DEVLOPING THE KUTRAS TRACT OF REDDING: A HISTORY OF A WEALTHY TRACT OF LAND WHICH WAS HOME TO THE SHASTA AGGREGATE PLANT, KUTRAS PARK, THE KUTRAS RIVERSIDE ADDITION AND THE PARK MARINA VILLAGE.

Filmed on location.

On this episode of Exploring Shasta County history, we examine the history of the Kutras Tract, a piece of property which dates to 1935 and was purchased by Christ Kutras a Greek native, Redding resident and a local restaurant owner who owned this exclusive land east of Redding beside Turtle Bay. Eventually Kutras leased parts of this property to Redding local Robert "Bob" C. Spaid, who along with his wife Shirlee Spaid, played a major role in developing this land upon the Sacramento River along Thames Drive, (now present-day Park Marina Drive).

Who remembers live music and dancing at Kutras Park? Who remembers playing miniature golf here at Kutras Park Incorporated later Park Marina Golf Course? Who remembers swimming at the beach at Kutras Lake? Perhaps you remember the carousel and pony rides? Who remembers the quarter midget racers and racetrack or perhaps you might remember Bounceville? Take a trip down memory lane with me as we dive into this modern-day history.

All of that plus additional fond memories are shared in this video. Joining with me in this episode in an exclusive interview I conducted is Shirlee Spaid the former wife of the late Bob C. Spaid, the Park Marina developer, their daughter Sandy (Spaid) Williams and Sandy's husband, John Williams. Shirlee Spaid was the last owner of Park Marina Golf Course before she sold it to the McConnell Foundation who turned it into a present-day park. It's an episode you don't want to miss.

RESOURCES: 

Council Acts to Get Water for Redding - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, September 25, 1936

Option Taken on Kutras Tract - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, January 22, 1937

Balance Paid on Kutras Tract - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, July 8, 1938

Redding May Get New Plant - -The Redding Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, May 29, 1939

Use of Kutras Tract Urged by Bourbons - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, July 7, 1939

Shasta Gravel Job One of the World's Largest - The Redding Record Searchlight newspaper of June 8, 1939

$4,413,320 Low Bid for Shasta Dam Sand Gravel Plant - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, June 10, 1939

$4,413,000 Kutras Contract Let –The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, August 2, 1939 

Crew Surveys Kutras Tract – The Courier- Free Press newspaper of Redding, August 4, 1939

Dick Recommends That P.G. & E. Serves the Kutras Area - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, August 14, 1939

The Redding Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, August 15, 1939 

Work Starts on Buildings for Kutras Tract Plant - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, August 18, 1939

To Decide on Method of Transporting Aggregate to Dam Site by Wednesday – The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, October 13, 1939 

World’s Longest Conveyor Belt, 9.6 Miles, Will Carry Redding Gravel to Shasta Dam – The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, October 27, 1939

Excavate For Piers and Abutments Near Redding, Shasta Dam – The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, November 10, 1939

Start Building Mill on Kutras Tract This Week – The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, September 22, 1939

World’s Longest Conveyor Belt System Now Being Built – The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, March 10, 1940

First Gravel Arrives at The Dam Site – The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, May 6, 1940

That Election Platform - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, September 19, 1944

Letter's to the Editor - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, October 18, 1944

33 Ask for Kutras Tract Swimming Pool - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, May 26, 1945

Temporary Swimming Pool - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, May 23, 1946

Swarts Sees Pool Cost at Near $3,000 - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, May 26, 1946

Swimming Pool - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, June 26, 1946

Council Defers Action on Kutras Swimming Pool Plan - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, July 16, 1946

Two Feted on Birthday at Swim Party - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, July 16, 1946

Kutras Tract Report Wanted - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, July 18, 1946

City Takes Years Lease on Kutras Pool - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, July 19, 1946

Public Urged to Delay Swimming at Kutras Tract - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, July 23, 1946

City Leases Kutras Tract Pool Until 1947 - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, August 6, 1946

Kutras Tract Lease Signed - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, August 15, 1946

Kutras Tract Up Before Trustees - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, July 1, 1947

Kutras Deal Off, Land May Be Subdivision - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, December 18, 1947

Engineer Gives Council Report - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, April 8, 1948

Kutras Tract Delay Okayed - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, August 5, 1948

Water for Kutras Tract Asked - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, March 21, 1950

Water for Kutras Tract Asked - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, March 23, 1950

Council Blocks Kutras Tract Water Line - The Redding Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, April 4, 1950

Council Compromises on Kutras Water - The Redding Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, May 18, 1950

Ram Jet Will Be Shown Here - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, August 17, 1950 (first mention of Kutras Park.)

The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, August 19, 1950

Deed - 1950-0007738 Book 340 Page 409 Grantor (2) Christ Kutras and Frances W. Kutras. Grantee (2) Shirley K. Spaid, and Robert C. Spaid. Recording date: December 12, 1950

Cooperation In Keeping Kutras Lake Clean Asked - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, June 28, 1951

Kutras Tract Wont Flood State Finds - The Redding Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, May 16, 1953

Legal Notice - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, April 17, 1953

Kutras Park Lounge and Ballroom advertisements - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, August 12, 1955

The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, March 6, 1956

Young Old Grab Clubs for 18 Hole of Miniature Golf written by Al Kildow - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, August 3, 1956

The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, September 6, 1956

The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, November 30, 1956

Quarter-Midget Racers Get Temporarily Laid Off - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, January 18, 1957

Kutras Park Recreation Development May Include Golf Range, Ferry Boat - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, December 3, 1958

City Closes Kutras Park Dance Hall as Fire Hazard - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, July 21, 1959

Swim, Golf, by the River - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, June 18, 1960

BPW Luncheon Told of Plans for Kutras Park - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, November 27, 1962

Kutras Park Features Nearby Recreation for the Family - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, June 5, 1964

Councilmen Hinge Park Deal to Vote - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, July 7, 1965

Developer Withdraws Plea - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, December 15, 1965

Planners Get Little Zoning Opposition - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, January 27, 1966

Lease - 1966-0002907 Book 870 Page 489 Grantor (1): Frances W. Kutras. Grantee (2): Robert C. Spaid and Shirley Spaid. Recording date: February 23, 1966.

Golf Course Largest of Its Type written by Doug Detling - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, August 5, 1967

City Planners Urge Multiple-Family Zoning at Kutras - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, January 24, 1968

Kutras Park Takeover on Agenda - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, April 1, 1968

Notice of non-Responsibility - 1969-0003872 Book 984 Page 654 Grantor (4) Frances W. Kutras, Robert C. Spaid, Shirley Spaid, Royal Inns of America Inc, Recorded date: March 25, 1969

Sublease - 0006023 Book 989 Page 250 Grantor (3) Frances Kutras, Robert C. Spaid, Shirley Spaid. Grantee: Royal Inns of America Inc. Recorded date: May 7, 1969.

Ground Broken for $750,000 Motel-Restaurant Complex Here written by Clifford Shelby - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, March 27, 1969

Council Gives Tentative Ok to Spaid's Request written by Gregg Lyon - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, March 21, 1972

Letter to the Editor - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, October 25, 1972

The City of Redding Directory, 1974 - Kutras Recreation Incorporated (amusement place)

The City of Redding Directory, 1977 - Kutras Recreation Incorporated (amusement place) 

Builder Is Encircle by Variety - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, February 25, 1980

The City of Redding Directory, 1982 written by Earl W. Wright Jr. - Kutras Recreation Incorporated (amusement place) - 243-4752

The Mosers: Their business is food, fun written by Art Gatts - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, April 24, 1982

The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, September 17, 1983

Robert C Spaid in the California, U.S., Divorce Index, 1966-1984 available on Ancestry.com.

The City of Redding Directory, 1984 - Kutras Recreation Incorporated (amusement place) 

The City of Redding Directory, 1985 - Kutras Recreation Incorporated (amusement place) 

Fun and Games Come in Miniature Packages - The Redding Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, May 18, 1985

Kutras Park advertisement - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, August 3, 1985

Kutras Property Has Rarely Gone Unnoticed written by Laura Christman - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, December 14, 1985

Spaid Unhurt as Ultralight Lands in River - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, December 18, 1985

The City of Redding Directory, 1986 - Name changes to Park Marina Golf Course. (amusement place) 

Spaid Still Presides Over Kutras Lake Kingdom written by Laura Christman - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, August 23, 1986.

Redding Still Awaits State Study on Kutras Lake written by Laura Christman - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, October 25, 1986

Movie Theater Nearly Ready - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, September 5, 1988

The City of Redding Directory, 1989 - Park Marina Golf Course (amusement place) - (Shirley Spaid is new owner.)

Children Will Find Paradise for Fun written by Jeff Redd - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, May 4, 1989

Fun for Kids Abounds in the North State written by Tom Sellers, The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, August 4, 1989

The City of Redding Directory, 1996 - Park Marina Golf Course (amusement place) (Shirley Spaid, owner.)

Whatever the Urge, Businesses Are Here to Stay - The Redding Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, June 4, 1997

The City of Redding Directory, 1998 - Park Marina Golf Course (amusement place) (Shirley Spaid, owner.)

The City of Redding Directory, 2001 - Park Marina Golf Course (amusement place) (Shirley Spaid, owner.)

The City of Redding Directory, 2002 - Park Marina Golf Course (amusement place) (Shirley Spaid, owner.)

Park Marina Golf Putters Out - The Redding Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding written by David Benda, February 25, 2003

Redding Gains New Park at Mini Golf Course Site - The Redding Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, April 13, 2003

The City of Redding Directory, 2004 - Not Listed

The City of Redding Directory, 2005 - Not Listed

The City of Redding Directory, 2007 - Not Listed

The City of Redding Directory, 2010 - Not Listed

The Disappearance of Thomas F. Halcomb

Filmed on location.

Resources:

1920 U.S. Census

1930 U.S. Census

File: Redding, California, 1930 Census Enumeration District Maps. Source: Wikimapia.

Community Is Searched for Missing Boy - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, July 6, 1932

 

Halcomb Youth Still Missing After 2 Days - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, July 6, 1932

Redding Plane Crash Kills Three - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, July 7, 1932

The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, July 7, 1932

Young Halcomb Believed Seen Wednesday P.M. -  The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, July 7, 1932

Structural Defect Was Not Cause of Accident to Plane - Inspector - The Courier Free Press newspaper of Redding, July 8, 1932

George Halcomb, Wife, O.A. Rose Die in Air Crash - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, July 8, 1932

Reports Halcomb Youth Found Without Ground - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, July 8, 1932

Searchers For Missing Youth Die in Plunge - The Santa Cruz Sentinel newspaper of Sant Cruz, July 8, 1932

Three Victims of Plane Crash - The Madera Tribune newspaper of Madera, July 8, 1932

Three Die in Plane Crash at Redding - The Tulare Daily Times newspaper of Tulare, July 8, 1932

The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, July 9, 1932

Halcomb Is Continued Monday - The Courier Free Press newspaper of Redding, July 11, 1932

Search Still Being Pushed for Missing Boy; Reported Seen - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, July 12, 1932

Halcomb Estate Comprises $4,000 Insurance Policy - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, July 13, 1932

The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, July 14, 1932

$100 Reward for Finding Halcomb - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, July 16, 1932

Reward Spurs Search for Boy - The Bee News Bureau newspaper of Sacramento, July 18, 1932

Statewide Appeal Made in Boy Hunt - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, July 19, 1932

Plane Victims’ Estates Are Probated - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, July 22, 1932

Grandparents May Contest Custody of Halcomb Baby - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, July 23, 1932

Halcomb Youth - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, August 12, 1932

Contest Over Halcomb Youth - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, August 29, 1932

Hearing on Contest Over Halcomb Boy Is Continued in Two Weeks - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, August 30, 1932

Halcomb Boy’s Body Believed Found in River - The Colusa Herald newspaper of Colusa, September 22, 1932

Amos Halcomb Named Guardian of Grandson - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, September 26, 1932

Thomas Halcomb's Body Is Found - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, February 26, 1933

Halcomb Boy’s Body Is Found in Oregon Gulch - The Courier Free Press newspaper of Redding, February 27, 1933 

Funeral Services to Be Held Today for Halcomb Boy - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, February 28, 1933

Card of Thanks - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, March 2, 1933

Halcomb Action Over Insurance to Start Today - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, October 3, 1933

The Courier Free Press newspaper of Redding, October 4, 1933

Jury Holds Rose Made Contract to Carry Halcomb's on Fatal Journey - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, October 5, 1933

Correction Made - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, October 5, 1933

Thomas F Halcomb in the California, U.S., Death Index, 1905-1939

The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, April 7, 1940

ROYAL TYLER SPRAGUE; A SHASTA COUNTY 49NER & A CALIFORNIA SUPREME JUSTICE.

Royal Tyler Sprague, a native of Vermont, (according to the 1870 U.S. Census) was born about 1814. He led a busy productive life who started out as an elementary school teacher, and eventually Sprague opened his own school. Later on, he became a lawyer, and eventually the seduction of the California Gold Rush seduced him to venture west from Ohio to California where he settled in Shasta County in September of 1849, settling at Reading Springs (now Shasta), that month. This is where the forty-niner mined for gold on Clear Creek. He became a public figure holding various titles in the State of California, and ultimately, becoming a California Supreme Justice. He died on February 24, 1872, and is buried in the historic Old Sacramento City Cemetery, in Sacramento, California. You can learn more about this Shasta County pioneer in the following YouTube video from Exploring Shasta County History:

Filmed on location October 19, 2024.

Resources:

1850 U.S. Census

1852 California State Census

The Supreme Judgeship - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, May 22, 1858

Death of Chief Justice Sprague - The Sacramento Daily Union newspaper of Sacramento, February 26, 1872

Death of Judge Sprague - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, March 2, 1872

1860 U.S. Census

1866 California, U.S., Voter Registers

Sacramento Daily Union newspaper of Sacramento, October 10, 1867

Took the Oath - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, January 11, 1868

Appleton's annual Cyclopedia (1867), Volume 7, 1869.

1870 U.S. Census

Appointment of Supreme Judge. Russian River Flag. No. 17. California Digital Newspaper Collection. 7 March 1872. p. 2. 

Sacramento Daily Union, January 1, 1873, State & County Statistics (For the year 1872)

The Legislature Sacramento Daily Union. Vol. 2, no. 247. California Digital Newspaper Collection. 6 January 1852. p. 2. 

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.

Johnson, J. Edward (1963). History of the California Supreme Court: The Justices 1850-1900, vol 1 (PDF). San Francisco, CA: Bender Moss Co. pp. 104–106. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 27, 2016. 

Old Shasta, Town of Shasta Interpretive Association with Al M. Rocca, 2005, Arcadia Publishing, p.

Sacramento Historic City Cemetery Burial Index (PDF). Old City Cemetery Committee. 2005. 

Online Archive of California, Royal T. Sprague journals, collection guide.

BENJAMIN BARNARD REDDING (1824-1882); THE NAMESAKE OF THE CITY OF REDDING, IN SHASTA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.

 

Filmed on location on October 19, 2024.

In my newest video you can visit the headstone and grave of Benjamin Barnard Redding who was born on January 17, 1824, to Fitz W. Redding and his wife Mary at Yartmouth, Yartmouth County, Nova Scotia, Canada, and died in San Francisco on August 21, 1882. Benjamin Barnard Redding is the man who the town of Redding, California was named for which was established on June 15, 1872, by the California & Oregon Railroad, a division of the Central Pacific Railroad. He was also a mayor of Sacramento in 1856 among other high profiled positions in California. He also became a land agent of the Central Pacific Railroad. This is the Redding family plot in the Sacramento Historic City Cemetery, in Sacramento, California, while I chase Shasta County's history to this historic location. Don't miss out, this is the newest video from Exploring Shasta County History... 

RESOURCES:

B.B. REDDING - The Sacramento Daily Union newspaper, of Sacramento, August 22, 1882

DEATH OF B.B. REDDING - The Shasta Courier newspaper, of Shasta, August 26, 1882

Redding: A Railroad Town’s Transition Into A Flourishing City written by Jeremy M. Tuggle, July 10, 2018

Visiting the Grave of Benjamin Barnard Redding (1824-1882), the Man Whom Redding Is Named For written by Jeremy M. Tuggle, February 25, 2019

Benjamin B. Redding Find A Grave Memorial

Sacramento Historic City Cemetery 

SHASTA HISTORICAL SOCIETY - HOW REDDING GOT ITS NAME

(OLD) HIGHWAY 299 EAST & WEST ALLIGNMENT BETWEEN WHISKEYTOWN AND THE TOWERHOUSE HISTORIC DISTRICT.

Filmed on location November 2, 2024.

Come explore the following sections of (Old) Highway 299 east and west alignment between Whiskeytown and the Towerhouse Historic District, of Shasta County, California. This highway route was formally a stage road established in 1854, and later a toll road called the Shasta to Weaverville Road or Weaverville to Shasta Road pre-1872 or after the establishment of Redding it was called the Redding to Weaverville Road or Weaverville to Redding Road. In 1934 this historic route became Highway 299 east and west and parts of this route were later decommissioned about 1963.

Resources:

Shasta - The Sacramento Daily Union newspaper of Sacramento, April 13, 1852

Shasta - The Sacramento Daily Union newspaper of Sacramento, June 14, 1852

California Legislature - Fifth Session - The Sacramento Daily Union newspaper of Sacramento, April 15, 1854

Trinity River Correspondence - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, May 20, 1854

From Weaverville - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, January 6, 1855

Trinity River Correspondence - The Trinity Journal newspaper of Weaverville, February 17, 1855

Trip To Weaverville - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, October 13, 1855

Report of the Wagon Road Committee - The Trinity Journal newspaper of Weaverville, June 20, 1857

Organization Of The Wagon Road Co. - The Trinity Journal newspaper of Weaverville, June 27, 1857

Wagon Road Meeting And Report Of Survey - The Trinity Journal newspaper of Weaverville, July 25, 1857

Proceedings of the Board of Supervisors - Aug. Term - The Trinity Journal newspaper of Weaverville, August 8, 1857

Wagon Road Meeting - The Trinity Journal newspaper of Weaverville, August 15, 1857

The Wagon Road - The Trinity Journal newspaper of Weaverville, August 15, 1857

The Trinity Wagon Road - The Shasta Republican newspaper of Shasta, August 22, 1857

Weaverville Wagon Road - The Sacramento Union newspaper of Sacramento, September 1, 1857

Hurrah For The Wagon Road - The Trinity Journal newspaper of Weaverville, October 3, 1857

Wagon Roads - The Sacramento Daily Union newspaper of Sacramento, October 16, 1857

The Sacramento Valley And Weaverville Wagon Company - The Shasta Republican newspaper of Shasta, October 16, 1857

Shasta And Our Neighbors - The Trinity Journal  newspaper of Weaverville, November 7, 1857

The Wagon Road - The Trinity Journal newspaper of Weaverville, November 28, 1857

Progress Of the Wagon Road - The Trinity Journal newspaper of Weaverville, December 26, 1857

Trinity Wagon  Road - The Trinity Journal newspaper of Weaverville, February 6, 1858

Wagon Road To Weaverville - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, March 27, 1858

Improvements As We Go - The Trinity Journal newspaper of Weaverville, March 27, 1858

The Trinity Wagon Road - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, January 2, 1858

The Road - The Shasta Republican newspaper of Shasta, January 16, 1858

The Louden Road - The Shasta Republican newspaper of Shasta, March 13, 1858 

Increased Travel To The North - The Trinity Journal newspaper of Weaverville, September 11, 1858

Staging To Weaverville - The Shasta Republican newspaper of Shasta, April 24, 1858

Trail To Weaverville - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, April 24, 1858

To Weaverville - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, May 1, 1858

Teams To Weaverville - The Shasta Republican newspaper of Shasta, May 15, 1858

A Bad Road - The Shasta Republican newspaper of Shasta, November 20, 1858

Bill Lowden declares... - The Trinity Journal newspaper of Weaverville, December 18, 1858

The Redding And Weaverville Stage - by May H. Southern, January 22, 1933, sketch by Mabel Lowden Moores, 388 - P. 1086; VF 388.0 Roads/Trails Misc., Roads/Trails 1086, available at Shasta Historical Society in Redding.

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

Historic Resource Study Whiskeytown National Recreation Area by Anna Coxe Toogood, May 1978, Denver Service Center, Historic Preservation Team, National Park Service, United States Department of the Interior

Whiskeytown National Recreation Area, by Al M. Rocca, Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (May 3, 2010) ISBN10: 1451568533,ISBN-13: 978-1451568530

DR. KENNETH A. DAVIDSON, M.D., AND THE HISTORIC PINCKNEY CEMETERY.

Imagine yourself as a physician trying to conduct a critical operation upon yourself, while a neighbor holds a mirror during this critical chest surgery. One inch the wrong way during this major operation could end your own life. Well, that's just what happened to this local medical doctor who performed his own chest surgery after a major incident at a former settlement called Pinckney, now a ghost town in southwestern Shasta County, just about 24 miles from the city of Redding, in Shasta County, California. His death is what established this local cemetery there at the corner of Foster Road and Gas Point Road which is the only remainder of this former settlement. Come learn about the life of a Shasta County pioneer medical doctor named Kenneth Anderson Davidson and the establishment of the historic Pinckney Cemetery.

RESOURCES:

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

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

Return to the Ganim Mine

My buddy and I are uncovering a large body of talc in my newest episode on Exploring Shasta County History as we return to the Ganim mine in the Whiskeytown National Recreation Area. Come check this out as we visit the Jerusalem #1 Mine and the Hard Luck Quartz Mine which are all a part of the Ganim mine. Come learn of its history. Filmed on location on October 12, 2024.

Filmed on location.

OFT FORGOTTEN PLACES IN SHASTA COUNTY (PART II)

This is the second installment of oft forgotten places in Shasta County, in this edition we will continue to examine the lesser-known localities that formerly existed in our region.

An agricultural community called Alfa which was named after the settlement's primary crop was situated eight miles north and west of the town of Swazey, (now Glenburn), in Fall River Valley. According to records it was the United States Postal Service headquarters in Washington D.C., that appointed Alexander C. Hill, a local farmer, and native of North Carolina, to be its first postmaster on March 14, 1888. Hill served as its only postmaster until July 11, 1896, when its post office was discontinued, and the mail was rerouted to the Dana United States Post Office that same day, in the town of Dana.

Alfa had a large population in town and in nearby settlements to have a newspaper established there called the Alpha Advance, which was established in April of 1888. This local media outlet first started heralding local news blurbs from Alpha in the Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding that month. It was a regular feature, until the January 5, 1889, edition of the Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding printed the following column:

"The Alfa Advance will be an "all at home" printed paper with Claude McDermit, as editor, vice H.J. Richmond, resigned."

Alexander C. Hill, and his wife Isabelle, had four children and they remained in the area after the closure of the Alfa United States Post Office. Alexander C. Hill died two years after the post office closed on June 2, 1898. His wife Isabelle succeeded him in death, and she died on December 9, 1904, she is buried in the Dana Cemetery.

Brewster was another small community which came to fruition eight miles south of Dunsmuir, and located in Shasta County, California. A United States Post Office was established there in 1893 with Alexander Levy, as the first postmaster. It was said that Levy named the community Brewster after a geological surveyor named William H. Brewster who previously visited the locality. This town site lasted until 1895 when it was discontinued. 

Chromite was another small settlement which was located in the Sacramento River Canyon by local miners who located this black mineral ore nearby. In 1907 this mineral was being mined at the base of Castle Crags. Chromite's lustre is comprised of greasy, metallic, sub-met, and is part of the isometric crystal system. Chromite is utilized as a refractory in the production of steel, copper, glass and cement.

The settlement was located south of Sims and gave its name to the Chromite Spur near Hazel Creek when the miners started loading the cars on the track with this mineral. The settlement was active about 1889 through 1907.

Located five miles southwest of Redding was the community of Dolde which was settled in 1890. It was named after their first postmaster Arnold C. Dolde, a local merchant in the area. In April of 1893, this United States Post Office was discontinued due to its last postmaster C.H. Manning resigning and being appointed as postmaster at Fall River Mills, in eastern Shasta County, California. Today, nothing remains of this former townsite. 

Above: the townsite of Jillsonville, in Shasta County, California. Circa 1912.

Courtesy of Steven Walker.

It was Franklin W. Wheeler who located the vein of the Gladstone mine in Cline Gulch, near the town of French Gulch in 1886. The main producer of ore from this mine was the Ohio mine. It became the second largest producer of gold in French Gulch which rivaled the towns lucrative Washington mine. In 1912, the town of Jillsonville came to fruition on this mineral land even though it lacked a United States Post Office it began utilizing the French Gulch United States Post Office to send and receive mail. At the time it was owned by the Hazel Gold Mining Company, which was owned and operated by Issac O. Jillson, an energetic miner and prospector, who the townsite was named for.

By order of the above mining company the townsite was meant for married couples and families as ordered by the Hazel Gold Mining Company. Single men had to live in the bunkhouse on the mining property. The company erected a 23-room bunkhouse on the property for single men, a schoolhouse, a hospital, a dance hall and an electric railroad on the property. Jillsonville was active into the 1920's. What remains of this ghost town today are a few remaining foundations, tracks, rock walls with lots of artifacts from broken bottles to pottery and broken pipes with additional items lodged in the ground that we were able to preserve. When I was employed with the Shasta Historical Society in 2015, we took part in an archaeological dig and study on the property, with the present property owner, and the above items were found by us.

Above, the townsite of Little Italy, in Shasta County, California in 1916. Little Italy can be described as a hillside locality. Courtesy of Shasta Historical Society.

Established in 1900, and situated near the booming town of Kennett and upon the main road to the Mammoth mine and smelter was the town site of Little Italy. It was named for its large Italian population; it was also known Dago Town. "Dago Town" was a derogatory term to describe the Italian population within the community which wasn’t favored by local residents. Little Italy never had its own post office it used the Kennett United States Post Office to send and receive mail. This was quite common for smaller towns in California to use the nearest post office close to them. Kennett was established as a town in 1884 by the Central Pacific Railroad.

Little Italy was located near the Mammoth mine and smelter site which was owned by the Mammoth Copper Mining Company at Kennett. Little Italy boasted a number of saloons, a bank, and a hotel. One of its most enterprising people in town was Antonio Carattini who spearheaded the bank and owned a large interest of property there. He was also the energetic owner of the Mt. Shasta Hotel and a local restaurant. Due to this community an Italian newspaper was established at Kennett by Marco E. Arrighini that was called the Italian-American newspaper which local residents of Little Italy subscribed to. The children of the Little Italy townsite attended school at the Kennett School in Kennett as they walked there each day

In December of 1904 another townsite which spung up, in Shasta County, was located three-quarters of a mile south of Kennett and was called Bernhard. The town of Bernhard was established by Bernhard Golinsky, a native of Germany (he named the town for himself) and was located near Squaw Creek on the road past the Mammoth Hospital in Kennett. His family owned the Golinsky Hotel and Bernhard Golinsky served as postmaster of Kennett for a short time. Bernhard was laid out into the following streets: Bernhard Street, Flosa Street, Frieda Street, Lloyd Street, Reta Street, and Rubie Street. The first recorded birth in the town of Bernhard was a boy who was born to Mr. and Mrs. W.L. Woodward on August 31, 1905. 

Like Little Italy, Bernhard also used the Kennett United States Post Office to send and receive mail. At a later date both townsites Little Italy and Bernhard were “unofficially” annexed into Kennett. On June 3, 1915, Little Italy suffered a $30,000, fire in the heart of the townsite. The major losers were Marco E. Arrighini and Antonio Carrattini. The fires origin was never determined but it ignited in the Bella Vista hotel, a three-story hotel which was erected in 1905 at a cost of $10,000, by Benghi, Franchetti, and Perez.  It was later abandoned and sold at a Sheriffs sale for $500 to Giacoso and Belloni, who turned the empty building into a local warehouse and utilized its basement as a stable where two horses were burned to death in this fire.

Additional buildings were also burned to the ground. Total losses were: Carrattini, $15,000, amount of insurance, $9,000 Arrighini, $5,000, insurance $2,500, Giacoso and Belloni, $3,000, and additional owners, $2,000, for the additional owners their insurance wasn't noted for them, the townsite never rebuilt the buildings they lost after this fire. Little Italy and Bernhard's demise was the fall of the town of Kennett which was later incorporated as a city in 1911 and then the city became unincorporated in 1930 and lost its post office in 1942. The Kennett United States Post Office closed due to the construction of Shasta Dam, between 1938-1945. The impact that the dam had on the city was catastrophic. Bernhard, Little Italy and Kennett now lie under water in the deepest part of Shasta Lake.

Above: the official map of the townsite of Bernhard is shown which was surveyed by Alf Baltzell, on December 16, 1904.

Above: Homer Whiting Loomis (1817-1882).  

Loomis was a settlement which was first settled in 1859 by a Canadian settler named Homer Whiting Loomis, a pioneer who arrived in Shasta County, California, during the 1850s. He originally bought land on the east side of Stillwater Creek near present-day Loomis Corners, and erected a house there for him to reside in. This is where Loomis farmed planting wheat, barley and hay. He also raised cows and hogs on his property. 

 

During 1861, he purchased land on the opposite side of Stillwater Creek to enlarge his property. This is where Homer established an inn which included a stagecoach stopping place which did a remarkable business in the area with the California-Oregon Trail crossing there. On April 11, 1878, the United States Postal Service headquarters in Washington D.C., established a post office called Loomis in honor of Homer W. Loomis and they appointed Loomis as its first postmaster.  However, Loomis suggested the name Pine Grove, but the name was denied by the United States Postal Service.

The suggestion of the name Pine Grove to be used for the post office came from the local school in the area which was established in 1875 as the Pine Grove Schoolhouse. The United States Postal Service discontinued the post office at Loomis on May 14, 1879.  The post office was located inside his stopping place on what is now present-day, Old Alturas Road. 

In 1882, Leon Leighton was teaching school at Loomis and purchased Homer Whiting Loomis’s property from him before Loomis died on May 26, 1882. Years later, another United States Post Office was established in the former townsite by the United States Postal Service headquarters in Washington D.C., called Leighton after Leon Leighton. The United States Postal Service appointed Samuel W. Stallings to serve as the first postmaster here on June 3, 1889, according to official records, he was later succeeded by Laura Bermerly, on September 22, 1890, and she was succeeded as postmaster by Ida M. Leighton, on January 22, 1891, Leighton was succeeded as postmaster by John L. Hensel, on June 16, 1893. 

According to official records Hensel was the last and final postmaster of this United States Post Office, which was discontinued February 5, 1894, with the mail being rerouted to Redding. The former town of Loomis also known as Leighton is still referred to by many people as Loomis Corner’s.

Above: Homer Whiting Loomis erected this residence on the situated on the east side of Stillwater Creek. This building no longer exists. Courtesy of Shasta Historical Society.

Lisbon was a small settlement which was located south of Castella, in the Sacramento River Canyon, which had a United States Post Office established there on January 26, 1886. This townsite boasted a population of 15 people. Their first and only postmaster was Henry W. Walbridge who held the position until November 3, 1886, when the mail was rerouted to Bayles (now Delta). 

Records indicate that Scobieville was practically a townsite on wheels. It was located on the line of the railroad from Redding to Dunsmuir which relocated along the rail line between the years 1882 and 1887. It was named for Colonel James Ross Scobie, a native of Scotland, who was Superintendent of the masonry construction for the Southern Pacific Railroad.

Above: James Ross Scobie (1835-1902), the namesake of Scobieville. Later he followed the trade of a Stonemason, and afterwards became a Contractor for Stone Masonry work, principally for the Southern Pacific Company. Courtesy of California State Archives. 

John L. Zinn, a native of Virginia was a shoemaker, prospector and miner by trade who settled in Township Number 5 in 1880 with his wife Cathan and their family. By 1886 the Zinn family was living at Buckeye, and he eventually relocated his family to the Viola area in eastern Shasta County, California. About 1888, the settlement of Zinn came to fruition in that that region with Zinn selling town lots and newcomers buying them to settle there. During the following year, the United States Postal Service headquarters in Washington D.C., established a post office there on August 24, 1889, and appointed John L. Zinn as its first postmaster.

Eventually, Homer M. Maxwell succeeded Zinn as the town's postmaster on February 3, 1890, and Maxwell witnessed the decline of the townsite with the mail route eventually being rerouted to the Shingletown United States Post Office on April 25, 1890, and on that same day, the Zinn United States Post Office was discontinued. Can you imagine yourself living in some of these localities today if they had successfully worked out?

RESOURCES:

Board of Equalization - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, September 6, 1862

The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, October 28, 1871

1880 U.S. Census

News From the Railroad Front - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, September 29, 1883

J.W. Malone’s Letter - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, October 27, 1883

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, November 3, 1883

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, November 10, 1883

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, December 8, 1883

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

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, January 12, 1884

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, February 2, 1884

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, May 17, 1884

Sims Items - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, July 27, 1889

The Free Press newspaper of Redding, April 22, 1893

A Runaway - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, November 1, 1898

California U.S. Voter Registration 1886

California U.S. Voter Registration 1892

California U.S. Voter Registration 1896

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, January 5, 1889

Postmaster Appointed - The Sacramento Daily Union newspaper of Sacramento, February 4, 1890

Freight Wrecked at Chromite Spur -The Free Press newspaper of Redding, September 24, 1900

Chrome Mine Case Raises Novel Point - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, July 6, 1901

A Derailed Box Car Causes Long Delay - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, September 13, 1902

Platinum in Shasta County - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, February 14, 1903

Smelter Town of Kennett is Growing - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, December 2, 1904

Bernhard Will Be Towns Name - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, December 6, 1904

Balaklala Smelter to Be Located on the Bernhard Townsite - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, July 7, 1905

Lots for Sale - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, January 10, 1905

The Free Press newspaper of Redding, January 16, 1905

Cottages at Bernhard - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, February 2, 1905

Bernhard Houses Being Rushed Along - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, March 11, 1905

The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, September 5, 1905

Chromite Mined at the Base of Castle Crags - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, February 8, 1907

Three Cornered Fight in Kennett - The Sacramento Daily Union newspaper of Sacramento, June 20, 1910

Held On Serious Charge - The Sacramento Daily Union newspaper of Sacramento - July 17, 1910

Kennett Merchant Makes Assignment - The Sacramento Daily Union newspaper of Sacramento, June 19, 1912

Bought Keswick Property - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, May 26, 1915

Kennett Had A $30,000 Fire in Little Italy - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, June 4, 1915

A. Carattini Is Called Beyond by Pneumonia - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, October 19, 1918 

Three More Pneumonia Victims in Kennett - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, October 20, 1918

Carattini Goes to Final Resting Place Monday - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, October 22, 1918

Arrighini Sells to His Partner - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, October 7, 1921

Marco E. Arrighini Pioneer Resident of Shasta County, Dies at Age 73 - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, April 23, 1930

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

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

French Gulch: miners went away - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, August 10, 1983

Park Sought for Old Mine - Written by Kibkabe Araya. The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, March 9, 2011

Gold & Lore: Kennett was once a thriving city, competing with Redding for prominence - Written by Jeremy Tuggle. The Redding Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, June 22, 2016

JAMES SCOBIE THE NAMESAKE OF SCOBIEVILLE, IN SHASTA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.

Presently, very little information remains about the former town of Scobieville in Shasta County, California. Its namesake is James Ross Scobie (1835-1902) who is buried at the Cypress Lawn Memorial Park in Colma, San Mateo County, California. In this video we visit his headstone and gravesite of James Ross Scobie, and learn some things about Scobieville, Shasta County, California, that is not too well-known. Filmed on location: August 30, 2024. 

 

RESOURCES:

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, September 29, 1883

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, October 27, 1883

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, November 3, 1883

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, November 10, 1883

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, December 8, 1883

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, December 29, 1883

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

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, January 12, 1884

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, February 2, 1884

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, March 22, 1884

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, May 10, 1884

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, May 17, 1884

Sims Items - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, July 27, 1889

The Free Press newspaper of Redding, April 22, 1893

Oft Forgotten Places in Shasta County

This article might be turned into a series about oft forgotten place names in Shasta County, California, which were formerly up-and-coming places to live in our beautiful region of northern California. Let’s take a look at some of them today and explore their history below...

Above: an 1884-1914 map of Shasta County, California, showing Allen's Station or Allen. The United States Fish Hatchery at Baird on the McCloud River is also shown here. Source: Cal Topo.

Allen’s Station also known as Allen, it was a community which was overshadowed by the townsite of Baird, situated in Section 23, Township 34, North, Range 4 West and a half-mile north of the United States Fish Hatchery at Baird on the McCloud River. It was a settlement, resort and a favorite stopping place during its prime which attracted nationwide travelers. Local resident George Allen established this one-time thriving location in 1872. Years later, in 1881, a man named Intrepid Morse Wiley, became the operator of the resort and stopping place at this location which was also called Allen’s Station. Breakfast, lunch and dinner meals were sold for twenty-five cents a plate and the meals were prepped here by Wiley and his wife. 

It was a first-class hotel and restaurant with an open fireplace and comfortable furniture which made their patrons feel at home while lounging around. Swimming, and fishing were popular here along the river as well. However, it was no match for the new community of Baird becoming the larger community in the area and the Biard United States Post Office came to fruition by the United States Postal Service headquarters in Washington D.C., on April 8, 1878, with Myron Green as the first postmaster. The townsite of Baird and its U.S. Post Office was named in honor of Professor Spencer E. Baird, the first Federal Fish Commissioner. 

Later on, the Baird United States Post Office was discontinued on January 31, 1920, which made the population decline in the area. Eventually it was re-established again on October 16, 1929, and it wasn't until July 17, 1933, when it was discontinued again. Allen's Station and Baird are now under Shasta Lake, and in the end, Baird became an oft-forgotten place as well.

Above: the townsite of Baird, in Shasta County, outgrew the community of Allen's Station.

Courtesy of Shasta Historical Society.

Elderton, was an agricultural community where farming and stock-raising was the main industry which helped establish this community. This community was settled in 1860, and later that year, on October 17, 1860, John C. Divine took charge as the first postmaster of this United States Post Office, and it became a townsite complete with a rural general merchandise store which housed their United States Post Office. The townsite of Elderton was a booming location which was located four miles west of Cottonwood. However, the prosperous growth of the town of Cottonwood merged with this oft-forgotten locality and its United States Post Office became discontinued on September 20, 1862, as Cottonwood burgeoned with success and Elderton's mail route was rerouted to the Cottonwood United States Post Office at that time. 

Above: a list of post offices in California showing those in operation in March of 1853. Kilna (Potter's Ferry) is mentioned in the Shasta County group. It was one of three post offices in Shasta County at that time. From the Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, March 26, 1853

During 1852, the Wright Ferry, which was owned and operated by Eugene Wright & Otis Seaman sold their ferry to William Potter Jr., and Potter changed the name of this ferry to Potter’s Ferry which was then located one hundred yards south of the mouth of Spring Creek. Potter then relocated his ferry below the mouth of Rock Creek on the Sacramento River near Middle Creek (north of the present-day site of the Ribbon bridge.) Kilna, was a nearby settlement at the mouth of Middle Creek which was first settled in 1852 and later that year the United States Postal Service headquarters in Washington D.C., established a United States Post Office there on November 10, 1852, with William Potter Jr., as the first postmaster due to its flourishing population. It was located at the site of Potter’s Ferry, which was owned and operated by local ferryman, William Potter Jr., on the Sacramento River at Middle Creek. The town of Kilna boomed overnight and yet just as quickly as the townsite emerged out-of-nowhere it faded into becoming a footnote in history. On October 27, 1853, the United States Postal Service headquarters in Washington D.C., discontinued Kilna’s United States Post Office. William Potter Jr., was the last and only postmaster at this locality. The town of Kilna declined in population and it became deceased just as quickly as it emerged. Years later, a town called Waugh also known as Middle Creek formed at the same location as Kilna, and is now considered a ghost town along the Sacramento River Trail at Middle Creek with a few reminders of its hey-day remaining.

Believe it or not, Shasta County had a thriving mining settlement called Nebraska, which was located on Clear Creek, and situated in between the burgeoning towns of Texas Springs and Briggsville. Nebraska was a thriving community which saw an increase of population from 100 residents to 750 residents in 1855 due to lucrative gold strikes in the area.  Five years later, only two residents remained in this declining community due to the mines not producing lucrative ore, and by 1861 the settlement deceased. Even today, Texas Springs and Briggsville outgrew Nebraska and there are a few relics from those townsites which remain visible to the public eye.

Above: the town of Texas Springs is featured on the official 1862 map of Shasta County. Note: it's called "Texas" instead of Texas Spring and Briggsville is called "Briggs" instead of Briggsville. Nebraska is not mentioned on it had vanished before Colonel William MaGee surveyed this map in February of 1862. It became the first official map of Shasta County.

Pine View, was another booming lumber settlement which was first settled in 1884. It was located eight miles west of Shingletown and fourteen miles north-east of Balls Ferry. Pine View included a one-room schoolhouse which was established there on May 4, 1885, and was utilized to advance the education of the local school children in the area who were taught there by one teacher. The schoolhouse was erected in 1885 on the Balls Ferry to Shingletown Road approximately a half mile east of the Lack Creek bridge.

Later, the Pine View schoolhouse was relocated to an open meadow about a half-mile of Lack Creek bridge. Florence Pugh was the teacher here in 1899 and 1900. The school continued to be utilized until May 9, 1919, when the school was transferred into the Sheridan School District due to a decline in the community’s population which eventually was the death knell of this locality.

RESOURCES: 

List Of Post Offices - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, March 26, 1853

List Of U.S. Post Offices and Postmasters in the State of California - The San Joaquin Republican newspaper of Stockton, August 18, 1854

Clear Creek Ditch - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, October 27, 1855

Increase Of Our Population - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, November 3, 1855

List of Post Offices on the Pacific Coast - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, October 25, 1862

San Francisco Bulletin newspaper of San Francisco, March 15, 1879

The Free Press newspaper of Redding, March 8, 1884

The Free Press newspaper of Redding, May 10, 1884

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

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

JOHNSTON LECKY GRAVESITE AT SHASTA.

Note: this gravesite is located on private property in Shasta.

The headstone of Johnston Lecky (1809-1849) at Shurtleff Hill in Shasta. Courtesy of Shasta Historical Society.

The town of Shasta was established in 1848 as a sprawling tent community called Reading Springs which was surrounded by gold rush pandemonium as miners pitched up tents establishing the new settlement. A natural spring flowed near the community adding to its original name of Reading Springs. Reading Springs was named in honor of Major Pierson B. Reading (pronounced like the color red) the first European-American settler in Shasta County, California. The population at Reading Springs increased between 500 and 600 residents in September of 1849, near the end of Johnston Lecky's life on October 8, 1849. During the interim the name Reading Springs was changed to Shasta on June 8, 1850. It was named Shasta by Armstead C. Brown an early pioneer settler. Brown named the town Shasta because it was the nearest town to Mount Shasta. Siskiyou County wasn't formed yet in California until 1852. As Shasta grew, the early settlers made it a ramshackle community, but the town flourished.

On March 6, 1851, the town of Shasta became the county seat of Shasta County. Shasta was now a bustling city, and a future post office and a courthouse would be constructed soon. Locals would come to call it the Queen City of the Northern Mines or simply, the Queen City of the North, due to the many accommodations it boasted during its heyday. Johnston Lecky is well remembered by local historians in the area and what's known of him is that he caught the gold fever and came out during the California Gold Rush. Johnston Lecky became the first recorded death and burial in the history of Shasta County, California. He was a native of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. His burial is located on Shurtleff Hill in the present-day town of Shasta. I was fortunate to create and Johnston Lecky to my Find A Grave.com, account today, and honor him with a proper memorial. This posting is an extension of that memorial found at: Johnston Lecky (1809-1849) - Find a Grave Memorial.

Resources:

The 1944 Covered Wagon, published by Shasta Historical Society, page 40.

The 1945 Yearbook, published by Shasta Historical Society, page 2.

Solitary Graves - The Oakland Tribune newspaper  of Oakland, December 8, 1946

Report On Cemeteries and Lone Graves written by Beth Shuford. The 1965 Covered Wagon. Published by Shasta Historical Society, pages 40-42.

The "Cemetery Book" and Some of its Stories written by Beth Shuford. The 1973 Covered Wagon Published by Shasta Historical Society, pages 60-70.

Shasta County, California A History by Rosena Giles, published by Biobooks, ©1949, page 188.

Shasta's Growth, Prosperity and Decline, Part One written by Jeremy Tuggle. Published July 5, 2018.

Shasta's Growth, Prosperity and Decline, Part Two written by Jeremy Tuggle. Published July 5, 2018

Johnston Lecky Gravesite Photo. Courtesy of Shasta Historical Society.