Shasta Lake Heritage & Historical Society Head Tower News

A “Boomtown Memories” newsletter

3400 Shasta Gateway Dr. Suite #H, City of Shasta Lake

Museum Hours: M & W 9-12:30 or by appointment.

Call 275-3995 or Email: slhandhs@gmail.com

www.shastalakehistorical.org

We try to be accurate but please, we are not liable for any additions, omissions, errors and/or corrections that may occur in this pub-

lication. Any photographs or material used may not be scanned and/or reprinted or reproduced without contacting us for permission

of use. Thank You –Deb West, Editor and Darlene Brown, Assistant

The tables were set, the food cooked and the people gathered. On June 28, The Shasta Lake Heritage & Histori-

cal Society hosted their annual dinner. People came from near and far, families joined together, old friends remi-

nisced and new friends were made. Nok Hamburg and her crew prepared a

meal fit for a mining camp, starting with finger food, followed by chicken stir

-fry and tri-tip. Tasty salads, side dishes and dessert rounded off the meal.

The Wine Trio, Jack Trapp, Jack Ures and Paul Stremple poured delightful

red wines donated by Burnsini Vineyards of Cottonwood. Entertainment by

the Cerepa Sisters, Karen

Alvord & Debbie Goodman,

and Mathew Goodman was

enjoyed by all, as they sang

songs from mining camps of

days gone by. Darlene Rumboltz was recognized as Volunteer

of the Year. Although she was unable to attend the dinner, her

presence was felt at each table, decorated with her idea.

With full bellies and warm hearts, the gang settled in for a show

about gold and copper mining in south-western Shasta County.

Darlene Brown, with many helpers, put together a DVD on min-

ing from 1850 to 1919. Stories and photos were assembled into an entertaining and informative show titled Grab

Your Pick & Shovel . We heard from many people, first hand, about their families and lifestyles in the mining

camps and towns. We saw photos of towns under Shasta Dam and were awed by the rough and rugged life of a

miner and his family. We saw how communities grew into towns, built schools, enforced laws, and became

townships. We learned about mining and the money brought into the area, as it pro-

gressed from a single gold pannier to huge businesses worth millions of dollars.

To top off the evening,

baskets, cakes & cookies, do-

nated by many, were raffled

off. Not unlike the evenings

in the Mining Camps, people

felt a feeling of community.

Many hands were needed to

pull the evening together and

a special Thank You to All

who had their “Fingers In The

Pie”.

Volume 8 issue 4 #28 Grab Your Pick And Shovel August 2012

Shasta Lake Heritage & Historical Society

3400 Shasta Gateway Dr. Ste #H

Shasta Lake, CA 96019

275-3995

A 501 c-3 non-profit organization

Fed ID#68-0485141

Please check the date next to your name for membership dues renewal.

Thank you for helping us save on reminder postal costs. It is appreciated!

Looking for a wonderful gift to give anytime?

We have ideas for you.

Postcards covering the history of our community $1.00 each

Shasta Lake Heritage & Historical Society DVD for only $10.00 (including tax)

Landmarks & Legends Vol.1 Communities Under Shasta Lake

and Shasta Dam Boomtown Era (2007)

Landmarks & Legends Vol. 2 Up the Sacramento River Canyon

on Old Highway ‘99 (2010)

Landmarks & Legends Vol. 3 Grab Your Pick & Shovel

(2012)

Hard Times, Hard Work Vol. 1 Shasta Dam Memories1938-1959

(2009)

Honoring our Veterans Vol. 1 Veterans Who Served Between

1917 to 1958 (2011)

Schools “History 1A” Vol. 1 Early Pioneer School Districts up

to 1958 (2008)

(Order on line, by phone or come by and pick some out

while visiting the Museum)

Please send in this coupon with your dues:

Name_________________________________

Address _______________________________

________________________________

Phone _________________________ renewal

Email ____________________________ new

Please check the applicable box:

Individual $ 10 Family $ 25

Business $ 35 Benefactor $100

ITEMS FOR SALE GLASS TOP COMPUTER DESK

like new $50

OFFICE CHAIR like new $25

ELDERLY WALKER with seat $25

Contact us—275-3995

Board of Directors: Barbara J. Cross, President 275–5848

Darlene Brown, Vice President 275-1000

Henry Hurlhey, Recording Secretary 275-2815 Lorna Rendahl, Treasurer 246-3048

Lorraine Bennetts, Director 275-8712

Mike Daniels, Director 275-2672

Del Hiebert, Director 275-4058

Ruth Huey, Director 275-1961

Jack Trapp, Director 243-6984

Evelyn Hoppes, Past President 275-2772

In Memorium

Frank Divers

1929-2012

If you have time on your hands, consider becoming a

volunteer. It is fun and a great learning experience.

Karen Alvord & Debbie Goodman

sang mining songs.

Nok Hamburg & her crew

Jack Ures & Paul Stremple pouring wine as Butch Hurlhey looks on.

Dinner enjoyed by

all who attended

Page 2

Volume 8 Issue 4 Highlights & Happenings at the Museum Shasta Lake Heritage

& Historical Society

Page 7

Volume 8 issue 4 A Note From The President... Barbara Cross

Come one, come all to the Garage Sale of the Year. Saturday September 1, 7:00 a.m. John

Beaudet Community Hall, City of Shasta Lake. (If you have something you would like to do-

nate to this sale, please contact Barbara Cross. All the money earned

comes back to the SLH&HS and donations are tax deductible.)

Norma Haner, along with her son and family came to view the museum.

They enjoyed seeing the items their family has donated, along with all

the many treasures in the museum. You too can view the museum on

Monday or Wednesday from 9:30 to noon, or by appointment.

Deb West & Lillie Minsart are working on a program for school field

trips, inviting teachers to come and see what is available at the museum.

“We would accomplish many more things if we did not think of them as impossible”

Vince Lombardi

Our 11th annual Dinner Celebration was another huge success. We would need a larger building

in order to accommodate more people. Thank you to all who attended.

Darlene and I visited Shasta Caverns to check on the showcase display that we have on that site,

and do some rearranging to update it. We also attended the designation of the Shasta Lake Cav-

erns as a National Natural Landmark. In spite of the close proximity of forest fires, and the lack of power, it was

a very successful event. Kudos to Manager Matt Doyle and staff for their hard work! A busy year lies ahead:

Sept. 1 Annual Yard Sale fundraiser at John Beaudet Community Center in our City -7:00 A.M.

Sept. 8 Annual Luncheon and sharing time for Northern Calif. Historical Societies Board Members and volun-

teers. This year it will be hosted by the Behrens/Eaton Museum in Redding.

Sept. 11 We will attend and donate roses for the annual Memorial Service at the City of Shasta Lake Fire Hall.

Sept. 26 General Membership Mtg. after the summer break. 3pm. at JBCC. Treasurer, Lorna Rendahl, will

give a financial report for fiscal year 2011-2012. A copy is on file at our Museum site. Guest speaker: Gennie

Seeley, Shasta Lake Garden Project. She will be talking about the Native Plant garden, part of the Memorial Gar-

den Park in our City. Afterward, members and guests will be invited to tour the garden, with Gennie as docent.

Oct. 20 We will do a Guest presentation at Shasta Historical Society, 1pm. in Redding, of our Mining video.

Oct. 24 General Membership Mtg. 3pm, JBCC. Guest speakers and presentation by Behrens/Eaton Museum.

Nov. 3 We will be participating in the annual Holiday Bazaar at the J.B. Community Center. This is a great

event. All participants are non-profit groups from our City. It is a great place to shop for Thanksgiving or Christ-

mas. It is also an opportunity to meet people from other groups working in our City.

Nov. 10 Annual Veteran’s Day Parade in our City; this year we will be represented in the parade.

There are no General membership meetings in Nov. or Dec. ~ HAPPY HOLIDAYS! ….Barbara

Shasta Lake Heritage

& Historical Society

Thank you for you Donations and sharing your memories: Rudy Balma: Framed panoramic photos of Kennett and the Diamond Bar Saloon.

Ab Burns: Books, drawings, and memorabilia from his estate.

Judy Barbera: Her mother, Ella’s, Shasta Dam scrapbook & memorabilia.

Barbara Cross: Camel back clock c1930

Lois Emmerson: Keith Crabtree’s navy Uniform

Ruth Fish: Cedar Chest Hand Made at Shasta High School by Elmer, and the

steering wheel off the School Bus he

drove for so many years, and pre-

sented to him upon his retirement.

Ed Glacken: Bathroom memorabilia: including Men’s straight ra-

zors, strops, brushes, shaving cologne, tooth paste, Men’s Gland

Therapy, ceramic doll head & swan and even an antique toilet handle.

And, from Golden Gate Park, a vintage Carousel Pony & books.

Mary Hale: Ashtray from Covered Wagon, toaster & memorabilia.

Jack Haner Estate: Watercolor picture, rocking chair & ashtray

from the Silver Dollar Club and more office supplies.

Leigh Johnson: A cash donation in support of our Museum, and

program of making videos.

Barbara Landis: Assorted magazines and memorabilia from 1928 to 1967

Ed Lintz Jr.: Ground Observer Corp album and photo of his father, Ed, sitting at his typewriter at the desk we

have on display & used at the Bureau of Reclamation in Toyon c1940.

Mayleen McCoach: 2 Binders about the Sacramento Canyon on loan

Linda (Spear) Stout: Damboree Parade photos from 1953

Robert K Sullivan: A pair of 13 button Navy pants

Articles, Ads and Pictures from: Rudy Balma, Linda Beaver, Nellie Bell,

Sadie Brown, Darlene & Bill Brown, Ab Burns Estate, Gary & Lynn

Cassingham, Barbara & Don Cross, John Cullis, Mike & Donna Daniels,

Brad Dupre, Lois Emmerson, John Felcher, Lorna Fletcher, Floyd Frisbie, Del Hiebert, Evelyn Hoppes, Ruth Huey, Leigh Johnson, Ruth Ann Kobe,

Delores Mitchell, Matt Rumboltz, Helen Stephenson, Jim Tinto, Jack Trapp,

Fran Warmack, Greg Watkins, Deb & Earl West and Jim Westlake.

Special thanks to all who donated photos & material to our Mining DVD

We have an account designated as a “Building fund”, thanks to a generous benefactor. We add to it as we can, through donations and some

fundraisers. Our goal is to have a museum in the central part of our city. We would like to have a computer dedicated for use by the general pub-

lic, and students who would like to do historical research. Please consider a donation to our building fund, and help us achieve this goal.

FYI: One of our benefactors, and a former CVHS classmate to many of our volunteers and members, W.A.“Bill” Polf, has retired and

written his first book. It is a thoughtful and provocative soft cover edition filled with short stories about life. You may even recognize

some of the locations and for sure, the times…..Available at Amazon.com, it is called, “ Magical Ballyglass & other stories”.

Thank You for supporting our efforts to preserve history. We are grateful for your endorsement. Benefactors: John Adams – Henderson, NV Wendell Baker - Grand Terrace Bill & Darlene Brown - Shasta Lake

City of Shasta Lake Betty Craft - Redding Barbara & Don Cross - Shasta Lake

Bruce & Kittie Lou English—Bandon, OR Larry & Nancy Farr - Shasta Lake Betty Felch -Hayfork

Ed Glacken -Redding Lucretia Hale - Monte Serrano Norma Haner - Redding

Al Herring - Woodenville, WA Del & Gerda Hiebert - Redding Ben & Agnes Hill - McLean, VA

Dale Hoppes - Redding Evelyn Hoppes - Shasta Lake Leigh Johnson - Medford, OR

Knauf Inc. - Shasta Lake Guy Malcolm-Sunnyvale Carol Martin - Redding

Ron & Jean Naylor - Shasta Lake Gracious Palmer - Shasta Lake William A. Polf - Pittsboro, NC

Jim Pope - Redding John & Connie Strohmayer – Redding Bruce & Verlen Tavey - Redding

Alice Taylor - Shasta Lake Jack & Marian Trapp - Redding

Businesses in Shasta Lake 530 Collective R. Chambers, M.D. Lake Shasta Caverns Nok Hamburg Catering North Valley Bank Print & Design J.D. Russell, D.D.S. Shasta Lake Chiropractic Sunshine Market Van Wyhe’s Engraving Our Thanks to the following Individuals & Families for renewals: Marvin & Linda Beaver Karen & Bert Boothroyd Sadie Brown Huey Family Ruth Ann Kobe Tessa Newman Virginia Oliver Jack, Darlene & Janice Powell Carlene Richelieu Wayne Rowland Matt & Darlene Rumboltz Nola Shoup Iris Sobieski Jeff Trapp Earl & Deb West Welcome New Benefactors: Debra Israel -Shasta Lake Jerry Waybright- Anderson Welcome New Members: Charlotte Bailey Judy Barbera Joyce Hampton John & Peggy Kenny Gary & Gerry Lundstrom Lillie Minsart

Page 6

Volume 8 Issue 4 “Blast from the Past” by Helen Stephenson Shasta Lake Heritage

& Historical Society

Page 3

Volume 8 issue 4 Feature story

Thriving Ingot Diminishes after the Flood of ‘36 By Helen (Lindsey) Stephenson

Helen graduated in 1960 from CVHS and was a classmate to Matt Rumboltz, Lorna Rendahl and Bill & Darlene

Brown. Excerpts from this story was used in the DVD on Mining.

The information that I am writing was told to me by my two brothers, Elton and Wesley Lindsey.

Elton, 8, and Wesley, 9 years old at the time, lived in Ingot in the Fall of 1936.

The cabins where they lived with my folks, Clyde and Eldeen Lindsey, had been built by the

owner of the Ingot Mine, when it was in full operation. The superintendent over the Mine, Wat-

son, was still in charge and caring for the cabins. He rented them to residents. The cabins were

built on the East side of 299E and were down by Cow Creek at the creek level.

The Highway Construction workers lived there, while constructing 299 East from Ingot to

Drinking Fountain grade toward Round Mountain.

The schoolhouse sat on the point of the turn at the North

end on the East side of 299E, when driving into Ingot from

Round Mountain.

The teachers were Miss

Thatcher and Miss

Lawrence.

Wes remembers a

boarding house, restau-

rant establishment, ga-

rage, and a barber shop.

There were houses on the West side of the road, around the

turn from Ingot as you drive south toward Redding. A few

remnants of them remain, plus one major house sits back in

from 299 East.

It had snowed at Montgomery Creek 2 to 4 feet, and then

rained for 48 hours, 2 days, which caused the Flood of ’36.

It took out the school, plus all of the cabins on the East side

of 299E. This was the re-

duction of the flourishing

little town of Ingot. The

families had to move to

Bella Vista to live, while

the road was finished.

School children started

school in Bella Vista.

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!

ARE YOU ONE OF “THOSE DAM KIDS?” DID YOU OR DO YOU HAVE A FAMILY MEMBER

WHO WORKED ON SHASTA DAM 1937-1950? WERE YOU OR A FAMILY MEMBER LIVING OR

WORKING IN THE BOOMTOWN(S) AREA DURING THOSE YEARS? IF YES, We want your information.

We are preparing a book and a DVD to be published in 2013.

Next year, we will celebrate 75 years since beginning construction on Shasta Dam 1938-1945. Big plans

are underway by Community leaders, our City, and the Bureau of Reclamation to mark this 75th celebration.

The Damboree will be the kick-off event the first weekend in May, and the 75th will be the weekend of Sept.21.

We are seeking memories & photos that will add fun and excitement to our book and video,

“Damworkers and Those Dam Kids” (life during the construction years of Shasta Dam). We need short stories

about the years 1937-1950 …Stories about a Damworker OR about a Dam Kid- life in the family home, Schools,

Organizations, i.e. Scouts, Brownies, Businesses erected, Events, i.e. parades, Entertainment, i.e. swimming,

skating, movies, shooting pool, etc., Church, picnics and so forth.

You will soon be receiving a more detailed sheet of information, a signature form and questionnaire.

We have a deadline of January 31, 2013. With limited space, not all stories may be included, HOWEVER, we

will have an index in the book, of all names received of Damworkers.

All stories must be typewritten and we will accept emails. If you cannot type your story and you would

like to be included in this project, please contact Carol at our office 275-3995. We can set up an interview to tape

your story, and have it transcribed. So, exercise your fingers—we hope to hear from you! – Thanks, Darlene

Shasta Lake Heritage

& Historical Society

The honor of being designated as a National Natural Landmark is important as the elite status is only awarded in recogni-

tion of special geological and ecological sites, and is part of the Department of Interior National Park Program of Preser-

vation. It was our pleasure to be guests of the Caverns, along with many dignitaries, to celebrate this achievement.

Top left, l/r: Don & Barbara Cross, Matthew Doyle, Manager, and Bill & Darlene Brown. Shown is the signature in the

Caverns by J.A. Richardson, Nov.11, 1878 and C.M., initials of Charles Morton, the Wintu Indian that guided Richard-

son, of Baird Fish Hatchery, to discovery of the caves. Middle photo: Steve Gibbons, National Park Service; Matthew

Doyle, manager; Pat & John Winther, owners; John Tinsley, U.S. Geological Survey; Dick Dickerson, Redding Mayor

and Linda Hartman, County Supervisor. (We maintain a display case for SLH&HS at the building entry to the caves.)

DO YOU KNOW?

SLH&HS is researching the origin of street names in our area. If you know how a street got it’s name, please contact us by phone or e-

mail. If the name comes from a family name, we would like to know about the family, when they settled, what they did and where they

came from. We hope to publish an article in a future newsletter, revealing where a street got it’s name Thank you for your help.

Ingot School House 1930’s

left: Afterthought Mine

Section of the Ore Processing Plant

right: 3 views of the little town of Ingot

On August 3, Lake Shasta Caverns was

dedicated as a National Natural Landmark.

There are only two in Shasta County, the

Caverns and Burney Falls.

Page 4

Volume 8 Issue 4 George and Adelaide Castle Shasta Lake Heritage

& Historical Society

Page 5

Volume 8 issue 4

In memory of George and Adelaide Castle, we have chosen this article based on an oral inter-

view of Adelaide, to honor them and highlight their contribution to our community…

The Giant Orange George and Adelaide Castle’s marriage started in the Bay Area where George was a welder and

built the Liberty ships. Adelaide graduated from high school at 17, and attended beauty college.

One evening she and a friend went to a huge ballroom with a big orchestra. It was at that dance

in Oakland that she met George. They danced their first dance in April and were married in June

of the same year. They continued to dance together for 63 years.

George was born in Canada and had duel citizenship. He did not want to live in Canada nor be

drafted, as he had started a family with two sons, Bob born in 1942 and Bill born in 1944. They

also did not want to raise their family in a big city, so when the war was over in 1945, they decided to look

around for a new place to locate. George’s brother Walter and his wife Ally and their two boys lived in Oregon.

They would get together for a visit at the halfway mark, which just happened to be Redding. George fell in love

with the mountains, saying he never wanted to live too far away from them. While in Redding, having breakfast

at the Lorenz Hotel, the two families were talking about their future. Adelaide recalls the conversation, “Walter

said he could get a job repairing automobiles. Of course George could do anything, anything you asked him to

do, he could do it. I was sitting there drinking orange juice, and said, ‘I know what we’re going to do, we’re

going to sell orange juice.’” With that comment from Adelaide, the seed was planted.

They ended up buying property in 1948 by the highway (99) north of Redding near the community of Pine

Grove. On it were three houses, one being livable and the other two mere shacks. Walter and Ally took the good

house and settled in with their two boys. George and Adelaide decided to take the two shacks and build one

home from the materials. When Adelaide’s folks came up to visit, their comment was “YOU LIVE HERE?”

“We had two little boys, and a house with only one room completely closed off which was the bathroom. The

rest of it, all of it, just had 2x4’s. It rained during this visit and all my pots and pans were used to catch drips.

My folks thought we were crazy.”

“Nobody told Walter and George that you couldn’t build a round building… so they built a round building.”

They put chicken wire all around it and they plastered it. It had three windows out front and in the back a small

room where the fresh oranges were cut. Ab Burns painted 4 signs and they were ready to open. “That’s what we

did; we went out there and sold fresh orange

juice. We had a man from Oroville bring them up

from Los Angeles in crates each week.” They

used 10 crates, each containing about 200 oranges.

The oranges had to be a uniform size, as they used

a big commercial juicer.

“Before we got extra help, we devised a system.

If George was alone and got too busy, he would

ring a bell connected to the house. When I heard

the bell, I would run down and help him juice and

serve the orange juice.” Hot dogs were also

served. Bob did not like hot dogs, but little

brother Bill, loved them. Adelaide finally limited

Bill to only 3 hot dogs a week.

A typical day would start at 7:00 am. when the Giant Orange would open for business. At 10:00 am, Marion En-

dicott, Cloya Ely and later her sister, Charlotte, arrived to help. Closing time was 10:00 p.m., then it was time to

clean and get ready for the next day. That was a chore in itself, as that orange juice could get pretty sticky…..

Adelaide would then take the money up to the house and do the bookwork for the day, while George finished

closing up. Not done yet, “we still had those orange peels...which we would put in big garbage bags, load into

the pick up and take to the dump. We finally got to bed between 1:00 and 1:30a.m. The alarm went off at 6:00

am and the day would start again.”

They served juice to people driving on the highway between Oregon and the Bay

Area. They constructed a canopy in front so that people could get out of the heat.

It became a popular stopping point for many, with the refreshing, iced orange juice,

beckoning from the unique Giant Orange building. Ginger Rogers and Robert

Mitchum were known to stop and enjoy a glass of fresh squeezed juice. A glass

would cost 21 cents, 20 cents for the juice and 1 cent for Uncle Sam. A franchise

fee of $25.00 per year was paid to a man in Tracy to use the name, Giant Orange.

Adelaide recalls many events

while they owned the business.

One winter after a few weeks

of snow, the canopy collapsed

and had to be rebuilt. Another story, “If I had to go down

(to help George) before the girls came, this is what I used to

do with the kids. Bob was four so I could depend on him

not to run into the street. But Bill was just a little over two.

So I had a rope tied to a tree. I would tie the rope to the

little straps of his sun suit. One day a lady came to me and

said, ‘there is the cutest little boy running around up there

without a stitch of clothing on’. He had managed to wrig-

gle out of his harness.”

The Castles worked the Giant Orange from June 15 to late September or mid-October, depending on the weather.

In the off season, they would begin their fall job of obtaining Christmas trees to sell. In the spring they would

return to the Giant Orange to paint and repair and get ready for the next

season. They ran the orange stand from 1948 to 1953 when they sold it

to Don and Jerry Duryee.

George then went to work in Real Estate, while Adelaide went to Shasta

College, starting in 1952. She took the bus to the college, riding with

Alice Taylor. When she got her business degree in 1960, Mr. Price

asked if she would work in the school district office. She worked there

during the school year and had summers off to be with her boys.

The Giant Orange has changed hands, menus, and been added on to over

the years. It is still open for business as Joe’s Giant Orange. The

SLH&HS has on display a collage showing the history of this unique

piece of “Americana” from the 40’s & 50’s. Go in for a delicious meal

and view the collage. You can still feel the spirit of George and Ade-

laide, while enjoying a glass of orange juice.

Shasta Lake Heritage

& Historical Society

Bob and Bill Castle George and Adelaide Castle

The canopy collapsed from the weight of the snow.

And the Giant Orange

Ab Burns

sign