The Neighboring Townsites of Union and Lincoln

Could you imagine how the City of Redding would have been laid out today if the neighboring townsites of Union and Lincoln materialized into burgeoning success stories? It would be quite different. In this YouTube video you can learn about the efforts of Edward A. Reid and his brother Artie J. Reid, early Shasta County pioneer settlers who tried establishing two neighboring townsites just opposite of each other at the present-day site of the Diestelhorst Bridge, in December of 1861, to make their ferry site a port for steamboat navigation which ultimately failed due to the obstructions in the Sacramento River channel north of Latona. Maps of the townsites were surveyed but to my knowledge no copies were preserved. Check out this oft-forgotten history of our area and I hope you enjoy this episode of Exploring Shasta County history.

Filmed on location December 14, 2022.

RESOURCES:

Middle Creek Correspondence – The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, February 26, 1859

Two More Towns - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, December 14, 1861

Destruction - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, December 14, 1861

The San Joaquin Republican newspaper of Stockton, December 20, 1861

The Town of Lincoln - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, December 21, 1861

Red Bluff - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, December 21, 1861

Extension Of Navigation - The Red Bluff Independent newspaper of Red Bluff, December 27, 1861

Sallee Purchases the Reid Mine at Old Diggings for $20,000 in April of 1906

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

In April of 1906, James Martin Sallee, a native of Florida, and the former owner of the Bully Hill and Rising Star mines in the Pittsburgh Mining District of Shasta County, who the towns of Sallee and South Sallee were named for in which are now situated under the Squaw Creek arm of Shasta Lake at Bully Hill, purchased the Reid Mine in the Old Diggings Mining District at Old Diggings for a total of $20,000. Sallee purchased this mine from its original owners: Edward A. Reid (the namesake of mine), Mrs. Artie J. Reid (Reid's sister-in-law), and John Salnave. Then in 1913, with the help of his son Harvey J. Sallee the father and son team erected the aerial tramway of the Reid mine for more information on this historic aerial tramway please visit my YouTube video below and my article at the following links:

YouTube video:

 

Article: 

OLD DIGGINGS ALSO KNOWN AS HART: A MINING COMMUNITY

Source: Last Payment on Mine - The Sacramento Daily Union newspaper of Sacramento, April 12, 1906

THE AERIAL TRAMWAY OF THE REID MINE

The historic remains of an aerial tramway or tram line of the Reid mine is the main topic of this YouTube video. They were sometimes referred to as an “aerial ropeway” as well. At one point Shasta County had at least twelve different aerial tramways or tram lines in operation at the same time hauling 100 pounds or more of mining ore daily from lucrative mines producing gold, silver, and copper in one ore carload also known as a bucket load. Parts of the aerial tramway still exists and is marked with a marker along the present-day Freitas Loop Trail commemorating its history.

Nearby, the Reid mine was a lucrative producer of gold from the late 19th century to about the 1920s in the Old Diggings Mining District. This mine was named by its original locator Edward A. Reid. During the above interim years in 1913, the owners of this property, James Martin Sallee, a native of Florida, along with his son Harvey James Sallee, installed the above tramway or tram line. Today, only the cables and some concrete foundations of this aerial tramway remains visible to the public eye. This is what you’re about to view in the following YouTube video. Enjoy,

The Adventure:

Filmed on located November 20, 2022. Historical image of the aerial tramway of the Reid mine is provided by Shasta Historical Society.

Resources:


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

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

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


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


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


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

Two Killed In A Shasta County Mine - The Sacramento Daily Union newspaper of Sacramento, July 18, 1914

Rich Strike In The Reid Mine - The Sacramento Daily Union newspaper of Sacramento, November 15, 1915

Prominent Shasta Miner Is Dead - The Sacramento Daily Union newspaper of Sacramento, August 29, 1916