OK, we admit it, Shasta County is not one of the Sierra Nevada Logging Counties, but we’ve chosen to include this name on our memorial wall.
Bert Lakin, General Manager of McCloud River Lumber Company, killed fighting fire in 1936
Editors note: Both of these descriptions of the area and the man are from Trainorders.com, and were written by Jeff Moore of Elko, NV. See Trainorders.com for a detailed description of the logging railroads in the McCloud area.
Long Description:
History sign near the start of trail to Lakin Dam on the McCloud River Falls east of McCloud, California. Text of Sign:
Lakin Dam has benefited people and wildlife.
According to local residents, Lakin Dam was built in 1925 by the McCloud River Lumber Company. The dam was built to supply a reliable water source for the people of McCloud, and to provide water for the mill’s boilers, which ran the mill.
Water from Lakin Dam is still used by the present-day mill.
In addition to providing water for the town of McCloud, Lakin Dam creates the slow moving waters where the native Redband Trout live.
The original dam’s pipes were made of redwood wrapped with wire. The redwood was replaced in the 1960’s with a steel pipe.
The dam was named after Bert Lakin who was general manager of the McCloud River Lumber Company. Mr. Lakin was well respected in the American lumber industry.
On October 1, 1936 he lost his life in a forest fire on the west edge of McCloud.
Another description:
The old siding of Lakin lies about a quarter mile east of MP BH-23. Lakin was named after Bert W. Lakin, a popular general manager of the McCloud River Lumber Company who was killed while fighting a forest fire on the immediate western edge of McCloud on 1 October 1936. Mr. Lakin has the distinction of being the only employee of either the railroad or the lumber company killed while fighting forest fires.
In addition to this siding, a monument was erected where his body was discovered next to the tracks just west of McCloud, and a fountain in the downtown district was placed in his memory.
You included Shasta co.[but,it seemed… almost under duress] …and like hourseshoes and handgrenades.. that’s close enough … but as for me I came from logging stock that worked in Mcloud …Southern Oregon…and the Salmon Mtns…and I’ve logged here in the Motherlode for a coupe decades…for the love of wood…include all men who have tarried in these mountains…past and present….I really appreciate the work you’ve done here keep it up…please
HH Jamestown Ca
James,
We began as a historical guardian for what we can gather specifically for the 18 counties designated as in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Shasta County as you know is not in the Sierras, but as the webmaster and designated keeper of the history, I sometimes go astray from these confines.However, this whole thing could get out of hand and exceed our ability to cope with the quantities of information people are entrusting to us. This story about Mr. Lakin was just too important not to include. Thanks for your remarks.
snlm
John
John … thank you for including the story. Bert Lakin was my great Uncle and we are having a family reunion this coming weekend and can’t wait to share this clipping. The story has been talked about more then once over the years it is of comfort to have the memorial.
Happy we did it. Thanks for the thanks.
John