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    Shasta Lake:: Boomtowns and the Building of the Shasta Dam
    Shasta Lake:: Boomtowns and the Building of the Shasta Dam
    Shasta Lake:: Boomtowns and the Building of the Shasta Dam
    Ebook184 pages59 minutes

    Shasta Lake:: Boomtowns and the Building of the Shasta Dam

    By Al Rocca

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    About this ebook

    When national newspapers reported in 1938 that a large dam would be built in northern California, hundreds of job-seeking families streamed into Shasta County. Shasta Dam would be America's last large concrete dam and would take years to build, offering employment for those fortunate enough to secure a construction job during the Great Depression. Captured here in over 200 rare photographs is the story of the building of Shasta Dam, the boomtowns that resulted from its construction, and the residents who made the Shasta Lake region what it is today. America's master dam builder Frank T. Crowe and his band of dam builders diverted the Sacramento River and began the massive job of excavating millions of yards of dirt and rock. Meanwhile, boomtowns housing dam workers and their families rapidly expanded, developing both commercial and residential zones. Work on the dam was completed in 1945 and the question arose: Would the boomtowns survive? Featuring images from the United States Bureau of Reclamation and the Shasta Lake Historical Society, this new book focuses on both towns that no longer exist and some that still thrive, including Redding, Toyon, Shasta Dam Village, Project City, Summit City, and Central Valley.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherArcadia Publishing
    Release dateSep 18, 2012
    ISBN9781439630327
    Shasta Lake:: Boomtowns and the Building of the Shasta Dam
    Author

    Al Rocca

    Author Al Rocca is a professor of education at Simpson College in Redding and a part-time history instructor at Shasta College. This is his first Images of America title with Arcadia.

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      Book preview

      Shasta Lake: - Al Rocca

      author.

      One

      THE SHASTA DAM PROJECT BEGINS, 1938

      This photograph reveals the rugged terrain of the canyon area that engineers decided would be the best site to erect mighty Shasta Dam. This view is looking downstream as the Sacramento River winds its way through Shasta County. Upstream from this location sat the once thriving copper mining town of Kennett. Note the railroad tracks on the right bank of the river. The irregular flows of the Sacramento River, before the dam was erected, caused flooding in the winter that proved a constant problem to farmers and growers further down in the Sacramento Valley.

      A prospector pans for gold in the Sacramento River below Pollock, California, May 1936. Pierson B. Reading, the first White settler in Shasta County, discovered gold in the southern part of the county shortly after James Marshall’s famous discovery in 1848.

      Just a short distance upstream from where Shasta Dam would be built was the town of Kennett. Once a prosperous copper mining community, Kennett became deserted once construction on the dam began. June 1936.

      This photograph reveals a scene along the Sacramento River near the dam site showing denuding of the landscape as a result of the copper smelter fumes that killed off most of the vegetation. June 1936.

      Not far downstream from the Shasta Dam building site sat a large copper smelter at Coram. This smelter produced large amounts of copper during the early years of the 20th century. June 1936.

      A ceremony was held to mark the official naming of the project. Originally, the dam had been designated Kennett, but was changed to Shasta Dam at this event. Pictured, from left to right, are: Earl Lee Kelly, Director of California State Department of Public Works; Helene Mae Bacon Boggs, Shasta County pioneer; and John C. Page, Commissioner U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. September 12, 1937.

      This is the Porter Seaman farmhouse on the government camp, later named Toyon. The Porter family property claim dated back to 1870. The home would be renovated by the Bureau of Reclamation and used as a community center. January 26, 1938.

      Long rows of two room cottages are seen here being constructed on the east side of 2nd Street in the government camp of Toyon. This view is looking south from Holly Avenue. Construction of the government camp took place on the former Seaman farmstead. January 25, 1938.

      The north section of Toyon is shown in this photograph, as seen from the west. Some three- and four-room homes were constructed in addition to the many two-room cottages. January 25, 1938.

      This aerial photograph reveals the prospective site of construction for Shasta Dam. Cartographers drew in the extent of the dam across the canyon and the proposed Sacramento River diversion tunnel. The flow of the river is also shown.

      Pictured is Ralph Lowry, construction engineer with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. Previous to his assignment as engineer in charge at Shasta Dam, Lowry supervised the government inspections of Hoover Dam. Lowry worked closely with contractor superintendent, Frank Crowe, to make sure that

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