Welcome to Exploring Shasta County history...
With this blog, I am bringing to life the stories of the early day pioneers and some of the oft-forgotten history of a bygone era in Shasta County, California. I'll also focus on important events after the turn of the 20th century. I would like to reflect upon current historical sites of the modern age as well.
This is copyrighted by Jeremy M. Tuggle.
Joe Hatten made his professional Major League Baseball debut on April 21, 1946, at the iconic Ebbets Field playing for Branch Rickey and the National League Brooklyn Dodgers against pitcher Bill Voiselle of the New York Giants, that day. In this game the young southpaw pitcher won his debut 2-1. He became a teammate of Major League Baseball Hall of Famer, Pee Wee Reese, and on April 15, 1947, Joe Hatten took the mound as the starting pitcher who lasted 6 innings in a game which became historic due to a brand-new rookie coming into his own glory that day as Jackie Robinson made his professional debut for Major League Baseball breaking the color barrier for modern Major League Baseball that game. Robinson made history as the rest of the 1947 Brooklyn Dodgers did as a team that year while they played against pitcher Johnny Sain of the Boston Braves the Brooklyn Dodgers won that historic match 5-3. Hatten went on to pitch in two World Series in 1947 and in 1949 with the Brooklyn Dodgers. He was later traded to the Chicago Cubs. He was a native of Bancroft, Iowa, who married a local Redding woman named Zanette Easley. Joe Hatten loved baseball and resided here during the off season due to his wife's family being here as local fans followed his movement. Check out my newest video to date: Joseph Hilarian Hatten (1916-1988); A Major League Pitcher Buried in Shingletown.
RESOURCES:
Joe Hatten, Navy Ace, Hurls for Minor Stars - The Oakland Tribune newspaper of Oakland, October 22, 1942
Hatten On the Hill for Navy - The Oakland Tribune newspaper of Oakland, January 10, 1943
Sailor Champs Meet Glows at Alameda - The Oakland Tribune newspaper of Oakland, January 10, 1943
Hatten Beats Fliers, 13 -1 - The Oakland Tribune newspaper of Oakland, April 18, 1943
Charly Dressen, Brooklyn Coach, Confers with Hatten - The Oakland Tribune newspaper of Oakland, January 27, 1946
Joe Hatten Signs, Off for Dodger Ball Camp Soon - The Oakland Tribune newspaper of Oakland, March 14, 1946
Joe Hatten Enjoys Pitching for Brooklyn Dodgers - The Redding Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, December 24, 1946
Brooks' Hatten Near Mark with Sixth Straight Wins Over Cubs - The San Pedro News newspaper of Los Angeles, July 29, 1947
World Series May Be Battle of the Bullpens - The San Pedro News newspaper of Los Angeles, September 27, 1947
Battered Dodgers Seek Win Today at Ebbets Field - The Odgensburg Journal newspaper of Odgensburg, New York, October 2, 1947
Brooklyn Downs New York 9 to 8 - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, October 2, 1947
Hatten Finishes As 13th Hurler in Earned Runs - The Redding Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, December 16, 1947
On Second Thought written by Alan Wood - The Oakland Tribune newspaper of Oakland, February 11, 1948
Hatten Bait in Cub Trade - The Redding Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, October 23, 1948
Hatten Accepts Brooklyn Offer - The Redding Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, February 15, 1949
Hatten Goes East to Start Ball Training - The Redding Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, February 24, 1949
Joe Hatten Is Hero as Dodgers Pull Up Even with St. Louis - The Madera Tribune newspaper of Madera, August 8, 1949
Hatten Signs His Contract - The Madera Tribune newspaper of Madera, February 13, 1950
Joe Hatten Toss Hurlers in Coast Loop - The Redding Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding
Hatten Hurls 2 Hit Victory - The Redding Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, April 25, 1950
Joe Hatten Tells Story - The Redding Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, April 24, 1951
Joe Proves the Lip Can Slip - The Redding Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, January 16, 1952
Joe Hatten Signs Chicago Cubs Pact - The Oakland Tribune newspaper of Oakland, February 2, 1953
Hatten Halts Pads with No Hitter - The Oakland Tribune newspaper of Oakland, June 8, 1953
Jo Hatten Stops Rainiers - The Oakland Tribune newspaper of Oakland, June 18, 1953
Hatten Honored - The Oakland Tribune newspaper of Oakland, July 14, 1953
Hatten Pitches Angels to 5-1 Win Over Oaks - The Oakland Tribune newspaper of Oakland, May 2, 1954
The Oakland Tribune newspaper of Oakland, August 30, 1954
Joe Hatten to Throw Against Sacramento - The Redding Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, September 12, 1957
Hatten Tigers Take on Sacramento Today - The Redding Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, September 16, 1957
Vancouver Gets Joe Hatten in Player-for-Player Trade - The Redding Record Searchlight, December 7, 1957
Local Fans Plan “Joe Hatten Day” - The Redding Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, April 9, 1958
All For Joe - The Redding Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, April 16, 1958
Hatten watched Baseball make history, Written by Art Gatts and Mike Mangas - The Redding Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, October 9, 1976
American Baseball Bureau Questionnaire, 1945, Joseph Hilarian Hatten. (Ancestry.com)
This article might be turned into a series about oft forgotten place names in Shasta County, California, which were formerly up-and-coming places to live in our beautiful region of northern California. Let’s take a look at some of them today and explore their history below...
Above: an 1884-1914 map of Shasta County, California, showing Allen's Station or Allen. The United States Fish Hatchery at Baird on the McCloud River is also shown here. Source: Cal Topo.
Allen’s Station also known as Allen, it was a community which was overshadowed by the townsite of Baird, situated in Section 23, Township 34, North, Range 4 West and a half-mile north of the United States Fish Hatchery at Baird on the McCloud River. It was a settlement, resort and a favorite stopping place during its prime which attracted nationwide travelers. Local resident George Allen established this one-time thriving location in 1872. Years later, in 1881, a man named Intrepid Morse Wiley, became the operator of the resort and stopping place at this location which was also called Allen’s Station. Breakfast, lunch and dinner meals were sold for twenty-five cents a plate and the meals were prepped here by Wiley and his wife.
It was a first-class hotel and restaurant with an open fireplace and comfortable furniture which made their patrons feel at home while lounging around. Swimming, and fishing were popular here along the river as well. However, it was no match for the new community of Baird becoming the larger community in the area and the Biard United States Post Office came to fruition by the United States Postal Service headquarters in Washington D.C., on April 8, 1878, with Myron Green as the first postmaster. The townsite of Baird and its U.S. Post Office was named in honor of Professor Spencer E. Baird, the first Federal Fish Commissioner.
Later on, the Baird United States Post Office was discontinued on January 31, 1920, which made the population decline in the area. Eventually it was re-established again on October 16, 1929, and it wasn't until July 17, 1933, when it was discontinued again. Allen's Station and Baird are now under Shasta Lake, and in the end, Baird became an oft-forgotten place as well.
Above: the townsite of Baird, in Shasta County, outgrew the community of Allen's Station.
Courtesy of Shasta Historical Society.
Elderton, was an agricultural community where farming and stock-raising was the main industry which helped establish this community. This community was settled in 1860, and later that year, on October 17, 1860, John C. Divine took charge as the first postmaster of this United States Post Office, and it became a townsite complete with a rural general merchandise store which housed their United States Post Office. The townsite of Elderton was a booming location which was located four miles west of Cottonwood. However, the prosperous growth of the town of Cottonwood merged with this oft-forgotten locality and its United States Post Office became discontinued on September 20, 1862, as Cottonwood burgeoned with success and Elderton's mail route was rerouted to the Cottonwood United States Post Office at that time.
Above: a list of post offices in California showing those in operation in March of 1853. Kilna (Potter's Ferry) is mentioned in the Shasta County group. It was one of three post offices in Shasta County at that time. From the Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, March 26, 1853
During 1852, the Wright Ferry, which was owned and operated by Eugene Wright & Otis Seaman sold their ferry to William Potter Jr., and Potter changed the name of this ferry to Potter’s Ferry which was then located one hundred yards south of the mouth of Spring Creek. Potter then relocated his ferry below the mouth of Rock Creek on the Sacramento River near Middle Creek (north of the present-day site of the Ribbon bridge.) Kilna, was a nearby settlement at the mouth of Middle Creek which was first settled in 1852 and later that year the United States Postal Service headquarters in Washington D.C., established a United States Post Office there on November 10, 1852, with William Potter Jr., as the first postmaster due to its flourishing population. It was located at the site of Potter’s Ferry, which was owned and operated by local ferryman, William Potter Jr., on the Sacramento River at Middle Creek. The town of Kilna boomed overnight and yet just as quickly as the townsite emerged out-of-nowhere it faded into becoming a footnote in history. On October 27, 1853, the United States Postal Service headquarters in Washington D.C., discontinued Kilna’s United States Post Office. William Potter Jr., was the last and only postmaster at this locality. The town of Kilna declined in population and it became deceased just as quickly as it emerged. Years later, a town called Waugh also known as Middle Creek formed at the same location as Kilna, and is now considered a ghost town along the Sacramento River Trail at Middle Creek with a few reminders of its hey-day remaining.
Believe it or not, Shasta County had a thriving mining settlement called Nebraska, which was located on Clear Creek, and situated in between the burgeoning towns of Texas Springs and Briggsville. Nebraska was a thriving community which saw an increase of population from 100 residents to 750 residents in 1855 due to lucrative gold strikes in the area. Five years later, only two residents remained in this declining community due to the mines not producing lucrative ore, and by 1861 the settlement deceased. Even today, Texas Springs and Briggsville outgrew Nebraska and there are a few relics from those townsites which remain visible to the public eye.
Above: the town of Texas Springs is featured on the official 1862 map of Shasta County. Note: it's called "Texas" instead of Texas Spring and Briggsville is called "Briggs" instead of Briggsville. Nebraska is not mentioned on it had vanished before Colonel William MaGee surveyed this map in February of 1862. It became the first official map of Shasta County.
Pine View, was another booming lumber settlement which was first settled in 1884. It was located eight miles west of Shingletown and fourteen miles north-east of Balls Ferry. Pine View included a one-room schoolhouse which was established there on May 4, 1885, and was utilized to advance the education of the local school children in the area who were taught there by one teacher. The schoolhouse was erected in 1885 on the Balls Ferry to Shingletown Road approximately a half mile east of the Lack Creek bridge.
Later, the Pine View schoolhouse was relocated to an open meadow about a half-mile of Lack Creek bridge. Florence Pugh was the teacher here in 1899 and 1900. The school continued to be utilized until May 9, 1919, when the school was transferred into the Sheridan School District due to a decline in the community’s population which eventually was the death knell of this locality.
RESOURCES:
List Of Post Offices - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, March 26, 1853
List Of U.S. Post Offices and Postmasters in the State of California - The San Joaquin Republican newspaper of Stockton, August 18, 1854
Clear Creek Ditch - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, October 27, 1855
Increase Of Our Population - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, November 3, 1855
List of Post Offices on the Pacific Coast - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, October 25, 1862
San Francisco Bulletin newspaper of San Francisco, March 15, 1879
The Free Press newspaper of Redding, March 8, 1884
Note: this gravesite is located on private property in Shasta.
The headstone of Johnston Lecky (1809-1849) at Shurtleff Hill in Shasta. Courtesy of Shasta Historical Society.
The town of Shasta was established in 1848 as a sprawling tent community called Reading Springs which was surrounded by gold rush pandemonium as miners pitched up tents establishing the new settlement. A natural spring flowed near the community adding to its original name of Reading Springs. Reading Springs was named in honor of Major Pierson B. Reading (pronounced like the color red) the first European-American settler in Shasta County, California. The population at Reading Springs increased between 500 and 600 residents in September of 1849, near the end of Johnston Lecky's life on October 8, 1849. During the interim the name Reading Springs was changed to Shasta on June 8, 1850. It was named Shasta by Armstead C. Brown an early pioneer settler. Brown named the town Shasta because it was the nearest town to Mount Shasta. Siskiyou County wasn't formed yet in California until 1852. As Shasta grew, the early settlers made it a ramshackle community, but the town flourished.
On March 6, 1851, the town of Shasta became the county seat of Shasta County. Shasta was now a bustling city, and a future post office and a courthouse would be constructed soon. Locals would come to call it the Queen City of the Northern Mines or simply, the Queen City of the North, due to the many accommodations it boasted during its heyday. Johnston Lecky is well remembered by local historians in the area and what's known of him is that he caught the gold fever and came out during the California Gold Rush. Johnston Lecky became the first recorded death and burial in the history of Shasta County, California. He was a native of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. His burial is located on Shurtleff Hill in the present-day town of Shasta. I was fortunate to create and Johnston Lecky to my Find A Grave.com, account today, and honor him with a proper memorial. This posting is an extension of that memorial found at: Johnston Lecky (1809-1849) - Find a Grave Memorial.
Resources:
The 1944 Covered Wagon, published by Shasta Historical Society, page 40.
The 1945 Yearbook, published by Shasta Historical Society, page 2.
Solitary Graves - The Oakland Tribune newspaper of Oakland, December 8, 1946
Report On Cemeteries and Lone Graves written by Beth Shuford. The 1965 Covered Wagon. Published by Shasta Historical Society, pages 40-42.
The "Cemetery Book" and Some of its Stories written by Beth Shuford. The 1973 Covered Wagon Published by Shasta Historical Society, pages 60-70.
The Hummingbird Mine is located in the Old Diggings Mining District of Shasta County, California. This mine's mineralization is embodied in greenstone rock. It's a former gold mine which is situated in Section 21, Township 32, North Range 5 West of the Mount Diablo Base and Meridian in California. Free gold was associated with sulphides in this mining property, near present-day Keswick Dam on the eastside of the Sacramento River, just off Keswick Road. The mineral land here contains two shafts both plugged and a 120-ft adit. Early reports mention this adit as a 50-ft., adit but it has been extended over the years. Production notes were not kept for the Hummingbird Gold Mine. The FB Trail passes through a good portion of this mineral land on present-day BLM land. Come explore this property with Ryan Hamman, Riah Stevens and I.
Locally renowned photographer Chester Mullen captured this image of an unidentified man loading ore from the chutes of an ore bin onto the carts in the foreground of this photograph on the Southern Pacific Railroad at Cuargo, in Shasta County, California, a local railroad siding. Courtesy of Shasta Historical Society.
Cuargo was errored to be the Spanish word for the English version of the word quartz in Spanish. This Southern Pacific railroad siding dates to 1907 when the railroad originally christened this new railroad siding here as Quartz after the nearby town of Quartz Hill and the nearby Old Diggings Railroad also known as the Quartz Hill Railroad which was featured in one of my latest YouTube videos. Yet, the Southern Pacific railroad decided it was too common of a name for a siding or a place in California and they approved its Spanish version instead. Yet, the railroad officials misspelled the Spanish version of the name for quartz.
Quartz in Spanish is spelled correctly as cuarzo, and the railroad officials were blasted for it in the local media outlets for lacking knowledge of the language. However, the error of the name was never corrected and the name Cuargo stuck to their new railroad siding without being changed to its correct Spanish spelling. With the local mining companies shipping their ore to Cuargo for treatment at the Mammoth Smelter near Kennett, the Mammoth Copper Mining and Smelting Company housed this ore inside their ore bin here, and when the ore bin was full their ore was sent to a specific site at the Mammoth Smelter where it was later treated, however, sometimes that site became too full as well and the ore which was sent by local mining companies were set aside on location at Cuargo with marked tags noting where the ore came from. It was then hauled up to the smelter site to be treated from Cuargo. Coke and other mining related by products were also stored here as well.
Cuargo was the junction point of the Southern Pacific Railroad and situated above the Old Diggings Railroad while passenger trains stopped at Central Spur, which was located a quarter mile south of Cuargo to drop off and pick up local residents living in the communities of Old Diggings which also known as Hart, and the nearby town of White House. These residents were displeased with commuting to Central Spur while Cuargo was closer to their hometowns. In 1908, a petition of signatures was collected by the nearby communities to have the Southern Pacific railroad relocate the passenger terminal at Central Spur to Cuargo. Yet, this action never became official. Cuargo was utilized by the Southern Pacific railroad until the railroad at this location which was sold for scrap to the federal government in 1918.
A circa 1915-1945 map showing the location of the communities of Hart and Whitehouse. Near the area of Cuargo. Source: Cal Topo.
Resources:
C.R. Croney Is Agent at Keswick - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, January 14, 1908
Expert Opinion on Spanish Name - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, September 29, 1908
Want Trains to Stop at Cuargo - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, September 29, 1908
Kennett Freight Receipts Are Big - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, November 4, 1908
Shasta County - The Sacramento Daily Union newspaper of Sacramento, November 6, 1908
Old Camp Never More Prosperous Than Now - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, March 23, 1909
New Footbridge Spans River at Old Diggings - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, September 3, 1915
Federal Government Is Purchaser of Rails - The Sacramento Daily Union newspaper of Sacramento, July 5, 1918
Where would your ancestors have purchased a Studebaker horse drawn wagon during the late 19th century in Redding? What was Redding's biggest store, who were the entrepreneurs behind this annual million-dollar general merchandise business. Other than Redding, where were the other branches located? Find out more in my newest episode of Exploring Shasta County History.
RESOURCES:
1860 U.S. Census
California Voter Register, 1866
Dentistry (advertisement) - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, June 30, 1866
City Drug Store (advertisement) - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, January 11, 1868
1870 U.S. Census
Dissolution Of Partnership - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, May 5, 1877
McCormick-Saeltzer & Co. - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, September 29, 1877
Dr. Wellendorf - The Reading Independent newspaper of Redding, October 31, 1877
Our Merchants - The Reading Independent newspaper of Redding, October 31, 1877
McCormick Saeltzer & Co. - The Reading Independent newspaper of Redding, May 22, 1879
1880 U.S. Census
Misfortune - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, October 20, 1883
Our Merchants - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, November 10, 1883
The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, September 6, 1884
The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, March 14, 1885
The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, April 4, 1885
The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, May 16, 1885
The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, July 11, 1885
The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, August 1, 1885
The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, August 29, 1885
Delta - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, September 12, 1885
Our Business - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, June 12, 1886
The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, October 2, 1886
New Incorporation - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, April 21, 1888
Holt & Gregg - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, June 2, 1888
Consolidated - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, November 24, 1888
1900 U.S. Census
Two New Buildings to Be Erected - The Daily Free Press newspaper of Redding, March 22, 1900
Louie Autenreith (branch store at Carrville) - The Daily Free Press newspaper of Redding, March 25, 1901
Carrville Is Growing - The Daily Free Press newspaper of Redding, July 9, 1901
Big Store Clerks Have Falling Out - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, December 17, 1901
Big Store Firm May Soon Build Large Addition - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, March 20, 1902
W.L. Smith's Estate Goes to Probate Court - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, June 7, 1902
W.L. Smith's Will Goes to Probate - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, June 22, 1902
Mrs. Boggs Wants Her Money Back - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, July 18, 1902
Mrs. Boggs Temporarily Suspended as Administratix - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, September 9, 1902
Smith's Stock in Big Store Stands in Boggs' Name - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, September 10, 1902
They Acknowledge Smith's Widow of Smith - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, September 23, 1902
Smith Will Case is Set Down for Trial - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, October 4, 1902
Executrix Point is Passed Along - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, October 4, 1902
Fire In Big Store Building - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, December 19, 1902
The Smith Estate Comes Up in Court - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, December 21, 1902
Will Contests Are Dismissed - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, September 1, 1903
Big Store Company Sues Smith Estate - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, October 20, 1903
Two Suits Over Stock in the Big Store - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, October 23, 1903
Vast Changes in McCormick-Saeltzer Store - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, April 18, 1903
The Big Store to Be Made Bigger - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, April 19, 1903
Smith's Will Is Twice Attacked - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, June 21, 1903
The Big Store's New Building - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, July 11, 1903
Smith Estate to Be Settled Soon - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, September 9, 1903
James McCormick Is Number with the Dead - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, June 9, 1905
Says Her Father Was Unduly Influenced - The San Francisco Call newspaper of San Francisco, July 4, 1905
Several Wills Filed - The San Francisco Call newspaper of San Francisco, June 21, 1905
Chico Record newspaper of Chico, July 7, 1905
Makes Offer of Compromise - The San Francisco Call newspaper of San Francisco, December 1, 1905
The McCormick-Saeltzer Co. Offers Reward - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, April 26, 1906
Saeltzer Clerk Is Arrested - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, September 1, 1907
Jeffords Is Found Not Guilty - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, September 12, 1907
Delamar Eats Up Big Store Team - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, August 3, 1908
Rudolph Saeltzer Wins Promotion - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, February 25, 1909
1910 U.S. Census
1920 U.S. Census
Old Timer Passes In San Francisco - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, August 22, 1923
Court Adjourns in Honor of Merchant - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, February 14, 1927
Final Tribute to Be Paid Monday to R.M. Saeltzer - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, February 14, 1927
Chamber Honors R.M. Saeltzer - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, February 16, 1927
R.M. Saeltzer Estate Estimated At $250,000 - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, February 16, 1927
1930 U.S. Census
The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, January 12, 1933
The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, January 14, 1933
Klement Buys Big Store - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, January 22, 1938
1940 U.S. Census
Fire Levels Block; Still Burns - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, January 13, 1940
Big Store Will Be Rebuilt Immediately - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, January 14, 1940
To Start Big Store Salvaging - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, January 18, 1940
Big Store Claims Paid - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, January 1940
Pioneer Store May Purchase Big Store Lot - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, January 29, 29, 1940
Saeltzers to Rebuild Soon On Old Site - The Redding Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, February 5, 1940
McCormick-Saeltzer to Rebuild; Labor Dispute on Job Settled - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, February 6, 1940
Pioneer Will Rebuild Big Store - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, March 31, 1940
Pioneer Store to Buy Big Store Property - The Redding Record Searchlight of Redding, April 1, 1940
To Build Big Store Soon - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, April 1, 1940
More Than $200,000 Will Be Spent in Construction of Big Store Building - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, April 2, 1940
Big Store Lot Sold For $55,000 - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, April 17, 1940
Issue Permit for Big Store - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, April 30, 1940
Revocation of Permit Halts Big Store Job - The Redding Record Searchlight of Redding, May 13, 1940
Wm. M. Klement Buys Hardware Depat., and Big Market Real Estate; to Retire As Pioneer Store President - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, May 15, 1940
City to Require Inspector On Pioneer Store - The Redding Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, May 24, 1940
Beautiful New Pioneer Store Block to Open Tomorrow - The Redding Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, September 18, 1940
The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, September 19, 1940
First Stores of New Block Opened Today - The Redding Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, September 19, 1940
The town of Delamar was established in the area in June of 1900 while construction on the Sacramento Valley and Eastern Railroad began on December 11, 1906, this railroad company was incorporated on January 8, 1907, the purpose of the Sacramento Valley and Eastern Railroad, was to conduct a 15-mile standard gauge, ore, delivery, and passenger train from Bonita 3 miles north of Kennett to the Bully Hill smelter at Delamar. It was completed in 1908 and operated until 1939, due to the flooding of Shasta Lake for Shasta Dam. Between 1942 and 1945 Shasta Dam was under construction and its reservoir flooded this railroad system under Shasta Lake. It's often seen during drought seasons. The grade and railroad bed with its ties are still intact under the lake along Pit River and Squaw Creek which is seen here in this general overview of its lucrative history. What's not well-known to railroad enthusiasts and local history buffs is the fate of Engine #2 which succeeded after Engine #1 was taken out of commission. Where is this second engine located and what became of it? Find out more in this episode of Exploring Shasta County History.
RESOURCES:
An Electric Railroad from Kennett to Bully Hill Mines - The Daily Free Press newspaper of Redding, September 20, 1902
Work Begins on the Railroad from Kennet to Bully Hill - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, December 11, 1906
Kennet-Delamar Road Files Papers - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, January 8, 1907
Incorporates To Build Railroad to Delamar - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, January 9, 1907
A New Station Called Pitt - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, February 5, 1907
Contract Let for Building the Railroad - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, February 9, 1907
Bully Hill Coke Stored at Pitt - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, February 19, 1907
The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, February 17, 1907
Train To Delamar in Seven Months - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, February 18, 1907
Pitt Is the Name of the New Station - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, February 19, 1907
“BONITA” THE NAME OF NEW SHASTA TOWN - The Sacramento Daily Union newspaper of Sacramento, February 20, 1907
Greeks Arriving for the Railroad - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, March 1, 1907
Two Hundred Men Are Building Railroad - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, March 8, 1907
Carload of Steel Girders Arrives - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, March 10, 1907
Many Greeks Drowned Near Kennet - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, March 11, 1907
Twenty Greeks Were Drowned at Bonita - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, March 12, 1907
Eleven Greeks Drowned While Ferrying the River - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, March 12, 1907
Number Of Greeks Drowned Nineteen - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, March 13, 1907
Five Bodies Taken from River at Bonita - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, March 13, 1907
Names Of Victims at Last Are Known - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, March 13, 1907
Many Mules Go to Bonita - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, March 13, 1907
Names of the Dead Greeks - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, March 14, 1907
Fixing The Blame for The Death of Nineteen - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, March 14, 1907
Accidental Drowning Verdict of Jury - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, March 15, 1907
Hundreds In Line at Greek Funeral - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, March 16, 1907
Little Hopes Now for Recovery of Bodies - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, March 20, 1907
Hundred Greeks Were Discharged - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, May 2, 1907
Shasta County May Buy Pit River Bridge - The Sacramento Daily Union newspaper of Sacramento, May 18, 1907
Ten Tons to Pitt from Redding - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, June 7, 1907
Graders Knock Out Juice and Smelter Stop Work - The Marysville Daily Appeal newspaper of Marysville, July 13, 1907
Cars to Delamar by November 1st - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, July 16, 1907
By November Next - The Sacramento Daily Union newspaper of Sacramento, July 18, 1907
Rapid Work on the Pit River Railroad - The Sacramento Daily Union newspaper of Sacramento, August 29, 1907
Town Site Laid Out on Pit River - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, September 6, 1907
Track-Laying on the Railroad to Delamar Will Begin This Week - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, October 13, 1907
Getting In Shape - The San Jose Mercury newspaper of San Jose, October 22, 1907
Railroad Work Near Delamar - The Sacramento Daily Union newspaper of Sacramento, November 6, 1907
Railway to Electric Smelter - The San Francisco Call newspaper of San Francisco, December 15, 1907
First Load of Freight - The San Francisco Call newspaper of San Francisco, December 16, 1907
Bully Hill Smelter Has Been Remodeled - The Sacramento Daily Union newspaper of Sacramento, December 24, 1907
The Courier-Free Press, January 6, 1908
Another Railroad Is Now Completed - The Fresno Evening Herald newspaper of Fresno, January 16, 1908
Tracks Are Laid to Copper City - The Sacramento Daily Union newspaper of Sacramento, January 17, 1908
Copper City A Port of Entry - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, January 22, 1908
Railroad Completed as Far as Horse Creek - The Sacramento Daily Union newspaper of Sacramento, February 4, 1908
Tracks Laid into Delamar - The Chico Record newspaper of Chico, February 20, 1908
Delamar Furnace to Begin Reduction - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, February 22, 1908
Round Trip Between Delamar and Redding - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, February 26, 1908
Seek $110,000 Damages from Pit River Road - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, March 13, 1908
Telephone Line Completed - The Sacramento Daily Union newspaper of Sacramento, March 19, 1908
Local Traffic to Mining Towns to Be Great Factor - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, March 21, 1908
Summary Of News from Many Towns and Cities - The Sacramento Daily Union newspaper of Sacramento, March 24, 1908
Regular Trains from Delamar to Redding - The Sacramento Daily Union newspaper of Sacramento, March 25, 1908
Smoke From Stacks of Smelter at Delamar - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, March 28, 1908
New Enterprise at Copper City - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, April 14, 1908
Freight Rates on Delamar Railroad - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, May 24, 1908
Delamar Eats Up Big Store Team - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, August 3, 1908
Special Train for A Sick Man - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, August 9, 1908
The Smelter Town Has Three Names - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, September 10, 1908
Seventeen Damage Suits Call for $110,000 from the Railroad - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, January 22, 1909
A High Valuation Is Placed on the Greeks - The Red Bluff Daily News newspaper of Red Bluff, January 29, 1909
Blockade Is Lifted - The Sacramento Daily Union newspaper of Sacramento, February 25, 1909
Laying Track Up Pitt River - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, November 7, 1909
Sues Railroad for $50,000 Damages - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, December 22, 1909
Big Damage Suit Filed in Shasta - The Red Bluff News newspaper of Red Bluff, December 24, 1909
Steel Company to Lease Railroad - The Sacramento Daily Union newspaper of Sacramento, July 18, 1915
Railroad In Shasta County Has Deficit - The Sacramento Daily Union newspaper of Sacramento, December 13, 1916
Will Extend Road 4 Miles - The Sacramento Daily Union newspaper of Sacramento, October 5, 1920
Pit River Work Started - The San Francisco Call newspaper of San Francisco, October 6, 1920
Sacramento Valley And Eastern Railroad Shows Profit - The Sacramento Daily Union newspaper of Sacramento, June 29, 1922
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