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Number
15
(mislabeled
on the
postcard
as #12)
In
McCloud* |
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Pine
Across
the
Mountain:
A
Logging
Railroad
Lives |
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The
railroad
expanded
into the
area
east of
McCloud.
Two
kinds of
expansions
were
made,
temporary
logging
spurs
(sometimes
miles
longs)
and
permanent
railroad.
Rail
crews
became
quiet
adept at
pulling
up rail
when one
area was
logged,
only to
lay down
a new
spur in
another
area,
Ties
were not
moved.
Logging
spurs
were
operated
by the
McCloud
River
Lumber
Company,
the
owner of
the
tracts
of Land,
of the
railroad
and even
the town
of
McCloud.
The
first
major
expansion
of the
railroad
was
actually
northward
into the
Ash
Creek
area
where
there
was a
mill.
And for
a couple
of years
this
provided
a lot of
lumber
business
for the
railroad.
but in
1903 the
mill
burned
down and
that
track
was
abandoned.
Along
the way
some
well
used
logging
spurs
became
part of
the
permanent
railroad
and
operations
switched
from the
lumber
company
crews,
who
operated
all the
trains
over the
logging
spurs,
to the
railroad
company
who
operated
the main
line. As
of 1919
no
railroad
company
trains
operated
over the
logging
spurs.
Efforts
were
made to
reach
Bartle
next.
The
Bartle
Brothers
had a
ranch in
the area
and the
area was
named
for
them.
With
work
stoppages
required
by deep
winter
snows,
Bartle
was
reached
in 1905.
In 1906
the
original
records
of the
railroad
were
lost in
a fire
following
the San
Francisco
(where
they
were
stored)
Earthquake.
1907 saw
the
terminus
change
from the
town of
Upton to
the town
of
Sisson
(later
named
Mt
Shasta
City
)
Having
reached
Bartle
the
railroad
itself
remained
pretty
stable
with
it's
main
line
intact
and the
logging
spurs
reaching
out from
it in an
never
ending
procession,
much
like the
wriggling
snake on
Medusa's
Head.
In 1917
the
Lumber
company
decided
to
divest
itself
of the
railroad
and gave
it's
stocks
into the
hands of
it's
shareholder,
thus
removing
any
apparent
conflict
of
interest
that may
arisen.
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* Images taken
from Post Cards,
Viewing Objects
and Original
Products
** Images
Courtesy Of The
McCloud Heritage
Junction Museum
Please see
interchange page
for more info on
this.
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Click On Images
To Expand
Half of a Stereo
Scope View Of
The McCloud Long
Pond*
Number 15**
A typical Mess
Tent in a
Logging Camp
Circa 1910*
Mill #1 and Pond
Circa 1910**
McCloud Lumber
Company Stock *
Amount Of
Railroad
Completed |
