Albion River Campground
Welcome to
Exploring the Albion River
Rivers along the Northern California coast
were the focal points for lumber mill construction.
Rivers transported the logs to the mill. Water and oxen were the only
method available for delivering the cut logs to the mill. When close
by logs were dumped in the river wherever possible, rafted together by
grades and floated down stream. Once at the mill, they could be funneled
into mill ponds for sawing. Albion
flats became a mill site in 1852. It appears manpower was the first method
used to saw the logs into marketable size. It
was a slow, low yield process. With the development of steam powered
saws, harvesting of the redwood began in ernest.
When the trees were all harvested
near the coast, lumbermen proceeded up the river. Oxen were used to drag
the logs to the water. Only three to four miles of
rivers were usually deep enough for this purpose even with tidal water. As
logging moved farther and farther from the river, steam engines entered the
woods. Albion Lumber Company operated trains between the woods and Brett's
Landing, the last of Albion's deep river water.
By 1904, several lumber mills were
operating deeper in the forest and needed transportation to markets. Several
mill owners contracted with Albion Lumber Company to complete construction
of the railroad from their mills to the wharf at Albion
Flat. There were eventually 28 miles of mainline track ending near Christine
Winery on hwy 128. Albion
Lumber Company then not only operated a lumber mill, they also operated
a shipping business with their commercial railroad and a steam ship company.
Few signs exist today of the
lumber camps, a school, ALCO cattle ranch, ship building, and villages
of Happy Valley and Pleasant Valley. What is still on the river is at least
interesting to discover. As you paddle your way along the river's course,
enjoy the beauty and solitude that exists today. If you are of a mind,
let your imagination picture what it must have like up until 1928 when
the noise of trains, saws, and steam donkeys died out. The
map below and photos, which replace this narative, will help you find some
of the more obvious artifacts and sights. More photographs of the sawmill
days are available in albums at the campground office.
To see photos click on a site name to the left.