Talk:Modoc Plateau
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Long Bell State Game Refuge takes it's name from the Long Bell Logging Company. Rather then using trucks, they used steam railroads which they built in these woods in order to haul the logs out. In fact the much of the boundary of the Game Refuge follows the route of part of their former mainline. Although the old railroad beds have been largely converted into forest roads, if you look carefully, you can still find spots where former spur tracks branched off from them. It was along those spur tracks that the actual logging was done. Once the trees were cut, the logs were quickly pulled by steam driven cables to trackside. After being loaded onto the logging cars, the cut logs eventually arrived in the town of Weed, CA where Long Bell had their lumber and plywood mills. During the mid 1950's when they discontinued their local railroad logging operations, they ripped up the rails and tore down their roundhouse in Long Bells local headquarters or company town of Tennant. Most of the town is pretty much as it was then...and the large company store, now in private hands, is being reopened.