Guilbert Building - Yreka, CA
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member NW_history_buff
N 41° 43.913 W 122° 38.210
10T E 530202 N 4620072
This historical marker is located in front of the Guilbert Building on the corner of W. Miner and 3rd Streets in historic downtown Yreka, CA mentions Yreka's great fire of 1871 which destroyed the previous building to this current structure.
Waymark Code: WMH4GM
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 05/21/2013
Published By:Groundspeak Regular Member ucdvicky
Views: 3

This historical marker hangs in front of the Guilbert Building on the corner of 3rd and W Miner Streets. There are numerous older buildings along Miner Street that contain historical markers that relate the history of each building, including a few mentioning Yreka's great fire of 1871. This historic building's marker reads:

Guilbert Building

(Siskiyou County Bank Building)
216 W. Miner St.

The Italianate-style building was put up after the fire of 1871 burned an earlier 1850s structure. Rebuilt in brick, the rear was used as a soda factory while the front became an auction house and later a space for county fair exhibits. The building's banking tradition began in 1886 when the Siskiyou County Bank and Wells Fargo & Company Express Agency moved in. In 1899, a totally remodeled building with the addition of a second floor was evenetually leased for law offices which conducted business until 1968. The Miner Street level housed numerous banking operations until the last, Bank of America, vacated in 1955.

I located a nice article on the history of the Guilbert building here.

Yreka has a few websites devoted to preserving its rich history. Siskiyouhistory.org is a good place to start and breaks up the town's history into groups of years. Yrekapreservation.org contains some nice pictures of original homes and commercial buildings from yesteryear. Finally, Yrekahistory.blogspot.com is a good blog website which contains great stories and events of Yreka's past and all their articles have been archived.

Type of Structure: Private Building

Construction Date: 01/01/1872

Fire Date: 07/04/1871

Structure status: Plaque

Cause of Fire:
On July 4th, 1871, disaster struck — a fire burned down a good portion of the town, including most of the business district (the cause was most likely from fireworks). But the town came together and rebuilt, stronger (and more fire-proof) than before.


Documentation of the fire: [Web Link]

Other: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
Give a narrative of your experience. Did you learn anything after reading about the fire in the waymark? Photos are always welcome too. Please no virtual visits.
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