Modoc County Historical Society

The Modoc County Historical Society always welcomes new members and a membership is a great gift idea! Individual membership is $25. Family membership is $30. Patron membership is $45. With a paid membership you will receive the Modoc County Historical Society Journal No. 43 which is soon to be published for 2021 and free admittance to the Modoc County Museum. Please note - The Modoc County Historical Society recently sent out a newsletter for June 2021. Dues need to be renewed at the end of each year. If you will look on the mailing label of this newsletter, you will see an entry above your name which tells the date of renewal. If you have questions, please call (530) 233-2944.

The Modoc County Museum is now open for the 2021 season, we opened on May 1st and will remain open until Oct. 31st. The museum is located at 600 So. Main Street in Alturas, CA, and is open Monday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Admittance fee is $2 for adults, children ages 15 and under are free if they are accompanied by an adult. There is no entrance fee if you are a member of the Modoc County Historical Society, so please let us know when you enter. The phone number for the museum is (530) 233-2944. Please note that the museum is operated by volunteers and there may be times when a volunteer is not available and the museum is closed.

Picture of the Adin Supply Store in 1916. When the store was first built, the roadbed was several feet below the porch, enabling wagons to back up for easy loading and unloading. It was originally known as the Co-op store. The first Adin Supply store was built by Rosebury, Knight, and Harvey and was located across the street from the present building. It was later purchased by Harper and Lumas and after the big fire in 1905, the store was re-built at its present site. Ov...er the years many different people have owned the store, including Hays and Campbell. This picture includes most of the students of Adin High School. Seated left to right: Mr. Hanlin, teacher and principal, Imogene Blair, Katherine Johnson, Iva Hess, Mae Harvey, Lois Harbert, Helen Russell, three visitors whose names are unknown, and standing are Bob Harper, store owner. The three boys in front are ____, ____, and Bob Sheldon. Standing in back are Eva Loomis, Norma Studley, Harold, Mike and Alan Harvey, Floyd Harvey, ___, John Masotti, ___, Leon Johnson. One member of the school not present was Eleanor Caldwell. Three ladies standing to the left are unknown. (Photo and text credit: Modoc County Record - Centennial Edition 1874 - 1974)

Photo of the wedding of Bertie Pope and "Doc" E.F. Auble. Bertie's parents were James W. Pope and Eliza Jane Stephenson Pope who were early settlers who came from Henry County, Iowa in 1864 by the overland route and the Applegate Trail, settling in the Stone Coal Valley. (Photo and text credit: Modoc County Record Centennial Edition 1874 - 1974)

Paintings by the talented Paula O. Murphy, past curator of the Modoc County Museum. These paintings can be seen in some "unusual" places at the Modoc County Museum! Come see them for yourself! (These photos are copyrighted)

Photo and text submitted by Linda McBeath Van Gundy I believe this is in Adin. Arthur Traugh (1877-1934) & Buffington Chace (1881-1965) were both born & lived in Adin. Both were from families that lived there for decades. Does anyone else have information about this store and the Traugh and Chace families?

The Modoc County Museum is now open for the 2021 season! The museum is located at 600 So. Main Street in Alturas, CA, and is open Monday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Admittance fee is $2 for adults, children ages 15 and under are free if they are accompanied by an adult. There is no entrance fee if you are a member of the Modoc County Historical Society, so please let us know when you enter. The phone number for the museum is (530) 233-2944.

Photo and text submitted by L. Constantino - On the far left are my great-grandparents, John Patterson and Mina Perkins Patterson. Don’t know the other people. Taken on Goose Lake circa 1895-1900. John died in Willow Ranch on 31 Jan 1910.

"In the 1890's, The Alturas Herald was one of the town's "leading" newspapers." The building was later a warehouse for Tierney Ford Sales and believed to be behind The Classie Lassie store today. Tom Denson is the boy pictured in the right of the photo. (Photo credit: Modoc County Record - Centennial Edition 1874-1974)

"The hottest thing on wheels in 1917 was Colburns Studebaker "Bug". (Photo credit: Modoc County Record - Centennial Edition 1874-1974)

Carrying the US Mail from Alturas to Madeline around the turn of the century. (Photo credit: Modoc County Record - Centennial Edition 1874-1974)

Now as Paul Harvey used to say - "Here is the rest of the story"! "A year-long investigation resulted in the Nov. 16, 1989 bust of a suspected Hell's Angels' methamphetamine factory at Yankee Jim in Modoc County. Four people were arrested in the case, including the former president of the Hell's Angels Nomad Chapter, Odis "Buck" Garrett, present owner of the ranch for the past couple of years. "We have put a dent in the Hell's Angels drug operation", said Dennis Freelove, sp...ecial agent for the Drug Enforcement Agency's Sacramento Clandestine Laboratory Task Force. The Modoc County Sheriff's Dept. with the assistance of the Alturas Police Dept., and the California Highway Patrol had kept the lab under surveillance for about a year." "The drug lab, according to Modoc County Sheriff Bruce Mix, would produce about $600,000 of methamphetamine. Mix said the lab was taken down before it got into full production." Pictured in the photo are the late Modoc Co. Sheriff Bruce Mix and Sergeant Mike Crutcher. Incidentally, Odis "Buck" Garrett, the Hell's Angel leader and "the key figure in the "Yankee Jim" methamphetamine drug lab bust in Modoc while still in jail on those federal drug charges, was arrested and charged by a grand jury with the 1977 execution style slayings of a woman, her twin daughters, and a male friend in Oregon. (Photo and text credit: Modoc County Record Nov. 23, 1989, March 15, 1990, and March 28, 1991)

"Yankee Jim", is an isolated ranch situated east of Pine Creek Reservoir, between Pine Creek and Fitzhugh Creek just over 10 miles southeast of Alturas. Following is information from the Modoc County Museum regarding this old ranch. "Yankee Jim was a character who homesteaded property in the Pine Creek Reservoir area in the 1870's. His name was Jim Smith and he was called "Yankee Jim" because he was a Yankee who fought in the Civil War. He was also known as "Half Hung Jim"... because he supposedly had rope scars around his neck from a near fatal hanging incident. Yankee Jim sold his property to W.S. and George Flournoy circa 1881-1882. George built the two-story "Yankee Jim House" in about 1885. This was a rather elaborate, fine home for its day. Later there was a smaller "Yankee Jim Cabin" built off to the side of the house. The lumber for the house was provided from nearby timber stands and milled at the Fitzhugh Creek Mill. George Flournoy operated this mill in the late 1800's. The boards for the house were milled up there but brought into town to be planed and tongue-and-grooved and then taken back to the building project. The house was well maintained until about 1915-20. It was used until the mid 1970's in conjunction with the 7F telephone line which went through that area. After George Flournoy's ownership of the area, the land was bought by David Newcombe Hershey and his wife, Ella (Flournoy) who was a sister to George. The Hershey's had the land for years. They were also instrumental in developing thoroughbred race horses and the race track that was once in Alturas near where the late Dean Neer lived. The Weber's leased the Yankee Jim property from the Hershey's for years (approx. from 1910-1970). When the land went into an estate sale, the late veterinarian, Doc Swanson, outbid the Weber's and obtained ownership. The late John Weber purchased it from Swanson in the late 1970's." (Photo and Text Credit: Info compiled by the Modoc County Museum and Rodney Flournoy.) (Painting of Yankee Jim - The artist is the late Larry Lybarger and the painting was done for John and Pat Kerr.)

Labor Day is a federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday in September to honor and recognize the American labor movement and the works and contributions of laborers to the development and achievements of the United States. It is the Monday of the long weekend known as Labor Day Weekend. Labor Day is called the "unofficial end of summer" because it marks the end of the cultural summer season. Many fall activities, such as school and sports, begin a...bout this time. Beginning in the late 19th century, as the trade union and labor movements grew, trade unionists proposed that a day be set aside to celebrate labor. "Labor Day" was promoted by the Central Labor Union and the Knights of Labor, which organized the first parade in New York City. The popularity of the event spread across the country. In 1887, Oregon became the first state of the United States to make Labor Day an official public holiday. By 1894, thirty U.S. states were already officially celebrating Labor Day. In that year, Congress passed a bill recognizing the first Monday of September as Labor Day and making it an official federal holiday. President Grover Cleveland signed the bill into law on June 28, 1894. The federal law, however, only made it a holiday for federal workers. As late as the 1930s, unions were encouraging workers to strike to make sure they got the day off. All U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and the United States territories have subsequently made Labor Day a statutory holiday. (Text credit: Wikipedia)

The Modoc Co. Historical Society will hold a business meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 9th, at noon at the Modoc County Museum, 600 So. Main Street, Alturas. Social distancing and face masks will be required. Please note the Modoc County Museum is still closed due to the Covid 19 virus.

More photos of the old High Grade Mining District in the north Warner Mountains. "The mining district was first called Hoag, after the initial discoverer, Danial Hoag, a Fort Bidwell Army scout. He discovered gold in the 1870's, but was killed by Indians before his discovery could be verified. In 1905, a 15 year old sheep herder, Peter Lorenzen rediscovered gold in the headwaters of Bidwell and Pine Creeks. at the summit of the mountain range just south of the Oregon bord...er." "The mining district was later changed to High Grade, taking on the name of the principle settlement." "At the peak of the boom there were thousands of acres under claim, and an estimated 10,000 gold seekers, although a realistic figure of 3,000 to 5,000 has been suggested. There was, however, sufficient activity to draw the Fort Bidwell stage away from the easy crossing of Fandango Pass into the rugged and forested terrain of the mining district." "The town of High Grade consisted of crude board, false fronted buildings, and tent structures." (Photos and text credit: The South Fork Valley and Other Stories by Vettelene Williams Duke)

Over the years, a handful of individuals have pursued renewed mining high in the Warner Mountains near where the town of High Grade stood. Following are a few pictures showing remnants of old buildings as it looks today. (Photo credits: J. Harris Barclay)

"Although a U.S. Army Indian Scout located High Grade's gold during the 1860's, High Grade's wealth awaited serious mining activity for nearly fifty years. Originally known as the Hoag District in 1905, the north Warner Mountains (Modoc County) goldfields only experienced a brief six-month long mining rush during the summer of 1912." The Hoag Mining District was re-named High Grade in 1912. "People attracted by the rush began to establish the High Grade town site in late J...une of 1912. They cleaved a space out of the thick lodge-pole pine forest and erected a combination of tent cabins and frame structures." "Historical photographs and archaeological evidence reveals that High Grade had several restaurants, two post offices, hotels, a bakery, and an assay office." For more interesting facts about the High Grade Mining District in the Warner Mountains, see Modoc Co. Historical Society Journal No. 13. (Photo Credit: Modoc County Museum)

The Modoc County Historical Society will not meet this month. Enjoy the rest of your summer and see you in September!

More photos of parades in earlier days in Alturas, CA. If you can identify anyone, please let us know. (Photo credit: Modoc Co. Museum)

Photo of a parade in Alturas, CA in 1888. Notice the sign for the New Era Newspaper Office and further up the street the sign for Modoc Stable with carriages parked in front. (Photo credit: Modoc Co. Museum)

Some July 4th photos from the past in Alturas.

More pictures from The Bill Golden Collection - Modoc Heritage Cowboys.

New display at the Modoc County Museum "The Bill Golden Collection - Modoc Heritage Cowboys"

The Modoc County Museum is closed until further notice due to the State's directive regarding the Covid 19 Virus. We will let you know as soon as we re-open.