Life in Challenge Mills, Yuba County, California, 1875–1915, with emphasis on its people, homes, and businesses

Abstract

A shout of gold, the groan of oxen, the whoosh of lumber down a flume, the shriek of a locomotive whistle, the laughter of children, and the distress of unemployment— all portray the people and their activities in and around Challenge Mills, a small lumber-mill town in the foothills of the northern Sierra Nevada. This report is about the people of Challenge Mills and their way of life around the turn of the 20^th century. Native Americans and Chinese are included among its residents. All are inextricably linked to one dynamic individual, Andrew Martin Leach, whose strong business acumen, along with his lumber mills, 50-mile flume, and 6-mile railroad, were the mainstay of the town. Over 20 homes and businesses are listed, and many colorful stories are told about what they were, where they were located, and by whom they were inhabited. This report also denotes the species of trees and the topography of the Challenge Experimental Forest and suggests its value to long-term natural science research.

Citation

McDonald, Philip M.; Lahore, Lona F. 2013. Life in Challenge Mills, Yuba County, California, 1875–1915, with emphasis on its people, homes, and businesses. Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-239. Albany, CA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station. 55 p.