Robbers Rock

Robber’s Rock

and the Last Stage Robbery in California

By Claudia East

            It was a warm afternoon on July 5, 1908, the three gentlemen passengers and one lady passenger jostled along in the Fort Jones bound stage.  The team of horses and the passengers had nearly made it to the top of the pass from Yreka.  Just as they were coming up on a sharp turn an armed masked man stopped the stage.  The driver, Fred ‘Cougar’ Vetterline thought about continuing on their way until the gunman cocked his gun and he saw the head and shoulders of another from behind the big rock with a six shooter pointed at his head.  According to old news accounts the bandit demanded the Wells, Fargo & Company strong box be thrown down. 

            After trying for a time the robber couldn't get the strong box open, so he asked the driver, Vetterline, if he could borrow his axe.  Apparently his response was, “sure, I’m not using it.”  The robber chopped the metal bound box open and removed an undisclosed amount of money and returned the damaged safe to the stage with all other documents and mail intact.  The robber did also lessen the load for the passengers and driver by taking their money and watches.  The driver, Vetterline, had $1.50 and after the robber took his money he told the thief he would need money to buy a drink in Ft. Jones once they got there, so the robber gave him back fifty cents.

            In the account of the robbery by the Yreka Journal one of the passengers gave an interview and explained “The bandit was a jolly fellow.  He joshed and talked with the passengers.  When he broke the driver’s axe he told him he was sorry and he would buy him a new one.”  The Journal went on to report that the robber was “a slender man of medium height and had a handkerchief over his face. The other robber was so concealed that no description of him could be given.”

            No one was ever arrested for this last stage hold up and there were no clues as to the identity of the robbers.  Following the incident there were all sorts of theories and ideas, even Black Bart was named at one point, even though his last robbery was 30 years earlier!  In the 1965 edition of The Siskiyou Pioneer one can find stories about this robbery and the theories that were presented by local historian and attorney at law, Fred Burton.

            Robber’s Rock can be located a short distance before the summit on Highway 3 between Yreka and Ft. Jones, just down on the Yreka side and towards the southern side of the road.  It isn't easily identifiable until one pulls off the shoulder of the road and looks.  The Humbug Chapter of E. Clampus Vitus has placed a plaque on the rock with a brief account of the robberies that were recorded at this spot. 

            This last robbery was not the cause of the namesake of this particular rock, there were others before, at least four documented robberies, but local lore claim there were many unrecorded hold ups there.   Today it doesn't look like much of a hiding place, but if one looks at the old road that goes down the hill from the rock and imagine what it took for a team of horses to pull that grade, and understand that road builders have filled in a lot of the grade and built road material around the foot of the rock, in addition to blasting off the top of the large boulder.

            Taking a drive up to Robber’s Rock is a pleasant drive and a visit to the rock and surrounding area can almost take one back to 1908.

*This article appeared in Jefferson Backroads, December 2012.  Copyright, Claudia East.

Livingston and Brothers Building c. 1854

Views from today and "yesterday" on the corner of Miner and Fourth Streets. (311 - 313 West Miner St.)



Pictured above is the building known historically as the Livingston and Brothers Building. Research by Robert Noonan in 1976 indicates that this building was erected in 1854 or 1855. He explains in his work (Yreka's West Miner Street Buildings Blocks 200 and 300 1851-1900) that this lot and building, according to the first recorded property deed, as belonging to a H. S. Westbrook and J. B. Pierce who sold the building to Livingston and Brothers in May of 1855 for the sum of $7,000. Several different owners came and went until 1865 when the Forest House Fruit and Cider store conducted business in one half of the building, sharing the space with the California/Oregon Stage Company.

Following the fruit and cider store a Mr. A. E. Raynes and Postmaster C. H. Pyle operated both a bookstore and the Post Office at this location during the years from 1866 to 1898. Around 1920 a dry goods store began business here that is still remembered, Pollock's store operated until about 1955, or 35 years in this building. In the older image above if you look carefully at the store in the corner you will see the name Pollock's boldly displayed on the front of the building above the striped awning. Following Pollock's Store a specialty shop called Tic Tok's Clock Shop operated here and then for a number of years the building was home to a fine stationery store at this corner location, Tyrer's Stationery and Books. Over the years there have been other business establishments located here and they have come and gone, but the ones listed are the ones who have made their mark and are recalled in our history.

On the side of this building in the back section a fine clock shop is currently in operation known today as "Dave's Clocks". It is perhaps interesting to note that in the 1950s the same back area was home to another clock shop known as the "Tick Tock Shop". I personally recall going by the window of the clock shop and looked at the intricate movements of the clocks displayed as a child, it is fun to once again walk by the same window and see similar displays.

In 2010 the main portion of the building along Miner Street was home to Edward Jones Investments.

Information on the history of this building has been ascertained from Robert Noonan's fine research (Yreka's West Miner Street Buildings Blocks 200 and 300 1851-1900), from information scribed on a plaque provided by the Siskiyou County Museum, and from personal memories.

Copyright 2010, Claudia A. East