PIECES OF HISTORY FROM THE EMPIRE HOTEL AT SHASTA.

Filmed on location.

Come see some unique pieces of history on display at the former Shasta County Courthouse and Museum in (Old) Shasta at what is now the Shasta State Historic Park. These items belonged to the luxurious, commodious, and comfortable, Empire hotel, a three-story brick hostelry, which stood towering above Main Street at Shasta, it offered lodging and meals to the weary travelers passing through the area. This hotel was erected in that town for $30,000 in 1857. It went through many changes of ownership during the years.

This hostelry operated well into the turn of the 20th century, and it was closed down in 1913, later on, it fell into decay and ruins like most of the former buildings of (Old) Shasta did. The Empire hotel was demolished in January of 1923. Its last owner was Sarah J. Hill, a resident of Redding, California. The Empire hotel boasted of the following famous guests lodging here during its prime which included California Governors Standford, Haight and Bigler. Along with Joaquin Miller, the famous Poet of the Sierra's. The lot in Shasta which the former hostelry stood upon has been turned into a park on the left side of the present-day, Shasta County Courthouse and Museum building.

On my maternal side my great-great-great grandparents, Valentine Doll, and his wife, Harriett (Schmidt) Doll stayed here. They were residents settling upon Huling Creek near Eagle Creek (now Ono, California). At one time Valentine Doll operated the local meat market in (Old) Shasta. He was also a local farmer and a miner in the area. On my paternal side my great-great-great-great grandparents George McFarlin, and his wife, Martha (Miller) McFarlin along with their kids, their kids at this time who were actually young adults their youngest being 17 years old, when they stayed here as well. George McFarlin was a local farmer, and this family also resided at Eagle Creek (now Ono). Please like, share, comment and subscribe to my YouTube channel if you haven't yet. Look out for the next episode, article, or blog on my website: Exploring Shasta County History as well.

RESOURCES:

Administrators Sale of Real Estate - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, March 12, 1853

Terrible Conflagration!! - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, June 18, 1853

Dissolution - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, August 13, 1853

The Empire Property for Sale - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, October 10, 1853

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

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

The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, January 2, 1858

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

Travel - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, October 30, 1858

1867 - Pacific Coast Directory, available on Ancestry.com 

Oregon & California Stage Office - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, July 20, 1872

Anniversary Ball - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, December 20, 1873

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

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

The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, May 4, 1900

Shasta Hotel Man Now in Bankrupt - The Redding Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding,

The Empire at Shasta - The Redding Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, May 7, 1900

For Sale - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, June 21, 1901

The Daily Free Press newspaper of Redding, January 30, 1903

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

Old Landmarks to Go - The Sacramento Bee newspaper of Sacramento, January 16, 1923

Two Landmarks Are to Be Town Down - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, January 19, 1923

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

The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, March 13, 1952

Shasta: The Queen City by Mabel Moores Frisbie and Jean Moores Beauchamp, published by California Historical Society, ©1973.

Shasta State Historic Park Brief History and Tour Guide, published by Shasta State Historic Park, ©July 1985

John Varner Scott: The Shasta Hostelry Man written by Jeremy M. Tuggle, published on March 20, 2019.

A Christmas Ball at the Whiskeytown Hotel in 1861

Above: an advertisement for the main event on Christmas Day, at Whiskeytown in the Whiskeytown hotel. From the Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, December 21, 1861.

On Christmas Day, in 1861, a grand Christmas celebration was opened to the public to celebrate Christmas at Whiskeytown inside the Whiskeytown hotel, on December 25th, hosted by the hotel's proprietor George P. McGuire, a local hostelry man. It was a public affair which was managed by various local residents of Shasta and Trinity Counties, yes, even Weaverville and Minersville assisted in organizing this grand ball with our county residents at the time. This grand ball featured an elegant dinner, a live band rendering music, dancing, Christmas presents which were donated by the managers for the children, Santa Claus, and a beautifully decorated Christmas tree. This Christmas, I’m wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas, and I hope you enjoy all of the numerous festivities of this holiday season with your family and friends. 

Resources: 

The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, December 7, 1861

The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, December 14, 1861

Christmas Ball At Whiskeytown - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, December 21, 1861

NOB HILL

Above: an 1889 Birds Eye View Map of Redding - Nob Hill showing the L-shape structure of the Del Monte hotel also known as the Del Monte Lodging and Tennant's.

Nob Hill is where Redding's wealthiest residents lived in luxurious homes during the 1880s, located on the westside of Redding surrounded by Court, Yuba, West and Placer Streets. Nob Hill is situated on the hillside, near the Placer Street hill and Court Street alongside the John J. Balma Justice Center, also known as the Shasta County jail.

Some of the earliest known landowners on Nob Hill were James T. Loag, Holton S. Cochran, M. Hayles, John H. Madison, O.J. Willis, and the Yeakey brothers. Some of the known renters of these luxury homes were the John Estes family, who rented the house and property belonging to James T. Loag, as well as Mr. And Mrs. E.G. Parker who rented the house and property belonging to Holton S. Cochran.

In 1887 one of Redding's hotels was erected on the top of Nob Hill and named the Del Monte Hotel. Later it would be known as Del Monte Lodging and Tenants' Its builder/proprietor was George Groves, and his hostelry was a two-story L-shape structure facing Yuba Street. It had an observatory on top and it contained ninety-six rooms. During the hostelry's construction, one local newspaper stated the following about its owner: "There are men in town who have more money than Geo. Groves, but none with more enterprise." It seemed to be their way of accepting Groves' building in the wealthiest part of town. By 1889 several more dwellings had been completed within the area but the Del Monte hotel stood out as one of the tallest buildings in the city. 

The Del Monte hotel grounds consisted of freshly made sidewalks and bridges. On the south-west side of the hotel property fronting West Street was a water well, an outhouse, barn, and shop, erected by Groves for his tenant's use. By May of 1896, the Sanborne Fire Maps of Redding noted the well as private property then owned by the Well & Rider Company of England. Later this water well supplied water for Redding's business district.

The 1899 City of Redding Directory described the Del Monte hotel as an apartment house, not a hostelry. It is interesting to not that the directory  mentions its location as being on the south side of Butte Streets between West and Court Street. It was still owned by George Groves at that time.

The nearest subdivision to Nob Hill was the Breslauer Addition to the west. By March of 1912, ten dwellings had been erected on Nob Hill including an Episcopal church on the south-west corner of Yuba and Court Streets. Construction and new development have changed Nob Hill's look over time from residential to a business area. 

The Del Monte Apartments were condemned by the City of Redding in 1959 and demolished in 1960, never to be rebuilt. There was another Del Monte Apartments, but it had no relation to the pioneer hostelry business. The John J. Balma Justice Center was erected on Nob Hill in 1984.

RESOURCES:

The Reading Independent newspaper of Redding, March 25, 1880

A Tough Crowd - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, April 16, 1887

Another Improvement - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, May 21, 1887

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, June 4, 1887

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, June 11, 1887

1899 City of Redding Directory

Sanborne Fire Map of Redding

The Temple Hotel

On June 12, 1891, the San Francisco Call newspaper published the following column about the future Temple Hotel and Masonic Lodge of Redding:

“Another Masonic Temple

The Redding Lodge Branching Out In Grand Style.

The Masonic Building Association of Redding has so far completed arrangements as to order the signing of the contract for the erection of the Masonic Temple in that place. It will be a four-story edifice, the two lower stories for rent, and third floor for Masonic uses, with lodge-rooms ample for all higher degrees, Knights Templars, etc., banquet-rooms and library rooms. It will be the finest building of its kind north of San Francisco. The Masons of Redding are hopeful that the building will be completed by September or October, before the Grand Lodge meeting. The Grand Lodge will be asked in due time to lay the cornerstone, with the Masonic fraternity and military assist. The Redding Lodge intends that it shall be the pride of the fraternity and the event of all Masonic events in the northern portion of the State.”

The Temple Hotel’s cornerstone was laid on August 6, 1891, by the Redding Lodge of Masons for the Masonic Building Association, on the southeast corner of Tehama and Market Streets. In 1894 the construction on the Temple Hotel was completed and the Masonic Building Association opened their new hotel and lodge. It was a gothic style four-story building with a basement and it featured the Masonic symbol at the top of the building. The hotel included one hundred rooms for its guests and one bathroom in the entire building, however, porcelain potties were provided under each bed for their use. The third and fourth floors of the building were reserved for Masonic members. The Masons utilized the majority of the hotel. At one point, the Masonic Building Association began transporting travelers from the Temple Hotel to the Redding Depot on Yuba Street with their own wagon and it remained a custom of the hotel for many years.

The Masonic Building Association employed Henry Clineschmidt to conduct the everyday business of the hotel and Masonic Lodge. His wife Nancy (Ritchie) Clineschmidt assisted her husband when he needed her help, and of course additional employees were hired. The Clineschmidt’s were permanent residents of the hotel.

Above: the Temple Hotel of Redding, date unknown. Courtesy of Shasta Historical Society.

The hotel included a barroom which was stocked with the finest liquor and cigars. The Masonic Building Association hired F.A. Nauman to tend their bar. Nauman was still employed by them in 1898. By the following year the Temple Hotel was advertised as a first class establishment with first class table service and airy and pleasant rooms. The hotel room rates were one dollar per day and upwards while meals were offered at twenty-five cents a plate.

After the turn of the century, the Temple Hotel included the Temple Barbershop owned and operated by W.J. Scott, which was located on the main floor. It was still in business by 1904; however, it was a short-lived business venture. The barroom inside the hotel always kept busy. Two years later, on January 2, 1906, the Temple Hotel and Masonic Lodge were sold by the Masonic Building Association to Henry and Nancy (Ritchie) Clineschmidt for a total of $24, 000. Now the Clineschmidt’s not only operated the hotel - they owned it.

Over the years the hotel hired a number of employees to work as bell hops for both day and night shifts and night clerks for the hotel. In 1907, a popular night clerk at the Temple Hotel, Harry Grant, disappeared after robbing the cash register of $40. The story made headlines, but Clineschmidt chose to not press charges against the young man. Henry Clineschmidt and his wife continued to operate the hotel until her death May 13, 1918, and his death February 1, 1919. At this time his son Henry Clineschmidt Jr., along with his wife Luella, became the owners.

By 1931 the Temple Hotel had a registered address at 1401 Market Street. During the 1930s, the Clineschmidt’s brought in new businesses to the main floor of the hotel. These included the Temple Barbershop, whose proprietors were Elliott & Height, and the Temple Hotel Beauty Shop, which was owned and operated by Ell Feuz Eliz Carney, and the barroom became the Temple Lounge, which was owned and operated by A.V. Pearson.

In 1940 the Temple Lounge changed hands and Charles Bragg became the new proprietor. In 1948 the Temple Hotel was one of four major hotels in the area; Redding also had six smaller hotels in operation at that time. By 1951 owning and operating the hotel became an extended family affair with Henry Jr.’s brother Robert L. Clineschmidt stepping in to help his brother and sister-in- law. The Clineschmidt’s resumed control of the Temple Lounge. Matters at the Temple Hotel and Masonic Lodge stayed the same through-out the 1950s and into the 1960s.

The Masons still used the hotel and lodge for a number of events through the years. In 1964, the Temple Hotel was torn down as part of the first phase of the downtown revitalization plan of the 1960s to create the downtown Redding Mall, which wasn’t built until 1972. Today, the only thing left of the Temple Hotel is the basement which was used to store choice wines, bourbon and other alcoholic beverages for sale in the Temple Lounge.

RESOURCES:

Another Masonic Temple – The San Francisco Call newspaper of San Francisco, June 12, 1891

New Masonic Temple – The Sacramento Daily Union newspaper of Sacramento, August 7, 1891

The Red Bluff News newspaper of Red Bluff, March 4, 1898

1899 City of Redding Directory

Redding Hotel Man Assaults A Constable – The San Francisco Call newspaper of San Francisco, April 5, 1902

Masonic Hall Is Sold For Big Price – The Sacramento Union newspaper of Sacramento, January 3, 1906

Hotel Man Is Arrested – The Sacramento Union newspaper of Sacramento, April 6, 1906

Redding – The Chico Record newspaper of Chico, June 5, 1906

Night Clerk Gone – The Sacramento Union newspaper of Sacramento, May 5, 1907

1931 City of Redding Directory

1938 City of Redding Directory

1940 City of Redding Directory

1948 City of Redding Directory

Henry Clineschmidt Sr., Find A Grave Memorial

Images of America: Redding by Shasta Historical Society with Al M. Rocca ©2004. Published by Arcadia Publishing. ISBN: 0-7385-2934-6

Redding's first class hostelry: the Golden Eagle hotel

This is the earliest known sketch of the Golden Eagle hotel in Redding. There is a sign promoting Dooley's Restaurant and the hotel bar. Taken from a late 1880s Birds Eye View Map of Redding. Proprietors: Spellman & Kern. From the collection of Jeremy Tuggle.

The beginning of the Golden Eagle hotel in Redding was reported in this column from the Republican Free Press newspaper on April 9, 1887:

“Barney Conroy is figuring on a two-story brick building on the corner of Yuba and California Streets, and it is rumored that he and Mr. Wiseman, his son-in-law, will go into business.” (SIC)

Bernard “Barney” Conroy was an Irish immigrant and a pioneer settler of Shasta County, who arrived in 1856 from New York with his wife Mary (Flannigan) Conroy and their daughter Ellen. Another child named Stephen was added to the household that year when they settled at Horsetown where Conroy previously owned and operated a saloon. Barney and Mary had six more children between the years 1858 and 1872, respectively.

  

Conroy had experience as a hotel proprietor since he formerly owned the Redding Hotel in 1881. While plans were underway to erect this new two-story building, the local media often referred to it as Conroy’s building, its official name wasn’t released until a later date. It was the Holt & Gregg Company of Anderson who received the contract from Conroy to do the brick work of his building. Apparently, he did not go into business with Wiseman but allowed him to rent one of his own business offices in the hotel for his son-in-law’s company. John T. Wiseman was a native of Texas who married Conroy’s daughter Catherine and they lived in Redding. In May, the construction began as the Holt & Gregg Company had an overflow of bricks in their brickyard ready to start the construction of the first-story. Eventually, they had to produce additional bricks at their brickyard by burning a new kiln on the property specifically for this project.

  

During July, a laborer working on the Conroy building fell off a scaffold with a loaded wheelbarrow of bricks. His body hit the hoist and he fell to the ground as the bricks fell on top of him which critically injured him. The wheelbarrow landed near him. The unidentified man was rushed to a local hospital where his injuries were treated. It was the only injury during the course of the hotel’s construction.

  

One of the first companies to move inside the Conroy building was the John T. Wiseman & Company. The following article was heralded in the Republican Free Press newspaper on July 16, 1887:

“J.T. Wiseman & Co.

This is the name of the firm which will occupy the first two rooms of Barney Conroy’s new brick building on the corner of Yuba and California Streets. The first room, 25x90, will be filled with groceries, hardware and goods of that character, and the second store 22x50 feet will be the dry goods and fancy goods department. These rooms will be finished right away, and the firm expects to be ready for business near the first of August. J.T. Wiseman is a son-in-law of Barney Conroy and for a long time was identified with Sisson & Crocker at the railroad front, and at present owns an interest in a store at Deming, N.M. The company will be W.E. Chesley, wholesale dealers in wines, liquors and groceries, and who is well known to every business man in the upper country. This firm has plenty of capital and will doubtless, with our other large stores, make Redding a center for a large trade. We like to see business men come among us, for business men attract business the world over.” (SIC)

The Holt & Gregg Company completed the brick work on July 30, 1887, which gave the hotel an imposing site. The new hotel would soon be opened to the public on the first day of August. From the start the hotel lacked a few things including some of its furniture, its bar and its restaurant. A month later, a Canadian immigrant by the name of Thomas Dooley, a resident of Chico established his new restaurant in Redding inside Barney Conroy’s hotel. Dooley had twenty years as an experience restaurant owner and he was quite impressed with Redding’s growth and prosperity, which is why he selected the city to be his new place of business. He already had restaurants in operation in Willows and Chico. These restaurants were well favored by the public.

  

Thomas Dooley offered the following foods on his menu: “the choicest cuts of meat, the different variety of game, changes of vegetables daily, and receive directly from Morgan & Co’s large oyster beds (selects),  the choicest and largest eastern oysters, also crabs and shrimp weekly. Fresh and salt water fish.”  Dooley hired only the best cooks at his establishment.

That year, the Conroy building was well underway of becoming a first class establishment as it was preparing its self to compete in business against the following hotels and boarding houses: the New City hotel, proprietor Henry Clineschmidt, it was located on Market Street near Tehama Street. A two-story lodging house owned by A.S. Castle on California Street between Butte and Tehama Streets. It was eventually leased to S. Clein. The Major hotel which was located opposite of the Castle lodging house and post office, proprietors Kunene & Blohm. The Paragon hotel was located opposite of the Redding Depot, proprietor George Groves, and later the Del Monte hotel which was under construction. The Del Monte hotel’s construction was almost completed by October 8, 1887.

The original two-story structure of the Golden Eagle hotel included forty-two rooms on the second floor and the first floor included a meeting parlor (banquet room), Dooley’s Restaurant and a bar. Additional business offices were built into the building also on the first floor; some were described in an earlier paragraph. Both floors of this building were connected by a staircase. This hotel was based on what is called the “European plan” where the owners only charged their customers the rent of the room and not for meals. There were additional charges for the meals.

The imposing brick work of the Golden Eagle hotel gave the local media the following to boast about on October 1, 1887:

“There will be a solid block of brick from the corner of California and Yuba Streets to the corner of Placer and Market Streets. Two and a half blocks.” (SIC)

That month, Barney Conroy finally received his new furniture that he had ordered for his business. Some of the furniture included the tables and chairs for his banquet room. He also received a liquor license which was granted to him by the Shasta County Tax Collector so he could begin operating his new bar. Then on, November 12, 1887, the local media announced the following...

“Barney Conroy has christened his hotel the “Golden Eagle”.  It took several of them to build it.”

In November, a jeweler by the name of B.H. Bacon a former resident of San Louise Obispo relocated to Redding in 1887, and opened a jewelry and confectionary store inside the Golden Eagle hotel. Bacon was also a chocolatier that made fresh homemade chocolates and candies. He also packaged them and sold them inside his store. Bacon also sold American watches manufactured by Seth Thomas and other brands from different clock manufacturers.

Another new addition that month to the Golden Eagle hotel was the law office of William D. Biegle, a native of New York, and a former miner. Biegle originally mined for gold at Whiskeytown. Whiskeytown is where he lived and he commuted to work in Redding each day.  Fraternal societies began using the hotel’s parlor room (banquet room) for many luncheons and other events as well. Conroy enjoyed having a successful business. During December of 1887, the first doctor to run a practice inside the hotel opened an office inside room number eleven. His name was Doctor J.A. Dawson. Dawson was a former resident of Oakland, and he relocated to Redding that month. Eventually, he found a more suitable office space in Redding and moved out of the hotel.

During May of the following year, the Bennett-Mackey Cable Company moved into the Golden Eagle hotel after a business office became available to rent from Conroy, when a former tenant had moved out. Local and national newspapers were being sold by a man with the surname of Woodward. Woodward operated Woodwards Newspaper Stand which was also located inside the Golden Eagle hotel.

Then in, November of 1888, John T. Wiseman purchased stock within the McCormick-Saeltzer Company of Redding, and he saw a need to relocate his store from his father-in-law’s hotel into the building of the McCormick-Saeltzer Company which was then located on the west side of Market Street. It was general merchants Abram & Karsky of Weaverville who occupied the store space that formerly belonged to the John T. Wiseman Company inside Conroy’s Golden Eagle hotel. Then in, December of that year, a second doctor by the name of Benjamin E. Stevenson, M.D., a physician and surgeon opened his doctor’s office inside the hotel. It was a regular business office and not a regular hotel room like the previous doctor had.

Conroy sold his hostelry to John Spellman and his partner E. Kern in 1889, and they became the new proprietors of the Golden Eagle hotel. Under their ownership, the Golden Eagle hotel included: Dooley’s Restaurant, the Golden Eagle Barber Shop, and a bar. By that time, Dooley’s Restaurant had changed hands and it was now owned by J.H. Duffield who offered the same menu that Thomas Dooley did.

Under the new ownership, a surprising suicide took place in the Golden Eagle hotel on March 21, 1889, when the body of C.E. Crookshanks was discovered in room number 35. It had been determined that poisoning from morphia sulphate was the cause of his death. He was found by both Spellman and Kern. Crookshanks was a native of Oregon who registered at the hotel on the 18th of that month. The sheriff and the coroner were both notified of the death, and a Coroner's Inquest was held upon the body.

It’s possible that it was Spellman & Kern who sold this establishment to James M. Bryan and his brother Thomas D. Bryan. During the 1890s new businesses were brought into the Golden Eagle hotel building which included: a bar, and a billiards room. There was also the Golden Eagle Barber Shop whose proprietor was E. Kern, the Golden Eagle Jewelry Store whose proprietor was Adolph Dobrowsky. The Redding Cigar Factory, and the Golden Eagle Cigar Store whose proprietor was John W. Potts.

The Daily Free Press newspaper of Redding published this advertisement on August 27, 1897, by the Bryan Brothers for their Golden Eagle hotel, offering a first class service in Redding and free bus to and from all trains.

Then on, May 1, 1899, the Bryan brothers leased the hotel to J.H. Leveck who ended up buying the hotel from the Bryan brothers, and Leveck became the new proprietor. It was J.H. Leveck, who turned a room of this hotel into his residence. Room rates at the Golden Eagle hotel cost travelers $1.00  a day and upwards, and the meals were twenty-five cents a plate. The Golden Eagle hotel flourished with success and Leveck saw a need to improve the building.

In September, Leveck negotiated a contract with the Holt & Gregg Company to add a third-story to this building. In addition there would be fifty-eight new rooms, which gave the hotel a total of 100 rooms. As construction began the hotel kept busy with new daily arrivals checking in.

During 1904, Leveck sold out to the Hurst siblings, George & Ferdinand, who purchased the hotel and operated this hostelry for a short time. They kept the same rates Leveck offered. That year, it was W.H. Nutting who was the proprietor of the Golden Eagle Barber Shop, a clean cut would have cost you fifteen cents. Two years later, the Hurst brothers eventually sold the establishment to the Gronwoldt siblings. It was George Gronwoldt and Augustas H. Gronwoldt who took possession of the hotel on March 15, 1906, and they began operating it. 

The next week on March 24, 1906, the pioneer Bernard "Barney" Conroy died in San Francisco at the home of his son-in-law, John T. Wiseman. He died after a brief illness. Conroy was the original founder of the Golden Eagle hotel. The news of his death was heralded all over the state by the media and many people mourned his death.

The Gronwoldt’s had a hotel monopoly in Redding and at one time owned the Alta House and the Redding Hotel as well as other establishments. They had a knack for the hotel business and they promoted the name of the Golden Eagle as much as possible by slapping the name on china, silverware, hand towels, ivory soap bars with special wrapping, match boxes, and other novelty items. It was Augustas H. Gronwoldt who became a four-time Mayor of Redding.

Above: the Golden Eagle Cigar Store on July 4, 1907. L-R: are the new owners, John Bartosh and George Bartosh who purchased this store from John W. Potts at the beginning of the month. Courtesy of Chet Sunde.

The Gronwoldts eventually sold some shares of the hotel to James Hoyle, and it was Hoyle who sold his interest in the hotel to Henry Wagner of Sacramento in June of 1909. Wagner was previously employed as a railroad man and he became a new partner with the Gronwoldts. 

During May of 1914, the Gronwoldt’s planned additional improvements to the hotel by including the installment of a heating and air conditioning system at a cost of $3,500. The improvements on the agenda included a new kitchen, and a new dining room, and a remodel of the entire first floor.  The media speculated that the upgrades would take all summer to complete.

Another addition to the building was a wireless telegraph tower for a new telegraph station at Redding and the spot chosen for the tower was the roof top of the Golden Eagle hotel. The man in charge of installing the new tower in August of 1914 was the jeweler, Adolph Dobrowsky, who was also the watch inspector of the Southern Pacific for the Shasta County division. Dobrowsky would receive telegraph reports from Mount Hamilton through radio transmission. 

In 1917, my great-great paternal uncle Otto M. Tuggle was employed by the Gronwoldt siblings as a bell hop at this hotel. He worked for them during a three year span. Years, later Tuggle wrote down some of his fond memories of working at the Golden Eagle hotel in Redding which are kept in the archives of the Shasta Historical Society.

The restaurant inside the hotel during the 1920s was called the Golden Eagle Grill. During my research the earliest address that I have found for the Golden Eagle hotel is from 1926 when it was located at 425 Yuba Street. That year, the first floor of the hostelry included the following: the Golden Eagle Drug Company, the Golden Eagle Jewelry Store, and the Golden Eagle Cigar Store. Two years later, the first floor stayed the same with the exception of the Golden Eagle Drug Company which appears to have been a short lived business venture.

In the decade of the 1930s the hotel’s address changed from 425 Yuba Street to 1449 Yuba Street, and it now included the Golden Eagle Coffee Shop. The coffee shop replaced the former Golden Eagle Grill, and it advertised as serving the best meals at moderate prices. The first floor also included the following: the Golden Eagle Liquor Store and the Golden Eagle Tavern. In 1938, the Grownoldt brothers still had ownership of this hotel, it appears that the third parties ownership dissolved long before this year commenced.

Two years later, the Gronwoldt's still kept a first class hostelry. Dobrowsky still owned the Golden Eagle Jewelry Store, and James Bartosh kept a variety of cigars in stock at the Golden Eagle Cigar Store. The Golden Eagle Tavern served mixed drinks and cocktails, while the Golden Eagle Liquor Store provided locals with all sorts of packaged liquors and wines. A number of small robberies occurred during the years too, which gained the Gronwoldt's and other various businesses inside the hotel unwanted media press.

After the death of Augustas H. Gronwoldt Sr., in Redding on June 15, 1945, his son Augustas H. Gronwoldt Jr., and his widow Sophronia (Brown) Gronwoldt became the new proprietors of the hotel. They operated it until they were bought out by Clark R. Nye and David W. Hinds in 1958. Then on, September 22, 1962, a ravaging fire destroyed the historic Golden Eagle hotel. The following people were the three individuals whose life’s perished in the fire: Charles Brack of Idaho Falls, Idaho, Edward De Bob of Eureka, California, and a local Redding area rancher named Herb Johnson.

During the excitement of the blaze people were departing the burning building any way they could which included jumping from the third-story and landing in the street. This caused critical injuries to their bodies and quite a number of people ended up injured and in the local hospital. To this day, it’s a well-remembered establishment by many local residents.

THE HOLLYWOOD CONNECTION:

In 1961, the parents of nationally renowned Hollywood actor Tom Hanks (born in 1956) were employed at the Golden Eagle hotel. Hanks’ mother Janet (Frager) Hanks was the hotel manager at that time and his father Amos M. Hanks was a cook at the Golden Eagle Coffee Shop. Tom Hanks and three of his older siblings would often visit their parents while they worked there. They lived in a house at 2132 West Street in Redding; the former Hanks home is still standing today at that location. At a later date, Hanks’ parents divorced and it was Janet (Frager) Hanks who relocated to Red Bluff.

Above: the Golden Eagle hotel with early day automobiles parked in front of the hostelry. Circa, 1920s. Courtesy of Steve Brui.

Above: an interior view of the Golden Eagle hotel banquet room, circa 1920s to 1930s. Courtesy of Steve Brui.

Above: the interior view of the Golden Eagle hotel lobby, 1941. (Public Domain.)

Above: the interior view of the Golden Eagle Coffee Shop, 1941. (Public Domain.)

Above: an interior lodging room of the Golden Eagle hotel, 1941. (Public Domain.)

Above: the Golden Eagle hotel at Redding, California, postcard by J.H. Eastman in 1945. Courtesy of Steve Brui.

Fire gutted the historic Golden Eagle hotel building on September 22, 1962. The building was in such bad shape it couldn't be remodeled, and it was soon demolished. (Public Domain.)

Above: this marker dedicates some of the early history of the Golden Eagle hotel which operated on this lot from 1887- 1962. It was dedicated as a historic site on September 22, 2017 by the Grindstone Club in cooperation with the City of Redding. The site is located where the double parking structure is on Yuba and California Streets. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on October 3, 2017.

GOLDEN EAGLE HOTEL NOVELTY ITEMS:

Above: this plate is from the Golden Eagle Grill restaurant. Its manufactured by Warwick. Warwick's iconic decal on the back of the plate dates back to the 1920s. From the Gronwoldt period. From the collection of Jeremy Tuggle.

Above: an opened Golden Eagle hotel reverse strike match box, complete with matches. From the Gronwoldt period. Manufactured by the Diamond Match Box Company of Chico, California in the 1920s. From the collection of Jeremy Tuggle.

Above: a hand towel from the Golden Eagle hotel. White with blue pin stripe and white lettering which states, "Golden Eagle Hotel - Redding". From the Gronwoldt period. Manufacturer: unknown, manufactured in the 1920s. From the collection of Jeremy Tuggle. 

Above: an opened Golden Eagle hotel reverse strike match box, complete with matches (same as below). Advertising the Coffee Shop and Tavern. From the Gronwoldt period. Manufactured by the Ohio Match Company of San Francisco, California in the 1930s. From the collection of Jeremy Tuggle.

Above: a closed Golden Eagle hotel reverse strike match box, complete with matches (same as above). Photo of the hotel on the front cover. From the Gronwoldt period. Manufactured by the Ohio Match Company of San Francisco, California in the 1930s. From the collection of Jeremy Tuggle.

RESOURCES:

1880 U.S. Census

Barney Conroy’s brick - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, May 21, 1887

Holt & Gregg - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, May 21, 1887

A laborer fell - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, July 16, 1887

Furious Flames - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, July 30, 1887

Dooley - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, September 24, 1887

The Del Monte Hotel - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, September 24, 1887

Dr. J.A. Dawson – The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, December 17, 1887

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, October 1, 1887

Attention - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, January 7, 1888

Howell & Wood - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, March 3, 1888

The Bennett- Mackey Cable Company - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding May 26, 1888

Our County Dads - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, October 8, 1888

Suicide - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, March 23, 1889

John W. Potts - The Daily Free Press newspaper of Redding, August 10, 1897

John W. Potts - The Daily Free Press newspaper of Redding, August 8, 1899

1899 City of Redding Directory

Golden Eagle Hotel advertisement - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, September 2, 1899

Local Happenings - Red Bluff Daily News newspaper of Red Bluff, September 20, 1899

1900 U.S. Census

Barney Conroy Is Dead - The Sacramento Union newspaper of Sacramento, March 27, 1906

Buys Golden Eagle Interest - The Sacramento Union newspaper of Sacramento, June 26, 1909

To Improve Redding Hotel - The Sacramento Union newspaper of Sacramento, May 28, 1914

Redding To Have Wireless - The Sacramento newspaper of Sacramento, August 11, 1914

World War 1 Draft Registration Card for Otto Tuggle, June 5, 1917.

Old Timer Passes In San Francisco - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, August 22, 1923

No Arrests Yet In Hotel Safe Money Mystery - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, February 12, 1929

1938 City of Redding Directory

1940 City of Redding Directory

1951 City of Redding Direcotry

1960 City of Redding Directory

1961 City of Redding Directory

The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, September 23, 1962

6 Dead Or Missing As Fire Destroys Hotel At Redding, The San Bernardino Sun newspaper, September 23, 1962

Two Killed In Redding Hotel Fire - The Santa Cruz Sentinel newspaper of Santa Cruz, September 23, 1962

Searchers Have Found A Third Body - The La Habra Star newspaper of La Habra, September 24, 1962