Shasta State Historic Park - California
The site of the town is now a California State Historic Park called Shasta State Historic Park, containing many of the original 19th century brick buildings, partially restored. Shasta is now a town with the ruins of the gold mining town, a post office, a church, an elementary school, the oldest Masonic lodge in California, and a store.
maps Keswick - Trails Map Map of the East Keswick Trail System (on-Motorized) south of Shasta Lake in California. Published by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).
Swasey Mule Mountain - Recreation Map Recreation Map of Swasey Mule Mountain Recreation Area (RA) in the BLM Redding Field Office area. Published by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).
Nobles Emigrant Trail - Trail Map Map of the Nobles Emigrant Trail section, part of the California National Historic Trail (NHT), located outside of Susanville, California. Published by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).
Whiskeytown - Visitor Map Official Visitor Map of Whiskeytown National Recreation Area (NRA) in California. Published by the National Park Service (NPS).
https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=456
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shasta,_California
The site of the town is now a California State Historic Park called Shasta State Historic Park, containing many of the original 19th century brick buildings, partially restored. Shasta is now a town with the ruins of the gold mining town, a post office, a church, an elementary school, the oldest Masonic lodge in California, and a store.
Our Mission
Shasta
State Historic Park
The mission of California State Parks is
to provide for the health, inspiration and
education of the people of California by helping
to preserve the state’s extraordinary biological
diversity, protecting its most valued natural and
cultural resources, and creating opportunities
for high-quality outdoor recreation.
At the hub of
wagon travel, in 1849
this gold mining area
became Reading Springs,
the commercial center
of northern California.
California State Parks supports equal access.
Prior to arrival, visitors with disabilities who
need assistance should contact the park at
(530) 243-8194. If you need this publication in an
alternate format, contact interp@parks.ca.gov.
CALIFORNIA STATE PARKS
P.O. Box 942896
Sacramento, CA 94296-0001
For information call: (800) 777-0369
(916) 653-6995, outside the U.S.
711, TTY relay service
www.parks.ca.gov
State Novarese
Historic Park
ParkShasta
Name 14/15
Bd 90%
Highway 299,Address
6 miles12/15
west of Redding
P.O.City,
BoxCA
2430
(Mail)
#####
Shasta, CA
96087
• (530) 243-8194
(###)
###-####
© 2002 California State Parks (Rev. 2017)
The town was renamed
Shasta in 1850.
T
he “Queen City of the Northern Mines,”
Shasta State Historic Park was once the
picturesque gold mining town of Shasta.
In its heyday, the town was the center of
commerce and social activity for northern
California. To walk the cemeteries, sites, and
ruins is to look back in time at the daily lives
of the merchants, families, and miners who
once lived and worked here.
Shasta is located in the foothills of the
Klamath Range, six miles west of Redding
on Highway 299. Summer and fall can
be dry and hot, reaching 100 degrees.
Though snowfall is not uncommon, winter
temperatures generally range from 30 to 50
degrees. Spring is usually cool and rainy.
SHASTA
In 1848, after a
visit to the site of
James Marshall’s
gold discovery
at Coloma,
Major Pierson
B. Reading
found gold
in nearby
Clear Creek.
The world
caught gold
Pierson B. Reading
fever as word of
the strikes spread. Besides the attraction of
gold, the area was rich in natural resources.
By 1849 the community of tents and leantos was named Reading Springs. At the
hub of wagon travel, the area became the
commercial center of northern California.
Temporary residences gave way to houses,
stores, hotels, barbershops, and saloons. The
busy town was renamed Shasta in 1850, and
by 1852 more than $2.5 million in gold had
passed through the town.
In December 1852, fire destroyed much of
the town. The residents quickly rebuilt, but
six months later another fire destroyed all 70
businesses on Main Street. Wary merchants
rebuilt with fireproof brick walls and iron
shutters. Shasta then had the longest row of
brick buildings north of San Francisco.
Gold claims were depleted by the late
1860s. Shasta’s gradual decline was hastened
when its lucrative stagecoach and freight
business moved away. The new Central
Pacific Railroad bypassed Shasta, placing
its terminal in nearby Redding. Merchants
abandoned or relocated their businesses,
and in 1888, after three decades at Shasta,
the county seat moved to Redding. Shasta’s
vacant buildings quickly fell into disrepair.
PRESERVATION AND RESTORATION
Several groups and individuals recognized
the significant
historical value of
the town’s “boom
to bust” story and
decided to preserve
the community. The
care and concern of
the Native Sons of
the Golden West,
the Shasta Historical
Society, and Mae
Helene Bacon Boggs
Town of Shasta, ca. 1880
sparked a movement in the 1920s to save and
restore the remaining buildings. Ms. Boggs
had moved from Missouri to Shasta as a child
to be cared for by her uncle, Williamson
Lyncoya Smith. Considering Shasta her
hometown, she led the movement by
purchasing land and structures and donating
her valuable and extensive art collection.
The California State Parks Commission
acquired additional properties in 1937, and
in 1950 the Courthouse Museum opened.
Courthouse Museum
Interior of Litsch Store
SHASTA TODAY
Stroll among the sites of Shasta, and let your
imagination reflect on this once-bustling
town. Today’s ruins were businesses that
served the area’s townspeople. Walking trails
pass by the 1920s and 1930s schoolhouses,
the brewery, and spring houses once used
as natural refrigerators. Many of the trees
planted by Shasta’s pioneers continue to
bear nuts and fruit. Tour the Pioneer Union
Cemetery and the Catholic Cemetery,
or enjoy a picnic under the trees. Inside
the Pioneer Barn, a restored stagecoach
invites your attention, and mining and farm
equipment are on display. Grounds and
trails are open between sunrise and sunset.
Blacksmith shop
THE COURTHOUSE MUSEUM
The Courthouse, dating from 1855, has been
restored to its 1861 appearance. It houses
the visitor center and the museum, as
well as the gathered works of outstanding
California artists. The collection, consisting
of 98 paintings by 71 artists from many
ethnic backgrounds, was donated by
Nuestra Misión
Parque Estatal Histórico
Shasta
La misión de California State Parks es proporcionar
apoyo para la salud, la inspiración y la educación
de los ciudadanos de California al ayudar a
preservar la extraordinaria diversidad biológica
del estado, proteger sus más valiosos recursos
naturales y culturales, y crear oportunidades para
la recreación al aire libre de alta calidad.
Como centro de viaje
en vagón, en 1849 esta
área de minería de oro
se convirtió en Reading
Springs, el centro
California State Parks apoya la igualdad de
acceso. Antes de llegar, los visitantes con
discapacidades que necesiten asistencia
deben comunicarse con el parque llamando
al (530) 243-8194. Si necesita esta publicación
en un formato alternativo, comuníquese con
interp@parks.ca.gov.
CALIFORNIA STATE PARKS
P.O. Box 942896
Sacramento, CA 94296-0001
Para obtener más información, llame al:
(800) 777-0369 o (916) 653-6995, fuera de los
EE. UU. o 711, servicio de teléfono de texto.
www.parks.ca.gov
State Novarese
Historic Park
ParkShasta
Name 14/15
Bd 90%
Highway 299,Address
6 miles12/15
west of Redding
P.O.City,
BoxCA
2430
(Mail)
#####
Shasta, CA
96087
• (530) 243-8194
(###)
###-####
© 2002 California State Parks (Rev. 2017)
comercial del norte de
California. El pueblo se
renombró Shasta en 1850.
L
a “Ciudad reina de las minas del norte”,
parque histórico estatal Shasta alguna
vez fue el pintoresco pueblo de minería
de oro de Shasta. En su apogeo, el pueblo
fue el centro de comercio y actividad social
del norte de California. Caminar por los
cementerios, lugares y ruinas es viajar al
pasado, a las vidas diarias de comerciantes,
familias y mineros que vivieron allí alguna
vez y que allí trabajaron.
Shasta está ubicada en las laderas del
Klamath Range, seis millas al oeste de
Redding en la autopista 299. El verano y
el otoño pueden ser calientes y secos, y
alcanzar los 100 grados. Aunque la nevada
no es algo extraño, las temperaturas en
invierno generalmente
van de 30 a 50 grados.
La primavera
usualmente es
fresca y lluviosa.
SHASTA
En 1848, luego
de la visita
de James
Marshall al
sitio, quien
descubrió
el oro en
Pierson B. Reading
Coloma,
el comandante Pierson B. Reading encontró
oro en el muy cercano Clear Creek. El
mundo contrajo la fiebre del oro cuando se
corrió la voz. Además de la atracción del oro,
el área era rica en recursos naturales. Para
1849, la comunidad de tiendas y cobertizos
se llamó Reading Springs. Como centro de
viaje en vagón, el área se convirtió en el
centro comercial del norte de California. Las
residencias temporales dieron pie a casas,
tiendas, hoteles, barberías y tabernas. El
pueblo concurrido se renombró Shasta en
1850, y para 1852, más de 2.5 millones de
dólares en oro habían pasado por la ciudad.
En diciembre de 1852, un incendio
destruyó la mayor parte de la ciudad. Los
residentes la reconstruyeron rápidamente,
pero seis meses después otro incendio
destruyó los 70 negocios de la Calle
Principal. Los comerciantes precavidos
reconstruyeron con ladrillos a prueba de
fuego y puertas de hierro. Shasta luego tuvo
la fila de edificios de ladrillos más larga al
norte de San Francisco.
Las concesiones de oro se agotaron a
finales de la década de los años sesenta del
siglo XIX. El descenso gradual de Shasta se
apresuró cuando su diligencia lucrativa y el
negocio de transporte se mudaron. El nuevo
ferrocarril Central Pacific rodeaba Shasta,
con su terminal cerca de Redding. Los
comerciantes abandonaron o reubicaron sus
negocios y en 1888, luego de tres décadas
en Shasta, el centro administrativo se mudó
a Redding. Los edificios vacíos de Shasta
rápidamente cayeron en el abandono.
PRESERVACIÓN Y RESTAURACIÓN
Muchos grupos e individuos reconocieron
el valor histórico significativo de la historia
de “auge y caída” del pueblo y decidieron
Pueblo de Shasta, ca. 1880
preservar la comunidad. El cuidado y
preocupación de los Hijos Nativos del
Dorado Oeste (Native Sons of the Golden
West), la Sociedad Histórica de Shasta
(Shasta Historical Society) y Mae Helene
Bacon Boggs iniciaron un movimiento en
1920 para salvar y restaurar los edificios
que quedaban. La señora Boggs se había
mudado de Missouri a Shasta de niña para
que la cuidara su tío, Williamson Lyncoya
Smith. Ya que consideraba Shasta como su
hogar, lideró el movimiento al comprar la
tierra y las estructuras y donó su valiosa y
amplia colección de arte. La Comisión de
Parques Estatales de California (California
State Parks Commission) adquirió
propiedades adicionales en 1937, y en
1950 abrió el Museo del Palacio de Justicia
(Courthouse Museum).
Museo del Palacio de Justicia
SHASTA, HOY EN DÍA
Pasee por los lugares significativos de
Shasta y deje que su imaginación reflexione
sobre este pueblo que una vez estuvo a
reventar. Las ruinas que están hoy fueron
negocios que sirvieron a las personas
del pueblo. Los senderos pasan por las
escuelas de los años veinte y treinta del
siglo XX, la cervecería y los nacimientos
de manantiales que se usaron al