Historic Waugh’s Ferry: Westside Cable Support Iron Mooring Pins

2 historic cable support iron mooring pins appear in this video which belong to Waugh’s Ferry are embedded into the ground here at this location along the Sacramento River Trail system south of the mouth of Rock Creek and north of the present-day Ribbon Bridge and on the west side of the Sacramento River. One of them is hidden in plain site on the trail, perhaps you have noticed it before, or perhaps not? This one that is shown as the cover photo to this video is definitely the oldest one of the two blacksmith forged cable support iron mooring pins which held the cable to Waugh’s Ferry. This ferry was owned and operated by a pioneer ferryman named Joseph Waugh a local resident of the town which bore his surname near the ferry site. Waugh strung up 750 feet of cable which spanned the Sacramento River on both the west side and east side so it would stronghold the ferry against the current of the Sacramento River as it transported passengers and freight across the river on this watercraft. Click play to enjoy the video. This is a follow up to my last YouTube video I did on this subject called The Remaining Historic Relics at Waugh's Ferry and the Townsite of Waugh at Middle Creek. You can find my resources for this video at the above link.

The Remaining Historic Relics at Waugh's Ferry and the Townsite of Waugh at Middle Creek

Filmed on location. Copyright: 2022 and 2023.

Resources: 

Dissolution Copartnership - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, December 24, 1853

Court of Sessions - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, April 8, 1854

$50 Reward - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, May 6, 1854

Notice - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, October 28, 1854

Notice - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, November 18, 1854

District Court, November Term, 1854 - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, December 2, 1854

District Court, November Term, 1854 - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, December 9, 1854

Notice - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, October 27, 1855

District Court - May Term - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, May 22, 1858

Board Of Supervisors- The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, February 12, 1859

News of the Morning - The Sacramento Daily Union newspaper of Sacramento, June 10, 1859

Supreme Court Decision - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, June 11, 1859

Rains, Snows and Floods - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, January 15, 1859 

Board of Supervisors - May Term - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, May 11, 1861

The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, January 25, 1862

Copper Lead - The Marysville Daily Appeal newspaper of Marysville, April 16, 1863

Ferry Notice - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, July 30, 1864

Proceedings of the Board of Supervisors August Term 1854 - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, August 13, 1864

The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, February 10, 1866

High Water In Shasta County - The Sacramento Daily Union newspaper of Sacramento, February 15, 1866

New Boat - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, February 2, 1867

Stranded - The Shasta Courier newspaper Shasta, February 28, 1868

Accident - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, September 11, 1869

Elevations - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, June 18, 1870

Railroad Surveys - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, August 13, 1870

Died - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, September 9, 1871

Death of the Waugh Brothers - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, September 9, 1871

Inheritance - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, April 27, 1872

Proceedings of the Board of Supervisors for the May Term 1872 - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, May 18, 1872

The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, March 15, 1881

Railroad Notes - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, April 28, 1883

The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, April 28, 1883 

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, May 5, 1883

Deed - May 5, 1883, Joseph Waugh to Central Pacific Railroad 

Transfers - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, May 12, 1883

Real Estate Transfers - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, May 12, 1883

The New Road - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, May 12, 1883

Deeds - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, May 12, 1883

Pacific Coast Items - The Sacramento Daily Union newspaper of Sacramento, May 19, 1883

Our Neighbors - The Humboldt Times newspaper of Eureka, May 20, 1883

Our Neighbors - The Humboldt Times newspaper of Eureka, June 5, 1883

The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, July 7, 1883

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, July 7, 1883

The New Road - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, July 14, 1883

The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, August 11, 1883

The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, August 25, 1883

The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, September 1, 1883

Real Estate Transfers - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, October 6, 1883

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, February 23, 1884

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, July 5, 1884

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, August 23, 1884

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, November 1, 1884 (Redding to Middle Creek completed)

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, November 15, 1884

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, January 24, 1885

The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, September 19, 1885

The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, September 26, 1885

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, July 31, 1886

Middle Creek News - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, January 14, 1888

Middle Creek News - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, March 17, 1888

Middle Creek Notes - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, February 18, 1888

Middle Creek News - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, May 5, 1888

Middle Creek News - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, January 12, 1889

Middle Creek News - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, February 9, 1889

The Free Press newspaper of Redding, February 13, 1892

Crossed Over the River - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, March 12, 1892

Another Pioneer Gone - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, March 12, 1892

Notice For Publication - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, April 9, 1892

Notes From Middle Creek - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, July 1, 1893

Pioneer Mrs. Waugh Dies Peacefully - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, March 20, 1901

Middle Creek Middlings - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, June 11, 1901

The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, July 7, 1901

The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, August 11, 1901

Mongolian Pheasants - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, July 20, 1901

Railroad Will Build Depot at Middle Creek - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, December 21, 1903

Middle Creek Is Supplying Gold - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, July 26, 1904

Post Office at Waugh No More - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, May 29, 1906

Waugh Office Closes June 30 - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, May 31, 1906

Post Office Has Been Discontinued - The Sacramento Daily Union newspaper of Sacramento, May 31, 1906

Waugh Office Abolished - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, June 1, 1906

Middle Creek Hotel for Sale - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, March 27, 1907

Middle Creek Depot - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, January 4, 1911

Depot At Middle Creek Moved Away - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, March 24, 1914

Warehouse At Middle Creek Is Torn Down - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, March 11, 1921

Do You Remember? - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, March 23, 1934

Group To View Historical Spots - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, April 17, 1947

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

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.

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

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

19th Century Wagon Ruts Along the Sacramento River Trail Near Waugh.

In 1883 the construction of the Shasta to Middle Creek Road was completed which was also known as Middle Creek Road, and alias the River Road, which connected Shasta with the townsite of Waugh. Four years later, in 1887 construction resumed on this route which brought the road into Redding from the mouth of Middle Creek on the west bank of the Sacramento River heading south into Redding. Most of it was situated along present-day Sacramento River Trail with parts still in existence today. Wagon ruts are pretty rare and exciting to find when you locate them unexpectedly. They appear on well-traveled routes in the region like this route here which date to the 19th Century. 

Resources:

Pacific Coast Items - The Sacramento Daily Union newspaper of Sacramento, May 19, 1883

Our Neighbors - The Humboldt Times newspaper of Eureka, May 20, 1883

Our Neighbors - The Humboldt Times newspaper of Eureka, June 5, 1883

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

Hand Carved Sandstone Blocks Along The Present-Day, Sacramento River Trail.

Before 1872, Redding was the end-of-the-line, for the Central Pacific Railroad which became very fortuitous in its role in the development of our county for ten years until the railroad resumed construction of its tracks and laid them north of Redding through the Sacramento River Canyon in 1883. During that year, these hand carved sandstone blocks were mounted and placed by Chinese laborers who were employed by the railroad company to lay tracks over various creek crossings in that region along the Sacramento River. 

Now part of the scenic Sacramento River Trail, there function today serves as bridge foundations for a few pedestrian crossings from Salt Creek to Middle Creek. "Thousands of passengers and millions of tons of ore crossed over these foundations utilized by the railroad until 1939, when the railroad was rerouted over the high trestle east of the trail entrance as part of the construction of Shasta Dam."  

Above: the remaining hand carved sandstone blocks are still intact on the Middle Creek crossing along the Sacramento River Trail. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on October 27, 2022.

Above: a close-up of the remaining hand carved sandstone blocks at the Middle Creek crossing. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on October 27, 2022.

Resources:

Trail plaque at Middle Creek on the Sacramento River Trail

The Sky Blue mine

Above: an advertisement for the Sky Blue mine by the Original Sky Blue Ledge Mining Company, from the Shasta Courier newspaper edition of July 23, 1864

In 1863 Colonel William Magee, a noted surveyor, miner, prospector, and resident of Shasta, California, located the quartz vein of the Original Sky Blue mine of the Middle Creek mining district.

After an examination of this vein, gold was extracted from it which yielded some lucrative high-grade gold that assayed well. After that Magee called it the Sky Blue and he began transitioning it into a quartz mine with a main haulage tunnel, winzes, raises, and drifts. This mine was situated on the east bank of the Sacramento River, just below Waugh’s Ferry. One of the best featured uncovered was an imposing ledge of gold & copper ore.

On April 8, 1863, Magee established the Sky Blue Ledge Company, of which he was the sole owner. Two years later, articles of incorporation were filed at Shasta for the Original Sky Blue Ledge Company by Colonel William Magee.

This company held its business meetings at Shasta. J. Van Schaik, another Shasta resident, was hired by Magee as superintendent at this mining property, and soon additional miners were employed to assist with the work. The first orders given by Magee were the existing haulage tunnel he had previously created. Later, additional extractions of gold and copper were made within the mine once they ran a drift back sixty feet and struck the main quartz vein.

The nearest stamp mill to the Sky Blue mine was the Pioneer Mill which was located on Spring Creek. The original Sky Blue Ledge Company negotiated a contract with the Pioneer Mill for the purpose of crushing their rock. Over 200 tons of rock at the Sky Blue mine was ready to be crushed by the powerful stamps. This rock contained excellent deposits of gold. The original Sky Blue Ledge Company and the Pioneer Mill finalized the contract that month for future shipments which were hauled to their mill by teams.

Other equipment that the Pioneer Mill owned was a small, crude quartz crusher and a ball mill from which it obtained particles from crushed quartz.

During the 1870’s ownership of the Sky Blue mine passed into the hands of Joseph Waugh, a resident of Middle Creek, who was the owner of Waugh’s Ferry.

In May of 1875 there is a record of this claim in the Index To Mining Claims Book I, It appears there were two additional Sky Blue mines in Shasta County at that time as well which were recorded as being near the town of Buckeye, in the Old Diggings mining district.

During October of 1878, assessments claimed that the rock from Waugh’s mine would pay him $300 per ton. Waugh became rich off this lucrative mining property. Years later, E.P. Connor, a local miner and prospector, acquired the Sky Blue mine, and on June 21, 1890, the Free Press newspaper of Redding reported the following:

“The Sky Blue mine above Middle Creek, owned by E.P. Connor promises to be one of the choice mining properties of the county. He has a shaft down 25 feet on a rich pay chute of rotten quartz, and rusty gold very rich. He proposes to run the old Sky Blue tunnel some 400 feet and tap this chute at a depth of 260 feet. The nature of the country is such that the mine can be opened up at a comparatively small expense.“

In 1902, the Sky Blue mine was purchased by the Redding Gold & Copper Mining Company for $20,000. The owner and president of this mining company was Thomas Gilbert. Other mines in Shasta County were included in this transaction and they were La Plant and Bedford Group near Keswick; Stabler group near Centerville, White Group near Igo.

Gilbert and his mining company began making plans to build a reduction-works on the Sky Blue mining property. The group still had ownership of the mine in 1906 and they held onto it until 1910 when the Redding Gold & Copper Mining Company sold it to W. Oberlin and R.F. Lind – natives of Ohio. The total amount of the purchase price was not released. After this time the Sky Blue mine became idle.

RESOURCES:

Sky Blue Ledge Company - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, April 11, 1863

Organized - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, April 11, 1863

Leg Broken - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, May 21, 1864

Delinquent Notice - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, June 18, 1864 

Spring Creek Mill - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, June 18, 1864

Spring Creek Mill - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, June 25, 1864

Original Sky Blue Quartz Mining Company (advertisement) - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, July 23, 1864

Original Sky Blue Quartz Mining Company (advertisement) - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, February 18, 1865

Incorporated - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, February 25, 1865

Index to Mining Claims Book 1 - page 238, Sky Blue mine, dated May 7, 1875

The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, October 26, 1878

Joe Waugh - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, November 9, 1878

The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, November 23, 1878.

The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, December 7, 1878 

Joseph Waugh’s Quartz ledge - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, December 21, 1878

The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, January 18, 1879 

Mining Notes - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, June 21, 1890

Crossed Over the River (Joseph Waugh obituary) - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, March 12, 1892

Mining and Scientific Press Volume 85, 1902, page 226 

Mines Register: Successor to the Mines Handbook and the Copper, 1906, Volumes 6-7 by Horace J. Stevens, page 851

The Engineering and Minining Journal Vol. LXXXIX, January to June 1910. Published by Hill Publishing, New York

Short Talks With Busy And Women - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, May 23, 1912

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 Bunker Hill Mine

This map was surveyed on August 12, 1948, as part of the railroad relocation project from Middle Creek to Matheson. The Bunker Hill mine is noted as the George P. Whaley and A.M. Whaley lot.

In 1860, a miner by the name of Samuel Gaston, a resident of Middle Creek, led a party of miners consisting of: James T. Loag, Drury D. Harrill, and Soloman D. Brawstow. The later were all prominent residents of Shasta. However, some accounts refer to them as the Loag party. They started prospecting the channel of Middle Creek and they struck a lucrative vein of decomposed quartz near the mouth of the creek.

   

While they were at their new mining claim, Gaston and his men began the surface work, that day. A couple hours later, another party of miners arrived at the scene. This group was led by Terrance Brennan of Shasta. During my research I haven't found any documents which contains the other names of the Brennan party. The local media often referred to them as Brennan & Company. After their arrival at the mining claim, a heated argument ensued between Brennan & Company and the Gaston party. During this argument Brennan & Company objected to their work because they claimed that they were infringing upon a nearby quartz lode that they owned. They demanded the Gaston party to leave at once and never to return.

   

After Gaston and his men returned to their home’s, Gaston traveled into Shasta where he filed a law suit against Terrance Brennan in the Shasta County District Court, in November of that year. Gaston had reasons to believe that Brennan & Company didn’t own the mining claim. The case was tried before Judge William P. Daingerfield. 

   

Later that month, on November 27, 1860, the Sacramento Daily Union newspaper of Sacramento reported the following account:

"SHOOTING AFFAIR - Terry Brennan and Samuel Gaston who have been engaged in a law suit in reference to a mining claim located near Middle Creek, Shasta county, met on the claim on Monday, morning November 19th, both armed and, after an exchange of some harsh words and threats, resulted in Brennan shooting Gaston in the arm. Brennan gave himself up, says the Northern Argus, but none appearing against he was discharged." (SIC)

Over the years the media outlets in California have twisted the above shooting affray into a bloody battle between Gaston’s party and the Brennan party, at the Bunker Hill mine. The above article was derived from an article that appeared in the Northern Argus, a newspaper from Horsetown. Some accounts are bogus but the above article is the most authentic story of the Bunker Hill mine, due to its gold and lore the mine became famous.

As the trial in the District Court preceded, the disputed mining claim was brought before the miners of the Lower Springs Mining District and the Middle Creek Mining District to determine if Gaston and his men were conducting surface work or quartz lode work on December 5, 1860. They were also hoping to settle the dispute out of court. Apparently, the miners decided that they were conducting surface work and the Gaston party would eventually infringe upon the quartz lode owned by Brennan & Company. There were mining resolutions which were passed that day but they were not in favor of Gaston & Company. Gaston continued the law suit in the District Court. 

The earliest account of this mine being referred to as the Bunker Hill appears in a newspaper article which was printed on Saturday, December 8, 1860 by the Shasta Courier. It’s not clear as to who named this mining claim, but the shooting affray between Brennan and Gaston played an important part of its naming. One of the questions brought before the District Court was in regard to who had completed the most surface work at the mine, and only time would tell.

On Saturday, March 23, 1861, the Northern Argus printed the following column: 

"DISTRICT COURT - The court has been engaged during the greater part of the present week, in trying the case of Gaston against Brennan and others. It terminated on Wednesday last, the jury stood nine for plaintiffs and three for defendants. The case will be tried again during the coming week." (SIC)

During the next week, the jury in the trial voted in favor of the plaintiff on every count. Apparently, it was determined by the District Court that Gaston and his group completed the most surface work at the site. Therefore, they were the rightful owners of this disputed property. Gaston won the lawsuit which allowed him to collect damages from Brennan. 

Then on, Saturday, April 13, 1861, the Gaston party took possession of the Bunker Hill mine and they resumed their mining operations that day. Once again, Brennan & Company started another altercation with them as they rushed into the mining claim and belligerently forced the Gaston party off the property. Brennan & Company threw out all of their equipment and additional belongings they brought with them as well.

Upon their departure from the Bunker Hill mine, Gaston & Company immediately went to get the Sheriff at Shasta, and they returned with Sheriff, John S. Follansbee to Bunker Hill where Gaston and his party had the sheriff arrest the Brennan party for rioting. The Brennan party still claimed ownership of the mine even though the District Court awarded it to Gaston and his group. After the Brennan party were released from jail, Gaston and his men obtained a Writ of Resolution from the District Court of Shasta County. Due to this clause an agreement was reached by both parties who decided not to mine the claim for thirty days until the rightful owner was decided again by the District Court.

It was Judge William P. Daingerfield who officially declared ownership of this mining claim to Samuel Gaston and his party in May of 1861, which ended the Writ of Resolution. Brennan was very disappointed that he lost the potential ownership of the Bunker Hill mine. Lawyers for Brennan’s party motioned for a new trial to be granted but the motion was denied by Judge Daingerfield.

Gaston and his men established the Bunker Hill Company, naming themselves after their mine. Each of them owned shares within the mining company. In April of 1862, the Bunker Hill Company were steadily mining and extracting gold from their placer mine at an lucrative rate of six to ten pounds per day. They employed four men to assist them in their claim. The Shasta Courier, a newspaper from Shasta, reported the following account on Saturday, May 3, 1862:

"BUNKER HILL - On last Thursday, this claim paid ninety-three ounces, and it is improving continually."

Then in, October of 1862, a notice was printed by the Shasta Courier that claimed Brawstow was selling his interest in the Bunker Hill mine. This was a chance for others to buy his shares within this mining company, and the new shareholder profited very well. 

During May of 1863, prospectors Hoy and Kennedy struck a rich vein of ore on land adjoining the Bunker Hill mine. The discovery yielded remarkable results which were heralded by the local media in Shasta. Hoy & Kennedy cleaned up nicely as it was reported that they were making between $900 and $1,700 per day with the employment of three miners extracting the ore near the Bunker Hill mine. The local media opined that this vein was a continuation of the Bunker Hill mine lead.

A ditch was dug from Middle Creek and miners extended it into the Bunker Hill mine to help them convey water into their mining site to assist them in the extraction of gold. If a large abundance of water was available then mining was a regular occurrence on the property. The Bunker Hill Company negotiated a contract with the Spring Creek stamp mill to crush its rock to obtain the ore. It was surface rock that they were crushing. After the deal was made they began delivering large quantities of rock to the nearby stamp mill. 

Two years later, the Bunker Hill Company was still actively perusing their claim. In February of 1865, their miners struck a new vein of gold ore. It was reported by the Shasta Courier newspaper that: "four pans of rock from which, when crushed in a hand mortar yielded twenty-four ounces and eight pennyweights. It still continues to pay nearly the proportion."

Nearly a month later, the Bunker Hill Company continued making progress on their placer mine as they extracted forty ounces in two days by washing pay dirt. The ground contained an abundant of ore in profitable quantity to be extracted by their miners. As the mine kept revealing its secrets they rapidly stayed in production that year. In January of 1866, after a run of a two week period the mine yielded between fifteen and sixteen hundred dollars in gold. The mine continued to produce lucrative ore. There were no adits, shafts or tunnels on the property it was still an active placer mine, not a quartz mine.

Aside from washing pay dirt at the mining site. The miners extracted the ore from a soft slate in a thin strata of decomposed quartz as well. Their miners struck gold in deep pockets of quartz, and located quartz walls with veins of gold on the property. 

In 1872, the construction on the California & Oregon Railroad, a division of the Central Pacific Railroad, finished bringing the railway north to Redding. The construction would not resume north for another ten years. During the interim, in December of 1874, Drury D. Harrill applied to the United States Government for a patent which was granted at a later date for the Bunker Hill mine. After a ten year hiatus, the construction of the railroad resumed north from Redding in 1882.

That year, Chinese immigrants who were employed by the railroad made an amazing discovery of gold pieces valued between $15,000-$20,000 at the Bunker Hill mine, it wasn’t reported by the local media about how or why these gold pieces were left. At that time, the Bunker Hill mine was abandoned. However, this discovery brought a renewed interest to the mine and it was developed again.

In 1896, the Bunker Hill mine was owned by John Varner Scott of Shasta, a Mrs. Carmichael of Oakland, and Mrs. Emily Loag of New York (the widow of James T. Loag.) A man named William Albert Pryor was an overseer of Mrs. Loag’s shares of the mine. Pryor's position granted him access to the mining property and mining rights.

In December of 1900, the Bunker Hill Company employed one man and an armed guard at the mining site to protect their property, because the mine began yielding  $3,000 per day. It’s days of being a lucrative placer mine were ending as the owners wanted to transform the placer mine into a quartz mine with adits, tunnels and shafts. Eventually, additional men were hired by the above company to do that for them.

The first shaft was dug to eight feet below the surface of the earth and a new tunnel was dug in near the hillside to the new shaft. While the miners were digging out and constructing the new tunnel a new vein of gold was discovered by them.

During the year 1915, the mining property included sixty acres of patented land and 460 feet of tunnel. The mine was owned by William A. Pryor, the Shasta druggist, and a man by the surname of Logan. According to G. Chester Brown of the California State Mining Bureau the Bunker Hill mine included a north and south vein which was five feet wide with 200 feet of drifts. Pryor and Logan were working the mine together while they were producing fine specimens of ore.

Eventually, the quartz mine was abandoned again, and during the 1940s, it was relocated again. Miners began redeveloping the mining site and extracting the ore from it. Then the production stopped. The last owner’s of the property was George Whaley and his wife A.M. Whaley of San Francisco, according to a 1948 map of the property which was surveyed for the railroad relocation project from Middle Creek to Matheson.

At the Bunker Hill mine there are remains of an old water well which has been plugged, a rock retaining wall, a plugged shaft and a few fig and grape trees. Along the creek nearest to the mining site there are a few spots indicating that the miners tried probing while miners dug for gold. From historical references it’s learned that drifts and adits were made with underground openings (now plugged). If you go take water with you on a hot day.

The unmarked trailhead to the Bunker Hill mine is located just north of the ribbon bridge that spans the Sacramento River on the Keswick side of the Sacramento River Trail. From this trailhead the trail guides you in about 0.2 miles from the Sacramento River Trail near the mouth of Middle Creek. The trail is a moderate hike into the mine. Another mine called the Compton mine exists north of here at Rock Creek just off the Sacramento River Trail, if you know where to look.

Above: The superintendent of the mine more than likely lived near this plugged water well of the Bunker Hill mine. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on June 13, 2015.

Above: One of the plugged shafts of the Bunker Hill mine. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on June 13, 2015.

Above: One of the plugged shafts of the Bunker Hill mine. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on June 13, 2015.

Above: Miners tried to probe here but without luck they moved on to better diggings. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on June 13, 2015.

Above: A Fig tree at the Bunker Hill mine, a rock marking the spot in memory of someone. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on June 13, 2015.

Above: Grape trees at the historic site of the Bunker Hill mine. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on June 13, 2015.

Above: A rock retaining wall against the trail into the gold mine. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on June 13, 2015.

Above: The headstone of the original locator of the Bunker Hill mine, Samuel Gaston (1834-1909). He was interred into the Redding Memorial Park. Gaston was a native of Livingston County, New York. He arrived in Shasta County and settled at Middle Creek in 1852. He was a miner. At a later date, Gaston relocated from Middle Creek to Elko, Nevada where he served as a deputy Sheriff for a number of years. After that, he returned to Shasta County and died in the county hospital. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on June 19, 2018.

Resources:

Shooting Affair - The Sacramento Daily Union newspaper, November 27, 1860

Mining In Shasta - The Shasta Courier newspaper, Saturday, April 26, 1862

Bunker Hill - The Shasta Courier newspaper, Saturday, May 3, 1862

A Chance - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, October 4, 1862

Rich Claim - The Shasta Courier newspaper, Saturday, May 9, 1863

The Mines Played Out - The Shasta Courier newspaper, Saturday, February 11, 1865

Bunker Hill Co. - The Shasta Courier newspaper, Saturday, March 4, 1865

Bunker Hill - The Shasta Courier newspaper, Saturday, April 29, 1865

Bunker Hill - The Shasta Courier newspaper, Saturday, January 6, 1866

Bunker Hill - The Shasta Courier newspaper, Saturday, June 9, 1866

Bunker Hill - The Shasta Courier newspaper, Saturday, June 16, 1866

D.D. Harrill - The Shasta Courier newspaper, Saturday, December 5, 1874

Bunker Hill - The Shasta Courier newspaper, Saturday, October 20, 1877

Bunker Hill - The Shasta Courier newspaper, Saturday, February 29, 1896 

1896 California Voters Registration

A Story of Bunker Hill Mine - Sausalito News, December 15, 1900

Mines and Mineral Resources of Shasta County, Siskiyou County, and Trinity County, by G. Chester Brown, ©1915 published by California State Printing Office. Page 37.

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

Mindat.org

Mines and Mineral Resources of Shasta County, ©1974, Philip A. Lyden & J.C. O'Brien