News From Around The County
EARLY LIFE John Durwood Weast was born to Jacob Gordon Weast and Elizabeth (Reasson) Weast on January 1, 1859, at Palmyra, Fluvanna County, Virginia. At the age of one year old in 1860, John was living with his parents at Rochelle, in Madison County, Virginia. His father was a miller by trade. He was the youngest child in their household […]
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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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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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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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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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Author: Jeremy Tuggle – Education and Community Engagement Manager – Shasta Historical Society If you’re ever in Northern California one of the premier destinations in Shasta County to visit is a natural wonder called Burney Falls. This magnificent water fall was designated as a National Natural Landmark in 1984 by the National Park Service. Yet, long before it was developed […]
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Above: Major Gorham G. Kimball a co-owner of the Cone & Kimball Company of Red Bluff, Tehama County, California. From the Red Bluff Daily News newspaper edition of Red Bluff, December 22, 1904. Kimball Plains was one of the smaller settlements of the Bald Hills in western Shasta County, which was located seven miles west of Cottonwood. Business partners, Joseph […]
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Guest Writer Spotlight: Jeremy M. Tuggle: Shasta Historical Society Hamden Holmes Noble was a son of James W. Noble, a farmer of Somerset County, Maine. Hamden was born in that county at Fairfield on August 16, 1844. This is where he earned his education. Later, he relocated to San Francisco where he first registered to vote in 1866. At that […]
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Guest Writer Spotlight: Jeremy M. Tuggle: Shasta Historical Society A farmer by the name of Ephraim Brown, and his wife Lorilla (Lillie) Brown, brought their family out west from Cortland County, New York in 1866 and they settled at French Gulch, Shasta County, California. Ephraim continued to pursue his career as a farmer at their new place. Ephraim and Lorilla […]
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