Scarlett Way Shasta Retreat Arch - Dunsmuir, CA
N 41° 13.717 W 122° 16.565
10T E 560671 N 4564388
This archway is located over Scarlett Way and just off the historic old Highway 99 (now Dunsmuir Ave.) in Dunsmuir, CA.
Waymark Code: WMJ4YB
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 09/24/2013
Views: 3
Although somewhat blending in with the vegetation and surroundings sits an archway over the entrance to Scarlett Way. The arch is made of rust-colored metal that spells out 'Scarlett Way' on top and 'Shasta Retreat' underneath. Driving down along Scarlett Way leads into a private subdivision of smaller homes and mobile homes that line Sacramento River. The arch contains a plaque on the west stone column that reads:
IN MEMORY
OF JAMES E SCARLETT
WHO OPENED THIS ROAD
A.D. 1920 |
It is apparent upon closer inspection that there were once different lights that sat on top of the arch columns. There are also some iron pieces that stick out of the columns that look to have once contained other ornamentation, maybe even connecting to a wrought-iron fence, perhaps.
I tried to do some online research for James Scarlett and all I could find was a blog site by Bill Paxson, a native of Sacramento, that has this to say:
Entrance to the Scarlett Way river access is via an arch highlighting "Shasta Retreat." The arch was built in 1926 by Alice Scarlett as a memorial to her husband, James. A truck knocked down the arch in 1943; the one there now is the rebuilt version.
In the early 1900s, Shasta Retreat was a popular vacation getaway featuring a resort hotel and private cabins. The place was popular enough to merit its own railroad station, now gone.
So, this arch is a replacement arch to the former one. In any case, this arch is a nice bit of history in this part of historic Dunsmuir and one of the many vestiges of an era long gone.