ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE CARR FIRE; REVISITING THE DEVASTATED AREAS & THE HISTORY OF KESWICK

Above: a welcome to Keswick sign, Keswick was established in 1895. The town sign survived the Carr Fire, located at Market Street and Iron Mountain Road. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on August 8, 2018.

The historic and deadly Carr Fire erupted into flames around 1:30 p.m., on July 23, 2018 at the intersection of Highway 299 West and Carr Powerhouse Road, due to vehicle malfunction failure. It ravaged everything in its course of destruction in Shasta County as it entered nearby populated places traveling into Shasta. Spot fires were a regular occurrence. On the afternoon of July 26, 2018, some spectators watched from the vista points near Shasta Dam as the Carr Fire climbed over Copley mountain, but the worst was yet to come.

The fire raged into Lower Springs, Keswick and Redding. Eventually, it made its way into other places in the area. It was scary, unlike anything our county has seen before, we weren't prepared for this monster, but our fire fighters and first respondents battled the blaze. Everyone was on high alert, and some evacuations were almost last minute. Pure fear and pandemonium spread over Keswick and Redding when the famous fire whirlwind ravaged them, that night.

The fire kept getting hotter and had its own weather pattern. Then it jumped the Sacramento river, and also made its way south-east to Harlan Drive and the Lake Redding Drive area. Many people were evacuated from their home's including downtown Redding at Chestnut Street. All the hotels and motels were completely booked for many miles by evacuees. Emergency shelters were set up at various places in the county. Traffic in and out of Redding was a nightmare in its own. The Carr Fire grew to become the 6th most destructive fire in California state history and it became the most destructive fire in the history of Shasta County. One hundred percent containment was held on the fire at 229, 651 burned acres on August 30, 2018. Eight lives perished during the deadly fire, a tally of 1,079 homes were destroyed, while another tally of 79 homes were damaged which included the Shasta County Fire Station No. 53 at Keswick, which was a volunteer fire company.

The Carr Fire destroyed the town of Keswick leaving only two residences standing next to each other on separate lots on Weiland Street. However, one of Keswick’s unknown secrets were revealed. The strange metal dome shape structures seen on the property of Alan Crabtree were seen for the first time. They were usually blocked from the view of the public by his buildings on the property and they attracted much attention on Facebook and many people called into the Shasta Historical Society wondering what they were. We didn't know much about them, and yet we could only speculate. Through a mutual friend I was placed in contact with Crabtree and he believes that they were “covers for artillery and people sold surplus from them, years ago.” However, it’s not known exactly what they were originally used for. According to Crabtree the inside of the covers had iron in them.

Above: only two houses survived the Carr Fire which are located on Weiland Street near Bush Street at Keswick. Both houses are shown here in this photograph above. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on August 8, 2018.

Above: the residence at 11541 Weiland Street survived the Carr Fire. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on August 8, 2018.

Above: the residence at 11557 Weiland Street survived the Carr Fire. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on August 8, 2018.

Above: one of the strange metal dome shape structures, possibly used as a cover for artillery, from which people sold surplus from them, years ago. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on August 8, 2018.

You could say that history has repeated due to the Carr Fire as it’s not the first time the town of Keswick has been destroyed by fire. The phrase “We will rebuild” which was coined by local residents after the Carr Fire comes to mind, because in past history, it did rebuild after the destruction of those major fires. Today (July 23, 2019), marks the one-year anniversary since the hellish Carr Fire erupted into flames.

THE ESTABLISHMENT OF KESWICK:

Long before the town site of Keswick was established the present town site was bustling in action with horse racing, cock fighting, gymnastic exercises, and additional entertainment purposes for our local residents to enjoy. A horse racing arena called the Oakland Horse Racing Track was established there in 1852 by pioneer T.J. Stump. Stump owned the track until 1856, it was also home to a suburb of Shasta called Hogtown which never took-off and eventually disappeared. Hogtown was located near the Stump Ranch that Stump owned and lived upon.

Stump sold out to Frank Thompson and later owners made extensive changes to the property. The smelter town of Keswick was established in 1895, due to the nearby production of the Iron Mountain mine, which was owned and operated by the Mountain Copper Company LTD., who had purchased the mining property from Charles Camden, Colonel William Magee and James M. Sallee, that year. The mine was located in 1865 by Camden and Magee, and it quickly became known for its mass copper production. The mining property was part of the Shasta County copper belt. Sallee became a partner in 1884, after discovering a lucrative vein of silver in their mine.

Above: the Keswick smelter was the the first copper smelter in Shasta County. It was built between 1895 to March 1896, when one of the first furnaces of the smelter began its operation. It was formerly located on Spring Creek on the site where the Spring Creek Powerhouse is today on Iron Mountain Road. Note: the denuded hill sides from the deadly chemicals of the smelter fumes. Date: unknown. Courtesy of Shasta Historical Society.

While the smelter was being erected upon Spring Creek the first order of business by the Mountain Copper Company LTD., was to erect living quarters for their personnel, and this included the superintendent residences. The living quarters consisted of a one two-story building comprised of sixteen rooms with furnishings which included baths and toilets. This made their staff feel comfortable at home. The company also built a mess hall and a entertainment hall. Construction then followed on two company office buildings.

On October 18, 1895, the Shasta Courier newspaper reported the following:

“Keswick and the camps are booming, locomotives tooting up and down the new track. It’s a regular hive of industry.”

The owner and president of the Mountain Copper Company LTD., was Lord William Keswick of London, England, who the town of Keswick was named for. The Mountain Copper Company, LTD., holdings on Iron Mountain included the following mines on the adjacent properties: the Complex, the Hornet, the Lost Confidence, the Mattie, the No. 8, the Old Mine, and the Richmond.

As the new settlement of Keswick boomed it flourished, even though it was a rough-and-rugged up-and-coming-place to live. The town was primarily established due to the nearby copper smelter which was designed to process the ore from the Iron Mountain mine. Then on, November 23, 1895 the local media offered the following glimpse of the area:

“While the Iron Mountain improvements result in considerable benefit to the country in various respects, the inflow of tough characters, which always follows on the heels of any great enterprise, is bound to cause considerable and public exbense” (SIC)

The settlement also contained thirty-five saloons, a railroad station, stores, boarding houses, hotels and a school. In December of that year, due to the high number of saloons in Keswick the Mountain Copper Company LTD., banned all employees who “patronized the saloons” there. It appeared that they wanted a sober crew of employees who took the job seriously. With that many saloons in operation, one can see that this company had their job cut out for them. 

“W.S. Harvey-Wray of Keswick, was a visitor here, Sunday. He is to be assistant editor of Mountain Mine monthly paper, or magazine, to be issued by parties employed with the company. The residing surgeon and physician, Dr. Kenneth Millican, A.B., M.R.C.S., will be chief editor. George A. Poor, the veteran book and job printer of Redding, has the contract to print the periodical, which will be sixteen pages, two columns to a page.” (SIC) The above magazine only operated for a period of six months at Keswsick when it was discontinued by the owners.

A second post office called Taylor was established in the smelter town on May 18, 1897, by the United States Postal Service who appointed John K.O. Hair as the first postmaster. Keswick now had two post offices serving their community. Taylor was the post office and Keswick was the town site. This post office served Keswick until August 15, 1922 when it was discontinued and the mail from the Taylor post office was rerouted to the Keswick post office.

During July of 1897, the third branch store of the McCormick-Saeltzer Company was established in the growing smelter town at the new suburb of Keswick, called South Park. Keswick was attracting attention in the local media, and the firm was offered a room inside the brand-new Keswick hotel or Hotel Keswick at that location by its owner, John N. Stephenson. This store was owned by James McCormick, Rudolph M.F. Saeltzer and Williamson L. Smith who were all local businessmen.

Above: this undated photograph shows the Keswick hotel or Hotel Keswick building which was designed by architects W.J. Bennett and his partner Gove. The hotel was erected by carpenters McCarthy & Gillespie at South Park in Keswick. The Keswick branch of the McCormick-Saeltzer Company's sign is visible on the left side of the building. Courtesy of the Shasta Historical Society and the Siskiyou County Museum. 

South Park was booming as new structures were rapidly built by local carpenters. Keswick has had its share of fires but nothing like the Carr Fire. On May 12, 1898, the first fire in the history of Keswick ignited causing $40,000 in damages. It was opined that this fire ignited in the saloon of McCandless & Patterson, however, another account revealed that it started in a boarding house called Our House, due to careless lodger who left a candle burning inside his room. It destroyed nearly half of the business portion of Keswick. The Keswick hotel survived but it suffered a minimal damage of $500. A water brigade battled this fire. Keswick lacked a fire department at that time.

Later reports favored the boarding house fire theory. Keswick also lacked fireproof brick buildings, as the town was entirely made of wood by local carpenters and it still became the target of future fires. In just two years, Keswick contained a thriving population of 1,200 people according to media reports of the era.

The United States Postal Service headquarters in Washington D.C., established a post office called Keswick at that location on January 9, 1896 with Louis Schwichman (sometimes spelled as Schwickman) as postmaster of this new post office. It stayed in business until 1923 when it was discontinued. Then on, February 29, 1896 the Shasta Courier newspaper heralded the following column:

The town had a Methodist Church which was used for their place of worship. Weekly membership meetings were held at the church. In February of 1901, Keswick raised money for improvements to be made on their church building. The expense incurred was $150. It was the Reverend Fay Donaldson who often preached inside this church. The church walls were papered through-out the building, and new baseboards were added, the interior was remodeled at that price during that month.

Above this circa 1900s photograph of Keswick was taken by the Eastman View Company of Kennett. Courtesy of Shasta Historical Society.

In addition to that month, there were many residents who were even talking about the possibility of an electric road to be built between Redding and Keswick, one article mentioned the following excerpt:

"As quickly as the weather will allow the engineer corps will start a line north from Redding to Reid's Ferry where it will cross the river and follow up the stream to the new Keswick bridge. There it will re-cross the river and proceed up the south side of Spring Creek to Keswick. Mr. Johns believes Keswick can be reached by the route in about six miles. The heaviest expense would be the buidling of a bridge at the ferry. At Keswick station the line could cross on an extension built onto the county bridge."

Then on April 20, 1901, fire struck the town of Keswick a second time when flames broke out in the Mascot Saloon, conducted by Cecil & Bray. The origin of this fire was not reported. Once again, the town’s residents kept no fire insurance, even though it had been available to them. The loss was smaller than the 1898 fire, and only did $30,000 in damage, a tally of 20 buildings were destroyed.

Another new feature to Keswick in 1901 was electricity. The Keswick Electric Power Company began generating electricity for the smelter at Spring Creek, and eventually the town of Keswick. The electricity was sent from the Volta Powerhouse on Battle Creek and channeled it towards Keswick,

After those business was re-established by July of 1902 business was booming at Keswick as an influx of shoppers used their stores to purchase goods of all kinds. Later on, another disastrous fire claimed the entire business district of Keswick on November 14, 1907. The fire was started by a “fire bug” according to local media accounts. The entire loss was $60,000, and as usual not one person in town kept fire insurance.

Minimal damage was done to the post office, a butcher shop and a bakery as well. Keswick was still without a fire department and once again the community relied on their own efforts to make containment on the fire. As Keswick emerged out of the smoke, the town laid in ashes. A new post office was re-established as the Keswick post office in 1960. With all these fires occurring in the smelter town, Keswick has shown us over the years that we can rebuild. Additional fires would strike the town site in its future.

Our staff at Shasta Historical Society compiled an inventory of burned up or damaged sites due to the Carr Fire. Our inventory contains twenty-four entries and this listing is available to the public upon request. Most of the historic sites on the list do not include those inside the boundaries of the Whiskeytown National Recreation Area or Shasta State Historic Park however, there are some entries that made the listing.

Above: the Shasta County Fire Station Number 53 sign at Keswick in front of their building was badly burned by the Carr Fire. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on August 8, 2018.

Above: the Carr Fire burned the Shasta County Fire Station Number 53 building at Keswick, and property. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on August 8, 2018.

Above: an interior view looking in from a window of the building. The Shasta County Fire Station Number 53 at Keswick. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on August 8, 2018.

Above: looking inside from a window of the building. The Shasta County Fire Station Number 53 at Keswick. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on August 8, 2018.

Above: near the intersection of North Street and Market Street at Keswick. Destruction of the Carr Fire. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on August 8, 2018.

Above: a speed limit sign in the town of Keswick burned by the Carr Fire as well as the property around it. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on August 8, 2018.

Above: at the intersection of Bush Street and Center Street at Keswick. Destruction of the Carr Fire. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on August 8, 2018.

Above: the intersection of School Street and Bush Street at Keswick. Destruction of the Carr Fire. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on August 8, 2018.

Above: a house in Keswick totally destroyed by the Carr Fire. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on August 8, 2018.

Above: another house and property destroyed by the Carr Fire in Keswick. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on August 8, 2018.

Above: devastation from the Carr Fire in Keswick. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on August 8, 2018.

Above: a sign at Keswick: "WARNING: ASH & DEBRIS MAY BE HOT AND CONTAIN HAZARDOUS MATERIALS."  This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on August 8, 2018.

Above: fire fighters on duty at Keswick. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on August 8, 2018. 

Above: a private residence destroyed by the Carr Fire at Keswick. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on August 8, 2018.

Above: near the intersection of School Street and North Street at Keswick. Devastated area. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on August 8, 2018.

Above: the U.S. Mail boxes along Main Street at Keswick badly burned. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on August 8, 2018.

Above: at Keswick, burnt vehicles, power lines in the distance. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on August 8, 2018.

RESOURCES:

W.S. Harvey-Wray – The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, February 29, 1896.

The Smelter Magazine – The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, September 12, 1896

Fire At Keswick – The Sacramento Daily newspaper of Sacramento, May 13, 1898

Keswick Partially Destroyed By Fire – The San Francisco Call newspaper of San Francisco, May 13, 1898

RISING FROM THE RUINS – The Daily Free Press newspaper of Redding, June 14, 1898.

Flames Sweep Smelter Town – The San Francisco Call newspaper of San Francisco, April 21, 1901

New Route For Electric Line - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, February 5, 1901

Keswick Improves Its Worship Place - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, February 8, 1901

Changes At Keswick - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, June 23, 1902

New Keswick Belfry - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, July 12, 1902

Town Burned – The Red Bluff News newspaper of Red Bluff, November 15, 1907

Ffity Years of Operation by The Mountain Copper Company, LTD., in Shasta County California by William F. Kett ©1947, 162 pages. Published by California Division of Mines

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

The Covered Wagon 1949, publishes by Shasta Historical Society.

The Covered Wagon 1954, publishes by Shasta Historical Society.

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

Mines and Mineral Resources of Shasta County, ©1974, Philip A. Lyden & J.C. O'Brien

The Covered Wagon 1996, published by Shasta Historical Society.

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

UPDATE: Carr Fire now most destructive in Shasta County history, by Mike Chapman, The Redding Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, August 3, 2018 

CARR FIRE 100 PERCENT CONTAINED, by Allison Woods, - KRCR TV News Channel 7 of Redding, August 30, 2018 

ON REDDING-KLAMMATH FALLS HIGHWAY, CALIFORNIA

Courtesy of David Stuart.

A friend of mine sent me this wonderful image which is titled, “On Redding-Klamath Falls Highway, Calif.”. It’s a photograph captured in the late 1930s by J.H. Eastman, a local photographer when he was at Salt Creek, now part of present day Lake Shasta or Shasta Lake. The highway route is actually historic U.S. Route Highway 99. It’s still there today on Lower Salt Creek Road in the Sacramento River Canyon. Thank you, David for the intriguing postcard!

The Historic Igo Schoolhouse

The historic Schoolhouse located at the Shasta District Fairgrounds in Anderson. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on June 19, 2019.

In 1872, Igo pioneer and resident Charles N. Kingsbury, an active miner and a native of New York, erected a one room school house which was used as a school in the town of Igo on the property of the present Igo-Ono School. The wood was hauled into Igo from Shingle Creek at Shingletown. It included a well and an out-house.

The school lacked running water and electricity. A wood stove was used to heat the one room school house during the winter months and cold rainy days. One teacher educated the students from grades kindergarten through eighth grade. Some years the teacher taught A board of trustees was established to preside over financial affairs, repairs and to help guide the school into the future. Being a trustee of the school was a paid position just like the teachers did.

An interior pic. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on June 19, 2019.

In 1941 the town of Igo received their first electricity, and so did the school house. The decade of the 1950s brought a new feature to the school house, running water. It was utilized by the Platina Union School District until 1960 when the last class was taught by Mrs. Lucy Plumb. In 1970 the building was relocated by truck to Anderson at the Shasta District Fairgrounds.

Original restoration took place by the Shasta Historical Society between the years 1989-1991. Since that time the organization has made many additional restorations to the building so it can be enjoyed by future generations to come and up to code on safety regulations. The Shasta Historical Society keeps the historic Igo Schoolhouse open during the Shasta District Fair, and some times during Anderson Explodes. 

The original stove wood still housed inside the building. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on June 19, 2019.

Teachers:

*Note: Teachers prior to 1901 are not well documented.


1901 - A.E. Downing

1904 - Mrs. L. Cunningham

1905 - Mary Stevens

1906 - Mrs. Alex Cox

1907 - Maude M. Sears

1908 - Addie Baker

1909 - Mrs. Mary Kingsbury

1910-1912 - Mrs. Lulu Swanson

1913-1915 - Pauline Rimer

1915-1918 - Mrs. Pearl Miller

1919 - Mrs. Sydnie Jones

1920 - Arleta Hubbard

1921-1944 - Mrs. Sydnie Jones

1944-1958 - Mrs. Amy Jones

1958- 1960 - Mrs. Lucy Plumb



RESOURCES:


The Igo Schoolhouse 1872-1970 printed by Shasta Historical Society

Igo School printed by Shasta Historical Society

Igo School 371.23 available on file at the Shasta Historical Society in Redding.

Igo School Board Minutes Circa 1964/1965

Don't Close Books Yet On Igo School by Mark DeSio -Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, June 14, 1989

The Last Days of the Igo Schoolhouse by Donald J. Bagley

The Igo Schoolhouse 371.23 

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

Memories of the Greyhound Bus Station

Memories of the Greyhound Bus Station

By Jeremy M. Tuggle, Research Historian and Denny Mills, Interim Director at Shasta Historical Society

Photo above: D-051, B-3005. Greyhound Depot, Redding, California. Photo courtesy of the U.C .Davis Eastman Kodak Originals Collection, Department of Special Collections, General Library of U.C. California. courtesy of the Department of Special Collections.

When you walk into a home or a business, do you ever wonder what stood there before?

For a moment, think of the Chamber of Commerce with its red and white awning located on the corner of Pine and Butte. The Chamber is in the White Building, as it has come to be called, along with Wild Card Brewery and Sierra Pacific. Windows on the ground floor, and home to several residents on the second floor. But what was at that location before the White Building? Many of us immediately respond, “The Greyhound Bus Depot!”

Prior to the 1930 incorporation and arrival of the Pacific Greyhound Lines in Redding, the motor coach company that transported travelers north of San Francisco was Pickwick Stages, located at 1618 California Street. Pickwick was just one of many smaller transport companies in California acquired and absorbed into the holdings of the Pacific Greyhound Lines, which was a division of Greyhound Bus Lines.

The 1930s was a rough decade for the Pacific Greyhound Lines as two unfortunate Greyhound Bus accidents occurred near Redding. The first incident, in 1932, happened when a bus traveling from Red Bluff to Redding struck a tree and rolled down an embankment. A second accident in 1937, which gained considerably more notoriety, resulted in the deaths of seven. This accident occurred at Shiloah Springs, about forty-eight miles north of Redding in the Sacramento River Canyon, when a bus traveling north took a sharp turn, overturned, and caught fire. 

In 1939, the Greyhound Bus Depot moved from its California Street location to 1323 Butte Street. The new building was built in the Art Deco style and at that time did not encompass the entire footprint it would eventually occupy. A picture of the Greyhound Depot dated around 1945 is above. It shows the Depot did not extend all the way to Pine Street and that the Greyhound dog had yet to be added to the Greyhound Depot sign. 

Research found references referring to a 1953 move into the “new” Greyhound building, even though we know it was located at its Butte Street location as early as 1939. One explanation is that this is when the Greyhound Depot was remodeled and expanded to take in the full length of Butte Street from the alley to Pine Street. It could be that this was the same time that the Greyhound dog was added to the Greyhound Depot sign.

Above: façade of the Greyhound Bus Station on the corner of Butte & Pine Street, courtesy of aNewsCafe.com.

Recently we posed the question on Facebook, “What memories do you have of the Greyhound Bus Depot?” The most common response was the memory of the pay toilets upstairs that cost a dime. Some recalled the stairs leading up to the restrooms and green tile. The restaurant located in the Bus Depot received many positive comments. One person remembered it as being cafeteria style and getting food served on a tray as you walked through the line. Another shared that when her aunt and uncle made the trip from Santa Clara to Eugene, they always enjoyed their dinner in the cafeteria at the Redding Greyhound Depot. Two people remembered enjoying the photo booth. Still another told of her father being a driver for Greyhound and how she and her mother would meet the bus at the top of Sulfur Creek Hill, so she, at 4 years of age, could ride the rest of the way into town with her dad.

There were memories of joy and sadness associated with the Bus Depot for many of our readers. One story describes the warm memories of a young woman meeting her future husband for the first time as he got off the Greyhound bus. Another individual recalled the only time he met his grand-father was for a few short hours at the bus depot and how sad his mother was when his grandfather left on the bus. Several spoke of being put on the bus as a child during the 50s and 60s and traveling to a relatives’ house alone and what a different era it was then. Some recalled getting on the bus after enlisting and heading to basic training. One father remembers one of the worst days of his life as the day he put his son on a Greyhound bus to complete his second tour of duty in Vietnam. Still others relied on the bus to get to and from college.

The depot closed in 2010 when the decision was made to move it to the new RABA station by the railroad. The depot had been in a steady decline over the years with one reader sharing that it was not a place where one felt safe. The Redding Greyhound Bus Depot located on Butte Street was demolished in 2013. The Shasta Historical Society has the honor of being the current owner of the Greyhound sign that once graced Pine Street. The Society’s hope is to eventually find a downtown location where the public can once again enjoy the beautiful, iconic neon Greyhound Bus Depot sign.

Jake Mangus, Chamber of Commerce CEO, whose office now sits on the site once occupied by the Greyhound Bus Depot, shared, “It is important that we honor our treasured local history. The fact that many people in Redding have personal stories of their time at the Greyhound Bus Depot, brings history to life and makes it all the more important to tell the story of this place." We couldn’t agree more.

This is the present site of the Greyhound terminal. Photo above by Jeremy Tuggle, taken March 12, 2019, Yuba Street, Redding.

RESOURCES:


1925 City of Redding Directory (In private collection of Ralph Hollibaugh) Not listed.

1928 Shasta, Siskiyou and Trinity Counties Directory – Pickwick Stages 615 California Street.

Pacific Greyhound To Be Stage Name – The Healdsburg Tribune newspaper, April 15, 1930

California News Review – The Lompoc Review newspaper of Lompoc, April 29, 1930.

Greyhound Lines To Take Over All The Transit Companies – The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, April 30, 1930

Eight Periled When Stage Strikes Tree – Colusa Herald newspaper of Colusa, February 8, 1932

Seven Men Burn To Death In Bus Crash At Redding – Healdsburg Tribune newspaper of Heladsburg, June 4, 1937

Seven Cremated In Shiloah Springs Crash – The Daily Free Press newspaper of Redding, June 4, 1937

Mrs. Maddeline Sundermann Not On Bus – The Daily Free Press newspaper of Redding, June 5, 1937

Bus inquest At Auditorium On Tuesday – The Daily Free Press newspaper of Redding, June 7, 1937

CORONER’S INQUISITION REPORT Before Roy S. Duggins, Coroner. In the matter of the deaths of Wilber Alvin Short, C.A. Schafer, Alfred Ray Vessell, Timothy Neville, Fred C. Farrer, Morimer Albert Wilson and an Unidentified Male Person, deceased. – June 8, 1937.

1930 U.S. Census

1935 City of Redding Directory (In private collection of Ralph Hollibaugh) - 1618 California Street.

1938 City of Redding Directory

New Stage  Depot To Be Erected At Pine And Butte - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, December 8, 1938

Bus Rates Have No Uniformity; Highest Here - Healdsburg Tribune, Enterprise and Scimitar newspaper of Healdsburg, December 22, 1938

1939 City of Redding Directory – 1323 Butte Street

U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 for Raymond Gilbert Archer

1991 City of Redding Directory (Greyhound Logging Company

Former Greyhound Depot Demolished To Make Room For New Development by David Benda, the Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, July 29, 2013

Pickwick Motor Coach Works Part 1

Pickwick Motor Coach Works Part 2

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