Whiskeytown Lake and Shasta State Historic Park

Saturday, June 10, 2017

Our trip from Auburn to Redding, CA on Thursday was uneventful with rain off and on all day.  We drove up three main highways (Highway 65, 70 and old historic 99) with some of the roads two lane and some four lane and divided with large blooming oleanders growing in the center between and traveling through numerous small towns and countryside filled with orchards.  Not sure of the kind of trees but from what we saw on signs, I guess we were seeing walnuts and almonds and some types of fruit trees.   Had not realized this area was so full of orchards. 

The Elks Lodge where we are staying here in Redding is a large facility with room for 20 RV’s.  A beautiful flower garden and trees front the Lodge.  Inside is a large dining room, bar and table area and outside a large BBQ area, covered patio and swimming pool.  We are told they have over 1400 members and that it is a very active lodge as evidenced by the people coming in during the day and evening for drinks and meals as well as using the pool.  The RV spaces are filled to capacity each night.  The property is very near the Sacramento River with a bike and walking path running along it.   The railroad track is also very near but runs on a high iron trestle and for the most part trains do not blow their horns as they pass since there are no railroad crossings here.  Yeah!  We do hear the rumble, though.

Saturday we drove west on Highway 299 to Whiskeytown Lake which is a national recreation area with a large lake with boating, fishing and swimming.  

 The temperature is cool (not above 72 degrees in town) and elevation in this area a bit higher so temperatures are lower.  There are a few boats on the water and a few people enjoying the beaches using paddle boats, but not in the water.  The Lake offers some camping for smaller RVs and tents as well but few people are camping as yet.  Temperatures are supposed to return to the low 90’s by the first of the week.  Ugh!  The cooler weather is so pleasant.

A small cemetery exists here as well.  Since the area had gold mining in the 1800’s, I assumed that the cemetery would have mostly old burials.  While it looked like an old cemetery with iron fencing, brickwork, and rocks around the headstones, most were from the mid part of the last century forward.  I did however find these three headstones from the same family dating to the late 1800’s.  The man apparently had two wives both of who died at very young ages (16 and 18).  Guess the marriages didn’t last long or they died in childbirth though there was no evidence of babies being buried here. 

Closer to town is the Shasta State Historic Park where we stop to take in the old buildings and museum. 

One of three reliefs found on a stone wall near Shasta

The Museum is in the old Courthouse where we find a gloomy and eerie jail in the basement with access to the outdoors from that level with an outdoor gallows.  

Basement room between the jail cells on either walls

Basement jail cell complete with convict talking to you from inside

Outside gallows where three men hanged.

There are many displays about the town in its hey days as well as artifacts, pictures and a court room display.

Beautiful Indian baskets

Room display in Courthouse

Along the highway are old brick buildings with information regarding what they were used for (In 1854 this was the longest row of buildings north of San Francisco.)

Back wall of one of the buildings

as well as a General Store set up as it would have been in the mid 1800’s when gold was discovered here.

The old Masonic Lodge building from the 1800’s is still in use today. 

This gate in the side of the mountain intrigued me.  Blocks of ice were brought down from the mountains to be used in this meat cold storage area located behind the butcher shop(now gone) in front.  

Rain held off with just sprinkles now and then but the old wind came up again tonight as last night reminding us of Albuquerque.