Monday, March 16, 2026

MONTGOMERY CREEK FALLS


Filmed on location March 14, 2026.

A personal look into the history of this natural 60-foot picturesque waterfall, and the person which the falls, the creek and the nearby townsite is named in honor of. This is Montgomery Creek Falls.


RESOURCES:

Montgomery Notes - The Daily Free Press newspaper of Redding, April 6, 1900

Montgomery Notes - The Daily Free Press newspaper of Redding, April 21, 1900

Zach Montgomery Passes Away - The Sacramento Bee newspaper of Sacramento, September 4, 1900

Echoes from the Past: Pioneers Left Their Names to County written by Rosena A. Giles - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, March 20, 1953

Montgomery Creek Falls Eyed as Site for Hydro Project - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, January 22, 1986

Apples and People Like Cooler Weather written by Sharon Hamblin - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, August 12, 1992

Numerous Waterfalls Formed by Rushing Streams - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, May 5, 1993

Residents Persist After Devastating Fire - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, August 14, 1996

Monday, March 9, 2026

THE LUMBER INDUSTRY EMERGES AND EVOLVES IN SHASTA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.


Filmed on location.



On this episode of Exploring Shasta County history we examine the lumber industry in Shasta County, California, which began in 1844, evolving from a frontier necessity into a primary economic driver that peaked in the mid-20th century, and never had an industrial bust, yet it kept evolving into the industry it is today with many changes overtime from hand tools to mechanized machinery, sawmills,  transportation equipment and more making it a lucrative industry for logging companies to be a part of. 





Above: Jeff Reed, left, and John Hansel whipsaw a tree circa 1890, with a dog in the foreground. Courtesy of Shasta Historical Society.





Resources: 

Interests Are Varied - The San Francisco Call newspaper of San Francisco, December 26, 1901

Northern Sawmills - The Fresno Bee newspaper of Fresno, May 1, 1903

Shasta's Lumbering Industry is Second to Mining - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, January 21, 1904

Lumbering Interests in Northern California - The Sacramento Daily Union newspaper of Sacramento, January 22, 1907

Lumber Plants of Northern California - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, April 20, 1907

Studies Smelting and Lumbering - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, July 14, 1907

Studying Economic Conditions in Northern California - The Marysville Daily Appeal newspaper of Marysville - July 17, 1907

Cottonwood Is Shipping Point - The Sacramento Union newspaper of Shasta, September 19, 1911

10 Largest Timber Holdings in the State - The Ventura Free Press newspaper of Ventura, January 17, 1916

Defense Spurs Lumber Industry in Shasta County - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, March 18, 1941

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 

Lumber Payroll Here is $5 Million - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, March 21, 1946

Shasta Leads in Lumber - The Redding Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, September 27, 1946

Flumes, Steam Tractors Hauled Lumber in Early Days - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, July 17, 1947

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

Spring Lumber Boom Expected; Prices Up - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, December 23, 1949

Sustained Yield is New Idea to Assure Stability in Shasta's Lumber Industry - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, June 10, 1950

Way Back When - Myrtle McNamar, published by C.A.T. Publishing of Redding, California, 1952. 282 pages.

Lumberman Predict Good Year Ahead - The Redding Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, January 12, 1955

Lumberman Wonder What Future Will Bring - The Redding Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, April 12, 1957

Lumber Is Big Business in California; Started in 1843 - The Blue Lake Advocate newspaper of Blue Lake, July 28, 1960

Say Tree Growing Practiced Right Can Equal Cutting - The Geyserville Press newspaper of Geyserville, July 29, 1960

Heroes of the Western Woods - Ralph W. Andrews, published by Dutton & Co., Inc., New York: E.P.  ©1960.

Famous Old Sawmills of the Shingletown Ridge. Written by Leo T. Cunningham. The Covered Wagon 1965, pp. 15-20. Published by Shasta Historical Society.

Tight Money Brings Lumber Industry to Brink of Slump written by John Lawson - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, October 6, 1966

Aerial Logging Opens New Land written by Henry Bussey - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, February 25, 1971

Clear Cut Logging: Crime or Conservation? - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, July 7, 1971

Helicopters Aid Logging Industry - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, October 5, 1979

Logging Woes: How Much More? Written by John Crowe - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, December 24, 1979

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

Leaves of the Past, 1828-1880 by Ruth Hitchcock Book Five, Association for Northern California Records and Research. Chico: California State University Meriam Library. ©1980.

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

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

LA MOINE, NORTHERN CALIFORNIA 1906 Tree fallers working for La Moine Lumber and Trading Co.'s property at La Moine, Shasta County, California, summer of 1906. SOURCE Miller, C. R. (Charles Richard), 1875-1934.






















Thursday, March 5, 2026

CALIFORNIA STATE SENATOR, JOHN BENJAMIN McCOLL (1893-1938): THE FOUNDER OF McCOLL'S DAIRY IN REDDING, CALIFORNIA.


Filmed on location February 14, 2026.



Come check out the final resting place of local Redding politician, Senator John Benjamin McColl (1893-1938), the founder of McColl's Dairy in Redding, California who is interred in the East Lawn Memorial Park at Sacramento, California, as I chase Shasta County history in the state capital. You might remember him from my episode on McColl's Dairy at this link here.