The Historic Wells Ferry Crossing Along the Sacramento River Near Anderson on Noble's Emigrant Trail: and the Sacramento River House

Filmed on location March 17, 2023

On this episode of Exploring Shasta County history, Jeremy takes you on a private tour of the historic Sacramento River House property at the present-day site of the Sacramento River Bridge 1 1/2 mile north of Anderson at the historic Wells Ferry crossing with its property owner, Scott Swendiman. The Sacramento River House was built circa (1875-1880) along the historic Noble's Emigrant Trail at that location, originally it was a ferry house belonging to the historic Wells Ferry, and it still stands today. Tuggle & Swendiman gives you an exclusive look into Swendiman's property here. Check out the remains of the ferry on the property which dates to 1852. In 1886 the Wells Ferry was replaced by the Anderson Free Bridge and there are remains of that bridge on this property as well. This is an episode you don't want to miss. Please subscribe to my YouTube channel if you haven't already. This is now a historic vacation rental, wedding and event venue which is available to rent online at the following website's:

https://www.sacramentoriverhouse.com/

https://www.vrbo.com/292309

https://www.reddingbridalshow.com/redding-ca-wedding-bridal-show-expo-blog/sacramento-river-house

Resources

Notice - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, July 22, 1854

Notice - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, November 11, 1854

District Court, November Term, 1854 - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, December 16, 1854

Notice - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, January 12, 1856

Valuable Ferry Property For Sale - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, July 2, 1870

Purchased - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, October 1, 1870

Supervisor Proceedings - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, November 19, 1870

Whirlwind - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, May 11, 1872

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, July 11, 1885

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, February 27, 1886

The Bridge Matter - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, March 6, 1886

That Bridge - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, March 13, 1886

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, April 10, 1886

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, May 29, 1886

Board of Supervisors - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, July 10, 1886

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, July 17, 1886

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, August 14, 1886 (vilas mill Shingletown contract 50,000 feet of lumber for new bridge)

Talkin' About Ferry Boats and Changes written by Rosena A. Giles - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, February 1, 1951

Shasta County Had Many Ferries written by Judge Albert F. Ross Jr., - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, December 28, 1963

Shasta County, California, U.S., Marriages, 1852-1904

First Ferry Crossing written by Christy Milan Duke for Enjoy Magazine February 2019.

Sacramento River House

Oak Bottom

The town of Oak Bottom and the two-story Oak Bottom Hotel. Date unknown. This photograph was taken by local photographer Chester Mullen (1886-1958). Courtesy of Shasta Historical Society.

The Fortunate township was established by the Shasta County Court of Sessions in 1851 as a townsite which lacked a United States Post Office. It was a prominent mining locality. This township was situated two miles north-west of Whisky Creek Diggings, (now Whiskeytown), along the Oregon Trail which passed through the area. It was a designated stopping place for pack mules along that route. It's not known how the Fortunate township received its name, but in 1853, the Fortunate township became the Oak Bottom election precinct, which was one of twenty-two election precincts established in Shasta County, that year. 

Since then, the townsite has been known as Oak Bottom and named for the numerous Oak trees in the area. A two-story hotel began operations in 1853 which was called the Oak Bottom House a popular hostelry within the community. This hotel was owned and operated by A.J. Van Wie. In 1858, the Oak Bottom Course came to fruition under the ownership of Heavins and McTurck, and horse racing became an extremely popular sporting event within the community.

Above: an advertisement by Heavins & McTurck for their Oak Bottom Course at Oak Bottom. From the Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, December 4, 1858.

That year, Heavins and McTurck also took over operations of the local hostelry. The Oak Bottom House was destroyed by fire in 1873. The Oak Bottom hostelry was later rebuilt on the opposite side of the road and the name was changed to the Oak Bottom hotel. The above image showcases the Oak Bottom hotel and an additional building at Oak Bottom, in Shasta County, California.

This locality which never had a United States Post Office to send and receive mail flourished with success until the 1950s. Oak Bottom once featured a general merchandise store owned and operated by C. Vergnes & Company, as well sometimes found as the Vergnes Brothers. The townsite began filling with water for a reservoir called Whiskeytown Lake in 1962 which created the Oak Bottom Marina and beach which is now a popular tourist attraction for water sports, swimmers and sun bathers within the Whiskeytown National Recreation Area.

Above: a ticket for a dance and supper hosted by the Vergnes Bros. Oak Bottom Ticket No. 889. From the collection of Jeremy Tuggle.

Resources: 

Election Precincts - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, September 3, 1853

Banquet At Oak Bottom - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, March 24, 1855

Local Correspondent - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, January 2, 1858

Estray - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, October 9, 1858

Horse-Racing - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, December 4, 1858

Oak Bottom House - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, December 11, 1858

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

My Playhouse Was A Concord Coach, an anthology of newspaper clippings and documents relating to those who made California history during the years 1822-1888, by Mae Hélène Bacon Boggs. Published by Howell-North Press ©1942.

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

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

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

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

The Niagra Mine at French Gulch

Above: inside the adit of the Niagra mine at French Gulch. This mine is on private property and this photograph taken with permission. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on January 14, 2023.

This quartz mine (or hard rock mine) is currently part of the Washington mine holdings at French Gulch in the French Gulch Mining District of Shasta County, just off of present-day French Gulch Road. It is located on private property. Although, this mine is not as old as the Washington mine, which was located by John Souter and John Syme in 1852, the Niagra mine was located nearby that historic mining property in 1857 while prospectors were chasing a vein of quartz which immediately excited the prospectors into digging out this adit and creating a main haulage tunnel for the mine at that time. Twenty-seven years later, in 1884, the mine was owned and operated by William T. Coleman, of San Francisco, who kept his men busy at blasting out new drifts of this mine, and his miners extracting the ore it produced. Then in 1891, this mine contained five drifts inside it which had been established over the years.

Inside, the walls of this mine contained granitic porphyry and slate in which they found an abundance of minerals which included gold, pyrite, and silver among others. These five drifts of the Niagra mine varied in length and were recorded between 300-feet to 1,380-feet. At that time, the price of blasting out these drifts cost Coleman between $3.50 to $13.50 per foot. Coleman planned future extensions of these drifts as well. The Niagra miners put in raises and winzes (winzes were also known as vertical shafts) inside this mine. The deepest shaft at the Niagra mine was recorded at 480-feet deep. An ore chute which was measured at 400-feet long existed for an easier process of loading the ore into the ore cars situated on an ore car track below it so the ore can be dumped into these ore cars and taken to the surface of the earth to be milled and processed.

The Niagra mine had an impressive stamp mill on this mining property which included 18-stamps to crush the ore of the mine to obtain the gold they sought after. While the loose gold was salvaged at the stamp mill its gold were amalgamated and alloyed into bricks while using mercury in the battery on the plates at the stamp mill. This process is more commonly known as a pan-amalgamation. Ten of these impressive stamps weighed 850 pounds each while the additional stamps weighed 600 pounds each.

Work was steady at the Niagra mine from 1891 to about 1920, and the Niagra mine continued its production of gold after that, however, work came to screeching halt once the Great Depression occurred which made a major impact in the region. Various people came in and purchased this mine after that, but production notes were not kept for this mine as a single producer due to most of the production notes merging into one account for the entire Washington mine holdings. So, it's not known exactly how much this single mine produced but it was lucrative.

The Niagra mine is located five miles north-west from the townsite of French Gulch. Niagra Road in the townsite of French Gulch was named after this mine. In 2004, the French Gulch Nevada Gold Mining Corporation purchased this celebrated mining property as part of the Washington mine holdings; a subsidiary company owned by the Bullion River Gold Corporation of Reno, Nevada. Since that time, this mining property has been bought once more and its now an active clean-up site.

RESOURCES:

The Trinity Journal newspaper of Weaverville, June 7, 1884

Appendix to the Journals of the Senate and Assembly ... of the Legislature ... - Google Books

The Mines Handbook An Enlargement of the Copper Handbook - founded by Horace J. Stevens, 1900 - A Manual of the Mining Industry of the World by Walter Harvey Weed, New York City ©1920

Albers, John P., 1961, Economic geology of the French Gulch, Shasta and Trinity counties: California Division of Mines and Geology Special Report

Mines and Mineral Resources of Shasta County, California – County Report 6 – by Philip A. Lydon and J.C. O’ Brien ©1974 by California Division of Mines and Geology

A Celebrated Producer of Gold: the Washington Mine by Jeremy Tuggle - The  Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, November 11, 2016

Touring The Historic Washington Mine 

The Dairy and West Street Home of John Nottlemann

Above: the Dairy and West Street home of John Nottlemann. The Nottlemann family appears standing in front pictured with their infamous cattle. Courtesy of Chuck Griffin.

Shown in the above image is the John Nottlemann house and dairy on West Street, in downtown Redding. Take a look at the cows and the adjoining dairy in the photo above. Local lore and legend claims that they utilized the nearby courthouse lawn as trespassers. It’s possible that these were the cows which were eating the grass, and leaving behind smelly piles of fecal matter which made the area on the west side of town stink for a few years. People complained about them and the smell to the Shasta County Board of Supervisors which resulted in Shasta County erecting a fence around the courthouse property in Redding to keep Nottlemann's cows off the grass and to protect the property from being damaged by them.

John Nottlemann (his surname is also found as Nottleman) was born on June 23, 1852, a German emigrant who arrived and settled at Redding in 1888 and established this successful business venture that year which lasted in business for a total of twenty-one years. According to his obituary we learn the following about his business practices: “in business he always made warm friends for himself and kept in their favor even at a cost of sacrifice.” During his lifetime, Nottlemann was active in the local chapter of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and the local chapter of the Ancient Order of Foresters. He also served as a fire fighter within the Redding Fire Department. 

Nottlemann married a German emigrant woman named Anna Schultz at Redding in 1891, and during their union two daughters were born to them consisting of Emma in 1892 and Frieda in 1895. During the interim of their births their father was naturalized as an American citizen on March 8, 1894, at Redding in the Shasta County Superior Court. The couple were divorced in 1902. It was the wife who filed for divorce against her husband. In divorce Anna was awarded by the court the family home on West Street and the adjoining dairy property after proving to them that John gave her a deed for the property which John continued to oversee business relations after the divorce was granted. She also received guardianship of their two children. John Nottlemann moved into a residential building on Chestnut Street after the divorce was finalized which is where he remained until his death. However, the court awarded John one horse, one wagon, and two cows and presumably the court was rumored to have ordered both parties to fence in their cattle so they wouldn't have fecal matter issues on the courthouse lawn, since Shasta County was wanting to take down their fence at that time and reduce further problems from their cattle at the courthouse property.

In 1907, John Nottlemann became a founding member of the Redding Dairying Association with local dairymen Allen Kite, Milton G. Kite, and Edmund Wyndham as founding members of this organization. Their mission was to protect and uphold the mutual business interests of the association for the proper protection of their patrons against the purchase of impure, unwholesome or adulterated dairying products and to establish a just and uniform price for any members of this organization. By reason of the advance price of hay, and mill stuffs and hired help in connection with dairying which at that time had materially increased the cost of producing dairy products. The set standards of dairy products rendered by the Redding Dairying Association for that time period follows below: 

"Retail:

Pint, per month, $1.75

Quart, per month $3.00

Three Pints, per month $4.50

One-half Gallon, per month $6.00

Wholesale:

1 Gallon, 30 cents per gallon.

3 Gallon, and over, 25 cents per gallon.

Cream, 30 cents per gallon."

John Nottlemann died on August 7, 1909, at the age of fifty-six-years-old. His occupation was usually rendered as a milkman or a dairyman. John is buried at Redding Memorial Park, in Redding. His ex-wife survived him, and she died at Redding on May 3, 1943, at the age of eighty-years-old. She is also buried at Redding Memorial Park in Redding.

Above: Anna (Schultz) Nottlemann and her husband John Nottlemann. 

Courtesy of Chuck Griffin. 

Resources: 

John Nottlemann, in the Shasta County, California, U.S. Naturalization Records, 1852-1932

1898 Shasta County, California Great Register

1900 U.S. Census 

Nottlemans Wife Wants A Divorce - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, December 14, 1902

Mrs. Nottleman Gets A Divorce - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, December 22, 1902

John Nottleman in the California U.S. Death Index, 1905-1939

Notice - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, September 28, 1907

John Nottleman Ill - The Chico Record newspaper of Chico, February 12, 1909

Condition Serious - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, August 4, 1909

John Nottlemann Suffers No More - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, August 8, 1909

1910 U.S. Census

1920 U.S Census

1930 U.S. Census

1940 U.S. Census

Anna Nottlemann, in the California U.S. Death Index, 1940-1997

Bushwhacking to the Historic and Abandoned Brown Cemetery

Video filmed on location February 22, 2023.

On this episode of Exploring Shasta County come join Robert Frazier, host of California Unearthed, and I as we bushwhack into this desolate cemetery to examine the history behind the five burials at the truly abandoned and lost to time historic Brown Family Cemetery which was established circa 1898, and it may date back further than that. Check out Robert's version of this history as well on his YouTube channel California Unearthed at the following link:

(28) Fairly Unknown Cemetery in Shasta County Unearrthed- The Brown Family Cemetery - YouTube

Three of the five burials are seen in this picture at the Brown Family Cemetery picture taken by Jeremy Tuggle on February 22, 2023.

Resources: 

1860 U.S. Census

1870 U.S. Census

1880 U.S. Census

1885 Colorado State Census

Nebraska, U.S., Select County Marriage Records, 1855-1908 for Jacob S. Brown

SitNeThe Free Press newspaper of Redding, August 27, 1898

Jacob S. Brown in the Shasta County, California Register of 1898

The Free Press newspaper of Redding, August 23, 1898

The Free Press newspaper of Redding, August 27, 1898

1900 U.S. Census 

Skull Crushed By Falling Rock - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, May 30, 1903

The End Came In Keswick Hospital - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, June 2, 1903

Victim of the Iron Mountain Accident Dies - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, June 6, 1903

Historic Waugh’s Ferry: Westside Cable Support Iron Mooring Pins

2 historic cable support iron mooring pins appear in this video which belong to Waugh’s Ferry are embedded into the ground here at this location along the Sacramento River Trail system south of the mouth of Rock Creek and north of the present-day Ribbon Bridge and on the west side of the Sacramento River. One of them is hidden in plain site on the trail, perhaps you have noticed it before, or perhaps not? This one that is shown as the cover photo to this video is definitely the oldest one of the two blacksmith forged cable support iron mooring pins which held the cable to Waugh’s Ferry. This ferry was owned and operated by a pioneer ferryman named Joseph Waugh a local resident of the town which bore his surname near the ferry site. Waugh strung up 750 feet of cable which spanned the Sacramento River on both the west side and east side so it would stronghold the ferry against the current of the Sacramento River as it transported passengers and freight across the river on this watercraft. Click play to enjoy the video. This is a follow up to my last YouTube video I did on this subject called The Remaining Historic Relics at Waugh's Ferry and the Townsite of Waugh at Middle Creek. You can find my resources for this video at the above link.

The Remaining Historic Relics at Waugh's Ferry and the Townsite of Waugh at Middle Creek

Filmed on location. Copyright: 2022 and 2023.

Resources: 

Dissolution Copartnership - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, December 24, 1853

Court of Sessions - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, April 8, 1854

$50 Reward - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, May 6, 1854

Notice - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, October 28, 1854

Notice - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, November 18, 1854

District Court, November Term, 1854 - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, December 2, 1854

District Court, November Term, 1854 - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, December 9, 1854

Notice - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, October 27, 1855

District Court - May Term - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, May 22, 1858

Board Of Supervisors- The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, February 12, 1859

News of the Morning - The Sacramento Daily Union newspaper of Sacramento, June 10, 1859

Supreme Court Decision - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, June 11, 1859

Rains, Snows and Floods - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, January 15, 1859 

Board of Supervisors - May Term - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, May 11, 1861

The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, January 25, 1862

Copper Lead - The Marysville Daily Appeal newspaper of Marysville, April 16, 1863

Ferry Notice - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, July 30, 1864

Proceedings of the Board of Supervisors August Term 1854 - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, August 13, 1864

The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, February 10, 1866

High Water In Shasta County - The Sacramento Daily Union newspaper of Sacramento, February 15, 1866

New Boat - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, February 2, 1867

Stranded - The Shasta Courier newspaper Shasta, February 28, 1868

Accident - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, September 11, 1869

Elevations - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, June 18, 1870

Railroad Surveys - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, August 13, 1870

Died - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, September 9, 1871

Death of the Waugh Brothers - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, September 9, 1871

Inheritance - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, April 27, 1872

Proceedings of the Board of Supervisors for the May Term 1872 - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, May 18, 1872

The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, March 15, 1881

Railroad Notes - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, April 28, 1883

The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, April 28, 1883 

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, May 5, 1883

Deed - May 5, 1883, Joseph Waugh to Central Pacific Railroad 

Transfers - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, May 12, 1883

Real Estate Transfers - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, May 12, 1883

The New Road - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, May 12, 1883

Deeds - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, May 12, 1883

Pacific Coast Items - The Sacramento Daily Union newspaper of Sacramento, May 19, 1883

Our Neighbors - The Humboldt Times newspaper of Eureka, May 20, 1883

Our Neighbors - The Humboldt Times newspaper of Eureka, June 5, 1883

The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, July 7, 1883

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, July 7, 1883

The New Road - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, July 14, 1883

The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, August 11, 1883

The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, August 25, 1883

The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, September 1, 1883

Real Estate Transfers - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, October 6, 1883

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, February 23, 1884

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

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, August 23, 1884

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, November 1, 1884 (Redding to Middle Creek completed)

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, November 15, 1884

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, January 24, 1885

The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, September 19, 1885

The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, September 26, 1885

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, July 31, 1886

Middle Creek News - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, January 14, 1888

Middle Creek News - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, March 17, 1888

Middle Creek Notes - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, February 18, 1888

Middle Creek News - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, May 5, 1888

Middle Creek News - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, January 12, 1889

Middle Creek News - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, February 9, 1889

The Free Press newspaper of Redding, February 13, 1892

Crossed Over the River - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, March 12, 1892

Another Pioneer Gone - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, March 12, 1892

Notice For Publication - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, April 9, 1892

Notes From Middle Creek - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, July 1, 1893

Pioneer Mrs. Waugh Dies Peacefully - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, March 20, 1901

Middle Creek Middlings - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, June 11, 1901

The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, July 7, 1901

The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, August 11, 1901

Mongolian Pheasants - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, July 20, 1901

Railroad Will Build Depot at Middle Creek - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, December 21, 1903

Middle Creek Is Supplying Gold - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, July 26, 1904

Post Office at Waugh No More - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, May 29, 1906

Waugh Office Closes June 30 - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, May 31, 1906

Post Office Has Been Discontinued - The Sacramento Daily Union newspaper of Sacramento, May 31, 1906

Waugh Office Abolished - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, June 1, 1906

Middle Creek Hotel for Sale - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, March 27, 1907

Middle Creek Depot - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, January 4, 1911

Depot At Middle Creek Moved Away - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, March 24, 1914

Warehouse At Middle Creek Is Torn Down - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, March 11, 1921

Do You Remember? - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, March 23, 1934

Group To View Historical Spots - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, April 17, 1947

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

My Playhouse Was A Concord Coach, an anthology of newspaper clippings and documents relating to those who made California history during the years 1822-1888, by Mae Hélène Bacon Boggs. Published by Howell-North Press ©1942

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

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

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