At over thirty miles from the nearest town, Hambone is a quiet place. This area first saw rails in 1920 when the McCloud River Lumber Co. began logging here. The McCloud River Railroad took over the line in 1930. Hambone, originally a logging camp known as Pondosa, was officially the connection between the McCloud and Great Northern's line to Lookout. Traffic on the line remained relatively healthy through the 1970s, when outside forces began killing the region's timber industry. The line struggled on until 2003, when the last revenue freight made the long journey to Lookout. All that remains of the once busy site, is the section house and a narrow strip of the McCloud's famous red cinder ballast winding through the pines.
