Project Slide Show

This 1893 photograph is of the Prather pump in the Shasta River Canyon about five miles upstream of the mouth of the river. Large quantities of water from the Shasta River (see next photo) ran through the water-motor visible in this photo, which turned a pump to push a much smaller quantity of water up the hill to a ditch where it was directed towards Montague for irrigation, and downstream for mining. This project was abandoned after a few years. Note condition of the riparian zone in this photo.

Inside the flume leading to the Prather pump just after it was completed in 1893.

This historical photograph of the Shasta River was taken from the Southern Pacific Railroad bridge during a major flood. The exact date of the photo is unknown, but it is probably from the mid-1890's or earlier . The Montague-Grenada Road is faintly visible in the background. While everything is under water, it is clear that few large trees are present at the time of this photo. Photos such as this from known locations can help understand Shasta River riparian conditions at different times in the past.

Photo taken of the Montague/Grenada Road bridge and the Shasta River prior to 1948. This photo was likely taken in the late 1930's or early 1940's.

Mouth of the Shasta River with salmon fishermen circa 1953. The mouth of the Shasta River was an easy place to catch salmon, but was closed to fishing through efforts initiated by the Shasta CRMP in 1993 to protect dwindling Shasta Fall Chinook stocks.

The old Shasta Racks approximately 6 miles upstream of the mouth of the Shasta, circa 1953. This was originally a steelhead egg taking station, and from 1939-1955 also served as the site for Fall Chinook Salmon spawner counts in the Shasta River. After being destroyed by the flood of 1955, the counting facility was moved back to near the mouth of the Shasta where it is located today, and where it was located between 1930 and 1938.

This photo shows the USGS gauging station on the lower Shasta River in 1953. The small white structure adjacent to the stream houses the gauge. Note the lack of vegetation and then check the next photo to see improvements in stream condition since that time.

This black and white photo was taken in 1996 at the same location as the last slide, and shows considerable riparian recovery from the time of the 1953 photo. Note that the white USGS gauging station structure is barely visible through the trees. Joe Valcazar, the property owner at the time is pictured at left.

This hand tinted photo of a Yreka Western Railroad steam train crossing the Shasta River between Yreka and Montague early in the 1900's shows that extensive cattle grazing was the norm in the riparian zone and that few trees existed at that time to shade the river. While not visible, the Yreka-Ager Road is in the background in this photo, downstream of the RR bridge.

Improved pasture and riparian zone along the Shasta River just downstream of where the Montague Grenada Road runs today. The photo was probably taken before the 1930's. Note the old fence which protected riparian trees.

Looking southeast across the Montague Grenada Road bridge over the Shasta River. The photo was probably taken before 1930. It shows that some large riparian trees existed in the reach at that time. Gregory Mountain is visible in the background. (Note that the bridge in this photo is slightly different from the one in the next photo, indicating an earlier time period).

Montague Grenada Road Bridge across the Shasta River indicating a much wider stream channel than is currently found at this location. This photo was probably taken in the 1930's not long after Dwinnell Reservoir was constructed. Reduced winter flows in the river following completion of Dwinnell Dam in 1928 probably caused the river channel to narrow.

Dwinnell Dam under construction circa 1926 This dam is owned by the Montague Irrigation District, which was started in the mid-1920's by Dr. Dwinnell as part of his ongoing crusade to expand homesteading opportunities in the Shasta Valley, and increase the income possibilites for people living there. The dam was constructed by a then unique technique of washing material from a near-by hill through pipes and depositing it in two berms demarking the upstream and downstream faces of the dam. Coarse materials tended to stay where they landed, while fine materials flowed towards the center where they formed a more water-proof core for the dam. In this photo, upstream is to the right, and downstream is to the left. The odd shaped concrete towers are the control structures for release of water to either the river or main canal.

The downstream face of Dwinnell Dam as it appeared in 1992. The Montague Irrigation District Canal (dry at the time of the photo) seen at the left in the photo delivers water stored in Lake Shastina for agricultural and urban uses to the east side of the Shasta Valley near Montague. This main ditch is over 20 miles long!

This pastoral scene from the Shasta Valley was taken from what is now the Montague-Grenada Rd. about 1/8 mile north of the bridge over the Shasta River. The dense line of trees in the background is the riparian corridor along the Shasta. This photo was probably taken before 1920, and possibly before 1900.