THE GRAND RESORTS OF THE UPPER SACRAMENTO CANYON.

MT SHASTA SPRINGS RESORT

 Washington Bailey was one of the largest property holders in Castella, California In 1883 Washington Bailey sold property to the Pacific Improvement Company which they held for sevens, during this time the railroad was completed through the canyon. 

Pacific Improvement Company in 1891 announced plans to build a large luxurious hotel and resort on Soda Creek. In addition to the hotel plans called for a railroad station ( Castle  Crags ) siding and a bridge across the river connecting the railroad station with the resort.  

The hotel building itself was three stories high containing 250 rooms. The resort had its own ice house capable of producing two tons of ice every twenty-four hours, a steam laundry for cleaning guests' clothes and a power generating system. Six cooks provided meals to a dining room seating 350 people. 

A fire started in the laundry on July 20, 1900 and, although the guests all managed to escape with their personal property, the hotel was a total loss. Several cottages and a club house survived the fire, and in 1903 Abijah Cahow leased these the buildings from Pacific Improvement to operate a summer resort. Pacific Improvement built additional log cabins on the resort site, and in 1910 it was purchased by an unknown capitalist for $250,000, the sale including 2500 acres of land, fifty cottages, an assembly hall and two very elegant summer homes originally built for the Crocker brothers in 1893 for over $25,000. 

The resort operation at Castle Crags taken over in 1920 by the Castle Crags  Lumber Company of Castella. During 1930's it became a popular place not only tourists, but also for the local people. The tourists would come on the train and spend the day hiking and picnicking and return home in evening.  

A nine-hole golf course was added in 1925.  In 1930 the resort and lands sold to Clarence J. Berry, a San Francisco millionaire and sportsman who planned use the old resort and grounds as a private retreat, but these plans were interrupted when Berry died following an appendicitis attack in October of 1930. Today this resort site is owned by a group of wealthy business people from Taft, California. Who use the place as a summer retreat. It is known as the Berry estate. 

After Washington Bailey sold his Soda Creek property to the Pacific Improvement in 1883, he bought from John Hobbs the Castle Ranch, which was located approxi­mately one mile up the river from Castella. At the present time the campground of the state park occupies part of this' ranch. Also on the property was the fine mineral spring which had been discovered by Huffacre and Kramer. Hibbs had cleared much of the timber from the property and was using it to raise fruit trees, timothy hay and grapes.  

While operating his ranch Bailey planned for construction of a new resort. For a time he leased his soda spring to William Conant, Fowler and Spellman who planned on building a bottling plant on the east side of the river near the spring.  But in 1894 Conant was elected to the Shasta County Board of Supervisors so he gave up his bot­tling plans and moved to Redding.  

Bailey then took over the water bottling business, handling all the local distribution himself. By early 1895 Bailey had completed a fine two story, twelve-room hotel on his property with a footbridge to his mineral springs. It was known as Bailey's Castle Rock Springs Hotel.  Although his resort was a success, Bailey continued to operate his ranch, raising fruit, berries and hay.

The Castle Rock Mineral Springs was taken over in July of 1899 by a corporation formed to bottle and sell the mineral water. That year the water took first place at the state fair, competing against fifty other mineral waters for the prize. After winning the blue ribbon the demand for the water increased dramatically.  One of the com­pany' 5 customers, the Venezuelan consul in Panama City, had a standing order for fifty cases of water per month. 

In 1903 Bailey sold the Castle Rock Hotel, Castle Rock Mineral Springs and the Castle Ranch to J. "Cal" Eubanks and A. C. Boldeman who filed for subdivision of all of the land other than the bottling works and the hotel grounds. An excursion train was used to bring people up the canyon for the land sale. Lots were sold from $100 to $150 each, many for cottages while others were bought by people who wanted to use them as campsites. They continued to ex­pand and update the bottling works, putting in a railroad siding in 1905.

The land around the hotel and mineral springs was known then as Eubanks. During 1905 Eubanks went into partnership with the O'Rourke Hat Company in San Francisco which was totally destroyed by the earth-quake of 1906, thus wiping out many of the plans and dreams which Eubanks and Boldeman had for their Castle Rock Springs property. Because the resort business began to decline, the Southern Pacific ticket office at Castle Rock was discontinued in 1917.  

In 1922 Eubanks and Boldeman sold the property, including the unsold subdivision lots, to the Levaggi Estate Company of San Francisco who disincorporated the company. August Freeze, who had been involved in setting up the World's Fair in San Francisco and who was also part owner of an amusement park in Alameda called Neptune Beach, bought the entire property in 1925. 

 Freeze and his brother, C. H. Beale, set up a company called Castle Rock Springs, Inc., continuing to buy up land until they controlled over 1000 acres in the area. Their plan was to build a huge resort complex high up in the crags with a cable car system to carry guests to and from the valley floor. But in 1929 Castle Rock Springs, Inc. went broke with the stock market crash. They had borrowed a great deal of money to finance more land acquisition and eventually in 1932 the Redding Savings Bank gained title to the property when the company defaulted on its payments. In 1934 the State of California acquired 925 acres of the Castle Rock Springs, Inc. property which included the mineral springs and the old Castle Rock Hotel site. This was the first parcel of land in the new Castle Crags State Park. 

TAVERN ON THE CRAGS 

When the Sacramento Canyon was traversed only by the old Oregon stage years ago, there were established, at regular intervals from Redding to Roseburg, mountain houses for the Entertainment of man and beast;" and what rustic, cheery, old-fashioned taverns they were after the tiresome though picturesque ride up the valley. One of these wayside resting-places was located near the junction of Soda Creek and the Sacramento River. 

It was chosen on account of the hay product (which was both scarce and high in those days); of a most charming meadow that extended for a mile or so up Soda Creek- the superb views of Castle Crags and Mount Shasta. and the variegated forest foliage growths that fringed the picturesque bends of the river. In brief, it was a model mountain home. But, when the old things had passed away, and the old stage of blessed memory gave up the field to the locomotive,  the old - time inns gradually followed suit, for it seemed one could not exit without the other; and now, in this most charming mountain glen under the shadow of the Crags, and in clear sight of Shasta, there stands the "Tavern of the Crags,"a 300 room hotel fully equipped and accoutered hostelry dedicated to the lovers of comfort, the admirers of God's great mountain bulwarks, and every son and daughter of Adam who knows bow to appreciate a mountain outing. 

First interest are the trails on either side of the canyon, one of the most interesting of which is to the summit of the Crags, via Red Hill. Near the latter point the trail branches. the west fork continuing on to Shower bath Springs and Wintun Canyon. From the tavern to the summit the distance is about three miles. The trail is safe, and the scenery altogether glorious. 

The Castle Lake or Battle Rock trail follows up the Sacramento River for a couple of miles, zig and zag. Up the mountain side east of Little Castle Creek to an elevation of about six thousand feet, continuing along the ridge in full view of Shasta on one hand and the Crags on the other, past the historic grounds of the battle and on to the lake.

On the east the trail of all the trails is to Crag View Summit; thence down the mountain Squaw creeks and the McCloud River. Should it be desirable to go only as far as Crag View Summit and rest, this may be easily done in half a day; but for a hunting or fishing expedition to the above-named streams several days should be taken. 

From Crag View Summit the view clear around the horizon is considered to be the grandest in North­ern California. It is in one sense more comprehensive than that from Shasta itself, for. When one stands upon the great summit, its magnitude is not folly appreciated. If; therefore, one wishes to obtain an intelligent conception of this wonderful country, Crag View is the point to visit. 

The last resort in the Castella area was the Engle Inn Hotel built by Ira P. Engle in 1926.  It had twenty-one rooms, several stone cabins, a mineral spring, a stone bath house and a small store. The Engle Inn as well as the stone cabins still stand, with the exception of the bath house, but they are now private residences The mineral spring along the river was covered by gravel from high water several years ago, and the bath house was washed away in the flood of 1974

HISTORY OF CRAG VIEW RESORT 

1900 TO 2000

 " THE FIRST ONE HUNDRED YEARS"

  Nested into the heart of the Upper Sacramento River Canyon, One of Northern California's famous resorts will turn 100 years old, 1900 - 2000 "Crag View Resort", Castella, California, the name has stood strong and endured 100 Hundred years of memories. Now as we enter the new millennium, John and Barbara Korb of McCloud, California are building a new resort, Castle Crag River Resort. Castella, California. 

The property known today as the Castle Crag River Resort located on the east side on the upper Sacramento River, Castella, California was filed under the Federal Homestead Act in 1879 by William and Katie Mullen for 160 acres. The conditions of the Federal Homestead Act the party filing for the property must live on the property for five years and then the property would become theirs. The 160-acre parcel is located on the eastside of the Sacramento River. 

Mullen's established a small farm (or as everyone in those days called them, a ranch, on his property).  William Mullen, besides operating his farm, also spent much of his time prospecting, however he never made any sort of major strike.  While Mullen was farming and prospecting, his wife Katie opened and operated a boarding house. The boarding house was located on the West Side of the Sacramento River in the south part of Castella. It was Mr. Mullen who named the town of Castella, California.

 The Mullen boarding house catered to miners and packers who were involved in the mining district in the mountains to the west. During the early years Mullen referred to his place as the Castle Crags Ranch, however in 1891 the railroad named their station at that site Castella at the same time they named their new station at Soda Creek, Castle Crags. 

In 1891 William Mullen had his property subdivided into lots, having already sold 100 acres of his property on the eastside of the Sacramento River to Mr. Harvey 0. Wickes.

The construction of the railroad was underway when Harvey Wickes worked for the California Oregon Railroad as a ticket agent at the Mott lumbering town just north of Dunsmuir. 

While at Mott; Wickes met and married Carrie Miley, the stepdaughter of Henry Wheeler, Wheeler was the superintendent of the Red Cross Saw Mill.   After marrying, Harvey Wickes quit the railroad and went to work for the Red Cross Lumber Company. In 1893 stockholders L.E. Brewster of and D.E. Miles Green Bay, Wisconsin became impatient with the progress of the railroad to McCloud so they fired Henry Wheeler, and Miles took over the operation. Harvey Wickes and Eli Knight also quit. 

 When W.H. Wheeler left the Red Cross Company, and with his new partners Eli Knight and Harvey Wicks built a saw mill on the south side of Castle Creek approximately one half mile west of its mouth in Castella. . Most of the timber came from the Flume Ridge area, which they moved off the ridge by a series of dry log chutes. Later they used steam donkeys.

 The Wheeler mill cut some board lumbers but mostly the cut railroad ties and mining timbers. Once the materials were milled they were floated to Castella in a flume, then loaded onto railcars at the Castella siding and shipped out. Like other mills, the Wheeler mill was a seasonal operation and employed about thirty-five men depending on the weather and the market. The mill was in operation at the time of Mr. Wheeler death on June 4, 1896. C.C. Huffacre purchased the property on March 3, 1899. The deed did not mention the sawmill, but Harvey Wicks signed the document as manager of the Wheeler Lumber Company.  

Castella was a railroad stop and mining center. Cinnabar, gold, and chrome were shipped to market from this station. Harvey Wickes was involved in many different business enterprises and served the community as justice of the peace in the Castella,

 Harvey Wickes bought a store in Castella which had previously been owned by George Little, while operating the store Wickes also worked as a substitute ticket agent for the railroad at its many small stations up and down the canyon. In 1896. Harvey Wickes became the Post Master at the Castella Post Office.

         After the mill sold Harvey Wickes built a campground consisting of tents, tent houses and a few small             cottages on the property on the eastside of the Sacramento River this property he purchased from             William Mullen in 1891.

 In late 1899, Harvey Wickes began construction on his two story 22 room hotel with a dining room downstairs and a large lodge on the property. There were several cottages on the property, which were also rented out. Mrs. Wickes had purchased the furnishings for the new resort in San Francisco in early 1899. The new enterprise by this time was known as Crag View campground and Resort.  January 1900 the Crag View Resort with hotel and lodge officially opened for business.

 Although Wickes' resort was profitable it never brought in enough money year round to be self-supporting totally and Wickes often spent the winters and slow years working at various trades.  For instance in 1904 he worked as the railroad telegrapher and station agent at Castella, in 1905 he managed the catering depart­ment of the Weed Hotel in Dunsmuir, later on Wickes worked as a bookkeeper for several Castella and Dunsmuir businesses. 

The visitors came out of the Sacramento Valley to escape the summer heat or came from the San Francisco Bay area to get away from the summer fog.  People traveling to the area would leave the train at the Castella station, which was located just west of the Crag View Resort In fact, it was close enough for people to walk from the train across the bridge to the resort.  The Southern Pacific railroad liked to publicize the resorts along the route and did so in the Southern Pacific Bulletin and other publications.  Let's go back to 1916.               

                Crag View Resort: At Castella station. Rooms, cottages and tents. Rates, $ 4.25 and up per day; $ 26.50 and up per week. American plan. Hunting, Fishing, swimming, tennis and dancing. Near Castle Crags and other points of interest. Season April 1^st to November 1^st. H.O. Wickes, manager, P.O. Castella, California. 

  Crag View Resort catered to the spring fishermen who would travel up the canyon each spring to enjoy the fantastic fishing on the Sacramento River and its tributaries. Crag View Resort was a popular eating place and many local people often went there for dinner. People also came up the canyon to spend the day, then eat dinner and return home on the evening local train.   

                             During the summer months when the weather became warm, dances were held at the Crag View Resort on an open-air dance platform. The vocalist would claim a huge tree near the bandstand and sing romantic love songs. What a thrill dancing under the stars. A break at midnight the Wickes brothers would bring out a delicious array of refreshments.

                             A wide variety of dances became poplar during the early 1900's and into the 20's, 30's. and 40's. Poplar songs provided the music for the catwalk, the black bottom the two step and the Charleston and Jitterbug to name a few. Live orchestras provided the music big name bands such as Kay Kaiser, Tommy Dorsey, Eddie Duchin, Wayne King and many others played for the dances.  The local band was the "Hottentots' " which preformed they first big engagement for the San Francisco newspaper mogul, William Randolph Hearst, who lived in the local area and provided the band with their first "snazzy" outfits.

                             Doing the late 30s and on into the 1940's many famous Senators from Sacramento, Actors from Hollywood came from Southern California via the Southern Railroad, to stay at the Crag View Resort.

                             In the early 1930s a cedar tree in the middle of the Crag View Resort was selected for a Christmas Tree. Every year at Christmas time people from around Castella and the neighborhood would gather at Crag View Resort for the annual Christmas tree decorating party. Each person would bring a special ornament to place onto the Christmas tree.

                             A wooden ladder was built and then leaned up next to the tree, so you could climb up the ladder to place a Christmas angle on the top. For years the celebration of the Christmas tree continued at the resort, and each year the old wooden ladder was use without removing it from the tree.

                             Today, in 1999, you can walk under this beautiful 120-foot Christmas tree some 70 years later and look up, There, 60 feet up in the branches of the tree you can see the wooden ladder with the limbs growing through it and some of the ladder runs which have grown into the side of the Crag View Resort Christmas Tree.

                             In 1940 Wickes finally could no longer afford to keep the resort open so he sold it to K.E. Erickson in 1942.  Wickes continued to live on the property as the caretaker until about 1946, he died on the property he loved for so many years in 1947 at the age of 81 years. 

The Crag View Resort was purchased and the ownership transferred in 1972, to the Sacramento River Crag View Camp LTD, Sabas Business Services, Inc was the General Partner; the limited partnership sold the property.  John and Barbara Korb of McCloud purchased the property on June 20, 1999 and named the resort CASTLE CRAGS RIVER RESORT.

          The "Crag View Resort" has one remaining wooden structure of the original resort. The large building             has always been known as the recreational hall and kitchen. Behind this building are the foundations of             the Wickes' residence. The concrete foundations of the original house are evident with the large         cobble  retaining wall against the hillside.  The form of the ice block in a metal tank (for salt brine) still stands.

   The  Last remaining artifact of the resort is a combination ice crusher and ice cream maker. This large metal artifact from the icehouse now sits by the flagpole near the office. 

                               A stone stairway leads up the hill and joins a dirt path, which goes to the swimming pool. The swimming pool stands among the tall cedar trees with willow trees and bushes growing out of the bottom. The swimming pool is approximately 30' wide 40' long 10' deep and constructed of large cobblestones secured with concrete. 

                              The grand Crag View Hotel, lodge and dance floor has long since fallen and few clues of the old days and old ways remain.