Microsoft

Shasta Lake Heritage & Historical Society

Head Tower News A “Boomtown Memories” newsletter

3400 Shasta Gateway Dr. Ste #H, City of Shasta Lake Museum Hours: M & W 9-12:30 or by appointment.

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

January 2012 Volume 8 issue 2

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

occur in this publication. 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/Darlene Brown, Asst. Editor

Heritage & Historical Societies Annual Luncheon

The Shasta Lake Heritage and Historical Society co-hosted

the Northern California Annual Museum and Historical Society

Luncheon at the Anderson Grange Hall, September 17, 2011.

It was a great event, with fifty-eight members from eleven Mu-

seums and/or Historical Societies attending. A delicious buf-

fet luncheon was prepared and served by the Anderson Ro-

tary Club and Sandy Campelo of Cottonwood. Our Sheriff,

Tom Bosenko, participated as a member of that club. It was

fortunate that he was in attendance, because it was neces-

sary to “ break in ” to

the closet containing the microphone and speaker. He was very

helpful. The annual luncheon is an effort to continue promoting coop-

eration and sharing the ideas and talents of those working in each of

the groups. It is always fun to meet those participating in other

groups. Almost all of us are volunteers who have a great love of his-

tory. We all have a sincere desire to preserve the rich history of each

of our communities, and always learn

from each other. All of us owe a debt

of gratitude to Marie Carr who started

the annual event at the Shasta His-

torical Society in Redding. Since that

time we have attended events in Fall River, Ono, and Anderson. Next year

we look forward to visiting the Behrens Eaton House Museum.

( T hank you, Joyce Morrow for volunteering the site for next year. )

Display of vintage packing crates at the luncheon

Darlene Rumboltz arranged antique jugs

on hand-crocheted doilies for decorations.

Darlene Brown & Jack Keeton

Highlights & Happenings at the Museum Page 2 Volume 8 Issue2

Shasta Lake Heritage & Historical Society

Sharing ideas and information is vital to all Heritage & Historical Socie-

ties. We were pleased when four representatives from the Behrens-

Eaton House Museum came on October 19 to see our facilities. Alicia

Coughlin, Rita Dougherty, Janel Longnecker & Joyce Morrow spent

time viewing our museum and learning how to record live interviews on

the computers. It is so important to document stories of our local resi-

dents and pioneers. If you have a story pertaining to our area that you

would like to share, please contact us for an interview.

Gateway Unified School District requested pictures from local schools. Theresa Ungaro visited and gathered

pictures of many schools past and present. The district wants to put together a collage of the history of the

schools in the Shasta Dam Area. This large collage will be on display in their new District Board Room.

They hope to also get a poster size collage to add to our museum.

At the State of the City Luncheon in October, a City power point presentation on the progress of the city, and

what happened in the past year, included a narration on SLH&HS—past, present and future. Table decora-

tions and historical photographs on display were provided by our society.

For Our Veterans Day Celebration, we gave a DVD presentation to the Shasta Lake Lions Club in October

and then in November, to the Shasta Historical Society. Beforehand, Pat Carr, Vice President of the Shasta

Historical society, visited our museum, took a picture of our members and our Veteran ’ s

display to promote the event as part of their monthly meeting guest speaker presentations.

SLH&HS had a table at the Holiday Community Bazaar in November, promoting our DVDs.

We made over $350.00 selling vintage jewelry, glassware blown by Brad Dupre, our his-

torical videos, and raffle tickets for prizes donated by Barbara & Darlene B.

We are receiving more requests for information & photographs of our community, and as

we become more established, more requests will be made. This is the value as a historical

Society—to be a reliable source for people needing information on the Shasta Lake Area.

Thank you for your Donations:

Ella Barbera Estate: Bucket, Piano, music stand, scrapbooks & sheet music

Clarence Barger Estate: A set of 8 historical books

“ R ed” Frisbie: 1886 Lebel Model Bolt Action Rifle

Ed & Cindy Glacken: Piano bench, 3 lumber & mill saws & photos

Jack Haner Estate: Pioneer tools & books on antique tools

Elmer Ellsworth: White USN vintage sailor hat

Butch Hurlhey: An antique doll & a 60 lb. anvil used

by Lloyd Hill while working on Shasta Dam.

Harry Johnson: Togles for spearing salmon used by

Grant Towendolly ( 1873-1963 ) a Wintu Indian

Ron Naylor: A Mayonnaise Jar from Mike ’ s Market

Matt & Darlene Rumboltz: WWI glass plate

Dick Terry: Shasta Dam Medals

Various pictures, articles & books donated by: Nellie Bell, Sadie Brown,

Darlene Brown, Brad Dupre, Mary Hardt, Del Hiebert, Rod Lindsay,

Martha Mc Crystle, Bill Polf and Gateway U.S.D.

* Be on the look-out for Damboree Books 1957-58 & 1965-76. We are

missing many years and would like to complete our collection.

Volunteers from the Monday &

Wednesday ’ s Crews gathered for a

Christmas Celebration.

A good time was had by all.

Happy New Year from Us

to You

top : Rita & Joyce

bottom : Janel, Darlene & Alicia

Darlene Rumboltz

getting items ready

for the Bazaar Sale

Jack had to

leave early...

People who have Contributed so much will be missed Shasta Lake Heritage & Historical Society

Page 3 Volume 8 Issue2

Looking for a wonderful gift to give anytime? How about…..

Postcards covering the history of our community $1.00 each

Shasta Lake Heritage & Historical Society DVDs for only $10.00 each ( i ncluding tax )

Landmarks & Legends Vol.1 features Communities under Shasta Lake and Shasta Dam Boomtown Era ( 2007 )

Landmarks & Legends Vol.2 “ Up the Sacramento River Canyon on Old Highway ‘ 99 ” ( 2010 )

Hard Times, Hard Work Vol. 1 Shasta Dam Memories 1938-1959 ( 2009 )

Honoring our Veterans Vol. 1 Veterans who served between 1917 to 1958 ( 2011)

Schools “ History 1A ” Vol. 1 Early Pioneer School Districts to 1958 ( 2008 )

( O rder online, by phone or come and pick some out while visiting our Museum )

Ella Barbera Clarence Barger Jack Haner

Past Memories of People and

Events was the theme at the gen-

eral meeting on October 26,

2011. Twenty people attended

and enjoyed a slide show put to-

gether by Matt Rumboltz and

Darlene Brown focusing on high-

lights of years gone by and what

we look like today. Ella Barbera,

Clarence Barger, and Jack Haner, who were local personalities in our community, were the main focus of the

slide show. Ella, Clarence and Jack had contributed many items & stories to our society. The slide show

ended with a focus on our museum today. We were able to record stories about our local history, through

their eyes, before they passed away this year. We continue to get contributions from their estates which we

add to our collection. We are the recipients of Pioneer tools collected by Jack, a piano used by Ella that was

her mother ’ s in Mountain Gate, and photos & movie reels used by Clarence. Each week people bring in

items they find in their sheds, yards, houses, and garages. We are grateful for the donations, enhancing our

back room and show casing our front room.

GENERAL MEETING GUEST SPEAKER

presentations:

JANUARY: Kenwa Kravitz—curator of the

Wintu Cultural Museum in our City.

FEBRUARY: Ted Arman—owner of Mt.

Copper Mine ( formally Iron Mtn. Mine )

MARCH: Pat Carr- Carr & Kennedy

Families / Shasta Historical Society

*General meetings- 3 pm, the fourth Wednesday of

the month at John Beaudet Center in our City. Norma Haner displaying donated pioneer tools Ella Barbera ’ s Piano

Page 4 Volume 8 issue 2

Shasta Lake Heritage & Historical Society

continued from last issue: The community ’ s children attended Toyon Elementary School, and they didn ’ t have far to walk

for the school bus. It was parked in Skunk Hollow and driven over the years by residents Gladys Lintz, Ruth Husman,

and Fran Warmack. Centrally located was a wide strip of land that Dad

purchased in 1948 and deeded to a newly incorporated Recreation

Association for a children ’ s playground. In 1957, the playground was

deeded in turn to the Public Utility District, which agreed to maintain it

for 99 years. Later still, when the road reached all the way to the lake

and development of the Digger Bay Marina encouraged heavier traffic

through the little community, Cliff Husman asked the PUD to fence the

east side of the playground, and it did. The children of Skunk Hollow

didn ’ t only play in the official playground. They rode bicycles up and

down a small grade that seemed like a steep hill to them. They caught polliwogs in the creek and harassed the dragon-

flies. They sat on fences and talked to and petted the few horses stabled in the community. They climbed the Husman

fig tree to eat ripe figs and walked to Toyon to practice tennis serves on a real tennis court. Sometimes they went up into

the hills to explore and got lost, and then frightened parents, fearing mountain lions and rattlesnakes, rushed to rescue

them. Dad had a wry sense of humor. He always referred to the community as Skunk Hollow, even after “ S hasta

Park ” was adopted as its official name. I think he liked to remind us not to put on airs. And certainly it would have been

hard to ignore the pungent scent of skunk wafting on the evening breeze. As more families moved in, bringing more

dogs to surprise skunks in their nocturnal adventures, even more odiferous scents filled the canyon. In the same vein,

Dad always referred to our house as a “ shack, ” even as he invested thousands of hours in upgrading and enlarging it,

putting in a foundation, pouring hundreds of yards of concrete for walkways and patios, and adding a garage. Even at its

largest, the house was barely a thousand square feet, with one bathroom. Yet four people seemed to live there com-

fortably. According to Dick, our family historian, the house cost $600, and the price didn ’ t include the land. Evidently,

developer Albert Rouge could sell only four parcels a year if he was to avoid the subdivision rules. Some years later, our

number came up and my parents bought the land under the house. Its price has been lost in the fog of time. A few years

later still, “ Old Man ” Rouge decided to sell the parcels on the hill behind the homes on the east side of the canyon.

Dad was ready to buy them all in order to keep newcomers from building houses that looked down into our back win-

dows. Legend has it that the neighbors, who at first had no interest in owning the landlocked parcels, decided in the end

that they ’ d rather come up with the cash than have Tom Terry own their

back yards. Still, there was a close community feeling in Skunk Hollow. Con-

cerned for their children, neighbors helped create a safe playground. To-

gether, they cleared brush, installed barbecue pits and picnic tables, and laid

out a baseball diamond. Talented residents, like Mom and Cecil Morris,

taught the children arts and crafts. Residents frequently donated blood for

neighbors undergoing surgery and workers suffering from industrial acci-

dents. And during frog gigging season, neighbors held community potluck

dinners featuring fried frog legs and all manner of salads and desserts.

Memories of Skunk Hollow by Loene (Terry) Trubkin

with memories from Dick Terry, Fran Warmack, & Ruth Ann (Husman) Kobe

Neighborhood Children of Skunk Hollow

Neighborhood Ladies in the Park

Page 5 Volume 8 issue 2

Shasta Lake Heritage & Historical Society Continued Memories of Skunk Hollow

Having good neighbors was essential in the winter of ’ 4 9

- ’ 50, when three feet of snow fell overnight, making it

impossible to drive anywhere. There was a new reason to

think of the community as Electric City, all power was

electric, and the heavy wet snow broke power lines, leav-

ing many families without heat, hot water, and any way to

feed their children. Ours was one of those families. Adding

to the misery, the lack of electricity meant that pumps that

drove water up from deep wells didn ’ t work. Both of our

next door neighbors were better prepared than we were.

Matt and Gladys Rumboltz, principal and librarian, respectively, of Toyon Elementary School, and their two children,

Matthew and Clare, lived due south of us. To the north were Vera and Curt Jennings and

their daughter, Vera Rae, who babysat when our parents went to PTA meetings or on

other rare occasions were out of the house. Both our next door neighbors had oil heaters

or wood burning stoves, and Dick remembers that our mealtimes rotated from one of

their homes to the other until the County finally cleared the roads. We shivered every

night until the road was opened and a gas heater was located. That winter the snow fell

every Friday for five weeks. Before the next winter, we had a wood stove. It dominated

the living room, but we were happy to have it when the power went out again, which was

not uncommon. It also brought a special rush to Christmas mornings when all the wrap-

ping paper went up in flames in a huge whoosh. There are still a few residents of the can-

yon community who lived there when I left 51 years ago. Ruth Ann ( Husman ) Kobe

has lived in Skunk Hollow since her father transferred from Boulder Dam in 1943. She

lives in the same house she moved into when she was ten years old. David Boddy ’ s

family moved in up the street in 1952, and David still lives in his ancestral home. Frances

Warmack and her late husband Roy purchased the Rumboltz ’ s home in 1955, moving

there from her folks ’ homestead farm in Buckeye. Further up the canyon, many new homes have been built, and the

pig farm has been shut down. So many memories of Skunk Hollow, but Shasta Dam was the icon of my childhood..

How many field trips did we take there as grammar school pupils? How many times did we

visit Dad at the power house and look up as tons of water spiraled off the spillways? On

how many hot summer nights did we drive to the dam to catch a cool lake breeze and

watch the deer slide delicately off the bluffs onto those delicious lawns some kind humans

had planted for them to eat? How many hot afternoons and evenings did we spend in the

cool waters of the Lake, guests of next door neighbors, Roy and Frances Warmack, who

had a boat and were willing to share it with neighbor kids and who taught us to water ski?

Even today, those memories are touched when I see a tourist photo looking north at the

dam, with Mt. Shasta looming in the background and the blue waters of Lake Shasta be-

tween.

Snowfall in the winter of 1949 –1950

Curt Jennings & Dick Terry

Genevieve Terry

worked at the post office.

Page 6 Volume 8 Issue 2

Shasta Lake Heritage & Historical Society “Blast From the Past” by Matt

The Dedication Ceremony for Shasta Dam...

kicks off with water released from the Dam's drum gates.

On Friday night June 16, 1950, the greatest migration in Shasta County history took an estimated

15,000 spectators to Shasta Dam to watch the first release of water from the combined drum gates

over the 487 foot spillway. Cars and people lined the entire east side of the canyon, assembled at

the river below, and crowded on the dam itself to watch the mighty cascade of water. The huge

crowd created a traffic jam unparalleled to this day. The program at the dam was delayed until

after midnight, so all the people in the cavalcade could arrive at the dam. The release began at

12:15 am on the 17th. When the dam employees opened the drum gates, the sound became a

thunderous roar, as tons of water spilled over the top. A battery of 12 searchlights lighted the foam-

ing spillway, while fireworks exploded around the dam. (1980 Covered Wagon pgs.33-34)

The water was turned on by a signal from Danny Kaye, a stage and film star, California Lt. Governor Goodwin J. Knight and, Florence

Quartararo, a Metropolitan Opera star. The US Marine Corps band played for this historical event. The California Highway Patrol

estimated there were 5000 cars in a steady flow from the Redding area. Cars were still leaving the dam 2

hours after the ceremony was over.

I remember the event. I was 8 years old. We traveled to the dam in my

folk's 1948 Studebaker, a reddish-purple bullet-nose sedan. The kids at

Toyon school had a good time making fun of the vehicle, as they said they

couldn't tell if it was coming or going. I didn't get to see too much at the

dam. The place was crowded and I only stood about waist high. Everyone

was standing up on top of the Visitors Center - outdoor viewing area

[second floor roof]. I don't remember the long trip home as it was way beyond my bed time.

On June 17, the Assistant Secretary of the Interior, William E. Warne cut the ribbon that unveiled a plaque stating, "Built by and for

the people of the United States". The plaque is affixed to the dam's west elevator tower. Mr. Warne gave the signal to release the

water. A 7 foot wall of water, 375 feet wide, broke with a roar over the spillway's crest and again crashed almost 490 feet down the

sloping, man-made cliff to the floor of the Sacramento River Canyon. For 10 minutes the awed spectators watched the mighty

cataract and listened to its thunder. About 500 people attended this second ceremony.

Another plaque unveiled on the 17th, is affixed to the dam's east abutment. It was erected by the California Centennial

Commission in commemoration of the Shasta County Centennial Celebration and the 100th Anniversary of California ’ s

Admission into Statehood. Many people attended the two day events.

Additional activities and festivities were planned for Redding

and Central Valley to celebrate the event on June 17 and 18.

These included water sports and a regatta on Shasta Lake,

parades, concerts, baseball games, and in Central Valley, the

Hell's Gulch contests and dances. The Shasta Dam Dedication

Ceremony was reported in the Redding Record Searchlight,

and in the Sunday edition of the San Francisco Chronicle. At

the time of the dedication it was the second highest dam in the

world and the second largest concrete dam in the world.

Shasta Dam illuminated with

12 spotlights

Matt at 8 years old

Arial view of the rotunda & lights

across Shasta Dam

Page 7 Volume 8 issue 2

Shasta Lake Heritage & Historical Society

Thank You for supporting our efforts to preserve history. We are grateful for your endorsement.

Benefactors:

John Adams – Henderson, NV Bert Boothroyd - Salinas 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 & Cindy Glacken-Redding Del & Gerda Hiebert - Redding Ben & Agnes Hill - McLean, VA Dale Hoppes - Redding Evelyn Hoppes - Shasta Lake Robert & Gail Hukill—Tucson, AZ Jack & Margaret Humphrey - Redding Leigh Johnson - Medford, OR Knauf Inc. - Shasta Lake Guy Malcolm—Sunnyvale Ron & Jeannie Naylor—Shasta Lake William A. Polf - New York, NY 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. Farmer’s Market Place Lake Shasta Caverns Nok Hamburg Catering North Valley Bank J.D. Russell, D.D.S. Shasta Lake Caverns Shasta Lake Chiropractic Shasta Lake Veterinary Clinic Sunshine Market Van Wyhe’s Engraving And …..Camp Shasta Coffee (Lakehead)

Our Thanks to the following Individuals & Families for renewals:

Marlys Barbosa S Renee Boehme Helen Bowdish Gerry & Lola Cerepa Ann & John Cullis Mike & Donna Daniels Brad Dupre Jim & Carol Butcher Adelaide Castle Floyd & Melody Christenson Arnold Cox Loretta & Richard Graeff Georgia Haddon Frank & Carole Humiston Butch & Bonnie Hurlhey Barbara Wylie-Landis Karen Louis Michael McCrystle Chanon & Michael Ogden Nicole & Joe Preston Judy Ricks Eileen Suchanek Robert & Violet Sullivan Dawn Trujillo Kim Vardanega

Welcome New Members:

Marie Allison Norma Bailey Coonrod David Griffiths Kristy Hodges Cathy Jones Kay Rendahl Jay Peterson Rutter Verna Sargent Karen Stone

A Note From The President... Barbara Cross

“ T he Heritage of the past is the seed that brings forth the harvest of the future ”

Archives Building, Washington

Happy New Year! Since our July Newsletter, we have been busy, as always. We co-hosted with the

Anderson Historical Society, the annual luncheon of the Historical Society of Northern California. It was

very successful, with a great turnout. It is always fun and interesting to share information with the other

groups. Lovely table decorations were provided by our Darlene Rumboltz and members of the Anderson

Historical Society. The transformation of the Anderson Grange Hall was phenomenal, thanks to a myriad

of helpful volunteers.

Unfortunately, we had to cancel our annual yard sales. However, we are continuing to collect items for a sale we plan

for this year.

We participated in the fall Community Bazaar in the City of Shasta Lake. It is always fun, and we did earn approxi-

mately $348.00. Only non-profit groups in the Shasta Lake area are allowed to participate so all of the money earned,

benefits our community.

Darlene Brown gave a presentation of our Veterans DVD for the Shasta Historical Society. It was well received, and we

sold several of our DVD ’ s.

Work is beginning on this year ’ s DVD to be presented at our annual dinner celebration in June. The theme will be Min-

ing. If you have information or pictures of local mines of the past, please share your information with us.

Sadly, we have lost another of our cherished members, Clarence Barger. Clarence was a WW II veteran, and was fea-

tured in our Veteran ’ s DVD. His contribution to our historical data was invaluable. We loved Clarence, and the feeling

was mutual...could Barbara insert something about Gladys Lintz here also or instead of repeated lines?

IN MEMORIAM

Clarence Barger August 2011

Nick Romano September 2011

Gladys Lintz November 2011???

Donations have been made in memory of:

Ella Barbera: Del & Gerda Hiebert, G & K Portello, Frank & Linda Paulson,

Lloyd Lyford, Stephen & Lois Beckford, George & Betty Caria, Ruth Huey,

H & A Huber, C & J Estrada

Clarence Barger: Don & Barbara Cross, Darlene & Bill Brown

Jack Haner: Del & Gerda Hiebert, Bill & Darlene Brown

Nick Romano: G & J Houghton

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!

Board of Directors:

Barbara J. Cross, President 275–5848

Darlene Brown, Vice President 275-1000

Henry Hurlhey, Secretaryxxxxxxxx ?

Lorna Rendahl, Treasurer xxxxxxx ?

Lorraine Bennetts , Director xxxxxxx ?

Mike Daniels, Director xxxxxxx ?

Del Hiebert, Director xxxxxxx ?

Ruth Huey, Director xxxxxxx ?

Jack Trapp, Director xxxxxxx ?

Evelyn Hoppes, Past President xxxxxxxx ?

Please send in this coupon with your dues:

Name____________________________

Address ______________________________

________________________________

Phone ______________________ renewal

Email _______________________ new

Please check the applicable box:

Individual $10 Family $25

Business $30 Benefactor $100

Annual Dinner Celebration

June 2012

Mining & Mining Families

watch for more information

as time draws near

Computer for Sale

2008 Dell

Vista model - $100.00

Good condition

Contact Shasta Lake

Historical & Heritage

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