Lowrey's was a settlement in Tehama County, California that was named for George M. Lowrey and located on Elder Creek. [1] What remains of it today are a ranch and a road named Lowrey Road. [1]
Early history of George M. Lowrey and arrival in California
George Malay Lowrey came to California in 1849. [1] [2] He had been born in Montgomery County, Ohio on 1826-10-26; the fifth child of James Lowrey, a miller from Kentucky, and Nancy Lowrey (née Stoker) from Virginia. [2] Having left school at 17, he had worked in the Mount Savage iron works, and as a carpenter for 3 years, both in Maryland. [2]
He arrived at Sacramento on 1849-08-13, moved to Dry Diggings shortly thereafter, and in 1850 built himself and ran a hotel between Sacramento and Nevada City. [2] He gave up the hotel after two years and went into teaming, going back to Ohio and then coming to California again in 1863. [2] He was in the cattle industry with a business partner in Solano County for eight years from 1857, and also raised sheep. [2]
He married Sarah Morrow Foster from Belfast (born 1826-03-21, and daughter of a farmer, cattleman, and drover) in Calvary Presbyterian Church in San Francisco on 1865-08-29. [3] They were to have four daughters and three sons together. [3]
Establishment of Lowrey's
In 1870, Lowrey and a business partner bought 1,040 acres (420 ha) of land in Tehama, which he was to expand with additional purchases over time to a peak 4,000 acres (1,600 ha), which they used for sheep farming. [2] He bought out his partner in 1874, and sold 7000 head of sheep and 2,825 acres (1,143 ha) of his ranchland to avoid bankruptcy, diversifying into cattle and hogs. [2]
His home was the local post office, established in 1888 with himself as the postmaster. [4] [2] The application claimed the post office would serve a settlement of 425 people. [5] The location was likely the south bank of the North Fork of Elder Creek. [5] Its name changed to Lowrey in 1898, and it closed in October 1917 with mail thenceforward being handled at Red Bank. [4] [1]
The Lowrey school, which he also helped to organize, was established in 1873, and closed in 1943. [1] [2] He was the director of the school district and supported the local Union Church. [2]
His daughter Katie became the postmaster at Tehama. [3]
Mining
There were three major chromite mines to the west of Lowrey's in the North Elder Creek area, the Grau Mine, the Kleinsorge Mine, and the Noble Electric Mine. [1] [6] [7] The Grau Mine dates from 1893, the Noble Electric from 1886, and the Kleinsorge from 1916. [8] One of the earliest mines lasted from 1890 to 1899, and only produced 500 tons (450 t) over its lifetime. [6]
The Basler Mining and Development Company consolidated many of the mining claims in the area in the early 1900s. [6] The Kleinsorge was on the mountainside and had a service road down to Lowrey and an aerial tramway for transporting ore down. [8] The Noble Electric, which only produced comparatively little ore, had a service road built in 1919 and did not have its own mill. [8]
References
Sources
- Hislop, Donald L.; Hughes, Benjamin M. (2007).
Tehama County Place Names. Red Bluff, California.
{{ cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher ( link) - "Post Offices". Jim Forte Postal History. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
- Guinn, James Miller (1906). "George Malay Lowrey". History of the State of California and Biographical Record of the Sierras. Chapman Company. pp. 564–566. ( History of the State of California and Biographical Record at the Internet Archive)
- Smith, Dottie (1997). Ritter, Eric W. (ed.). Historical Overview of the Western Tehama County Foothills. Bureau of Land Management, Redding Resource Area.
- "Record Group 28: Records of the Post OfficeDepartmentSeries: Reports of Site Locations - File Unit California: Stanislaus - Trinity - NAID: 68239805 - NARA". image 417, 418, 423.
- Davis, L. E.; Branner, G. C.; Matson, R. J.; Mull, J. B.; Ashizawa, R. Y. (1959). "The Mineral Industry of California". Minerals Yearbook. Vol. 3. United States Bureau of Mines, Geological Survey. pp. 167–248.
Further reading
- "North Elder Creek Group". Bulletin. No. 134. California Department of Natural Resources, Division of Mines. 1946.
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40°00′50″N 122°33′12″W / 40.01389°N 122.55333°W
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