On May 6, 2001 a monument was placed atop Oroville Dam in commemoration of the 34 men who died on the dam and in related projects. The monument cost about $5,000.00 to complete and had been a labor of love for many. Thanks to Stu Shaner of Oroville and a lot of others. Their dedication and efforts have made sure that all who died in the construction of the dam will not be forgotten. For many years after September 11, 2001, access to the monument became difficult. It sits atop the spillway area of the dam and, due to increased security, you could not park there. So you had to walk quite a distance from either end of the dam, or have someone drop you off, to visit the monument. The Oroville Dam spillway crisis in February 2017 brought many improvements to the dam. They also included the fact that parking is now available and anyone can now park and visit all of the monuments near the top of the spillway. All of them are well worth your time to visit.

The Memorial Plaque atop Oroville Dam. The monument to all of those who helped build the dam is the Oroville Dam itself. Without everyone's great efforts this 770 foot high colossus that has been such a great asset in flood control and in providing water and power would not exist. It has probably saved millions of dollars in flood damage and, most probably, many lives. The dam is 6,920 feet wide and comprises 80 million cubic yards of rock fill. A two lane highway could be constructed around the earth with the volume of the dam. The Oroville Dam at high water level with the spillway in operation. 5. THANKS SECTION WITH ADDITIONAL PHOTOS, E-MAILS AND DIRECTIONS TO THE TUNNEL THANKS FOR THE E-MAILS!! I want to thank Lorenda Hensley and Ryan Berryman, both of Gridley, California for their e-mails in March 2006. They are the daughter and grandson, respectively, of Paul Callahan. They had very nice things to say about this web site. I understand that they have forwarded this site to various other relatives for their review. I am very glad to know that this site serves as an appreciated monument to those who passed away in this incident. March 11, 2009: "Thank you so much for putting this together! What amazing history lies all around us! We have lived in Magalia for 30 years & never heard about this train wreck! Thank you for all your hard work in the pictures as well as the information. If History class was this exciting when I was in school, I would have been such a better student!! I sent this web site to everyone in my email address & some have already responded that they loved your website as well! It's in my Favorites & I look forward to learning more! I really appreciate it!" Thank you!! Dixie Helberg, Magalia, CA March 20, 2009: "What a great web site. Very well done and extremely informative." Thanks, Rich Reed, Chico, CA March 6, 2010: "Simply wonderfully done! My brother-in-law Don Ekman worked on the computer aspect of the dam in 1967. He and my sister honey-mooned at the dam! So this excellent web site and all of the information is especially interesting to me. I have lived in Paradise, CA for 30 years and feel a kinship to the Oroville Dam. Thank you for the wonderul job done here for all of us to read!" Pati Jean Diridoni, Paradise, California March 25, 2010: "Thank you for the excellent website on the Oroville Dam Accident. George Boates was married to my Grandmother Rachel and was a wonderful man. I remember him most for his beautiful smile and gentle, loving personality. His death was a great loss." Carol Archdeacon December 30, 2010: "Thank you so much for putting this information together. I am Darlene Woolard Smith, the granddaughter of Fred Woolard. My father LaVaughn Woolard went out to the scene to identify my grandpa. I was told about his death but this information really helps me understand how he died. I will save this and pass it on to my children. Thank you so much!" Darlene Woolard Smith, Joplin , MO April 4, 2011 "Most of my childhood was in Oroville until I moved away to join the Navy in 1980. My sisters and brothers with their children still live there and I make it back every once in awhile. My father and stepfather worked on the Dam from beginning to end. The train wreck you write about I remember it. Although I was only 5 years of age I remember the great fire from the wreck. Being that age I dont remember much about it but I do remember we drove up across from the wreck and the saw it. Thank you for the wonderful website and the information." Joe Hill, Norfolk, VA July 13, 2011 "My daughter and I hiked the tunnel today. Great weather, cool and comfortable. Neither of us was disappointed. We have hiked the Biz Johnson trail and thought this was every bit as fun. We saw some hawks and geese, picked blackberries for a snack and just had a nice relaxed time. I'm sending you a picture of us at the tunnel entrance. We chose to use headlamps to increase the "spooky factor" of the tunnel. I'm still looking over your other sites and have been sharing them with the family. Everyone is enjoying them. I'm sure glad I stumbled on to your pages. By the way, I'm a fellow "69er". I graduated from Alameda High School in 1969. Thanks again for everything and take care." Patrick Goodeill, Chico, CA July 22, 2011 "I was either 6 or 7 years old when this accident happened. My dad was a supervisor for Bigge and I frequently rode with him in his Bigge blue El Camino pickup to the jobsites as the dam was being built. Bigge was a heavy haul company and set all the heavy equipment in place at the bottom of the dam as it was being built. He had access that not many people had. Dad knew someone who was in charge of the railroad operation and he and I got a ride on the train from the quarry all the way up to the dam for the dump and back. I can still remember the blast of cool air as we entered the tunnel. When this accident happened, we drove on a road that was across the other side of the feather river and we could see the hopper cars all mangled up and strewn about. I believe it was the next day after the accident. I am not certain whether or not Bigge helped with the cleanup and removal of the cars and engines. We left Oroville in 69 after the project was finished and Bigge moved us to San Leandro. Thanks again." Jan Zanutto, Fresno CA August 12, 2011 "I just wanted to say thanks for sharing the great photos and story of the train collision, as a third generation "Orovillian" I have a lot of family history that revolves around Oroville and the construction of the Oroville Dam. My maternal grandfather "Herman Victor Bonham" was one of the men killed during the construction of the dam in 1961. He also attended Oroville HS and was a member of the Block "O" club who put the "O" up on Table Mountain. My paternal grandfather "Herbert Willis Brewton Sr." was a miner and was one of the men who did the recovery, cleanup, and repair of the tunnel after those trains collided and is in one of those pictures, he also worked on the construction of the spillway, and he and my father worked on the construction of the fish hatchery, and my uncle on the canals of the diversion pool. I have been to the old train tunnel numerous times since I was a teenager and am now 40 years old and have taken my son there telling him about the train wreck, and now have the pictures to share with him thanks to your website. Thanks." David Brewton, Oroville, CA January 19, 2012 "Thank you so much for your site about the Oroville train wreck. I found it while I was trying to add stopovers to my road trip from San Mateo to Weaverville. I was not familiar with Oroville, the dam, or the train wreck, but your writing was so intriguing that I felt compelled to pay a visit. This Monday I followed your instructions and took Lakeland Blvd towards the end where a gate is located. From the gate I was able to follow the BF trail to the tunnel. My kids (8 and 5) and I all enjoyed the short hike to and through the tunnel. I am genuinely fascinated by towns, buildings, and sites that have a story to tell. For the past year and half, I have visited over a dozen of ghost towns and old mining towns in northern California. It's not the ghost factor, but the history, i.e., the then-and-now, that I find most interesting. The tunnel trip made me realize that there is still a lot more to explore. Thanks again!" Shannon Kwei, San Mateo, CA ADDITIONAL PHOTOS Oro Dam Train #8010. The Morning After - October 8, 1965. "Clean up" photo from October 9, 1965 courtesy of Charlie Jensen. "Clean up" photo from October 9, 1965 courtesy of Charlie Jensen. "Clean up" photo from October 9, 1965 courtesy of Charlie Jensen. "Clean up" photo from October 9, 1965 courtesy of Charlie Jensen. "Clean up" photo from October 9, 1965 courtesy of Charlie Jensen. SPECIAL THANKS I want to thank Stu Shaner for the use of his archives in the construction of this web page. I also want to thank Robert Morris for the use of his beautiful color train photographs. Check out Robert's web page link below! I want to thank John Mistler for publishing an article I wrote based upon this web site on March 3, 2004 in the TERRITORIAL DISPATCH, Marysville, California. On March 30th, 2006 the Oroville Mercury Register newspaper produced a special supplement to the paper called "OUR TOWN - 100 YEARS OF OROVILLE". Fortunately for me, and thanks to the editors of the paper and reporter Bridget Bowers, I was able to participate in the honoring of the 100th Anniversary of Oroville, a town I still hold near and dear to my heart. Bridget produced an article for the supplement based upon this web site. It turned out very well. It was factual and quoted this site and even me! Thanks to all involved for your efforts! Thanks go out to Sean Carnahan of Reno, Nevada. In June 07 he provided me with more detailed information and photos regarding the wreck. Some things I didn't even know existed! Thanks Sean! Thanks also to Ken Anderson, who in February 2009 sent me the highest quality photos of the train wreck that I have ever seen. They are included in this site. His father worked on Oroville Dam. Thanks to Charlie Jensen and his wife Judy of Oroville who I spent several fascinating hours with on 3-13-10 going over this accident and a lot of Oroville history. Charlie was there that night right after the accident and helped with the clean up for two days. He worked on construction of Oroville Dam and the Thermalito Diversion Canal from 1965 through 1967. He also contributed photos that were taken of the recovery and clean up. Additional thanks go to my friend, and big "Oroville History Fanatic", Rick Kellogg for analyzing every intricate detail of this web site and keeping me accurate! The below photo was taken on August 1, 2011 in front of Francisco's Restaurant. Rick is showing off his Yamaha Tmax. #8010 in November 1965 DIRECTIONS TO THE TUNNEL Recently I have received several e-mails from readers who wanted directions to the tunnel. Here they are: From downtown Oroville, head east on Montgomery Street (It turns into Orange Avenue). Turn left on Long Bar Road. Turn left on Colina Way. Turn Left on Pinemont St. Turn Right on Lausen St. Turn left on Lakeland Blvd. Go to end of paved road. A few feet past the paved road you will see a dirt road on the right. Hike around the gate and go down the hill (you can either hike or bike). When you get to the railroad bridge veer right and just follow the shoreline. You can't miss it. Additionally, there are several "Trailhead" signs to follow that may be of assistance to you. THIS IS A "LARRY" WEB SITE. Please check out my other web sites at: LARRY'S WEB SITES Also check out: And: ROBERT MORRIS RAILROAD PHOTOGRAPHY If you have comments about this web page, please E-Mail Larry Matthews at: writerlarry@hotmail.com

This web site was established January 22, 2002. This web site was last updated on December 2, 2019.