Today in History: from the Redding Record Searchlight July 1900 11th George Simmons was in Redding from French Gulch to consult with Frank Scammons in regard to plans for a schoolhouse in the French Gulch District. 12th a group of so-called "conscienceless scoundrels," who were recently run out of Oakland, were said to be heading to the Redding area to embark on a blackmailing scheme. A similar scheme had brought shame and indignation to numerous women and girls in Oakland and many dollars to the blackmailers. 13th it was reported that Redding might get a place in the Northern Racing Circuit in the coming fall. The chance was attributed to the decisions of Willows and Marysville to not hold the weeklong races in their cities that season. 14th it was reported, the Shasta County Board of Supervisors decided to buy Judge Bell's Redding lots to be used for the site of the new country high school. 15th word reached Redding from northern Shasta County that a toll road was to be built connecting Trinity Center with the Southern Pacific Railroad at a city called Elmore, located in the Sacramento River Canyon south of Lakehead. 16th the lead headline in the Searchlight read, "Town of Dunsmuir Burning." The story reported that the fire started in the home of Pendergast and rapidly swept toward the town's business center, consuming eight buildings. 17th a wooden bridge just being finished across Spring Creek on the road from Keswick Station to Keswick collapsed. The contractors said the cost of raising the structure again would not be more than $100. 18th the members of the Redding Fire Department took the step of providing each hose house with a map of the city. The maps showed locations of all hydrants in an effort to improve the fire fighting system. 19th two men from Michigan were in Redding looking into the mining and timber belts in the western part of Shasta County. They were also looking into the practicality of running a railroad to the coast through Beegum Pass in the southwestern part of the county. 20th surveyors were working in the streets of Anderson laying lines for the extension of the Terry Railroad line to the South Pacific Depot there. Janie my Shasta Site http://famos.freeyellow.com/cemetery.html my card http://www.rosescafe.net/cards/friend13.html