Shasta SHP State Historic Park
Six miles west of Redding
travelers will discover an incredible surprise--a row of brick buildings
clearly showing the weathering and a lifetime of better days. They stand as reminders
of time passing, and as motorists look at the road sign that announces Shasta City,
they'll want to stop and look around. Open during the daylight hours most
days, tourists will discover that this is indeed a place to check out.
There's a "bakery", a "jail", and a museum that houses a collection of
photos, books and items from an era gone by, dating back to the late 1800's
and early 1900's.
Shasta was once
known as the
lusty "Queen City" of California’s northern mining district. These ruins and some of the nearby roads, cottages, and
cemeteries are all silent but eloquent vestiges of the intense activity that
was centered here during the California gold rush.
Iron shutters still swing on massive, old, iron hinges before the doors and
windows of grass-filled, roofless buildings that once were crowded with
merchandise, and alive with the human sounds of business, trade, and social
endeavor.
The County Courthouse is restored to its 1861 appearance, the year when it
was converted from commercial uses to become the Shasta County Courthouse.
Today the building is filled with historical exhibits, and an unparalleled
collection of historic California Artwork that make it the central figure of
Shasta State Historic Park.
The park is six miles west of downtown Redding. Highway 299 passes through
the town’s main street.
There's so much to see and do when
visiting Redding. There are lakes, dams, houseboating, caves, hiking,
beautiful drives and many museums, in addition to the Sundial Bridge. But
one of our favorite visits and road stops was to this California State
Historic Park. It's hard to put a finger on why it feels so special, but it
has a soul, and holds many spirits of the past with its very existence. Some
historic spots feel like they've been removed of their true character and
the era in which they were established. Shasta is authentic and though it is
small, we highly recommend you drive outside the city to see the complex. Or
better yet, take a pleasant drive from Redding to the California coastal
destination of Eureka.
It's one of the most beautiful, inspiring
trips through dark roads lined with towering redwoods that filter the light
of the sun as it barely reaches the ground.
