Butte County
Biographies
HIRAM J. CRENSHAW
HIRAM J. CRENSHAW.—Faithful to his trust, first as toll keeper, then as
ferryman, and now as bridge tender for Butte County on the bridge that spans
the Sacramento River at Hamilton City, Hiram J. Crenshaw has become
well known to the traveling public since 1900, when he became an employe (sic) of the county. Mr. Crenshaw was born in
Atchison County, Mo., October 25, 1860. His father, also named
Hiram J., was born in Virginia and reared in Kentucky; and in 1855 he
moved to Missouri, where he farmed until his death, in 1883. His wife, formerly
Elizabeth Harmon, died in 1862, leaving two children, William, a rancher in
Chico Vecino, and Hiram J.
Hiram J. Crenshaw, the youngest child of
the family, was educated in the public schools of Missouri, and remained at
home on the farm, giving what assistance he could to lighten the burden for his
father until the latter passed away. After the father’s death, Hiram J.
operated the farm for two years, and then decided to come to California on
account of his health. Accordingly, having disposed of his interests in
Missouri, in 1887, he came to California and direct to Butte County, and at
once secured work on a ranch on Clear Creek. In 1891 he returned East to claim the young lady who had plighted her troth
before he left home. After their marriage, he moved out to Oregon, but a year
later came to Chico, and for six years was employed by E. T. Reynolds
as a ranch hand. During the years he was working in the country,
Mr. Crenshaw proved his worth as a citizen; and in the year 1898 he was
appointed by the Chico Bridge Company as toll keeper of the bridge across the
Sacramento River at Hamilton City. Originally the old, or first, bridge was
built by Butte County, aided by a subscription from what was then Colusa
County, for a free bridge. Later the center span was washed out; and when this
had been repaired, the bridge was operated as a toll bridge. Five years later
Mr. Crenshaw became tender, holding the place for five years, when the bridge
was burned. Then Butte and Glenn Counties built the ferry at the old Chico
Landing, and Mr. Crenshaw was appointed as ferryman. When the ferry was moved
to the present bridge site, Mr. Crenshaw still retained his position; and when,
in 1910, the new bridge was completed, at a cost of three hundred thousand dollars,
Mr. Crenshaw was placed in charge. He had charge of the moving of all the
buildings, and improving the place for his residence. He sunk a well and
installed an electric motor and water system for sprinkling the bridge and
approaches, and for fire protection, for irrigating his garden, and for
domestic use. Glenn County displaced Mr. Crenshaw, and installed a man on the
Glenn County end, whereupon Butte County placed Mr. Crenshaw on the Butte
County end; each county now has a man in charge. The draw span of the bridge
rests on two hundred five piles, two-foot centers filled with rock and gravel,
with a concrete top; piling is driven eight feet around the piers, and the
center is filled with rock and gravel, making an island center for the bridge,
with a dolphin built above for the protection of the span. The bridge has a
perfect electric swing, and is one of the finest that spans the river.
In Atchison County, Mo., Hiram J. Crenshaw
married Miss Laura Hurst, a native of that state, and they have had four
children born to them: Orville, agent for the Union Ice Company at Colusa;
Fern, a graduate nurse, and superintendent of Merritt Hospital in Oakland; and
Opal and Gerald, at home. Mr. Crenshaw is a member of the Fraternal
Brotherhood, and of the Foresters of America. He has demonstrated his thrift by
the purchase of a forty-acre tract on Kennedy Avenue, near Chico, ten acres of
which he set to prunes and peaches. Obliging, courteous, and faithful in the
performance of his duties, Mr. Crenshaw has made many friends.
Transcribed by Marie Hassard
19 August 2009.
Source:
"History of Butte County, Cal.," by George C. Mansfield, Pages 1240-1241, Historic Record Co, Los
Angeles, CA, 1918.
© 2009 Marie Hassard.
Golden Nugget Library's
Butte County Biographies