Dorris, California - U.S.A. - People-Named Places on Waymarking.com

The City of Dorris, incorporated in 1908, was founded when the Railroad entered the Valley. Several buildings and businesses were moved four miles east from the former town of Picard to form the original makings of present day Dorris. The move was made by placing round logs under the buildings and them pulling them the distance with horses and mules. Today, Highway 97 transverses through central Dorris. You can conveniently stop at the Chamber kiosk (adjacent to City Hall), view the tallest flagpole in America and pick up useful information about Butte Valley’s abundant recreational opportunities and local businesses.

THE PERSON:
A porcelain tile that is part of the Dorris' centennial Mural within Veterans Park reads:

Presley Dorris
1822-1901
Pioneer
Rancher

There is also a website I found that highlights Presley Dorris and reads:

From an undated newspaper article: "Presley Dorris was a friend of the Applegates and Jim Fairchild. With Fairchild and others, he tried to get Captain Jack and his followers to return to the Klamath Reservation and be peaceable...Pres was a jovial, pleasant companion and a good entertainer on the road. He loved the songs of the '49ers and sang them lustily. He loved a story and nothing pleased him more than to entertain his credulous nephews and nieces with tall tale. One of his favorites was: He was horseback riding through the forest, feeling tired. He alit from his horse to take a nap and threw the reins of the bridle over the limb of a tree. When he awoke, he went to get his horse and found he had thrown the reins over the arm of a bear which was standing nearby. Return to Modoc -- After his disposal of the D Ranch in Siskiyou County, Pres returned to the Dorris Ranch in Modoc County where he spent his remaining days with his brother, Carlos, who was in poor health. Both were tenderly cared for in their last days by their sister-in-law, Rachel, and her sons, William J. and Presley S., who had charge of the Modoc County ranch. Presley and Carlos passed their last days in peace and quiet. They could be found sitting quietly on the front porch of Rachel's old house. The Dorrises were a clannish family and the life history of Pres follows a lot like the history of his family. They shared with him the dangers and sorrows of crossing the plains. Only an indomitable will and spirit of dare and do made it bearable to endure the hardships of the plains. Pres and family were only one of many intrepid souls who dared the unknown terrors of the wilderness and met, with brave hearts and unflinching courage, the months of weariness, the snows, the rains, the floods, the winds and cold, the desert sands, Indians, the thirst for water, broken wagon wheels, the dying oxen, ranging rivers that had no crossings, impassable mountain ranges, endless miles, sickness and death. Of such was the kaleidoscope of Pres' life. Perhaps of this were the thoughts of Pres and his pioneer brother as they sat on the homestead porch in warm sun as the sands of life ran low. Presley died in 1901; Carlos, six years later in 1907. The brothers never married. They are buried in the Alturas cemetery in the family plot with their mother, brother Columbus, Rachel and other relatives."

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The posted coordinates place you right in the heart of Dorris, within the Veterans Park and next to Dorris City Hall and underneath the tallest flagpole west of the Mississippi!

I located mention of Presley Dorris from a Siskiyou Historical Society story and mentions him as losing his 'D' Ranch from foreclosure after the harsh winter of 1889-90. Story link here.

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