Stern Wheeler "Plumas" found

[Buck Doft]

Hi,

The stern wheeler"Plumas" has been located. She was snagged in 1858 after a run to Tehama on the Upper Sacramento. She was small ship at about 50 tons. The location is east of Corning Ca. on the 1850 river channel in an area completely filled with ticks.

The Upper Sacramento claimed 2 early riverboats , the other being the "California". I have also found this boat in Butte County west of Chico Ca.

Does anyone know anything of "Plumas"?


Many thanks!
Dave Freeman

Artois Ca.

[David Dewey]

Dave,
I think Chico state's Meriam Library special collections has a photo of her. What's left of the Plumas??
S'
David Dewey
Oroville, CA

[Buck Doft]

I just looked in the Meriam Collection, but the oldest picture was only 1890. Do you have a better link?

The closest image I have found so far is a painting of the Sacramento docks done in 1855. There is a boat of the right size in the foreground.

The boat is just like the "California" , just a hole in the ground.

Dave

[David Dewey]

Hmm, I was in the library, but it was years ago, my memory could be bad!
Any word if any of the machinery was salvaged back in the day?

[Buck Doft]

Hi Dave

As of 1950 (ish) the smoke stack was visible.(The "California's" was visible until 1970).

The "California" has a square depression where the boiler would be, but the "Plumas" site is so infested with ticks to make a trip more appealing after it snows a foot or two.

Oddly, one of the pictures on the Meriem collection (on line) shows a riverboat, in 1890, at Squaw Hill on its last run, I thinks it is the "San Joaquin" . The "Plumas" shipwreck would be directly in the background in the "jungle".

Davef