THE BUCKEYE PIONEER CEMETERY FORMERLY BOOT HILL CEMETERY, ESTABLISHED 1850.

The Buckeye Pioneer Cemetery is one of the last remaining relics and landmarks of the 1849 California Gold Rush community of Buckeye, which was located three miles from Churntown and one mile from Newtown. In 1850, the Boot Hill Cemetery was established at Buckeye. Today, this historic site is the resting place of some of Shasta County’s earliest pioneers. This cemetery is located on the outskirts of Redding off Irish Road off of Lake Boulevard. This is an overview of the cemetery, and not a history of the town site. Enjoy, the video!

Churntown: An Original Gold Mining Community

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

RESOURCES:

The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, November 25, 1854

The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, December 2, 1854

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

The Republican newspaper of Shasta, April 3, 1858

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

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

The 1867 Great Register of Shasta County

1867 California Voters Registration

1870 U.S. Census

The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, March 13, 1871

1873 Great Register of Shasta County

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

1880 U.S. Census

History and Business Directory - Shasta County - 1881 by B.F. Frank and H.W. Chappell. Redding Independent Book and Job Printing House, Redding, California, ©1881.

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

1900 U.S. Census

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

MAJOR PIERSON BARTON READING (1816-1868): THE FIRST EUROPEAN-AMERICAN SETTLER IN SHASTA COUNTY

Major Pierson Barton Reading (1816-1868). This Carta de Vista was taken in 1862. Photographer unknown. Courtesy of Shasta Historical Society.

Pierson Barton Reading (pronounced like the color red), was born to Pierson Reading and Charity (Guild) Reading in Hunterdon County, New Jersey on November 26, 1816, and in 1830, Pierson departed New Jersey, leaving his family behind at the age of fourteen to live with his step-uncle Charles B. Green in Madison County, Mississippi. 

Then in 1834, Reading begins his career as a cotton broker in Madison County. Three years later, at the age of twenty-one, he goes broke due to the price of cotton crashing at the market. Pierson eventually returns to his family in New Jersey. According to the Reading family lore, and local historians, Pierson marries for the first time even though his first wife’s name is unknown but apparently during their short union a daughter was born to them on August 7, 1842, and they named her Jeanette "Janette” Reading, Jeanette was born in Louisiana. At a later date, he leaves his wife and daughter behind in Louisana for Missouri and Reading eventually becomes divorced.

However, according to my friend David L. Templeman, a great-great grandson of Pierson Barton Reading and Euphan “Fannie” Wallace (Washington) Reading. Templeman claims the following about the presumed first marriage of Major Pierson B. Reading:

"There is absolutely no record of a first marriage. There is a story of Janette's mother dying of yellow fever while in New Orleans, when Janette was a baby. Yet no grave or record can be found. I can only imagine Janette's actual mother was not married to Pierson B. Reading. Perhaps a house servants baby. The spelling of her name is French, which aligns with the New Orleans origin story. Unfortunately, a crew of excited historians spent a lot of time speculating about Janette's origins and have released a couple of unsubstantiated proposals. All hold little or no merit.

The first myth is that Janette is Pierson B. Reading’s illegitimate half sister, through his father Pierson Reading's affair (which is also unsubstantiated). There is a fraudulent letter floating around, written by the "niece of Janette", claiming there was a whole family born to Pierson Sr. (again this is Pierson B. Reading’s father). My grandmother was convinced it was a fraud, a con artist chasing money. The second myth is that Janette is the illegitimate daughter of a Reading or Green cousin in Vicksburg. Personally I like to believe she is my great-great Aunt, daughter of Pierson B. Reading." Templeman is also a keen researcher into his own genealogy.

In May of 1843, at Westport, Missouri, Reading joined a large party of immigrants ranging between five hundred and seven hundred people who were traveling to Fort Hall, in Oregon. This immigrant group was led by Peter H. Burnett, and they ventured across the plains heading west towards Oregon with 113 wagons which carried the supplies they needed to survive the long trek. At this time, Reading became good friends with another man in the group by the name of Samuel Hensley.

In September of that year, the Burnett party arrived at Fort Hall; it took them five months to complete the trip over the rough and rugged terrain as the adventure west ended. Once the immigrants arrived in Oregon a small number of men decided to leave the Burnett party and continue south into California. This new group formed the Chiles-Walker party, and their destination was Sutter’s Fort. After purchasing the necessary supplies needed to descend into California, they departed Fort Hall on September 16, 1843. Besides Reading, the Chiles-Walker Party included the following men: Charles Bradley, Henry Chase, Isaac Chase, James Chase, Joseph B. Chiles, Captain John Grantt, Samuel J. Hensley, William Martin, Milton McGhee, John Myers, Joseph R. Walker, and Squire Williams. It was Walker who led the party.

On Thursday, October 26, 1843, the Chiles-Walker party arrived in the region of what became Shasta County, after passing over the Sierra Nevada Range. On that day, they reached the landmarks which we know today as Pit River Falls and Burney Falls. After stopping at both sites, they continued their journey as they encountered numerous Native Americans along the way, who lived in semi-subterranean homes, they knew the white men were in the area but they avoided them. Eventually, Reading saw his first glimpse of his future home, the Rancho Buena Ventura, and then they continued heading south with his party. California at that time was controlled by Mexico. It was Hensley who suggested to Reading that he should obtain a land grant from the Mexican government for this particular area that they were passing through. On Friday, November 10, 1843, they reached Sutter's Fort (or Fort Nueva Helvetia) owned by Captain John A. Sutter.

In 1844, Pierson applied to receive the above property. Reading’s application for the land grant was signed off by Mexican Governor, Manuel Micheltorena on December 4, 1844. This land grant consisted of 26,632.08 acres of land, which extended from the south at Cottonwood Creek and to the north at Salt Creek in Redding. The grant also stretched three miles west of the Sacramento River. He named his land grant the Rancho Buena Ventura meaning “good fortune” in Spanish. In order to obtain his Mexican land grant Reading had to denounce his American citizenship and become a full-fledged Mexican citizen. This is why most American immigrants in California did not apply for land grants under the Mexican government at that time.

A map of the Rancho Buena Ventura land grant owned by Major Pierson Barton Reading. 

The Rancho Buena Ventura became the second land grant in what is now Shasta County. The first land grant was located on the east side of the Sacramento River which was called the Rancho Buena De Briesgau. It was comprised of 22,000 acres of land, and it was William Bennitz who applied for this land grant which was granted to him on July 26, 1844, by Governor Micheltorena. Bennitz was a native of Breisgau, Germany, which is why his rancho was named De Breisgau. However, Bennitz never settled on his property and due to this reason it was never recognized as an official land grant by the Supreme Court of the United States. Then in, September of 1845, Reading joined the United States military to enlist into the Bear Flag Revolt. He enlisted into John Freemont’s battalion as a Paymaster. Reading worked himself through the ranks and he was eventually promoted to the rank of Major.

During the following year, Pierson becomes an active supporter of the settlers revolt to turn California into a State of the Union and on June 14, 1846, a group of American immigrants and ex-patriots marched on Vallejo’s post in Sonoma to successfully over throw the Mexican Government and they declared Reading’s closest neighbor William B. Ide as President of the new Republic of California.

In 1847, Major Reading returned to live on his Rancho Buena Ventura permanently and he erected an adobe house. Reading became the first permanent white settler of what is now, Shasta County, at that time. (His Adobe House fell to vandals in 1942, but it’s listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is California Historical Landmark No. 10)

It wasn’t long before gold was discovered in California by James Wilson Marshall on January 24, 1848, at Coloma on the American River in a tailrace of a sawmill owned by Marshall and John Sutter. After the reports were confirmed that Marshall found gold, it sparked the California Gold Rush and the rush for riches began as new people arrived in California to search for gold. These new arrivals in California would soon be known as forty-niners.

Major Reading took a trip south to the site where Marshall made his discovery and he noted the same red clay on the property and he determined that it was possible that gold could be found on his own property, or at least near it. Then on March 18, 1848, with the help of the Wintu Tribe of Native Americans, Major Pierson B. Reading discovered gold in Clear Creek at what is now known as Reading's Bar, making the second gold discovery in California. Miners would soon descend upon the Rancho Buena Ventura prospecting for gold and squatting on Major Reading’s property, and placer mining erupted along the creek channels.

While prospecting for gold these miners formed tent communities, and the following are the earliest known communities, which were established in 1849: Churntown, Cottonwood, Horsetown, Lower Springs, Middle Creek, and Reading Springs (Shasta). The first community which was established in what is now Shasta County was Cottonwood. In 1848, Major Reading co-established a general merchandise store with Samuel Hensley in Sacramento which was called Hensley, Reading & Company. The firm only lasted for two years when the partnership dissolved in 1850.

Two years after the advent of the California Gold Rush the Rancho Buena Ventura contained the following livestock: 210 horses, 10 mules, 15 cows, and 30 oxen. Major Reading led a prosperous life in California on the western frontier. Then on, February 18, 1850, the County of Shasta was created as one of the original twenty-seven counties of California. It wasn’t until September 9, 1850, that California was admitted into the Union as the 31st State. Major Reading’s adobe residence became the county seat of Shasta County on, February 10, 1851, it was used for court proceedings and the housing of court related documents but government business was never held there.

Pierson B. Reading of Shasta for Governor. A political advertisement from the Daily Union newspaper of Sacramento, June 7, 1851.

Six months later on, August 15, 1851, Major Pierson B. Reading, Dr. Oliver M. Wozencraft and Captain McWhinney establishes the Treaty of Peace and Friendship at the Rancho Buena Ventura with the surrounding Indian tribes. With this treaty they were hoping the Indians would become friendlier towards the white settlers. It became one of 18 peace treaties which was never ratified by the American Government.

Then on, September 3, 1851, Major Reading runs for the office of Governor of the State of California on the Whig ticket in the gubernatorial election. Reading loses the election to Democratic opponent John Bigler who led the election with 441 votes. Bigler became California’s third Governor. At a later date, Pierson meets a gentleman in San Francisco who told him that he was ordered to toss out some 4,000 votes to help arrange Bigler’s victory in the election.

Due to Pierson’s interest in the local Native American tribes he was appointed by Congress to become the Superintendent of Indian Affairs for California on June 18, 1852. Then between: 1853-1854, Pierson promoted a survey of the Noble’s Pass route for a wagon road and with a  group of businessmen from Shasta, contributed $2,000 to send Hamden Holmes Noble back over the route he discovered in 1851. Major Reading also encouraged and supported the construction of the California-Oregon Stage Road. (It is currently California Historical Landmark No. 58.)

Prior to 1855, a man named Richard Bland Lee II was stationed as a Lieutenant at Fort Reading on Cow Creek in Shasta County. Lee became great friends with Pierson and he became a frequent visitor to the Rancho Buena Ventura. It was Lee who persuaded Reading to pursue his niece Euphan “Fannie” Wallace Washington since he was planning a future trip to Washington D.C., where she lived. Fannie was a nickname she was often called by her close family and friends. She was born in September of 1831 to Anna Matilda (Lee) Washington and Doctor Bailey Washington III., at Washington D.C., she was an elegant young lady.

The main reason for the trip east was to check the legal status of his land grant. It was during December of 1855, when Reading traveled east towards Washington D.C., and upon his arrival he immediately began courting Fannie. While Reading was checking his status of ownership of the Rancho Buena Ventura land grant, the Supreme Court of the United States approved his ownership on January 11, 1856. The patent was signed by President, Franklin Pierce. Reading’s trip east was a double success because his land grant was confirmed and a wedding date was decided by Pierson and Fannie.

Then on, March 13, 1856, they were married in Washington D.C., by the Reverend George Cummins at the Trinity Episcopal Church. On this day, a gift was presented to Pierson by Elizabeth (Collins) Lee who was the maternal grandmother of Fannie. It was Elizabeth who told Pierson that he reminded her of President George Washington and then she presented Reading with a lock of the president’s hair of whom the Lee & Washington families were related too. A month later on, April 5, 1856, Mr. and Mrs. Reading departed New York to take his bride west to California crossing the Isthumus of Panama while they made their way towards San Francisco.

While aboard the steamer James L. Stephens, Fannie became sea sick, and the newlyweds reached San Francisco on May 4, 1856, once they reached land Fannie began feeling a lot better. At San Francisco, they checked into the Oriental hotel. They stayed in the city for a while before they resumed their journey north to Shasta County were here they arrived at the Rancho Buena Ventura on May 12, 1856. This was the first glimpse of her husband’s property that Fannie saw that day. Fannie was now among the early pioneer women of Shasta County, she would start writing letters home to her family about her “western” adventures on the frontier of California.

Eupan "Fannie" Wallace (Washington) Reading (1831-1918). Circa 1860s, the photographer is unknown. Courtesy of Shasta Historical Society.

The adobe house which Pierson built in 1847 was too small for him and Fannie to raise a family together so during the year 1856 he added onto the adobe structure by erecting a two-story building. It was a wood framed structure that contained eight rooms. Pierson never referred to it as a mansion but local residents dubbed it the “Reading Mansion”.

The Reading Mansion appears here in this sketch by Alice M. Reading, a daughter of Major Pierson B. Reading. The adobe on the right is the original structure which was built in 1847 by Reading. The 2-story house was attached in 1856 after his marriage took place. The house contained 8 rooms and it burned down in 1881. The adobe fell into decay in 1942. Courtesy of Shasta Historical Society. 

Euphan “Fannie” Wallace (Washington) Reading would eventually bear Pierson six children between the years 1857 and 1865, respectively. Those children were the following:

1. Anna Washington Reading (1857-1906)

2. Alice Matilda Reading (1859-1939)

3. Pierson Barton Reading Jr. (1861-1862)

4. Richard Washington Reading (1863-1925) [twin]

5. Robert Lee Reading (1863-1918) [twin] {actually lived in Shasta County, civil engineer of Shasta County}

6. Frances Collins “Fannie” Reading. (1865-1888)

During the interim, of the above births of their children, in January of  1862, the Original Williams & Kellinger Gold, Silver & Copper Mining Company was incorporated at Copper City with $75,000 divided into 300 shares of $250 each. There principal stockholders were the following people: J.J. Bell, John Kellinger, Major Pierson B. Reading, Dr. George Silverthorne M.D., Charles Williams, and Hogue Worley. Copper City was located on the Squaw Creek, about thirty miles north-east of Shasta. The above company owned and operated the Williams and Kellinger mine located on Kellinger Hill (now Killanger Peak). It was a mine discovered by Charles Williams, but the hill it was located upon was named after his mining partner John Kellinger.

Major Reading had a vision to navigate Steamboats up the Sacramento River north of Red Bluff to Clear Creek between: 1850 and 1860. His dream never became a reality, however, between the years: 1863 and 1864, Pierson establishes a town called Latona in Shasta County as the head of WHOA Navigation to bring steam boats up the Sacramento River. The meaning behind WHOA Navigation defines it as being a slang phrase to describe Shasta in the 1850s. Shasta was the end-of-the-line on the wagon road. Major Reading hired Colonel William Magee to survey this four hundred acre town site for him. Latona was named after a Greek goddess.

During 1864, Pierson engaged himself into mining activities with Kendall Vanhook Bumpass. Bumpass was an early day miner and prospector. Pierson and Bumpass owned a mining claim in the Lassen area. This mining claim turned chaotic with deep pockets of lava flow in which Bumpass lost his leg and he had to have it amputated. Today this mining claim is known as “Bumpass Hell” and it is now located in Lassen National Park.

The esteemed pioneer, Major Pierson Barton Reading, died on his Rancho Buena Ventura land grant on May 28, 1868, at the age of fifty-two years. He was buried in the Reading Family Cemetery on Adobe Road in Cottonwood where other members of his family are interred at this location. Fannie survived her husband another 50 years until she died. Fannie remained on the Rancho Buena Ventura for another three years until she relocated in the east where she settled at Alexandria, Virgnia, in 1871. She made another move in 1878 from Alexandria to Washington D.C., where the pioneer died on May 4, 1918.

There are currently nine historically important sites in Northern California which are dedicated to the memory Major Pierson Barton Reading:

1. Reading’s Bar in Shasta County on Clear Creek, located south west of Redding is named for Major Reading. This is where gold was discovered by Major Reading on March 18, 1848.

2. Reading’s Bar in Trinity County near Douglas City is named for Major Reading. Reading made the first discovery of gold in that county as well in 1848 at the mouth of Reading Creek.

3. Reading Creek in Trinity County is named for Major Reading.

4. Reading Springs (a creek) in the town of Shasta is named for him. (Note: the town of Shasta was formerly called Reading Springs before June 8, 1850, when the town was renamed Shasta by Armstead C. Brown who named it because it was the closest town to Mount Shasta, at that time. Mt. Shasta was in the original boundaries of Shasta County. Siskiyou County wasn’t established until 1852.)

5. Reading Island on the Sacramento River just below the bluff of the Reading Adobe in Cottonwood is named for Major Reading. Due to the channel of the Sacramento River changing, this island is no longer in existence.

6. Fort Reading which was established on May 26, 1852, along the west side of Cow Creek in Shasta County, was named for Major Pierson B. Reading.

7. Reading Rock on the Pacific Ocean is named for Major Reading, it is located near Orick, Humboldt County, California.

8. Reading Peak in Lassen Volcanic National Park was named in honor of Major Pierson B. Reading in 1943.

9. The Reading Family Cemetery is named in honor of Major Reading’s family who is buried there on Adobe Lane in Cottonwood.

Above: the present site of Major Reading's adobe on Adobe Lane in Cottonwood. The adobe fell into decay in 1942. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on July 8, 2018.

Above: the original Reading Adobe monument at the present site of Major Reading's adobe on Adobe Lane in Cottonwood. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on July 8, 2018.

Above: a newer sign with photographs helps record the history of the Reading Adobe on Adobe Lane at Cottonwood. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on July 8, 2018.

Above: the location of Reading's Bar. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on July 8, 2018.

Above: the entry way into the Reading Family Cemetery where Major Pierson Barton Reading is buried, its located on Adobe Road in Cottonwood. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on July 8, 2018.

The Reading Family Cemetery where Major Pierson Barton Reading is buried with members of his family, its located on Adobe Road in Cottonwood. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on July 8, 2018.

RESOURCES:

California, Pioneer and Immigrant Files, 1790-1850(Ancestry.com)

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

Man Of Destiny Pierson Barton Reading Pioneer of Shasta County, California by Helen S. Giffen, edited by Eleanor Lee (Reading) Templeman, published by Shasta Historical Society, © 1985.

The Journal of Pierson Barton Reading Overland to California, 1843, by Madge Richardson Walsh, ©2003 published by the Association for Northern California Historical Research.

RP-004 - Reading, Pierson Barton Pioneer Plaque File on file at Shasta Historical Society.

Mining Corporations – The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, May 16, 1863

Death of Major Reading - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, May 30, 1868

Died - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, May 30, 1868

Funeral - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, June 6, 1868

Pioneer Woman Called Beyond At Washington - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, May 6, 1918

An E-mail Correspondence - Subject: Jeanette Reading dated August 9, 2018 between David L. Templeman and Jeremy M. Tuggle, filed in the RP-004 Reading, Pierson Barton Pioneer Plaque File on file at Shasta Historical Society.

The Shasta Catholic Cemetery at Shasta, established 1855.

A state park sign marking the restoration of the historic Shasta Catholic Cemetery. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on April 28, 2016.

In 1855, a Catholic Cemetery was established at Shasta. This cemetery is located on the hillside above the Pioneer Union Cemetery. Today, its known as the Shasta Catholic Cemetery. Sadly, the cemetery fell into disrepair and vandals continued vandalizing the head stones well into the 1980s. Under the direction of the California State Parks in 2005, this cemetery was cleaned up and restored. A black gate was placed around its perimeter complete with a lock. This locked gate helps prevent further vandalism to the headstones of the early Shasta pioneers who are buried here with their families.

Among those people buried here is a German immigrant by the name of Henry Blumb. Blumb arrived in California by the way of Panama in 1854 and he settled at Shasta during the latter part of the 1850s. At Shasta Blumb was naturalized as an American citizen on January 22, 1859, by the District Court of Shasta County. During the following year he married his wife Mary Garrecht, also of German descent. 

In 1878, Henry Blumb acquired a building along Main Street at the corner of Boell Alley which formerly housed the U.S. Bakery, established in 1859 by Charles Boell who the alley way is named for. After Blumb bought it, he renovated it and turned it into a thriving saloon and bakery. He operated it until he had a stroke in 1918. Blumb died in 1924. His wife Mary preceded him in death in 1919, and is buried next to him.

An Irish immigrant by the name of Patrick Mullee, and his wife Ann, were residing at Iowa County, Wisconsin in 1850. This is where was Patrick Mullee was naturalized as an American citizen on October 28, 1850 in the Circuit Court of Iowa County. At a later date, Mullee relocated his family from Iowa County, Wisconsin to California where they settled at Churntown, in Shasta County, and he became a merchant who owned his own store. 

Churntown was one of the original 1849 gold mining communities of Shasta County. Mullee is recorded on the 1867 Great Register of Shasta County, but this document misspells his surname as Mulee. Three years later, Mullee became a miner according to the 1870 U.S. Census. The 1870 U.S. Census notes that Patrick Mullee was age 55, Ann was noted at the same age, and their daughter Winnifred was age 20. 

At that time, the Mullee's were residing at the community of Stillwater. Patrick Mullee died at Churntown and his remains were brought to Shasta where he was interred into this cemetery. Ann Mullee survived her husband by another 16 years before she died on April 5, 1892, eventually she was interred into this cemetery as well.

Another pioneer by the name of Theobald Garrecht  (D. April 18, 1875) was a native of Offenbach by Landau, Rheinptaltz (Bavaria). Garrecht departed his native country in 1860 and he arrived in the United States of America. In America, Garrecht, ventured towards the West Coast and settled at Shasta, California, that year. Garrecht was employed as a saloon keeper. Theobald married a woman named Catherine.

Five years later, tragedy struck the Garrecht family when Theobald & Catherine’s daughter, Apollonia (Garrecht) Wentz died on December 21, 1865. She wasn’t buried in the Shasta Catholic Cemetery. Her remains ended up being interred in the Shasta Masonic Cemetery located on Muletown Road just south-west of Shasta. Apollonia married Henry Wentz. The following year, Theobald Garrecht was naturalized as an American citizen in the District Court of Shasta County at Shasta on May 14, 1866. He then registered to vote in July of that year. In 1870, the pioneer was still employed as a saloon keeper, he and his wife Catherine were living in the home of their son Lorenz Garrecht, a prominent Shasta butcher.

There are many other notable Shastan’s who are buried in this historic cemetery. According to my research the last recorded interment in this cemetery was that of James Stephen Coughlin Sr., in 1936. At different times the Shasta State Historic Park offers cemetery tours of both the Shasta Catholic and the Pioneer Union Cemetery, explore it when you can.

L-R: The headstones of Patrick Mullee (D. September 1, 1876) and Ann Mullee (D. April 5, 1892). This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on April 28, 2016.

Above: In Memory of Theobald Garrecht. Died April 18, 1875. Catherine Garrecht died December 13, 1870. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on April 28, 2016.

Above: the headstone of James Smith who died February 23, 1862. Smith was a native of Parrish of Lava, County of Cavin, Ireland. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on April 28, 2016.

RESOURCES:

REPORT  of the Proceedings of the Board Of Supervisors, For May Term 1855 - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, June 9, 1855

1867 California Voters Registration

1870 U.S. Census

1873 Great Register of Shasta County 

The Shasta Courier, Saturday, April 24, 1875 Theobald Garrecht obituary

The Shasta Courier, Saturday, September 23, 1876 Patrick Mullee death notice.

The Blumb Bakery, a publication by Shasta State Historic Park

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

Shasta: The Queen City by Mabel Moores Frisbie and Jean Moores Beauchamp, published by the California Historical Society, © 1973