OLD DIGGINGS ALSO KNOWN AS HART: A MINING COMMUNITY

Originally, Old Diggings was called Coloma by the local Wintu Indians who inhabited the area previously before the arrival of the first European-Americans in 1849, who settled the area in tents during the California Gold Rush. Coloma was a Wintu Indian word which meant “a small valley or flat.” The name Old Diggings derives from the first gold diggings which were struck by those European-Americans who mined for gold at this location during the California Gold Rush.

It was the large boulders and the vast amount of free quartz covering the surface of the earth which attracted these miners to this area.  The spelling of the settlement can be found as Old Diggins and Old Diggings, however, it's the same location. I prefer to use the "Old Diggings" variation of the name. Eventually, these tents were replaced with clapboard style cabins in the area, and during the 1850’s, a mining district was created by the Court of Sessions which was named after this settlement. Then in 1858, a general merchandise store was kept at Old Diggings by an Irish emigrant named James Dunn. There were no hotels, inns or boarding houses at this time only private residences.

Lately, I have been examining some of the historic abandoned mines in the boundaries of the Old Diggings mining district which was located on the east side of the Sacramento River. The Old Diggings mining district included the following town sites: One Wagon Town also known as Buckeye, Old Diggings also known as Hart, Whitehouse and Summit City.

Prospectors located a well-defined gold bearing quartz ledge at Old Diggings during March of 1863, and they began to stake a claim to this section of land. Two months later, another gold bearing quartz ledge was located by local, Peter Quinn, and the ledge yielded him favorable results after it was assayed. Then on, March 18, 1865, this excerpt of an article from the Shasta Courier newspaper, of Shasta, offered this glimpse into this mining area at that time:

“The gulches have been worked out as a general thing, and now the miners are cutting into the hills - for something more permanent - in short, for the ledges which for long ages and made rich the gulches and ravines: or failing in that, they seek placer or free gold in the deep gravel hills adjacent. The prospect for hill diggings so far as a miners judgement can determine without the actual test of working them is most flattering.” (SIC)

By that date, the nearby Mammoth mine which yielded lucrative results as a placer mining claim in this mining district was owned by Joseph Isaacs, Robert Stevenson, George Furman, Charles Roeth, and W.H. Rhodehamel, all prominent men of Shasta, who established the Mammoth Company, and they began the erection of a mill with additional buildings on their mining property at that time. After that, they extracted gold from the near surface of the earth on a large embodied ledge. It contained mixed ore. They also transitioned this mining property into a quartz mine with an adit as they began to drive a main haulage tunnel into a hillside chasing a vein of quartz which they discovered. Their prospects looked promising for future lucrative results, and this was the beginning of quartz mining for this mining district in Shasta County, even tho Quartz mining dates back to 1852 in Shasta County.

They also installed a narrow-gauge ore car system on this mining property to assist them in transferring the ore to different destinations on their mineral land in ore cars. During April of 1865, an increase of the capital stock of the Mammoth Company took place which spiked their company’s value from $31,500 to $63,000. This was due to the fact that their Mammath mine was yielding them lucrative results from the ore they obtained. Their inaugural run of their brand-new mill was very promising as well.

Three years later, in 1869, miners located the quartz vein of the National mine at Rich Gulch, (near present-day Shasta Dam) and they began mining for gold there. Among the holdings of the National mine were the Forbes and Veteran mining claims located on the same mining property inside the boundaries of the Old Diggings mining district. For more information regarding the National mine visit this link here. Locating placer mines in this mining district burgeoned with success into the decade of the 1870’s, and eventually these placer mines were enhanced into quartz mines with favorable results.

During 1882, Frank Hurst, Charles Meyers, and Frank Young, all residents of Old Diggings, collaborated together in erecting a stamp mill in the area for the local mine owners and mining companies to have a community stamp mill by contract to enable them to crush the ore at this stamp mill. Various owners of the Old Diggings mining district sent their rock here to be crushed by them. However, this business venture failed, and they closed down their business due to undisclosed business matters.

Then on, February 12, 1883, the quartz vein of the Central mine was struck by Judge Aaron Bell, of Shasta, at Old Diggings. Eventually, Bell went into partnership with Sheriff William E. Hopping, of Shasta, Lorenz Garrecht, of Copper City, Frank Hurst, Charles Meyers and Frank Young as owners of this lucrative mine. They developed this mining claim into a quartz mine which included an adit with a main haulage tunnel. They employed a few men to dig out their main haulage tunnel which was worked extensively over time. At that time, their main haulage tunnel faced out at 250 feet because they were hoping to tap the ledge from inside it at 60 feet. 

Later, they extended their main haulage tunnel at the Central mine. They also enhanced the mining property with an elaborate ore car system, winzes, stopes, raises and drifts. It helped expose the quartz vein more and they continued chasing and extracting gold from it which yielded them lucrative results. They also instructed their miners to work the original ledge of the mine. The Central mine is what gave the future railroad spur at that location its name. The Central mine was located across the divide from the Reid mine.

After that discovery, the quartz vein of the Calumet Consolidated mine was located on December 31, 1884, by prospector and miner Almarin B. Paul. This mining property was comprised of the following mining claims: the Calumet, the Washington Location, the Wedge, and the Grand Prize Location. Later, a stamp mill was installed on the Calumet Consolidated mine. 

On March 14, 1885, the Daily Free Press newspaper of Redding heralded the following article: 

“Mining Notes From Old Diggings

This district continues to show it’s stability as a mining section. The Florida owned by Dan O’ Neal has been tapped three places to a depth from 25 to 30 feet. There are two ledges running parallel with each other; one of them is from 3 to 12 feet wide and the other is 3 to 5 feet. On Tuesday, last four or five ton of ore was roasted and is now being put through a horse arrastra. Dan says the ore is the richest yet discovered, and will go from $230 to $300 to the ton. From 8 ton crushed a short time ago $1,500 was secured. Three men are busily at work. Reid & Co’s., mine a half mile north of the Florida is being rapidly developed. Four hundred tons of ore is on the dump. When the pile embraces 1,000 ton, the company propose erecting a stamp mill. They have a cannon ball mill, but it will not do the work. Their ledge is about four feet wide and is tapped by a tunnel 75 feet from surface. The ore carries rich sulphurate’s. The Mammoth mine owned by Myers is one-half a mile northwest from the Florida in the same district. A tunnel cuts the ledge 70 feet from the surface, and it is five feet wide, averaging $25 to the ton. He has 30 tons out and will run an arrastra as soon as he gets water. Dale & Hiatt on Burnt Cabin Gulch near the Mammoth are doing well. Fleming’s mine near by, contains ore that will average $40 to the ton. He burned 30 ton of ore the other day which he is now putting through his arrastra. He has been working on the mine for two years.” (SIC)

The Fleming mine was owned and operated by its namesake, Reverend George W. Fleming, a native of Georgia, and a Methodist preacher who was also an active miner and prospector in the area. He was also a well-beloved and respected minister in the area. Later on, he would become the discoverer of one of the principal mines at Old Diggings, called the Texas Consolidated Quartz mine.

During June of that year, Edward A. Reid, of Redding, traveled to Marysville where he purchased a five-stamp mill from Booth & Company, after the dump or tailing pile reached a 1,000 ton of ore at the Reid mine at Old Diggings. He also ordered a Frue concentrator which would operate by steam. Recently, Reid and his men cut out a brand-new road to their proposed mill site.

At the Florida mine Dan O’Neal had seven employees working for him on his mine and mill site which contained a ball mill. His men were running a cut on a ledge and extracting out ore from inside the mine for milling purposes. A neighboring mine which was part of the same mining claim was called the Florida mine, Second Extension, which was owned by Dan O’Neal and in partnership with Habisch, Lynn and Flanagan.

Then on July 3, 1885, Reid’s mining equipment arrived at the Redding Depot from Marysville, and it was then hauled out to his mining property at Old Diggings from the Redding Depot. Reid was anxious to have it erected and he wanted it to be operational in a month. By August 29th, a local media outlet published the following regarding the Reid mining property: 

“Reid & Co.’s quartz mill has crushed several tons of ore satisfactorily, but a scarcity of water will compel it to go slow until another spring can be opened above, and four hundred feet of pipe laid. They propose to run a new tunnel and tap the ledge further down.”

That December, Reid & Company, of the Reid mine made a lucrative clean-up of 50 tons of ore from which they obtained 81 ounces of free gold. It was Reverend Fleming who located the quartz vein of the Texas Consolidated Quartz mine at Old Diggings on February 9, 1886, and a month later, the Methodist minister, George W. Fleming, struck another vein, on March 23, 1886, which ran a different route from the original vein that he was chasing. It was a rather unusual discovery, and kind of an afterthought in mining terms.

Reverend Fleming developed this mining property to include four tunnels with adits which were driven at a north-eastward direction. Later on, the mining property included a narrow-gauge ore system, drifts, stopes, raises and winzes. He then sold the mine at an unknown price to Richard G. Hart Sr., and J.T. Day, and they immediately erected a mill on the mining property. Then on June 26, 1886, the following was reported by a local newspaper: 

“The five-stamp mill belonging to Hart & Day at Old Diggings was totally destroyed by fire on Saturday night last. Everything was consumed, entailing a loss of about $10,000. This mill has been turning out considerable bullion, and it is hoped that the owners have made enough to pay for a new mill, which, we understand they propose putting in one right away. Since the above was written we learn that much of the machinery was little damaged and can be made to do duty.” (SIC)

Apparently, Day purchased Hart’s interest in the Texas Consolidated Quartz mine, and then he struck a brand-new lucrative ore body inside the mine which assayed well. Then suddenly Day died, and in 1887, S.P. Fillman, of San Francisco, acquired Day’s interests of the Texas Consolidated Quartz mining property.

Fillman paid out $7,000 in improvements for the mine under his co-ownership, yet, after expending that money he sold his interests to Reverend George W. Fleming, who purchased the mine for a second time. The Texas Consolidated Quartz mine was now owned by Hart & Reverend Fleming. Eventually, this quartz mine became the sole ownership of Richard G. Hart Sr., an industrious mining man, merchant, and resident, of Sacramento, who erected a cabin on the mining property at Old Diggings so he could reside at both places. 

Now the Texas Consolidated Quartz mine included the following mining claims on the property: the Texas mine, the Georgia mine, and the Number 1-4 mine extensions. During February of 1887, the Central mine which was owned by Judge Aaron Bell, Sheriff William E. Hopping, Frank Hurst, Charles Meyers and Frank Young, was sold to Edward Reilly for $36,000, Reilly later named English capitalist, W.F. Whitehouse, as a co-owner of the Central mine. This mining property included 20.39-acres of mineral land at that time.

The Central mine became known as the Central Quartz mine which was surveyed on May 13, 1887, and the mining property consisted of one boarding house, a Huntington mill, stopes, additional buildings, tunnels, shafts, roads and the following mining claims: the Shasta Quartz mine, the Lot No. 38 mine, and the Live Oak Quartz mine. This quartz mine was surveyed by U.S. Deputy Mineral Surveyor, H.L. Lowden.

Problems with the pan-amalgamation process at the Central Quartz mine occurred when the amalgamated metals wouldn’t alloy past $2 per ton of ore at their mill site at the Central Quartz mine. Amalgamators finally figured out that graphite was affecting the metals to be merged into the bricks they were trying to create from their ore. Shipping to their reduction works in Reno, Nevada, was costing them more than they wanted to pay. Once they figured out how to remove the graphite, they managed to raise the output value to $200 per ton in ore by August 13, 1887. These bricks helped save them money on the delivery of their ore to Reno as well. By August 13, 1887, Reilly & Whitehouse were finally satisfied with their prospects at the Central Quartz mine. The character of the rock they were mining was quite similar to the Texas Consolidated Quartz mine which was meta-rhyolite.

By June 18, 1887, the Huntington mill at the Central Quartz mine was crushing twenty-five ton of rocks from their mining property. The rock contained low grade ore, but it averaged out pretty well. Eventually, Almarin B. Paul of the Calumet Consolidated mine installed a twenty-stamp mill on his mining property as the mine continued to yield lucrative results. Then on, February 18, 1889, the Belcher mine came to fruition on the Texas Consolidated Quartz mining property and new gold strikes were made inside this mine.

The Texas Consolidated Quartz mine kept yielding lucrative results during the year 1890 from three of its major producers on the property: the Texas, the Georgia and the Belcher. Mining was done by hand as the ore was extracted from the rock on the property, about this time, seventy-five men were employed by Hart, and the production equaled to 40 tons of ore daily while Hart kept pushing for new developments. Hart continued to have his men probe this mining property.

Above: this map shows the town site of Hart also known as Old Diggings which was situated near the Sacramento River five miles north of Redding, and near the neighboring town site of Whitehouse, south of Hart. It also includes the various quartz mines and mining claims in the area. Date unknown.

While the mining and exploratory work progressed at the Texas Consolidated Quartz mine, another mine on the same property was located on January 1, 1890, called the Hellis mine, and two months later, additional mining claims were located seven days apart from each other which were the Texas No. 2 mine on March 5, 1890, and the Alta mine on March 11, 1890.

Later that year, a twenty-stamp mill was erected on the Texas Consolidated Quartz mining property which was completed by September 2, 1890. There were roads leading to and from the mine, a boarding house and additional buildings erected besides Hart’s personal cabin. All of this information is recorded on a plat map of the Texas Consolidated Quartz mine which was surveyed by Shasta County resident James M. Gleaves, a U.S. Deputy Mineral Surveyor between September 25, 1890, and October 10, 1890.

Hart continued employing people to develop the Texas Consolidated Quartz mine and to produce the ore he sought after. Eventually, Hart realized that their community of Old Diggings needed some boarding houses built as well, so his men could live closer and commute to work daily. There was one boarding house utilized by his employees on his mining site, but it wasn’t enough to house his miners. He then provided the capital to have two large boarding houses erected in their community, and additional improvements were made within the settlement.

It was the United States Postal Service headquarters at Washington D.C., who established a post office called Hart, at that location in honor of Richard G. Hart Sr., on April 13, 1891, although it was Mrs. Mildred Stevens who was appointed as the first post mistress, that day. The town of Old Diggings was now known as Hart, and it continued flourishing with success due to the local mines producing lucrative ore. Later on, Richard G. Hart Sr., succeeded Mrs. Stevens as the second postmaster of Hart on November 27, 1891.

An attempt to bring electric power to Old Diggings was made as early as November of 1892, when Wilmot H. Garlick and Alamarin B. Paul organized the Spring Creek Electric Power & Light's Company, who now controlled all of the water rights to Spring Creek as they were planning to install an electric plant nearby to operate all of the mills in the Old Diggings mining district. Yet, major problems caused drastic setbacks and the two men kept generating new ideals to make electricity come to fruition in the area.

Then, on March 3, 1894, the Republican Free Press newspaper, of Redding, heralded the following article about the Texas Consolidated Quartz mine:

"Texas Consolidated.

We learn from R.G. Hart, manager of the Texas Consolidated mine at Hart, that that he has completed his fifth tunnel, striking a good ore body in a distance of 800 feet. He has enough ore in sight to last six years, and talks of adding twenty stamps to the twenty now in use. He will shortly begin his sixth tunnel, which will be over 1,700 feet long, and which will tap the ledge at the lowest possible point. The mouth of this tunnel will be almost on a level with his mill, and by it can mine all his ore with a great saving of time and money. Mr. Hart has been shipping his rich sulphurets, but is now making arrangements for a chlorinating plant, when he will work them at home. His success in working the ores of Shasta county and the success achieved by the Uncle Sam and Gladstone mines, is proof that our ores, although rebellious, can be worked with a profit at home." (SIC)

In the above article the "fifth tunnel " would be the Number 5 mine, it's not known exactly how many feet that mine reached at that time, but Hart ordered his miners to extend it, later on, and it faced out at over 1,700 feet. In time, Richard G. Hart Sr., instructed his employees to further the Texas Consolidated Quartz mine’s development to include fourteen brand-new mine extensions on the property. Altogether, it now equaled to eighteen mine extensions.

The owners of the Original Quartz Hill mine were the Koskiusco Mining Company who constructed a railway from their mine to the stamp mill at the Calumet Consolidated mine in 1894. It was the first railroad in the Old Diggings mining district, until years later when another railroad was built. The Calumet Consolidated mine was now entirely owned by Wilmot H. Garlick.

Then on, July 16, 1895, William Hart, a son of Richard G. Hart Sr., was traveling with his sister from Hart to Redding by horse and buggy and they lost a solid gold brick from the Texas Consolidated Quartz mine which was valued at $2,500. It fell off the buggy when they approached the Redding city limits. When they reached their destination, they were both shocked and in disbelief that the brick had fallen out.

Immediately, they went back to locate the gold brick but couldn’t find it. The brick was being delivered to Redding for shipment. However, a man by the surname of Gill found the brick and saw that it was marked. He then made an attempt to contact the owner, Richard G. Hart Sr., Hart Sr., and upon the gold bricks safe return Hart Sr., awarded $200 to Gill for his honest recovery of the brick.

A cave-in occurred at the Texas Consolidated Quartz mine in one of the larger stopes of the mine as a newly relocated miner from Santa Clara by the name of William D. Husk was crushed to death by a boulder during a collapse in the mine on August 17, 1896. The town of Hart never had a cemetery, so the body was transferred out of the area for burial. Eventually, this stope was cleared away and where they couldn't haul out the larger boulders and rocks, they secured them as gobbing from inside the mine, new timber was also installed with stulls in this stope of the mine as well.

The following was reported by the Daily Free Press newspaper, of Redding, on September 18, 1896:

"Old Diggings

Joseph Thompson and sons, leases of the Mammoth mine at Old Diggings, have encountered a very rich ore vein twenty inches wide in their 100-foot drift. A specimen of the ore showed gold running all through and hanging to it. For some time they have been shipping ore with good results. The mine is the property of Sam J. Cheney and company. Mr. Cheney at one time tried to develop the property, but somehow met with poor success, and finally shut down the mine in disgust. Afterwards the Thompsons secured a lease and have done well. The mine is located near the celebrated Hart mine, and with proper development will doubtless turn out equally well. In, this district are numerous good properties, namely, the Texas Consolidated, Central, Mammoth, Reid mines, Spanish, Walker Bros., Evening Star and Garfield. Systematic development in all of them is the only thing necessary to boom Old Diggings." (SIC)

Another article written by the Daily Free Press newspaper, of Redding, mentioned the following on October 3, 1896:

"Fell From A Shaft

Terrible Accident in the Hart mines Causes Death

Coroner Earnest and Dr. J.H. Miller returned late Friday evening from the Hart mine in Old Diggings, where they held an autopsy and inquest upon the body of Blanch R. Reynolds, who was accidentally killed while at work in the mine about half past 9 o'clock Friday morning. The coroner's jury returned a verdict of accidental death, and the following facts were elicited: Reynolds, who has been employed in the mine for several months, was at work with John Deakins at the 1,100-foot level, which is 200 feet below the 5th tunnel. At the 1,100-level a trap door has been constructed in the shaft to protect the workmen in the bottom of the shaft some 50-feet below, from falling rock.

A large iron buck is used to convey the ore from the bottom of the shaft to the 900-foot level where it is taken out in the ore cars. The air in the shaft was very foul and the miners were talking with the foreman, C.J. O'Donnell, of knocking off work for a time. Reynold's said "I'd rather be chopping wood at home than working here in the foul air." He then climbed up the ladders in the stopes to clean out an ore chute, which is situated 96-feet above the 1,100-foot level. Deakins remained at his post and in a few minutes Reynolds fell with a terrible thud upon the T-rail tack, which runs from the door into the drift, Deakins called to another miner, A.J. Prater, and as the ore bucket had descended and was resting upon the lifeless body, it was removed.

The body had fallen head foremost a distance of 96-feet. The skull and forehead were terribly crushed. No one was near the unfortunate man at the time he fell and no one knows how the accident happened. The remains were brought to this city late that evening. The funeral procession started from Moody's undertaking parlors about noon Saturday. The funeral and interment took place in Millville at 4 o' clock in the afternoon."

That month, a force of men was at work in Old Diggings installing the poles and wires for the transmission of electricity from the powerhouse which Dr. Wilmot H. Garlick was erecting near Copley, to Old Diggings as well as the Calumet mine and the Texas Consolidated mine. They were hoping to have electricity in use by the end of the year.

Another miner by the name of Chris Christenson, a resident of Quartz Hill, and a noted family man, was employed at the Walker mine at Star Gulch which was in the vicinity of Old Diggings., and on Christmas Eve of 1896, Christenson was working underground inside a drift of the mine and he stooped over to pick up an item near a box of explosives, and he accidently dropped the lighted candle he was carrying with him into a wooden box which contained the dynamite known as giant caps. The explosion rocked the mine and could be heard from the surface where his co-workers was working.

His co-workers cleared the main haulage tunnel and drift of the mine which were devastated during the blast, and they managed to recover Christenson while they feared death was possible but to their surprise, he was found alive. Yet, he was rendered insensible, and sustained bruising all over his body with deep cuts and scrapes. He narrowly escaped death that Christmas Eve. He was a married man with four children. The miner was immediately taken to Redding where he was examined by Dr. J. Thornton Rohm, unfortunately it was feared that he would lose eye site in both eyes and become blind if he wasn't didn't receive an eye operation soon, the employees of the Walker mine won them some praise in the local media when a newspaper reported the following:

"Chris Christenson, who was severely injured by the accidental explosion of a box of giant caps at the Walker mine at Old Diggings about a week ago, took the local train to San Francisco Tuesday morning. He was accompanied by his wife. Dr. Rohm who attended him here, advised him to go to San Francisco and submit himself to an operation, which it is hoped will benefit the sight of his left eye. His fellow workmen raised $75 which they presented to him in order that he might go below and have his eyes operated upon."

Christenson had the operation and he immediately recovered from his injuries. He was soon back to work within the Walker mine.  By January 3, 1897, after a few setbacks occurred, electricity was finally introduced to the area by Garlick's company, and one of the first mines to obtain this power source from the brand-new substation near Copley was the Texas Consolidated mine, the Calumet mine and the town of Hart. By March 22, additional mines in the area utilized electricity. In 1897, the village of Hart contained a population between three hundred and four hundred people. A Methodist church was erected on a hillside, and it contained a large congregation which was presided over by Reverend George W. Fleming who was paid well. In fact, the local mining company which owned the Texas Consolidated Quartz mine contributed $100 yearly to the minister's salary. Local miners also contributed a $1 donation to the minister.

Church services were held twice a day on Sunday's once in the morning and once in the evening. On Sunday’s the mines in the area were shut down and the miners had the day off from work so they could attend church or be with their families. Next door to the church was the schoolhouse which both the church and schoolhouse worked together due to Sunday school being taught at the schoolhouse. The church also included an Epworth League, a club for the young people which was controlled by Reverend Fleming at the time. Reverend Fleming despised dancing and often preached against it, which made dancing prohibited in the area. 

Most of the community's dancing were enjoyed in the larger communities so the residents wouldn’t get caught and forced to leave by Reverend Fleming and his followers. Due to the strict Methodist policies in town, they also agreed not to have any saloons in the area. Drinking was also prohibited at Hart. Occasionally, a newcomer would bring a flask of whisky in and get caught but would be ordered to leave the area. It was a sober community. There was also a general merchandise store that served the community, a grain and feed barn, and the U.S. Post Office.

The Hart Post Office was discontinued on September 15, 1900, when the mail was rerouted to the town of Whitehouse which was located south of Hart. The last postmaster of the Hart Post Office was C. Hopkins, and the name of the town site was reverted to Old Diggings. During the years, 1903 and 1904, the school at Old Diggings had a small class of students which were educated by a Miss Carrie Clayman, of Antelope Valley, in Tehama County. 

Baseball was becoming quite popular in Shasta County, in 1906, and a team of players consisting of local miners from Old Diggings formed a nine-player team who called themselves the Old Diggings Nine. They would play other teams from Redding, Kennett, Quartz Hill, and other communities. The Old Diggings Nine often practiced and played games in the schoolhouse yard. There was no baseball field. 

During March of 1907, Old Diggings was turned into a stage stop in front of its general merchandise store by H.E. Thurman, of Redding, who saw a need to convey people from Redding to Old Diggings and Kennett and from Kennett to Old Diggings and Redding. This was a daily route driven by Thurman.

Two months later, in May of 1907, locals petitioned the Shasta County Board of Supervisors to oppose of Reverend Fleming's ban in the community to allow liquor, drinking and dancing to be reinstated at Old Diggings. From this petition a retail liquor license was granted to the general merchandise store in town, and they were now able to sell alcoholic beverages there. In addition to that, newcomers William S. Lofton and Alva L. Howell established the Lofton and Howell Saloon at Old Diggings which was also granted a liquor license, and dancing was reinstated as well because this saloon had a dance floor with music rendered by a live band on the weekends which drastically changed things for the unincorporated town of Old Diggings. By this date, Reverend George W. Fleming was transferred out of the area, and he was now living in Tehama County, California. Finally,f Old Diggings was coming into the modern age.

Above: an unidentified family posing for a photograph in front of their home at Old Diggings, a clapboard style house with a picket fence and a wood walkway with a short staircase. Note: the placer diggings next to the picket fence. Date unknown. Courtesy of Shasta Historical Society.

That year, the Mammoth Copper Mining Company, of Kennett, unrelated to the pioneer Mammoth Company, constructed a 3.5-mile railroad from the Original Quartz Hill mine at Quartz Hill to Old Diggings where it spanned the Sacramento River to connect with the Southern Pacific Railroad to haul the ore of the Original Quartz Hill mine to their smelter at Kennett to be smelted. It was called the Old Diggings Railroad and it was also known as the Quartz Hill Railway. The Mammoth Copper Mining Company employed a crew of men who brought in a steam shovel to excavate the rail bed of this railroad during its course of construction.

It was a three-foot narrow-gauge railroad which was completed in July of 1907. At that time, a narrow-gauge railroad was placed from the Central Quartz mine to a location called the Central Mine Spur as well. This railway operated hauling the ore from the Central mine so it’s ore could be sent to the smelter in Kennett to be smelted as well.

A boarding house located on the Central Quartz mine property of W.F. Whitehouse, and his partner by the surname of Bliss, was destroyed by fire while the employees of the English mining company were at work inside this lucrative mine on July 29, 1907, the fire was out put out before it reached other buildings on the property. The origin of the fire was never determined. A year later, another fire threatened the town of Old Diggings during August of 1908 when locals discovered their neighboring town of Whitehouse on fire. They came to the aid of that community which was being ravaged by a $5,000 blaze destroying the business portion of the nearby town. 

The Whitehouse hotel, post office and general merchandise store, telephone station and saloon owned by James Wheelan were destroyed by fire; and only $3,500 was carried in insurance on the property. A man named Samuel Blacks rented a room of the building for his general merchandise store and operated it. Whitehouse’s business district was left in ruins, only to be rebuild. 

Snow arrived early during the new year on January 25, 1909, Redding received one foot of snow while Old Diggings received the same amount. Redding lost power and had several buildings collapsed while the east approach of the steel truss bridge over the Sacramento River at Old Diggings on the Old Diggings Railroad collapsed as well. The mines in the Old Diggings mining district were shut down due to the snow until, and they immediately reopened when the snow melted away. Later on, the east approach of the Old Diggings Railroad’s steel truss bridge was replaced.

On May 9, 1909, a new mining law went into effect in California which limited the day's work of mining and smelter men to eight hours. Old Diggings was one of the first places to adopt the new state law prior to it becoming official. Two months later, after the new mining law went into effect, a Spanish miner was killed inside the Reid mine on July 30, 1909, when a miner by the surname of Dirigio was accidentally killed by a collapse, and the second death occurred at the end of the year, on December 28, 1909, when a miner named Silvaro Alvarez fell into a winze 140-feet deep and was killed upon impact. The Reid mine was now owned by James M. Sallee, and it was operated by his employees under his authority.

Shasta residents, Frank Panter and Frank Litsch struck another lucrative vein of quartz on their Evening Star placer mine property, in the Old Diggings mining district in 1895, and eventually turned this into a lucrative quartz mine. Unfortunately, no production notes were kept for this mine. It was later known as the Evening Star group of mines, and on February 6, 1910, it was Frank Panter, and the estate of Frank Litsch, which sold this mining group to German capitalists for $115,000. The deal was negotiated by Shasta County resident George Bayha, an active miner in the area, who represented the new owners.

The Howell & Lofton saloon at Old Diggings was now owned by a local named Jesse Johnson. In 1910, the Northern California Power Company, brought electricity to the area with help from Garlick and Paul. The town of Old Diggings now had electricity and it made it easier for the miners to work in the tunnels and drifts in the mines.

By January 30, 1911, James M. Sallee made some big changes to his Reid mine at Old Diggings. The main haulage tunnel of the Reid mine faced out at 4,000 feet into the hillside it was on, and at distance of 2,000 feet inside the main haulage tunnel a brand-new winze was sunk to 400 feet deep. This was an impressive shaft with an abundance of mixed ore. An excerpt of an article from the Courier-Free Press newspaper Redding, that month, claims the following: "At the top of this winze, in a station cut out in the adit tunnel, an electric hoist was set up. Ore and waste were hoisted from the winze and run out through the tunnel, the ore being conveyed across the river by an aerial tramway and the waste being thrown over the dump. The Reid mine needed more dump room for the land at the mouth of the adit tunnel is comparatively level. 

In order to get more dump room an upraise of 300 feet was driven from the top of the winze to the surface above. It is at the top of this upraise that the new electric hoist was started up for the first time last week. The upraise and shaft virtually make a vertical shaft of 700 feet and hence forth the stoping of ore will be easy and expeditious. The electric hoist is housed in a corrugated iron building, well up the mountain side, and is plainly visible to travelers on passing express trains. 

An aerial is to be built direct from the hoisting works across the river to the Southern Pacific sidetrack at Central Spur, replacing the line that has been in service for so many years and that led from the end of the track coming from the adit tunnel. In a few days the pumping equipment of the Reid mine will be augmented by the installation of an eight inch centrifugal pump, which has arrived at the Redding depot on its way to Cuargo (Central Spur). With this pump installed, other small pumps will be removed from underground, the big new pump being sufficient to all water, its capacity being about 6,000 gallons a minute." (SIC)

Above: the aerial ore car tramway of the Reid mine showing its cables in midair and tailing (dump) piles. Date unknown. Courtesy of Shasta Historical Society.

During September of 1915, locals raised a subscription of money to erect a brand-new footbridge which spanned the Sacramento River to give them access to the railroad at the Central Mine Spur or Central Spur. This footbridge was 303 feet and had a footway of four feet wide. It was a sturdy structure which didn’t sway back and forth and was safe to cross the river.

A quarter mile north of Central Spur was Cuargo a railroad siding and stopping place, also in the Old Diggings mining district. Cuargo was the original train stop for Old Diggings residents. Yet, it was Alfred A. Anthony, an active miner in the area, who was responsible for leading the footbridge project and getting the railroad to stop at Central Spur instead of Cuargo.

Above: the miners of the Mammoth Company are sitting next to a building and the adit of the main haulage tunnel of the Mammoth mine at Old Diggings. Circa 1915. Courtesy of Shasta Historical Society.

Recently, the bridge at Cuargo was washed away due to high water and wasn’t repaired by the railroad company. It was Anthony who was responsible to have them stop at the new footbridge at Central Spur. Now Old Diggings had access to Redding by train again. The year 1915 marked the final year of operation for the Old Diggings Railroad which had been in operation for eight years.

Then, in 1918, Harvey J. Sallee was appointed as postmaster by the United States Postal Service headquarters in Washington D.C. to the became the first and only postmaster of the Old Diggings post office. Sallee held onto his position until the post office was discontinued until November 30, 1927, when the U.S. mail for that town was rerouted to Redding for delivery. 

By 1933, the production notes for the Texas Consolidated Quartz mining property records its gross production up-to-that-year to be $750,000, and between 1938 and 1939, owners of that mine at Old Diggings cleaned out 1,500 feet of the historical workings on that mineral land. This property was last owned by the estate of Evelyn P. Joselyn, of Oroville, in 1974, and since then the production of ore from this mine has been idled with the adits on the property plugged.

Today, nothing remains of the town site of Old Diggings. There is a historical marker dedicated to the memory of the town of Hart at that location, as seen below. Most of the former mines in the area have been cleared out and plugged by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation for a modern hiking trail system in the vicinity. Other mines, like the Reid mine still exist but are located on private property at the end of Walker Mine Road. A portion of the historic aerial ore car tramway of the Reid mine is still in existence today, just located off of Freitas Overlook Trail. The townsite of Old Diggings have certainly lived up to its name.

Above: this commemorative sign was placed by the U.S. Department of the Interior - the Bureau Land Management at the historic townsite of Old Diggings also known as Hart. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on September 17, 2020.

RESOURCES:

From Buckeye District - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, May 1, 1858

Memoranda - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, May 8, 1858

1860 U.S. Census

Gold Bearing Quartz - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, March 21, 1863

New Quartz Lode - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, May 23, 1863

New Copper District - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, May 14, 1864

Letter From Old Diggings - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, March 18, 1865

Fatal Accident - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta - August 18, 1866

The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, February 8, 1868

1870 U.S. Census 

Sold Out - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta - April 26, 1873

1880 U.S. Census

Great Register of Tehama County, 1886, for George Washington Fleming.

The Old Diggings - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, April 28, 1883

The Old Diggings - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, May 12, 1883

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, June 16, 1883

Mining Notes From Old Diggings - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, March 14, 1885

A Sabbath Journey - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, May 9, 1885

Mines In The Old Diggings - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, June 13, 1885

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, July 4, 1885

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, July 18, 1885

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding,  August 1, 1885

Reid & Co.'s - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, August 29, 1885

A Good District - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, August 29, 1885

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, December 12, 1885

Hart & Day - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, May 1, 1886

The Reverend Fleming - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, May 15, 1886

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, June 26, 1886

Mr. J.T. Day - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, July 3, 1886

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, July 10, 1886

Mr. Day - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, July 24, 1886

Mining Items - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, August 21, 1886

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, September 4, 1886

A Rich Mine - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, February 12, 1887

Mining Notes - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, February 12, 1887

Mining Notes - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, March 5, 1887

Mining Notes - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, March 19, 1887

Mining Notes - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, March 26, 1887

Mining Notes - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, April 23, 1887

Mining Notes - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, June 18, 1887

Mining Notes - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, August 13, 1887

Texas And Georgia - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, August 20, 1887

A.B. Paul - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, September 1, 1888

Old Diggings Booming - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, October 12, 1889

Old Diggings District - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, November 23, 1889

Old Diggings Mining District - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, April 26, 1890

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, May 3, 1890

Old Diggings District - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, May 10, 1890

Chico Weekly Enterprise newspaper of Chico, May. 30, 1890

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, June 7, 1890

Old Diggings District - The Republican Free Press - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, September 13, 1890

Mining Notes - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, October 11, 1890

R.G. Hart - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, November 8, 1890

Old Diggings District - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, December 6, 1890

Mining Items - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, January 24, 1891

Old Diggings District - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, February 7, 1891

Mining Items - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, February 14, 1891

Notes From Old Diggings - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, March 14, 1891

A New Enterprise - The Red Bluff Daily News newspaper of Red Bluff, November 27, 1892

Reduction On Ore Shipments - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, June 10, 1893

School Report - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, November 4, 1893

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, January 27, 1894

Born - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, February 17, 1894

Texas Consolidated. - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, March 3, 1894

Recovered A Gold Brick - The San Francisco Call newspaper of San Francisco, July 17, 1895

The Oroville Weekly Mercury newspaper of Oroville, July 26, 1895

Shasta To The Front - The San Francisco Call newspaper of San Francisco, October 27, 1895

A Santa Claran Killed - The San Francisco Call newspaper of San Francisco, August 20, 1896

Electric Power. - The Chico Record newspaper of Chico, September 8, 1896

Old Diggings - The Daily Free Press newspaper of Redding, September 18, 1896

Personal - The San Francisco Call newspaper of San Francisco, September 18, 1896

The Electric Plant - The Daily Free Press newspaper of Redding, September 23, 1896

Result Of A Family Row - The Daily Free Press newspaper of Redding, September 23, 1896

A.B. Paul - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, September 26, 1896

Activity At Old Diggings - The Daily Free Press newspaper of Redding, October 1, 1896

Fell From A Shaft - The Daily Free Press newspaper of Redding, October 3, 1896

The Daily Free Press newspaper of Redding, October 12, 1896

The Daily Free Press newspaper of Redding, October 15, 1896

A Model Camp - The Daily Free Press newspaper of Redding, December 5, 1896

The Daily Free Press newspaper of Redding, December 14, 1896

An Explosion - The Daily Free Press newspaper of Redding, December 26, 1896

Chris Christenson - The Daily Free Press newspaper of Redding, December 29, 1896

A.B. Paul - The Daily Free Press newspaper of Redding, February 26, 1897

Alf Baltzell - The Daily Free Press newspaper of Redding, March 2, 1897

The Daily Free Press newspaper of Redding, March 17, 1897

At Old Diggings - The Daily Free Press newspaper of Redding, March 19, 1897

The Electric Plant - The Daily Free Press newspaper of Redding, March 20, 1897

Reid Mines Bonded - The Daily Free Press newspaper of Redding, April 1, 1897

Old Diggings District - The Daily Free Press newspaper of Redding, May 11, 1897

More Electricity - The Daily Free Press newspaper of Redding, May 11, 1897

Electricity To Run A Mining Plant - The Sacramento Daily Union newspaper of Sacramento, May 12, 1897

Items From Hart - The Daily Free Press newspaper of Redding, May 18, 1897

A Moral Town - The Triplicate newspaper of Crescent City, June 19, 1897

The Reid Mines - The Daily Free Press newspaper of Redding, November 13, 1897

News From Old Diggings - The Daily Free Press newspaper of Redding, April 30, 1898

Eli F. Dack Is Injured - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, September 18, 1898

National Mine - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, November 8, 1898

National Mine - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, December 5, 1898

Accident In A Mine - The Free Press newspaper of Redding December 16, 1898

Mines Resume Work - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, November 4, 1899

Storehouse Of Nature - San Jose Herald newspaper of San Jose - March 16, 1900

Riches Of The Hart Mine - The Daily Free Press newspaper of Redding, May 2, 1900

Texas Mine Operations - The Daily Free Press newspaper of Redding, May 25, 1900

The Evening Star - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, August 7, 1902

Estate Of E.A. Reid - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, July 12, 1902

Cow Creek And Old Diggings - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, February 5, 1903

Opening Of The Calumet - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, October 2, 1903

Old Diggings To Have A Smelter - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, October 14, 1903

Deal For The Keystone Mine Was Closed - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, October 19, 1903

Took Out $300 In Gold Nuggets - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, November 13, 1903

Evening Star Goes Down - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, December 2, 1903

The Calumet To Be Opened - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, March 15, 1904

Society Notes - The Red Bluff Daily News newspaper of Red Bluff, May 14, 1904

Engineer and Mining Journal, Volume 77, June 30, 1904, page 1059

Old Diggings Now Enjoying A Boom - The Sacramento Bee newspaper of Sacramento, October 20, 1905

Last Payment On Mine - The Sacramento Union newspaper of Sacramento, April 12, 1906

The Native Sons To Meet Old Diggings Nine - The Sacramento Union newspaper of Sacramento, July 19, 1906

Post Office Is Closed - The Sacramento Union newspaper of Sacramento, November 16, 1906

Old Diggings Lively - The Sacramento Union newspaper of Sacramento, December 30, 1906

“All Aboard For Kennett and Old Diggings.” - The Sacramento Union newspaper of Sacramento, March 16, 1907

Petition, Certificate and Notice of Retail of Liquor License - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, May 18, 1907

Fire Destroys Miners Home - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, July 29, 1907

Mining Road Is Nearing Completion - The Sacramento Union newspaper of Sacramento, July 30, 1907

Bridge Completed - The Sacramento Union newspaper of Sacramento, August 8, 1907

The Whitehouse Hotel, Store and Post Office Burned - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, August 25, 1908

Business Part Of Shasta Town Burned - The Sacramento newspaper of Sacramento, August 26, 1908

Old Diggings May Have Better Hotel - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, August 26, 1908

Want Station Changed - The Sacramento Bee newspaper of Sacramento, September 29, 1908

Snow Crushes Buildings - The San Francisco Call newspaper of San Francisco, January 26, 1909

Shasta Mines Obey New Eight-Hour Law - The Sacramento Union newspaper of Sacramento, May 10, 1909

Spanish Miners Quit Work In “Old Diggings” - San Francisco Call newspaper of San Francisco, July 31, 1909

Miner Killed By Fall Down Shaft - The San Francisco Call newspaper of San Francisco, December 29, 1909

Germans Buy Mine In Shasta County - The Los Angeles Herald newspaper of Los Angeles, February 7, 1910

Is Rushing Work Of Private Road - The Sacramento Union newspaper of Sacramento, April 18, 1910

Twenty Thousand Volts Causes Death - The Red Bluff News newspaper of Red Bluff, July 8, 1910

No Officers To Run Down Thief - The Sacramento Union newspaper of Sacramento, December 2, 1910

Old Diggings Saloon Robbed -  The Marysville Daily newspaper of Marysville, December 3, 1910

Improvements Made In Sallee's Reid Mine - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, January 30, 1911

German Capital To Exploit Big Mine - The Sacramento Union newspaper of Sacramento, November 7, 1911

To Reopen Mine - The Sacramento Union newspaper of Sacramento, November 19, 1911

Building Aerial Tram For Reid Mine - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, December 18, 1912

Installing Tram Line - The Sacramento Union newspaper of Sacramento, December 20, 1912

The Free Press newspaper of Redding, January 2, 1913

Born In Old Diggings - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, January 10, 1913

Local Brevities - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, April 12, 1913

Jesse Johnson - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, April 22, 1913

Footbridge For Old Diggings - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, May 7, 1915

New Footbridge Spans River At Old Diggings -  The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, September 2, 1915

Says Miners Justified In Asking Increase - The Sacramento Union newspaper of Sacramento, June 27, 1917

Old Mining Railroad Dismantled For Junk - The Sacramento Union newspaper of Sacramento, May 13, 1918

Mine Owner Here - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, July 13, 1922

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

The Quartz Hill Railway aka Old Diggings Railroad, on file and available at the Shasta Historical Society.

Short Histories - Old Diggins Mining District And Sacramento Ditch, on file and available at the Shasta Historical Society

Old Diggins Mining District - Mining 622 (Chuck Hornbeck collection) available at the Shasta Historical Society in Redding.