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

THE HISTORIC FOUNDATION OF THE MAMMOTH AERIAL TRAMWAY

The Mammoth aerial tramway is shown above conveying ore in large buckets and transporting timber as well. This picture is from the Sacramento Daily Union newspaper edition of December 11, 1906.

The Mammoth aerial tramway was sometimes referred to as an “aerial ropeway” which was built in 1905 for the United States Refining and Mining Company, the parent company of the Mammoth Copper Company of Kennett, by the Riblet Tramway Company of Spokane, Washington, for about $50,000. That year, the Mammoth Copper Company began large scale mining operations at the Mammoth mine when their brand-new smelter was blown-in during October of 1905, which was located on Little Backbone Creek and in the boundaries of the Backbone mining district. This aerial tramway system began operations in the fall of 1906.

In an excerpt of an article the following was published by the Sacramento Daily Union newspaper claiming that it was "...used for the transportation of copper ore from the mine for treatment in the smelter. It is however, used for a double purpose and freight and lumber is shipped by this means to the mine. The tramway is operated by gravity, the weight of the heavy copper ore causing the endless rope to travel around the large shelve wheels and furnish power enough to carry thousands of pounds of freight up the heavy incline. The ore is loaded into the buckets by automatic feeders and dumped direct into the large bins on the furnace floor at smelter. " (SIC)

The Mammoth aerial tramway was two miles long. Some reports say it was longer, but that was false information. The Mammoth mine and smelter closed in 1919, and the smelter reopened for a short time in 1924. The Mammoth mine last operated in 1937. Today, only one concrete slab of foundation from this historic aerial tramway remains viewable off of Westside Road Number 2 behind Shasta Dam.

The Mammoth aerial tramway of the Mammoth Copper Company, circa 1919. Conveying ore 3,000 feet below the Mammoth mine to the Mammoth smelter. Courtesy of Shasta Historical Society.

Filmed on location April 21, 2021.

RESOURCES:


Tram Now Handles Fifty Tons An Hour - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, February 22, 1906

Cable Two Miles Long Used To Transport Copper Ore - The Sacramento Daily Union of Sacramento, June 16, 1906

Mammoth Smelter At Kennett Running To Its Fullest Capacity - The Sacramento Daily Union newspaper of Sacramento, December 11, 1906

Store Ore In Shasta - The Sacramento Daily Union of Sacramento, September 13, 1910

The Covered Wagon 1977, published annually by Shasta Historical Society

Kennett by Jane Schuldberg, published by Stansbury Publishing of Chico, California; 1st edition (April 1, 2005) 224 pages ISBN-10 : 0970892292