Trinity County Biographies

Theodore Roosevelt �Pop� Shannon

Submitted by BClayShannon@aol.com, � Jan. 2006

This file is part of the California Genealogy & History Archives
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cagha/index.htm


My parents are William Frederick Shannon and Gertrude Shannon. My father was 
born in 4 Corners Ontario Canada in 1877 (1) and came to Tulare Co. about 1890. 
He owned a team and wagon and drove from Tulare to Hydesville in 1898 (2). My 
mother was born at Carlotta, California in 1883 (3). Her parents were Mr. & Mrs. 
Kenneth Bailey (4). Her father was a drinking man and her father and mother 
separated when she was a small girl. Her grandparents raised her. Her 
grandparents were Eli Eaton, they were early settlers in Humboldt County.

Father worked making shingle bolts for Beckwith, what is now the Mantecin ranch 
just west of the Van Duzen River grange hall. Father and mother were married at 
the Twohig ranch Carlotta in Dec. 1900.

Theodore R. Shannon their first child was born at the Felt place at Carlotta 
Jan. 1902. Father was a small man, not too healthy. The work was hard making 
shingle bolts. He met Arnett Shields who told him about homestead land in 
Trinity County in March, 1902. He went out on horseback to look at the land, 
there was two foot of snow on the ground. The place he first looked at was 
government land, it had too much young brush on it. So he settled on the land 
what now is the New Hoaglin School. The land my father first looked at was taken 
up in later years by Abe Clover.

My father went back to Humboldt Co., bought six pigs, a dozen dairy calves to 
bring out. At the same time my mother and I went out in April 1902 by wagon. The 
first house the folks had was just a lean-to cabin, had no siding on it for 
awhile. My father had to go back to Hydesville after groceries. My mother and 
myself was left at the homestead. At this time I was only three months old. He 
was out of money, no credit in Trinity Co. So that is why he had to go to 
Hydesville for groceries. It took a week to make the round trip.

Arnett Shields and my father were good friends by this time so Arnett told him 
about the George Kindred place, a better location, lots of water, so he moved 
over on Kindred place in April, 1902. Filed homestead rights, got his deed after 
living on this place 17 years my father sold it to John and Annie Holten in Nov. 
1919 (5).

My brothers were born in the old homestead, Kenneth, Howard, Robert and George, 
also my sisters Deborah May and Marian Adele. Deborah was bitten by a 
rattlesnake July 1, 1911 while bringing water to my father and myself in the 
hayfield. She died the next day and was buried July 4, 1911 (6).

Our neighbors were Fred Crabtree about 2 � miles east of the ranch. Holtorf in 
Hoaglin Valley they had the post office, Also a man by the name of Espie. Mr. 
Espie was coming into his place, was very cold, got a little ways from the 
place, was found frozen to death by a pine tree, what is known now the Garcia 
Mill on Ted Shannon place.

Wade and Grace Atkinson and their mother lived about two miles due west from us. 
About two miles down the family by the name of Rutledge. If we wanted to visit 
any of the neighbors we usually walked. 

My father carried mail from Hoaglin to Caution for eight years. There was a 
cable crossing the main Northfork branch of Eel River, near Bob Hoaglin ranch. 
When the river was too high father tied the horse and walked the four miles to 
Caution and carried the mail on his back.

I bought the old homestead from father in 1932 since then I have purchased 520 
additional acres. They are Espie, Clover, Klem places.

I married Esther Nelson in 1929 (7). We have five children, William F. Shannon 
just out of the army, Laura who is married to Russel Gibney, Theodore R. Shannon 
Jr., working for the Union Lumber Co., Ft. Bragg, Gertrude who is working as a 
bookkeeper at the Community Hospital in Ft. Bragg. Carleton is still in school.

I went to school where the old school now stands. The old burned but built 
another in the same place. Mrs. Derring was my first teacher, Miss Lillian White 
was my second teacher. I don�t remember about the voting. I do remember once my 
father coming home with a black eye from voting.

My folks left the ranch in 1919 to go to Tulare where my father rented his 
brothers fruit orchard for 8 years, in that time three more children were born, 
Eda, Gary, and Calvin. Moved from there to a ranch at Orland where they now 
live. Both of them are in good health.

[authors' note: Another account (from "Hoaglin Highlights" by Darotha Hall) 
mentioned Mr. Espie's death also: �Mr. Espey�s (8) place lay north of the 
Hoaglin school a short way. He was quite crippled and he lost his life in Bluff 
Creek Canyon, attempting to hike to Zenia. The snow was very heavy. I attended 
the old Hoaglin school. The log building stood on the exact site of the present 
school house (in the valley). That was in 1906 and 1907, prior to the time I 
moved into the valley�Mr. Algy Lampley and I attended school together with a 
hermit thrush, in Hoaglin, the Mariposa Tulips on Long Ridge, the Diogenese 
Lanterns on Hamen Ridge. Such things flourished there in 1910.�]

(1)Other records indicate 1876
(2)This is a distance of almost 500 miles.
(3)Actually, she was born in Topeka, Kansas, either 1882, 1883, or 1884 
(accounts differ, but Gertie herself, who should know, said 1883).
(4)This is the only place where his name is given as Kenneth; elsewhere he is 
called Clarence.
(5)He probably meant "Holtorf", not "Holten."
(6)This differs from his mother's account, which states that Debra was bitten 
July 2nd and died July 3rd (and was buried July 4th).
(7)Actually 1931.
(8)Note the different spelling.
 
By: Ted Shannon, Hoaglin Valley (Written c. 1955 / 1956)