Masonic Hall Building

The Yreka Masonic Hall Building
304 West Miner Street, Yreka, CA


Photo Copyright: Claudia East

Situated at the center of the historic district on Miner Street in Yreka is the Masonic Hall Building. This building was built in 1926 and was funded by Masonic Orders who sold shares at $50 each to finance the project. The lower level was originally drafted to house three different businesses and the rental of those spaces helped to fund the Masonic Order. The second story, or top floor was reserved for Lodge activities. A plaque on the front of the building explains that early on the Denny Bar Company (first chain store in California) operated here along with the Electric Company owned by Ernest Millbourn and for awhile the Klamath National Forest offices. In the 1933 City Directory Churchill-McDonald Builders and Hardware was listed at 300-302 West Miner, their phone number was #9. In the 1980s Cooley & Pollard Hardware purchased the downstairs portion of the building from the Masonic order and has operated at this location since the 1930s.

Prior to this building being constructed as early as 1880 there was a brick building at this location that housed Engine & House No. 1 the Yreka Fire Department. Adjacent to the fire house was another building that was home to offices. The area that the current building sits upon was once known as the Wetzel lot and the Whiting Building in earlier times.

For those of you that have a copy of our book, Yreka, from Arcadia Publishing Image of America Series you will find photos of the building taken in the late 1920s on page 38. You will also find photos of the building that was located at this spot prior to this "new" Masonic Lodge being built in 1926 on page 116. Additional photos of the interior of the earlier lodge can also be found on pages 112 and 113.

Information for this post was obtained from Archie Noonan's 1976 manuscript Yreka's West Miner Street Buildings, Blocks 200 - 300, 1851 - 1900; from information published on the historic marker sign at the building; references to old City Directories as well as from personal knowledge.

Copyright: Claudia A. East, 2010

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

Hugo Miller Building 1880 ~ Improved Order of Red Men

The first building that stood at this spot located at 217 West Miner Street, Yreka, CA was first gutted by fire in 1862 and then completely destroyed in the "Great Fire" of 1871, it had served as a saloon. The Arcade Saloon has local folklore about Lotta Crabtree beginning her singing career here entertaining the miners. In 1880 Hugo Miller, a Hardware Merchant, built and operated a store here. Mr. Miller sold stoves, tin and hardware, mining and farming implements according to the 1885 Yreka Directory. The second story, history has told us, was specifically designed to be used as a lodge hall by the Improved Order of Red Men. Today this building is referred to both as The Hugo Miller Building and "Red Man Hall".


The Improved Order of Red Men is a fraternal organization that has its roots in our national history... beginning around1765 and decended from the Sons of Liberty ~ the "Indians" that carefully planned and executed the Boston Tea Party. The original members were patriots and worked "underground" to promote American freedom. The Red Men patterned their society to conform to the basic heirarchy of the Iroquois Confederacy and the democratic governing body the Iroquois enjoyed according to their current website. (Located at: http://www.redmen.org/ ) It is explained that "legally" the Improved Order of Red Men is a patriotic order actually chartered by Congress.


This wonderful building standing in our National Historic Commercial District was restored perhaps in the 1970's by a Mr. Del Hasselvander. The bricks were scraped and sanded to their original condition and the building was repaired and reinforced according to Noonan's book, Yreka's West Miner Street, self-published in 1976. It is mentioned that the stairway door viewed in the front of the building is original and has been preserved for all to enjoy.

Copyright: Claudia A. East, 2008

Witherill & Winckler Building abt. 1859

Standing at the southern corner of Miner and Oregon Streets is a wonderful brick building that you see in the photos. Originally the building had six arches across the brick front... the building has seen some changes during its life, but the general feel and appearance remain fairly true to its original design. In its service to the citizens of Yreka this building has hosted two different business suites nearly since the beginning!


Early in its life, the eastern half of the building was occupied by a tin shop according to Noonan's research publication of 1976, Yreka's West Miner Street Buildings, Blocks 200 - 300, 1851 - 1900. The west half of the building was known as the Winckler Building and the east half as the Witherill building. Adolph Winckler operated a grocery and general merchandise store here in the 1860s. In June of 1871 an advertisement appears in the Yreka Journal notifying that a "Brick Store is For Sale". The ad reads: "The large and centrally located brick store, on the south side of Miner Street, between Turnverein Hall and Winckler's store, will be sold at a bargain." [Referring to the Witherill building portion.] Another notice in the newspaper in 1877 speaks to the upgrading in the Witherill building and local builder E. Ranous was installing new shelves!


It was in 1883 the building became the location of the Yreka-Journal Weekly Newspaper. The older image above shows the Journal there when the image was taken around 1905. The newspaper served at this location until about 1915 when the Siskiyou News bought the building. The News utilized this space until 1941. Following that the building served many variety of businesses and even as a warehouse for a time.


Fortunately this building did not suffer much damage during the great 1871 fire that ravaged most of the business district, according to records the loss because of the fire was only $100.


The image with the Coca-Cola sign is a view of how the building appears today.
Copyright: Claudia East, 2008.

DeWitt and Peters Building 1897-98

Currently standing on the corner of Miner and North Oregon Streets, The DeWitt and Peters Building broke ground in the fall of 1897 and the building was completed in 1898 at a cost less than $7,000. Prior to this building being constructed a portion of the lot was vacant and the east half of the lot was occupied by the old Yreka Brewery owned by G. H. Peters. In the 1850s the original Yreka Bakery stood on the west half of this lot on Miner and Oregon Streets according to research conducted by Robert Noonan in 1976 in his publication Yreka's West Miner Street Buildings, Blocks 200 - 300, 1851 - 1900.

The Yreka Journal on September 24, 1897 ran an article on this "new" building designed by Architect, G. W. Cooper. They described the layout of the building to have two new stores on the bottom floor, and a large assembly hall (rented by the Knights of Pythias and other orders...) and offices on the second story. "Mr. DeWitt of the Bee Hive store will occupy the corner and Peters will rent the other portion of the building downstairs." The building was also described as having a large cement cellar to be built in connection with the original cellar once used by the Yreka Brewery on the back portion of the lot. It was also stressed that there would be sidewalk elevators for "lowering and raising goods when wanted." In addition, the paper pointed out that the upper story would likely not be finished until spring as the cold weather might damage the plastering.

The exterior of the building is from red sand stone taken from a quarry at Little Shasta, according to a news article from the Yreka Journal ~ it was the first time this stone was utilized for building purposes in the area. According to further Noonan research (see above) a Mr. Ed Armstrong was in charge of the masonry, and the roof was constructed by the Iunker Brothers.

Today this fine building still stands and is proudly owned by the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks as a lodge. The photo above shows the building as it was in about 1905. Today the lower portion of the building is covered with board and batten siding to conceal the large windows.

You might wish to look at the SketchupbyDawn Blog for the August 14, 2008 post, he has a nice 3-D drawing of the original building. You can link here or check out the Blogs I am watching on the side panel: http://sketchupbydawn.blogspot.com/

For those of you with our book, Yreka, Images of America by Arcadia Publishing you can find other images with this building in the photos on pages 35, 52,and 115.

Copyright: Claudia A. East, 2008.