The Clara mine at Keswick, California

On this episode of Exploring Shasta County History, Jeremy Tuggle – Shasta Historical Society’s Education and Community Engagement Manager, takes you on another exciting mining adventure with his friend, Ralph Bentrim. This former mining property embraces Ralph’s property at Keswick. This mining property is a former Au (gold) mine called the Clara, which has been developed in parts to allow […]

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The Historic Foundation of the Mammoth Aerial Tramway

The Mammoth aerial tramway was sometimes referred to as an “aerial ropeway” which was built in 1905 for the United States Refining and Mining Company, the parent company of the Mammoth Copper Company of Kennett, by the Riblet Tramway Company of Spokane, Washington, for about $50,000. LOVE SHASTA COUNTY HISTORY?SEE: Exploring Shasta County History with Jeremy Tuggle: Bella Vista: A lumber […]

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The Ganim mine of New York Gulch

Joseph Solomon Ganim was born on December 25, 1877, to Solomon Ganim and his wife, Annie (Jabul) Ganim. He was a Lebanese immigrant, well-educated, and he arrived and settled at Whiskeytown in 1906. Ganim was a traveling merchandise seller by trade and later he became interested in mining. In 1912, Ganim located the quartz vein of the Hard Luck Gold […]

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The Friday-Lowden Mine

In 1894, while prospecting in the boundaries of the Backbone mining district of Shasta County, Walter Friday, a native of Switzerland, and a resident of Flat Creek, located the lucrative quartz vein of the Friday lode mine. After that, Friday drove an adit into the hillside. Then, he began operating this mine as a hard rock mine. Later, an abundance […]

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Legendary Mining Lore: Gold Nuggets of History

Newcomers Frederic Rochon, a native of New York, and his Canadian partners Levi Longfield, and John Hayett, arrived from lower California and settled at Shasta together in the early months of 1870. After their arrival, they immediately located a placer mining claim on Spring Creek. After that, their mining activities took-off with them earning fair wages from this mining claim […]

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The Sky Blue mine and its 1860s origins

Author: Jeremy Tuggle – Education and Community Engagement Manager – Shasta Historical Society In 1863 Colonel William Magee, a noted surveyor, miner, prospector, and resident of Shasta, California, located the quartz vein of the Original Sky Blue mine of the Middle Creek mining district. After an examination of this vein, gold was extracted from it which yielded some lucrative high-grade […]

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Cottonwood’s origins, from small 1850s townsite to 1890s growing RR hub

Author: Jeremy Tuggle – Education and Community Engagement Manager – Shasta Historical Society In 1899, Cottonwood was located eighteen miles south of Redding and seventeen miles north of Red Bluff. It was located on the county line between Shasta and Tehama Counties, and on the California and Oregon railroad which included a busy railroad depot that made it a major […]

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The life and times of William B. Smith (1859-1917)

Author: Jeremy Tuggle – Education and Community Engagement Manager – Shasta Historical Society William B. Smith was born to Gottlieb George Kaylor Smith and Elizabeth Jane (Lamberson) Smith, at Eagle Creek (now Ono) on May 10, 1859, and during the following year the Smith’s settled their family at Horsetown. He was the fourth of ten children born to his parents. […]

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The historic Lime Kilns

Author: Jeremy Tuggle – Education and Community Engagement Manager – Shasta Historical Society There are two wood-burning lime kilns which were made from natural stone in the Clear Creek area of western Shasta County in between the pioneer towns of Briggsville and Horsetown at Bulgin Gulch (name also found as Buljon Gulch & Bulgin’ Gulch). Since the early 1850s the […]

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Simeon Fisher Southern and the Hazel Creek area

Author: Jeremy Tuggle – Education and Community Engagement Manager – Shasta Historical Society Simeon Fisher Southern, a native of Stephensburg, Kentucky, was born to Stephen Fisher Southern and Rebecca (Duncan) Southern, on September 6, 1822. As a boy, Simeon grew up on his father’s farm as a farmhand assisting his father when he wasn’t attending school. Southern was often referred […]

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