French Gulch got its name from French -Canadians who found gold here in 1849. At first, it was called Morrowtown, after a miner, H.B. Morrow, but apparently early-day residents thought the name lacked color. By 1852, gold quartz was being taken out of the Washington and Franklin mines, and a stamp mill was put in.
A year late, French Gulch was a thriving community. Yreka bound miners transferred here for the trip over Scott Mountain. Miners were pulling down their cabins to get at new gold leads, and plans were being made to form a $100,000. Company for an 18- stamp mill at Franklin mine.
The Empire hotel, owed by Stoddard and O'Connell, was advertised as being equal to anything in Shasta, even better then the Batavia, which was the first, and there was talk of the road to be built from Shasta to the Franklin mine. The French Gulch Hotel was erected, and the Frederick Frank store. It burned down three years later, was rebuilt of fireproof brick and still stands.
In 1855, the district got its first supervisor, Thomas Duffy, and by the following year it was estimated 1,000 minors were living in the area between French Gulch and the east fork of Clear Creek, the county's largest precinct.
Tower house was at first a cabin that housed a bar and dining room and where you could get a night's lodging. In 1850, Levi H. Tower bought the property from a man named Schneider. Tower with Charles Camden and John Hindman had come from New York. Their first enterprise was a ferry across the Trinity River, which was not very profitable so Hindman decided to head south. Camden remained with Tower. Camden built a sawmill, and eleven years later built a toll bridge from Tower House to Shasta.
Life was rough, supplies came by ox teams driven by W.H. Baker, son of the storeowner Ed Baker.
The average miner made $100. to $200. per day and he spent it freely. |
