Welcome to Exploring Shasta County history...
With this blog, I am bringing to life the stories of the early day pioneers and some of the oft-forgotten history of a bygone era in Shasta County, California. I'll also focus on important events after the turn of the 20th century. I would like to reflect upon current historical sites of the modern age as well.
This is copyrighted by Jeremy M. Tuggle.
California Drought Lowers Shasta Lake To Its Second Lowest Record. 2014 Is Now The Third Lowest Recorded Year.
Above: the California drought takes its toll on the Sacramento River just north of the modern 1939 Union Pacific Railroad Trestle at Charlie Creek. Looking south down the Sacramento River arm of Shasta Lake. This photograph was taken on September 30, 2021, by Jeremy Tuggle/Shasta County News Source.
Shasta County, California, October 7, 2021 - The present California drought has lowered Shasta Lake’s elevation to its second lowest record surpassing 2014’s elevation total of 889.49-feet, below full pool to 889.42-feet, and continuing to lower to tie or break the 1977 all-time historic low record this year, or possibly next year. Shasta Lake is currently listed at twenty-three percent full.
Very little rain has fallen this year, since summer waned down, and fall started. The top six historic records are listed by feet below and below the full pool elevation of 1,067-feet, with 365 miles of shoreline when full, as they are posted below in order:
1.) September 14, 1977 - 836.68
2.) October 7, 2021 - 889.42 and continuing to drop.
3.) November 29, 2014 - 889.49
4.) September 10, 1976 - 906.78
5.) October 30, 2008 - 909.23
6.) December 24, 1991 - 909.88
Shasta Lake according to my research is now 52.81-feet from the September 14, 1977, all-time historic low record. Shasta Lake’s official website claims 238-feet, is the all-time low but research through microfilmed newspapers from 1977 show differently. Already this year, some oft-forgotten relics have emerged from the murky depths of Shasta Lake such as a 112-year-old freight train car derailment on the Shasta Route Railroad on the Sacramento River arm just north of Charlie Creek and north of Tunnel Number 6 in Lakehead, a sunken boat mystery at Bridge Bay Marina with no-known history. Their resort has been requesting help with identifying it, and railroad tunnel number four which is rarely seen in drought season, and a foundation of a building at Pollock, just north of the historic Pollock bridge, to name a few of the many relics that have emerged during this drought season.
*Disclaimer: For years, I have claimed the lowest to be 836.92-feet, below full pool, or 230.08 below the crest of Shasta Dam which was wrong.
On October 2, 2021, Shasta Lake’s water level was recorded at 891.58-feet elevation wise below full pool or 175.42-feet below the crest of Shasta Dam for the third lowest record of all-time. By this date we were 2.09-feet away from the second lowest record set on November 29, 2014, of 889.49-feet below full pool elevation. This building was also located at Pollock on October 2, 2021, and is located just north of the historic Pollock bridge. Presumably, it is a building connected with the Shasta Route railroad.
Filmed on location on October 2, 2021 in Lakehead, California.
California Drought Reveals 112-Year-Old Freight Train Car Derailment On Shasta Lake. One Of Five Freight Train Cars Found In The Sacramento River Channel. Wreckage Dates To 1909.
Above: this video was filmed on location September 18, 2021.
In the rain and mud at the discovery site in Lakehead north of Railroad Tunnel Number 6. L-R: Jeremy M. Tuggle (Education & Community Engagement Manager at Shasta Historical Society) and Ryan "Rizzle" Hammon the discoverer of this freight train car wreckage. Selfie. Photo taken: September 18, 2021, by Jeremy M. Tuggle/Shasta County News Source.
Lakehead, California, September 29 - After following the footsteps of my metal detecting buddy, Gabriel Leete, of Redding, and I, who helped me film a metal detecting segment of my YouTube show “Exploring Shasta County History” on September 4, 2021, near Railroad Tunnel Number 6 at Charlie Creek, on the Sacramento River arm of Shasta Lake, for recreation purposes only. While we were there we were trying to determine if the rail of the Shasta Route were still there or if they were removed by the railroad. It is our opinion that the railroad removed them to be utilized elsewhere along the modern route of the railroad heading north and south due to the hefty costs of manufacturing and purchasing of the rail at that time.
We were finding many iron pieces connected to the railroad and railroad spikes along the way, both old and modern versions, including a piping system of some sort below the rail bed before we concluded our search that day. We did not expect to locate anything important, and we thought we covered the entire area because parts of the river channel below the rail bed was still muddy, wet and not walkable at that time.
However, this warranted further investigation of the site by local Redding resident, Ryan “Rizzle” Hammon, age 29, who picked up where we left off. However, he didn’t think he would locate anything of interest or anything this exciting! Yet, what Hammon found was a historic derailed freight train car buried in the Sacramento River channel.
Looking north from a southern point along the rail bed at Railroad Tunnel Number 6 on the Sacramento River arm of Shasta Lake near Charlie Creek. This photograph was taken on July 11, 2021, by Jeremy M. Tuggle/Shasta County News Source.
Looking south from a northern point along the rail bed at Railroad Tunnel Number 6 on the Sacramento River arm of Shasta Lake near Charlie Creek. This photograph was taken on August 18, 2021, by Jeremy M. Tuggle/Shasta County News Source.
In 1872, the California & Oregon Railroad, a division of the Central Pacific Railroad stopped its construction at Redding until their surveying was completed to decide if they were heading west towards Shasta into Oregon or north through the Sacramento River Canyon into Oregon. As the end-of-the-line, Redding was very fortuitous in its role in the development of our county for ten years until the railroad resumed construction and laid its tracks north of Redding through the Sacramento River Canyon in 1883, and established additional communities, depots and "flag stations" along the way. Most of the railroad tunnels were erected along the route in 1884, a total of seven in all, and most of them were remodeled during the 1920’s these dates are etched into their concrete except for Railroad Tunnel Number 6 whose dates are faded away and lost to time. Only two remain above Shasta Lake's water line.
Later, this railroad was acquired by the Southern Pacific Railroad, and eventually this region of track became known as the Shasta Route. The Shasta Route was used for both passenger and freight trains. One of the routes main passenger trains was the popular Shasta Limited. The Shasta Route promised to be the prominent and scenic travel route from San Francisco, California into Portland, Oregon. The railroad company advertised it as being the "road of a thousand wonders" since it traveled through the heart of the Shasta Cascade district. Train derailments rarely happened on this route, but they did occur.
One freight train derailment occurred on this rail line on March 27, 1909, when freight train number 221 came to a screeching halt approximately a mile north-west of Railroad Tunnel Number 6, near Charlie Creek, on a bend of the Sacramento River which derailed for 100 yards or more. Original reports say that four freight cars departed the track, later reports claimed that five freight cars departed the railroad. This incident held-up the traffic along this Sacramento River Canyon route for several hours that Saturday. The railroad was busy that weekend with the northbound passenger Portland Express Number 16 halted at Kennett and the southbound passenger Dunsmuir Express Number 35., halted at Dunsmuir on its way to Kennett and Redding. The cause of the wreckage was never determined. There was a transient who had hitched a ride on a break beam of the train as well, but this person walked away without injury. This wreckage made headlines all over the State of California.
A 1915-1945 map showing the Shasta Route at Charlie Creek at the Sacramento River. Source: CalTopo.
One hundred and twelve years later, on September 9, 2021, Ryan “Rizzle” Hammon with the assistance of local Redding residents Mariah Stevens, age 26, and James White, age 30, discovered something which many people can only dream of locating and “this discovery was made by hand with absolutely no metal detecting involved”, says Hammon as the current drought revealed this wreckage site to them, that day after digging by hand through the mud. On that day, Shasta Lake’s elevation was 900.13-feet below full pool and the wheel, drum bearing, and axel of the car appeared to them with other pieces neatly preserved by the murky depths of Shasta Lake.
Then, he departed Lakehead and anxiously went home to Redding where he immediately began his own research with the help of his friends above. Later, he contacted the author of this article at the Shasta Historical Society and invited me out to explore the discovery site with him. I first saw this discovery site on September 18, 2021, and I met him there in Lakehead to film and document it. I later finished compiling the research for Hammon. With hopes of salvaging the freight train rail car wreckage, Hammon, seeks to go through the proper channels before digging and he's aware that it might cost him money. With my help he contacted the Shasta Cascade Rail Preservation Society, general historian, Dave Jungkeit, who became fascinated and mind-blown by this rare discovery.
Jungkeit, remarked during an interview that: "it's a real possibility that whatever cargo those freight cars were hauling could still be intact and nicely preserved for Hammon to find, if he gets cleared to start digging it up from the river channel, of course he would have to go through Fish & Game to make a salvage claim." One newspaper article mentioned that most of the cars were hauling ties. Jungkeit, has set up a date with Hammon to review the discovery site himself.
The chances of locating the other four cars are slim since the newspaper articles claimed that they were smashed into pieces. So, it's a very rare possibility that any more lie there in the Sacramento River channel. Currently, Shasta Lake is 892.66-feet elevation below full pool, and or 174.34-feet below the crest of Shasta Dam.
FOUR CARS LEAVE TRACK NEAR TUNNEL 6 - CANYON TRAFFIC TIED UP FOR SEVEN HOURS SATURDAY - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, March 27, 1909.
One of the five derailed freight train cars is shown here. It has been nicely preserved by the murky depths of Shasta Lake for one hundred and twelve years. This discovery was made by Ryan "Rizzle" Hammon and his friends. This photograph was taken on September 18, 2021, by Jeremy M. Tuggle/Shasta County News Source.
L- R: James White, Ryan “Rizzle” Hammon, Zack Stevens, age 18, and Mariah Stevens checking out their incredible discovery in Lakehead. This photograph was taken on September 18, 2021, by Jeremy M. Tuggle/Shasta County News Source.
RESOURCES:
The Shasta Route - In All Of Its Grandeur - A Scenic Guide Book.
Four Cars Leave Track Near Tunnel 6 - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, March 27, 1909
Freight Wrecked Near Tunnel No. 6 - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, March 28, 1909
Shasta County - Wreck - The Sacramento Daily Union newspaper of Sacramento, March 28, 1909
Freight Cars Smashed To Pieces - The Marysville Daily Appeal newspaper of Marysville, March 28, 1909
Freight Train Wrecked Saturday - The Colusa Daily Sun newspaper of Colusa, March 29, 1909
New YouTube video: Railroad Tunnel Number 4 Now Surfacing Out Of the Sacramento River Arm of Shasta Lake, 9-17-2021. Today’s Shasta Lake level is 897.53-Feet elevation wise or 169.47-Feet below the crest of Shasta Dam. Built 1884 and remodeled in 1925. See my video below:
PORTIONS OF THE HISTORIC RAILROAD AT POLLOCK IS NOW OUT OF THE WATER AT SHASTA LAKE, 9-4-2021. SHASTA LAKE IS CURRENTLY 163.67-FEET BELOW THE CREST OF SHASTA DAM OR 903.33-FEET ELEVATION WISE BELOW FULL POOL.
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