Christmas Day At Shasta In 1854

After a night of celebration at the community Christmas Tree inside the Methodist Church at Shasta on Christmas Evening (Christmas Eve), local Shastan's both young and old retired to their homes that night expecting the arrival of Santa Claus, and remembering Jesus Christ, which is the real reason why we celebrate Christmas. The next day many residents anticipated the glorious tradition of gift exchange. Christmas Day, on December 25, 1854, began unusually quiet in the Queen City of North. Everyone was inside their homes enjoying this festive holiday with family and close friends. Shasta was lacking it’s usual populated streets, and business transactions, as well as the playful shouting of the youth in town, that day. The Shasta Courier newspaper edition of December 30, 1854, contained the following account:

"Christmas Day - This day passed off rather tamely in this place. No excitement - no fun - no frolicking - no snow balling - ('twas a regular Atlantic May day,) no sweet-heart visiting - (cause, the absence of material out of which sweet-hearts are composed,) no ginger-cakes - no taffy pulling's - no nothing! The day previous, however, was all life - half-a-dozen horse races having occurred in the streets. As near as we can recollect, we observed, while standing on the St. Charles porch for an hour, no less than six dogs pass with remarkable speed, and yelling lustily, the tail of each dog having appended thereto an old tin cup. This cruel, but intellectual amusement, seemed to be relished hugely by everybody, ourselves among the number, the passage of each dog have been received with vociferous cheering." (SIC)

Above: this article is taken from the Shasta Courier newspaper edition of December 30, 1854.

Merry Christmas to all...

Christmas Eve At Shasta In 1854

Above: this article is taken from the Shasta Courier newspaper of Saturday, December 30, 1854.

Just how was Christmas Evening (Christmas Eve) spent in Shasta in 1854? Thanks to the Shasta Courier newspaper from Shasta we have have this article which was printed by them on Saturday, December 30, 1854:

“Christmas Tree - The Christmas Tree on Christmas Evening, in the Methodist Church, was a most beautiful sight, and gave the little folks a vast amount of pleasure. Their little eye’s sparkled, and their little mouths made merry noise, as beautiful little Santa Claus distributed the various little presents. There little eyes were not only made to dance with the sight of beautiful toys, but their little mouths were feasted with all manner of cakes, candies, nuts and other “goodies”- after which, with arms filled with the fruit of the Christmas Tree, they repaired to their homes, where in the arms of good Morpheus, they doubtless spent the remainder of the night in beautiful dreams. We also, about the same time, retired to a pair of lonely blankets, with the words upon our lips, “Would I were a boy again!” (SIC)

The next day the town celebrated Christmas in their homes. Merry Christmas to all. To be continued...

Buzzard Roost

Above: Buzzard Roost as it appeared during its prime with its hotel and other buildings near bye. Courtesy of Shasta Historical Society. 

Government Trading Post was established as a community along Cedar Creek at the junction of (old) Oak Run and Reid toll roads in 1869. It’s unknown how the community received it’s name, yet it’s name changed at a later date to Buzzard Roost. The name Buzzard Roost derives from a quartet of saloon habitués, heaving over a bridge rail called a "bunch of buzzards". During the 1880s, Buzzard Roost was flourishing as a stage station with stages arriving and departing daily, and this continued well into the 20th century.

Then in 1882, Buzzard Roost became part of the Round Mountain Post Office until 1905. During November of 1885, local Frederick Leith shot and killed a large American Eagle which was perched on a branch of a tree on his property in the area. After it was brought down to the ground this American Eagle was measured at eight feet from tip to tip, and three feet from the point of bill to the tip of the tail. During December of 1892 the following story was heralded in state wide media coverage: 

“A little girl twenty-one months old wandered from her home at Buzzard Roost, twenty-four miles from Redding, Shasta County, Sunday noon, while the temperature was 8 deg., above zero, and was not found until Monday evening. When found she was lying on her back cold and stiff, but she was revived by rubbing her body with whisky. The searchers found where she had slept in a clump of pines Sunday, where, doubtless, she was sheltered partially from the cold.” (SIC)

The community was a wild place with saloon brawls and lone highwaymen waiting for approaching stages usually, the Redding and Bieber Stage, which conveyed passengers to and from the area. Often this stage line hauled valuables connected with Wells Fargo & Company which caught the attention of the highwaymen who preyed upon their stages. Buzzard Roost, which included a hotel with a stage station, a corral, three dwellings, a blacksmith shop, and a saloon, were destroyed by fire on September 25, 1926. Presently, Buzzard Roost Road retains the name of the former community.

RESOURCES:

Notes From Shasta - The San Jose Mercury newspaper of San Jose, November 18, 1885

A Lone Highwayman - The San Jose Herald newspaper of San Jose, October 25, 1889

A Babe In the Woods - The San Francisco Call newspaper of San Francisco, December 24, 1892

The Los Angeles Herald newspaper of Los Angeles, December 24, 1892 

The Placer Argus newspaper of Auburn, January 6, 1893

Stage Runaway And One Man Had Leg Broken - The Chico Record newspaper of Chico, February 26, 1909

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 by May H. Southern, published by Balakshin Printing Company, ©1942.

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

Place Names of Shasta County by Gertrude A. Steger revision by Helen Hinckley Jones, ©1966 by La Siesta Press, Glendale, California

May H. Southern’s scrapbook’s. Nine binders. Unpublished personal and researched material compiled by Southern. Available at Shasta Historical Society.

SIMEON FISHER SOUTHERN AND THE HAZEL CREEK AREA

Simeon Fisher Southern, a native of Stephensburg, Kentucky, was born to Stephen Fisher Southern and Rebecca (Duncan) Southern, on September 6, 1822. As a boy, Simeon grew up on his father's farm as a farmhand assisting his father when he wasn't attending school. Southern was often referred to by the nickname of "Sims". He became well-educated during his adolescents. He became a well-respected man during his lifetime.  Later in life, he departed Kentucky, leaving his family behind, and traveled America living in the following states: Arizona, Louisiana, New Mexico, and Utah before venturing west to California where he settled at Shasta about 1854. 

Then in, 1855, Southern partnered with Charles F. Louis, another resident of Shasta, to own and operate the Eagle hotel which became the newest hostelry in the Queen City of the North, Shasta. His business ethics made his hostelry flourish with success against the more upscale hotels along Main Street during this era. It wasn't long before he found time to court an elegant woman named Sarah Emma Lafferty, also a Kentucky native, and the daughter of Thomas Lafferty and Elizabeth (Smith) Lafferty. By January of 1856, Simeon appears to have been operating the Eagle hotel by himself without the assistance of Charles F. Louis. 

Above: an advertisement for the Eagle hotel at Shasta proprietors: S.F. Southern and C.F. Louis. From the Shasta Courier newspaper edition of September 22, 1855.

Simeon and Sarah's romance continued to blossom, and they were married on February 26, 1856 at Shasta by E.K. Shed, Esq., a close personal friend and business partner of Simeon Southern. Earlier that year, Southern and Shed purchased the St. Charles hotel on Main Street at Shasta. This was Southern's second hostelry that he owned, a third hostelry was leased by him which was called the Empire hotel. It was located on Main Street at French Gulch and he operated this hotel with S.F. Black until 1858 when Simeon and Sarah decided to relocate from Shasta to Dog Creek in the Sacramento River Canyon. 

After settling at Dog Creek, Southern went into partnership with J.S. Cameron in operating the Dog Creek House, a little inn which proved successful due to the travelers of the Sacramento River Road, heading north and south bound through the canyon. Southern was elected as Justice of the Peace of the Sugar Loaf Township, which included Dog Creek and Hazel Creek. Simeon and Sarah later moved north to Hazel Creek where Southern erected a log cabin style building combined with a trading post on a plateau overlooking Hazel Creek which he owned and operated.

Sarah assisted her husband in the hotel as well. Simeon Southern eventually enlarged his building into a two-story wooden structure with luxurious and comfortable rooms for his guests. He also kept livestock at Sweetbrier in 1860, which he ended up owing $5.91 in delinquent taxes that year. He also built a mule corral on the hotel property at Hazel Creek.

Hazel Creek received its name from the many Hazelnut bushes which grew along the channel of the creek. Southern was not the first resident of Hazel Creek there were other people before him. In 1855, Hazel Creek was the site of lucrative gold strikes. Now Southern was enhancing the area. There were still mining claims nearby which were extensively mined when the Southern's moved there in 1859.

Above: people on the upper balcony and on the lower balcony and ground floor pose for a photograph at Southern's Hotel and Stage Station on H:azel Creek, date unknown. Courtesy of Shasta Historical Society.

In 1867, the miners at Hazel Creek were finding very course pieces of gold sometimes mixed with quartz and weighing from an ounce to fifty dollars in value while ground sluicing the area. One of the advantages these miners had compared to other mining localities was the amount of free water from Hazel Creek which made the extraction process easier. The area was considered as very deep diggings in a rocky area which made it harder to mine the ore. Most of the miners spent their findings at Southern's trading post usually on new mining equipment and supplies they needed.

Two years later in July of 1869, an excerpt of an article from the Shasta Courier newspaper reported the following account regarding Hazel Creek: "Hazel Creek which empties into the Sacramento on the east side just opposite of Southern's Store, is paying better this season then it has for a number of years. McKenzie & Garret, Johnson & Co., Keaton brothers, and a number of others are making from $3 to $5 per day, to the hand. The gravel and dirt on this creek is of a burnt reddish hue and contains any amount of porous quartz, some of which is very rich in free gold."

In 1871, Southern's hotel became a prominent stage stop along the Sacramento River Road for the Greathouse Company of Shasta. This company was owned by George L. Greathouse, a brother-in-law of Sarah (Lafferty) Southern. Sometimes it was referred to as Southern's Station. About this time, it was reported that the Hazel Creek mines in the area were playing out and miners were getting unfavorable results. Southern, who had some mining claims of his own in the area proved the local media wrong about Hazel Creek, and it was then, that the Shasta Courier newspaper wrote the following column in October of that year:

"FROM HAZEL CREEK - S.F. Southern came in town Wednesday from Hazel Creek bringing undoubted evidence that the mines of that section are "giving out", in the shape of some well-filled purses of gold dust and a number of nice specimens." (SIC)

Another interesting column about Simeon Southern appeared in the Shasta Courier newspaper edition of October 18, 1873, which reports the following: "S. Southern, of Southern's station, came down this week to do a little trading with our wholesale merchants. Times have been hard in Sim's locality lately, and he could only bring down about ten pounds of gold dust this trip." 

During their union together Simeon Fisher Southern and Sarah Emma (Lafferty) Southern had the following children born to them: 

1. Ada Southern (1858-?)

2. William F. Southern (1859-1935) 

3. Ida Mae Southern (1864-1928))

4. Mae Hazel Southern (1867-1943) [Note: She became the first President of the Shasta Historical Society in Redding.]

5. Sarah A. Southern (1868-?)

6. Elzey Thomas Southern (1870-1932)

7. Fannie Emma Southern (1872-1948)

8. Nellie Belle Southern (1875-1908)

9. Jeanette Isabel "Belle" Southern (1877-1908)

10 . Simeon Fisher Southern Jr. (1879-1893)

During the latter part of September, in 1880, the 19th President of the United States Of America, Rutherford B. Hayes and his party consisting of First Lady, Lucy Ware (Webb) Hayes, General W.T. Sherman, and General Phillip Sheridan registered to stay at Southern's hotel after visiting Redding from Chico which won Simeon Southern's hostelry some praise in national media coverage due to the president's campaign tour in California.

The presidential party were on their way north from Redding to Yreka but they decided to make a stop overnight at Southern's hotel. The whole family met the entire presidential party that day. Simeon "Sims" Fisher Southern died on December 6, 1892 at Hazel Creek. 

In 1902, Southern's hotel and Stage Station were sold to timbering interests by Sarah (Lafferty) Southern, who controlled her husband's estate at the time. She sold out to Knight & Shelbey who erected the first sawmill in the Hazel Creek area. The area became known as Sims after Sarah's husband and Hazel Creek retained its name. Sarah (Lafferty) Southern then relocated south to Redding, when she survived her husband by twenty-seven years before she died. 

Above: this is the Sims Schoolhouse at Sims with its students and teacher posing for a photograph. Courtesy of Shasta Historical Society.

At Sims, Knight & Shelbey had a small logging operation on location. They were transporting logs by horses and steam donkeys to their water-powered sawmill. Water was taken from Hazel Creek to operate it. A year later, in 1903, a new company came to fruition called Sims Lumber Company which had purchased the sawmill property and logging interests from Knight & Shelbey. 

During the decade of the 1910's Sim's became a campground for the California Highway Commission who was overseeing a series of surveys in the area for the north valley highway systems. It brought renewed activity to the area. In 1911, Southern's hotel and Stage Station became a tourist attraction due to its lucrative and vast mining history in the area. The demise of this hotel was not recorded, its unknown how long it stood. Sims Lumbering Company continued logging operations at Sims until 1913 when they sold out to George Ralph & Sons. 

Above: built out of box cars and situated along the railroad tracks was the Southern Pacific Railroad Depot at Sims. Circa 1910. Courtesy of Shasta Historical Society.

Above: Sims became the campground for the employees of the California Highway Commission during their survey's of north valley highway systems in 1913. The California Highway Commission was established in 1895 as the main state highway bureaucracy in California. It was the predecessor of the California Transportation Commission which organized and replaced it in 1978. Courtesy of Shasta Historical Society. 

The Ralph's enhanced the area with a new logging railroad to their sawmill  They also erected a water tank for their small steam locomotive which needed to fill its engine with water to transport the logs to and from the sawmill. In 1919, the Shasta Mill & Lumber Company purchased this sawmill and continued production in the area.

Between 1933 and 1939, Sims was called Camp Sims by the Civilian Conservation Corps which utilized the area as a camp ground for their crews. A plaque was placed at Sims which state the following: "With its wooded valley and beautiful river setting, Sims, was a haven to the boys from Company 978 who came from the busy cities of San Francisco, Oakland and other Bay Area communities. Camp Sims, like other CCC camps was administered and built by the U..S. Army. But it was the Forest Service who was in charge of actual work projects. Besides fire fighting, the boys from Camp Sims gained a real reputation for building three fire lookouts-Sims, Bradley, and Sugar Loaf, constructing part of Everett Memorial Highway, and building Panther Meadows [on the upper slopes of Mt. Shasta.]"

In 1933, a bridge was built to provide fire protection on the east side of the Sacramento River at Sims.  Today, Sims is designated as a historic site in Shasta County which features an easy walking trail and fishing access. Sims Road off Interstate 5 in the Sacramento River Canyon also retains its name in honor of Simeon Fisher Southern. 

Above: this plaque states the following: "This tablet marks the location of the famous Southern Hotel and Stage Station the original building was a log cabin built in 1859. During a half century many noted people who made early California history were entertained here in this hotel. Dedicated to the memory of Simeon Fisher Southern and his wife Sarah Lafferty Southern pioneers of the gold trail 1849-1855. Erected by their daughters May H. and Fannie E. Southern, May 30, 1931. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on October 17, 2020.

RESOURCES:


Married - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, March 1, 1856

Births - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, April 9, 1859

1860 U.S. Census

Delinquent Taxes - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, December 8, 1860

California Voters Register, 1866

Hazel Creek - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, August 31, 1867

Soda And Hazel Creeks - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, October 19, 1867

Upper Sacramento Items - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, March 20, 1869

Upper Sacramento Items - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, July 10, 1869

1870 U.S. Census

Items - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, February 18, 1871

From Hazel Creek - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, October 14, 1871

Brief Mentions - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, October 18, 1873

1880 U.S. Census

The Presidential Party Among the Hydraulic Mines - The Sacramento Daily Union newspaper of Sacramento, September 25, 1880

President Hayes At Yreka - The Humboldt Times newspaper of Eureka, September 28, 1880

Sawmill Is To Be Erected At Sims - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, February 13, 1913  

California, Pioneer and Immigrant Files, 1790-1950, for Simeon Fisher Southern.

May H. Southern’s scrapbook’s. Nine binders. Unpublished personal and researched material compiled by Southern. Available at Shasta Historical Society. 

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

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

Shasta Historical Society Pioneer Record: Simeon Fisher Southern, dated May 8, 1943.

SP-035, SOUTHERN, Simeon F., Pioneer Plaque Program File, available at the Shasta Historical Society.

Shasta Historical Society - Genealogical Records 7-59: Southern, Simeon Fisher.

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

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

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

HARRY WARD GLOVER AND THE GLOVER HOUSE OF REDDING

Harry Ward Glover stands beside his building in front of Glover's Garage on the south-west corner of Market and Placer Streets in Redding. Circa 1920's. Courtesy of Shasta Historical Society.

Harry Ward Glover, a native of Oakland, Alameda County, California was born on May 8, 1879 to English parents James Glover and Sarah (Hyde) Glover. His family lived in Sacramento in 1880 where his father was employed in stamping to provide for his family. Harry was the youngest of two children born to them. His older brother Herbert was born to his parents about two years before him.

At the age of 21, in 1900, Harry was living in Redding as a boarder under the household of Daniel F. Adams, a local hostler in the area, Adams was married to his wife Bella. At this time Harry was single and he was working as a blacksmith, eventually he began dating Christine Sutherland and they were married in Redding on September 29, 1904. Together the newlyweds purchased a house at 1308 Pine Street which was erected in 1900, and it became their home.

In 1906, Harry was elected as a Shasta County Deputy Assessor as well as becoming Redding’s Fire Chief, on June 15, 1906. Glover was succeeded as Redding's Fire Chief by Eugene A. Urban on December 17, 1906. Then in 1907 Harry purchased Peter Glaszer's blacksmith shop at the southwest corner of Market and Placer Streets. Glover closed the blacksmith shop and turned it into a garage in 1912, and he became an agent for Hupmobile, Maxwell, Mitchell, Star and Studebaker automobiles. On April 15, 1912, Harry Ward Glover was elected as the tenth mayor of the City of Redding, and he served the position honorably until April 20, 1914 when he was succeeded by L.F. Morton. 

When the 1920 U.S. Census was enumerated on January 8, 1920, for their neighborhood in Redding, it showed that Harry and Christine had a daughter during the interim named Maida who was eight years old at that time. Ten years later, when the 1930 U.S. Census was recorded it documented the Glover family was still living at 1308 Pine Street. During the 1930's, Harry was active within the local chapter of the Redding Kiwanis club and he served as president of this club as well.

Years later, Glover's dealership closed down when he retired. Harry died in Redding on June 10, 1946. His wife Christine (Sutherland) Glover survived her husband by three years and died on March 4, 1949. This residential house still stands and it's now home to commercial offices next to the iconic Damburger restaurant of Redding.

Above: Glover's Garage on the south-west corner of Market and Placer Streets in Redding. Circa 1920's. Courtesy of Shasta Historical Society.

Above: the present day Glover house at 1308 Placer Street in Redding is now a commercial building and is located on the right side of Damburger. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on November 28, 2020.

RESOURCES: 

1880 U.S. Census

1900 U.S. Census

1904 City of Redding Directory

1910 City of Redding Directory

1910 U.S. Census

U.S. World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1918 for Harry Ward Glover.

1920 U.S. Census

The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, January 4, 1925 on file in VF 979.234 Town Redding - Historical Information, available at the Shasta Historical Society.

1930 U.S. Census

1938 City of Redding Directory

1940 City of Redding Directory

1940 U.S. Census

U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 for Harry Ward Glover.

California U.S., Death Index 1940-1997 for Harry Ward Glover

California U.S., Death Index 1940-1997 for Christine (Sutherland) Glover

City of Redding Mayor's Since 1887

Glover's Garage Leased by Gene Franck and Wife - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, January 7, 1940

The Sacramento Bee newspaper of Sacramento, March 5, 1949

McARTHUR-BURNEY FALLS MEMORIAL STATE PARK

Above: Burney Falls. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on October 21, 2020.

If you’re ever in Northern California one of the premier destinations in Shasta County to visit is a natural wonder called Burney Falls. This magnificent water fall was designated as a National Natural Landmark in 1984 by the National Park Service. Yet, long before it was developed into a state park in 1930 it was President Theodore Roosevelt who supposedly labeled this natural landmark as the "eighth wonder of the world" during his presidency. Thousands of tourists come from all over the world to visit Burney Falls which is situated in the McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park along Highway 89.

This state park was established by Frank McArthur on one hundred sixty acres of land. He donated its land to the National Park Service and dedicated its donation in memory of his parents John McArthur and Catherine McArthur for the purpose of preservation. McArthur didn't want the site of the falls to be destroyed or to be utilized for hydroelectric power, and three years later the State of California added an additional one hundred seventy-five acres of land to the property. Since then the park has grown in size and is currently at 910 acres of land according to their website. 

Above: is Burney Falls. The falls height is approximately 129 feet from Burney Creek,  a tributary of the Pit River, while the depth of its pool is 22 feet, it’s water temperature reaches a chilling forty-two degrees to forty-eight degrees and it’s daily flow is 100 million gallons of water. This video was filmed by Jeremy Tuggle on October 21, 2020.

Above: this cabin is original to the park and it was constructed in 1935 by the Civilian Conservation Corps. The cabin was restored by the Friends of the Falls between 1984 and 1986. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on October 21, 2020.

Above: a general store remains on site as well and is often open for business within the McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park. Yes, that is a payphone in front of this building. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on October 21, 2020.

The town of Burney, Burney Falls, Burney Mountain, Burney Valley and the McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park, are all named for Samuel Burney, a Scotsman, who arrived and settled in the area during November of 1858. His occupation was that of a caretaker, guide and trapper. However, Native Americans broke into his cabin and murdered Burney striking him to the back of his head with a hatchet in March of 1859. During the time of his death he was living at the Brook Farm which was homesteaded by James Preadmore. 

It's been documented that Samuel Burney had a love for the land he lived on and that it was possible another neighbor named William Cayton may have conspired with the Native Americans to have him killed for his land. Either way, Cayton eventually acquired the land which belonged to Samuel Burney. A Native American boy who had helped caretake for Burney was also murdered during the attack. Samuel Burney's body was found a short distance from his cabin covered with rocks. Burney is buried in the Burney Cemetery at Burney.

Above: the headstone of Shasta County pioneer, Samuel Burney at the Burney Cemetery in Burney. An error on his headstone at the cemetery states, "Killed by Indians 1857", and that is incorrect. He was killed in 1859. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on July 7, 2018.

The pioneer Burney Falls Cemetery was also laid out on spacious ground and established in 1890. It is included in the boundaries of the McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park. My maternal great-great-great aunt, Laura May Felch, is buried in this cemetery, she was the daughter of John Richard Felch and Lettetia Jane (Joiner) Felch, who were married at Pittville, in Shasta County, on July 24, 1889 by the Clergyman, M.H. Vineyard. Their daughter, Laura, died in August of 1891 during the diphtheria epidemic which swept through the Burney area. Laura's father, John, was a farmer who also leased a local sawmill from Isaac Ray and Felch began operating it as well. Laura's parents are buried in the Burney Cemetery at Burney.

Above: this park also features cabins which you can rent and spacious camp grounds, hiking trails, and access to Lake Britton. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on October 21, 2020.

Above: Jeremy M. Tuggle appears kneeling at the monument erected for the Burney Falls Cemetery. The first name on the marker is his maternal great-great-great aunt, Laura May Felch. Laura never had a headstone yet her plot was purchased for by her family. A selfie. This photograph was taken by Jeremy M. Tuggle on October 21, 2020.

Above: tour the historic pioneer Burney Falls Cemetery with Jeremy Tuggle. This video was filmed on location by Jeremy Tuggle on October 21, 2020.

RESOURCES:

A White Man And Indian Boy Murdered - The Shasta Republican newspaper of Shasta, April 2, 1859

The Covered Wagon, 1957. Published annually by Shasta Historical Society. 

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

Mountain Echo edition of December 10, 1988

Burney Falls - Visit a booming waterfall nicknamed the “eighth wonder of the world”

McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park 

McArthur-Burney Falls: A Particulary Memorable State Park by Carl Gwyn

Laura May Felch - Find A Grave.com

The Many Places Claiming to Be the Eighth Wonder of the World - by Becky Little written for History

McArthur-Burney Falls Memoria State Park

The John James Stevenson family, circa 1889-1890, at Anderson, Shasta County, California.

The John James Stevenson pioneer family poses for a photograph, circa 1889/1890, at Anderson, Shasta County, California. From the collection of Jeremy Tuggle.

I just uploaded this throwback portrait yesterday to my Ancestry.com account. This is the John James Stevenson pioneer family circa, 1889/1890, at Anderson, Shasta County, California. I have one set of great-great-great-great grandparents in this photo, and one set of great-great-great grandparents in this photo as well as my great-great-grandfather in this photo. This is on my maternal side of the family. The following people are identified: 

Back row L-R: Mary (Roberts) Stevenson, Rachael (Burkhead) Stevenson, Jane (Moore) Stevenson, Mary (Fitch) Stevenson, unidentified, Nina (Decker) Stevenson, and Laura (Cross) Stevenson. 

Middle Row L-R: Jay Weyland Stevenson, Wilsa Elmer Stevenson, John James Stevenson, William Scott Stevenson (holding baby, Winnie (Stevenson) Asbell), Willard Eugene Stevenson, and Vint Wayne Stevenson. 

Front Row L-R: Verda (Stevenson) Taylor, Joseph W. Stevenson, Jack A. Stevenson, Charles A. Stevenson, John Prosper Stevenson, and Lena (Stevenson) Waldorf in dress, and the family dog. Only one person is unidentified. A copy of the original Stevenson family portrait, very faded in parts. 

NOB HILL

Above: an 1889 Birds Eye View Map of Redding - Nob Hill showing the L-shape structure of the Del Monte hotel also known as the Del Monte Lodging and Tennant's.

Nob Hill is where Redding's wealthiest residents lived in luxurious homes during the 1880s, located on the westside of Redding surrounded by Court, Yuba, West and Placer Streets. Nob Hill is situated on the hillside, near the Placer Street hill and Court Street alongside the John J. Balma Justice Center, also known as the Shasta County jail.

Some of the earliest known landowners on Nob Hill were James T. Loag, Holton S. Cochran, M. Hayles, John H. Madison, O.J. Willis, and the Yeakey brothers. Some of the known renters of these luxury homes were the John Estes family, who rented the house and property belonging to James T. Loag, as well as Mr. And Mrs. E.G. Parker who rented the house and property belonging to Holton S. Cochran.

In 1887 one of Redding's hotels was erected on the top of Nob Hill and named the Del Monte Hotel. Later it would be known as Del Monte Lodging and Tenants' Its builder/proprietor was George Groves, and his hostelry was a two-story L-shape structure facing Yuba Street. It had an observatory on top and it contained ninety-six rooms. During the hostelry's construction, one local newspaper stated the following about its owner: "There are men in town who have more money than Geo. Groves, but none with more enterprise." It seemed to be their way of accepting Groves' building in the wealthiest part of town. By 1889 several more dwellings had been completed within the area but the Del Monte hotel stood out as one of the tallest buildings in the city. 

The Del Monte hotel grounds consisted of freshly made sidewalks and bridges. On the south-west side of the hotel property fronting West Street was a water well, an outhouse, barn, and shop, erected by Groves for his tenant's use. By May of 1896, the Sanborne Fire Maps of Redding noted the well as private property then owned by the Well & Rider Company of England. Later this water well supplied water for Redding's business district.

The 1899 City of Redding Directory described the Del Monte hotel as an apartment house, not a hostelry. It is interesting to not that the directory  mentions its location as being on the south side of Butte Streets between West and Court Street. It was still owned by George Groves at that time.

The nearest subdivision to Nob Hill was the Breslauer Addition to the west. By March of 1912, ten dwellings had been erected on Nob Hill including an Episcopal church on the south-west corner of Yuba and Court Streets. Construction and new development have changed Nob Hill's look over time from residential to a business area. 

The Del Monte Apartments were condemned by the City of Redding in 1959 and demolished in 1960, never to be rebuilt. There was another Del Monte Apartments, but it had no relation to the pioneer hostelry business. The John J. Balma Justice Center was erected on Nob Hill in 1984.

RESOURCES:

The Reading Independent newspaper of Redding, March 25, 1880

A Tough Crowd - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, April 16, 1887

Another Improvement - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, May 21, 1887

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, June 4, 1887

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, June 11, 1887

1899 City of Redding Directory

Sanborne Fire Map of Redding

REDISCOVERING THE COMPTON MINE OF THE SHASTA MINING DISTRICT

Above: modern graffiti appears inside the main haulage tunnel of the Compton mine, this photo was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on September 22, 2020.

The Compton mine was a producer of gold which was located in the boundaries of the Shasta mining district about 1 1/2 mile south of the town of Keswick, and south of Keswick Dam on the west side of the Sacramento River, at the mouth of Rock Creek on forty acres of land. In 1915, this mining property was owned and operated by G.F. Bassett, of Redding. Bassett developed the property from a vein of quartz associated in granite-porphyry.

Mining records indicate it contained a small pay-shoot. Bassett brought in two small five-pound stamp mills on the property near the adit of this lode mine which crushed the rock so he could obtain the ore it produced. The stanchions of these stamp mills remain on site along the present-day Sacramento River Trail at that location. 

Active Sacramento River Trail users have seen the trail which leads to the Compton mine many times, but the adit is blocked by a rock in front of it and you can't see the opening until you climb to the top of the trail. It's a very tight squeeze to get into. It contained an adit with a short drift, and two small winzes above the adit which have been plugged. Production notes were not kept for the Compton mine. 

Above: this YouTube video was filmed on location of the Compton mine by Jeremy Tuggle on September 22, 2020.

RESOURCES: 

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

Mines and Mineral Resources of Shasta County, California – County Report 6 – by Philip A. Lydon and J.C. O’ Brien ©1974 by California Division of Mines and Geology

The Compton Mine

The Zogg Fire Destroys Two Landmarks in the Historic Town of Ono

Above: this clapboard style building was erected in 1935 at Ono to house the meetings and events of the Ono Grange No. 445. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on July 4, 2018.

Confirmation from the Redding Record Searchlight newspaper confirms that the Zogg Fire which erupted into flames on the afternoon of September 27, 2020, on Zogg Mine Road in Igo destroyed two landmarks in the historic nearby town of Ono. The Ono Grange No.445 was instituted on March 26, 1930, at Ono which empowered them to act under the bylaws of the National Grange for a permanent charter or warrant confirming a perpetual right of succession, and securing them the privilege's of a regular constituted grange. 

The first meeting of the Ono Grange No. #445 was held in a rented building on Buell Road in Ono on April 2, 1930. The first master was James J. Barr Sr., [the husband of my paternal great-great-great aunt Edna L. (Kidder) Barr], and the first secretary of this grange was Lena Driscoll. The charter members of this new establishment were: James J. Barr Sr., Mrs. Martin Driscoll, Olive Miller, David Miller, Marshall Gill, Richard Edmonds, Bob Jordan, W. Kingsbury, May Kingsbury, C.M. Murphy, Joseph N. Moon, Pauline Stevens, Eugenia Graham, Sydnie Jones, Nelly Murphy, Mrs. Addie B. Graves, Charles Plumb, Mabel Fowler, Frankie Fowler, and Mrs. Julia Edmonds.

In February of 1934 negotiations began with the members of the grange and Ono resident David Boyer to purchase a piece of property that Boyer owned near the channel of Eagle Creek for the future Ono Grange Hall. Yet, Boyer decided to donate the land for the grange to use, and on May 25, 1934, the construction began on the new Ono Grange Hall.

Above: the siding of the Ono Grange Hall. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on July 4, 2018.

Above: the siding of the Ono Grange Hall. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on July 4, 2018.

The Ono Grange Hall was completed in 1935. Many people joined the new association which provided assistance to farmers, denotes a marked change in the economy of the area, away from mining toward farming and ranching. Through the years, the Ono Grange Hall remained an active gathering place for the people in the community, and many events and community fundraisers were held there. The building served the community for eighty-five years, until it was destroyed by the ravaging Zogg Fire on September 27, 2020.

Another landmark which was destroyed by the ravaging Zogg Fire on September 27, 2020, was the Ono Store and Stopping Place, also known as the Ono Store and International Cafe, which formerly marked the center of Ono. The store was built in the 1950s by Lamar and Aletha Green, opposite of what used to be David Miller's merchandise store. Since the Green's owned and operated the establishment it has been through various owners over the years. I'm sure that more fire ravaged landmarks of the Igo and Ono areas will be announced if any once the area reopens to the public. As of 8:30 A.M., on September 28, 2020, this fire has exploded to 15,000 acres. The fire is being driven by the wind. Praying for Igo and Ono. Thank you, to the fire fighters and our first responders!

Above: The Ono Store and International Cafe. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on July 4, 2018.

Above: the early stages of the Zogg Fire in Igo filmed by Jeremy Tuggle on September 27, 2020.

Above: the early stages of the Zogg Fire in Ono filmed by Jeremy Tuggle on September 27, 2020

RESOURCES:

Patrons of Husbandry Charter - Ono Grange No. 445, instituted March 26, 1930

A History of the Grange by Merla F. Clark

A Journey Through Time: Ono and the Bald Hills by Jeremy M. Tuggle, with an introduction by Al M. Rocca; copyright 2008, published by Preserving Memories, in Charlotte, North Carolina. ISBN Number: 978-0-9742576-8-6

http://onogrange.org/

Historic Buildings Lost To Fire - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding.

AN UNNAMED COPLEY GREENSTONE/QUARTZ MINE ALONG THE SACRAMENTO RIVER TRAIL NEAR REDDING.

Above: this photograph of the adit was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on September 19, 2020.

This unnamed Copley Greenstone/Quartz mine is located along the upper Sacramento River Trail on the east side of the Sacramento River. A marker at that location details the geological history of the mine. The marker states the following:

“This trail to a mine in the Old Diggings (Buckeye) Mining District leads past outcroppings of Copley greenstone, a basement rock in this part of of the Klamath Mountains believed to be about 400 million years old. Composed of old lava flows and some river sediments, the rock was altered by heat and pressure over the centuries to its present greenish hue on freshly broken surfaces. Veins like this mine were tapped for their gold and silica content. In the early 1900s, the low-grade quartz ore was mined chiefly for its silica, used as a fluxing agent in nearby Iron Mountain and other copper smelters.”

Above: this video was filmed by Jeremy Tuggle on location on September 19, 2020.

The Mount Shasta Mine: A Gold Mine on the Mt. Shasta Mine Loop Trail

Above: a miner pushing an ore cart filled with rock at the Mount Shasta mine. Courtesy of the Shasta Historical Society.

Located about 2 1/2 miles from the town of Shasta is the Mount Shasta mine, a once-lucrative producer of gold and one of the larger gold mining operations in the Shasta mining district, after gold was discovered in the area in 1897. The mine, which is within the boundaries of the Whiskeytown National Recreation Area on the Mt. Shasta Mine Loop Trail, can be found after a moderate 1.2 mile hike to the mining property, or you can hike the entire loop distance of 3.1 miles. 

The mine was first owned and operated by then-Shasta County Sheriff, Charles Behrens, the maternal grandfather of the late Honorable Shasta County Superior Court Judge, Richard B. Eaton. Behrens operated the mine with his mining partner, Levisay, and they negotiated a contract with the Keswick smelter to have their ore treated. The Mount Shasta mine consisted of the Pittsburgh mining claim and one other mining claim as well.

Above: a man tending to two horses hitched to a wagon at the Mount Shasta mine. In the back ground is the building which enclosed the eight stamp steam powered mill. Courtesy of the Shasta Historical Society. 

Behrens and Levisay, began digging a winze on the property which sunk down to about 80 feet below the surface of the earth, and this was the start of the 463 foot shaft on the property. To jump start the production earnings, Behrens and Levisay’s ore first earned them between $80 to $90 per ton at Keswick. Later that year, Behrens and Levisay sold their mining claim to San Francisco capitalists Hirshly, Vair & Farfst for $10,000.

Early on, in 1898, the new owners organized the Mount Shasta Gold Mine LTD., and they employed fifteen men to operate the mine by February of 1898. During the following year, Hirshly, Vair & Farfst had a stamp mill built for them on the property consisting of eight stamps, which operated by steam to crush their rock so their miners could obtain the ore they were seeking. Each stamp weighed 1,050 pounds, and a building was erected which enclosed the perimeter of the stamp mill as well.

Other equipment included a wooden head frame with a steam powered hoist, and a cage so miners could toil away in the shaft to extract the ore of the lower levels or to enter a drift they were working. The Mount Shasta Gold Mine LTD., began lowering the winze on the property as well. Eventually, the mine included seven levels with drifts branching off from the main winze.

By 1900, the Mount Shasta mine and its holdings were sold to O.O. Howard and F.E. Ware of Redding. Ware was a former superintendent at this gold mine. Howard and Ware employed W.G. Scott as their superintendent who supervised the work of their miners as the production of this mine continued. While the work progressed on the property, their miners probed and examined the rock on site which also consisted of digging and blasting out an adit, not far from the main shaft of the property.

The Mount Shasta Gold Mine LTD. expanded their holdings in the area after purchasing additional mining claims and bringing in additional shares of investors or capitalists from the Chicago area. Eventually in 1901 this company entered the copper mining industry of Shasta County, with most of the company’s copper claims were in the Pittsburgh mining district near Bully Hill. They focused on those copper claims between 1901 and 1904 due to the shut-down of the Mount Shasta mine which remained idled after that.

Surprisingly, another transaction occurred in 1912 when the Mount Shasta mine was sold to A.A. Linsdsay & Associates of Portland, Oregon, for an impressive $35,000. They had planned to enter an extensive hiring phase that December to employ one hundred miners, and continue the production of this gold mine.

During May of 1913, after re-timbering the adit and drifts on the property and installing a new ore-shoot, the mine was sold to H.O. Cummins and Associates for about the same price as the previous transaction. 1915 was the final year of production for this gold mine and the total production reached an output of $180,000 in gold, which is the equivalent of $2.5 Million in today’s currency.

Note: the Mount Shasta Gold Mine LTD., can be found as the Mount Shasta Gold Mine Corporation in the written historical records as well.

Above: The Mount Shasta mine as filmed on location by Jeremy Tuggle on August 25, 2020.

RESOURCES:

Mining and Scientific Press, 75 no. 18 (October 1897)

The Free Press newspaper of Redding, October 14, 1899

The Free Press newspaper of Redding, January 22, 1900

Mount Shasta Mine Sold And Paid For - The Courier Free-Press newspaper of Redding, February 16, 1912

Mount Shasta Mine Sold To H.O. Cummins - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, April 22, 1913

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

Historic Resource Study Whiskeytown National Recreation Area by Anna Coxe Toogood, May 1978, Denver Service Center, Historic Preservation Team, National Park Service, United States Department of the Interior

THE NATIONAL MINE OF THE OLD DIGGINGS MINING DISTRICT

Above: the main haulage tunnel of the historic National mine. Photo taken by Jeremy Tuggle on August 13, 2020.

Miners struck the lucrative quartz vein of the National mine in 1869, at Rich Gulch, and the vein became a heavy producer of gold in the Old Diggings mining district. This caused additional probing and exploratory operations which led to miners sinking winze's and driving tunnels, drifts and raises on the property which were also dug out by miners using picks and shovels. They also blasted through the rock using dynamite towards the face of the mine. Among the holdings of the National mine were the Forbes and Veteran mining claims located on the same property. 

At first, a ten-pound stamp mill was erected on the property to crush the rock they extracted from the mine. Then in 1906, the National mine was owned and operated by a group of people consisting of eastern capital who named themselves after the gulch which the National mine was located in. They employed Redding resident H.P. Walker as their general manager of operations.  

In March of that year, the Rich Gulch Mining Company completed the installation of their brand-new 25-ton cyanide plant, which allowed them to treat the tailing's of the National mine and the nearby Lyons Consolidated mine which they also owned and operated. The company also constructed a 1,500 feet tramway from the Lyons Consolidated mine to the National mine with a gravity system of 460 feet to ship the ore from the Lyons Consolidated mine to the National mine's stamp mill.

Above: a portion of a 1901 topography map of Shasta County marking the historic site of the National mine.

The Rich Gulch Mining Company also re-timbered the National mine and brand-new ore cart tracks and rail were laid in the main haulage tunnel and drifts. Eventually, new owners came in to purchase the National mine and it passed into the hands of Joseph Gretz, who in December of 1908, made arrangements for this ten-pound stamp mill to be dismantled and shipped to Schaffer, near Goldfield, in Nye County, Nevada. It would be rebuilt to resume operations for its new mining company in Nye County, Nevada. After this, the ore from the National mine was shipped to the nearest smelter to be crushed and treated.

The National mine operated until 1910, and then it laid idled until it was reopened in 1932, and it stayed an active producer of gold until 1934. It has been idled since that time period. The National mine produced a total output of $200,000 in gold. 

The National mine is located off Shasta Dam Boulevard. I have been informed that there is another caved-in adit on the property which is located at N 40° 41.568 W 122° 25.360 on a very steep and difficult terrain level which is covered in brush, manzanita and tons of poison oak. It would be to difficult for me to get to, which is why I only filmed this portion of the National mine as shown below in the YouTube video:

Above: this video was filmed on location at the historic National mine by Jeremy Tuggle on August 13, 2020.

RESOURCES:

The Daily Free Press newspaper of Redding, November 13, 1896

The Daily Free Press newspaper of Redding, December 3, 1896

New Cyanide Plant In Rich Gulch - Mineral Wealth Magazine - March 15, 1906 edition, page 3.

The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, December 4, 1908

Mines and Mineral Resources of Shasta County, California – County Report 6 – by Philip A. Lydon and J.C. O’ Brien ©1974 by California Division of Mines and Geology

Old Diggings mining district - Western Mining History

THE HISTORIC PRINCESS DITCH TRAIL; A MODERN HIKING TRAIL WITH AN ADIT QUARTZ MINE?

Located 7.4 miles west of Redding on Muletown Road is the historic Princess Ditch. This ditch was formerly owned and operated by the Princess Hydraulic Mining Company of Leadville, Colorado. It was dug out by their employees during 1896 and it was completed in January of 1897. From the source of its water supply at Boulder Creek in the present day, Whiskeytown National Recreation Area, its purpose was to convey water to the various quartz mines in the Muletown mining district and to the company's hydraulic mining operations which were situated in Secs. 25 and 26, Township 31, North Range 6 West, and consisted of three hundred acres of patented mineral land.

According to records, there was a drift mine of natural bedrock, and two fifty ft., shafts on the property. This historic water ditch operated in the late 19th Century, and during the early 1900s, by special permit obtained from the California Debris Commision. This permit allowed the Princess Hydrualic Mining Company to operate their hydraulic mining site in Shasta County, even though hydraulic mining had been outlawed in California since 1884. Their last permit was obtained by them in January of 1903, as their hydraulic mining operations continued, the Princess Hydraulic Mining Company was ordered to terminate their hydraulic mining activities due to their retaining wall which was condemned by the California Debris Commission. Their hydraulic mining operations has been idled since 1903. 

A century later, in 2014, this historic mining ditch was converted into a modern hiking trail. Those involved in the project were: the Bureau of Land Management, Whiskeytown National Recreation Area, the McConnell Foundation, the State Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, among other groups. They connected the Princess Ditch to additional trails in the area. Altogether the trail is a one-way 8.5 mile trail system, moderate to strenuous in parts, which connects with the Mule Ridge trail and the Salt Creek Loop trail. 

Above video: "An Abandoned Adit Quartz Mine, On the Historic Princess Ditch Trail." Filmed by Jeremy Tuggle on 7-20-2020.

In 2018, this modern hiking trail was destroyed by the ravaging flames of the deadly Carr Fire. Two years later, the trail system has grown back to its natural state, yet scarring from the fire remains visible. This trail is maintained by the National Park Service.

People can take the trail from its parking lot at the Oak Knoll Trailhead and can walk through some of its original course. However, the trail has its secrets, and one of them is a moderate to strenuous walk on a short over-grown mining road with fallen trees and poison oak. This mining road leads to an unnamed adit quartz mine which is hidden uphill off the trail from public viewing. From the start of the trail system at its parking lot on Muletown Road is a 0.2 hike to the mine's tunnel (if you know where to look for it). This adit quartz mine could have been owned by the Princess Hydraulic Mining Company since they had a drift tunnel on their property. 

Yet, it's a possibility that this adit quartz mine is part of the nearby Anavina Group of Mines also known as the Peerless mines, a series of five claims which were lucrative in gold, and located by miners in 1885, to work the mine as a placer mines which later converted into a quartz mine. The original name of the mine is not known to me, and I haven’t found it on any topographic maps of the area but it is an intriguing adit quartz mine which was mined for gold. With cool air flow circulating through this abandoned quartz claim, the tunnel measures an estimated 400 feet that's well worth the time and energy to check out, but as always be safe when entering old mines and take the necessary equipment you need with you.

RESOURCES:

Miners Want Water - The Los Angeles Herald newspaper of Los Angeles, August 11, 1897

The California Debris Commission - The San Francisco Call newspaper of San Francisco, January 18, 1903.

REPORT XIV OF THE STATE MINERALOGIST - MINES AND MINERAL RESOURCES OF CALIFORNIA - CHAPTERS OF STATE MINERALOGIST'S  REPORT BIENNIAL PERIOD, 1913-1914. CALIFORNIA STATE MINING BUREAU, CALIFORNIA STATE PRINTING OFFICE, SACRAMENTO. Page 797.

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

Place Names of Shasta County by Gertrude A. Steger revision by Helen Hinckley Jones, ©1966 by La Siesta Press, Glendale, California

Mines and Mineral Resources of Shasta County, California – County Report 6 – by Philip A. Lydon and J.C. O’ Brien ©1974 by California Division of Mines and Geology

The Princess Ditch and the Princess Hydraulic Mining Company; Historic Background Research, Evaluation of Significance, and Recommendations. Bureau of Land Management, Redding Field Office. Barbara Woodrum ©2011 

Environmental Assessment and Assessment of Effect Princess Ditch Trail Construction March 2014 National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Whiskeytown National Recreation Area

Fun Trails With Great Views And Variety Of Terrains by Laura Christman - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, April 25, 2017

Whiskeytown National Recreation Area Announces The Re-Opening of the Princess Ditch Trail - November 24, 2019

Anavina Group of Mines 

A Celebrated Producer of Gold: The Washington Mine

Miners working the vein of the Washington mine on the Washington mine property, date unknown. Courtesy of Shasta Historical Society.

Located about 2.4 miles north west of French Gulch in the French Gulch mining district is the Washington mine. The mine was located in 1852 by prospectors John Souter and John Syme. Together the original locators began working it as a placer mine. Through exploration work they discovered a decomposed oxidized outcropping vein of gold; they dubbed it the North-South vein. This vein became one of the two principal veins on the property and they began sluicing it.

This vein's yield was so tremendous that the owners began driving adits on the mining property and formed a major quartz mining operation. The Washington mine became the first gold quartz mine in Shasta County, as well as the first patented mine. Souter and Syme were quite pleased with the progress they were making; the two prospectors established the Washington Quartz Company and shares of stocks were split up between the partners that included: Emanuel Lewin, W.B. Stoddard, S.C. Snouch, Henry Warner, William Watson and additional parties.

The Shasta Courier newspaper, reported the following about the Washington Qaurtz Company on Saturday, April 16, 1853: “WASHINGTON QUARTZ COMPANY – The vein owned by this company has been yielding the most satisfactory results ever since it has been opened. Indeed we have sufficient evidence to justify the belief that this vein is not surpassed by richness in the State, and we are informed by Mr. Fehley that the vein cannot be worked out for years. We believe there is none of this company’s stock for sale. The company is composed of practical miners-men who do their own work, and consequently they have no more stampers employed than just a sufficient to keep a dozen or two of men profitably employed. They intend during the summer, however, to increase the extent of their operations, and take out the ore in still greater amounts. At present, all of the stockholders, if we are not much mistaken, are very quietly getting rich fast. Well, they are a good set of fellows, and deserve just such luck.”

By May of 1853, the mine produced a grand total of $2,181, and on September 17, 1853, the Shasta Courier reported, “A BIG LUMP – Mr. Swartz of the Washington Quartz Company, brought into our office the other day, a lump of amalgam weighing 20 lbs., and worth $3,864, the product of less than a week’s worth of work. He also exhibited to us several of the richest specimens of gold bearing quartz, taken from their vein, that it has ever been our privilege to behold. A short time since this company lost the track of their lead, but are now upon it again, and at present find it more productive than here to fore.”

Another principal vein on the mining property was the East-West vein, both veins were assayed at $600 per ton in gold, and up until 1854, the mine yielded an astonishing production total of $53,232. Further enhancements were made on the property during 1855 consisting of three shallow shafts and additional tunnel work. Their stamp mill continued crushing the ore of the mine on a regular basis. On March 18, 1868 a storm blew through the area and flooded the creeks above the mine causing severe damage to the mill located below. The stamp mill had to be rebuilt and the following year additional stamps were added making it a twenty-two stamp mill. That year the output reached $45,722 in gold. At the same time Syme became Superintendent and held that title until 1875.

The Washington Quartz Mining Company had a large pay roll of employees including Reverend William S. Kidder, a pioneer Baptist minister. A terrible incident on March 25, 1871 lead to the death of one of those employees. William J. Christopher was mining in a tunnel with his partner James Sinclair and fell down a 110 foot shaft. The company sent for Dr. Benjamin Shurtleff of Shasta and Dr. Thompson Plumb of French Gulch to examine him. Unfortunately Christopher died as a result of the fall. Accidental deaths and additional severe injuries would occur at the mine. Despite the dangers of the job, by the end of the year in 1871, the mine’s output reached a remarkable $31,153 in gold.

After 1872 the mine produced such staggering results that additional tunneling work was neccessay. Mining at the site continued well into the 1880’s. Souter and Syme retained ownership of the mine and the shareholders of the Washington Quartz Mining Company created a Board of Directors. In 1890, Shasta County mining reports estimated the mines production total between $500,000 to $600,000. Mining operations eventually became dormant at the mine. In 1891 further exploration work was being conducted. According to an excerpt from a state mineralogist report on the Washington mine, printed by the Shasta Courier newspaper on February 21, 1891: “The mine was opened by driving tunnels, five in number and are known as follows:No. 1 - 500 feetNo. 2 - 700 feetNo. 3 1/2 - 300 feetNo. 4 - 1,100 feetOriginal Crosscut - 1,380 feetThe cost of running the tunnels has varied from $3.50 to $13.50 per foot. The greatest vertical depth reached in the mine is four hundred and eighty feet. The length of ore shoot as far as known is four hundred feet."

By the date of the newpaper article the company cut and graded a fifteen mile road to and from the mine. During March of 1898, a miner named William Blagrave made a lucrative strike inside the Washington mine. He located a pocket which was reported to be assayed at $20,000, and the news of this strike was heralded across California.

According to the Sacramento Daily Union newspaper the mine was sold on March 9, 1907 to Farley & Mitchell for a total of $150,000. Work continued under the new ownership and in 1912 the production at the mine totaled between one and two million dollars of gold. The ore was treated by a pan-amalgamation and the results of this operation were favorable.

The Washington mine, date unknown. Courtesy of Shasta Historical Society.

Work at the mine was steady up until 1920. The Great Depression had a major impact on the mine and it experienced another period of dormancy. However, on March 15, 1922, interest in the mine developed and eventually a five stamp mill began crushing the ore of the mine, sporadically. Sporadic mining activity continued from 1942 through 1969. Between the 1970’s and 1990 the Washington mine was controlled by several different owners including Harry Feutrier and Tom Neal.

During 1990 a large strike occurred in the Washington mine in a vein which was dubbed as the Lucky 7. In 2004 the French Gulch Nevada Gold Mining Corporation purchased this celebrated mining property; a subsidiary company owned by the Bullion River Gold Corporation of Reno, Nevada. The mine is currently an active mining site under new ownership and mining operations on the property continue to yield rich deposits.

RESOURCES:

Place Names of Shasta County by Gertrude A. Steger revision by Helen Hinckley Jones, ©1966 by La Siesta Press, Glendale, California

Mines and Mineral Resources of Shasta County, California – County Report 6 – by Philip A. Lydon and J.C. O’ Brien ©1974 by California Division of Mines and Geology

Shasta Gold Corporation Website

A Celebrated Producer of Gold: the Washington Mine by Jeremy Tuggle - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, November 11, 2016