THE LORENZ HOTEL

An iconic and historic building in downtown Redding, the Lorenz hotel, with an engraved date of 1901 on the front top of the building. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on October 31, 2019.

The present-day, Lorenz hotel is located at 1509 Yuba Street in Redding. It is currently owned and operated by the Christian Church Homes and is presently used to assist senior citizens with affordable housing. Four additional businesses continue to operate on the ground floor. In the lobby is a Barbershop, and on the east side of the building is the Deja Vu Restaurant, on the north east corner is the Station, a coffee shop boutique and on the north west corner is the Carousel, a clothing store.

In March of 1901 a contract was let by the estate of Henry Lorenz to Charles H. Barrett of the firm Arnold & Barrett to design a three-story hotel in downtown Redding on Yuba Street on a vacant lot which that estate had purchased that year. Henry Lorenz had been deceased since 1895. The family made their fortune to erect this hotel from the lucrative Red Hill Placer mine that they owned at Junction City in Trinity County. The lot was located between the Golden Eagle hotel and the railroad tracks. In previous years, before the hotel was built on the vacant lot it was a well-known piece of swampland containing malaria. Yet, the future construction of the hotel changed its environment.

Early on, it was estimated that the building could be erected for $30,000 and paid for by the Henry Lorenz estate which was managed by Franz Joseph Lorenz, one of the twelve children of Henry Lorenz and Susan (Leibrant) Lorenz. However, the figure changed drastically. The twelve children of Henry Lorenz and Susan (Leibrant) Lorenz are the following:

1. Franz Joseph Lorenz (1862-1937), who married Annie Margaret Gilbert.

2. Henry Lorenz (1863-1915), he never married.

3. Christina Lorenz (1865-1938), who married Joseph W. Smith.

4. Mary Anne Lorenz (1868-1868), who died young.

5. John Nicholas Lorenz (1869-1936), who married Rose.

6. Matilda Lorenz (1871-1950), who married William Gribble.

7. Susan Lorenz (1874-1959), who married James H. Gribble.

8. William David Lorenz (1876-1961).

9. George Jacob Lorenz (1878-1912), he never married.

10. Emma Lorenz (1881-1963), she married first to James H. Hoyle, then her second marriage was to Herbert L. Moody and then she married for a third time to Amos Meininger.

11. Grover Cleveland Lorenz (1884-1973), who married Louise Machado.

12. Charlie Lorenz (1886-1888), who died young.

Above: is Henry Lorenz who was born on March 26, 1825 in Bavaria, Germany and died in 1895 from critical injuries received during a buggy accident in Trinity County. His estate helped establish the Lorenz hotel. Courtesy of Shasta Historical Society. 

Above: is Susan (Leibrant) Lorenz who was born July 8, 1844 in Allen County, Indiana and died on April 3, 1925, she is the wife of Henry Lorenz. Courtesy of Shasta Historical Society.

Eventually, the plans for this hostelry were revised for the structure to become a four-story building with a basement. Barrett designed a Beaux Arts/Italian Renaissance building which contained forty-four rooms on three of the four floors. The basement included a cold storage room to keep large quantities of frozen meat, vegetables, and additional perishable goods preserved for an indefinite time. Also, in the basement was the billiard room, bath and toilet rooms. Then on, May 6, 1901, the Free Press newspaper of Redding published the following article:

“Contract Is Let For Lorenz Hotel

The first construction contract for the new Lorenz hotel was let Monday afternoon. It was awarded to Holt & Gregg over a number of other competitors. This firm will excavate and build the foundation and basement complete and up to the first story. The contract price approximates $10,000. The papers will be signed and then work must begin within three days and be completed within forty-eight days.” (SIC)

The Henry Lorenz estate began negotiations to lease their hotel after the above article appeared that month. They were negotiating with several well-known hostelry people to conduct the hotel for them under a lease option. Among them were Daniel G. Coy and his son Guy C. Coy, and D. McCarthy who made offers to the Henry Lorenz estate.

After the lease deadline expired, the Henry Lorenz estate issued the lease of their hotel to James H. Hoyle, a shrewd businessman and a son-in-law of Henry Lorenz and Susan (Leibrant) Lorenz. Hoyle became the first manager of this impressive hostelry. Their daughter, Emma was Hoyle’s wife and she became the hostess of the establishment.

During July of 1901, the media reported that Holt & Gregg of Anderson will continue to build this hostelry skyward for a final cost of $56,194 and the owners were still contemplating whether to include an elevator at that time. The Terry Lumber Company supplied Holt & Gregg with their wood from their lumber yard at Bella Vista during the construction. The materials used during the construction of this imposing building were brick and concrete in the foundation, the walls were made of brick and sandstone, the roof was made of wood, and other items were wood windowsills/frames and columns.

While the construction of the Lorenz hotel took place there were $100,000 of improvements being made around the City of Redding, on four different buildings and the construction of a brand-new post office building on Market Street. Redding was changing rapidly, and local businesses were thriving. As the construction waned, the Lorenz estate approved an elevator which was to be installed before April 1, 1902, this became the first elevator in Redding, and Shasta County, as it made headline news in the area. However, it didn’t meet the deadline and wasn’t installed until later that year. After the installation of the elevator occurred, it cost the Henry Lorenz estate $750 per month to operate it twenty-four-hours per day. The electricity was supplied by the Keswick Power Company.

There is a bit of confusion regarding the grand opening of the Lorenz hotel, some historians celebrate October 18, 1902 as the big day, and that is incorrect. There is an article written by the Free Press newspaper of Redding which heralds the title of “Opening of The Lorenz Hotel” which was published on October 20, 1902. It mainly refers to the management holding a grand public reception in the future, but no date or time was rendered for the grand celebration. Then there is the following advertisement from the Lorenz hotel which claims November 15, 1902 is the grand opening of the new hotel.

Above: an advertisement showing a vignette of the Hotel Lorenz and rendering the grand opening date of November 15, 1902. From the November 14, 1902 edition of the Free Press newspaper of Redding. 

However, an excerpt of an article from the Searchlight newspaper of Redding on November 18, 1902 claimed the following about the formal grand opening of the Lorenz hotel: "and on the following evening a grand  reception will be given there in honor of the teachers in attendance at the annual convention of the Northern California Teacher's Association , when an opportunity will be given the public to view the new hostelry." (SIC) The date of November 19, 1902, is the last official date rendered for the hostelry's grand opening.

Above: the lobby and the registration desk inside the Lorenz hotel. Date unknown. Courtesy of Shasta Historical Society.

Above: the Lorenz bar inside the Lorenz hotel. Date unknown. Courtesy of Shasta Historical Society.

Later, in June of 1903, Hoyle was approved by the estate of Henry Lorenz to employ additional help and they hired local hostelry man William J. Gillespie to assist Hoyle with the management. There are some sources claim that Gillespie was hired by the Henry Lorenz estate before Hoyle and that is inaccurate. By February of 1904 the Lorenz hotel was in competition with the following hotels in the City of Redding: the Del Monte Lodgings and Tenements, the Depot hotel, the Edmond hotel, the Golden Eagle hotel, the Mountain View House, the Temple hotel, and the S.P.R.R. Passenger Depot and Freight Hotel.

Even though Hoyle & Gillespie advertised as the proprietors of this establishment they were still the lessees of this hotel. Their contracts with the Henry Lorenz estate could change at a moment’s notice. Four years later, in February of 1907, it was James H. Hoyle who purchased Gillespie’s interest and then Hoyle resold this half-interest to his brother-in-law, Franz Lorenz. The purchase price was undisclosed, yet on June 1st, of that year Hoyle and Lorenz purchased a lease option for the next five years for $28,800, made payable to the Henry Lorenz estate, “at the rate of $400 per month - $200 on the 1st and 15th of each month. The lease just executed carries with it a privilege of five years more at the rate of $500 per month.” (SIC)

On the evening of November 20, 1908, a “muffled roar, and a flash of flame ajar that shook the entire building and wrecked three rooms, entailing a loss of about $1,000 a quantity of gas that had escaped from a broken gas pipe, exploded in a room of the Lorenz hotel.” The alarm rang out and fire crews immediately responded. Eventually this news was heralded by media outlets across the State of California.

Media outlets reported that there was no serious damage to the structure, however, there were five people injured in the explosion which was caused by a match which was lit in a gas charged room. Among the injured who received severe burns, but not critical injuries were Susan (Leibrant) Lorenz, D.A. Lancaster, a commercial traveler from San Francisco, Mrs. H.A. Jones, Walter Erskine, and John Rule. Erskine and Rule were employees of the hostelry.

Above: an advertisement for the Hotel Lorenz, based on the American and European plan, featuring an Electric Elevator, a fireproof building, reasonable rates and a cold storage plant. From the August 5, 1909 edition of the Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding.

Business was thriving at the Lorenz hotel in Redding which was still under lease to Hoyle and Lorenz. When the 1910 U.S. Census was enumerated on May 10, 1910 it documented that James H. Hoyle was a partner in the hotel at the age of twenty-nine, Emma (Lorenz) Hoyle was listed at the age of twenty-eight, and Susan (Leibrant) Lorenz was documented as a partner in this hotel. She was living there at the age of sixty-five, along with her son Franz, his wife Annie, and their five children. Thirteen additional tenants are documented on this U.S. Census as living inside the Lorenz hotel.

Above: this photograph shows the Hotel Lorenz on Yuba Street. This hostelry hosted a number of local businesses since its grand opening. The Stadium Theatre is advertised on the north west window of the building. The Stadium Theater was originally located on Market at Tehama Streets in Redding, and it was opened to the public on June 17, 1908 by its proprietors Jane Olney and James Miller. The Stadium Theater later moved to the Lorenz hotel and it stayed in business until 1910, when Olney and Miller purchased the Majestic Theater from Julius Lang.  Circa 1910. Courtesy of Shasta Historical Society.

Five years later, another fire erupted inside this building on July 20, 1915, causing $3,000 in damages by fire and water. How this ravaging fire ignited was never determined but the Redding Fire Department battled the flames. Insurance was covered on the hotel. Two years later, on October 13, 1917, members of the Henry Lorenz estate filed articles of incorporation in Redding to establish the Lorenz Company with a capital stock of $81,000. At this time, a board of directors were organized as well with president, Susan (Leibrant) Lorenz; director, Franz Lorenz; director, Emma (Lorenz) Hoyle; director, Christina (Lorenz) Smith; and director, Grover Lorenz.

Above: a cancelled stock certificate for the Lorenz Company of Redding. Courtesy of Shasta Historical Society.

The Lorenz Company employed Arthur L. Watson in 1920 and 1921 to manage the hotel. Then on, April 3, 1925, Susan (Leibrant) Lorenz died at the age of eighty years old at the home of her daughter Emma. She was an early pioneer settler of Trinity County who arrived and settled there in 1857. Surviving the widow of Henry Lorenz were eight sons and daughters at the time of her death. During the late 1920's the Lorenz hotel became home to an auto stage stop for the Redding-Fall River Stage Line which conveyed passengers from Redding to Fall River (in Shasta County), and the Redding-Bieber Freight Line, which hauled freight from Redding to Bieber.

Once again, in the early morning hours of December 5, 1928 a mysterious fire of uncertain origin in which was estimated between $20,000 and $30,000 in damages was started in the fourth story front of the building on the Yuba Street side. During the excitement, an employee named Robert Johnson who was employed at the hotel as a bell hop caught a thief in his room who took Johnson's wallet containing $14. The fire alarm rang out and the Redding Fire Department was on the scene fighting the blaze. The thief was turned over to the Redding Police who locked up a looter by the name of Ed Morris in the Shasta County Jail. Over time, the Lorenz Company remodeled the fourth floor of the building and business resumed.

The Lorenz Hotel's first lessee, James H. Hoyle died of an heart ailment at San Francisco in the Grand hotel of that city on January 4, 1935, where he had been living for the last few years. Hoyle had been a promoter of mining claims in Trinity County, and he was well remembered as conducting the Lorenz hotel when it was brand new. At the time of his death Hoyle was no longer married to Emma as they were previously divorced, and she later remarried to Herbert L. Moody of Redding to become his second wife. Moody was a retired newspaper publisher in the Redding area, and it was Emma (Lorenz) Moody who continued the management of the Lorenz Hotel, however tragedy soon struck Emma when her second husband Herbert L. Moody, died in San Francisco in 1931.

Emma continued to manage the Lorenz hotel and then she married a third time to Amos Meininger in 1939. Her new husband Amos Meininger was well-known in the community and had been a resident of Redding since 1937. He had purchased another well-known establishment in Redding called the Home Mortuary in 1945 and changed the name of this undertaking service to the Meininger Mortuary. During this time, business thrived for both. Emma had no children in either marriage.

Above: on March 30, 1937, a  $100,000 fire broke out inside the Lorenz hotel as the top floor was gutted. Dense smoke is seen rising from the building. Courtesy of Shasta Historical Society. 

Above: on March 30, 1937 a $100,000 fire broke out inside the Lorenz hotel as the top floor was gutted. Firemen with hoses are seen on the roof with dense smoke rising from the building. This view is looking north-west from Placer and California Streets at the Lorenz hotel. Courtesy of Shasta Historical Society.

Emma (Lorenz) Meininger had operated the Lorenz hotel up until her and her husband's death in 1963 as a director of the Lorenz Company. After that, other members of the Lorenz Company operated this hostelry. Over the years, additional businesses moved into the ground floor store fronts of the Lorenz hotel. The Lorenz Company operated this hostelry until 1973, when the Lorenz Company closed the hotel and sold it in 1975.


Three years later the new owners of this hostelry opened the hotel for senior citizen living. In 1991, 5 million dollars’ worth of renovations were made to the building by the U.S.D.H.U.D. A plaque which was dedicated by the Lorenz family, Shasta Historical Society, the Charlie Moss Historical Fund, and the Trinitaranius Chapter #62 of the Ancient and Honorable Order of E. Clampus Vitus In Cooperation with Christian Church Home’s was dedicated by them on November 7, 2015.

Above: the historic plaque on the building which was dedicated November 7, 2015. Taken by Jeremy Tuggle on October 31, 2019.

Above: the California Street side with Deja Vu the restaurant. The historic plaque can be seen on the lower right. Taken by Jeremy Tuggle on October 31, 2019.

Above: On the Yuba Street side of the building is a National Geodetic United States Benchmark. The date of 1919 is visible on it. It was accidentally painted over with red paint. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on October 31, 2019.

Above: the lobby of the historic Lorenz hotel with its registration desk. Decorated for Halloween. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on October 31, 2019.

Above: the resident mail boxes at the Lorenz hotel. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on October 31, 2019.

Above: today a barber shop occupy's a portion of the lobby inside the historic Lorenz hotel. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on October 31, 2019.

Above: the original safe from the Lorenz Company is still in the lobby next to the elevator. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on October 31, 2019.

Above: The Lorenz hotel was the first elevator in operation at Redding and in Shasta County. This one was in working condition like its predecessor was and functions the same from floor 1 to floor 4. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on October 31, 2019.

Above: the doorway to the stair case at the Lorenz hotel, ground floor. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on October 31, 2019.

Above: a red stair case at the Lorenz hotel, ground floor. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on October 31, 2019.

Above: 2nd floor of the Lorenz hotel. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on October 31, 2019.

Above: looking south from a window inside the hallway of the Lorenz hotel. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on October 31, 2019.

Above: 3rd floor of the Lorenz hotel. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on October 31, 2019.

Above: the 4th floor of the Lorenz hotel near the elevator. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on October 31, 2019.

Above: the 4th floor of the Lorenz hotel. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on October 31, 2019.

Above: this postcard image was taken between the years: 1904 and 1915. It shows the Golden Eagle hotel in the distance, the Lorenz hotel, the quartz water fountain and the Carnegie Library. On the north-west corner of the Lorenz building is the advertisement for the Norther California Power Company. The Carnegie Library was built in 1903. From the collection of Jeremy Tuggle.

Above: after the above postcard image was taken. This photograph was taken by Jeremy Tuggle on October 31, 2019.

RESOURCES:

Henry Lorenz (death notice) - The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, November 9, 1895

1900 U.S. Census

Lorenz Estate Promises To Build Redding By The Railroad - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, March 22, 1901

Hotel To Have Four Stories - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, March 28, 1901

Fine Hotel For Redding - The San Francisco Call call newspaper of San Francisco, April 19, 1901

Redding's New Hotel, THE LORENZ, Designed by Arnold & Barrett - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, April 13, 1901

Contract Is Let For Lorenz Hotel - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, May 6, 1901

Hotel Is Now Building - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, May 23, 1901

Asks Bids For Hotel Lorenz - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, May 23, 1901

A $20,000 Theater Is A Possibility - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, June 11, 1901

Business Buildings as printed in The Engineering Record, January-June 1901, Vol. 43, No. 17 (New York), 412.

Changes Talked Of For Hotel Lorenz - The Free newspaper of Redding, July 3, 1901

Four New Buildings Rear Their Walls - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, July 16, 1901

Contract For Hotel Lorenz - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, July 18, 1901

Lorenz Hotel To Get Passenger Elevator - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, December 24, 1901

Coy & Son Try To Get Hotel Lorenz - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, May 23, 1902

Redding’s New Hotel Is A Revelation - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, June 6, 1902

The Lorenz Hotel Will Soon Be Open - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, October 12, 1902

The Lorenz Will Be Opened Soon - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, October 16, 1902

The Hotel Lorenz Will Be Open Before November 21 - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, October 15, 1902

Opening Of The Lorenz Hotel - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, October 20, 1902

James Hoyle Will Manage The Lorenz - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, October 21, 1902

Finest Fixtures In All California - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, October 22, 1902

The Hotel Lorenz (advertisement) - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, November 14, 1902

Formal Opening Of Hotel Lorenz - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, November 18, 1902

Hotel Lorenz (advertisement) - The Searchlight newspaper of Reddding, November 21, 1902

The Hotel Lorenz (advertisement) - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, December 19, 1902

The Hotel Lorenz (advertisement) - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, February 12, 1903

New Landlord for Hotel Lorenz - The Red Bluff Daily News newspaper of Red Bluff, April 17, 1903

The Hotel Lorenz (advertisement) - The Free Press newspaper of Redding, June 21, 1903

City of Redding - The Sanborn Map Company ©February of 1904

Hotel Lorenz (advertisement) - The Sacramento Union newspaper of Sacramento, April 25, 1906

Falls To Death From Fire Escape - The Red Bluff News newspaper of Red Bluff, September 14, 1906

Hoyle Sells Half Interest in Lorenz - The Courier-Free Press, February 9, 1907

Half Interest Sold In The Lorenz Hotel - The Sacramento Union newspaper of Sacramento, February 11, 1907

Shasta County Will Entertain The Governor - The Sacramento Union newspaper of Sacramento, February 19, 1907

Hotel Leased For A Term Of Years - The Sacramento Union newspaper of Sacramento, June 16, 1907

New Theater Opens - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, June 18, 1908

Gas Explosion In Hotel Room - The Sacramento Union newspaper of Sacramento, November 21, 1908

The Majestic (advertisement) - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, January 1, 1910

Explosion In Redding Hotel Injures Five - The Chico Record newspaper of Chico, November 22, 1908

Hotel Men Meet Growing Demand - The Sacramento Union newspaper of Sacramento, June 13, 1910

1910 U.S. Census

Boardman Brothers & Co. brochure for the new Boardman Addition ©1910. From the archives of Shasta Historical Society.

Fire In Redding Hotel - The Riverside Daily Press newspaper of Riverside, July 20, 1915

Company Organized To Conduct Hotel - The Sacramento Union newspaper of Sacramento, October 14, 1917

Pioneer Woman Of Trinity County Dies In Redding - The Searchlight newspaper of Redding, April 4, 1925

Early Fire At Lorenz Does Big Damage - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, December 5, 1928

H.L. Moody Passes On - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, September 3, 1931

James H. Hoyle Passes On At The Bay - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, January 4, 1935

J.N. Lorenz Is Called On In Santa Rosa - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, March 19, 1936

Mrs. Smith's Funeral On Saturday Morning - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, May 26, 1938

LP-034 Lorenz, Susan (Leibrant), and Lorenz Henry, Pioneer Plaque File on file at Shasta Historical Society.

Redding Pair Die In Crash - The Redding Record-Searchlight newspaper of Redding, September 10, 1963

Lorenz Hotel, Redding, California - the Lorenz Log, November ©1987

The Lorenz Hotel by Marilyn Hoke - The Covered Wagon 1998, published by Shasta Historical Society, pages 83-88.

The Red Hotel by James O' Brien published by the Enjoy Magazine ©February 2007

BELLA VISTA: A LUMBER TOWN

The original carpenters behind the famous Shasta Lumber Company's flume (also known as the Terry lumber flume) were Orison D. Morse and his siblings who completed the first five miles of lumber flume in 1886 before Morse sold the lumber flume to C.H. Holbrook and F.M. Phelps. Later, these gentlemen sold out to Joseph Enright in 1887, a native of Ireland, and the energetic owner of the newly established Shasta Lumber Company. Holbrook and Phelps remained with the new company while being employed by Enright. Enright filed articles of incorporation in the Santa Clara County's clerk's office since his company's principal place of business was located in San Jose, California, and their location of property, works and mills were situated in Shasta County, California. This company immediately erected a sawmill at Hatchet Mountain, and then they extended the lumber flume’s course of construction from where Holbrook and Phelps stopped and brought it down the canyon.

Shasta Lumber Company - The Republican Free Press newspaper of 

Redding, March 26, 1887.

Then in, December of 1887, the Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding reported the following account:

“Shut Down - Nick Stewart, who has been blacksmithing for the Shasta Lumber Company, informs us that about forty men were discharged last week, and the mill and logging camp had been shut down for the winter. About twenty men are still employed on the flume, which has reached Scroggins’ place near the junction of Cow and Cedar Creeks. Snow at the mill is two feet deep, while twelve miles this side the grass is growing. There is enough lumber on hand to build fourteen miles of flume.” (SIC)

Construction of this lumber flume continued after winter. By June 30, 1888, the Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding stated the following in an excerpt of an article about the Shasta Lumber Company’s lumber flume:

“…it is now an undisputed fact that this gigantic enterprise is rapidly nearing completion and in a few months the products of our vast lumber region in the northern and eastern parts of the county will be put on the market.” (SIC)

This lumber flume was completed by the Shasta Lumber Company in August of 1888 when it reached the vicinity of present-day Bella Vista, they ended the course of construction at the end of what is now Meyer Road (just off Deschutes Road.) The lumber flume was a V-shape structure which was elevated to 90’ in height and supported by scaffolds. Enright purchased the Gipson ranch at that location in order to have a stopping point for his company’s lumber flume. This area was the end-of-the-line for the lumber flume and Bella Vista was originally called, the dump, because it was the dumping point of their lumber coming off the lumber flume. The original town site was established with a general merchandise store owned by the Shasta Lumber Company, company offices, a planning mill and additional buildings.

The distance of this lumber flume was 32-miles long from its start at Hatchet Mountain to its dumping point. From the dump, the Shasta Lumber Company wanted to continue construction of the lumber flume towards Anderson, but the valley terrain was too level to allow the lumber flume to operate and they had to think of additional methods to transport their lumber from the dump to the Southern Pacific’s station in Anderson for their product to be shipped to the market.

Above: the Shasta lumber flume (also known as the Terry lumber flume). Courtesy of Shasta Historical Society.

Then in 1889, E.W. “Pike” Roney constructed a grounded telephone circuit for the Shasta Lumber Company at Bella Vista which was installed between that town and their yard in Redding. This was a line used by company officials only. The installation process that Roney used to create this telephonic line was: “black iron balling wire, salamoniac batteries and Bell company instruments secured from the Bell Telephone Company. Another instrument was connected to this line and located in the apartment of Vuave, assistant superintendent for Enright”. (SIC) This was the first telephone line in operation at Bella Vista.

This advertisement is from the Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, January 5, 1889.

Now for some myth busting of my own, over the years a number of researchers and local historians have stated that the Anderson-Bella Vista Railroad was established in 1889, but that is false primarily because Bella Vista was still called the “dump” at that time, and this railroad was not constructed yet. This brings us to the following column printed by a local media outlet on, December 13, 1890:

“The Anderson Enterprise accredits Mr. Joseph Enright as saying that as soon as the roads become impassable for hauling lumber the teams will be set at work on the railroad grade from the dump to Anderson; that next spring or early in the summer he expects to unload lumber by rail in Anderson.” (SIC)

Above: the Terry Lumber Company store and mill, between the years 1910 to 1913 in Bella Vista. This photograph was taken by Titler. Courtesy of Shasta Historical Society.

Above: the Terry Lumber Company store and office. Additional buildings on the property as well, between the years 1910 to 1913 in Bella Vista. This photograph was taken by Titler. Courtesy of Shasta Historical Society.

In addition to the above incorrect information this railroad was referred to as the Shasta Lumber Company’s railroad and not the Anderson-Bella Vista Railroad, early on. Another newspaper article from the San Francisco Call on February 25, 1891, refers to the railroad by that name and states the following information:

“Building Its Own Railroad

Anderson, Feb. 24 – The grading for the branch railroad of the Shasta Lumber Company of this place to the end of the flume is commenced and will be completed to the Sacramento River by the 15th of April. The line is sixteen miles in length and is standard gauge, fifty-six-pound iron rails. The Shasta Lumber Company is a rich corporation owning 30,000 acres of the finest sugar pine in the State. This road undoubtedly will be extended to the valleys north.” (SIC)

During March of 1891, a meeting was held at Bedford’s hall in Anderson for the purpose of gathering businessmen to secure funds for the completion of the Shasta Lumber Company’s railroad to Anderson. Two of the final phases of construction of this railroad was to install the rails and to build a bridge over the Sacramento River for the train to continue its course into Anderson. The bridge was estimated at a construction cost of five or six thousand dollars. At that time, Joseph Enright managed to negotiate a contract with the Southern Pacific Company to “furnish him with sixteen miles of rails as soon as the grade is completed.”

By April of 1893, the construction on the Shasta Lumber Company’s railroad wasn’t completed yet. Flooding from the recent rains had caused the delay. However, the Shasta Lumber Company had been transporting 60,000 feet of lumber daily from the dump to Anderson. Eventually, the Shasta Lumber Company’s railroad was completed that year. The first mention that I found of their engine in operation comes from the following article printed by the Republican Free Press newspaper on November 18, 1893:

“Engine Overboard

Yesterday morning, about 8 o’ clock the Shasta Lumber Company’s engine, attached to a car loaded with lumber while going to Anderson from the dump , and upon being transferred to the ferry boat on the Sacramento River, shot off the boat into deep water, the car following half way, the rear end remaining on the boat. It is thought that it will take about three days to secure the car and lumber and place engine on terrafirma.” (SIC)

The Shasta Lumber Company didn’t retrieve their engine until the following month when the Shasta Courier newspaper printed the following account on December 18, 1893:

“The Shasta Lumber Company’s engine has been “snaked” out of the river, where it has been in soak for two or three weeks.”

It wasn’t a glorious start to the Shasta Lumber Company’s engine on their newly completed railroad. The route of the Shasta Lumber Company’s railroad started from the planning mill at the dump, and along present-day Deschutes Road to the Southern Pacific Company’s station at Anderson. Joseph Enright had this railroad built because it was quicker way to transport their lumber to the market and it helped the company reach Anderson over the flat terrain where the lumber flume would have failed.

Above: is the Terry Lumber Company planning mill at Bella Vista, between the years 1910 to 1913. If you look at this photograph closely to the left hand corner of the photograph where it says "Titler photograph" you will see the standard gauge railroad tracks of the Anderson-Bella Vista Railroad. This photograph was taken by Titler. Courtesy of Shasta Historical Society.

As I stated before, the original location of Bella Vista was at the dump at the end of present-day Meyer Road on the former Gipson ranch. The man who named the town of Bella Vista was Robert Hamilton and he was employed by the Shasta Lumber Company. After Hamilton purchased property nearby, he erected a house on a knoll north west of Cow Creek. Due to the beautiful views from this location Hamilton named it Bella Vista which is the Spanish translation for the English meaning of “beautiful view”. Bella Vista was never referred to as the dump again. 

Additional employees also settled near the Hamilton residence. A pair of so-called subdivisions were also established by lumber company employees on the west bank of north Cow Creek which they referred to as Upper Stringtown and Lower Stringtown. Bella Vista became a booming lumber community.  

Above: dumping lumber at Bella Vista. A man pulling a log out of the lumber flume. This photograph was taken by Titler, between the years 1910 to 1913. Courtesy of Shasta Historical Society.

Above: the Bella Vista lumber yard. This photograph was taken by Titler, between the years 1910 to 1913. This location is at the end of Meyer Road in present day Bella Vista. Courtesy of Shasta Historical Society.

Above: the lumber yard at Bella Vista, California. Date unknown. This location is at the end of Meyer Road in present day Bella Vista. Courtesy of Shasta Historical Society.

Then on, May 18, 1893, a post office was established by the United States Postal Service headquarters in Washington D.C., called Bella Vista which appointed Robert Hamilton as the first postmaster, and the community was now a thriving little town of 200 residents. Most of the settlers were employed by the Shasta Lumber Company, however, early pioneer settlers did live along Cow Creek who were mostly farmers in the area. Among these early pioneer settlers were Frederick V. Meyer Sr., a native of Bremen, Germany, and the author’s maternal great-great-great-great grandfather, who arrived and settled there in 1851. The original Meyer ranch remains in the family today, and in 1953 was inducted into the State of California's 100 Year Club for being in business for more than 100 years. Meyer Sr., raised a large family of fourteen children with his wife Caroline (Notten) Meyer. Yank Creek runs through the Meyer property. Yank Creek was named after Joseph Yank who lived on its channel. Another early settler named Christian A. Lemm also raised a large family of his own. Additional people quickly moved into the area acquiring farmland.

Above: the Frederick V. Meyer Sr., family poses for a photograph in front of their two-story farmhouse on Cow Creek near Bella Vista. Meyer Sr., originally owned 160 acres of land and he accumulated additional property later on. From the collection of Jeremy Tuggle.

Above: the Lemm farmhouse, located on Salt Creek beside Highway 299. It was remodeled in 1917. Fire destroyed this Victorian farmhouse in the early 1970s.

Due to the early residents in this territory the oldest schoolhouse in the area was established on August 3, 1875 which was called the Eureka Schoolhouse. It was located near the present-day town of Bella Vista on what is now Blue Sky Road (formerly Aloha Road) on Salt Creek at on Highway 299E. It was a one-room schoolhouse. Several of my relatives on my maternal side were educated here. In addition to that, my maternal great-great-great-great aunt, Olive (Meyer) Chatham taught during the 1911 and 1912 school years as a teacher and so did Franklin R. Love a great-great-great-great uncle of mine by marriage who married Olive’s sister Mary (Meyer) Love. Love taught here in 1887, 1891 and 1897.

A secondary school was established on August 7, 1884, and it was originally called the North Branch schoolhouse. Then on, July 20, 1896 the school was renamed as the Bella Vista Schoolhouse. Like the Eureka Schoolhouse it continued to serve the area through educational purposes.

Above: the Eureka Schoolhouse is pictured here with Olive (Meyer) Chatham standing beside it. Year: 1974. It was demolished in 1980. Courtesy of Shasta Historical Society.

Above: Bella Vista students pose for a class photograph standing against a wall of the Bella Vista Schoolhouse. Year: 1910. Courtesy of Shasta Historical Society.

According to local historian Myrtle McNamar she states that Cow Creek was “first called Arroyo de los Eresnos (Rivulet of the Clover)”.  It became Cow Creek in 1845 when Captain John Fremont ventured through the area it was renamed by him after some cattle Fremont saw in the area and the name stuck to this creek. Bella Vista was devastated by fire that ravaged the Shasta Lumber Company property in August of 1895. According to the San Francisco Call newspaper it heralded the following account:

“Bella Vista Blaze

The Shasta Lumber Company’s Boiler House Destroyed.

Anderson, Cal., - August 10, - A fire broke out Thursday night in the boiler house of the Shasta Lumber Company’s factory at Bella Vista, destroying the building and badly damaging its contents. The other factory buildings were saved by the hard work of the employees. The fire causes a serious impediment to operations of the different departments as they depend almost entirely upon steam for their motive power, the waterpower being sufficient to operate only one or two machines at a time. The company has large orders for material especially for fruit-packing purposes, and the filling of these will be delayed until the damage can be repaired.” (SIC)

Enright and his employees repaired the damages caused by the fire and they continued their shipment of orders. Joseph Enright sold out to Joseph E. Terry in 1897, Terry got quite a bargain for this Shasta County plant and all the Shasta Lumber Company holdings including the railroad when Terry purchased it for less than $100,000. At the time of the sale the Shasta Lumber Company owned about 28,000 acres of land in Shasta County and most of it was timber land. It was Joseph E. Terry who established the Terry Lumber Company, at that time.

On June 15, 1910 another ravaging blaze wiped out the Terry Lumber Mill at Bella Vista which resulted in $75, 000.00 worth of damages to the Terry Lumber Company. In the fire the company lost the box factory, planning mill, two warehouses and large quantities of lumber in the lumber yard. The fire was partially covered by insurance. It’s owner Joseph E. Terry, said that “we will rebuild as soon as our new equipment arrives.”

Above: Anna M. Taylor poses for a photograph with two of her children at their home in Bella Vista. A young male child is standing on the left side of Anna and in the house looking out is a young female child. A chair can be seen inside their home. Circa 1917. Courtesy of Shasta Historical Society.

Three years later, the articles of incorporation for the California, Shasta and Eastern Railway were filed with the Shasta County clerk's office on May 1, 1913, this brand-new incorporation would reclaim the former Anderson-Bella Vista Railroad, also known as the Shasta Lumber Company Railroad and put it into good use for shipping their products. The first board of directors were comprised of S.E. Bretherton, of Berkeley, Felix T. Smith, of San Francisco, W.T. Barnett, of Berkeley, Paul A. McCarthy, of San Francisco, F.D. Madison, of San Rafael, Platt Kent, of San Francisco, and V.W. Vincent, of San Francisco. The articles state that "$32,000 worth of stock has been subscribed, S.E. Bretherton, taking $31,400, and each of the directors $100." 

In 1916, Terry employed three hundred men who worked on site at the Terry Lumber Company at Bella Vista.  Terry directed his foremen to run two shifts over a twenty-four-hour period both day and night. Then in August of that year the Terry Lumber Company began sawing 175,000 feet of lumber per day. Most of the lumber was transported by railroad to the Southern Pacific station at Anderson to be sent out to the market.

Above: the employees of the Terry Lumber Company are getting ready to ship lumber to the market from Bella Vista. Date unknown. Courtesy of Shasta Historical Society.

Four years later, the Terry Lumber Company was sold to the Red River Lumber Company of Westwood, Lassen County, California, who purchased the holdings of the Terry Lumber Company in January of 1920. By January 17, 1920, it was confirmed by the Red Bluff Daily News in a letter written by Willis J. Walker, vice president of the Red River Lumber Company that, to the local media outlet:

“In regard to the Terry property I would say that we have purchased this property of all kinds and expect to begin improving the ranch at Bella Vista right away. We have made no definite plans as to what will be done with the remainder of the property beyond taking care of miscellaneous property and will probably repair the flume so as to use on the ranch. Our plans beyond that are not at all definite.” (SIC)

According to Ethel (Saxon) Ward whose article “Pioneering in Lumber Transportation” was published by the Shasta Historical Society in the 1964 Covered Wagon writes the following:

“The Red River Lumber Company succeeded the Terry Company in ownership of their timber lands and flume. Harvey Klingler, the old-time flume boss, was recalled repairing the flume. The mill operated from 1920 to 1922. Evidently the operation was not profitable as mill and flume were abandoned in 1922.” (SIC)

During its prime the town of Bella Vista had a thriving population of 2,000 people. Over the years, Bella Vista’s community consisted of saloons, barber shops and various stores, including gas stations. Later, Deschutes Road was cut and graded in 1945, and this road replaced the California, Shasta and Eastern Railway, also known as the Anderson-Bella Vista Railroad when it was abandoned, that year. Meyer Road was named after Donald Meyer and his wife Thelma (Stone) Meyer. Donald Meyer is a grandchild of pioneer Frederick V. Meyer Sr., and together they purchased the land in 1949, to establish their Meyer Ranch at that location where Bella Vista was established.

During the year 1977, Ed Carmichael donated a half-acre lot located about a mile east of Deschutes Road on Highway 299 E near Dry Creek Road for the Bella Vista Volunteer Fire Company. At that time, they lacked a fire station. Soon, they would have their new fire station erected which was used as their new headquarters under Fire Chief, Orval Pressley. Previously, they gathered at the Bella Vista Elementary School where training exercises were held as well. At that time the fire department had 22 members ready to serve the community when the alarm rang out.

In 2010, the U.S. Census documented that the population for Bella Vista reached 2,781. The Bella Vista Elementary School in the Bella Vista School District continues the education of local children from grades Kindergarten through 5th grade, and life in the town continues to thrive daily. The only items remaining of (Old) Bella Vista are concrete blocks and one single railroad tie located on private property at the end of Meyer Road.

Above: a county map before the establishment of Bella Vista showing the junction of Dry Creek and north Cow Creek, also the Gipson ranch, the Frederick V. Meyer Sr., ranch (misspelled as Myers) the surname was never corrected on this map, the Joseph Yank ranch and others along north Cow Creek appear on this map as well. This is the 1884 Map of Shasta County.

POSTMASTERS OF BELLA VISTA:

Robert Hamilton - 5-18-1893

Robert S. Roycroft - 11-12-1896

Francis Ray Drennon - 6-29-1916

Joseph E. Terry - 10-27-1916

Note: The Bella Vista Post Office was discontinued on June 30, 1918, under Terry, and the Mail was rerouted through Palo Cedro. The Bella Vista Post Office was reinstated on August 12, 1920, under Welder.

Albert L. Welder - 8-12-1920

Mary Luella Lofton - 7-19-1922

Edna D. Nasland - 6-8-1937

Vera F. Mallard (Acting Postmaster) - 3-23-1939

Charlotte L. Hamlin - 8-1-1939

Florence Violet Wilson - 7-15-1945

Gertrude Sims - 10-15-1944

Virginia L. McGrew - 7-17-1971

Marian R. Rutherford - 4-27-1985

Kathleen Munhollon - 7-2-2011

Walter C. Evans III - 11-26-2016

Above: the 1904 Edward Denny & Company's Map of Shasta County showing the town of Bella Vista. The Frederick V. Meyer Sr., ranch is noted on here and the surname is spelled correctly. However, in 1904 it was the Terry Lumber Company that owned the lumber flume which is shown here as being owned by the Shasta Lumber Company. Other ranches appear on the map as well.

RESOURCES:

The Shasta Lumber Company - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, March 26, 1887

The Shasta Lumber Company - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, April 9, 1887

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, July 16, 1887

Assessment Notice - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, September 3, 1887

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, October 15, 1887

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, November 19, 1887

Shut Down - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, December 17, 1887

Holbrook & Phelps - The Republican Free newspaper of Redding, December 17, 1887

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, March 3, 1888

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, March 31, 1888

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, May 5, 1888

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, May 19, 1888

That Lumber Flume – The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding June 2, 1888

From Round Mountain - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, June 9, 1888

The Shasta Lumber Co’s Flume – The Free Press newspaper of Redding, June 30, 1888

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, August 4, 1888

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, August 11, 1888

The Free Press newspaper of Redding, October 6, 1888

California Voters Registration, 1890

The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, December 13, 1890

Building Its Own Railroad – The San Francisco Call newspaper of San Francisco, February 25, 1891

Railroad Grading Commenced – The Sacramento Daily Union newspaper of Sacramento, February 25, 1891

Important Meeting – The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, March 7, 1891

Joseph Enright and R.G. Hamilton - The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, April 29, 1893

Engine Overboard – The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, November 18, 1893

A Mammoth Lumber Enterprise – The Republican Free Press newspaper of Redding, December 9, 1893

The Shasta Courier newspaper of Shasta, December 10, 1893

Great Register of Shasta County, California 1894

Bella Vista Blaze - The San Francisco Call newspaper of San Francisco, August 11, 1895

A Great Bargain - The Sacramento Union newspaper of Sacramento, May 30, 1897

The Shasta Lumber Company – The Daily Free Press newspaper of Redding, June 1, 1897

Fire Wipes Out Shasta Plant - The Sacramento Union newspaper of Sacramento, June 16, 1910

Bella Vista Mill Employs 300 Men - The Sacramento Union newspaper of Sacramento August 6, 1916

Morse Originator of Famous Shasta Lumber Flume - The Chico Record newspaper of Chico, May 5, 1917

Terry Lands Are Sold to Walker Company – The Red Bluff Daily News newspaper of Red Bluff, January 17, 1920

Walkers Improving Lumber Property – The Sacramento Union newspaper of Sacramento, January 27, 1920

May Develop Terry Timber – The Sacramento Union newspaper of Sacramento, January 28, 1920

New Building Marks 47 Years of Telephone Progress Here - The Courier-Free Press newspaper of Redding, January 11, 1927

School Districts of Shasta County, 1853-1955

History of Telephones in Shasta County by Peggy Kesterson. On file at the Shasta Historical Society in VF 621.0 Utilities, 1973-1974.

In the Shadow of The Mountain by Edward Peterson

Pioneering in Lumber Transportation written by Ethel (Saxon) Ward, The Covered Wagon 1964, pages 32-36, published by Shasta Historical Society.

The Meyer Family written by Edna (Chatham) Wallace and Suzanne Kershaw, The Covered Wagon 1974, published by Shasta Historical Society.

The Lemms of Bella Vista Ten Sons by Ruth (Lemm) Martin and Jane (Lemm) Long, The Covered Wagon 1979, pages 61-69, published by Shasta Historical Society.

Fire Company Finds Land In BV - The Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, June 16, 1977

VF 979.424 Bella Vista on file at Shasta Historical Society