Richard Forest Hathaway was born April 21, 1890 on the family ranch on Oak Run
Creek about ten miles from Millville. His parents were John William and Vera Volumnia Hunt Hathaway. He was their second son. Richard was known to family and friends as Dick.

Dick attended Wilkinson School on Oak Run road. This was about two miles from the Hathaway home. It seems that Dick liked to dip the girls' hair in the ink wells, which got him into serious trouble at school. Dick was left handed, but the teacher taught him to write with his right hand, so he could write equally well with either hand.

Dick grew up on the family ranch with his brothers and sisters. Everyone in the family had to work hard to keep the ranch operating after their father John William was accidentally killed. The family never really knew exactly what happened, but his gun may have discharged as he was picking it up from where he had leaned it against the rail fence.

As Dick grew older he and his brothers Ray and Ed ran the ranch, raising cattle. In the spring they would drive the cattle up to Fenders Ferry and swim them across the Pit River to the summer pasture. They continued doing this until the summer of 1926 or 1927. At that time they rented range from the Red River Lumber Company, located on Hatchet Mountain, west of Burney. They drove the cattle from the home ranch to the Eldridge ranch the first day. The next day they stopped at the Bidwell ranch and the third day on to Hatchet Mountain to spend the summer. Dick and Ed and his family stayed in an old log cabin built on big timbers. The cabin had big cracks in the floor and the windows had wood shutters. When the shutters were removed the windows were open to the the elements. (The mosquitos were very bad).

Dick never married, and he lived with Ed and Elsie and their family in the Hathaway house. He was very close to his nieces and nephews and very patient with them. When they were in the mountains for the summer they had to ride to check the cattle and put salt out for them. Elsie was afraid to stay by herself so she always went with the men. When Harryette was real small Elsie would put her on a pillow in front of her saddle. When Harryette was about three she would ride with Dick; she would stand behind his saddle and he would put one arm around her and they
would drive the cows. Sometimes he would have to run the horse and Harryette's dress would blowout behind her as the rode along. Dick sometimes took Harryette to the dentist as he had more patience with her than her mother. Dick was a kind, gentle man, but he did like to tease. When someone was sleeping, he would wet a string, drag it across their face to wake them up.

Dick and Ed continued to ranch together until Dick's death January 28, 1957. Dick is buried in the Masonic Cemetery in Millville.

Source: Shasta Historical Society - August 2001