Tennant - Tennant, CA - E Clampus Vitus Historical Markers on Waymarking.com

Located in front of a former cafe/saloon building is an E Clampus Vitus historical marker. The marker reads:

TENNANT FOUNDED : 1921                      ELEV. 4808.5    NAMED AFTER JOHN D. TENNANT, AN OFFICIAL OF THE LONG - BELL LUMBER CO. BESIDES THE STORE THAT IS STILL HERE, THE TOWN HAD A CHURCH, POST OFFICE, LIBRARY, HOTEL, SKIDSHACKS, SCHOOLS, AND A ROUNDHOUSE. AT THE HEART OF LOGGING OPERATIONS, TRAINS WERE NEEDED TO MOVE 3.5 BILLION BOARD FEET OF LOGS TO THE WEED SAWMILL. DURING LOGGING OPERATIONS, THE TOWN HAD A POPULATION OF ABOUT 800 PEOPLE. THE LOGGING OPERATIONS ENDED IN THE 1950'S. DEDICATED BY HUMBUG CHAPTER 73 "E CLAMPUS VITUS" SEPT. 14, 1985

I located a PDF document here to a historical magazine titled the Jefferson Backroads and it highlights the history behind this marker and Montague and reads:

Under the temporal guidance of Tim Murphy, presiding Humbug of the E Clampus Vitus Humbug Chapter, the town of Tennant was commemorated with a historical monument in 1985 by ECV. Following the plaque dedication the Chapter held its Doin’s party on the Creek just outside the Tennant town site near Bray-Tennant Road. The town of Tennant was a logging camp established by the Long Bell Lumber Company of Weed, California. Long Bell Lumber Company was first established 1897 as the Weed Lumber Company by Abner Weed, town namesake.

In need of more and more raw logs, the search widened further away from Weed. To meet demand, Tenant was established in the 1920s. Named after Garver Tennant, a Long Bell Lumber Company manager, the town served Long Bell Lumber Company needs as a support base for far flung logging operations. Like most company owned towns, the houses and streets seemed to be identical and laid out in mostly symmetrical patterns. All the buildings and stores in the town were owned by the lumber company. The company provided the employment, housing, mercantile goods and social services. Most people lived in the homes the company built on company land. It was often said that “if you didn’t shop at the company store, they would fire you.”

The Weed area lumber industry peaked in the 1940s. By the 1950s logging operations and the town of Tennant’s prosperity came to an end.

In 1991 the plaque was revised and rededicated to correct errors in the wording. The plaque photo above still poses a spelling conflict with the town’s namesake. Garver Tennant is the correct spelling.

Now this is where it gets interesting: The current ECV marker notes the name of 'John D. Tennant'..... So what WAS his REAL name???

Rating:

Visit Instructions:
Please tell us about your visit. Did you happen upon this Marker or intentionally set out to find it? Are you familiar with ECV or are you a Clamper? Please share your experience so that other Waymarkers will be encouraged to visit this Waymark.

Please submit at least one original photo of the Marker. A picture of you and or your GPS with the Marker is suggested but not mandatory.

Recent Visits/Logs:

There are no logs for this waymark yet.