The Tehama County Cattlemen have started plans for their 68th annual Winter Dinner, to be held starting at 5:30 p.m. Jan. 4 at the Tehama District Fairground Auditorium in Red Bluff.
The public is invited to enjoy a Vic Woolery prime rib dinner for $ 25 pre-sale, $ 30 at the door. Tickets are available at Hawes Ranch & Farm Supply, The Loft at Reynolds Ranch and Farm Supply, Golden State Farm Credit, Red Bluff Bull and Gelding Sale. In Cottonwood at Shasta Farm & Equipment.
The Cattlemen, in partnership with the CattleWomen, are gathering items for the 17th Ag-Scholarship Fundraiser in a silent and live auction.
Bill Borror has donated a hand-crafted English and black walnut settee. This fall Bill’s black walnut rocking chair sold for $5,500 at the Certified Angus Beef convention in North Carolina.
I-5 Point S tires once again has donated a set of four tires, with more details later. Ten tickets for the 2020 JP Ranch Rodeo, Jan. 17-18, all performances, were donated by Jim Owens Memorial Ranch Rodeo.
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The following is from “William F. Luning, County Engineer and Surveyor,” by Frances Luning Deering in the Tehama County Memories, 1987.
“William F. Luning was born in Red Bluff on July 3, 1857, son of Joseph and Catherine Luning who were natives of Germany. The elder Luning had arrived in Red Bluff in 1854 and opened a hotel, operating it until his death in 1896 at the age of 57. Son William was educated in the schools of Red Bluff, and chose surveying as his occupation upon completing his education. He served as a chainman for a private surveyor from 1876 to 1878, at which time he entered the employ of the engineering department of the Southern Pacific Railroad, serving as a rod man on a surveying gang until 1881. In 1881 he took the position of deputy county surveyor in Tehama County, working at that position until 1883. He was elected to the position of County Surveyor in 1886, running without opposition; he continued to be re-elected and served in that capacity until 1891 when he retired to private practice. In 1894 he was again elected and continued to serve well into the first decade of the 20th century. Besides bridge design, he was responsible for laying out many subdivisions, designed the city sewer system of Red Bluff, and laid out the town of Corning. His date of death was September 27, 1941.
“Mr. Luning was born on Rio Street July 3, 1857, and lived on Rio Street, Red Bluff, all his 84 years. He was the third white male born in Red Bluff. He married Frances Isabel Baxter January 10, 1884.
“He was appointed Deputy Surveyor of Tehama County by H. B. Shackelford in 1881. In that year, F. J. Nugent and Luning laid out the Maywood Colony, Corning, and made the first survey for the Southern Pacific extension from Willows to Tehama. (In 1876 or 77 he had already surveyed Riceville with H. B. Shackelford.) During 1884 he worked with Will S. Green of Colusa surveying the Central Irrigation Canal and ran levels for it. He surveyed subdivisions in 1894 in Bend for Herbert Kraft, later in Gerber for Ed. Gerber, and in Los Molinos for Smith Crowder, and planned many of the subdivisions in Red Bluff and Tehama County.
“The following excerpts from his letter of resignation to the Tehama County Supervisors in 1934 explain more of his work:
“Surveyed nearly all County roads in Tehama County except subdivisions. Constructed nearly all steel and concrete bridges in Tehama County, including the Tehama bridge in 1911, Woodson bridge in 1921, and Bend bridge in 1932, all across the Sacramento River.
“Compiled 2 copyrighted maps of Tehama County, 1903 and 1926.
“Appointed by Governor Budd as a delegate to the Good Roads Convention in St. Louis, Missouri, in November 1898. The delegates’ list included John Bidwell of Chico.
“Was a delegate and Trustee to Inland Waterways.
“The following information is taken from his own files.
“Champion Mill, now known as ‘Lyonsville.’
“The Champion Mill was erected in 1876. The Old Belle Mill was the first mill erected which was about two miles northwest of the Champion Mill. The first lumber that was cut at Belle Mill was hauled to Red Bluff in wagons. The Yellow Jacket Mill is about three miles in a direct line southeast of the Champion Mill. The Sierra Lumber Co. built a railroad from the Champion to the Yellow Jacket Mill. A V flume was constructed from Lyonsville via the Belle Mill and Hogsback. It entered the valley at the foot of the hill, and continued along the foot of the hill to Sesma which was where Los Molinos now stands. They erected a large factory and had a large lumber yard there. Later they changed this flume from Mud Springs and constructed the flume down Salt Creek Canyon via the Chipman Ranch to the east end of the Sacramento River bridge where the company had a very large lumber yard.
“There was not enough water to float the lumber in the V flume properly so they employed me to make a survey from the south fork of Battle Creek, for the purpose of bringing this water to their flume with a ditch. I made this survey in August, 1900. I started at the creek about where the state highway now crosses it, and my grade line entered the Summit where the Battle Creek Road, at that time, started on a down grade from the Summit. The company built this ditch and flume and brought the water to their V flume.
“The name, Champion Mill, was changed to Lyonsville. I think it was to honor D. B. Lyon, who was superintendent of the entire holdings. J. C. Turner was the Superintendent of the sawmills and logging. The Lumber Company had a store at Lyonsville and supplied their employees and also families in the vicinity.”
Jean Barton has been writing her column in the Daily News since the early 1990s. She can be reached by e-mail at jbarton2013@gmail.com.
