The Whitmore Library was founded in 1956. Shelley Daniels Knapp tells the story of the first Whitmore Library:

Mama (Madge Daniels) thought it was a crying shame that she had to go clear to Redding to get a book. Not only that, you could only have them for two weeks. She became very good friends with Esther Mardon, who was the librarian.

Esther was quite a wheel in Redding. She went on to work with the State of California in their head library. My mother talked Esther into a library. Esther said, ";If you can get a building, we'll provide the books for you. But, you'll have to drive to Redding to pick up the books and drive back."

At that time, all or most of the mill buildings were still at Miller's Mill. Shasta Box owned the property. There was this little building at Shasta Box, I think it might have been the timekeeper's building. It was not much bigger than the outhouse. Mom went to Shasta Box, and yes, she could have the building. Mom said she could get enough money to buy it, but Shasta Box said no, you can have the building. The problem was, how to get from Miller's down to the [Whitmore] Store.

My mother went to the County and said that my dad was willing to use his equipment to skid it down [Ponderosa Road]. It was about five miles. The County said no, you cannot skid it down on our roads. You'd tear up our good county roads. Some of the people who were backing Mother in getting a library talked it over.

In the dark of night, I remember walking down behind the shack with people with brooms sweeping out the tracks. That building showed up the next morning down in Whitmore. On December 8, 1956, the library was ready for shelves and books.

Return to the home page