Originally known as Chalk Ford because of the chalky nature of the ground. The solid ground at this location on the Pitt River made it the easiest place, in the mid 1860s, for travelers to cross the river. In May 1873, Theodore Pleisch claimed 160 acres and built a cabin there. In 1874, development began slowly and the town’s first two houses were built by Anton & William Gerig. In 1876, Max Posner opened the Josephenson General Store, that town’s first store. In 1877, Nathan Bieber (1858-1922) arrived there to manage the Josephson General Store, owned by his uncle, Max Posner. Bieber had a natural talent as a merchant and made the store a success. Lafayette S. Barnes, editor of the Adin Hawkeye dubbed Bieber the “young prince merchant.” On November 17, 1877, Bieber purchased Pleisch’s property, where the town had slowly developed, for $600. The town continued to grow and on May 6, 1881, its first newspaper, the Mountain Tribune, made its debut—an effort to elevate the area from a mere frontier settlement to that of a town. However, the 1880 census tallied only 43 residents. In 1884, the town plat of Bieber was surveyed and recorded. In 1932, a revised townsite had been made to conform to the actual layout of the streets and houses versus that of the 1884 survey.

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In 1898, Albert Ross sold his well known Long Valley Ranch to Henry Butters Constantia named. Henry Butters for $15,480.   Ross sold the property at a loss. In 1884, he constructed a 17-room mansion there at a cost of $14,000, that many referred to as the White House.*

Butters, then, was the president of the Northern Electric Railroad. It was Butters who christened the place Constantia, named for a city in South Africa noted for its vineyards. Butters transformed the ranch into a small village—complete with a general store, Wells Fargo Office, dwellings for the employees and he had a Catholic Church constructed, St. Mary’s Chapel.[1]

*One of the Ross descendants is none other than famed astronaut Buzz Aldrin.

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This time around the posts for this month should appear as scheduled, since I do not have as many challenges getting around as I did in September and October.

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