History Sign - Mt. Shasta VP - California
Posted by: 
Volcanoguy
N 41° 37.018 W 122° 12.093
10T E 566521 N 4607557
History sign at the Mt. Shasta Vista Point along U.S. Hwy. 97.
Waymark Code: WMFNWV
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 11/10/2012
Views: 3
One of a group of five Caltrans signs at the Mt. Shasta Vista Point on U.S. Hwy. 97. History sign with several segments about history in the area. Text of Sign:
Trails to Gold
The promise of instant riches is as powerful a lure today as it was back in the 1800’s. The Yreka Trail was opened in 1852, one year after gold was discovered in southern Oregon and Yreka, California. Scores of hopeful emigrants flocked to the trail hoping to strike it rich.
Heavy use of the Yreka Trail and its alternate route soon aggravated relations with the local native tribes. As a result of many killings on both sides, the military became involved and served as escorts to emigrants traveling through the area.
Today, the trail is peaceful, and as you travel beside the old trail on Highway 97, you will encounter the same view of Mount Shasta that emigrants witnessed 150 years ago.
Stagecoach Adventure
Beginning in the late 1850’s, stagecoaches carried both mail and passengers past Mount Shasta. This mode of travel peaked in the 1870’s until competition from the railroads brought the era to a close.
Fitz Hugh Ludlow, an American author, journalist, and explorer wrote about his party’s view of Mount Shasta in 1864.
“When we first saw the whole of it distinctly, it seemed to make no compromise with surrounding plains or ridges, but rose in naked majesty, alone and simple, from the grass of our valley to its own topmost iridescence.”
The Weed Hotel
Rising in the shadow of Mount Shasta, the Weed Hotel was built in 1903 by Abner Weed. Grass Lake was full of water at the time, and Weed (an ambitious logging company owner) was sure that tourists would want to come and stay awhile.
With a new railroad line to Grass Lake completed in 1906, the hotel did see success as a train depot and stage station for a number of years. A corral, haybarn, and eve a slaughterhouse were added to the grounds to supply local logging camps and aid in the needs of the remote facility.
Sadly, the hotel’s success was short-lived and eventually fell into disrepair from lack of use. Less than 40 years old, the hotel was demolished sometime around 1940.
Group that erected the marker: Caltrans & Forest Service
URL of a web site with more information about the history mentioned on the sign: [Web Link]
Address of where the marker is located. Approximate if necessary:
Mt. Shasta Vista Point
U.S. Hwy. 97California United States
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