Starvation Winter in the Klondike

     The Klondike Gold Rush began in 1896 with the discovery of gold along Rabbit Creek in the Klondike Valley. George Washington Carmack, nicknamed Lying George by his acquaintances, announced the strike in August at a saloon in Forty Mile, a town on the border of the Alaska and Yukon territories. Word spread quickly among the miners and settlers in the area, and soon many people deserted the major Yukon River communities of Circle City and Forty Mile to stake claims upstream. Rabbit Creek was soon renamed Bonanza Creek. A new town, Dawson, sprang up at the confluence of the Yukon and Klondike rivers in the Yukon Territory.  

     News of the Klondike strike was slow to reach the outside world. In July 1897, ships loaded with Klondike gold and rich miners arrived in Seattle and San Francisco. This triggered the northward stampede. More than 1000 people beat the hoards of stampeders and reached Dawson before winter. Many were disappointed to learn that most of the promising sites had already been claimed by residents of the area. 

Panning for Gold (Vancouver Public Library)

     The last steamship of the season unloaded its cargo at Dawson on September 30, 1897. The Northwest Mounted Police soon determined there would not be enough food for everyone during the upcoming winter. Inspector Charles Constantine posted a notice that read: "I, having carefully looked over the present distressing situation regarding the supply of food for the winter, find that the stock on hand is not sufficient to meet the wants of the people and can see but one way out of the difficulty, and that is an immediate move down-river, of all those who are now unsupplied, to Fort Yukon, where there is a large stock of provisions."

      Several hundred people heeded the warning and left for Fort Yukon, Alaska by the end of October.  But more kept coming. The Canadian government was reluctant to accept responsibility for the tens of thousands of stampeders in the Skagway and Dyea area, poised to cross the border via the White Pass and Chilkoot Trails. This led the Mounties to require that each person carry nearly a ton of designated supplies.

Chilkoot Pass (National Park Service)

     Those who were progressing along the routes as winter set in began to hear tales of harsh conditions in Dawson, including rumors of starvation. Many of them camped at smaller communities along the trails. But for people who stayed in Dawson the winter months were difficult. Even the Northwest Mounted Police at Fort Cudahy, who had some stockpiles available and could pay the escalating prices for provisions, were forced to reduce their basic flour ration. In Dawson itself, there were no eggs.  Miners and trappers who had been living in the North knew what to expect and had accumulated adequate supplies to survive the winter. But most of the large population of stampeders, who had rushed to Dawson in the late summer and fall of 1897, were not prepared for the ferocious cold and living in a gold-based economy with no gold – and little money.

Dawson City during the Gold Rush

     As the days grew short, the temperatures plummeted and food supplies dwindled. Dawson slowed nearly to a standstill. Hotels were full. Many residents spent the majority of each day in bed, conserving their energy and heat. Men without homes or sleeping rooms took shelter wherever they could find it. One such refuge was Bill McPhee’s Pioneer Saloon, packed with unfortunate souls who slept on benches and tables.

     Both of the trading companies that serviced Dawson tried to control steeply rising prices, but a black market sprang up. Flour, the most basic staple, was in such limited supply that a rancid 50-pound sack could command a payment of anywhere from $35 to $100. Tinned vegetables had gone off the market early in the season, and shriveled potatoes sold for a dollar a pound.

Bowery Street in Dawson, 1898 (Canadian Archive)

     By the time spring break-up of the Yukon came and the steamer Mae West delivered a load of provisions on June 8, saloons had been serving what amounted to whiskey-flavored water for quite some time. Everyone celebrated the arrival of food and spirits – and the end of the winter.

      In my novel, The Claim, I have included the “Starvation Winter” as the backdrop for several scenes. Here is a brief excerpt:

     Erik stared at the lifeless town. After the arduous journey over frozen snow, along treacherous rivers of ice, jagged with bergs of all sizes jutting from the surfaces, he had been looking forward to the hustle and bustle of Dawson.

     No people could be seen on the eerily quiet streets. Many windows were shuttered. Except for the acrid smoke wafting above the chimneys, the place resembled a frigid ghost town. 

     “Vad happened?” Filip’s breath froze as he spoke.

     “Don’t know.” Erik’s scarf muffled his words.

     He and Filip pulled the sled up the icy deserted street. The restaurants were closed. The hotels were full. The opera house was a burned-out shell.

     “Let’s go over to Fort Herchmer,” Erik said.

     They proceeded at a snail’s pace to avoid searing their lungs with the bitterly cold air. The ravens squawked at them as they passed.

     When they stepped inside the NWMP offices, they took a few minutes to soak in the warmth.

     “If you’re wanting food, we can’t help you,” the officer greeted them.

     Erik unwrapped his scarf. “We brought our own. But what’s going on here?”

     The bearded man’s expression softened. “Too many people, too few provisions.”

     Now that the warmth had begun penetrating Erik’s mittens, he removed them. Filip was already blowing on his hands. 

     Sergeant Ibsen came through the side door. “Stryker?”

     “Good to see you again.” Erik shook his outstretched hand.

     “That’s Bentnor,” Ibsen gestured toward his cohort. Erik nodded to him.

     “Guess there won’t be much of a market for my spirits, then.” He sighed. “We would have been better off staying home.”

     Ibsen grinned. “On the contrary. There’s plenty of gold. You’ll be able to command a premium price.”

     Bentnor fed a shovelful of coal into the burner.

     “We need to find two people.” Erik said. “Sam McGee was working at Jimmy Kerry’s saloon last I knew.”

     Ibsen rubbed his chin. “Don’t think I know him.” He looked to the other officer, who was shaking his head. “If he’s not there, try Bill McPhee’s. There are a lot of men staying there.”

     “The other is a…” Erik was almost thankful for the warmth rising in his neck. “A showgirl.” He couldn’t bring himself to call Miss Garrick’s friend a “whore,” even though she was. “Last fall she was at the Little Paris.” 

     People came from all walks of life to seek their fortunes in the Klondike. Those who did not strike gold had to find other ways to support themselves, return home, or move on. In 1899, word reached Dawson that gold had been discovered in Nome, Alaska. More than 8000 people left Dawson that summer to chase new dreams of easy riches.

Ann Markim

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Hallie Daggett: A Woman of Uncommon Fortitude.... By Gail L. Jenner

Although women were occasionally hired by the U.S. Forest Service as early as 1905, Hallie Morse Daggett (December 19, 1878 – October 19, 1964) was the first woman to serve as a USDA Forest Service fire lookout. She was hired by the Klamath National Forest in 1913 to work at Eddy’s Gulch Lookout Station atop Klamath Peak then went on to serve at the Eddy Gulch Lookout Station for another 14 years. The small cabin she was assigned to had been built of rough-hewn logs during the summer of 1912. 

The daughter of John and Alice Daggett—a Siskiyou County pioneer family—Hallie’s father was not only a successful miner, he also served as California's lieutenant governor and superintendent of the U.S. Mint in San Francisco. He married Alice Pamelia Foree in December 1870. Alice had traveled across the plains as a young child with her mother and father, William Green Foree, and, with them, settled down on a Spanish land grant in Vaca Valley. Pioneer records indicate that Alice Foree arrived in Klamath County in 1863, and, seven years later married John Daggett at Black Bear; he was 37 and she was 21. The couple had six children: Ben F., Hallie M., and Leslie W.; three other children died young.

Not only did John Daggett hire American miners to work for him at Black Bear Mine, which featured a 16-stamp mill, he also hired 300 experienced Cornish miners to come work for him. The Black Bear Mine was one of the most successful mines in the northern mining district and the Sawyers Bar/Salmon River mining region.

John Daggett was not only enterprising, he was a man of integrity. He hired Chinese miners and when one of his Chinese workers was brutally murdered, he brought in a gunslinger to protect the Chinese working for him. No one bothered his crews again. In addition to mining, Daggett was elected to the Assembly in 1858, 1859, and 1880. He was elected Lieutenant Governor in 1882 and appointed Superintendent of the United States Mint in San Francisco in 1893, a position he held for four years.

Hallie and her sister, Leslie, were accomplished and refined young women, having completed courses at girls’ seminaries in Alameda and San Francisco. Looking at her here, it is hard to imagine that she was actually a much more  rugged woman! Obviously she could succeed in many arenas.

In spite of their fine education and sophisticated upbringing, both Hallie and sister Leslie had a deep love for their childhood home at Black Bear Mine. With their brother Ben, they had explored many of the trails in the rugged Siskiyou Mountains. All had learned to hunt, ride, fish and shoot early in life. Hallie was especially adept at trapping and was an expert shot. She had no fear of bears or mountain lions; nor did she fear anything else in her rugged world, including the frequent electrical storms she endured on her mountaintop station.           

           

When Hallie applied as a Forest Service lookout, very few people would have taken her seriously; however, the only other two "candidates" were pathetic and could in no way be considered, so McCarthy, the supervisor in charge, was at a loss. He wrote that the last individual to apply was “no gentleman.” But, he added, this individual “has all the requisites of a first-class Lookout…The novelty of the proposition which has been unloaded upon me, and which I am now endeavoring to pass up to you, may perhaps take your breath away, and I hope your heart is strong enough to stand the shock.  It is this: One of the most untiring and enthusiastic applicants which I have for the position is Miss Hallie Morse Daggett, a wide-awake woman of 30 years, who knows and has traversed every trail on the Salmon River watershed, and is thoroughly familiar with every foot of the District.  She is an ardent advocate of the Forest Service, and seeks the position in evident good faith, and gives her solemn assurance that she will stay with her post faithfully until she is recalled.  She is absolutely devoid of the timidity, which is ordinarily associated with her sex as she is not afraid of anything that walks, creeps, or flies.  She is a perfect lady in every respect, and her qualifications for the position are vouched for by all who know of her aspirations.”
 

Hallie was hired as a “Forest Guard” at $840 a year and went to work on June 1, 1913. She would return each June for a four-to-seven-month tour of duty for the next 14 years. A 1914 article in the American Forestry magazine described Hallie’s devotion and work:  “Few women would care for such a job, fewer still would seek it, and still fewer would be able to stand the strain of the infinite loneliness, or the roar of the violent storms which sweep the peak, or the menace of the wild beasts which roam the heavily wooded ridges. Miss Daggett, however, not only eagerly longed for the station but secured it [the lookout job] after considerable exertion and now she declares that she enjoyed the life and was intensely interested in the work she had to do....

About the move to her mountain lookout, Hallie wrote: “It was quite a swift change in three days, from San Francisco, civilization, and sea level, to a solitary cabin on a still more solitary mountain, 6,444 feet in elevation, and 3 hours’ hard climb from everywhere, but in spite of the fact that almost the very first question asked by everyone was ‘Isn't it awfully lonesome up there?’ I never felt a moment’s longing to retrace the step, that is, not after the first half-hour following my sister’s departure with the pack animals, when I had a chance to look around ... I did not need a horse myself, there being, contrary to the general impression, no patrol work in connection with lookout duties, and my sister bringing up my supplies and mail from home every week, a distance of 9 miles.”

 “Some of the Service men predicted that after a few days of life on the peak she would telephone that she was frightened by the loneliness and the danger, but she was full of pluck and high spirit...[and] she grew more and more in love with the work. Even when the telephone wires were broken and when for a long time she was cut off from communication with the world below she did not lose heart. She not only filled the place with all the skill which a trained man could have shown but she desires to be reappointed when the fire season opens this year.” 

Hallie Daggett was clearly a woman of uncommon fortitude and she has been a celebrated "heroine" for many in Siskiyou County. Just this year, her life was commemorated, and the cabin where she actually lived out the remainder of her life (but NOT the cabin pictured here as her lookout cabin), was recently renovated and a special ceremony was held in July at Etna City Park where the cabin has been moved, sponsored by the Native Daughters of the Golden West Eschscholtzia Parlor No. 112, Etna, California.

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Gail L. Jenner is grateful for being able to work with Prairie Rose Publishing, and her collection of stories published by PRP has grown since "joining the gang" in Dec. 2013 with the re-release of her WILLA Award-winning Across the Sweet Grass Hills.

For more about Gail, check out: www.gailjenner.com or http://www.amazon.com/Gail-Fiorini-Jenner/e/B005GHR47O

AND...be sure and check out  A Cowboy Under the Mistletoe! Available  NOW!

Early Stage Routes in Northern California..... By Gail L. Jenner

            Once roads were established throughout northern California and southern Oregon, the growth of stage lines followed rapidly. Of course, most famous to readers today are the stage routes traveling west across the continental United States, as noted in this historic map of the region:

Mark Twain crossed the continent on the Central Overland California Route with his brother Orion Clemens and wrote about the staging companies and their “hierarchy” in his book, Roughing It.

He wrote: 

 “The stage company had everything under strict discipline and good system. Over each two hundred and fifty miles of road they placed an agent or superintendent, and invested him with great authority. His beat or jurisdiction of two hundred and fifty miles was called a “division.” He purchased horses, mules, harness, and food for men and beasts, and distributed these things among his stage stations, from time to time, according to his judgment of what each station needed. He erected station buildings and dug wells. He attended to the paying of the station keepers, hostlers, drivers and blacksmiths, and discharged them whenever he chose. He was a very, very great man in his “division”—kind of Grand Mogul, a Sultan of the Indies, in whose presence common men were modest of speech and manner, and in the glare of whose greatness even the dazzling stage-driver dwindled to a penny dip. There were about eight of these kings, all told, on the overland

route.”

            Twain continued his description of others within the staging company: “Next in rank and importance to the division-agent came the “conductor.” His beat was the same length as the agent’s—two hundred and fifty miles. He sat with the driver, and (when necessary) rode that fearful distance, night and day, without other rest or sleep than what he could get perched thus on top of the flying vehicle. Think of it! He had absolute charge of the mails, express matter, passengers and stagecoach, until he delivered them to the next conductor, and got his receipt for them.”

            For the most part, these stage roads were built with funds from private agencies and investors, not by the government. Eventually, state and local, even some federal money was used to supplement the cost of constructing and maintaining roads. Toll roads were often used as a way to recover the cost of establishing roadways.

The California-Oregon Stage Road. Photo Courtesy Oliver Johnson Collection.

            The California Stage Company had investment capital topping $1 million. It also boasted 750 horses, while their routes up and down California totaled 450 miles of roads. By 1865, the company had increased its stable to 1,250 horses, while the roads totaled 1,100 miles, including 400 miles of roads into Oregon and 100 miles into Nevada. Ambitious, the company’s president, James Birch, pursued and secured the mail delivery into Oregon; by 1860, most Oregonians were assured of daily mail service. The route moved north through Shasta County and on into Trinity County. Weaverville, the county seat, was an important stage and freight town (located on today’s Highway 299) positioned along the stagecoach road that extended to the east to Old Shasta at the edge of modern-day Redding. By 1852 it had 49 wooden buildings and a population of 1,200.

            Trinity Center was first settled in 1851 and became an important stage stop on the way to Yreka in the 1860s; the original town now lies beneath Trinity Lake (created in 1961). Beginning in 1853, the Carrville Inn served the northern end of Trinity Valley. It has often been referred to as the “the Queen of Stage Stops” on the California-Oregon Wagon and Stage Road. The first Inn was completed in 1867, but was expanded and remodeled over the years. Today it is still a 3-story, 9-bedroom inn.

            Other important and popular stage stops in the region included Lewiston Hotel and the Forest House at the base of Forest Mountain and the Ohio House, located on the way to Etna, in Scott Valley, and Cole’s Station, located near the Oregon border.

            In an October 1865 issue of the Sacramento Union, it was reported, “In staging enterprise, California has the ‘whip hand’ of the world.”

            Indeed, the opening of the Sacramento to Portland stage line in 1860 was an event of great significance. A contract to deliver mail, cost the government $90,000, but this insured a 7-day service from Sacramento to Portland from April 1 to December 1 and a 12-day service from December 2 to March 31. The cities connected by this service included Chico, Tehama, Red Bluff, Cottonwood, Shasta, French Gulch, Trinity Center, Callahan’s (Ranch), Scottsburg (Fort Jones), Yreka, Jacksonville, Canyonville, and Roseburg.

            Unfortunately, the California Stage Company lost the mail contract in 1865, resulting in its failure; the mail staging was taken over by the Oregon Stage Company. The company’s name was then changed to The California & Oregon Stage Company (or C&O Company), and it became the largest operation in the region until the railroad usurped the main lines of transportation in 1887.

            According to an 1885 report, “At present Siskiyou is dependent for its outside connections upon its stage lines, which are plentiful and the roads good and well maintained.  The line of the California and Oregon Railroad passing through the center of the county from south to north, will doubtless be completed in the near future, the recent purchase of the northern end of the line from Portland south by the same parties owning the line coming up from below justifying the hope that, now that the interest are one, connection cannot long be deferred; and the county's development, so seriously retarded in the past by its distance from supplies, will show at once that this was her one great need to put her in the from rank.”

            Although the railroad portended the end of the most major stage routes through California, staging companies in the northern regions still supplied passenger horse-drawn stages for many more years. Later, motor stages were used to connect the coastal, mountain, and valleys not served by the railroad.

            Some of the important local stage stops listed and described in the 1885 Siskiyou County Directory included the following:

BERRYVALE

A post and express town, situated thirty miles southeast of Yreka, on the Delta and Yreka stage route. It is also on the located line of the California and Oregon Railroad. It lies in the valley of the Sacramento, and is surrounded by a fertile agricultural country, from which it derives it principal support. Upper Soda Springs, near this place, is a health resort of some note. Berryvale has two hotels and one general store. Population about seventy-five.

Callahan featured the Baker Hotel as well as Callahan's Ranch Hotel.

CALLAHAN'S RANCH
A post, express and telegraph town, forty-three miles distant from Delta and forty-two miles south of Yreka. It is surrounded by quite a favorable mining district, as well as some good farming land. It has two good hotels, two general stores, a church, blacksmith shop, etc. It lies a little west of the proposed route of the California and Oregon Railroad, and has a population of one hundred and fifty. 
EDGEWOOD
A post office, about thirty-five miles north of Berryvale, on the line of the California and Oregon Stage Line, as well as the line of the proposed railroad. It is a farming community, and lies in the valley of the headwaters of the Sacramento.
ETNA MILLS
This place, one of the most enterprising and prosperous localities in the country, is situated in Scott Valley, on the river, thirty miles southwest of Yreka, and about thirteen miles south of Fort Jones. The town lies at the base of the Salmon Mountains, is surrounded by an agricultural country of exceeding fertility, which is well settled and cultivated. It is the headquarters of the miners of the southwestern part of the county and the distributing point for all the Salmon River freights. The town has a large general store, two blacksmith shops, two flouring mills, a hardware store, two livery stables, as well as other business establishments, all of which do a flourishing trade. Of its two hotels, the Etna, owned and conducted by Mr. Isaac L. Baker, is especially worthy of notice in the interest of the traveling public. The population of Etna Mills is about four hundred, and the town has post and express offices. 

FORT JONES
An important business center, situated eighteen miles southwest of Yreka, on the Scott River. It is one of the oldest settlements and was the chief point in the western part of the county in Siskiyou's early mining history, which, as to its mining character, it still retains fully one-half of the business interests, being sustained by this industry. The development of its fine agricultural surroundings have, however, within the past few years, elevated the farming interests into as much prominence as its mining. As a commercial point it is the headquarters for the trade of western and Northwestern Siskiyou and the eastern part of Del Norte County, Happy Camp in the latter county getting a considerable portion of its supplies and all of its express matter via Fort Jones. Fort Jones has complete postal, express and telegraphic facilities, it is healthily located and has a population of about four hundred and fifty.

WILLOW CREEK
A post office town, situated on the proposed route of the California and Oregon Railroad. It is a stage station on the Oregon stage line, and is rapidly developing into a town of importance.

YREKA
This city, the capital of Siskiyou County, is situated on the west bank of Yreka Creek, in the western part of Shasta Valley. It is 431 miles from San Francisco and 350 miles from Sacramento. The route of the California and Oregon Stage Line passes through Yreka, where the headquarters of the Company are located, and necessarily pays some considerable tribute to the business interests of the city. The town was settled in 1851, the precious dust found in many of the gulches and streams of Shasta Valley, attracting many of the argonauts of that day to this locality. The town consequently ranks as the oldest in northern California. In her business composition Yreka has and maintains her full proportion of trading, mercantile, mechanical and manufacturing interests, although in the last item her development is scarcely begun, as she possesses in the waters of Yreka Creek a power sufficient to drive almost an unlimited amount of machinery. Yreka has full postal, express and telegraphic communications, and numbers about 1,500 in population.

            On some of the shorter, easier stage routes—especially on a local level—only a two-horse team was required, but on longer, harder routes, four to six horses were needed. An article for the Daily Alta Californian in 1860 described the care given the stage horses: “…one cannot but admire the excellent conditions of the animals on the road, and the careful grooming they receive in the stables… They are all California horses… As each animal is put in his place, his bit is held by an attendant. When all is ready the driver sings out ‘let go,’ and away they rush with a bound, spurning the earth in wild plunges...”

            And, as the driver (also called a jehu or whip) jumped up to the seat and picked up the lines, he was told to “first drive around town to all the hotels to pick up your passengers. Then get the mail, and last of all, go to Wells Fargo. When you get out of town about a mile you can turn them loose. The Wells Fargo messenger will keep the time for you; you don’t have to worry about that, but get in on time. I love those horses, but their collars will fit others.” Many of the drivers were young; some became famous for the unique handling of their teams. The whips featured here were local ones, well known throughout Siskiyou County.

Local Siskiyou County Jehus ("Whips"). Photo Courtesy Betty Young Collection.

Although the stage was “given” thirty minutes past the arrival time, the contract required punctuality and if it was later than the thirty minutes, a fine of $50 was assessed by the government. The only two excuses for being later than thirty minutes were high water and/or forest fire. Otherwise, the mail was to arrive on time!

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Gail L. Jenner has enjoyed working with Prairie Rose Publishing and her collection of stories published by PRP has grown since "joining the gang" in Dec. 2013 with the re-release of her WILLA Award-winning Across the Sweet Grass Hills. 

"Prettiest Little Horse Thief"  and "July's Bride" are two of her other favorites.....and then there are the boxed sets and anthologies!  For more about Gail, check out: www.gailjenner.com or http://www.amazon.com/Gail-Fiorini-Jenner/e/B005GHR47O

A Little History About the Northern Mines and CA Gold Rush....... By Gail L. Jenner

California's "northern" gold rush, considered by some to be a second rush, covered a region that crossed from northern California into southern Oregon, and the area was far more rugged and isolated than the better-known Sierra Nevada "Mother Lode" country. Many disenchanted miners left the Mother Lode to travel north, which required men walking or packing into and through some tremendous mountainous terrain. These areas remained isolated for many years even after the first settlers moved in to populate the small communities that grew up along the wild rivers, such as the Sacramento, Salmon, Scott, Klamath, Smith, Rogue, and others. And, as in any rough region emerging during this time, mining settlements often boasted unusual names or attributes...

The Salmon River is a rugged river.

The popular Klamath River boasted placer gold along its entire stretch, and was well known for abundant nuggets and flakes. Orleans Bar was an area where many hydraulic operations were performed. The Klamath River runs from Klamath County in Oregon into Siskiyou County, California and stretches into both Del Norte and Humboldt Counties.

The Trinity River is the longest tributary of the Klamath River and was an excellent gold producing river.  Good placer deposits can still be located everywhere along the river. Gold producing tributaries of the the Trinity River included Coffee Creek, New River, Indian Creek, Willow Creek, Hayford Creek and the East Fork. 

The Smith River also had important placer gold deposits. On the South Fork of the Smith River, which had large scale dredging operations, is Coon Creek, and gold has been found in the cemented gravels of the creek and gravel bars. There were several dredging operations conducted on the South Fork of the Smith River and its tributaries.  

Shasta County was one of the northern counties to grow into a destination for the early argonauts after gold was discovered along Clear Creek in 1848 by Pierson B. Reading.  It has been suggested, however, that gold was found in Shasta County even earlier than 1848 by several Oregon miners who passed through the area on the way south. But then, as the rush drew Americans west, the miners arrived in droves and, by 1853, a local newspaper reported that there wasn’t a river, gulch, creek or ravine in northern California that had been left untouched by the miners. 

"Captain" Reading had actually been given a land grant by the Mexican government in 1843, and, interestingly, rather than driving the local Indian tribes out—as was typically done—Reading befriended them. But that would not be the end of conflict in the region, but just the beginning. On the other hand, many miners married Native American women and settled to build homes and start families. In the region of Happy Camp, many old families still residing there have their roots in the intermarriage of miners and tribeswomen.

                                              

As in most California locations, miners panned along the many creeks and rivers when they could, but they quickly added shovels and picks, rockers and/or long toms. Then, as surface gold deposits waned, and gold grew harder to find, they turned to other, harsher techniques, including hydraulic mining. Gold, in fact, became the most significant industry in Shasta County, as well as across northern California and southern Oregon, for fifty or more years. 

Typically mines were named for individuals or groups, or reflected the miners’ dream of a rich find; there were any number of Paradise Mines throughout the region. Others mines were named in honor of hometowns left behind, as in the Boston Mine or New York Mine. Names like Dead Horse or Dog Creek or Jump Off Joe were given to locations where some tragedy had occurred. Many of these names are still part of the local vernacular. A few mines were also named for women or lost lovers.

There were locations denoting cultures from around the world, too, as in China Gulch and China Creek. And, while there was tremendous prejudice and pressure to tax or limit access or interaction, there were thousands of Chinese and other ethnic groups that mined the area successfully. 

Kanaka, a designation given to many mines throughout the northern region, was actually the name given to native Hawaiians, many of whom had been brought over to work for John Sutter in Sacramento, but who emigrated north soon after gold was discovered. There were at least 13 known Kanaka mining camps, some tagged as Kanaka Bar, or Kanaka Flat, or Kanaka Creek. In Shasta, the camp was designated Kanaka Bar/Creek. It was a tributary to Clear Creek, where gold was discovered in the 1850s. Today, many descendants of the Kanaka still reside in the region.

Portuguese Flat was located near the upper Sacramento River, north of Dog Creek—a sign that visitors still pass on Interstate 5. Reportedly in 1856, two prospectors mined 125 dollars in gold in one day! Also, the diggings here had a reputation for being one of the roughest mining camps in the northern mines.

Many camps were even named for games of chance, as in Pair-a-dice (later to be renamed Paradise!). Whiskeytown, often called Whiskey, was located about ten miles northwest of Redding, California, on Whiskey Creek. Settled in 1849, it was first called Franklin City. By 1852, it had become Whiskey Creek and was listed as one of the nine principal mining locales in all of Shasta County. A post office was established in 1856, but was discontinued in 1864. In 1881, a post office was re-established, but under the names of Blair, Stella, and Schilling, until 1952 when the name was officially changed to Whiskeytown.

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Five Generations Strong....Ranching is What We Do.... By Gail L. Jenner

Although I've briefly talked about the ranch, I thought I'd delve a little more into its history. Several people have mentioned they enjoy hearing about the ranch. So here's a little more on the Jenner Cattle Company, three generations working together today, representing 3 of the 5 original generations:

L-R: nephew Frank; "Great Papa" Jack (91); brother-in-law John; son Matt; hubby Doug; son Nick.

 The Jenner Cattle Company, Inc., is one of the oldest ranches in Scott Valley, Siskiyou County, California.  For those who think California is the land of beautiful people and beautiful beaches and sun year-round, they have not visited the most northern quadrant of the state! Forty miles from Oregon, we are a rural (very rural) mountain community. We are surrounded by the Klamath National Forest, the Trinity-Salmon Alps, and the Marble Mountain Wilderness Area. The "valley" is perhaps 30 miles long and 6 miles wide. Originally the land of the Shasta, it is still the home of one of the largest tribes in northern California. Neighboring tribes include the Karuk and Yurok (further to the coast).

The first contact with whites dates back to Hudson Bay Company's beaver trappers and early mountain men, circa 1928-30. Stephen Meek, brother to Joseph Meek, is "credited" with putting Scott Valley (then called Beaver Valley) "on the map."  Interestingly, Stephen Meek lived for a time on a part of our ranch, and Old Pop used to recall how the Meek would hang his beaver pelts on our barn to dry in the sun (that would have been in Meek's later years -- around 1900+)... today the beaver are few, but they remain -- rather fascinating to watch how quickly they can build a dam. Only trouble is that we often try to plant trees along the slough and they saw them down very quickly! LOL...

The Jenners' entry into the valley goes back to the days of the gold rush (more on that in a future blog <g>).....the gold rush here followed on the heels of the Sierra Mother Lode "rush," but actually produced as much, if not more gold. Gold was first noted in 1848, but it wasn't until 1850 that the rush north into the Trinity region and beyond took hold. Even today, few people realize that the "northern mines" were as rich as they were, and the gold rush here lasted into the 1900s.

The Wagner Saloon in Etna

Part of the family’s ranching operation has its roots in the Wagner Ranch, purchased by Ignace and Mary Ann (Lichtenthaler) Wagner, both of Alsace, France, in March of 1874 (March 17, 1874). Although Ignace first went to mine in the area of Placerville (then known as "Hangtown" in the Sierras), he soon moved north, with a little bit of gold, as did so many gold seekers. He was a hard-worker and began to look around at how he could make a living for his family; farming and ranching was very profitable in the early days and he had come from farming stock. Later, at least one of his sons ran the Wagner Saloon in Etna. 

Another branch of the family included the Kapplers, who founded the original Etna Brewery--which has been resurrected and has won many micro-brewery awards since its "re-creation" in 1990! The Kapplers were also from Germany, arriving again as part of the gold rush. Settling in Etna, the Kapplers established the brewery and built an ice house and were the first to bring electricity to the town in 1898. Prohibition forced the brewery to close, although the beer did win a Blue Ribbon at the San Francisco Exposition in 1915.

The original farmhouse on the Wagner Ranch was built in 1859, but Ignace soon built a new home on the flat, opposite the old structure. The painting below was done by A. Cedro and stretches a good 4-5 feet across; it shows the layout of the Wagner Ranch in its "heyday."

Note the "horse barn" (still a beautiful and historic barn, on the right....).

The Wagners raised prized horses, including some magnificent Percherons; one even won a Blue Ribbon at the 1915 Exposition. They also raised hogs and apples. Today we still butcher hogs in the same way as did the first Wagners and we smoke our hams, bacon, sausage in the "old smokehouse on the hill." 

Our oldest son - note the "scrapers" to the left of the hog - 150 years old.

We also press cider in the 150-year old family cider press, made from a variety of apples on the ranch (many of which were planted later by my husband while in high school). Both are annual traditions that we have passed on now to the sixth generation. In fact, each Christmas our gift to neighbors, family and friends includes some of our wonderful sausage. Everyone looks forward to the gift!

NOTE: if anyone's interested in the historic and fascinating history of processing pork -- I could do a blog with photos...?

The first Jenner to arrive in Scott Valley was E.P. Jenner, who emigrated from Sussex County, England, in 1849 (again, because of the gold rush!), then founded the Union Flour Mill c. 1864, outside the town of Rough and Ready, now called Etna. With gold miners needing food and supplies, it was E.P.’s nephew, Frank S. Jenner, who followed his uncle to the valley and established a ranch on land straddling the “Island” (land between Scott River and Patterson Creek/slough) in the early 1870s, where rich bottomland produces good feed for cattle. 

This is the view from our living room window.

Today we still raise cattle on these rich pastures and native grasses – which adds to the flavor and nutrition found in our beef. It is 100% All Natural, with no hormones, no antibiotics, and it has a strong reputation as prime and superior beef.

The Jenner family, operating in its fifth generation, is centered around Frank’s original Island property, in addition to the Wagner Ranch, but we have also added to the family’s holdings and cow herd in the years since my husband and his brother joined the business (40+ years). And in the last 15 years, our two sons and nephew have joined the family operation/corporation. But "Grandpa Jack" (now 91) still works a good 8-hour day!

Today we run 1000+ cows and we've moved from raising Hereford to Angus-cross cattle. We calve in the late fall but since we have FOUR seasons (yes, temps drop to well below zero in the winter and we get snow that often lasts for days or weeks). With the valley floor at 2800 feet and the mountains around us peaking at 9,000 feet, we are a beautiful, green, lush valley. It's no wonder that so many immigrants from Germany and Switzerland made this valley their home.
    

In addition, the Island ranch features a lush, natural slough, with roughly 50 acres of ponds and four reservoirs. The area is maintained as a natural preserve where waterfowl and other wildlife congregate year-round. 

In winter, the geese often "skate" along the frozen slough....

We limit hunting in order to protect both wildlife and cattle, so it’s not uncommon to see hundreds, if not thousands, of ducks, geese, herons, even pairs of eagles (both Bald and American Golden) and other bird life, as well as beaver and/or otters, etc. The diversity is amazing and there is rarely a day I don't look out and marvel at the beauty and the fertility of nature. We love our cows, and for those who have wondered, cattle AND wildlife do cohabitate incredibly well. Cattle are natural recyclers; they are also natural fire retardants and can convert otherwise dry material into a powerful food source (like the dry hillsides that ignite in California every summer -- a shame they are no longer used to keep the fire danger down). 

Now that we have the sixth generation coming on, it's been wonderful having our rich family history to pass on -- not only the stories, but the actual "material" culture of a family that has lived on the same land for almost 150 years! And now, even the Jenner "girls" have expanded the family's enterprise; we've created our own business, Jenner Family Beef, which offers beef locally and regionally.

Just this year, Jenner beef is being featured at the new and exclusive Clove & Hoof butcher shop and eatery in Oakland, CA......along with an endorsement by San Francisco's Slow Food group. By expanding what we do, we feel that we can provide for our growing family. With four generations at work now and the next coming on, we hope to maintain our family's rich heritage!

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Gail L. Jenner is the wife of Doug Jenner. She considers

her life on the ranch to be almost a dream-come-true!
Keeping the history of five generations alive is another
reason she collects and records local history, in addition
to writing historical fiction....
For more, visit: www.gailjenner.com
OR: http://www.amazon.com/Gail-Fiorini-Jenner/e/B005GHR47O
OR: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Gail-L-Jenner/207027702703732?ref=hlhttps://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Gail-L-Jenner/207027702703732?ref=hl
She is the author of the PRP release of her WILLA Award-winning novel, ACROSS THE SWEET GRASS HILLS. Her stories have also been included in the PRP anthologies, PRESENT FOR A COWBOY, LASSOING A BRIDE, and COWBOY KISSES. She has also coauthored 5 regional histories, and edited and contributed to ANKLE HIGH AND KNEE DEEP, an anthology of Western rural women's stories.