Crane Creek Lumber Company
Encyclopedia
The Crane Creek Lumber Company (CCLC) was a standard gauge logging railroad that operated from a junction with the Nevada-California-Oregon Railway
(NCO) at Willow Creek, California
, running southeast for 16.5 miles into the Modoc National Forest
.
The track was constructed in 1928 and was abandoned in 1930. The track was removed in 1934.
The Crane Creek Lumber Company was the first major lumber company to operate in the Modoc National Forest. Its business was located at the mouth of the Crane Creek Canyon
. In the 1920s the company moved to Lawson Creek and built the railroad spur in 1928. The spur was built as the result of Crane Creek's successful bid to the National Forest Service, in 1926, for 194 million board feet of timber in the Modoc National Forest's Fandango Logging Unit. Ponderosa Pine
was a primary species that was logged. The company built a planing mill
and box factory at Willow Creek near the NCO. In the 1930s a fire destroyed the Lawson Creek operations of the company.
The railroad used an oil fueled Shay Locomotive that hauled two flatcars of lumber. The Shay, Numbered #1 (Shay Serial Number 2733) was built by Shay in 1913 at Funkley, MN for the Crookston Lumber Company. The CCLC bought the locomotive in 1928. The locomotive was sold again in 1947.
Nevada-California-Oregon Railway
The Nevada–California–Oregon Railway was a narrow gauge railroad originally planned to connect Reno, Nevada to the Columbia River. However, only of track were laid so service never extended beyond Lakeview, Oregon...
(NCO) at Willow Creek, California
Willow Creek, California
Willow Creek is a census-designated place in Humboldt County, California, United States. The population was 1,710 at the 2010 census, down from 1,743 at the 2000 census....
, running southeast for 16.5 miles into the Modoc National Forest
Modoc National Forest
Modoc National Forest is a national forest in northeastern California, covering parts of Modoc , Lassen , and Siskiyou counties. Most of the forest was covered by an immense lava flow millions of years ago. The eastern part of the forest east of Alturas contains a spur of the Cascade Range to...
.
The track was constructed in 1928 and was abandoned in 1930. The track was removed in 1934.
The Crane Creek Lumber Company was the first major lumber company to operate in the Modoc National Forest. Its business was located at the mouth of the Crane Creek Canyon
Crane Creek (California)
Crane Creek is a stream in Sonoma County, California, USA which rises in the northern Sonoma Mountains. This watercourse flows through Crane Canyon and the Crane Creek Regional Park situated on the northwestern flank of Sonoma Mountain...
. In the 1920s the company moved to Lawson Creek and built the railroad spur in 1928. The spur was built as the result of Crane Creek's successful bid to the National Forest Service, in 1926, for 194 million board feet of timber in the Modoc National Forest's Fandango Logging Unit. Ponderosa Pine
Ponderosa Pine
Pinus ponderosa, commonly known as the Ponderosa Pine, Bull Pine, Blackjack Pine, or Western Yellow Pine, is a widespread and variable pine native to western North America. It was first described by David Douglas in 1826, from eastern Washington near present-day Spokane...
was a primary species that was logged. The company built a planing mill
Planing mill
A planing mill is a facility that takes cut and seasoned boards from a sawmill and turns them into finished dimensional lumber. Machines used in the mill include the planer and matcher, the molding machines, and varieties of saws...
and box factory at Willow Creek near the NCO. In the 1930s a fire destroyed the Lawson Creek operations of the company.
The railroad used an oil fueled Shay Locomotive that hauled two flatcars of lumber. The Shay, Numbered #1 (Shay Serial Number 2733) was built by Shay in 1913 at Funkley, MN for the Crookston Lumber Company. The CCLC bought the locomotive in 1928. The locomotive was sold again in 1947.