Inter Lakes Inventory Smith

8/3/2019 Inter Lakes Inventory Smith

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I3LM,.. LOftIJ COPy

Hist 'or icData lnventorYof theShasta County'

Interlakes'.pec ia l ,Recreation Management. Area

Fores t 'Service ,Pac i f i c Southwest RegionBureau of Land Management 'Ca l i fo rn i a

ByDot t ie Smith


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Fron t i sp iece : ' Circa l ~ t ~ ,1890s men's b a ~ e b a l l game in progre ssa t Mammoth Mine on I ron Mountain. Note th ep layer"s uni fo rms , ' ,the b leachers , ' 'and th e deadt r e e s (probably k i l l ed by t ox ic smel te r fumes) .


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His to r ic Data Inventoryof theShas ta CountyIn t e r l akes

Spec ia l Recrea t ion Management Area

ByDott ie SmithPost Off ice Box 1147Cottonwood, CA 96022

Report prepared for :Bureau of Land Management355 Hemsted DriveRedding, CA 96002

Eric W. Ri t t e r , Ph.DGeneral Editor1995


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EDITOR'S FOREWORDThere i s l i t t l e doubt t ha t northern California generally andShasta county more specif ica l ly have a r ic h h is to ry . Historianshave not ignored th is f ru itfu l record as the wri t ten accounts areplent i fu l . Yet th ese chronicles are not without the i rshortcomings and ear l ie r works are often forgotten or di f f i cu l tto obtain. Furthermore, it is well-known tha t some his tor ictexts , especia l ly those written in the 19th and ear ly 20thcenturies, are sometimes biased toward more prominent members ofsociety , dramatic events and undertakings, and certa in places andperiods of t ime. The ordinary and mundane, the lower classes andnon-Euroamericans' history was often ignored or the writingspar t ia l .All his tor ic compilations are biased to some extent , and theinformation inventory offered here is no excep tion. SUb je ctiv ityand a focused perspective do not necessari ly diminish a his toryoriented work's merit , and certain ly in th is regard the documentas p re se nte d is a valuable and serviceable ef for t .Various federal agencies are often called upon in t he i r landmanaging act ions to make decisions tha t may have an ef fec t onhis tor ic locat ions and resources. There is a certa in level ofdiff icul ty in evaluating the re la t ive importance of his tor icevents and places, especial ly when the his tor ic record i sincomplete, scat tered, and preferent ial as mentioned above. Suchdi f f icu l t i e s in 1994 faced a consortium of federal agencies(under the lead of the Department of In te r io r ' s Bureau of LandManagement) in planning for the use of a geographicallydelineated r eg ion within Shasta County, the Inter lakes SpecialRecreation Management Area (ISRMA) lying roughly between ShastaLake City and Clear Creek and Highway 299 and Wild Cow Mountain.Here, through a series of histor ic events and pol i t i ca l andenvironment-related decisions connected to land ownership anduse, general planning for various act iv i t ies was envisioned. Theult imate goal of th is document and accompanying planning is tominimize damage to s ig nif ic an t histor ic places and to provideeducationally-driven, on-the-ground in terpretat ion to certa inlocat ions. For these reasons, local histor ian Dottie smith wascontracted in 1994 to complete a his tor ic information compilationof the ISRMA emphasizing current federal lands and locat ions ofpossible acquisi t ion. The intent ion of th is contract was theobtainment of an i nformat ion inven tory document more factual anddescriptive than in terpret ive or theoret ica l . These l a t t e rapproaches we leave for other scholars and t imes. Some of thes i te specif ic data presented by Smith has been omitted from thepUblic document for purposes of sens i t iv i ty and confident ial i ty .Unfortunately, the region s t i l l experiences looting andcol lect ing for personal ra ther than pUblic gain.Because of f eder al r egu la tion s, the histor ic period is considered

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to be pre-1945, with a few exceptions. Furthermore, th i s workhas addit ional preferences, based primarily on t ime and fundingconstraints . For instan ce, th e r ic h h is to ry of hydroelectr icdevelopment and l a te r mining in the region is only glossed overas much of th is information i s available in other readilyava ilab le pub licat ions . The history o f v arious ethnic groups inthe region, especial ly Native American Indian and Chinese, hasbeen l i t t l e explored, in par t owing to the di f f icul t ies inobtaining scarce information and the focus on non-ethnic history.Detailed a rchi va l s tud ie s were not par t of th i s contract , as muchof the information was derived by in ten t and prac t ica l necessityfrom secondary sources. An in-depth exploration of the historyof land-ownership changes i s not a component of th i s work. I t iswell-known tha t not only has th is ownership changed from NativeAmerican Indian to Spanish, Mexican and then American, but t ha tvarious laws dating from the American Period have influenced thedynamic ownership pat tern tha t exis ts today. Federal decisionsalone have resul ted in ra i l road grants (or iginal ly resul t ing incheckerboard pat tern Central Pacif ic Railroad lands), homesteads,mining claim patents , Indian allotments , etc . The formation ofthe Forest Service in 1905 from se lec t General Land Officeadmini st ered lands re su lte d in land t rans fe rs in severalepisodes. The designation of Bureau of Reclamation lands followedon the heels of the Reclamation Law of 1902 and hydroelectr icdevelopments. The Whiskeytown Unit of the Whiskeytown-ShastaTrini ty National Recreation Area has been administered by theNational Park Service since 1963, largely from Bureau of LandManagement lands.This compilation should enhance the management of cul tura lresources within th e I nte rla ke s region, especial ly those onfederal lands. I t should also serve as a his tor ic referencesui table for educational, interpret ive, and research purposes.The author has p rovid ed a valuable service in th i s regard.

Eric W. Rit ter , Ph.D.General Editor

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ABSTRACTIn 1994, the author was contracted by the Bureau of LandManagement (BLM) to complete a his tor ica l (pre-1945) assessmentof the Interlakes Special Recreation Management Area of westernShasta County, California. This rugged mountainous zone i slocated between the communities of French Gulch on the west andShasta Lake ci ty (Central Valley - summit City) on the east . TheSacramento River and Clear Creek are the principal drainages andthe Klamath Mountain ranges in the local i ty have had both aconstraining and i nf lu e nt ia l e ff ec t on past ac t iv i t i e s . Thisstudy area comprises approximately 74,845 acres, or about 117square miles , and i nc ludes w ithin i t s boundar ies both privatelands and pUblic lands managed by the Forest Service (Departmentof Agriculture), the Bureau of Land Management (Department of theIn ter ior ) , the Bureau of Reclamation (Department of theIn ter ior ) , and the National Park Service (Department of theInter ior) .Rich mineral resources, in addition to hydroelectr icdevelopment, have heavily influenced his tor ica l events and arediscussed a t length in th is report . Also of importance has beenthe development of t ransportat ion routes such as roads andra i l roads and the establishment of sett lements alongside themincluding French Gulch, Keswick, Shasta, Redding, and Shasta LakeCity.Early entr ies by Euroamerican trappers and explorers innorthern California had l i t t l e effec t in the study area .Historic Native American uses were quickly curtai led by theminers and aside from a few Indian allotments , cemeteries, and

noted places , the i r presence was soon centered elsewhere in thecounty. The post -contac t h i sto ry of the Native American Indiansi s not a focus of th is report .This history deals with people and places, as well as goldand copper mining and hydroelectric power development, the twomajor industr ies undertaken within the study area. Mining can bedivided into three dis t inc t episodes. The f i r s t , the Gold Rush,erupted in 1849, peaked in the 1850s, and faded by the la te1850s. Soon thereafter , government surveyors began laying outtownShip, ranges, sect ions, and mining propert ies . Early placermining ef for t s during the Gold Rush were gradually, but notto ta l ly , supplanted by l a te r hydraulic, lode, and dredge

techniques. The second major min ing type was copper mining whichbecame a major industry in the 1880s and replaced gold in 1896 asthe number one mineral produced in Shasta County. Copper miningwas a tremendous economic stimulus to Shasta County as was goldmining previously. Copper was mined unt i l 1969 with peakproductions year s occur ring from 1897 to 1919 and during 1924 and1925. Gold production peaked again from 1908 to 1915, and oncemore from 1936 to 1941 during The Depression when the price ofv


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gold rose from $20.67 to $35.00 an ounce. This price increasesparked renewed in teres t in gold mining and at t racted thousandsof hungry and homeless people into California who engaged inmining as a new way of l i f e . An aftermath of copper smelting wassevere regional environmental damage; reclamation effor ts begansoon thereaf ter and continue to th i s day.The second major industry was large-scale water control , andresult ing hydroelectr ic power development, which commenced in1938 when construction began on Shasta Dam, the key s t ructure ofthe Central Valley Project and one of the nat ion 's major waterdevelopment projects . This vi ta l ly important dam and a l l of i t sdownstream related structures are discussed brief ly in th i sreport .

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSThe Bureau of Land Management (BLM) was very cooperativeand helpfu l in p r o ~ i d i n g a ss is ta nc e f or t h i s report in theform of maps, photographs, book sources, dra f t review, andeven manual labor . Charles Murphy, a BLM summer volunteer

from the Student Conservation Association, providedinvaluable, t ime-consuming assis tance by compiling pages ofmiscellaneous dat a ext ra ct ed from numerous maps. Marka Gibsongraciously typed the data . Jul ie Downey, Forestry Technician,Eric Morgan, Outdoor Recreation Planner, and Steve Uhles, OHVProgram Manager, were very helpfu l . Dr. Winfield Henn of theShasta-Tr in i ty National Forest provided constructive commentson the dra f t report and made avai lable h is agency's print ingfac i l i t i e s for the duplication of t h i s document. Shauna Rit te rprovided the cover stock of recycled paper t hrough thecourtesy of Simpson Paper Company.Every French Gulch c i t izen contacted was verycooperat ive, eager to help, and wil l ing to provide input .They were Donald (Don) Carlson, David (Dave) Bri t ton, LibbieDowling, Bernice Fox, Janet Landles, Ramona Larramendy, andPatr ick (Pat) McCabe. Other c i t izens contacted who l ived inother towns were James (Jim) Westlake (Lower springs) , GwenNichols (Redding), Richa rd Har t (Shasta) , and Alice and ThomasLandles (Mendocino).The Shasta Histor ical Society, especial ly Wayne Rich andBert Walsh, eagerly provided an abundance of in fo rmati on a swel l as his tor ic photographs and maps. Donna Kattenhorn,Reference Librar ian a t the Redding branch of the Shasta County

Library, was also very helpfu l in providing h is to r ica l data aswas William (Bil l) Jones, Head of Sp ecial Resources a t theSpeci al Co ll ec ti ons Library a t Chico State Universi ty.Grateful acknowledgement i s made to both Eric and PatRi t te r . Pat Ri t te r unsel f i shly assis ted t h i s author inscouring through pi les of theses , books, reports , manuscripts,maps, e tc . a t the Special Collect ions Library a t Chico StateUniversi ty. However, special acknowledgement i s made to herhusband, Dr. Eric Rit te r , fo r the never-ending encouragementprovided throughou t the ent i re compilation of t h i s repor t .Thank you BLM, especial ly Dr. Rit te r , fo r giving

opportunity to research and write t h i s repor t which Ireader wil l find to be very exci t ing and in teres t ing.thank you, one and a l l , for your valued help.

v i i

me thehope theAnd


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FIELD NOTES

,518 ~ '

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..

Page fran field notes of William Magee, early U.S. Govenunent surveyor

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Churches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Catholic Church (French GUlch) ...Methodist Chapel . . . . . . . . . . . .s t . Rose's Church (French Gulch) .Taylor Church . . . .Conveyor Belt. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Dams . . . . ...Keswick Dam . . . . . . . . . . .Shasta Dam . . . . .Spring Creek Debris and Pollution Control DamWhiskeytown Dam . . . . . . . . . . .Ditches/canals . . . . . . . . . .Clear Creek Canal . ... .Cline Gulch Ditch . . . . . .Slat tery and Welch Ditch . . . . . . . . . .Williams , Company Ditch . . . . . . . . . . . .Dredging companies . . . . . . . . .Consolidated Gold Dredging Company . . .Enterprise Engineering Company . . . . . . .

French Gulch Dredging Company . .....G&H Mining Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Lincoln Gold Dredging Company . . . . . . . . . .Pioneer Dredging Company . . . . . . . .Electr ic Power Companies . . . . . . . . .Erosion Cont ro l Projects . . . . . . . . . . .Ferr ie s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Waugh's Ferry .

TABLE OF CONTENTSPageEdit o r ' s Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i i iAbstract . . . . . . . . . . vAcknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v iiTable of Contents . . . ixLis t of Figures xviiIntroduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 1Histor ica l Findings . . . . . . . . . . 11Aerial Tramways . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11Balaklala Mine Tramway . . . . . . . . . 11Hornet Mine Tramway . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11Iron Mountain Mine Tramway . . . . . . . . . 11Mammoth Mine Tramway . . . . . . . . . . . . 11Reid Mine Tramway . . . . . .... 12Arrastras . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12Br idges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .... 12

Clear Creek Bridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12Whiskey Creek Bridge . . . . . . . . .... 14Cemeteries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15Catholic Cemetery (French Gulch) 15IOOF Cemetery (French Gulch) . . . 15Porter and Morrell Family Plot (French Gulch) 15Chinese . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1518181818

1820212122252626262929292929292931313131323333

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Page3333333434353535353636363636363940

40414142424343434345464646464646464647474747474747474747484848484848

Fi re Lookout Tower . . . . . . .Gardens/Orchards . . . . . . .French Gulch Chinatown . . . . . . . . .Orchard of Benjamin Mix . . . . . . .Tower House . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Hospitals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Coram Hospital . . . . . . . ....Gladstone Mine Firs t Aid Dispensary . . .Iron Mountain Mine Hospital . . . . . . . . . .H o t e l s / W a y ~ i d e Inns/stopping Places . . . . .Brown(s House . . . .Empire Hotel . . . . . . .Four Mile House . . . . . . ......French Gulch Hotel . . . . . . . . .Tower House . . . . . . . . . . . . ...Whiskeytown Hotel . . . . . . . . .Whitney's Hotel . . . . . . . . . . .Hydraulic Mines . . . . . . . . . ...Slat tery and Welch . . . . . . . . .Mines/Mining Claims . . . . . . .Aj ax Mine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Amer ican Mine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Annie Mine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Aurora Mine . . . . . . .Baker Mine . . . . . . .Balaklala Mine . . ...Banghart Mine . . . . . . . . . . . .Bear 's Nest . . . .Bel l Mine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Benson Mine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Betty Jean Mine .Betty May Mine . . . . . . . . . . .Bjork Group . . . . . . .Blackbird Mine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Blue Bird Mine . . . . . .Blue Danube Mine . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Bohemotosh Mine . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Bonanza Mine . . . . . . . . . . .Brick Fla t Mine . . . . . . . . . .Bright Star Mine . . . . . . . . . .California Mine . . . . . . . . .Camden Claim . . . . . . . . . . . .Carnegie Group . . . . . . . .Central Mine . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Clara Mine . . . . . . . . . . . . .Clipper Mine . . . . . . . . . .Colma Group . . . . . . . . . .....Complex Mine . . . . . . . . .Compton Mine . . . . . . .Copley Mine . . . . . . . .Crystal Group . . . . . ........

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PageDesmond Mine . . . 48Diamond King Mine . . . . 48Dreadnaught Mine . . . . . . . 48Early Bird Mine . . . . . . . . . 49East View Mine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49Ei l ler Mine . . . . . . . . . . . 49Ell is Mine . . . 49Emigrant Mine . . . . . . . . . . . 49Evening s ta r Mine (2) 49Fremont Mine . . . 49Friday-Louden Mine . . . 49Gambrinus Mine . . . . . . . . . . . . 50Ganim Mine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50Georgia Mine . . . . . . . . . 50Giant Consol idated . . . . . . . 51Gladstone Mine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51Gladys Mine . . . . . ..... . . . . . . . 52Gold Bar Mine . . . . . . 52Gold Hill Mine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52Golden Blanket Mine . . . . . . . 53Grab Mine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53Great Verde Mine . . . . . . . . . . 53Grindstone Mine . . . . . . . . 53Happy Go Lucky Mine . . . . . 53Hartman Mine . . . . . . . 53Holman Mine . . . . . . . 53Hope Mine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53Hornet Mine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53Hummingbird Mine . . . . . . . . . 54Index Mine Group . . . . . . . . . . 54Indiana and Last Chance Mine . . . . . . . . 54Inez Mine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54Iron Mask Mine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54Iron Mountain Mine . . . . . . . 54Isabel Mine . . . . . . . . . 59J . I .C . Mine. . . . . . . . . . . . . 59Janice Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59Jay Eye See Mine . . . . . . . . . 59Jealous Mine . . . . 59Josephine Mine . . . . . . . . . . . . 59Jumping Jack Mine . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59Kanaka Mine . . . . . . . 59Keystone Mine . . 59King Copper Group . . . . 60Kit Carson Mill . . . . . . . 60Lady Slipper Mill . . . . . . . 60Last Chance Mine . . . . . . 60Liberty Mine . . . . . . . 60Lindsay Mine . . . 60Lit t le Maud Mine . . . . 60Lit t le Nellie Mine . . . . . . . . . .... 60

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Lone s tar Mine . . . . . . . . . . .Loraine Mine . . . . . . . . . . .Lost Confidence Mine . . . . . " .Lost Dese rt Mine . . . . . . . .Louden Mine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Lucky Boy Mine . . . . . . . .Mad Dog Mine . . . . . .Mad Mule Mine . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Mad Ox Mine . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Madura Mine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Magee Claim . . . . . . . . .....Mammoth Mine . . . .....Manlove Mine . . . Marion Mine . .Marshall and Walters Mine . . . .Martin Mine . . . . . . . . . .Mascot Mine . . . . . . .Mattie Mine . . . . . . . . . . .Menzel Mine . . . . . . . . . . . .Merry Mountain Diggers Mine . .Minnesota Mine . . . . . . . . .Morton & Bliss Mine . .Mountain Copper Mine . . . . . . . . . . . . Murray Mine . . . . . . . .Nell ie and Annie Mine . . . . . .No. 8 Mine . . . . .North s tar Mine . . . . . . . . .Ohio Consolidated Mine . . . . . .Old Diggings . . . . . . .Old Mine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Oregon Consolidated Mine . . . . . . . .Peerless Mine . . . . . . . .Phoenix Mine . . . . . . . . . . . .Providence Mine . . .Pugh & Lindsay Mine . . . . . .Queen Mine . . . . . . . . . . . .Ratt ler Mine . . . . . . . .Red Cross Mines . .... . . .Red CUt Mine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Red Rover Mine . . . . . . . .Reid Mine . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Reynolds Mine . . . . . . . .Richmond Mine . . . . . .Scott ish Chief Mine . . . . . . . . . .Shasta King Group . .Shasta Mine . . . .Shasta Quartz and Placer Mining Company . . . . .Shi r t t a i l Mine . . . . . ..... . .Skookum Mine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Slide Mine . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Snyder Mine . . . . . . . . . ....

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PageSpanish Mine . . . . . . . 68Spardy Mine . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68Spread Eag le Group . . . . . . . . . . ... 68spring Gulch Mine . . . . . . . 68Star Gulch Mining company . . . . 68Stevenson Mine . . . 68Stowell Mine . . . 68Sugar Loaf Mine . . . . . . . 68Sulphide Mine . . . . 69Summit Group . . . . 69Sunshine Mine . . . . 69Sutro Mine . . . . . . . . . . . 69Texas Consolidated Mine 69Three Sis ters Mine . . . . . . . . . . 71Tom Cook Mine . . . . . . . . . . . 71Trini ty Mine . . . . . . 71Truscott Mine . . . . . . . . 71Uncle Sam Mine . . . . . . . . . 71Utah Mine . . . . . . . . . ... 73Virginia Mine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73Vulcan Mine . . . . . . . . 73Walker Mine . . . . . . . . . 73Waters Mine . . . . . 73West End Quartz Mine . . . . . 73Whiskey Creek water &Mining Company . . . . 73Whiskey Hill Mine 73Winnie Mine . . . . . . . 73Wood Gulch Mine . . . . . . . ... 73Woodward Mine . . . 73Yellow Jacket Mine . . . . . . 73Newspapers . . . . . . . . . . 74Grizzly City Gazette . . . . 74Mountain Miner . . . 75Placenames . . . . . . . . . . 75Balaklala Mine . . . . . . . . . . . 75Bohemotash Mountain . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75Buckeye . . . . . 75Clear Creek . . . . .... 75Cline Gulch . . . . . . . . . . 75Copley . . . 75Coram . . . . . . 75Democrat Mountain . . . . . . . . . . 75Dodge Creek . . . . . . . . . 75Franklin City . . . . . . . . . . . . 75French Gulch . . . . . . . . . . . . 75Grizzly Gulch . . . . . . . . . . 75Hart . . . . ... . . . 75Keswick . . . . . . . . . 76Iron Mountain . . . . . . . 76Mad Mule Canyon, Gulch , Mounta in . . . . . . 76Mad Ox Gulch . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

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MathesonMotion C-'eekNew York FlatOld DiggingsSacramento RiverSchil l ingShasta (mountain, lake, dam, town)Shir t ta i l PeakSpring CreekTaylorWaughWhiskeytownWhitehousePost OfficesBlairBoralmaCopleyCoram FieldingFrench GulchHartIron MountainKeswickKilnaKimberlyMammothMathesonOld DigginsSchil l ingSte l laTaylorwaughWhiskey CreekWhiskeytown WhitehousePowerplantsKeswick PowerplantShasta PowerplantSpring Creek PowerplantRailroadsCentral Mine Railroad Central Pacific RailroadGladstone Mine RailroadIron Mountain Mine RailroadMammoth Mine RailroadOld Diggings RailroadSouthern Pacif ic Railroad .Recreational Activi t iesBaseballTennisFootball

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Page 84

84 84

84 85

85 8686 8990

9090 90 90 . 9191. . . . . 91

91 .. . . . . . 9191 9191 92. . . . . . . . . . . 92

. . . . . 92929292 . . . . . 9396

. . . . . . . . 97. . . . . . . . . 98 . . . . . 98 . . . . . . 9899

99100100101101101101102102102102102103103103104

French Gulch . . . . . .French Gulch ChinatownGrizzly GulchHart . . . . . . . .Hooverville . .J i l l sonvi l le . . .Kennett . . . . . . . .Keswick . . . . . . . .Kett . . . . . . . .Mad Mule Canyon . . . .Matheson . . . . .Middle Creek . . .Motion . . . . . . Old Diggins . . . . . . . .South Park . . .Stel la . . . . . . . . . .Taylor . . . . . . . . .Thelma . . . . . .Tower House . . . . . .Unknown sett lement . . .Waugh . . . . .Whiskeytown .Whitehouse

Fox Hunting and CricketHorse Racing . . . .Reservoirs . . . . . . . . .Keswick Reservoir . .Shasta Lake . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Whiskeytown Lake . . . . .Roads/Trails . . . . . . . . . .Tower's Wagon Road . . .Sacramento River Trai lBel t l ine Road . . . .Sawmills/Planing Mills . . .coggins Mills . . . . . . .Mammoth Mine Sawmill . . . . . . . . .Burns Sawmill . . . . . . . .Schools . . . . . . . . . ...Blair-Stella-Whiskeytown School .Gladstone Mine School . . . . . . .Hart School . . . . . ...Iron Mountain School . . .Mammoth Mine SchoolSpring Creek School . . . . .Taylor School . . . . .Whisky Creek School .Uncle Sam Mine School .Settlements/Towns/Mining CampsCamp Bailey . .Copley . . . . . . . . . . . . .Coram . . . . . .

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. . .

smelters/Roasting Stal ls . . . . . . . . . . . .Balaklala Mine Smelter . . . . . . .Iron Mountain Mine Smelter . . . . . .Mammoth Copper Mining Company Smelter .Stamp Mills . . . . . . . . .....

Tunnels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Clear Creek Canal . . . . . . . . . . .Diversion and Railroad Bypass Tunnel . . .Railroad Tunnel . . . . . . . . .Spring Creek Tunnel . . . . .Spring Creek Powerplant Tailrace Tunnel . . . .Data Retrieved from Historic Maps/Plats . . T32N R5W . . .T32N R6W T32N R7W . . . . . . . . . T33N R5W . . .T33N R6W . . . . . . . . .T33N R7W . . . . . . .T34N R5W . . . . . . . . .T34N R6W . . . . . T34N R7W . . . . . .Recommendations . . . . . . .Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .References Cited . . . .........

Appendix 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Historic Patented Mines and Features within theInterlakes Special Recreation Management AreaAppendix 2 . . . . . . . . . .California Inventory of Places andNational Register propert iesFrench Gulch Historic Dist r ic t . . . .Iron Mountain Mine and Keswick SmelterKeswick Dam . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Keswick Smelter s i te . . . .Reid Mine . . . . . . . . . . ...Shasta Dam . . . . .Whiskeytown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Father Rinaldi 's Foundation .......Pioneer Baby's Grave .........Shasta (State Historic Park) . Shasta Courthouse . . . . . . . .

Tower House Historic Dist r ic t ......

xvi

Page104105105106106107107107107107108109109109110110111113113113114115117119126

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Figure1.

LIST OF FIGURES

In te r l akes Specia l Recreat ion Management Arealocat ion map with h i s t o r i c places marked . . .Page

22

3

4.

Western Shasta County map of 1862 i l l u s t r a t ingse t t l emen ts and roads and t r a i l s . . . . .E arly go ld mining communities in th e genera lregion . . . . . . . . . . . .Denny's Map of Shasta County, 1915

4

68

Sa. Community of Coram taken in 1915 showing smel te r 105b.

6.

7a.7b.8.9 .lOa .lOb.10c.11.

Mammoth Mine ae r i a l tramway with smel te r a tKennet t in th e d is ta nc e .E arly gold mining scene i l lu s t ra t ing var iousac t i v i t i e s re la ted to gold recovery . . .Gladstone Mine man sion s and o ther bui ld ings .The Gladstone Mine mil l , c i r c a 1913 . . .s t . Rose 's Cathol ic Church, French GulchLayout of Shasta Dam and re la ted f ac i l i t i e s Dredger working near French GulchCommunity of French Gulch .Keswick Smelter area showing denuded h i l l sThe Tower House

10131717192330303037

12a. Balakla la Mine bui ld ings ( res ident ia l ) c i r c a 1910 4412b. Railr oa d sp ur to th e Mammoth Mine smel te r . . . . 4413a. Smelter of th e Mountain Copper Company, Keswick

taken in th e ear ly 1900s . . . . . . . . . 5613b. Roast ing s t a l l s fo r t rea t ing ore used by th eMountain Copper Company, Keswick (ear ly 1900s) 5614. Early map of French Gulch . . . . . . .

xv i i

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Early location notice for mining claims in region.

xv i i i


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INTRODUCTIONThis report is a his tor ica l overview of wes te rn Shast aCounty's Interlakes Special Recreation Management Area (ISRMA)(Figure 1) with 1945 general ly as the cut-off date with a fewimportant exceptions. This document is se t up alphabetical ly

by theme and /o r cat egory. I t is not a comprehensive historyof places, persons, o r events, nor a t rea t i se , but ra ther adocument meant to provide general information on the regionalhistory as well as serve management needs. This chronicle doesnot deal with Native American Indian history nor does it coverchanging ownership and jur isdic t ional patterns over t ime.The main industry tohistory has been mining.throughout the years . Ofundisputed kings.

take place in the ISRMA throughoutMany minerals have been minedthem, gold and copper have been theCalifornia ' s gold mining has been important in thehistory and development of the western United States as wellas s ign if ic ant ly in flu en t ia l in the development and perfect ionof mining and metallurgical processes. California producedmore than 106 million t roy ounces of gold between the years1848 and 1967. This was far greater than any other s ta te andrepresented approximately 35% of the to ta l United Statesproduction (Clark 1979:1,2).The second highest gold producing area of California isthe Klamath Mountains region. Shasta, Siskiyou, and Trini tycounties are the principal gold di s t r i c t s with placer depositsbeing the larges t source of gold (Clark 1979:132) . The French

Gulch d i s t r i c t has been the most productive source of lodegold (Clark 1979:xi).The Shas ta copper-zinc be l t i s also located in thefoothi l ls of the Klamath Mountains i n west -c en tr al ShastaCounty. The two main areas of mine ra li za tion a re the west andEast Shasta di s t r i c t s . Part of the East Shasta d i s t r i c t l i e sbeneath Shasta Lake while the west Shasta d i s t r i c t l i es in theInterlakes area. Gold and si lver-bearing gossans were minedin both of these di s t r i c t s during the 1860s. Copper and zincores were mined in large quant i t ies beginning in the 1890s andlas t ing into the 1920s. The ore was t reated and processed insmelters bui l t especial ly for tha t purpose. The estimated

t o t a l gold output for the west Shasta dis t r ic t up to 1979 was520 ,000 ounces (Clark 1979:142).Historic Context of the Study Area

The California Gold Rush began a t Coloma in 1848 whenJames Marshall discovered gold in the ta i l race of John1


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su t t e r ' s sawmill. s utte r t r ie d to keep the discovery asecret , but word leaked out and the Rush was on. Whatfollowed was the grea tes t mass movement of people since theCrusades. Men of a l l races, creeds, and cal l ings from a l lover the world hur ri ed ly t rave led to California by variousroutes and means to seek the i r fortune.Later the same y ea r, P ierso n B. Reading discovered gold inClear Creek and the Rush soon spread to Shasta County. Thiswas the f i r s t d iscove ry nor th of the EI Dorado County find byJames Marshall and t r iggered the great rush of 1849 (Southern1942:23,24). The discovery s i te is south of the study area.French Gulch, an important his tor ic mining community, is alsolocated on Clear Creek. By 1849, the Gold Rush was in fu l lswing.

The mining history of the area can be divided general lyinto two di s t inc t periods: gold and copper. The gold miningperiod commenced early on in 1848 during the Gold Rush in thearea of Clear Creek and spread outward in a l l direc t ions (seeFigure 2). The copper mining period commenced jus t before theturn of the 20th century, and, l ike gold before i t , came to bethe king o f min erals in Shasta County and i t s major industry.(Gold mining returned to prominence for a short t ime duringThe Depression.)

The 1848 Clear Creek gold d is cove ry resulted in theest ab li shmen t o f many mining camps in the vic in i ty of thecreek and the ISRMA. The largest and best known wereHorsetown and Whiskeytown, both of which no longer exis t , andShasta, which became for a time the seat of government ofShasta County. Shasta is now a s ta te h is to ri ca l monument, andmany of the o ld build ings have been res tored. Much of theearly gold production was from p la ce r d epos it s in Clear Creekand i t s t r ibutar ies (Clark 1979:142)The ear l i e s t and the nearest newspaper to the area wasthe Shast a Cou rie r establ ished a t Shasta in 1852, although theGrizzly City Gazette was reported as being pUblished a tGrizzly Gulch a t an even ear l i e r t ime. In August, 1855 theShasta Courier reported r ich diggings around Whiskey Creek,and more specif ica l ly a l l along Clear Creek.Streams in the immediate and nearby vic in i ty of the studyarea which flowed into the Sacramento River from the west werer ich in placer gold and therefore at tracted hundreds of goldminers during the Gold Rush. Early mining communities knownas Horsetown, Middletown, and Briggsvi l le soon sprang up southof the study area and were thr iving by 1855 (Lydon and o'Brien1974:56) (Figures 2, 3).The f i r s t type of gold mining u n d e r ~ d k e n was placer

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Shas ta County. 1862.

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m1n1ng, and it was conducted with shovels and pans. Soon,rockers , long toms, and sluice boxes were used which greatlyincreased the amount of gravel one man could wash (Lydon andO'Brien 1974:56).Hydraulic mining began in 1855 upon completion of theClear Creek Canal (Lydon and O'Brien 1974:56). The main trunkstretched some 40 miles. I t began near the Tower House andended a t Olney Creek. When i t was completed, it providedsUfficient water power to hydraulically mine gold which causedimmediate al terat ion of the landscape and caused goldproduction to r i se dramatical ly around Shasta (Toogood1978:20), although mostly to the south of the study area.In February, 1858 a severe storm and flood battered thearea causing great damages to mining operations, bridges,flumes, and dams. The resul t ing damages probably influencedthe course of events during the next year when placer mining

l os t i t s bloom (Toogood 1978:23,24).In February of 1867, ano ther severe storm and floodoccurred which again caused great damages and washed awaydams, bridges, flumes, and nearly f i l led the Clear Creek Ditchwith sand and gravel. By th is t ime, the placers of the areahad been pret ty well worked out and exhausted. When th i shappened, many people l e f t the area causing i t to rapidlydepopulate (Toogood 1978:25).The January 11, 1868 issue of Mining and Scientif ic Press(176, No.2) sta ted tha t miners were undertaking new, unusualmining methods to break down hi l l s ides and creek banks for

washing in the i r sluice boxes. Shafts and adits were sunk inthe deep-seated gravel beds where immense magazines ofdynamite were placed and exploded - shat ter ing thousands oftons of earth and rendering it easi ly broken down and washedaway with water (Toogood 1978:20).In 1870, the california-Oregon Stagecoach Companyrerouted the i r stagecoaches from the Shasta-Yreka Road throughFrench Gulch to the Sacramento River Canyon route, thuscompletely bypassing Shasta, Whiskeytown, Tower House, andFrench Gulch (Toogood 1978:31) (Figure 2).In 1872, ra i l road t racks were being la id in the southern

par t of Shasta County. During the same year , t rack laying hadreached the Sacramento River in present day Redding. Thecoming of the ra i l road ended the importance of Shasta as thetransportation center of the north, and gave prominence to thenewly established ra i l road town of Redding (Martin e t a l .1981:50). By 1880, Shasta no longer greeted the majo rity o ftra ve le rs to northern California (the new town of Redding wasserving t ha t purpose) and much of the area 's population had5


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Curle Cnp (\

R. .d,nr Gn n t

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E a r l y Gold Mining Communities( F r i s b i e and Beauchamp 1 9 7 3 :v i)

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moved away (Toogood 1978:31). After a ten-year hia tus , tracklaying resumed north in 1882 through the Sacramento RiverCanyon (and the s tudy area ) (see Figure 4).In 1884, hydraulic mining was shut down by court orderbecause of t he des truc ti on it caused. After th is order wasexecuted, lode mines and dredging became the principal miningmethods. In 1896, copper replaced gold as the number onemineral produced in Shasta County. Assoc ia ted with the coppermines were smelters , aer ia l tramways, r a i l l ines , power l ines ,wagon roads, and buildings. Remnants s t i l l exis t from a l lthese features. The copper industry was a tremendous economicstimulus to the county. Employment opportunities increased,new t ransportat ion routes were developed, and i solated townsgrew into major communities almost overnight (Kristofors1973:3) .The Mammoth operation on Iron Mountain was the larges tand most successful copper mining enterpr ise in the county.When the i r smelter was completed in 1907 a t Kennett, it wasthe undisputed king of smelters ( largest and most modern) onthe Pacif ic Coast (F igure S a). The company continued toretain i t s posit ion as the largest California copper producerunt i l it closed the smelter and mines af t e r World War I(Kristofors 1973:34).During The Depression years of the 1930s, gold output inCalifornia became almost as high as i t had been during theGold Rush. Gold mining was curtai led during World War I I andhas not sUbstant ia l ly revived i t s e l f since (Clark 1979:xi) .In 1913, Shasta County ranked f i r s t in the s ta te in theproduction of copper, s i lver and pyri te , th ird in lead, ands ixth in gold. In add ition , the county ranked fourth in thet o t a l mineral production of the State , exclusive of petroleum(Brown 1915:7).Today, i ronical ly , the most popUlar mining method hasreturned to the or ig inal and simplest way - placer mining witha gold pan or small sluice box, conducted by weekend, amateurgold prospectors.In 1938, construction began on Shasta Dam, the keys tructure of the Central Valley Project (CVP) in i t ia t ing a

th ir d h is to ri c period of regional development. The CVP is oneof the nation'S major water development projects and broughtmany jobs and people to Shasta County. Many addi t ionaldownstream st ructures were constructed re la t in g to th ismassive project .What follows are the alp ha betic al l i s t ings of majorregional places , features, mines, e tc . where more deta i l can

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LEGENDRrJAOSIt A1J.ItOADS ... I ._R J v e ~ s =-

8

MN"'".",. tJC4.AI"fAIf S.I.

Taken fromDENNY'S MAP OFSHASTA COUNTY

101,5

- - ....... ~ . _ -. - -"' _. .


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be found. At th e end of t h i s repo r t th e re a re someconc lus ions and recommendations fo r fu r t he r s tudy. Hopeful ly,t h i s compila t ion can provide needed guidance fo r fu tu remanagement and research within th e ISRMA and can servededuca t iona l purposes as w ell .

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a . Coram. Circa 1905. Compliments o fShas ta His to r i ca l Socie ty_

b . Mammoth Mine ae r i a l tramway.The smel te r i s in thedis tance (see smoke plume) .Aer i a l tramway i s headingdown to Kennet t . Circa1915. Complimen ts o f Shas taHis to r i ca l Socie ty .10

FIGURE 5


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HISTORICAL FINDINGSAERIAL T1lAK1fAYS

Balaklala Mine TramwayBalaklala Mine owners bui l t a smelter a t Coram (FigureSa) in 1906 and ore was brought to it from the mine byway of a 16,500 f t . aer ia l tramway unt i l 1911 when thetramway was closed down (Lydon and O'Brien 1974:33). Thetramway was bui l t with heavy cab les, iron buckets, andapparatuses affixed to a series of elevated towers thelength of i t s route. I t ran two-th ird s o f the ways t ra ight up the mountain from the Coram terminal , made al e f t turn and continued on in another s t ra ight l ine tothe end terminal a t the mine where an angle s ta t ion waslocated which changed the tram 's course. The tram wasgravity operated meaning loaded buckets t ravel ing downthe mountain pulled the empty buckets up the l ine to themine (Robe rt s 1981:26).

Hornet Mine TramwaySee Iron Mountain Mine Tramway.Iron Mountain Mine TramwayThis tramway was bui l t to carry ore from the mine to themain r ailr oa d lin e a t Matheson and replace thedeteriorated, expensive - to -opera te I ron Mountain Railway.Construction began in 1920 and operat ions were in i t ia tedin la te 1921. The f i r s t section bui l t containedapproximately 2 miles of rope-way from a p oint c lo se to

the Hornet Mine to a point on the Southern Pacif icRailway a few miles north of Keswick. This systemtransported between 75 to 100 tons of ore per hour. Trambuilding was di f f icu l t and expensive and involved theerect ion of many high towers a t very inaccessiblelocat ions. Assoc ia ted with the tram were ore bUnkers,main l ine railway s id ings , warehouses, and dwellings(Kett 1947:129,130). In 1953, the tram was extended anaddit ional mile f rom Keswick to Matheson making it 18,000f t . long. The tram contained 92 buckets each capable ofcarrying 3/4 of a ton with movement of 50 tons of ore perhour (Lydon and O'Brien 1974:70). The tramway proved tobe an economical asset (Ke tt 1947:130). I t operatedin termit tent ly into the 1970s. Remnants of it and thet rans fe r s t ructure s t i l l exis t a t Matheson (RoystonHanamoto e t ale 1991:7).

Mammoth Mine TramwayThe Mammoth Mine tramway was approximately two miles long(Figure 5b). Ore was t ransported approximately a milefrom the mine to what was known as the headhouse locatedon the edge of a l imestone r idge where it was loaded into11


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ore cars and carr ied down the mountainside to the Kennettsmelter . Th e tram was gravity operated meaning t ha tdescending loaded ore cars pulled empty ascending orecars on an end le ss c ab le (Lowden 1977:37).Reid Mine TramwayRemaining mine equipment in 1933 included, among otherthings an . . . . . aer ia l cabletram and terminals with orebins a t the mine and a t the rai lroad" (Averil l 1933:47).

Arrastras were the ear l i e s t type of rock-crushing machinery.They were made of stone and pulveriz ed o re between asta t ionery stone slab and a moving stone slab drawn in acirc le by ei ther man or beast (see Figure 6). The object ofcrushing ore was to s ep ar ate th e gold from the quartz .Arrastras were known to have existed a t the oreadnaught Mine,Hope Mine, Hummingbird Mine, and Minnesota Mine (see each),and arras t ras were found by BLM along Rock Creek and nearShasta ( internal f i les , BLM, Redding).

BRlOG Clear Creek Bridge a t the Tower HouseT32N R7W, Sec. 3. The bridge was not located within theISRMA. I t stood a t the very edge, in fac t , only as tone 's throw downstream from the present Highway 299Wbridge across Clear Creek. Because of the importance the

bridge and the nearby Tower House played in the earlyhistory of the ent i re ISRMA, it i s included in th isreport .The bridge was f i r s t c alle d th e Fre e B ridge simplybecause to l l s were not charged. Over the years , thebridge became known as the Tower House Bridge, the ClearCreek Bridge, Camden's Bridge, and the Covered Bridge.In 1852, Levi Tower purchased the property on which the"free bridge" already existed. Tower se t to workbuild in g th e Tower House, which became one of the mostpopular hote ls in northern California.In the ear ly par t of 1854, Tower applied for and receiveda l icense from Shasta County to charge t o l l s across hisbridge (Toogood 1978:26). In 1858, he bui l t a new bridge(Toogood 1978:29).In 1864, the bridge and the Tower HOuse were owned byCharles Camden. Camden made the following improvements

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Early gold mining scene depic t ing a horse-powered a r r a s t r a , a mangold panning, and a t h i rd working with a rocker (Clark 1979 :x i i ) .

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on the bridge according to the following Sha sta courierar t ic le of 9-3-1864:The Bridge across Clear Creek, a t theTower House, has recent ly been much improved bybeing covered with substant ial siding and a goodshingle roof. I t is the most substant ial bridgestructure in the county, and the p ro prie to rs , fo rexcellent repair in which it is always kept, m eritthe commendation of the t ravel ing pUblic.

The bridge no longer exists . The only remains are stonepi l l a r s standing in the creek upon which the coveredbridge once stood.Whiskey Creek BridgeFrom the Sacramento Union of 10-16-1857:

A FREE BRIDGE i s proposed across WhiskyCreek, near the mouth, where the wagonroad crosses i t , in Shasta County. I twil l be 165 fee t in length, and wil l bebui l t above the f reshet mark. The ShastaRepublican s ta tes that Benjamin Mixi underwhose direct ion the work wil l be done,subscribes $400, and as soon as the sum i smade up to $1,200, the bridge wil l becommenced.

Charles Camden became owner of the bridge when he openedthe Camden Toll Road. During March of 1867, a heavyrainstorm occurred and caused flooding according to theShasta Courie r of 3-2-1867:The heavy ra ins caused Whisky Creek tor i se to such a height t ha t the watersflowed over the top of the old bridg e.

Later t ha t year, Camden bui l t a new bridge according tothe Shasta Courie r of 8-17-1867:The framework of the bridge is composed ofthe best oak t imber, and the foundation i sbui l t up in such a manner as to insure i t ssafety.In the early 1960s, the s ta te bu i l t a new bridge inant icipat ion of the forthcoming waters of WhiskeytownLake (Toogood 1978:78).

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CEMETERIESCatholic Cemetery (French Gulch)T33N R7W, Sec. 22. Terence Maher donated two acres forthe e st ab li shmen t o f the Catholic Cemetery in 1855.I .O.O.F. Cemetery (French Gulch)T33N R7W, Sec. 22. This cemetery i s located on the wests ide of Main Stree t in downtown French Gulch and i s usedonly by members of the Independent Order of Oddfellows(I.O.O.F.) and t he i r families .Porter and Morrell Family PlotT33N R7W, Sec. 22. This i s a private pioneer familycemetery located on the eas t s ide of Clear Creek besideCline Gulch Road in French Gulch. The f i r s t buria l wasCharles Joseph who died December 22, 1861. The l a s tbur ia l was Joseph Howe Por ter in 1945. The cemeterysupposedly contains 12 bodies (Anonymous c. 1950s).

CHINESECal i forn ia ' s Gold Rush beckoned people from a l l around theworld and many na t iona l i t ies quickly came. One of the peoplewho responded in grea t numbers were the Chinese. But theChinese were usually not accepted or even to lera ted byEuroamericans, or even by local Indians. The miners andse t t l e r s resented the Chinese for aspiring to become r ich andthen re turn to China. The Chinese were will ing to work longhours for low pay which caused grea t consternat ion among thewhites.Their cul tures were completely di f fe ren t ; t he i r die t s andeating s ty les were di f fe ren t , t he i r re l igion was veryperple xing, th ey loved to gamble, and many openly smokedopium. Very few Chinese women came here, and the few who didwere usually pros t i tu tes . The Chinese always worked in groupsand f i r s t worked the mines or claims deserted by whit e m iner s,or leased a mine or a claim. They were very ef f i c i en t and didwhat was cal led "teaspoon mining" whereby they cleaned up whatthe le ss -pa t ien t whites had overlooked. Some became verywealthy as a r esu l t of t h i s mining technique.The Chinese eventual ly undertook placer , hydraul ic , andhardrock mining as the methods evolved. Others became ditchbui lders , laborers , cooks, laundrymen, gardeners , and a veryfew became merchants. Many were employed in the 1870s on theCentral Paci f ic Railroad to Redding and l a te r in the 1880swhen t racks were extended north through tne Sacramento River

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Canyon.By 1854, between 2000 to 3000 Chinese lived in Shasta County.As more and more arrived, resentment turned to open hos t i l i ty .From the Shasta Courie r of 12-16-1854:

CHINESE VERSUS INDIANS. - An Indian attempted tocarry off from a Chinese camp, on Fla t Creek, oneday th i s week, a bag of f lour, when several Johnsse t upon him with guns, s t icks , stones, ' c . , andaf ter shooting him with the gun, and bat ter ing hishead with the s t icks and stones, succeeded insending mister Indian to the Heavenly huntinggrounds. As between Indians and Chinese, oursYmpathies are always with the natives. Would itnot be possible to get these people into a KilkennyCat Fight?Another f lare up took place in 1860 when a white packe rattempted to move a group of Chinese miners across theSacramento River on Waugh's Ferry into the Newtown and Buckeyemining di s t r i c t s . When the white mine rs hea rd about i t , theyrounded up the packer and a l l the Chinese, took the Chineseback to the ferry and returned them to the side of the r iverfrom whence they had come - with the i r blessings, applied withbarrel s taves . A rope was t ied to the packer and he wasthrown into the r iver again and again unt i l he professedrepentance and promised never to repeat h is so-called crimeagain (Hemsted 1961:51).Very few legal transactions between Chinese people andEuroamericans were found to have taken place in Shasta County.One legal business venture/partnership exis ted between JamesDrew and three Chinese men regarding the Watson and RoaringDitch in the Cottonwood Creek gold mining area. Another knownl eg a l t ran sa ct ion involved the sale of the Oak Bottom Hotel to"Qui Chin and 19 other Chinamen" by Aaron Van Wie for $5100 in1868, and the sale of the same property by "Qui Ch in ' Others"four years l a te r in 1872 for a pal t ry $300 to Dennis Desmond(Toogood 1978:46).Chinese were s t i l l in the area as la te as 1910 and worked a tthe Gladstone Mine (Figure 7a, 7b). The following excerptgives us much in sig ht in to the i r l ives a t the Gladstone(Nielsen 1965:1-9):

. . The boarding house was presided over by sevenChinese, with Box Sing as head cook. They servedthree meals a day and a midnigh t snack . OnThanksgiv ing, Christmas, and New Year 's , they serveda banquet. On dance nights, they se t out a buffe t .The kitchen and sleeping qua rte rs fo r the Chinese16


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S t. Rose 's Catho l ic Church a t FLench Gulch(Fr isb ie and Beauchamp 1973:8)

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COIIVIYOR BBLT(Redding to Shasta Dam)When bui l t in 1938, the conveyor bel t from Redding to theShasta Dam local i ty was the longest in the world (9.6 mileslong). I t was an endless bel t similar to a department storeescalator. I t ' s purpose was to t ransport aggregate fromdredge ta i l ings in Redding to the concrete-mixing plant nearShasta Dam (Coram) where i t was made into the cement used tobuild Shasta Dam. The bel t traversed up and over hi l l s , andcrept down and across canyons a t 6 mph. In many places i talmost hugged the ground, while in places where the obstaclescouldn ' t be removed, they were bridged. The bel t crossed theSacramento River twice, crossed four creeks, five countyroads, the s ta te highway, and the mainline of Southern Pacif icra i l road. The bel t rol led along carrying hundreds of tons ofaggregate night and day, month af te r month, for four longyears unt i l the required 10,000,000 tons of aggregate had beendelivered. I t s tar ted a t an elevation of 490 f t . a t Reddingand crossed a pass a t 1450 f t . above sea level near the dams i t e . I t glowed a t night with i t s scat tered l ights along theent i re route. Sides of the bel ts were held up by two outsidero lle rs s et in the frame a t an angle which formed a trough andkept the sand and gravel from fa ll in g o ff . The conveyor wasmade up of 40 sections or f l ights with varying lengths o fbel t s depending on the contour of the hi l l s . The f i r s t 22sect ions were powered by 200 horsepower motors. The next foursect ions went downgrade as much as 25 ' to the Sacramento Riverand required no power but created, because of the weight ofthe load in motion, kinet ic energy. The kinet ic energy inturn generated elect r ic i ty which helped pul l the othersect ions up the steep hi l l s . The l a s t 14 sect ions, climbingfrom the r iver to the stock pi les and the mix plant , required200 horsepower motors to move each f l ight . Telephone s ta t ionswere ins ta l led along the ent i re route of the bel t foremergency use. There were also automatic elect r ic controlswhich could be used to stop the ent i re bel t i f a sectionbecame out of order. Signs were posted a l l along the routeand a t each t ransfer point which sta ted:

KEEP OFF - BELT STARTS WITHOUT WARNING - DANGERWhen loads reached the end of each f l ight , they were dumpedthrough a s teel chute into the next sect ion, where theycontinued thei r chute-to-chute r ide a l l the way to theconcrete mix plant (California Department of Education1942:66,71) .A maintenance or service road was bui l t besidebe l t which became known as the Belt l ine Road.portions of i t s t i l l exis t a t sporadic places.poor condition.

20

the conveyorMany smallAll are in


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Pert inent Data(Downing c. 1970s:10,11)Total le ng th of bel tNumber of f l ightsLength of longest f l ightLength of shortest f l ightMotor h.p.Belt operating speedBelt c ap ac ityBelt const ruct ionBelt widthAmt. of rubber in bel tAmt. of cotton in bel t

DAMS

9.6 m iles263240 f t .850 f t .200 h.p.550 f t . per minute1100 tons per hour6 ply rubber36 inches1,000,000 lbs .500,000 lbs. or1000 bales

Keswick DamT32N R5W, Sec. 21 . Keswick Dam i s located on theSacramento River nine m iles below Shasta Dam. I t crea tesan afterbay reservoir for Shasta Lake and Spring Creekpowerplants and serves as a regulating reservoir to eventhe flow of water through the Keswick powerplant. Thedam has f ish-trapping fac i l i t ies fo r tra pp in g salmon andother migratory f ish. The trapped fish are hauled to theColeman Fish Hatchery in Anderson for spawning by theu.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (U. S. Department of theIn ter ior 1986:4). The dam construction contract wasawarded on August 12, 1941 to the GUy F. Atkinson Co. andW. E. Kier Construction Co. (Downing c. 1970s:56).Construction was completed in 1950 (Kristofors 1973:108).Because Keswick Dam has his tor ica l signif icance, itappears el igible for inclusion on the National Registerof Historic Places. Paperwork for t ha t purpose wassubmitted to the Office of Historic Preservation in 1994by the Bureau of Reclamation.Pert inent Data(U. S. Department of the In te r io r 1986:4)(Bureau of Reclamation 1983:6)

Type of damCons truc tion periodF o ~ n d a t i o n

21

Concrete gravity withembankment wings1941-1950Badly weathered quartzbiot i te sch is t cut bycalc i te vein s, q ua rtzveins, c lay seams, and mudseams. Large fau l t markedby a crush zone 10 to 12f t . wide st r ikes up and


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specia l treatment

HeightLength a t cres tThickness a t baseThickness a t cres tSpillwayspillway capacityVolume of concretePowerFish t rap

downstream and crosses thedamsite under the oldstream channel.Grout blanket over ent i refoundation area and a groutcurtain along the upstreamtoe.157 f t .1046 f t .260 f t .20 f t .Overflow sect ion a t l e f tside of dam control led byfour 50 f t . sq. sl ide gates.250,000 cubic f t .197,000 cubic yardsNine 23'x17' fixed-wheelgates.Concrete conduit throughdam control led by one 5 'x5 ' s lide gate.

Shasta DamT33N R5W, Sec. 15. Shasta Dam i s located on theSacramento River 12 miles north of Redding. The dam wasbu i l t by, and i s operated by the Bureau of Reclamation,for the speci f ic purposes of r iver regulat ion,navigation, improved f i sher ies and wildl i fe , powergeneration, domestic wate r supply , i r r igat ion, floodcontrol , and improved water qual i ty (Figure 9).Additional purposes are control of water qual i ty , f ishconservation, and recreat ion. I t i s one of the largestconcrete gravity dams ever bu i l t in the United States (U.S. Department of the In ter ior 1986:1,2). I t is the keys t ructure of the Central Valley project , and one of thenat ion 's major water development projects . Shasta Damand powerplan' were deemed el igible for the NationalRegister by tr ,- Office of Historic preservation insacramento f o both his tor ica l and engineeringsignif icance based on a 1990 submission by the Bureau ofReclamation.Pert inent Data(U. s . Department of the In ter ior 1986:1,2)

(Bureau of Reclamation 1983:6)Construction s tar tedConstruction completedHeight of damHeight, streambed tospil lway cres tMass concrete22

19381944 (6 yrs . , 9 mos.)602 f t .487 f t .6,541,000 cub ic yard s.


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Lenqth of cres tAggregateCementPiping and conduit(up to 48")cooling pipe, ins ta l ledReinforcing s t ee lPlate s tee l ,15' penstocksSteel fo r out le tconduits , coastergates , valves plusmany other lesser itemsThickness a t base,including spillwayapronThickness a t cres tWidth of cres t roadwayand sidewalksDownstream face of damTypeSpillway

out le t works

Foundation

24

Natural agg rega te from pi t snear Redding. Oversizecrushed. Low heat cement.Temperature control withr iver water andrefr igerated water inextreme heat . Aggregateand m ixing water cooled insummer and heated inwinter .3,460 f t .11,975,000 tons6,757,500 barrels4,000 tons1,348 miles13,000 tons6,000 tons9,000 tons

883 f t .30 f t .39.5 f t .31 acresConcrete curved gravity,embankment wingOverflow section nearcenter of dam control led bythree 110- by 28-f t drumgates .18 102" diameter conduitsthrough dam in three t i e r s(6" upper, 8" middle, 4"lower) control led by 14 96"wheel-type gates (upper andmiddle) and four 102" tubevalves. Five 183" diameters t ee l pipes through dam,control led by f ive 15" x19' coaster gates del iverwater to the powerplant.Hard, tough, durableg r e e n ~ t o n e , usually hardand sound beneath


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special t reatment

streambed. In abutments,decay of the geologicallyancient formationpenetrates deeply a longmany jo in ts and occasionalsmall crush zones.Cement grout cur ta in withadjacent drainage holesplaced benea th foundat iondrainage gal lery . Crushzones cleaned out to soundrock and backfi l led withconcrete. Mud seams,jo in ts and crevicespressure-grouted.spring Creek Debris and Pollution Control DamT32N R5W, Sec. 18. The Spring Creek Debris and Pollut ion

Control Dam, bui l t in 1963, is located on Spring Creekupstream from the Spring Creek powerplant ta i l racechann el. Con stru ctio n cost was $4,000,000 (Kristofors1973:113). Spring Creek i s a 1 4 mile tr ib utary to theSacramento River. Ore bodies in the surroundingwatershed contain pyri te , copper, zinc, gold, s i lver ,cadmium, and other elements. Huge ta i l ing pi les ,unstable man-made cuts , and denuded hi l l s ides from pas tmining operations caused the Spring Creek Basin to sufferfrom high erosion (Prokopovich 1965:988). In addit ion,cer ta in portions of the creek are l i fe less due to extremeacidi ty and large amounts o f d is so lv ed poisonous metals.The South Fork portion of the creek and th e po rtio nupstream from the mining area are not polluted(Prokopovich 1965:993,994). The function of the dam isto impound th e p ollu te d water for p erio dic re leases andprevent debris from obstructing the powerhouse ta i l race(Kristofors 1973:113).

Pert inent Data(Bureau of Reclamation 1983:7)T ~ Construction periodTotal capacity toEI. 795Total capacity toEI. 679-795Surface area a tEI. 795ShorelineStructura l heightHydraulic heightTop width

25

Earthf i l led1961 to 19635870 acre f t .5650 acre f t .87 acres2.5 m iles196 f t .169 f t .30 f t .


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Maximum base widthCre st le ng thCrest elevationOutlet works1040 f t .1110 f t .816.0 f t .A 6 f t . diameter concretel ined tunnel with two 2.25f t . sq. gates to a 6.5 f t .f l a t bottom concreteconduit.

Whiskeytown DamConstruction work began in 1959 on Whiskeytown Dam. InMay, 1962, the f i r s t waters and f i r s t boaters entered thelake, and President John F. Kennedy dedicated the damsept . 28, 1963. Whiskeytown Dam and lake were par t ofthe Trini ty River Project authorized by Public Law 386,84th Congress on August 12, 1955, whose principal purposewas to in crea se t he wate r supply for i r r iga t ion and otherbeneficia l uses in the cent ra l valley of California(Toogood 1978:79).

DITCBBS I CABALSA constant wate r supply was imperative to early miners. Inorder to obtain i t , ditches and canals were dug or bui l t forwater t ransport . Traces of ditches and canals can s t i l l befound in many places throughout the study area.Clear Creek CanalOf a l l the his tor ic ditches or canals bu i l t in Shasta

County, the Clear Creek Canal was by far the mostimportant. Construction began on Christmas Day, 1853(Shasta County Record Book E:655,656) and ended almosttwo years l a te r on December 21, 1855 (Shasta CountyRecord Book E:655,656). In 1857, it was off ic ia l lyincorporated as the "Shasta county Canal Company" (ShastaCounty Record Book E:655,656). This canal was locatedjus t south of the study area and probably exerted someinfluence on the events there.Clear Creek Canal was bui l t to provide a dependable yearround wate r supp ly to miners. When it opened, it wasthought to rank among the s t a t e ' s most cost ly and durablemining enterpr ises of i t s kind (Toogood 1978:82).In 1855, the main trunk length was upwards of 40 miles,and included 10 addit ional miles of sid e d itc he s and anapproximately four acre reservoir . I t also includeddams, ditches, aqueducts, flumes, and a 460-ft . tunnelth rough ha rd rock. Upon completion the canalimmediately al tered the physical surroundings and gold

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production around Shasta, generally, to the south of thestudy area.The f i r s t 18 miles of the canal were completed by June1855 from the Tower House sou thwest a long Clear Creek,past the mouth of G rizzly, Boulder, Whiskey, Brandy, Dry,and Sal t creeks. Water ran through ditches three feetdeep, four feet wide a t the bottom, and s ix feet wide onthe top. The water even provided suff ic ien t power tohydraul ica l ly mine (Toogood 1978:20). An aqueduct waslocated a t Bull Gulch according to the Shasta Courier of10-20-1855. only those who purchased water r ights to thecanal could use it (Toogood 1978:22).The following ar t i c le i s from the Shasta Republican ofOctober 20, 1855:

The Clear Creek Canal. This importantwork which has been in course ofconstruction since l a s t Christmas, wil l ,we are informed, be completed with a l l i t sbranches, by the middle of November.A low dam has been bui l t a t the head ofthe Eastern bank of Clear Creek, a fewhundred yards above the Tower House. TheWestern Fork, also , is dammed and i t swate rs r eceived into the ditch which thenenters the f l a t below Camden's mil l .Passing through the mil l race which i smade t r ibutary , the water i s conducted twohundred yards in a flume, along the almostperpendicular mass of rocks which form thebluff on the west s ide of Clear Creek.Following the west bank a mile and a ha lf ,i t crosses the creek in an aqueduct for ty-f ive feet above the stream and is thenintroduced upon a f la t , a few acres inextent , through which an ancient channelof the creek passes, where some wellpaying claims are now being worked.Passing on, the canal winds among thehil ls , --now running in a channel blastedthrough the rock, then piercing a r idge,u nti l a fte r a course of th ir teen miles itreaches Whiskey Creek, which i s crossed ina flume s ixty feet above the water. Thel ine i s then thrown upon a rocked andrugged hi l l s ide ; where, for nearly a mile,the excavation was mostly performed withpowder and the dr i l l . On arr iving a t the

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twenty-fourth mile, which is a l i t t l ebelow Dog Gulch, a rocky r idge i s metwith, through which for many weeks atunnel 460 feet in length has been incourse of construction. Nearly the ent i rebore has been through gneiss rock,containing crystal l ine veins of quartz, soexceedingly hard , t ha t when they wereencountered, the most careful ly tempereddr i l l s would break in a few moments.Since th i s tunnel was commenced, two setsof hands a t each end have been employedupon it night and day; and frequently, anadvance o f eigh tee n inches or two fee t intwenty-four hours was a l l tha t could bemade. This hard job was, we understand,finished yesterday.A mile fur ther on, the l ine enters Sal tCreek, where it seems to get entangledamid a labyrinth of mis-shapen r idges andhallows, and for a distan ce of four m ilesis as crooked as the Stygian t r ibutary ofHades. I t f inal ly arrives, however, a tthe South Branch, over which i s raised thelarges t aqueduct on the Canal--500 feet inlength, and eighty feet above the bed ofthe creek . The ent i re length of the maintrunk to Olney Creek, i s upwards of for tymiles , to which has been added ten milesof s id e d it ch es , and a reservoir , capableof containing a sheet of water about fouracres in ex ten t. The whole undertaking,when complete, will rank among the mostcost ly and durable of the kind, in ourState . ,The canal wil l carry a volume ofwate r equal to fourteen square feet . Thedescent is a l i t t l e more than seven feetper mile, giving a current on the surfaceabout four m iles an hour. I t may be ayea r be fo re the ditch t ightenssUff ic ient ly to hold i t s fu l l volume ofwater, but when it becomes impervious by acoating of sediment, it wil l supply aclear stream to about one hundred andf i f ty s luices .

In February, 1867 the di tch nearly f i l led with sand andgravel t ha t was washed in by heavy ra ins , but l i t t l erepai r work was undertaken to remove it because placermining had drast ical ly dwindled (Toogood 1978:25).28


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Cl ine Gulch DitchThis was a one-mile long d i t ch c ons tr u ct ed be si de Cl ineGulch to provide water power fo r th e Gladstone Mine(Crawford 1894:249) .Sla t te ry and Welch DitchSla t t e ry and Welch conducted smal l s ca l e hydrau l i c p lace rgold mining approximately f ive miles nor theas t o f FrenchGulch a t T33N R6W, Sec. 8 (Lydon and O'Br ien 1974: 131) .Water was brought to t h e i r mining s i t e from Clea r Creekand Clines Gulch through a t h ree -mi l e long d i t ch (Brown1915:54,55) wil l i ams & Company DitchT32N R6W. Shown on "H i s to r i ca l Base Map 1, 1850-1880" onth e nor th s ide of C lear Creek a t th e mouth of WhiskeyCreek (Toogood 1978:88) .

DREDGING COMPANIESConsolidated Gold Dredging CompanyT32N R5W, Sees . 20 & 28. The Consol idated Gold DredgingCompany was a p lacer gold dredging company. The companyprocessed 50,000 yds . o f g rave l monthly with a bucke t l ine d re dg e a lo ng th e Sacramento River near Keswick in1913 (Lydon and O'Brien 1974:128) and employed 12 men(Brown 1915:39) .Ente rp r i se Engineering CompanyT33N R7W, Sec. 11. The Ente rp r i se Engineering Companywas a p lace r gold dredging opera t ion t h a t opera ted adrag l ine type dredge fo r a few months in 1946 in ClearCreek abou t 2 miles north of French Gulch. The companywas e v en tu a ll y s old and disbanded (Lydon and O'Brien1974:129).French Gulch Dredging CompanyT33N R7W, Sec. 15. The French Gulch Dredging Company wasa p lace r gold d re dg in g opera t ion and operated on ClearCreek approximately two miles nor th of French Gulch(Figure lOa, lOb) . A bucke t l ine dredge was erec ted on

th e s i t e in 28 days by 12 men. Diggin g b eg an in 1940when approximately 4000 cu bic y ard s of grave l were dugevery 24 hours . The dredge c losed down during World WarI I . Opera t ions were completed in 1946. Dredgepa r t i cu l a r s :- hUl l contained 35 s t e e l pontoons- was 85 f t . long, 40 f t . wide, seven f t . deep- contained an 85 f t . long digging l adder

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a . French GulchDredging Companydredger. Complimentsof Shasta Histor ica lSociety.

FIGURE 10

FRENCH GUtCH DREDGENG"Sf1100tlr ...Runninfl,lifficiel1f. Well... O r d e r e d ~ '

b. Stagecoach going downMain St ree t in FrenchGulch, c i rca 1910.Compliments of ShastaHistor ica l Society.

c . Keswick photo from1923. Shows par t ofthe smel ter slagdumps, the bare h i l l s ,and heavy erosion froms mel t era n ddevastat ion of h i l l sfrom smel ter fumes.Photo taken 1923.Compliments of ShastaHistor ica l Society.

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- carr ied 75 buckets each with a capacity of 4.5cubic f t .- stacker be l t was 85 f t . long- trommel was 21 f t . long and f ive f t . in diameter- trommel undersize discharged to four s luice boxes30 inches wide and 40 f t . long- screening section contained 3/8 inch and 1.5 inchholes- wash water supplied by eight and 10 inchcentr i fugal pumps- a l l equipment driven by elec t r ic motors (Lydon andO'Brien 1974:58).

G&H Mining CompanyT33N R7W. The G&H Mining Company was a placer golddredging operat ion which operated on Cline Gulchapproximately one mile north of French Gulch in 1946(Lydon and O'Brien 1974:129).Lincoln Gold Dredging CompanyT33N R7W, Sec. 34. The Lincoln Gold Dredging Companyoperated on Clear Creek two miles south of French Gulch.Equipment in 1942 included a small dragline dredge whichoperated again in 1947 and 1948. Approximately 2400 to2800 yards of gravel were excavated every 24 hours with aNorthwest dragline f i t ted with a 1.5 cubic yd. bucket anddischarged to a trommel 64 inches in diameter and 40 f t .long with 20 f t . of screen. The dragline made 11revolutions every minute and moved the gravel forward 54inches per revolution (Lydon and O'Brien 1974:59).Pioneer Dredging CompanyT32N R5W, Secs. 2, 18, 19, 29, 30, 32, 33. This was aplacer gold dredging operation tha t operated a draglinetype dredge fo r one season a t Buckeye in 1936 (Lydon andO'Brien 1974:130).

BLECTRIC powa CODDIBSThe f i r s t known place to use elec t r ic power in the study areawas poss ib ly th e Gladstone Mine (Figure 7a, 7b) in 1894 whenthe ent i re works were l ighted by elec t r ic i ty . Electr ic be l lswere used in the lower workings and water power was derivedfrom Cline 's Gulch through a one-mile long di tch (Crawford1894: 249) .In 1900, the mine changed ownership and was purchased by I . o.J i l l son who bui l t an elec t r ic plant on Crystal Creekapproximately 12 miles south of the Gladstone. This plantsupplied elec t r ic i ty for the mine unt i l ~ h Northern

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California Power Company brought in e lec t r i c i ty for the ent i reoperat ion (Nielsen 1965:2,3).Today, there i s no elec t r ic i ty on the property. All power i sderived from portable generators (Ramona Larramendy, FrenchGulch, personal communication 1994).The Keswick Electr ic Power Company was e sta blis he d in 1900 byH. H. Noble to provide elec t r ic i ty for Mountain Coppercompany's smelter a t Keswick. Power arr ived in 1901 from thenewly bui l t Volta Powerhouse on Batt le Creek in eastern ShastaCounty. In 1902, the company reorganized as the NorthernCalifornia Power Company (Reynolds 1980:24).

BROS10K COKTROL PROJBCTSToxic fumes from the Keswick, Coram and Kennett smeltersdenuded the watersheds from below Keswick Dam to approximatelysix miles north of Shasta Dam (Figures 1, 5a, 5b, 10c).Normal winter ra ins averaging 60" fa l l ing on these denudedslopes during the years 1905 to 1919 resulted in extensive andseve re e ro sion and produced a maze of gul l ies (Anonymous c.1968). Huge ta i l ing pi les , unstable man-made cuts , inaddition to the denuded land, caused an unusually high erosionof loose sur fa ce depos it s within the Spring Creek Basin(Prokopovich 1965:988).In an attempt to suppress erosion, res tora t ion work commencedin 1922 with the planting of 25 small experimental plots inwhich various experimental g ra ss es , c lo ve rs , brush species andhardwoods were planted. All t ha t survived were the hardwoods.Another grass and t ree planting experiment was conducted from1932 unt i l 1938. Successful plantings included ponderosapines and willow cut t ings. From 1949 unt i l 1953, acooperat ive work program between the united States ForestService (USFS) and the United States Bureau of Reclamation(USBR) was undertaken. Work consisted of constructing smallbrush dams, planting conifer t rees , willow cut t ings, andmiscellaneous brush and oak seeds (Anonymous c. 1968). Therewere 171,114 erosion checks cons truc ted p lus 2,663,600 pineseedlings and 587,879 broad-leaf seedlings and cut t ingsplanted (Prokopovich 1965:991). This same program continuedfrom 1953 unt i l 1967 under the auspices of the USBR (Anonymousc. 1968). The plantings in the vic in i ty of the present-daySpring Creek Powerhouse were generally not successful becauseof the highly acidic so i l condit ions (Prokopovich 1965:991).However, within the broader region the watershed res tora t ionef for t s are clearly evident in the current vegetation cover, apar t of the changing his tor ic landscape.

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PERRIESwaugh's FerryThere were two ferry locations. The f i r s t crossed theSacramento River in 1853 near the mouth of Rock Creek a t

the Sacramento River Trai l bridge c ross ing (Figure 1).Large iron pins s t i l l embedded in rocks on each side ofthe r iver mark the ferry landing s i te (Vaughan 1986:9).When the ra i l road was bui l t through the area in 1882, theferry was moved downstream a short distance to the mouthof Middle Creek (Hiatt 1974:18). This was short l ivedbecause the ferry discontinued operat ions in 1883(Vaughan 1986:9).PI . . LOOKOUT TO'"

Fire Look out TowerT32N R6W, Sec. 3. This fac i l i ty i s located on top ofSouth Fork Mountain. I t was moved to the mountain top in1987 from the White Sands Atomic Testing Grounds in NewMexico. According to William "Bil l" Lloyd (personalcommunication 1991), the tower was one of the originalobservation towers of the f i r s t atomic t e s t and wasreportedly occupied by Albert Einstein to watch the f i r s tt es t . According to Mr. Lloyd, the tower was allowed toradiological ly cool af ter the t es t s unt i l being deemedsafe for reuse. The tower was then given by the AtomicEnergy Commission to the State of California Division ofForestry who dismantled it and transported andreconstructed it on top of South Fork Mountain.Supposedly a highly sensi t ive geiger counter can s t i l ldetect some radioact ivi ty in the tower metal.California Department of Forestry & F ir e P ro te ct ion datasomewhat disputes th is story. According to Thornton(1991:5), the 21'x21 'x29 ' h igh, nonba tt er ed , open s tee lH-brace tower with a concrete pier foundation supportinga 196 sq. f t . cab was indeed used for atomic bombtes t ing, but was not occupied by Albert Einstein.Rather, i t , and many others , were bui l t only as an objectby which atomic bombs were dropped from the towers ontothe ground. Some mate ria ls fo r building such towers werestockpiled and la ter shipped elseWhere (Thornton1991:124).

GARDENS I ORCHARDSFrench Gulch ChinatownT33N R7W, Sec. 22. Chinatown was located jus t south of

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the present day town a short distance south of s t . Rose'sCatholic Church on the same side of the road (DonaldCarlson, French Gulch, personal communication 1994).Large vegetable gardens, sown and maintained by theChinese, were located near the Chinese set t lement. Thevegetables were brought to French Gulch and sold by aChinese man named "John". One woman supposedly l ivedhere. The ent i re area has been dredged; there are noremains.

orchard of Benjamin MixT32N R6W, Sec. 9. In 1858, Benjamin Mix had an orchardand f ru i t garden in the region consist ing ofapproximately nine acres incorporating 150 t rees , 250grapevines (some of which bore f ru i t for the f i r s t timein 1858), and a vegetable garden exhibit ing "f ine growth"(Anonymous 1858:226).Tower House

Soon af te r acquiring a qua rte r s ec ti on of land in 1852,it i s qui te probable tha t owner Levi Tower immediatelybegan planting orchards and vegetable and f ru i t gardens.By 1858, a 30-acre garden was enc losed with a "good"fence and thoroughly cul t ivated. In addition: . The orchard contains one thousand t reesof apples, pears, peaches, plums,che rr ie s, apr icot s, nectarines, e tc . , a l lchoice var ie t ies of worked f ru i t , theoldest of which were se t in 1854. Thereare also 400 grape-vines, affordinganother evidence of the super io r cha ract erof the so i l and climate of our mountainregions for the early and abundantproduction of f ru i t . One of the applet rees shown the Committee was from seedplanted in the Spring of 1854. In theSpring of 1857 it blossomed - se t andripened f ru i t in the month of July matured a second crop in the l as t ofAugust, and se t a thi rd, which were aslarge as Engl ish walnuts, when the f rostcame and interrupted the i r growth. Thef i r s t and second c rop r eached an averageof twelve and one-half inches incircumference - were s l ight ly t a r t , and ofexcel lent f lavor. The t ree is now (June14th, 1858), four years and three monthsold from seed, and is being under the loadof i t s fourth crop of f ru i t . Anotherapple t ree standing near th i s , only twoyears old from seed, i s bearing a number

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of apples. There i s also a nursery on theplace of 1000 t rees , assorted f ru i t s ,beside f ine rows of gooseberry, currant ,raspberry, and strawberry bushes, a l l_bearing profusely . . .Water from springs inth e ad jac en t hi l l s i s brought in leadenpipe, and cont inual ly plays from severalsparkling fountains in the yard, and alsoa hydrant, to which a hose 50 f t . longbeing attached, it throws the waterthrough a three-fourth inch nozzle 100 f t .high . . . (Anonymous 1858:226,227).

The Tower House became the show place of the county.Some of the f ru i t t rees for the orchard were broughtaround the Horn. In the ear ly days, the orchard was themain orchard north of Marysville (Southern 1942:50).HOSPITALS

Coram HospitalA medical fac i l i ty was operated by Dr. Varian forBalaklala Mine. I t was also used by anyone needingmedical care (Kenyon 1971:50,51).Gladstone Mine Fi r s t Aid DispensaryThe f i r s t aid dispensary was located in a small buildingto the eas t of the main house (Lintz 1985:30).Iron Mountain Mine Hospital

This hospi ta l was considered well-equipped and included ares ident physician and a t rained nurse on the s ta f f whoprovided adequate medical at tent ion and prompt service incase of accidents (Kett 1947:111). Physician's did notstay long-- the f i r s t arriv ed in 1895 and l e f t less thantwo years l a te r . This con ti nued unt i l 1919 when a goodhospi ta l was a va ila ble in Redding which, coupled withf as t and easy t ransportat ion, made the maintenance of thehospi ta l unneces sa ry (Ke tt 1947:152). Dr. J . E. Taylorwas the l a s t resident physician. He l e f t in 1919 ands tar ted a private practice in Redding (Ward 1954:13).The-hospital was destroyed by f i re (along with many otherbuildings) in 1897. I t was possibly rebu i l t (Renfree c.1960s:2).

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HOTBLS / WAYSIDB INNS / STOPPING PLACBSThe ea r l i e s t hotels served as convenient social centers fort rave le rs and loca l c i t i z e ~ s who wanted refreshment, company,entertainment, news of fam1ly af fa i r s , and the l a t e s tinformation on gold s t r ikes (Toogood 1978:31).Brown's House

B r o w n ' ~ House ( h o t e l ~ existed a t ~ h mouth of G rizzlyGulch 1n 1855 accord1ng to an ar t1cle in the ShastaCourier of 8-11-1855. I t i s also shown on Denny's 1904Map of Shasta County and as "Madame Brown's" on the GLO1868 pla t a t BLM, Redding.Empire HotelThis fac i l i ty was bui l t in the mid-1850s. I t wa s anelegant and commodious wooden s t ructure . In 1856,t rave le rs from Shasta via the Trini ty and Scot t Mountainto Yreka and Jacksonvil le, Oregon, changed from s tages to

mule passenger t ra ins a t the Empire Hotel. The hotel wasdemolished in 1931 (Southern 1942:45).Four Mile HouseThis i s shown on "Histor ical Base Map 1 - 1850-1880" onthe eas t s ide of Whiskey Creek (Toogood 1978:88). Thisbusiness was opened in 1853 by owner Nicholas Maher andcons is ted of a two-story hotel and bar with nearbycor ra l s (Shasta Courier 7-23-1853).French Gulch HotelT33N R7W, Sec. 22. See "Settlements/Towns/Mining Camps"entry .Tower HouseT32N R7W, Sec. 3. The Tower House was not l ocat ed withi nthe study area; it stood a t the very sou thwest edge.Because of the importance it played in the ear ly historyof much of the study area, it i s included in t h i s repor t .

In 1852, Levi Tower purchased the property which alreadyincluded a t rading post and a bridge across Clear Creek.Tower immediately se t to work with h ir ed car pen te rs andenlarged the trading post into a wooden, 40'x60' , 21roaar, 3-s tory hote l (Smith 1994:257,258) (Figure 11).The Tower House soon began serving as a community center ,elect ion precinct , mining di s t r i c t , communication hub,and quasi-courthouse (Toogood 1978:36). In 1858, thehote l became the s tage depot for the California-OregonStage Company and leased s tables to provide fresh horsesfor the t r ip to e i ther Weaverville or Yreka (Toogood1978:31) .

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The hotel included a dance ha l l where formal balls forladies and gentlemen were held. The followingadvertisement appeared in the Shasta Cou rie r on 5-13-1854to announce the upcoming Fourth of July ba l l :I WOULD ANNOUNCE TO THE PUBLIC tha t everypreparat ion is being made to celebrate theapproaching ann iver sa ry o f our nat ion 'sbi r th day, a t the "TOWER HOUSE," in as ty le worthy of the glorious occasion.Indeed no exertions or expense shal l bespared in order to secure a large, as wellas a happy gathering. As an earnest ofth is I will here state tha t I wil l runse ve ral fre e coaches down the va lley asfa r as Tehama, for the accommodation ofa l l lad ies , and for those gentlemen ~ may bring ladies with them. Recoll ~ then, the 4th of July celebration a ~ h "Tower House."

A l i t t l e more than a year la ter , we f ind the following inthe Shast a Cou ri er of 8-25-1855:Rusticat ing a few days for my health, a tone of the most delightful places in th isState , and the only spot in th i s sectionof the country for recreation; surroundedby majest ic mountains, luxuriant verdure,flowers and rich f ru i t , with cool bracinga i r , invigorat ing the system af ter thedepressing effects of the great heat ofth e v alle y.

From the Shast a Cou ri er of 2-23-1856:ALMOST A LYNCHING. On Friday l a s t a manwho had been suspected of steal ing forsome time past from the miners near theTower House was caught and taken to theTower House where a jury of miners wasempaneled , and the gui l ty fai r lyestablished upon him by the miners jury ' s- -ve rd i c t . (He was] whipped by rope and le t go.

And another glowing account of the Tower House from theShasta Republican of 8-16-1856:We know of no place more invit ing for thelovers of pleasure than the Tower House,twelve m iles no rth of Shasta- Weunderstand tha t a very agreeable party of

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ladies and gentlemen from our town havebeen luxuriating upon the choice of f ru i t sand melons now to be had a t th i s love of aplace. Four or f ive days spent with- ag re eabl e l ad ie s amid the fine scenery,somewhat noted for sentimental i t ies onceto ld , beneath the shaded bowers, the walksthrough the fine gardens and along ther ippling streams abounding with mountaint rou t and bright shining gold as i t istaken from the r i f f lebox by the hardyminer, the promenades amid the splashingo f fo un ta in s, by moonlight, a l l conspireto elevate the sp i r i t s and to conv ince ust ha t " i t i s not good for man to be alone."At no place wil l th i s be more ful lyreal ized than by a v i s i t to th i s oasisamong the mountains.

The Tower House was so appealing it at tracted theat tent ion of the Union Democratic Senatorial Conventionwho met there during the summer of 1861 (Toogood1973:46). I t continued to enjoy a local and regionalreputat ion as a pleasant summer resort throughout the1870s (Toogood 1978:36). The hotel continued to provideovernight accommodations unt i l i t was destroyed by f i rein 1919 (Toogood 1973:47) and i t was never rebui l t .Whiskeytown HotelThis hote l opened for business as Mix's Franklin House on7-30-1853 according to the Shast a Cou rie r of the sameday. The following advertisement appeared in the ShastaRepublican of 11-27-1855 announcing the plannedfes t iv i t i e s :

Benjamin Mix would inform the pUblic andlovers of Dancing, tha t he wil l give aGRAND OPENING BALL a t his new hotel a tWhisky Creek, . . . on which occasion he wouldbe most happy to see his fr iends andacquaintances.

The following a r t i c l e from the Shasta Republican of1 2 ~ - 1 8 5 5 explained in deta i l the outcome of Mr. Mix'sgrand opening celebrat ion:Notwithstanding inclemency of the weatherof Wednesday afternoon, the attendance a tMr. Mix's hotel was very large, andeverything passed off in the mostagreeable manner. The music wasexcellent , th e rep ast sumptuows, and every

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body was in perfect goodthemselves to as fu l l asbe desired. About fortyfes t ive scene with the i rhumor and enjoyedextent as couldladies graced thepresence.

In 1858, the hote l was destroyed by f i re according to theShasta Cou ri er of 9-4-1858. I t was soon rebui l t andsUbsequently passed through a success ion of owners:- Sold to I . McIntosh and G. M. Benjamin 7-23-1859(Shas ta Courier 1-7-1860)- Leased to Lew Burk

Documents

Inter Lakes Inventory Smith