858 when he sold it to Millville resident, George C. Woodall. After acquiring the Dry Mill in 1867, a brand-new corporation called the Dry Mill Company was established in Shingletown. The Dry Mill Company continued production of lumber and in 1870 a lumberman named Rudolph Klotz and his partner Sylvanus Leach purchased the Dry Mill from the Dry Mill Company.

Klotz and Leach also erected a new sawmill on the north branch of Battle Creek at Shingletown near Emigrant Road. This mill was a steam-powered mill and they called it the Eureka Mill; Sylvanus Leach having formerly been a resident of Eureka. The history of the Dry Mill, as described in Myrtle McNamar’s book, "Way Back When", is that the machinery was transferred from the Dry Mill to the Eureka Mill when it was erected and the Dry Mill became inactive thereafter, but my research suggests otherwise.

The Shasta Courier reported four years after the Dry Mill supposedly had become inactive that Leach had continued operating the Dry Mill under his ownership; Klotz had apparently sold his interest to a man by the name of Duncan. Klotz and Leach continued operating the Eureka Mill together though. Leach became my great-great-great uncle by marriage due to him marrying Cora Bell Tuggle, a daughter of William H. Tuggle and Melinda (Ferrel) Tuggle on May 28, 1874 in Shingletown. In July of 1874 most of the lumber at the Dry Mill was being cut by timberman using sash saws to fell sugar pine trees instead of the usual cedar trees. The lumberyard of the Dry Mill was kept full and Leach and Duncan sold lumber for $11 per M. Likely the Dry Mill had not ceased operation but relied on man-power to produce lumber after the mechanical equipment was transferred to the Eureka Mill.

At the Eureka Mill Klotz and Leach employed fifty men and they were able to achieve the same operational capacity as the Defiance Mill and the Moscow Mill, producing around 90,000 feet of lumber per day. Sylvanus Leach and Rudolph Klotz sold the Eureka Mill to the Sierra Flume and Lumber Company and in May of 1877 the Sierra Flume and Lumber Company constructed a small flume from the Eureka Mill, merging it with a larger flume in the area. When the new addition was completed lumber from this sawmill was shipped down the flume south towards Red Bluff. Lumber from the Eureka Mill sold for prices between $12 and $30 per M. The Eureka Mill was one of the largest sawmills in the Shingletown area and included a company store and a telegraph office on its property.

The Dry Mill was one of the oldest sawmills in the Shingletown area before it entered a long period of dormancy and inactivity. It became an abandoned sawmill but in 1900 the Dry Mill was still standing.  In 1916 the Dry Mill collapsed. By 1950 only the remnants of the 90-foot water wheel remained on the property, as described in Myrtle McNamar’s publication, "Way Back When". McNamar visited the site of the Eureka Mill in 1896 and noted only the foundation of the building and the log drive still existed.

While Shingletown was booming and becoming popular with lumberman, a new sawmill was built in 1856 by Rudolph Klotz who erected a water-powered mill on the outskirts of Shingletown, at the present site of Nora Lake and it was a successful sawmill. Additional sawmills would be erected in the area complete with boarding houses for their crew, and company stores on sawmill sites. Later, some sawmills were operated by horsepower.

A large part of the Nobles Emigrant Trail in Shasta County was declared by the Board of Supervisors which led from the original site of the McCumber sawmill leading out of Shasta County to Honey Lake in Lassen County and to the state line as a public highway by them on May 4, 1857. Improvements to the emigrant road were made by John A. Driebelbis, that year. Also, other resources claim that the Sierra Township was established in 1861, but that is incorrect, as I found listings of township officers being elected in September of 1857 which was printed by the Republican newspaper of Shasta. It claimed that S.D. Baker and G.W. McCumber were elected as Justices of the Peace and F. Strong and S. Parks were elected as Constables of that township, this township might predate 1857 as well. Future township officers would be elected for the area as its population grew.

Above: Pioneer Lewis Thomas exercised his squatting rights by filing this deed on January 1, 1866 at Marysville in Yuba County but the property was located in Shingletown just off the Nobels Emigrant Trail at the head of Ash Creek. Later, he sold the property to William H. Tuggle and Melinda (Ferrel) Tuggle. From the collection of Jeremy Tuggle.

Above: Shingletown appears on the 1884 Map of Shasta County. The property of  William H. Tuggle at the head of Ash Creek (now Brand Spring) is shown near the new Thomas place and Baldwin properties. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle.

Then in, 1862, my paternal great-great-great grandparents, William Harvey Tuggle and Melinda (Ferrel) Tuggle brought their family west over the Nobles Emigrant Trail from Keokuk, Lee County, Iowa. Their first night in the area spent at Mountain Home which was a lodging place in the Shingletown area. They had four children born to them between 1851 and 1860. Four more children were born to them between 1863 and 1871, after their arrival in California.

They eventually continued into Shasta the next day. William H. Tuggle was a teamster and farmer. The Tuggle family first purchased property in Tehama County during the 1860s and lived there until 1870. The Tuggle family relocated to Shingletown after William H. Tuggle and his wife Melinda (Ferrel) Tuggle purchased the Charles Baker place on Battle Creek, seven miles east of Shingletown in the spring of 1870. They enhanced the property by erecting a house and barn. Yet, their house and barn were burned down in a wildfire in October of 1870. The family lost most of their personal heirlooms they brought across with them on their journey west in 1862, at that time. Very few items survived the fire.

After the fire the Tuggle property at that location became abandoned until 1880 when John Daily moved onto the property and made improvements to it. The first of two Tuggle properties along Ash Creek were sold to William H. Tuggle and Melinda (Ferrel) Tuggle on April 24, 1872, when they purchased the Lewis Thomas property. They lived here until December 12, 1883 when they sold the place to E.H. Ward and G.R. Marlen. During the interim of the eleven years spent on the above property they erected a large two-story house made of the finest lumber, a barn, and a milk house. They also planted an apple orchard. This property was located east of the Dry Mill.

The Tuggle family's second property was on lower Ash Creek. Both properties appear on the official 1884 map of Shasta County, which was approved by the Shasta County Board of Supervisors on October 6, 1884. However, his surname is found as Taggle and Tuggle on this map. Deeds to the properties both show that William H. Tuggle and Melinda (Ferrel) Tuggle owned them. The surname was never corrected on the official Shasta County map. After selling out to E.H. Ward and G.R. Marlen, William H. Tuggle and Melinda (Ferrel) Tuggle purchased the John E. Krooks property five miles east of Shingletown at the mouth of Millseat Creek in 1884 and they remained there.

Above: on the lower left hand corner along Ash Creek is the William H. Tuggle property on lower Ash Creek. The surname is misspelled as Taggle. From the 1884 Map of Shasta County. This photograph taken by Jeremy Tuggle.

In 1871, John Freeland sold his establishment to John McCarley, who enhanced the building and store with new features. This building was now a two-story wooden structure and it contained twelve rooms. McCarley also became a business partner with Albert Smith and together they established the McCarley and Smith General Merchandise, Trading Post and Hotel. Their enterprise flourished with success. In addition, McCarley and Smith sold dry goods, groceries, boots, shoes, clothing, wines, liquors and cigars. Freight of all kind were freighted in-and-out of Shingletown on a weekly basis. Years later in 1905, it was destroyed by fire. It was rebuilt and enlarged, almost on the same property as the original building. Shingletown also featured a saloon which got rowdy at times, and a community barn complete with hay and grain, but it lacked a livery stable.

During the interim years of 1860 and 1890, James M. King continued making shingles and shakes in the area but most of his profits from the lumber went towards new equipment and the building of a blacksmith shop he had constructed. Also, money was placed into blacksmithing after his building was erected. He conducted the blacksmith shop with his two sons Jesse King and Atticus King in this bustling community until the 1890s. This building was a two-story structure. The first floor was used as a blacksmith shop while the second story was used as a dance hall. James M. King also became a property owner at Shingletown and sold off additional properties at later dates.

Another popular location for dancing was at the residence of John W. Ogburn inside the Ogburn family barn. Music was often rendered by live bands or solo musicians at both places. It was a community affair but some of the regular attendees at the Ogburn barn were the Tuggle family, Williamson sisters, Klotz family, McClain family, Lack family, Boots family, Aldridge family, and the Thatcher sisters. George G. Tuggle a son of William H. Tuggle and Melinda (Ferrel) Tuggle recalled this from memory in Myrtle McNamar's book, "Way Back When".

When Shingletown resident Rudolph Klotz ran for the state Assembly in 1873 the name of the township was changed from the Sierra Township to the Shingletown township. Shingletown casted votes for Klotz in the tally of sixty-nine, and a tally of ten for his opponent Isaacs. When the news was confirmed in October of 1873, that Klotz won the election to the Assembly the community gathered together and celebrated by firing off anvils, Henry rifles, revolvers, and by cheering their new Assemblyman. After the celebration was over the locals formed a procession and marched to Klotz’s residence and congratulated him about his win. At Klotz’s residence he invited the locals to come inside his home and he hosted them as they continued celebrating with wine and refreshments that night.

Then on, November 22, 1873, fire destroyed the Klotz’s Door and Sash Factory, which was owned by Rudolph Klotz. Two millwrights by the surname of Ware & Lang erected this building for Klotz in 1869. Since that time, it was under the supervision of Lang who was acting as superintendent of the place. The fire that destroyed the property which ignited from a coal oil lamp, was used for the purpose of keeping the glue hot for the use of putting chairs together. Two of Klotz’s employees had just refilled the coal oil lamp. Klotz’s sawmill building situated near the factory and connected by railways together with the immense stacks of lumber was saved by the opposite direction that the wind was blowing. Or else it would have been destroyed by fire as well. Rudolph Klotz estimated the loss close to $30,000 in damages.

Another important date in the history of Shingletown is June 24, 1874, when the community was approved for a post office which was established by the postal service headquarters in Washington D.C., it was John McCarley who was appointed by them as the very first postmaster of the Shingletown post office. Now the residents were able to send and receive mail. McCarley’s store housed the first post office.

Above: the Klotz Mill Schoolhouse was located near the Klotz’s Door and Sash Factory, circa 1890. It was established on May 10, 1872. Additional nearby schoolhouses were the following: Bear Creek School, Inwood School at Inwood, Sierra School, Mountain Home School, Thatcher Mill School on Bear Creek, and the Sheridan School on Shingle Creek. Of course they all operated at different times. Courtesy of Shasta Historical Society.

The Shingletown hotel kept a successful business until 1923, when Benjamin F. Loomis purchased the hostelry, at that time Loomis relocated the building to Viola. At Viola the name of this impressive building was renamed as the Viola Resort. It was then destroyed by fire in 1953.  Shingletown is now a quiet community nestled in the hills below Mount Lassen. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, it had an estimate of 2,283 people living in the town.

Above: a photograph of Shingletown with the Shingletown hotel on the right. This is the building that Benjamin F. Loomis purchased and relocated to Viola. From the collection of Jeremy Tuggle.

With an escalating population comes new businesses, even though they come and go. A local historical society was established in 1961 under the name of the Mt. Lassen Historical Society to preserve and collect the history of the Shingletown area. During 1991 the name of this Society was changed to the Shingletown Historical Society and in 2015 a grand celebration was held for the opening of their new museum located at 33187 State Hwy 44 Unit C. If you are passing through the area take some time to explore this museum, and some of the preserved historic sites Shingletown has to offer.

Above: the Billy Smith saw mill on Camp Creek, a small tributary of the north fork of Bear Creek in the Shingletown area. Date unknown. Courtesy of Shasta Historical Society.

Above: is the Shingletown Resort. The date of this photograph is unknown. A Signal Gasoline sign is visible on the right side of the photograph. Courtesy of Shasta Historical Society.

RESOURCES:




Shasta County Election Returns - The Republican newspaper of Shasta, September 12, 1857


Wagon Road Meeting - The Republican newspaper of Shasta, May 9, 1857


Board of Supervisors - The Republican newspaper of Shasta, May 9, 1857


Improvement of the Honey Lake - The Republican newspaper of Shasta, May 30, 1857


Emigrant Road Meeting - The Republican newspaper of Shasta, June 6, 1857


More Fire - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, October 29, 1870


The Destruction of Klotz’s Door and Sash Factory – The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, December 6, 1873


EASTERN SHASTA COUNTY – The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, July 25, 1874


Deed Book 12, Page 106 – William H. Tuggle and Wife to E.H. Ward and G.R. Marlen, dated December 12, 1883


Fined – The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, August 22, 1874


Official Vote of Shasta County – The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, September 20, 1873


Jubilee – The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, October 4, 1873


My Playhouse Was A Concord Coach, an anthology of newspaper clippings and documents relating to those who made California history during the years 1822-1888, by Mae Hélène Bacon Boggs. Published by Howell-North Press ©1942


Our Storied Landmarks - Shasta County, California, written and published by May H. Southern ©1942


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

School Districts of Shasta County 1853-1955 compiled by Veronica Satorius


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


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

U.S., Appointments of U. S. Postmasters, 1832-1971


CHIPS & SAWDUST - ©1978 by Beulah Johnson, published by Shasta Historical Society.

Where The 'Ell Is Shingletown? The Shingletown Story By Marion V. Allen ©1979 Printed by Press Room Inc., Redding, California, Pages 81.


Birth Of the Shasta County lumber industry - by Jeremy M. Tuggle - Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, January 13, 2017


Selected Sawmills of the Shingletown Area - by Jeremy M. Tuggle - Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, February 4, 2017