Yreka's Agricultural Hall

The Agricultural Hall viewed here once sat at the southeast corner of Center and Fourth Streets. Today the area is used as a parking lot for Siskiyou County Title. The building was used for about 45-50 years and then torn down. It is estimated to have been built around 1910. Prior to this structure there was an earlier building used for the Agricultural Hall that was one block south on Fourth Street. It was actually the earlier jail that was once used and later the building housed the County Library for many years. Today the law offices of Newton and Newton occupy the space where the first Agricultural Hall operated.

The Agricultural Hall helped serve the large horticultural needs that Siskiyou County had and the commissioner would instruct new settlers about local growing practices and help provide them with the newest information on profitable methods of farming.

This was a very active building in Yreka and was used for many community activities. During the fair agricultural exhibits were set up in the hall and displayed for fair goers before there was a permanent fairgrounds. Many dances were held here and numerous news articles mentioned Agricultural Hall as the place they were held! The community hosted dinners and get togethers here, and even one of the ladies Library groups held several events when raising money for the Carnegie Library funds. In World War I a dinner and musical concert event was held here for the Siskiyou County draftees before they headed off to fight the war to end all wars.

The image is from a postcard that was mailed in 1913 to a woman in Oakland from Anna Gillis and in the correspondence she mentions the picture is of the Agricultural Hall and she said "it is great"! In 1915 Siskiyou County promoted this hall in its special publication that was given out at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco. Yreka was very proud of this building! It is sad to note that in its later years the building was simply used for storage by Montgomery Ward (Ward's was directly in front of Agricultural Hall) and then the once lively building that saw so many events and people within its walls became a parking lot.

If you have a copy of our book, Yreka Images of America series by Arcadia Publishing you can see a photo of the first hall as well as this one on page 87. There is also a photograph of the interior during a fair exhibition on page 120.

Copyright, Claudia A. East

Hudson B. Gillis Home ~ 1895

Pictured above is the Hudson B. Gillis Home built in 1895. The photo in the image above appeared in a magazine article dated May, 1897. This lovely victorian stands at the corner of North Oregon and Yama Streets in Yreka, California. The home has had some changes and updating throughout the years, but largely looks much the same today as in the photo, however mature trees and plants currently grace the yard. In this image the streets are not yet paved, but if you notice at the far right a power pole can be seen. By 1897 Yreka had electrical service and by 1898 telephone service!

Hudson B. Gillis was born in 1842 in New York State, but his family moved to Iowa in 1849 and Hudson was raised there. He attended the Iowa Wesleyan University of Mount Pleasant, Iowa and graduated from a study in Law in June of 1869. In the fall of that same year he came west to California. He continued his law studies in Sacramento and following moved to Yreka. While in Yreka he continued to study law under Judge E. Steele and was admitted to the Siskiyou Bar in 1871. It was in the fall of this same year he married Anna M. Reynolds in Yreka and established his home and his own successful law practice. In 1875 he became the District Attorney, and he was a active and dedicated Master Mason, holding the honor of Worthy Master. Gillis was active in political affairs as well as holding many local interests. Hudson B. Gillis died on 1 May, 1907.

As of this writing the "Gillis Mansion" is currently for sale, it has been operating as a Bed and Breakfast but other than that has been a private home since it was built. During mid-century the building was "updated" with asbestos shingle siding, a popular surface put on the exterior of buildings to provide additional insulation, some fireproofing, and the ability to provide years of service without additional painting. During the 1990s the owners lovingly removed the siding and restored the buildings exterior to its original beauty. The interior of the house has a great deal of its original charm, hosting a beautiful curved staircase at the foyer entrance to the home. The home boasts a total of 7,562 square feet of living space in three stories, with most of that being original footage.

You can learn a bit more about this wonderful Yreka home in our book, Yreka, Images of America Series from Arcadia Publishing. You will find it on page 56.
Copyright: Claudia A. East, 2008.