Old Town of Shasta

Old Town of Shasta is a California Historical Landmark in Shasta County.

Shasta County · Shasta State Historic Park · location approximate

Directions to the area ↗Start a road trip Historical trails

Founded in 1849 as Reading's Springs and named Shasta June 8, 1850, it was the second county seat for Shasta County, 1851-1888. It was the metropolis of northern California during the 1850's. Here the road ended and began the Oregon pack trail until 1861. Present home of the Western Star Lodge No. 2, F. & A.M., whose charter was brought across the plains in the Peter Lassen Party of 1848. In 1851, Dr. Benjamin Shurtleff, pioneer physician and Shasta's first and only alcalde, built his home. The entire business section of Shasta was destroyed by fire in 1853. The Shasta Courier was founded in 1852.

1971 register text, presented as a historical document. It uses the period's terms for Native people; the state's landmark listings still carry most of this wording, and the California Office of Historic Preservation maintains the program's current texts.

Many of these plaques have since been recast or their texts revised. The California Historical Landmarks program and its current texts are maintained by the California Office of Historic Preservation. California Office of Historic Preservation ↗

TodayHistorical map

Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.

David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries

Example

under a mile from where William Gabby lived in the 1760s

what this marker records spans 1777 to 1789, overlapping William Gabby's years here

From one family's 77-marker roster

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Marker data: State of California, Department of Parks and Recreation, California Historical Landmarks (1971)

More markers nearby

Father Rinaldi's Foundation of 1856under 1 mi
Pioneer Baby's Graveunder 1 mi
Whiskeytown6 mi
Reading's Bar7 mi

On the National Register nearby

Shasta State Historic Park260 ft

Places within about 300 feet of this marker that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. A nearby listing is not always the marker's own subject.