Excerpts from the Siskiyou County Comprehensive Land & Resource Management Plan February 1996

    APPENDIX 4 Custom and Culture Agriculture Summary

Farming, dairying and ranching have been established historic economic use of the land in Siskiyou County for almost 150 years. Agriculture is one of the highest value added industries, creating new wealth from the   naturally occurring elements of seed animals, sunshine, minerals and water to produce high quality and quantity food and fiber. Specialization in this industry has enabled phenomenal levels of productivity, freeing the vast majority of Americans to pursue other enterprise and cultural development as hallmarks of our modern civilization.

The concept of “resources" includes cultural properties and traditional life-way values. Cultural properties associated with ranching, for instance, would be physical structures or characteristics of the landscape, including: livestock, developed springs, wells, ditches and watering tanks, fences, corrals, grazing allotments, open range, ranch houses, sheep herding camps, shearing pens, loading chutes, grange halls and community centers, one room school houses and livestock.

Traditional "life-way values” are often abstract, nonmaterial, ascribed ideas that may or may not be closely associated with definite locations and are important to the group’s traditional cultural practice, social interaction or economic forms.

Agricultural operators require broad knowledge and experience in a variety of fields. Acquiring this complex knowledge and perfecting necessary skills most often requires a long apprenticeship, commonly established as a `life-way' passed from one generation to another. For instance, according to Richard Boles in What Color is Your Parachute? ranching is an extremely complex career field. Working with animals alone requires the skills of: serving, sensing, communicating, persuading, performing managing negotiating, leading , treating and training. A rancher, in addition to working with (and riding) animals, must work with the physics of handling irrigation water, the mechanics of working with machines, the skills of operating heavy equipment, the agronomy of growing hay crops, the chemistry of pest management, the veterinary medicine aspects of animal health, the genetics of husbandry, the marketing and sale of a product, the planning and financial management of a small business, the athletics of a physical lifestyle a sense of meteorological prediction, the skills of filling out forms, and a grasp of the biological and geological processes of his surrounding environment.

In Siskiyou County, the institution of the small family owned and operated farm, dairy or ranch, not only provides the opportunity for apprenticeship, but reinforces cultural and social values such as being self-reliant, cooperating in teamwork, being reliably responsible for living crops and animals, being valuing the family homestead and its historic traditions, and enjoyment of outdoor world

Raymond Firth, in Human Types. An Introduction to Social Anthropology. The New American Library, c1963, gives and excellent overview of the elements that comprise “culture.” According to Firth, and other experts, one key to defining culture is the identifiable manifestations or "life-ways" of a group in responding to or living with their environment.

A combination of climate, topography, soil productivity and the availability of water in mountainous Siskiyou County has created several different "micro-environments" to which agricultural practices have responded with specialized crops most suited to constraints and risks of high altitudes and a short growing season. Ranching, for instance, was faced with climatic realities that created a need for winter hay or summer grass in times of drought.

The historic limitation on homestead parcels to 160 acres also resulted in the adaptation of early ranchers of driving cattle up into the surrounding high mountains of the west, north and south. This allowed them to harvest home pastures and access lush patches of meadow with more moisture available at higher elevations with a later melting snow pack. In time, this fostered the cultural and social tradition of the cattle drive and roundup, and competitions for skill performance, such as the rodeo.

Although the season of use has been restricted to late summer and fall, and the allotments are generally restricted. Although highway use permits and restrictions have begun to impact the practice, some public land ranching families of the county today drive their cattle to their allotments as did their ancestors. With a warning car at the head and rear, family and friends on horseback with dogs nudge the slow-moving procession along back country roads to trails leading to their allotments. Most still monitor rangelands and move salt blocks on horseback. In the fall, they still round-up the herd, search for strays and drive them back to home pasture.

Calves are usually born in late spring, weaned in the fall and sold before winter in rhythm with the organic cycle. Like those of five generations ago, facing the same limiting factors of climate, topography and space, public grazers continue to employ the same adaptations.

Firth also discusses the cultural characteristics of social organization that creates a sense of kinship or tribe, creates social position, status or function, and acts as the motivation for behaviors and other cultural manifestations.

Agriculturalists tend to go through their lives in “age sets,” bonded by repeated shared experiences in 4-H, sports, Future Farmers of America, rodeo and other competitions. As adults, they rotate through boards together such as Fair Boards, Rodeo Associations, irrigation Districts, Resource and Conservation Districts. They belong to "clubs" comprised mostly of others of the "life-way" such as Young Farmers and Ranchers, Farm Bureau, Cattlemen's Association, Grange and Growers Associations.

The customs associated with agriculture include many of the early possessory rights that were recognized and respected as local practices, sometimes supported by formal Associations and sometimes acknowledged in law. Examples include the establishment of grazing allotments tied to a family base ranch, water use rights that developed into law, and public rights of way over public land.

Agriculture has been a long time traditional land use and life-way in Siskiyou County and has become a major component of local cultural celebrations and the economy. It is important that the many elements associated with agricultural land, water use, rights of way and easements be recognized and preserved as necessary to support this valuable aspect of the heritage of Siskiyou County.

Appendix 5 Customs and Culture - Farming

HISTORICAL NOTES

Sectional variations in physical characteristics naturally divide Siskiyou County into four identifiable areas where fanning has played a significant historical role: Shasta Valley; Scott Valley; Butte Valley: and the Tule Lake or Upper Klamath Basin. The following spot sketches are meant only as an illustrative sample of the history of fanning trends in Siskiyou County:

SHASTA VALLEY:

PASTURE Robert Martin has been credited with being the first rancher in Shasta Valley, establishing the Table Rock Ranch in 1849. The 3,500 acre Brady Ranch near Gazelle is also considered one of the earliest ranches It was later purchased by Josiah Edson in 1852. It should be noted that most early ranches did not have enclosed pastures, leaving stock vulnerable to Indian raids. In 1851, Indians drove off 200 (?) head of miner's horses being herded in open range.

FIELD AND ROW CROPS As early as 1851; land claims were taken up in the Shasta Valley. The first "crop" was grass hay cut for the Yreka market. In 1852, William and Jackson Brown are said to have raised a crop in at Butteville, (a.k.a. Edgewood or Cavanaugh's.) Alex Boles also began a farming operation in 1852, raising wheat, barley, oats and vegetables.

By 1853, amounts of barley, oats and wheat were raised in Shasta Valley. In 1853, crops were raised by John B. Rohrer, the Davis Brothers and John Kegg in Little Shasta. Fire destroyed all but Rohrers crops.

In 1856, Henry Davis planted his first grain crop in Shasta Valley, but it did poorly because of grasshoppers. One morning the family awoke to find that their field had been set afire by Indians harvesting roasted grasshoppers from the fields.

By 1861, the William Miller ranch in Little Shasta was reported to be producing as much as 40 bushels of wheat an acre and three tons of hay an acre. There were three cuttings of hay per year, all consumed by his cattle. Around 1870, August Louie and Joe Rose purchased "squatters rights" from claimants at Big Springs and established homesteads. Both families raised tons of potatoes, watermelons, dry beans. fava beans, onions, cabbages, corn, squash, garlic, saffron, cumin seed, and red and green peppers. Then the railroad arrived at Gazelle, they sold Red Top, Timothy and tons of hay to the cattle dealers. In the 1890s, they grew alfalfa.

In 1912, Jim Burns, Bill Wilson and Edward Stallcup formed a corporation known as Edward Stallcup and Sons, Co., Inc., which, in addition to supplying feed for their oxen cattle at Big Springs and 150 head of boarded horses, sold as much as 1,000 tons of hay each year to the Weed Lumber Co. In addition to the Stallcup sons, John, Joe and Tom, 15 men were hired during the summer for haying.

In 1853, Charles Schlicht began construction of a flour mill on the Shasta River. In 1861, the Yreka Steam Mills ran regularly and were said to be capable of grinding 16,000 pounds of flour daily, when necessary. Another flour mill was located at Tailholt in Little Shasta~ (By 1878, there were seven grist mills in the entire county two steam and five water power driven. These produced 2l,OOO barrels of flour and ground 2,800 bushels of corn.) By 1885, there were also two breweries in Yreka.

ORCHARDS Forest House or Forest Ranch was established on the Yreka side of Forest Mountain by Horace Knights in 1851. By 18S2, there was a distillery. A large orchard had been planted by 1861, including pears, peaches, plums and more than 4,000 apple trees, (250 of which were already productive.) In 1869, the orchards at Forest House were expanded and a cider mill with two large wooden wheels was added along with a vinegar room. The juice was concentrated by boiling for shipping. By 1873, Forest House yielded a yearly product of fruit totaling 6,000 bushels.

By 1861 , Batterton had also established an orchard in Shasta Valley and the Edson Ranch included a large orchard planted in 1865. Nelson H. Eddy raised fruit on his ranch, established near the foot of Mt. Shasta in 1867.

SCOTT VALLEY:

PASTURE As early as 1850, Pool and Wicks had established a land claim in Scott Valley with a corral to graze cattle for meat for the miners at Scott Bar (See separate section on Ranching and Water Use.)

FIELD CROPS The first oats grown in Siskiyou County were brought from Oregon in 1851 and sown by Robinson, Brown and Godfrey on the Star Ranch in Scott Valley. In 1852, Godfrey brought one bushel of planting wheat from the Suisun Valley by pack mule to Shasta Valley, and then through the snow to Scott Valley. It produced a crop of 50 bushels.

In the following year, P.A. Heartstrand and Asa \Vhite brought 30 mule loads of wheat to Scott Valley for planting. In 1852, John McKee homesteaded a large tract of land in Scott Valley. The land was later subdivided into several farms including those of Peter Smith, Rev. D.H. Lowry, O.V. Green and John and Stafford Wilson. Farming was also taken up in 1852 by Winegar, Glendenning, Kidder and Calhoun. By 1853, considerable amounts of barley, oats and wheat were raised in Scott Valley. By 1877, a harvest of at least 250,000 bushels of grain were anticipated in Scott Valley and four steam threshers were in operation. Of note, in 1917, seed from the alfalfa grown on the dry-land of Noyes Valley brought a premium price because of its characteristic of growth in arid climate.

The Lafayette/ShoreslPhoenix flour mill was the first grist mill in Siskiyou County, erected in Scott Valley in 1853. In 1954, Charles McDermit, Jeremiah, William and D.M. Davidson built the "Old Aetna Mills" and distillery. In 1855, P.A. Heartstrand, Abisha Swain, Obediah Baer and James Stevens built the `Rough and Ready Flour Mill' near Etna. In 1860, the Festus Payne grist mill was built in French Creek. It was operated by a "hurdy gurdy" water wheel along with a saw mill. In 1865, Joseph Young and his brother, the Swain brothers and George Smith purchased the machinery of the flour mill in Yreka for their mill in
Rough and Ready, which they operated by steam. The "Union", the principal flour mill at Rough and Ready/Etna, had a capacity of 30,000 bushels a day.

The "Farmers Flour Mill" in Fort Jones was built as a cooperative association of farmers and merchants to protect themselves against the four combined flour mills then in operation at Rough and Ready/Etna, which controlled the price of wheat. Later, in 1919, the Parrott flour mill was built by Charles B. Parrott and John Johnson in Etna, producing "Flavo Flour" and grinding feed for fanners. It was closed in 1931.

In 1854, Jeremiah Davidson and William Miller built a distillery on Whiskey Creek operated by Ensign "Whiskey" Smith. In 1868, C. Kappler purchased a brewery from P. A. Heartstrand on the east side of Scott Valley about three miles from Rough and Ready. In 1872, he moved the brewery to Rough & Ready. A fire destroyed the original building in 1875 and a larger one was built. Kappler's brewery had four beer wagons and it is said his business netted a quarter of a million dollars annually.

APPENDIX 6 Customs and Culture - Ranching and Dairy

Please refer to the narrative included later in this section entitled Ranching Traditions of Alta California for background on the historic Spanish and Mexican colonial traditions of ranching in California It establishes (1) ranches or ranchos; (2) open range grazing; (3) branding; (4) roundups; (5) rodeos; and (6) vaqueros (cowboys) as fundamental to California’s historic economic base, cultural roots and traditional life-ways.

SISKIYOU COUNTY- HISTORICAL NOTES:

Sectional variations in physical characteristics naturally divide Siskiyou County into five identifiable areas where ranching and dairying have played a significant historical role: Yreka-Shasta Valley; the area west of 1-5 , (including Scott Valley, Klamath and Salmon Rivers); Butte Valley; the Tule Lake or Upper Klamath Basin; and the Mt. Shasta area. The following spot sketches are meant only as an illustrative sample of the history of ranching and dairying in Siskiyou County:

GENERAL: In 1837, the first cattle passed through Siskiyou County when Ewing Young drove more than 700 head of cattle up Siskiyou Trail to Oregon. After the discovery of gold, ranching was rapidly established throughout the county, so that by 1878, there was already an inventory of 4,600 horses, 540 mules, 46,915 homed cattle, 33,500 sheep and 1,900 hogs. Wool and butter were among the county's principal exports in 1877.

OF NOTE: A severe winter in 1889-90 killed native wildlife, such as mountain sheep, and large numbers of livestock. In Butte Valley, Charlie Boyes lost 1,500 horses from starvation. Willard Stone lost 28 horses on his Sacramento range with snow at 18 feet high. Presley Dorris in Butte Valley and Modoc County, estimated his loss at 5,000 cattle. I. J. Straw, his foreman, estimated the loss nearer to 7,000 head. The Fairchilds at the J. F. Ranch lost hundreds of horses.

YREKA-SUASTA VALLEY:

Robert Martin has been credited as the first rancher in Shasta Valley, establishing the Table Rock Ranch in 1849.

Many ranch operations diversified from beef cattle into dairying. For instance, the 3,500 acre Brady Ranch ear Gazelle, purchased by Josiah Edson in 1852, diversified into dairying and cheese making around 1877.

By 1906, the Edson Foulke Co. Ranch totaled 10,000 acres was mostly a beef cattle operation. Once again, in 1925, part of it was converted to a dairy operation with approximately 1,200 milk cows. In 1855, Wiley 3. Fox and J. Montgomery Peters claimed adjoining homesteads to raise stock north of Parks Creek. Fox then became sole owner and in 1861, sold it to I. Stewart who added dairy cattle to the operation.

On February 14, 1868, the Yreka Journal announced the forthcoming arrival of 140 Portuguese immigrants, who planned to work the Hawkinsville mines and establish cattle ranches or dairies. In 1886, Bill Orr’s Grenada and Butte Creek Ranches were bought from Bill Orr by five partners, most of whom were Portuguese. The Butte Creek operation was primarily a seasonal dairy of about 100 head. Milk cows would be driven from Grenada to Butte Creek in May and back in October. Together with the Grenada beef cattle Ranch, the operation totaled about 1,200 head.

James B. Rohrer operated a Holstein dairy in Little Shasta between 1914 and 1947 and the (?) and Machado families established a 100 head dairy in Big Springs, providing stock to establish herds throughout Shasta Valley. Local creameries in need of milk paid for the cows, taking the payments out of farmer’s cream checks.

According to Frank Herzog, the city of Yreka in 1857 consisted of 640 acres (1 mile square) encircled by cattle ranches and dairies. Each man had his ranch claim (corporate limits) marked out in native sandstone:

The Steele Ranch was located at southeast city limits and extended beyond where the evergreen Cemetery is now. From the cemetery, John Garvey had 640 acres devoted to cattle. North of Cemetery Lane was the southwest corporate owned by Charles Payot and Amidy Tisso of 100 acres. From the north line of their property to North Street was the Sani Pellet place. Continuing north Simon (?) had the northwest corporate limits as his property. going east from there was the McNaulty Cattle Ranch From there toward Yreka Creek through the Catholic Cemetery was the ranch owned by Charles Herzog. Then the Steele fencing again. In 1916, Nick Weber had a dairy on the Steele property. East from Steeles was the Wheeler Ranch. Beyond and across Oberlin Road from Steele's was the George Nurse home and property.

Mrs. Frank LeMay had 320 acres in the Greenhorn area that was used for cattle and dairy. At the west end of Miner Street (across from Yreka City Park) a Mrs. Crowley had seven acres extending beyond the north end of Miner from Gold street to a creek on the west. She had 123 head of cattle.

In 1875, Nathaniel Dennis bought a farm of 160 acres in Big Springs and homesteaded another 160 acres. The Dennis brothers operated the Shasta Creamery on the place, with a ten foot water wheel that operated the butter churn and cream separator. (Later, they sent their Milk to the Edgewood Creamery operated by l. E. Norris.) Martins Dairy was originally owned by lames B. Martin who operated the dairy in the summer. An undershot wheel was constructed in front of a log dairy house straddling the Little Shasta River. There was a cold spring where butter and cheese was stored before hauling it to the railroad and town. By 1917, a cheese factory was operating in Grenada.

Some ranchers diversified into sheep. In 1859 George Fiock purchased a place on the Shasta River from L.R. Nichols and raised both sheep and cattle. His father, John, was cattle ranching between Lost River and Lower Klamath Lake when there was trouble with the Modocs and he moved his cattle to his son’s in 1863.

Brice M. Martin acquired Martin's Dairy around 1900 and used it as a headquarters for grazing sheep, (tended by Basque shepherds,) and cattle during the summer months. There were two bands of about 1,500 sheep and a cattle herd of about 200 head. James B. Rohrer had a large sheep operation until 1920.

Beef cattle was always a mainstay. Patrick and Bridget Kieman settled south of Gazelle in 1854. Although the ranch eventually comprised some 16,000 acres, the original 80 acres was not patented until 1884. They raised beef cattle and had a butchering business with several retail outlets. Also in 1854, a group of young newlywed couples arrived by wagon train to establish ranches, including Nelson H. Eddy, Sidney Terwilliger, Solomon Gage and Norman Stone. Accompanying them were Andrew Soule, George Root, John Gage, McKenn Armsby, Timothy Cook and Jasper Palmer to drive their livestock.

In 1876, Benjamin Franklin Dunlap established a ranch at the present site of Dwinnell Dam. It was abandoned in 1898 as it was determined to be railroad land and they were unable to patent their homestead.

In 1884, Louis Hessig bred Devonshire and Hereford cattle at the Double Hart Ranch on the KIamath River east of Copco for the Pokegama Lumber camp and the railroad. Many of the cows weighed as much as 2100~22OO lbs. There were roundups to clear the range of as many as 300 wild horses at a time.

Many ranchers developed "customary range" on the public domain. In 1857, Charles Henly Stone purchased half interest in a Durham cattle ranch north of Weed with Dave Soyer/Solyer. Stone used summer range at Medicine Lake, driving his cattle east of Weed and into Squaw Valley. In 1884, Stone switched to a range at the middle and south fork of the Sacramento River. It was necessary to realign and brush the cattle trail. As the herd grew, range was expanded into Mumbo Basin, Crow Creek, the Seven Lakes basin of the Middle Fork of Big Castle Creek and the east fork of the Tnnity River known as Sunny Slopes. Two cabins were built with corrals for working saddle horses on the Sacramento River and at Mumbo Basin. (See Attachment Constitution of the Siskiyou County Stock Protective Association for notations on “customary range" in part of eastern Siskiyou County.)

Prior to the arrival of the railroad in 1887, cattle were the only meat animals exported out of the county. Sometimes, ranchers had to drive their herd as far south as Sacramento to find a market. Ranches such as John and George Millers ranch (1854) in Little Shasta near Sheep Rock, were used as a stopping place" for eastern Oregon drovers, stopping to brand and feed cattle before passing on to market.

With rail transport, law dictated that after 36 hours cattle had to be unloaded, fed watered, rested and allowed to move for eight hours. Both the Montague and Gazelle stops had ample corral space and twenty-five percent of all grain raised in the county was used for transit cattle. Cattle normally moved northward by train in the spring and southward in the fall. In 1896, 51 box car loads of cattle departed Gazelle between Jan 22-26. 500 carloads departed in the fall and winter shipments, with several thousand head more to go.

SCOTT VALLEY/SALMON AND KLAMATH RIVERS:

According to some records, Ervin and Sarah Elmore settled as early as 1845 on 320 acres of land near the (later) Asa White and P.A. Heartstand holdings. Elmore sold part of the land to James Biembaum (Enos Young ranch in 1893,) and the balance to Edmund and Elizabeth Bagby who sold it to Frank J. Horn Sr.

As early as 1850, Pool and Wicks had established a land claim in Scott Valley with a corral to graze cattle for meat for the miners at Scott Bar.

In 1851 , various land claims were established in Scott Valley for grazing of beef for the Yreka and Scott Bar market. In 1851 , Mathias B. Callahan Ranch was located near the junction of the east and south forks of the Scott River on land purchased from a Frenchman. In 1852, James Hayden joined his brother Charles, who had already established a ranch in Noyes Valley near Callahan. They were joined by brother Richard in 1864 and Frank in 1865. In 1853, James Bryan, a soldier at Fort Jones, established a 600 acre ranch north of Etna. In 1854, Lieutenant George Crook and Brevet 2nd Lieutenant John Hood also engaged in ranching.

The Jim and Frank Abrams trading post built in 1852 at the community of Sisselville (Cecilville) included a slaughter house and butcher shop. A small herd of cattle was kept for meat and dairy products. According to the writings of John Daggett, in 1854, Salmon River miners could get beef at reasonable prices from Scott Valley, although it had to be corned in the fall for winter use. In 1873, George Sightrnan ranged his cattle wild along Shadow Creek and Grasshopper Point. He sold beef on the hoof. The buyer had to find and shoot an animal and pay 4 cents per pound for the dressed meat. Petersburg was settled in the 185Os and 60s. Originally cattle and hogs were brought to Petersburg from Shasta Valley. Later, L.P. Jordan had ranches at Rush Creek and Garden Gulch, with cattle ranging in the Salmon Mountains.

Nathan L. Morgan settled a ranch on Horse Creek between1850-60. In 1885, Robert and James Rainey homesteaded cattle ranches of 160 acres each in Seiad Valley and purchased the Horse Creek Ranch in 1893.

Many early cattlemen in the area established "customary range" on the public domain. In 1854, Alexander Parker lived and raised his cattle on the H.C. Coty Ranch. His white faced Herefords did not do well on the swampy valley land and in 1856, he bought a corral and cabin from Mr. Plowman. By 1858, the ranch supported 3,000 head of cattle. The cattle were ranged for summer pasture in Deadfa1l lake, Bear Creek in Little Trinity and the North Fork of the Sacramento. In the early days, the range was free. Later, it had to be leased from Southern Pacific or the Forest Service. Riders remained with the cattle during summer and began to bring the cattle home from the range on October 15. Depending upon snows, the cattle were driven down Trinity River and over Scott Mountain, down the north fork of the Sacramento to Sisson; thento the Scott Ranch (Hammonds) near Edgewood and over Gazelle Mountain Several Scott Valley stockmen would use the Parker Ranch as a stop~over when driving cattle to the railroad at Gazelle.

Around 1860, Charles Hammond settled on a ranch along the Scott River. In partnership with David Horn, the circle bar brand ran a large herd of cattle in the Siskiyou Mountains on the Oregon-California border. Son, C.S. (Charles Stuart) Hammond, was born on the ranch in 1866 and was one of the first cattlemen to run cattle in the Marble Mountain Wilderness. C.S had five sons, all who established separate Angus cattle ranches.

Around 1915, Nerva Hayden and Gladys Jenner each homesteaded at the mouth of Noyes Valley near Callahan. They later married, and in partnership with Frank Jenner, built the ranch into an operation of several thousand acres. Hayden worked cattle from Castle Craggs to the Marble Mountains.

Some ranchers went into sheep. For instance, in 1877, James B. Hayden had a large band of sheep near Callahan. Some diversified into dairying. In 1857. A.H. Denny fenced in a gulch above the Sullivan Ranch on Wildcat Creek, bought a few milk cows and sold the milk to miners during winter. During summer, the cows were driven to Denny Farm on Coffee Creek and milk was sold there. In 1894, a creamery was built at Hays Comer, (Greenview.) In 1896, there were two creameries in Scott Valley.

Source: Marcia Armstrong, Siskiyou County Supervisior