Elias Anderson (1817-1907), the Founder of Anderson, California.

 

How did the City of Anderson receive its name? Who was the person this burgeoning present-day city is named for? When was the City of Anderson incorporated? Find out more about Elias Anderson and the city which bores his surname in this newest installment of Exploring Shasta County History from local historian and author, Jeremy M. Tuggle. 

RESOURCES:

Elias Anderson in the California, U.S., Pioneer and Immigrant Files, 1790-1950; available on Ancestry.com

1830 U.S. Census

A HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY, MISSOURI.

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

1850 U.S. Census

School Districts of Shasta County 1853-1955 compiled by Veronica Satorius

1860 U.S. Census

Died - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, July 27, 1861

List Of Post Offices -The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, December 19, 1863

Died - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, May 4, 1867

1867, Shasta County Voters Registration 

1870 U.S. Census

New Store! - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, March 1, 1873

The Shasta Courier newspaper July 19, 1873

Lots For Sale in the Town of Shasta Co., Cal. - The Sentinel Newspaper of Red Bluff, October 24, 1874

Died - The Reading Independent newspaper of Redding, August 14, 1979

1880 U.S. Census

History and Business Directory - Shasta County - 1881 by B.F. Frank and H.W. Chappell. Redding Independent Book and Job Printing House, Redding, California, ©1881.

1885, Shasta County Directory

Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps - Anderson, California, 1881-1947

A Big Fire at Anderson - The Chico Weekly Enterprise newspaper of Chico, January 28, 1887

Anderson In Ashes - The Marysville Daily Appeal newspaper of Marysville, January 30, 1887

The Fire at Anderson - The Chico Weekly Enterprise newspaper of Chico, February 4, 1887

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, February 2, 1889

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, July 6, 1889

1899, City & Business Directory of Shasta County

The Free Press newspaper of Redding, September 30, 1899

1900 U.S. Census

The Free Press newspaper of Redding, January 23, 1901

Death of a Pioneer Woman - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, November 4, 1903

Aged Lady Passes Away - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, November 6, 1903

Oldest Man in County Lives at Anderson - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, August 23, 1906

Founder Of Anderson Dies at Advanced Age - The Sacramento Daily Union newspaper of Sacramento,

Oldest Man in County is Dead - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, October 1,1907

Anderson To Incorporate - The Sacramento Daily Union newspaper of Sacramento, February 5, 1912 

Found Dead in Bed in a Home in Anderson - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, May 28, 1931

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 Historical Society Pioneer Plaque file: AP-023 - Anderson, Elias, available on file at the Shasta Historical Society

979.424 - Anderson. Shasta Historical Society, Vertical files. 

979.424 (324) Anderson (history) unknown author

Shasta Historical Society Pioneer Record: Elias Anderson, dated April 8, 1943

Shasta Historical Society Genealogical Records 7-59: Elias Anderson

Shasta Historical Society Genealogical Records 7-59: George H. Anderson

Shasta Historical Society Pioneer Record: George H. Anderson, dated: January 18, 1945

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

The Town of Anderson Grew from Teamsters Campground Site written by Rosena A. Giles - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, January 4, 1951

Way Back When - Myrtle McNamar, published by C.A.T. Publishing of Redding, California, 1952. 282 pages.

City of Anderson owes its name to early-day farmer written by Elizabeth Dellow - The Redding Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, August 30, 1963

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

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

Elias's Town Has Grown by John Lawson - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, September 18, 1969

The House That Elias Anderson Built - The Anderson Press newspaper of Anderson, March 24, 1976

Anderson house plan studied - The Redding Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, September 9, 1976

Anderson project will be backed - The Redding Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, November 9, 1976

Anderson gets plea to repair old house - The Redding Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, August 2, 1978

Anderson House Wins Reprieve - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, February 6, 1980

Anderson House To Be Saved - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, March 4, 1980

House: Time Running Out - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, April 14, 1980

Old Anderson House Doomed - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, April 15, 1980

Historic Anderson House Has to Go by Pat Lakey - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, May 8, 1980

9579.424 (324) Anderson by Laura Gurwell, January 12, 1987

Experiencing the Old Diggings Railroad Grade

Come experience the Old Diggings Railroad Grade with me and my friend Robert Frazier, host of California Unearthed, and learn the history behind this former railroad grade which is located on BLM land, and part of the Hornbeck Trail System in Shasta County, California. You may notice some new features I'm working with in my film editor like music and additional things to come, so this is the first of many to be released with a new look for my YouTube channel as well after recovering from a stroke I had back in January of 2024. It feels good to be back in action and as always, please like, share and comment on the video, best wishes...

RESOURCES:

New Railroad Is Being Rushed - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, December 28, 1906

Quartz Railroad Ready by October 1 - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, July 20, 1907

Quartz Hill Railroad Sold as Junk - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, May 1, 1918

Quartz Hill Steel Going To France - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, July 4, 1918

Discharged from the hospital.

I just got discharged from being in the emergency room and then transferred to the hospital at Shasta Regional Medical Center earlier this week for having a mild stroke. Please keep me in your prayers for a speedy recovery. Thanks to everyone.

TWO DISCONNECTING MINES WITH FLOWSTONE FEATURES.

Filmed on location December 16, 2023.

I haven't found too many mines Shasta County with natural flowstone features in them; however, these small disconnecting mines are among the few I have found. Located in French Gulch inside the boundaries of the French Gulch Mining District of Shasta County, are these two small disconnecting mines with flowstone features in them. Usually, I see flowstone in natural caves of the region rather than inside the local mines here that I have been to and researched over the years as a local historian of the area. Flowstone is a sheetlike deposit of calcite or other carbonate minerals caused by the natural flow of water seepage over the years into the back, face, left and right ribs of the main haulage tunnel of a mine.

A SMALL ABANDONED MINE WITH A SHAFT.

Located in French Gulch in the French Gulch Mining District of Shasta County is this abandoned small mine with a raise or a shaft. The natural lighting from the raise inside the mine was pretty cool to see. It appears that this mine was mined for gold. This video was filmed on location December 16, 2023. Featuring Ryan Hammon from Explore with Ryan.

Tower House Historic District Abandoned Mine: A Stope & An Ore Pass

Ever climbed up an ore pass of an abandoned mine before? Not too many people have. An ore pass is a vertical or inclined passage for the downward transfer of ore connecting to a lower level of a mine connecting with an ore chute/ore shoot. We were expecting this mine to be plugged or gated within the boundaries of the Tower House Historic District near Whiskeytown, California, but it was wide opened, so we didn't bring a hard hat. This mine is one of those abandoned treasures which don't appear on any topography maps of the region and doesn't have a recorded history of it. Inside the mine you'll see a small stope as well which my friend Ryan Hammon and I discovered. 

Filmed on location December 16, 2023.

The Historic Flume Trail at Castle Crags State Park

Video filmed on location.

In this episode of Exploring Shasta County History, we will tour the remains of a historic water ditch and flume in the boundaries of the Castle Crags State Park, just 40 miles north of Redding, California. This water ditch and flume system dates to the 1890s and was constructed to channel water into the town site of Castella from Castle Creek and Indian Creek. Later on, miners utilized its water in the area for the extraction of gold at their mining claims. Some of these former sites along the present-day trail system have miner camp castoffs at their location to explore as well. This trail is an easy to moderate hike. 

Castella was a railroad station which was first called Castle Rock due to the highest dome of the nearby crags. Yet that name was short-lived, and in 1890 the United States Post Office headquarters in Washington D.C., designated the site which we know as Castella today, as Leland. The town of Leland was named in honor of Leland Standford, an American attorney, industrialist, philanthropist, and a member of the Republican Party. Standford served as the sixth governor of the state of California from 1862 to 1863. Standford owned a beautiful summer home at Lower Soda Springs in Shasta County, California. 

In 1890 the name of the town of Leland was changed again to Castella about the time this historic flume was erected to serve the community. The town site included a railroad depot, grocery store, hotel, school and a United States Post Office for local residents to send and receive mail. The area was mined for gold and logged for lumber as Castella boasted a population of 600 people at one-time. The town site still remains today along Interstate-5 in the Sacramento River Canyon and its United States Post Office is still in service to the public. 

Resources:

The Free Press newspaper of Redding, December 3, 1892

Castella Items - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, September 2, 1893

Castella Items - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, October 7, 1893

Castella News - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, March 3, 1894

Summer Resorts Up the Canyon - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, August 4, 1904

Castella Is Angry At S.P. - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, November 19, 1907

J.A. Rich, Miner Rescued Thursday Afternoon Several Miles West of Castella - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, March 30, 1907

Cannot Locate New Shasta Post Office - The Chico Record, newspaper of Chico, January 21, 1908

$39,000 Blaze Wipes Out Big Part of Castella - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, September 16, 1919

Castella Is Now a Thriving Town - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, August 9, 1923

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

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