Clay Baker born in Ono January 24, 1876, was named for his mother, Sidnie Marshall Apperson who came to California in 1854 at the age of five. His father, Almareane Baker was a Confederate Army veteran who came to Ono from Kentucky. His parents met and were married in Ono Almareane was a schoo1 teacher, constructlon superintendent of a mining canal and proprietor of a general store in Ono; in 1902 he was appointed Superintendent of the Shasta County Hospital.

Except for three brief periods, Clay lived all his life in Shasta County. When Clay was eleven, Almareane took the family to live in Sisson (Mount Shasta) where he ran a livery stable and served as a guide for mountain climbers. Before he was married, Clay worked on a ranch in Yolo County and, with his brother, Arthur Baker and Ray Powers, he ran a lumber mill in Trinity County.

Clay left school at thirteen after completing the highest grade then avaliable in Shasta County; an avid reader, he continued his self-education the rest of his life. His first job was as a clerk in a general store. In addition to his ranching and saw mill experience, he tried his hand at road building on a county road west of Watson Gulch to what is called Ditch Grade.

When he was twenty-one, Clay married Celesta Leona Miller of Ono. The couple had two children:

1. Gladys Ilene (Dare) b. 1898 at Ono d. 1943
2. Edith Lowe (Sholes) b. 1900 at Harrison Gulch d. 1974

After two years in Ono, the couple moved to Harrison Gu1ch where Clay earned $1.50 per day at the Midas Mine. At this time Clay bought an Edison Phonograph wlth an attachment for making records. Clay and his friends had fun with this, but he also charged admission to concerts about once a month.

Source: Shasta Historical Society