G.C. Schroter, Saddle and Harness Shop - Shasta, CA
N 40° 35.937 W 122° 29.505
10T E 543002 N 4494362
This vintage ad hangs inside the historic Coyle-Foster barn and advertises a business that once existed inside the current Courthouse Museum, located nearby and part of the Shasta State Historical Park.
Waymark Code: WMP84R
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 07/17/2015
Views: 5
The Shasta State Historical Park is comprised of old buildings and ruins that made up the historical town of Shasta, once known as the 'Queen City of Northern California' and the county's seat until 1888 when nearby Redding erected a new courthouse and took over the county seat where it remains today. Shasta was a major hub for travelers and miners during California's Gold Rush years. But after the railroad came to Redding, six miles away, the town's population slowly moved to its larger neighbor of commerce and the city of Shasta declined and fell into ruin leading into the 1930s. The State Preservation body realized it needed to preserve this historic town and converted most of Main Street into a state park/monument.
Today, tourists can read many interpretive displays located in front of Southside Ruins and other buildings of historical nature. One of the structures located in this park is a historic barn named The Coyle-Foster barn. It was built in the 1850s, then moved to this site in 1959 when Lake Trinity (a man-made reservoir lake) was formed and the barn was at risk of being destroyed. Located inside the barn is a vintage ad that hangs near the barn doors and advertises the G.C. Schroter, Saddle and Harness Shop which once existed at the current County Museum nearby.
The County Museum building began as a private business house/merchandise store built by James Loag in 1855. It housed the county's first newspaper, The Courier, as well as the harness and saddle shop. The proprietor, G.C. Schroter, also had a saddle and harness shop in Redding. A book by Arcadia Publishing titled Old Shasta, contains this advertisement as well as a quick writeup on Schroter and reads:
Harnes maker Gunther Schroter soon made enough money in "boomtown Shasta" to send for his German sweetheart, Pauline Teuthorn. They were married in Shasta in 1859 and raised nine children here. Schroter owned harness shops in both Shasta and Redding, operated the Charter Oak Hotel (across the street and now destroyed) and was justice of the peace for eight years.
Shasta County bought this building in 1861 and converted it into a courthouse and jail which is served until 1888 when the county seat moved to Redding. The building has been preserved and renovated to revert it back to its 1860s look and feel, including the jail.
I was able to find two online articles that highlighted G.C. Schroter's Saddle and Harness Shop here and here. The Courthouse Museum was the ninth-oldest building to be built in Shasta County.