February 29, 1880
Stiles Marriage: Robert N. Stiles marries Julia Crain at Gridley
January 15, 1883
Initial Land Patents: First government patents issued in Section 10
- Frank D. Hudson: Receives patents for Lots 3, 4, 5, 8 (160 acres total)
- John Learmont: Receives patents for Lot 6, S½NE¼, NE¼NE¼ (200 acres total)
July 5, 1883
Arp Patent: Henry Arp receives government patent
- Henry Arp: Receives patent for Lot 7, S½SE¼, NE¼SE¼ (200 acres total)
June 3, 1887
Arfsten Patent: Cornelius A. Arfsten receives final government patent
- Cornelius A. Arfsten: Receives patent for NW¼NE¼, Lots 1, 2 (120 acres total)
July 2, 1887
Hudson Consolidation: Major property consolidation
- Newspaper reports: "Hudson purchased all Arp and Learmont properties"
- Hudson now controls approximately 560 acres in Section 10
- Only Arfsten's parcels (120 acres) and unpatented NW¼SE¼ (40 acres) remain outside Hudson's control
March 17, 1888
Union Lumber Transfer: Corporate consolidation
- Hudson transfers all Section 10 holdings to Union Lumber Co.
- Union Lumber Co. now controls most of Section 10 except Arfsten parcels
March 11, 1890
Stiles Patent - The Critical Problem: Landlocked parcel created
- Robert N. Stiles: Receives government patent for NW¼SE¼ (40 acres)
- LANDLOCKED: Property completely surrounded by Union Lumber and Learmont properties
- No legal access - property effectively worthless despite valid patent
- Bordered by: North (Learmont's S½NE¼), East (Arp's NE¼SE¼), South (Arp's S½SE¼), West (Learmont's Lot 6)
January 6, 1892
Hudson's Death: Original consolidator dies
- Frank D. Hudson dies, but Union Lumber Co. continues to hold his former properties
December 3, 1892
Corporate Transfer: Sisson involvement begins
- Sisson, Crocker & Co. sells land and Upton mill to Siskiyou Lumber & Mercantile Co. for $20,000
- W.W. Van Arsdale identified as "moving spirit" of Siskiyou Lumber & Mercantile Co.
March 23, 1893
Stiles' Death - The Mystery Begins: Landlocked property owner dies
- Robert N. Stiles dies (married to Julia, no known children)
- MYSTERY: What happens to his landlocked 40-acre parcel?
- Julia Stiles should have inherited, but no clear records exist
- Property remained worthless due to lack of access
October 12, 1895
Railroad Interest: Engineering involvement
- H. Cooley (railroad chief engineer) rumored to purchase interest in Sisson, Crocker & Co.
- Railroad development begins to take shape
April 18, 1896
Railroad Incorporation: Formal railroad company established
- McCloud River Railroad articles of incorporation filed
May 9, 1896
Railroad Construction Announcement: Sisson involvement confirmed
- Sisson, Crocker & Co. confirmed as building railroad from Upton to McCloud River
- Railroad route will pass through Section 10, including the disputed Stiles parcel area
1896
Railroad Construction: Extensive development through Section 10
- Surveying and route planning through Section 10
- Grading and earthwork preparation
- Labor disputes with Chinese workers
- Track laying operations
- Route curves through Hudson's former Lot 5, into Lot 3, then south through former Stiles property area
April 17, 1897
Railroad Land Acquisition: Railroad corridor development
- Railroad acquires land from Arfsten for corridor construction
- Edwin Stiles still owns the NW¼SE¼ property at this time
- Railroad route passes through the Stiles property area
- No acquisition of Stiles property by railroad at this time
1898
Edwin Stiles Property Sale - Key Discovery: Resolution to landlocked property mystery
- Edwin Stiles (son or brother of Robert N. Stiles) sells the NW¼SE¼ property to Henry Johnson
- This explains the gap in chain of title - property passed through Stiles family heir
- Henry Johnson likely affiliated with lumber interests
- Resolves mystery of how property transferred after Robert Stiles' death in 1893
February 12, 1898
Mill Operations: Industrial development
- Siskiyou Lumber & Mercantile Co. prepares to start big mill operations
- Railroad now operational through Section 10
December 14, 1911
Johnson to Wood-Sheldon Transfer - Mystery Resolved: Complete chain of title
- Henry Johnson sells NW¼SE¼ to Wood & Sheldon Lumber Co.
- This completes the chain: Robert Stiles (1890) → Edwin Stiles (1893) → Henry Johnson (1898) → Wood & Sheldon (1911)
- Resolves the mystery of how Wood & Sheldon acquired the former Stiles property
- Wood & Sheldon likely acquired other parcels through similar transactions
February 29, 1912
Rockfellow Purchase: Major land sale
- Wood & Sheldon Lumber Co. sells 454 acres to E.F. Rockfellow for $2,270
- Includes W½SE¼ (containing Stiles' original NW¼SE¼ parcel)
- Purchase price: approximately $5 per acre
- Consolidates most non-Arfsten properties under single ownership
March 28, 1912
Annie E Prout Purchase: Eastern subdivision
- E.F. Rockfellow and wife sell eastern portions to Annie E Prout
- Legal description: "e hf of e hf, w hf of se qr, sw qr of ne qr, s hf of nw qr"
- Total: 343 acres (approximately half of Rockfellow's February purchase)
- Includes former Stiles property as part of larger parcel
- Rockfellow retains western portions including Lots 5, 6, 7, 8
1990s
Modern Ownership: Current property development
- Current owner purchases small portion of former Stiles property
- Title insurance likely covers ancient defects
- Marketable title acts cure 100+ year old problems
2011
Railroad Abandonment: End of active operations
- Railroad operations cease
- 4-Rails Inc retains real estate ownership
- Rails remain in place but unused
Present Day
Current Status: Unresolved questions remain
- Railroad corridor owned by 4-Rails Inc (Forbis family corporation)
- Rails still in place but officially abandoned
- Eastern sections converted to trails
- Section through former Stiles property remains in limbo
- Key Question: Does railroad own land in fee simple or just easement?
- If easement only, underlying ownership could revert when abandoned
- Potential tax issues if railroad only pays state BOE taxes, not local property taxes