In 1907 in Shasta County, the first electric arc furnace in the western hemisphere was used for the direct production of iron from local magnetite (Fe3O4), charcoal, limestone, and hydroelectric power. It operated at the town of Heroult, California, which was named in honor of the furnace's inventor, Paul Heroult of France, who assisted in the installation. The town site at the Pitt and McCloud rivers was later submerged by rising waters behind Shasta Dam in 1945.