A RAILWAY FROM BONITA TO DELAMAR: THE SACRAMENTO VALLEY & EASTERN RAILROAD.

The town of Delamar was established in the area in June of 1900 while construction on the Sacramento Valley and Eastern Railroad began on December 11, 1906, this railroad company was incorporated on January 8, 1907, the purpose of the Sacramento Valley and Eastern Railroad, was to conduct a 15-mile standard gauge, ore, delivery, and passenger train from Bonita 3 miles north of Kennett to the Bully Hill smelter at Delamar. It was completed in 1908 and operated until 1939, due to the flooding of Shasta Lake for Shasta Dam. Between 1942 and 1945 Shasta Dam was under construction and its reservoir flooded this railroad system under Shasta Lake. It's often seen during drought seasons. The grade and railroad bed with its ties are still intact under the lake along Pit River and Squaw Creek which is seen here in this general overview of its lucrative history. What's not well-known to railroad enthusiasts and local history buffs is the fate of Engine #2 which succeeded after Engine #1 was taken out of commission. Where is this second engine located and what became of it? Find out more in this episode of Exploring Shasta County History.

RESOURCES:

An Electric Railroad from Kennett to Bully Hill Mines - The Daily Free Press newspaper of Redding, September 20, 1902

Work Begins on the Railroad from Kennet to Bully Hill - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, December 11, 1906

Kennet-Delamar Road Files Papers - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, January 8, 1907

Incorporates To Build Railroad to Delamar - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, January 9, 1907

A New Station Called Pitt - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, February 5, 1907

Contract Let for Building the Railroad - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, February 9, 1907

Bully Hill Coke Stored at Pitt - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, February 19, 1907

The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, February 17, 1907

Train To Delamar in Seven Months - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, February 18, 1907

Pitt Is the Name of the New Station - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, February 19, 1907

“BONITA” THE NAME OF NEW SHASTA TOWN - The Sacramento Daily Union newspaper of Sacramento, February 20, 1907

Greeks Arriving for the Railroad - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, March 1, 1907

Two Hundred Men Are Building Railroad - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, March 8, 1907

Carload of Steel Girders Arrives - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, March 10, 1907

Many Greeks Drowned Near Kennet - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, March 11, 1907

Twenty Greeks Were Drowned at Bonita - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, March 12, 1907

Eleven Greeks Drowned While Ferrying the River - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, March 12, 1907

Number Of Greeks Drowned Nineteen - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, March 13, 1907

Five Bodies Taken from River at Bonita - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, March 13, 1907

Names Of Victims at Last Are Known - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, March 13, 1907

Many Mules Go to Bonita - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, March 13, 1907

Names of the Dead Greeks - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, March 14, 1907

Fixing The Blame for The Death of Nineteen - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, March 14, 1907

Accidental Drowning Verdict of Jury - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, March 15, 1907

Hundreds In Line at Greek Funeral - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, March 16, 1907

Little Hopes Now for Recovery of Bodies - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, March 20, 1907

Hundred Greeks Were Discharged - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, May 2, 1907

Shasta County May Buy Pit River Bridge - The Sacramento Daily Union newspaper of Sacramento, May 18, 1907

Ten Tons to Pitt from Redding - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, June 7, 1907

Graders Knock Out Juice and Smelter Stop Work - The Marysville Daily Appeal newspaper of Marysville, July 13, 1907

Cars to Delamar by November 1st - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, July 16, 1907

By November Next - The Sacramento Daily Union newspaper of Sacramento, July 18, 1907

Rapid Work on the Pit River Railroad - The Sacramento Daily Union newspaper of Sacramento, August 29, 1907

Town Site Laid Out on Pit River - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, September 6, 1907

Track-Laying on the Railroad to Delamar Will Begin This Week - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, October 13, 1907

Getting In Shape - The San Jose Mercury newspaper of San Jose, October 22, 1907

Railroad Work Near Delamar - The Sacramento Daily Union newspaper of Sacramento, November 6, 1907

Railway to Electric Smelter - The San Francisco Call newspaper of San Francisco, December 15, 1907

First Load of Freight - The San Francisco Call newspaper of San Francisco, December 16, 1907

Bully Hill Smelter Has Been Remodeled - The Sacramento Daily Union newspaper of Sacramento, December 24, 1907

The Courier-Free Press, January 6, 1908

Another Railroad Is Now Completed - The Fresno Evening Herald newspaper of Fresno, January 16, 1908

Tracks Are Laid to Copper City - The Sacramento Daily Union newspaper of Sacramento, January 17, 1908

Copper City A Port of Entry - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, January 22, 1908

Railroad Completed as Far as Horse Creek - The Sacramento Daily Union newspaper of Sacramento, February 4, 1908

Tracks Laid into Delamar - The Chico Record newspaper of Chico, February 20, 1908

Delamar Furnace to Begin Reduction - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, February 22, 1908

Round Trip Between Delamar and Redding - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, February 26, 1908

Seek $110,000 Damages from Pit River Road - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, March 13, 1908

Telephone Line Completed - The Sacramento Daily Union newspaper of Sacramento, March 19, 1908

Local Traffic to Mining Towns to Be Great Factor - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, March 21, 1908

Summary Of News from Many Towns and Cities - The Sacramento Daily Union newspaper of Sacramento, March 24, 1908

Regular Trains from Delamar to Redding - The Sacramento Daily Union newspaper of Sacramento, March 25, 1908

Smoke From Stacks of Smelter at Delamar - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, March 28, 1908

New Enterprise at Copper City - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, April 14, 1908

Freight Rates on Delamar Railroad - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, May 24, 1908

Delamar Eats Up Big Store Team - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, August 3, 1908 

Special Train for A Sick Man - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, August 9, 1908

The Smelter Town Has Three Names - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, September 10, 1908

Seventeen Damage Suits Call for $110,000 from the Railroad - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, January 22, 1909

A High Valuation Is Placed on the Greeks - The Red Bluff Daily News newspaper of Red Bluff, January 29, 1909 

Blockade Is Lifted - The Sacramento Daily Union newspaper of Sacramento, February 25, 1909

Laying Track Up Pitt River - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, November 7, 1909

Sues Railroad for $50,000 Damages - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, December 22, 1909

Big Damage Suit Filed in Shasta - The Red Bluff News newspaper of Red Bluff, December 24, 1909

Steel Company to Lease Railroad - The Sacramento Daily Union newspaper of Sacramento, July 18, 1915

Railroad In Shasta County Has Deficit - The Sacramento Daily Union newspaper of Sacramento, December 13, 1916

Will Extend Road 4 Miles - The Sacramento Daily Union newspaper of Sacramento, October 5, 1920

Pit River Work Started - The San Francisco Call newspaper of San Francisco, October 6, 1920

Sacramento Valley And Eastern Railroad Shows Profit - The Sacramento Daily Union newspaper of Sacramento, June 29, 1922

SHASTA LAKE DROUGHT: TOWN CREEK DAM AT BULLY HILL AND AN ARIAL ORE CAR TRAMWAY

Filmed on location on April 30, 2022.

The town of Delamar was established in the area in June of 1900, as for the Town Creek Dam I'm not positively sure on dates of construction but my estimate would be about 1907 to 1910 era due to the construction of the Sacramento Valley and Eastern Railroad which is associated with this small concrete dam. Construction on this railroad began December 11, 1906, and the Sacramento Valley And Eastern Railroad was incorporated on January 8, 1907, the purpose of the S.V. & E.R., was to conduct a 15 mile standard gauge, ore, delivery, and passenger train from Bonita 3 miles north of Kennett to the Bully Hill smelter at Delamar. It was completed in 1908 and operated until 1939, due to the flooding of Shasta Lake for Shasta Dam.

This railroad is the same railroad as seen in my previous YouTube video available here: 

Above: This video was filmed on 7-9-2021!

This video was filmed on location on April 30, 2022, the water level for Shasta Lake on that day was 945.62-feet elevation wise below full pool or 121.38-feet below the crest of Shasta Dam. My resources for this video are located here:

Resources:

Goes With The Bully Hill – The Daily Free Press, July 14, 1899

The Bully Hill Deal – The Daily Free Press, July 14, 1899

Deed To Bully Hill Mines Files For Record Today - The Daily Free Press, July 18, 1899

The Daily Free Press, Tuesday, July 18, 1899

Where The Smelter Will Be Located  – The Daily Free Press, July 19, 1899

Copper City Gets De Lamar Smelter  – The Daily Free Press, March 12, 1900

A Combination Smelter  – The Daily Free Press, July 20, 1899

Mines And Mining News – The Daily Free Press, July 20, 1899

Mines About Bully Hill – The Daily Free Press, July 21, 1899

The De Lamar Smelters A Sure Go  – The Daily Free Press, March 19, 1900

The New Smelter Town – The Daily Free Press, March 20, 1900

The Daily Free Press, March 21, 1900

In Pioneer Days – THE SHASTA COURIER, March 24, 1900

The Shasta Courier – March 24, 1900

Delamar And Sallee Show Rapid Growth - The Daily Free Press, March 26, 1901

Kennet-Delamar Road Files Papers - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, January 8, 1907

Incorporates To Build Railroad To Delamar - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, January 9, 1907

A New Station Called Pitt - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, February 5, 1907

Contract Let For Building The Railroad - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, February 9, 1907

Railroad Work Near Delamar - The Sacramento Daily Union newspaper of Sacramento, November 6, 1907

Railway To Electric Smelter - The San Francisco Call newspaper of San Francisco, December 15, 1907

First Load Of Freight - The San Francisco Call newspaper of San Francisco, December 16, 1907

Bully Hill Smelter Has Been Remodeled - The Sacramento Daily Union newspaper of Sacramento, December 24, 1907

Railroad Completed As Far As Horse Creek - The Sacramento Daily Union newspaper of Sacramento, February 4, 1908

Tracks Laid Into Delamar - The Chico Record newspaper of Chico, February 20, 1908

Round Trip Between Delamar and Redding - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, February 26, 1908

The Smelter Town Has Three Names - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, September 10, 1908

Sacramento Valley And Eastern Railroad Shows Profit - The Sacramento Daily Union newspaper of Sacramento, June 29, 1922

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

Mines and Mineral Resources of Shasta County, California – County Report 6 – by Philip A. Lydon and J.C. O’ Brien ©1974 by California Division of Mines and Geology

Above: Town Creek Dam at Town Creek at Bully Hill on the Squaw Creek arm of Shasta Lake. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on April 30, 2022.

THE HONORABLE JUDGE, AARON BELL (1832-1903)

Pictured above is the honorable Judge, Aaron Bell with his iconic white long beard which gave him the nickname of Billy Goat Bell. This photograph was taken by John C. Franklin, early 1890s. Courtesy of Shasta Historical Society.

Aaron Bell was born in Center County, Pennsylvania on December 2, 1832 to Christiana (Evans) Bell and John Bell Jr., he was the eldest of five children followed by: Edmund Bell, Jesse Bell, Jane Bell and Joseph Bell. Arron became well-educated and he graduated from Duff's Commercial College in 1851, at the age of nineteen, where Aaron majored in law. However, additional perks in California attracted him to venture west during the following spring when he was lured by the placer mines of that state. Aaron Bell arrived in San Francisco in April of 1852.

After a short stay in the city he departed San Francisco heading north towards El Dorado County, where he had learned that the mining scene was booming. He made plans to settle in Hangtown, which is now Placerville. This is where he mined for gold. He became popular amongst his peers while working at the placer mines. Eventually, Bell was chosen to become a deputy to various county positions in that area over a sixteen year span. During his residency there he also became a City Clerk of Placerville. The District Court of El Dorado County admitted him into the Bar in 1864, and he became a professional lawyer. After he was admitted into the Bar he practiced law in Sacramento.

As Bell's career took off he began pursuing cases pertaining to the United States land law. Then in 1871, the pioneer relocated from Sacramento to Shasta where he accepted a paid position as Registrar of the United States Land Office, which was located on Main Street. He still practiced law in Shasta opening an attorney’s office inside the above building. This was a year before the California & Oregon Railroad, a division of the Central Pacific Railroad, established a new town upon Poverty Flats called Redding on June 15, 1872. Bell held this position in Shasta for several years. At Shasta, on January 1, 1874, he married Julia Fipps, a local school teacher, and together they lived in a house on a hill in Shasta at the end of McDonald Alley. Together they began raising a small family of their own.

Above: An advertisement for Aaron Bell, Attorney At Law. His office was located in the United States Land building on Main Street in Shasta. This advertisement is from the January 20, 1877 edition of the Shasta Courier newspaper.

Then on, May 5, 1877, the Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta reported the following about Bell:

"Aaron Bell, Register U.S. Land office, went below (that means Frisco.) Friday evening to atttend the meeting of the Grand Lodge I.O.O.F., also the reunion of the El Dorado pioneers." (SIC)

In July of 1879, Aaron Bell received the nomination for Judge of the Shasta County Superior Court on the republican ticket at Shasta. If he won this election he would become the first Superior Court Judge of Shasta County. At that time, Shasta was the county seat, and it was a position he sought after, however, he knew he had to resign as Registrar of the United States Land Office. Then on, Saturday, July 26, 1879, the Shasta Courier newspaper reported the following about Aaron Bell:

 “Aaron Bell having received and accepted the nomination for Superior Judge, has forwarded his resignation as Register of the Shasta U.S. Land Office to Washington.- Bell has made a splendid Register, his record as a Government officer is straight as an arrow, and his decision on contested points of land law have invariably stood the test when submitted to the exacting and learned heads of the land department at Washington. We regret to lose him from the place which he has so ably filled, but the position to which he aspired is one which demands the same qualities he has shown in the discharge of the duties of the office he resigns.” (SIC)

Aaron Bell was succeeded by William E. Hopping who became the new Registrar of the United States Land Office. Bell chased his dream of becoming the first Shasta County Superior Court Judge and took part in many campaign speeches along the way. Bell had experience as a lawyer but not as a judge, and his opponent was none other than democratic District Court Judge, Alexander M. Rosborough, a native of South Carolina. Both men were well-respected and popular. After the election ended the registered voters voted, and then the votes were counted. When the final vote was tallied the results showed that Bell swept his competition with an impressive 1,041 votes while Judge Rosborough carried 539 votes. The Honorable Judge, Aaron Bell began serving the position, honorably, until the year 1890.

During the week of January 1, - 10, 1880, Dr. George Silverthorne and Timothy Conklin made a real estate transfer to Judge, Aaron Bell, for a water ditch known as the Horse Creek Ditch in the Pittsburg mining district for a consideration of $200.00. Apparently, Bell owned some mining claims nearby which demanded the use of water to be conveyed from Horse Creek to his mining claims. The water helped him extract the lucrative ore he sought after. During 1881, Judge, Aaron Bell was affiliated with the Hogue Worley Ditch Company who owned a number of water ditches in the Pittsburg mining district. One of the ditches they owned was the Hogue Worley water ditch located on the west side of Horse Creek in the that mining region.

A year later, Judge, Aaron Bell located two placer mining claims which yielded him lucrative results while he worked them during his lifetime. He named first one the Shasta and the second one the Maine. The Shasta was located on May 26, 1882, while the Maine was located on June 13, 1882. Both of these placer mining claims were in the Shasta mining district near Shasta. Five years later, on September 4, 1887, the town of Redding was incorporated as a city and then in 1888 a major county wide vote was held as Shasta the Queen City of the North defended its position as the county seat of Shasta County. Eventually, Shasta was dethroned of the position it held and the City of Redding won the election. Then on, May 19, 1888, the City of Redding became the county seat of Shasta County. It was Judge, Arron Bell who ordered the removal of the county seat to Redding after the vote was held.

In November of that year, Judge Bell began advertising his house and property in Shasta for sell in the Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding. He relocated to Redding with his wife Julia, and their children, Jessie Bell, George Bell, and Harvey Bell, to their new location at the corner of Placer and West Streets in Redding. They were happy to be in their new residence, this building was much larger than their former Shasta residence and it contained nine rooms. During November of 1890 Bell’s term as the Superior Court Judge of Shasta County ended. Bell was succeeded by republican candidate, Edward Sweeney, who became the second Shasta County Superior Court Judge. He returned to practicing law and he opened an attorney’s office inside the Northern California Bank building in Redding. Bell continued dealing with cases pertaining to the United States Land law, as well as additional cases.

Then on, December 17, 1899, his middle child George Bell died at the age of twenty, it was a tragic loss to his family. George was buried in the Redding Memorial Park. Prior to 1899, Bell relocated with his wife Julia to a newer home in Redding when he donated his nine room house on the corner of Placer and West Street to be used as a school for students of the first Shasta County High School in Redding, this high school had no relation to Shasta Union High School which was established in 1923, completely different. Classes were held in his former home until 1901/1902 when a newer building was completed and stood until 1942. It’s not known where Aaron Bell moved to after donating his property to be used as a school. The Bell’s remained in Redding.

Bell became a Director of the Board for the Pioneer Gold, Silver, and Copper Mining Company which was established by Henry C. McClure, a miner, who lived at Copper City, on July 2, 1902. The rest of the Directors of the Board for the above mining company included: Henry C. McClure, Orson E. Nash, Thomas Green, and John R. Hall. They would begin extensive work on the well-known Recorder and Town Creek mines at Bully Hill in the Pittsburg mining district which assayed from $3.50 to $7 in gold and silver that year. Aside from being a lawyer and a mining man, the honorable Judge, Aaron Bell enjoyed a number of fraternal society’s as well. In April of 1855, he joined the Order of the Odd Fellows in El Dorado County, when he relocated to Shasta in 1871 he transferred into the Shasta Lodge of Odd Fellows No, 57, then in December of 1878, Bell joined and became a charter member of the Ancient Order of United Workmen, Shasta Lodge and on May 18, 1881, he joined and chartered the Shasta Council, No. 582, of the American Legion of Honor. In 1882, Bell had been elected as Vice Commander of the American Legion of Honor for California. After holding the position of Vice Commander of this organization he was elected in April of 1883 as Grand Commander of the American Legion of Honor for California the highest office a member can hold within that fraternal society. It was an honor he enjoyed having.

The honorable Judge, Aaron Bell died on Saturday, March 21, 1903 in his Redding home after a brief illness. His funeral was held on Monday, March 23, 1903, and out of respect for Shasta County’s first Superior Court Judge, local government offices and businesses remained closed as his funeral was conducted by the Odd Fellows with assistance from the Ancient Order of United Workmen. It was one of the largest funerals ever held in Redding up-to-this-date. He was buried in the Redding Memorial Park.

To conclude this article, the Shasta Courier newspaper on Saturday, March 28, 1903 reported the following about the deceased pioneer: “The estate of the late Aaron Bell is estimated at $10,000, mainly in stock in the McClure and Mt. Shasta Mining Companies.” The honorable Judge, Aaron Bell also at one point in his life owned a box, shingle and lathe factory which did remarkable business in Shasta County as noted in his pioneer plaque file at the Shasta Historical Society in Redding.

Above: An Aaron Bell letterhead. The Office of Aaron Bell, Attorney At Law, in the Northern California Bank Building in Redding. A note to Mr., David Elting of Edgewood. Dated January 11, 1893 in the hand writing of Aaron Bell. From the collection of Jeremy Tuggle.

RESOURCES:


1866-1884 & 1890 Shasta County Great Registers

The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta - September 13, 1879


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.

Dethroned - The Shasta Courier newspaper, Saturday, May 26, 1888

The Pioneer Gold, Silver and Copper Mining Company - The Daily Free Press, Monday, July 2, 1900

BP-026 Bell, Aaron Pioneer Plaque File on file at Shasta Historical Society.

Shasta Historical Society Pioneer History - Aaron Bell

The Covered Wagon, 1996.