The "Y-D" ~ The Yreka Drug Store

Photo: Copyright, Claudia A. East


At the corner of Miner Street and Broadway sits the IOOF building, and for many years the Yreka Drug Store (Or, Y-D as it was lovinglycalled) operated at the street level of this building. Today it houses the Yreka Chamber of Commerce and the Tasty-Q luncheonette.

The Yreka Drug store used to have the full quintessential 1930-40ish fountain where businesspeople, kids, teens, and families would frequent to purchase that great sandwich, special ice cream treat, or fountain drink! Today only a portion of the old fountain remains much to the great sadness of many, but the memories of past days are very much alive!

It was in January, 1935 that the Siskiyou News announced that Merle Wood, the former manager of the Golden Eagle Drug store, would open a new store in the IOOF building, The Yreka Drug. The building was "completely" remodeled and modernized both inside and out with a "modernistic" (1935) front replacing the old simple brick front. It is not clear how many times this building may have been remodeled or updated prior to 1935, as it was originally built in 1859. However, in 1935 the contractor for the job was a William Potter and he concentrated on the main portion of the ground floor. New show windows were installed to permit better display of goods and a new entrance replaced the previous pillars on the Miner Street portion of the building. The new store carried all the "latest merchandise" and stocked drug sundries, toilet articles, stationery and prescription goods.

In the news articles from 1935 the "fountain" area was not discussed, so when the actual fountain was installed and began it is not yet clear to this author, but both as a child and adult I certainly remember having lunch at the counter or stopping by for a coke while shopping.

If you are a visitor to our fair town, be sure and stop in and visit the Chamber of Commerce and the Tasty-Q, you can get a tiny glimpse of what life in town was like from the 1940s and 50s by just walking into this building!

Copyright: Claudia A. East, 2009