A 1939 $100,000 JAIL REMAINS ABANDONED IN REDDING

On July 30, 1888, the Sacramento Daily Union newspaper, of Sacramento, reported the following future improvements for Redding which became Shasta County’s brand-new county seat, that year;

"SHASTA'S COURT-HOUSE

A new Court-house for Shasta County is to be erected at Redding. The plans and specifications of the architect, A.A. Cook, of this city, have been accepted by the Board of Supervisors. The building completed is to cost in the neighborhood of $40,000. The plan shows a neat and tasty edifice. There will be three main entrances, a large court-room, numerous vaults, and the structure will be ornamented by a beautiful dome, on which will stand a statue of Justice. The jail will occupy the ground in the rear of and connecting with the court-house, and is to cost $10,000.” [SIC]

Construction on the City of Redding's first Shasta County Jail was completed prior to April of 1889, when a fire insurance map was surveyed for the city, that month, which describes this courthouse property exactly like the above article states. Years later, severe damage was done to the Shasta County Jail from attempted jail breaks to natural effects and nature related damages. Then in 1903 the jail reached its maximum capacity of prisoners and it made the Shasta County Board of Supervisors re-evaluate the jail structure. They determined that the smelter smoke fumes most notably from the Mountain Copper Mining Company, LTD., at Keswick, was eating through structures of the Shasta County Courthouse and the Shasta County Jail. However, most of the damage was caused to the tin roof of the jail at Redding.

Another fire insurance map was surveyed in February of 1904 which shows another new addition in the form of a fountain in the front yard of the Shasta County Courthouse facing Court Street, and additional features were added to the Shasta County Jail in the rear of the Courthouse by that date. This jail now featured a wood shed in the back yard, and an additional structure with cells to incarcerate their insane prisoners. These new features were located in the jail yard which had a fifteen foot brick wall wrapping around it's perimeter backing West Street.

On August 2, 1912, a freakish nature related incident occurred when a single bolt of lightening during a lightening storm struck the Shasta County Jail at Redding, although the location of the strike was never found the sound echoed through the city, while it shook the building. Not one person inside the jail was injured from the strike of lightning. Even the incarcerated inmates inside the jail at Redding were displeased with the accommodations of the structure and found it poorly unfit through out the decade leading into the 1920s.

Above: is Redding’s first Shasta County Jail which was erected in 1888 for $10,000, along with the Shasta County Courthouse. It was situated in the rear of the courthouse property which also included a registered street address of 1313 Court Street. Courtesy of the Shasta Historical Society. 

Oddly, opium found its way into the Shasta County Jail in 1922, while the inmates who were non drug users witnessed other prisoners heating "hop" in spoons and administering it in their presence inside their jail cells. Additional narcotics were also distributed as well while prisoners passed them around from cell to cell by placing the drugs in hats and shoving across the aisle of the corridor with brooms and using them to get high. In 1925, narcotics from the evidence locker room of the jail disappeared and they were distributed amongst the inmates. Surprisingly, local authorities discovered that it was an inside job by one of their own officers. 

During the 1930s, the City of Redding was filled with tons of illegal activity and unsavory criminals while the city’s Red Light District (or tenderloin) was booming and the Ladies of the Night kept their clients returning for more satisfaction inside the brothels these women worked in downtown. While prostitution was rising the increase of syphilis cases climbed in Redding, it was District Attorney, Francis J. Carr who ordered all prostitutes to leave the city, or he would be forced to take legal action against anyone violating his orders which were based under the red light abatement law which was approved that decade and made it illegal for them to work in their profession. 

In addition, the construction of Shasta Dam began in 1938 and it’s construction was steadily progressing to be finished in 1945. Meanwhile, the Shasta Dam construction workers visited Redding quite often to drink in the local saloons and they caused many saloon brawls, and outdoor public intoxication. Drunk driving was also a regular occurrence which made local headlines and there were additional disturbances which were cited by local law enforcement. 

While the arrests were doubling by the local authorities, due to all of the above activity, the present jail, pictured above, reached it’s maximum capacity of prisoners again. This jail needed major repairs even though it was utilized by local law enforcement until 1939, for a total of fifty-one years. Eventually, the building which was unsound made the Shasta County Board of Supervisors apply for a grant for a new jail through the federal government. 

Above: the three-story 1939 jail remains abandoned next to the present-day Shasta County Courthouse on Court Street. A fence protects it with video surveillance around the abandoned jail property. This photograph was taken through an open space of the fence line by Jeremy Tuggle on January 16, 2021.

$56,000 was already placed into a special fund by the Shasta County Board of Supervisors to be utilized to pay for the brand-new jail. This was required to prove to the federal government that their portion of the jail cost was available before a $44,000 grant was awarded to them by the Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works to pay for the remaining cost of the construction of the brand-new jail. The jail was designed as a three-story building by a San Francisco architectural firm called Masten & Hurd.

The new jail was erected on the north-west lot of the present Shasta County Courthouse property on Court Street. It was C.H. Dodd a contractor from Stockton who was awarded the contract of the new jail. He placed a bid at $92,452, and Dodd was instructed to begin the construction process by September 26, 1938. 

The Courier-Free Press newspaper, of Redding, heralded this article about the construction of the brand-new Shasta County Jail building on February 22, 1939:

“Work Progresses On County Jail

The structure of the new county jail has been completed, and work of installing cells has begun. Half of the first floor cells have been put into place, and work is also being started on installation of the second floor block. All pipes have installed, and plumbing fixtures will soon be put into place. Each cell will have individual plumbing.”

The interior of the facility contained cellblocks which were known as cells. Each cell was measured at 4.5 feet wide by 8 feet long and it included two bunks with a toilet and a sink for the inmates. The sheriff and his deputies called them "tanks." Tanks Number 1 and 2 had two bunks each, and tanks Number 3 and 4 housed four people in each cell. The facility also included a kitchen, an enclosed prisoner drop off area, a dining room, a visitor center, a narcotics evidence locker room and an evidence locker room, with a laundry room.

Eight months later after the above article was printed, Shasta County Sheriff, William W. Sublett, transferred his office from the Shasta County Courthouse into a room of the newly completed jail building along with Constable W.A. Houston’s office, on October 4, 1939. The transferring of prisoners from the former jail to the new jail took place on October 5th, and Ferol Thorpe, of Redding, had the distinguish honor to be the first attorney to interview a prisoner in the brand-new facility. She interviewed her client an inmate named William D. Moore. Moore was charged with automobile theft.

Above: on a private tour of the 1939 Shasta County Jail, local historian and author, Jeremy M. Tuggle, is shown here inside a jail cell. This photograph was taken on March 26, 2016. 

Other inmates who were transferred amongst that first group of prisoners to the new jail were Buddy Giboney and Rudolph Phenegar. Giboney was held and awaiting to be charged for his role in the murder of a local woman. Phenegar was charged with assaulting a woman with the intention to commit rape in the Burney area. It was Superior Court Judge, Albert F. Ross Jr., who sentenced Phenegar to a term of 1-20 years at San Quinten State Prison.

The most famous inmate housed at this jail was local serial killer and rapist Darrell Rich, a resident of Cottonwood, known as the “Hilltop Rapist” and “Young Elk”, Rich was arrested by authorities in 1978 for the murders of three adult women and a young girl between June and August of 1978. He was later sentenced to San Quinten State Prison, where he was executed under the California death penalty during the year, 2000. Presently, this facility has been abandoned and this historic jail was saved from demolition under Shasta County Sheriff, Jim Pope. This Shasta County Jail was utilized for forty-five years until the John J. Balma Justice Center was opened on West Street in Redding in 1984.

RESOURCES: 

Chico Weekly Enterprise newspaper of Chico, May 25, 1888

County Seat Expenses - Chico Weekly Enterprise newspaper of Chico, June 15, 1888

Redding Improvements - The Press Democrat newspaper of Oakland, July 24, 1888

Shasta's Courthouse - The Sacramento Daily Union newspaper of Shasta, July 30, 1888

Chico Weekly Enterprise newspaper of Chico, August 10, 1888

Redding Jail Full - The Chico Record newspaper of Chico, March 30, 1903

Eating A Courthouse - The Chico Record newspaper of Chico, July 21, 1903

Lightning Hit Jail At Redding - The Chico Record newspaper of Chico, August 4, 1912

City Jail Real Opium Den, Says Night Guest - The Sacramento Daily newspaper of Sacramento, February 26, 1921

Disapprove Of Redding Jail Accommodations - The Chico Record newspaper of Chico, December 10, 1922

1313 New Number of Redding Jail - The Colusa Herald newspaper of Colusa, December 27, 1929

Establish Fund For Shasta Jail - The Courier Free Press newspaper of Redding, July 7, 1938

Jail Will Be On Northwest Corner Of Lot - The Courier Free Press newspaper of Redding, July 25, 1938

Contract For New County Jail Building Awarded Friday - The Courier Free Press newspaper of Redding, September 16, 1938

Ingratitude - Organized Labor newspaper of San Francisco, September 17, 1938

PWA Has Resident Engineer Here - The Courier Free Press newspaper of Redding, September 24, 1938

New County Jail Equipment Arrives - The Courier Free Press newspaper of Redding, September 29, 1938

Shasta Picketing Is Resumed - The Madera Tribune newspaper of Madera, March 6, 1939

Spreading Prostitution and Syphilis - The Organized Labor newspaper of San Francisco, June 3, 1939

New Jail Is Now Nearly Ready - The Courier Free Press newspaper of Redding, August 11, 1939

Occupy Jail Wednesday - The Courier Free Press newspaper of Redding, October 3, 1939

Sheriff Moves To New Jail Building - October 4, 1939

Move Prisoners To New Jail - The Courier Free Press newspaper of Redding, October 6, 1939

Phenegar Is Denied Probation By Judge - The Courier Free Press newspaper of Redding, October 23, 1939

Movie Gallery In County Jail - The Courier Free Press newspaper of Redding, October 24, 1939

Phenegar To Prison - The Courier Free Press newspaper of Redding, October 31, 1939

Carr Orders All Prostitutes To Leave Redding At Once - The Courier Free Press newspaper of Redding, February 2, 1939

Prostitutes Start Exodus - The Courier Free Press newspaper of Redding, February 4, 1939

Carr Reports Prostitution Houses Closed - The Courier Free Press newspaper of Redding, February 5, 1939

Work Progresses On County Jail - The Courier Free Press newspaper of Redding, February 22, 1939

Supervisors Name Panel To Study New Shasta Jail - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, January 11, 1977

Changing Skyline - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, March 27, 1982

New Jail Starting To Fall in Place - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, April 16, 1983

VF 364 Shasta County Jails on file at Shasta Historical Society

Three Known Murderers Had North State Victims - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, November 20, 2010

Gold Fever: A Tale of the Lost Cabin Mine

The Lost Cabin mine is a fabled gold mine which was located by prospectors Cox, Benedict and Compton during the year 1850, however, the first quartz mines in Shasta County were not dug out and located until 1852, everything up-until-then (in this county) were placer mines. While the three miners were prospecting in the Sacramento River Canyon (where it is believed to have been located) a grizzly bear met them face-to-face. The miners shot and killed the animal which fell into a natural shaft about several feet in diameter. One of the men jumped into this depression in the ground to cut the meat from the grizzly bear for food.

While he was carving out the meat from the grizzly bear, he noticed a gold nugget in the shaft and he stopped cutting meat to continue to prospect this natural hole while he moved the large creature around to give him room to make the search. He found additional free gold, and he stopped collecting the nuggets. The three men discussed what to do next and they decided to cut the trees in the area to erect two cabins. Eventually, the two cabins were erected by Cox, Benedict and Compton at the site. They also found a way to lift the body of the grizzly bear out of the hole to clear it out.

Cox, Benedict and Compton, stayed in the area for sometime they had axes with them which helped them build their cabins and blaze a trail to their discovery site. However, within time the fear of the heavy winter months ahead forced them to abandoned this claim. Legend has it that the three men departed the area with $40,000 each. in free gold, a grand total of $120,000. They reached a trading post near Whiskeytown, and showed the people at the trading post their findings which made their story factual and in time legendary. The three men never returned to Shasta County, and the secret of its location went with them until they died.

Then in 1853, John W. Hillman led a party of prospectors into the Sacramento River Canyon in the upper end of the canyon in hopes to locate the fabled Lost Cabin mine, this was before he discovered Crater Lake in Oregon. Their search yielded no results. The men were hoping to find the cabins of the former miners still standing in a non-populated place. Once they found no trace of this fabled site they decided to move north into the Oregon territory.  

During 1855, a new rush of miners seeked-out the area of Lower Soda Springs which was the home to Castle Crags. The tale of the Lost Cabin mine was retold by an early pioneer settler of the area named Joe De Blondy alias Mountain Joe who kept a trading post in the area. Mountain Joe had befriended another pioneer in the area by the name Cincinnatis H. Miller alias Joaquin Miller the famed Poet of the Sierra's who also talked about the fabled mine. Mountain Joe thought it would bring him additional business to his trading post, and his business flourished because of it. As more European-American's and other emigrants entered Shasta County the tale became widespread. Thousands of men dotted the creeks and bars on the Sacramento River in search of the fabled mine.

Pictured above: Cincinnatis H. Miller alias Joaquin Miller the famed Poet of the Sierra's. Courtesy of Shasta Historical Society.

Miners began filling the nearby creeks and the Sacramento River with mud from their mining activities which killed the salmon run in these channels. They also began to hunt the wild game in the area which left no food for the Modoc Indians. The Modoc Indians began attacking travelers using the Oregon Trail in response to the European-Americans which forced the closure of that famous route in Shasta County. It was a major set back for the region as supplies and the local mail couldn’t reach various areas. After that, a raid was made upon Mountain Joe’s trading post and many supplies were stolen by them including sacks of flour. Some of these flour sacks accidentally tore open upon their return home. This allowed the European-Americans to find them easier as it marked a trail for them, in June of 1855, a war broke out called Battle Rock. Battle Rock was a deadly clash between the Modoc Indians in the area and the gold miners who were in search of the Lost Cabin mine due to the above events.

Captain George R. Crook led his military troops up Castle Crags to fight the Modoc Indians but they ended up losing the fight. The next attack was led by pioneer Reuben Gibson whose wife was was a daughter of Chief Weilputas, Chief of the Shasta Indians. The Shasta Indians were enemies of the Modoc Indian tribe. The Chief loaned his Indian warriors to Gibson. This group also contained Shasta County Sheriff John Driebelbis, Mountain Joe, Joaquin Miller, and additional gold miners to assist them in their fight. It was in this battle that Joaquin Miller was injured. Gibson’s group won the battle. Battle Rock was also documented as being the last battle in which local Indians used bows and arrows.

As for the Lost Cabin mine, it has never been found in Shasta County, yet, their have been many claims over the years in other areas of California printed by various media outlets which claim that miners have found the legendary Lost Cabin mine. There is a version of the story printed by the San Francisco Gate which places the fabled gold mine in Trinity County. However, these are the Shasta related events that are known. It still attracts a lot of attention today. Battle Rock is now a California historical landmark.

The plaque states, “Battle Rock - Battle of the Crags was fought below Battle Rock in June 1855. This conflict between the Modoc Indians and the settlers resulted from miners destroying the native fishing waters in the Lower Soda Springs area. Settlers led by Squire Reuben Gibson and Mountain Joe Doblondy, with local Indians led by their Chief Weilputus, engaged Modocs, killed their Chief Dorcas Della, and dispersed them. Poet Joaquin Miller and other settlers were wounded.”  California Registered Historical Landmark No. 116 Plaque placed by the State Department of Parks and Recreation in cooperation with the Ancient and Honorable Order of E Clampus Vitus, Trinitarianus Chapter #62, July 26, 1984. Photograph taken by Jeremy Tuggle on May 31, 2019.

RESOURCES:


STORY OF SHASTA'S LOST CABIN MINE IS AN INTERESTING ONE - By May Southern - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, July 18, 1930


The Legend of the Lost Cabin Mine, 1948 by Robert O’Brien - San Francisco Gate, June 17, 2012


Shasta County, California A History by Rosena Giles, published by Biobooks, ©1949, pages 37-38.


The Covered Wagon 1967, published by Shasta Historical Society

JOHN VARNER SCOTT: THE SHASTA HOSTELRY MAN

John Varner Scott was born to Hugh Scott and Margaret (Moore) Scott on December 27, 1821 in Tyrone County, Ireland. He was one of nine children born to them during their union. His parents emigrated their family from Ireland to England and then to the United States of America. The Scott family settled in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania in 1833. Then on, September 25, 1844 John was naturalized as a full-fledged American citizen in the Superior Court of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.

Then in 1851, John Varner Scott departed Allegheny County, Pennsylvania for California when he crossed the Isthmus of Panama this route was the shortest route to California. John became a passenger on the ship the Atlantic, and the Atlantic took him safely to California where the voyage on the ocean was completed. John disembarked the Atlantic at the Port of San Francisco in 1852, and from there the reports of the placer mines of northern California seduced him to venture further north. Scott took a stage from San Francisco which made several changes along the route to Shasta, where he settled. In Shasta County, John V. Scott originally engaged himself as a miner mining the placer mines.

John was highly successful as a miner and he made his fortune by panning for gold and sluicing the grounds of his placer mines with his sluice box and long tom. During 1854, he associated himself with Alfred Walton and James W. Tull when John purchased an interest to their establishment in Shasta called the Franklin hotel. This hotel was located on Main Street. John became a co-owner of this business, and he eventually purchased the Franklin hotel from Walton & Tull, which made him the sole owner of that hostelry.

In April of 1857, a new luxurious three-story fire-proof brick hotel called the Empire was completed at a cost of $30,000, on Main Street at Shasta. The first Empire hotel was destroyed by fire in 1853. The new building was paid in full by its owners Donalson & Company which also included a Mr. Chapman. The Empire hotel competed in business with the Franklin hotel which was a smaller hostelry in town.

The Empire hotel advertised as having the following: private rooms for rent, large and commodious rooms for the accommodation of private families, a dining room, a bar with the best stocked liquors and cigars. In addition to the hotel there were also a corral and stable attached to the building. The Empire hotel changed ownership many times since Donalson & Company owned it.

The 1860 U.S. Census records John Varner Scott living with three other boarders. Their names were given as Charles Anderson, H. Long, and S. Sampson. John was listed as a hotel keeper. It's possible that the boarders were employed by Scott in his Franklin hotel. Anderson and Sampson were laborers while Long was employed as a cook. John claimed an initial value of real estate at $8,000 on the above census record.

He began courting an esteemed young lady from Shasta by the name of Catherine Lynch, a native of Ireland. Her name is sometimes found under the spelling of Katherine, as well. She was the daughter of Daniel Lynch and Bridgett (Callaghan) Lynch, her father was a local merchant at Shasta. The happy couple were married on December 29, 1863, in Shasta County. Catherine was twenty years younger than her husband.

ABOVE: an advertisement for the grand opening ball at the Empire hotel on January 1, 1868, the hotel was now owned by John Varner Scott. From the Shasta Courier newspaper of December 7, 1867.

In 1867, John V. Scott was still operating the Franklin hotel and he continued to own and operate it until 1868, and during the interim he acquired the Empire hotel which was located on Main Street at Shasta. John's only competition in town was the Charter Oak hotel, a two-story hotel which conducted a thriving business.

According to the 1870 U.S. Census, it records John and his wife Catherine living with five additional boarders inside their home at Shasta. John's occupation was listed as a hotel keeper and Catherine's occupation was listed as a land lady. Among the boarders were the following men: Charles Anderson, Charles Grotefend, Chris Gordenier, Michael Hansel, and James S. McDonald. Charles Anderson had been living with John V. Scott for the past ten years. Anderson was now employed as a hotel waiter, while Grotefend and Gordenier were employed as cooks, Hansel was employed as a laborer, and McDonald was employed as a hostler. 

ABOVE: A view of Main Street at Shasta. This post card shows the three-story Empire hotel, owned by John Varner Scott, on the left side of the image. The Shasta County Court house is also visible. Circa 1870. Courtesy of Shasta Historical Society.

Ten years later, the 1880 U.S. Census, documents John and Catherine living on Main Street at Shasta inside the Empire hotel. Catherine is listed as "Kate" and she is noted as a house keeper on this census record. John's sister-in-law Clara Lynch is also documented as living with them at the age of nineteen. Aside from the first three names on the above census record there are an additional thirty-two boarders living with them. Among the notable local names in this household living inside the Empire hotel are the following: Richard Ripley, Shasta County treasurer, Charles H. Behrens, hotel steward, Jerry Culverhouse, mail contractor and the second mayor of Redding, and Mary (Cloud) Culverhouse (wife of Jerry), the first female passenger on the train into the brand new town of Redding (then spelled Reading) departing from Red Bluff and arriving at the Redding Depot on September 1, 1872.

ABOVE: This became the regular advertisement continuously used by John Varner Scott for the Empire hotel on Main Street at Shasta. From the Shasta Courier newspaper Saturday, June 19, 1869.

Then on, September 1, 1889 John Varner Scott was commissioned as the receiver in the United States Land Office at Shasta. Scott still maintained an interest in mining and he actively worked a number of placer claims and quartz mines in the area. One of the more notable mines he owned was the lucrative Bunker Hill mine in the Middle Creek mining district of Shasta County. John V. Scott may have purchased shares of the Bunker Hill mine prior to 1891, which had additional owners. John still owned the Empire hotel in Shasta, but the pioneer would later lease the property to Charles H. Behrens.

One account from a local newspaper in 1895 about the life of John Varner Scott contained the following information: "Among our citizens, are a few who well remember witnessing lively times in the neighborhood of the new smelter site, near the mouth of Dog Creek, among whom is our townsman, John V. Scott, who early in the 50's, kept a hotel, store and saloon where Mr. Jones and family reside, and still known as the Stump Ranch." (SIC)

John V. Scott hired a local carpenter by the name of James Scamman to construct a stylish Queen Anne residential building on the west side of West Street near Tehama Street in downtown Redding on a piece of property he had purchased there. When the building was completed by Scamman in 1895 it had a registered address of 1520 West Street. The Shasta Courier newspaper reported the following about John and his wife Catherine on Saturday, December 28, 1895: 

"Mr. and Mrs. John V. Scott spent Christmas in Shasta. Their residence is now in Redding, but they have a warm place in their hearts for old Shasta, where they spent many happy years of their life." (SIC)

John Varner Scott continued to mine the Bunker Hill mine, and in 1896, the Bunker Hill mine was owned by Scott with a co-ownership consisting of:  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 Bunker Hill mine. Pryor's position granted him access to the mining property and mining rights.

Later on, the Scott's began to contemplate a move south to San Francisco which persuaded them to sell their new residence to Charles H. Behrens, a longtime friend and employee of John's. Then on Tuesday, June 13, 1899, the Daily Free Press newspaper of Redding reported the following account:

"Mr. And Mrs. Charles Behrens and family have moved into the Scott residence on West Street, which Mr. and Mrs. Scott have gone to Shasta, where they will visit before leaving for their future home in San Francisco." (SIC)

After the Behrens family moved into 1520 West Street, John and his wife Catherine were invited that June to stay a couple of nights as the guests of Mr. and Mrs. Sylvester Hull in Redding upon their return from Shasta, and by June 24, 1899 the Daily Free Press newspaper of Redding reported that they have removed to San Francisco by that date.

Later, Charles Henry Behrens became the Sheriff of Shasta County and he served that position honorably from 1898 to 1902. This residential building in Redding is important to document here because it remains one of the historic Redding Victorian era structures which is still standing.

ABOVE: Today, 1520 West Street in Redding plays host to the Behrens-Eaton House Museum. This house was built for John Varner Scott. In the above image there is snow on the ground and building. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on February 13, 2019.

Many generations of the Behrens-Eaton family lived at 1520 West Street in Redding, the last descendent of Charles Henry Behrens died there in 2003. The last descendant of Charles H. Behrens was his grandson the late Superior Court Judge, Richard Behrens Eaton. It was the late Judge Richard B. Eaton who bequeathed instructions to his estate at the time of his death for his residence to be turned into historical museum for the citizens of Redding to enjoy. Presently, this building is now the Behrens-Eaton House Museum.

According to a 1900 California Voters Registration for John Varner Scott he lived in San Francisco at age of seventy-four. His street address was 1615 Laguna Street. On June 15, 1900, when the Assembly District 40 of San Francisco was enumerated for that district John Varner Scott appears on that census living at the above address with his wife Catherine who is noted at the age of fifty-eight and his sister-in-law Clara Lynch who is noted at the age of thirty-four. John was retired, after a life-long career as a hostelry man. John and Catherine often visited Shasta during the summer months as they grew older together, to visit his wife's family and their old friends who were still in the area.

Four years later, the pioneer died on December 28, 1904, in San Francisco and his remains were transferred to Redding where he was buried in the Redding Cemetery (now Redding Memorial Park.) At the end of his life Scott was partially blind, but he had a very reliable memory. John Varner Scott was one of the prominent members of Western Star Lodge, No. 2, the first instituted Masonic lodge in the State of California, and Scott has filled all its offices. He was also a member of the Council and Chapter, and he is a member of the Legion of Honor.

ABOVE: In 1898, John Varner Scott served as president of the Stockholders of the Millville and Burney Valley Wagon Road Company. From the Shasta Courier newspaper, December 3, 1898.

ABOVE: The headstone of John Varner Scott who died in San Francisco on December 28, 1904 at Redding Memorial Park. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on March 6, 2019.

ABOVE: Left to right is the headstones of Katherine (Lynch) Scott and her husband John Varner Scott. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on March 6, 2019 at Redding Memorial Park. 

ABOVE: this is the headstone of Katherine (Lynch) Scott who survived her husband by twenty years. Katherine died on July 2, 1924, in San Francisco, at the age of eighty-three from a stroke of paralysis which were caused by injuries that she received in San Francisco when she was hit by an automobile two years before her death. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on March 6, 2019 at Redding Memorial Park.

As a hostelry man John Varner Scott had the pleasure of hosting some of the most notable people in California history at the Franklin hotel and the Empire hotel. Some of the people were: Governor John Bigler, Major John Bidwell, Governor Henry P. Haight, Senator John P. Jones, author and poet Joaquin Miller, Republican politician and newspaper editor, George C. Gorham with a host of other notable names.

RESOURCES:

Empire Hotel - The Shasta Republican newspaper of Shasta, January 31, 1857

Empire Hotel - The Shasta Republican newspaper of Shasta, April 4, 1857

The Empire Bar - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, January 30, 1858

1860 U.S. Census

1866 California Voters Registration

1867 - Pacific Coast Directory, available on Ancestry.com

1870 U.S. Census

1880 U.S. Census

Memorial & Biographical History of Northern California, The Lewis Publishing Co., 1891

Among Our Citizens - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, August 24, 1895.

Daniel Lynch Obituary - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, February 2, 1895

Mr. And Mrs. John V. Scott - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, December 28, 1895

John V. Scott - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, June 17, 1899

Pioneer Residents. - The Daily Free Press newspaper of Redding, June 24, 1899

1900 California Voters Registration

1900 U.S. Census

John V. Scott Has Gone To Long Rest - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, December 28, 1904

Mrs. John V. Scott Pioneer Shastain Is Called Beyond - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, July 3, 1924

BP - 024 Behrens, Ludwig pioneer plaque file on file at Shasta Historical Society (Charles Henry Behrens & Mary (Kountz) Behrens article.)

SP - 007 Scott, John Varner pioneer plaque file on file at Shasta Historical Society

Shasta Historical Society Pioneer Record - John Varner Scott, dated March 18, 1943

Shasta County, California Marriages, 1852-1904

The Behrens-Eaton House Museum by Shasta Historical Society

Churntown: An Original Gold Mining Community

The town of Churntown in 1887. The building on the left is the general merchandise store and the building to the right is a private residence with a smaller building in front of the house. The people are posing for a photograph on the street, and on the porch of the private residence. Courtesy of Shasta Historical Society.

Scores of miners prospecting for gold in 1849 staked out placer mining claims along the channel of Churn Creek in Shasta County. These miners pitched up tents and cooked their food in an open fire pit, mostly eating wild game that they killed, along with additional provisions they packed in with them as the advent of the California Gold Rush burgeoned with success in our area. They used rockers and sluice boxes simultaneously as mining activities progressed along this creek.

The Shasta Historical Society published this version of the creeks naming in the 1952 Covered Wagon, on page 5, it states that: “rocks and boulders tumbling down from the mountain sides wore holes in the sandstone base of the creek resembling a churn. One can see this formation in Churn Creek a few miles north of Redding beside Highway 99.” Another theory of its naming appears in Gertrude Steger's book, Place Names Of Shasta County, relating that "a waterfall in the stream near the site of Churntown has carved a hole in the rocks that resembles an old-fashioned churn.” Since its naming, Churn Creek has retained its name over the years.

The community of Churntown came into fruition near the site of this waterfall in October or November of 1849, becoming one of Shasta County's original gold mining communities. Churntown began as a tent community which was prone to Indian attacks. The name Churntown derives from Churn Creek.

The nearest communities to Churntown was Newtown, which was located one mile north, and Buckeye, which was located three miles south of Churntown. Both communities were established as gold mining communities in 1849. According to local historian Edward Peterson in his book, In The Shadow Of The Mountain, he claims the following on page 83: "the site of the first quartz ledge on the east side of Churntown was, nevertheless, in a precarious position to Indian attack."

In January of 1850 the first cabin was erected at Churntown. Unfortunately, there is no record documenting the demise of this building. Additional buildings were erected in the settlement. Extreme threats of Indian attacks remained high as the miners took the risk to mine the area between the years 1850 and 1853.

The Churn Creek diggings near Churntown were yielding lucrative results in April of 1854 as the area was still developing. The name of the settlement was also spelled as Churn Town. According to an excerpt of an article from the Shasta Courier newspaper on Saturday, November 25, 1854, it related the following:

"We also hear that on Thursday last the Indians in large numbers visited Churn Town, on the east side of the Sacramento River, and ran the whites away from the place. The people of Churn Town had, on the day previous, pursued and killed several of the savages while making their way to the mountains with a lot of stolen property." (SIC)

Apparently the above story was one event that the Shasta Courier fabricated and did not check their source, as the newspaper didn't print a retraction, other media outlets in the state heralded the same news obtained from them. Their article caught the eye of a Churntown resident who wrote to them the following correspondence on Saturday, December 2, 1854:

"Churntown is not taken by the Indians, nor is it at all likely ever to be so taken. Neither has there been Indians killed around here for the last two years, nor have they stolen five dollars worth of property during that time. This much, so as not to alarm the friends and relatives of those who are now residing here." (SIC)

According to the above correspondence in later part of this letter there were at that time twenty new homes which were built by local carpenters at Churntown. More buildings were in the process of being constructed as well. As the placer mines continued to yield lucrative deposits it attracted new settlers to the area. A new town was established, that month, located one mile south of Churntown called Manikinsville named after a rather large family who lived in the area by the surname of Manikins. At that time Churntown residents believed that Manikinsville could rival Churntown with an increasing population.

Miners at Churntown in December of 1854 were making $3 to $5 per day while shoveling out dirt with their shovels and using their picks as other miners were sluicing the ground. In 1855, a pioneer by the name of John Mahan, a native of Ireland, relocated from Wisconsin and settled in Churntown. He married Margaret Wallace. Mahan began working as a miner and he held title to a number of placer mining claims in the area, one of his well-known mining claims was the Julia, which was in the Churntown mining district.

The Sacramento Daily Union newspaper of Sacramento heralded the following article on December 23, 1856:

"SHASTA MINING - Accounts from Shasta County give assurance of better times in that region- the streams having been supplied with water to enable the miners to resume work, with assurances of no further interruption for some time. In the extensive diggings of Buckeye and Churntown, between three and four hundred are at work- the claims yielding eight dollars and upwards to the hand per day. Cabins are also being built, and the work of prospecting is constantly going on. It is estimated that with the water already fallen, $60,000 will be taken out."

Over the next two years Churntown boomed with mining activities, and heavy rain storms arrived in the area in early March of 1858. The rain gave miners an additional abundance of water in the channel of Churn Creek and its tributaries for them to use in their placer mining claims. Local miners were kept busy extracting gold from their mining properties. The Republican newspaper from Shasta on Saturday, April 3, 1858, noted the following entry: "Eighty-one quartz claims have been recorded during the last week. All of them are on the east side of the Sacramento near Buckeye and Churntown." Churntown had a lucrative future as additional placer mines and quartz mines were located.

During the years 1857 and 1860, a man by the surname of McManus was the proprietor of a general merchandise store at Churntown. During the local primary elections McManus's store became the local polling place when the elections were held. In fact, the future stores in Churntown became the future polling sites during the elections.

A heated argument ensued between Giles Wauson and Charles Patrick, which turned into an assault, and became deadly, in January of 1861. Patrick pounded on Wauson's door and confronted him about stealing from him. After many offensive remarks and threats against Wauson, Patrick pulled a bowie knife upon him as he attacked him. Wauson freed himself and ran out of his own residence.

After realizing that Patrick departed his house Wauson returned home. Patrick returned within the hour with the intentions of assaulting Wauson again. Wauson had no desire to fight him and he wanted to be left alone. Patrick approached his door and was given a warning from Wauson to back off. Patrick continued without realizing Wauson was armed with a loaded gun and he fired upon him through an open window as his lifeless body fell to the ground.

Wauson surrendered himself to Sheriff John S. Follansbee at Shasta. This is where he went before a Justice Court, and the following week while Wauson was on trial he denied robbing Charles Patrick. It was Justice of the Peace, Chauncey C. Bush who released him from custody due to Bush believing the shooting was made in self-defense. Wauson returned home to Churntown and he continued mining with great success.

The April 13, 1861 edition of the Northern Argus, a newspaper from Horsetown, reported the following about Wauson:

"NUGGET - Wauson & Co., found recently in their claim at Churntown, a piece of pure gold weighing nineteen ounces and five dollars."

A school house was erected on the north bank of Churn Creek at Churntown when a grammar school was organized in that building on November 6, 1862. The school served a long lost void in the community for those families with children in the area. The school was organized the same day as the Churntown School District. The first teacher at the Churntown schoolhouse was Augusta Eames of Shasta. She would commute from Shasta to Churntown each day while the school year was in session. At Shasta in 1874, Eames married a Churntown resident by the name of William C. Whiting, a native of New York, and together they relocated to Shasta. Her husband served as a Deputy Sheriff of Shasta County in 1880.

Sylvester Hull, was a Churntown resident who married Martha Whiting a sister of William C. Whiting in 1862 at Shasta. He owned and operated a general merchandise store in Churntown. Local residents of Churntown petitioned the United States Postal Service headquarters in Washington D.C., for a post office to be established called Churntown in June of 1863. Their petition was accepted and the post office name was granted as Hull became their first and only postmaster who took charge on June 12, 1863, his store became the post office. 

Churntown was now an official town recognized by the United States Postal Service. Hull served, honorably, until the post office was discontinued on December 12, 1866. In September of 1871, Hull began serving as Shasta County Sheriff, and held the position until 1881. Then in 1877, Hull relocated from Churntown to Shasta when George Burtt acquired his store from him.

Above: Sylvester Hull was born at Twinsburg, Summit County, Ohio on June 21, 1831 to Samuel P. Hull and Emily (Post) Hull. He died on November 23, 1899 at Redding, Shasta County, California. He was given the nickname of "Vet". He first came to Buckeye in 1854, where he mined for gold. He was interred into the Shasta Masonic Cemetery. Courtesy of Shasta Historical Society.

John Mahan's wife Margaret gave birth to their first born child Julia Ann Mahan in Churntown on August 4, 1864. Julia’s birth is the earliest record of a child birth in Churntown that I uncovered during my research, however, previous births may have occurred in this town. Their daughter Julia became a life-long resident of Churntown who eventually married John Flanagan a placer miner in the area. Present day Flanagan Road is named after this family which is located just off Lake Boulevard in north Redding.

Another daughter named Mary Mahan was born to John Mahan and Margaret (Wallace) Mahon on March 11, 1868 at Churntown. Both daughters Julia and Mary were raised there. It's more than likely that John Mahan's noted placer mining claim was named after his first born daughter, Julia. 

During the year 1865 an express company from Red Bluff began conveying passengers into Shasta County and hauling the United States mail. The name of this express agency was Watkins Express and Passenger Line, whose proprietor was Caleb Watkins and he had offices located in Red Bluff and Shasta. This line conveyed passengers from Red Bluff to Jelly's Ferry, Battle Creek, Parkville, Millville, Buckeye and Churntown.

Patrick Mullee and his wife Ann were natives of Ireland. The 1867 Great Register of Shasta County records Mullee spelled (Mulee) living at Churntown and working as a merchant. He registered to vote on April 29, 1867. Then on January 14, 1868, local residents were astounded when Patrick Mullee's general merchandise was destroyed by fire.

After the store burned down Mullee became a full-time miner. According to the 1870 U.S. Census the Mullee's was living at Stillwater that year, where Mullee did some mining. According to the Shasta Courier edition of March 13, 1871, the Board of Supervisors ordered North Cow Creek, Copper City, Churntown, Buckeye and Round Mountain to transition into an election precinct called Township Number 5.

Mullee did a little mining at Churntown as well. Mullee and his wife Ann eventually returned to Churntown where Patrick was elected as a Justice of the Peace in November of 1874 for Township Number 5 of Shasta County. Mullee died in Churntown in 1876. He is buried in the Shasta Catholic Cemetery in Shasta.

However, in 1871, a small number of arson related fires occurred in Churntown and finally one of the culprits was captured when a cabin belonging to Thomas Keaton near Churntown was destroyed by fire. A suspect by the name of John Wooley was arrested on suspicion of starting the fires and he was later indicted by the county court in September of 1872. A jury found him guilty of 2nd degree arson and he was sentenced by Judge Hopping to serve three years imprisonment at San Quentin Prison.

After a long declining state on March 23, 1878, Churntown locals witnessed a rejuvenation period when local miners discovered an immensely rich quartz ledge at Rat Tail Gulch near Churntown. Media outlets reported the strike and the town boomed once more reminding locals of the town’s glory days. During the 1880s a series of placer mines were located by various miners.

Another pioneer by the name of Isaac M. Hiatt, also known as Ike, was a native of New York, who earned his fortune at Churntown while mining for gold. This is where he had resided since 1867. At a later date he became the proprietor of a general merchandise store in town. Hiatt employed Frank Wentworth as his store keeper and together they served the community of Churntown until Hiatt's death in 1884. 

George Porter Seamans, a native of New York, was a rancher during the 1870s in the Churntown region who kept a large and valuable ranch. He worked as a farmer. In 1879, he was a proud owner of a large and desirable vegetable garden. He sold vegetables in Churntown and loaded his wagon with a variety of vegetables to sell in Newtown, Buckeye, Redding and Shasta. His wife Romanda (Hill) Seamans sometimes accompanied him during these business trips. 

Above, L-R: George Porter Seamans and Romanda (Hill) Seamans. This picture was taken at Churntown in June of 1902. Courtesy of Shasta Historical Society.

A miner named Ben Martin discovered a rich gold bearing pocket on a branch of the east fork of Churn Creek about one mile from Churntown in May of 1883. His discovery attracted additional attention to the area. The town continued as Hiatt's store closed it remains unclear if Hughes and Croft purchased Hiatt’s store or if it's an entirely new enterprise. However, they began operating a new general merchandise store in Churntown. During the latter portion of the 1880s they were known for their wild holiday parties as Christmas celebrations would be held there for the community to enjoy. Presents would be given to those who showed up, as it brought a little holiday cheer to this mining town.

A miner by the name of George P. Jewitt located the Blue Ribbon placer mine in the Churntown mining district on January 31, 1884. It yielded him lucrative results. Then on Saturday, May 17, 1884, the Shasta Courier reported the following about the Churntown and Buckeye communities being an anti-Chinese region:

“The Churntown and Buckeye miners never have, nor now propose to allow Chinamen to work in the mines of those districts, and all attempts to introduce the Mongolians there fails. We hope that every Mongolian who there hereafter attempt to put a pick in the ground of those districts will be sent away with stripes on his back minus his cue.” (SIC)

Another miner named Jesse Walcott located the Diablo placer mine in the same mining district on November 10, 1884. Desiring a good rainy season the miners hoped to continue to work their mining claims in 1884.

The Churntown School was reestablished as part of the Churntown School District on May 4, 1885 because there were more families with children in the area at that time with L.B. Greer as their teacher. Churntown was then located nine miles from Redding. Community dances were held at the local school house and they were great events for the people of the town to gather and enjoy themselves. Sometimes a potluck would be held with the dance.

Above: the students of the Churntown school on the school property at Churntown. The students are unidentified. Courtesy of Shasta Historical Society.

During the decade of the 1890s Churntown stayed prominent as correspondents writing to local newspapers kept track of their local daily activities and it remained the same well into the turn of the twentieth century. The school stayed active off and on, until it was reestablished for the last and final time on October 4, 1938. The Churntown Cemetery is still there today off Nellie Bell Lane on private property, according to records at the Shasta Historical Society, the earliest known burial in this cemetery dates back to 1901. Today, the town of Churntown is no longer there due to their community becoming a suburb of northern Redding with Buckeye. Reminisces of historical names on different street signs provide us with glimpses into the past.

RESOURCES:

The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, November 25, 1854

The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, December 2, 1854

Shasta Mining - The Sacramento Daily Union newspaper of Sacramento, December 23, 1856

The Republican newspaper of Shasta, April 3, 1858

Nugget - The Northern Argus newspaper of Horsetown, April 13, 1861

In the Shadow of the Mountain A Short History of Shasta County, California, by Edward Petersen ©1965

The 1867 Great Register of Shasta County

1867 California Voters Registration

1870 U.S. Census

The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, March 13, 1871

1873 Great Register of Shasta County

The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, September 23, 1876 - Patrick Mullee death notice.

1880 U.S. Census

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.

The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, November 25, 1899 - Sylvester Hull obituary.

1900 U.S. Census

Index To Mining Claims Book 1, in the archives of Shasta Historical Society.

Index To Mining Claims Book 1, 1877-1909, in the archives of Shasta Historical Society.

Our Storied Landmarks – Shasta County, California, written by May H. Southern, published by Balakshin Printing Company, ©1942.

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

The Covered Wagon, 1952. Published by Shasta Historical Society.

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

The Flanagan residence at Churntown on Flanagan Road. Date unknown. Courtesy of Shasta Historical Society.

History of the Shasta County Sheriffs, 1851-1990

Timeline:

October 7, 1850 - April 14, 1853 - David Corsaut

September 3, 1851 - Michael Oppenheimer

*Oppenheimer was elected during the interim of David Corsaut position as Sheriff.

September 3, 1851 - September 1855 - William A. Nunnally

September 5, 1855 - September 1857 - John A. Dreibelbis

September 2, 1857 - September 1859 - H. Clay Stockton

September 7, 1859 - September 1863 - John S. Follansbee

September 2, 1863 - September 1867 - William E. Hopping

*Hopping served a second term from November 7, 1882 - February 1892

September 4, 1867 - September 6, 1871 - Thomas Greene

*Greene was appointed Sheriff to complete Hopping’s term on February 15, 1892.

September 6, 1871 - 1881 - Sylvester Hull

November 8, 1892 - 1894 - Albert F. Ross Sr.

*Ross Sr., served a second term from November 3, 1914 - 1919

November 6, 1894 - November 1898 - Thomas J. Houston

November 8, 1898 - November 1902 - Charles H. Behrens

November 4, 1902 - November 1906 - James L. Richardson

*Richardson was appointed to complete the term of Ross Sr., on January 27, 1919.

November 6, 1906- 1914 - James L. Montgomery

November 7, 1922 - 1942 - William W. Sublett

November 3, 1942 - 1946 - Roy Duggins

November 5, 1946 - August 31, 1982 - John Balma

September 1, 1982 - November 8, 1982 - James J. Carter

November 9, 1982 - December 1, 1990

December 4, 1990 - Jim Pope

Compiled from listings available at Shasta Historical Society in Redding.