The Baldwin Block ~ Part II

This is an article that originally appeared in the February/March 1984 edition of the Yreka Echoes Newsletter.  The article was originally written by Hazel Fiock Ohlund.  Copyright by Yreka (Historic) Preservation.  Reprinted by permission. Please note some of the businesses are no longer at the locations mentioned.  [Part 1 can be found in the previous blog article.]

Below is Part 2 of the article:

            In 1904 the Walker-Avery Drug moved across the street from the Baldwin Block, and in 1905 was replaced by W. H. Smith’s General Merchandise Store which featured heavy clothing and hardware items.  (Mr. Smith had purchased Shone’s secondhand store on Main Street when he closed out in 1904.)  Mr. Smith carried, also, furniture, carpets, crockery, upholstery goods, picture frames, bicycles, groceries and meat.  During the year the store building was sold by the Julien family to Miles Buckner.

                In 1908 a barber shop was in operation here, followed by Mrs. McCormick who operated a needle-craft shop.  In 1913 the business was purchased by Mrs. Nettie (Davidson) McGill and Miss Hattie Davidson (aunts of Mrs. Gladys Zolskey of Yreka).  They expanded the business to include ladies clothing.  In 1937 Hattie Davidson became the sole owner of the business and building, operating it until 1950.  She lived in a three-room apartment upstairs in back of the store.  A fire damaged a part of the apartment and the back of the store, but she renovated and continued in business.

            When Miss Davidson bought the building in 1937, she had a partition built on the west side of the store, making a small ten-foot room that she rented to the Western Union, which was managed by Arthur Zolskey for thirty-two years.

            Wes and Ellen McMillan bought the building from Miss Davidson’s brother, William, on March 16, 1950 and opened a Westinghouse appliance sales and service store.  They too, lived in the apartment in the back and rented the smaller room to the west.  Homer Atchley, a realtor, had an office here until his death in 1973.   After the McMillan's retired they rented the store to Mrs. Ray Taylor who operated a health food store until 1965, when Ohlund’s Office Supply moved in after the Warren’s Building fire, where they were previously  renting.

            Ohlund’s established the office machine service department in the former apartment.  In 1973 Bob and Hazel Ohlund bought the building, lowered the ceiling, redecorated and removed the partition that separated Homer Atchley’s office, to allow for expansion and accommodate more office furniture, machines, and inventory.

The following is an “updated addendum” from 1984:

            Ohlund’s at 204-206 W. Miner Street is the largest and most complete office equipment and supply store in Northern California.  Prompt attention is given to the repair of office machines by their pleasant repairmen, Glen Goodwin, and his son, Glen, Jr.

            Ohlund’s has been in business for 24 years, having purchased a small office supply store from Albert Parrott at 112 South Broadway in 1960.  They moved across the street to the Warrens Building in 1962, and after the fire of 1966, settled in at 204 W. Miner Street.  Hazel and Bob’s son, Barry, became a partner in 1977.

            They have six permanent employees, and two more part-time.  Products are full lines of bond copiers, electronic typewriters, calculators, cash registers, office furniture, general office supplies, and a service   department trained in all modern phases of electronic technology.

Since the update in 1984 many changes have come and gone with the Baldwin Block.  Today, in 2015 one will find the Miner Street Meat Market, Ohlund's Office Supply, and Dinner's Ready.  

Henrietta Pashburg ~ Yreka Artist

Small dish hand painted by Henrietta Pashburg, circa 1910.

Photo copyright: Claudia A. East

Henrietta Pashburg was one of those "Victorian Ladies" that made her living painting. Hand painted china was a very popular item for many years. Henrietta was born in Yreka, California on June 25, 1876 to John and Mary (Fiock) Pashburg. She grew up in Yreka and her father made a living originally as a tobacco merchant and later offered more general merchandise. The store was on the corner of Miner Street and Fourth and is no longer standing. (You can read a post about this store and see an image here: Pashburg's Store

Henrietta graduated from the (then) quite new and wonderful Siskiyou County High School in 1896 according to records obtained from the Siskiyou County Museum. At the time of her graduation the school was only two years old. (You can read about the high school and see an image here: Siskiyou County High School. She lived in Yreka and participated in civic events was a member of the Stella Chapter # 39, Order of Eastern Star, Yreka. She even exhibited at the California State Fair in 1892 according to information on her artistic history. History indicates that she lived and worked in Yreka for a number of years before finally moving to San Francisco on a permanent basis sometime prior to 1922. While in Yreka Henrietta apparently had her own shop on Miner Street for some time but detailed information has not yet been found.

Times were likely exciting for a young woman at this time, women were actively promoting women's rights and suffrage and breaking out of more "traditional" roles. Henrietta (often going by Etta) was likely not the "typical" young Victorian woman. Apparently independent and self sufficient until she married her long time love, Mr. James Alexander Cobain, on August 9, 1932 in Reno, Nevada.

Henrietta lived and had a painting studio in San Francisco for many years but returned "home" as her family continued to live and work in Yreka or the immediate area. In 1922 she was noted in Who's Who Among Women of California. Henrietta lived a long life, passing on February 16, 1971 in San Francisco, burial in Yreka at Evergreen Cemetery.

Her china is often highly valued and is somewhat difficult to find. She apparently signed many of her pieces, H. Pashburg with or without dates under her signature. You can see another image of her work in our book, Yreka, Images of America Series from Arcadia Publishing on page 55. Seeing and often holding work someone accomplished many years ago brings a sense of the history "home".

Copyright: Claudia A. East, 2009

Pashburg's Store ~ Miner Street, Yreka

Gone but not forgotten...

Adjacent is a photo of the South side of Miner Street, Yreka circa 1918. The two story building on the far right edge of the image with the three windows on the second story is the former Pashburg Store. The building is long gone and likely forgotten or unknown by many as this building sat on a portion of what is now Fourth Street and Miner.

John Pashburg was a German immigrant who came to Yreka soon after gold was discovered. For many years John operated a tobacco shop on this site ~ the building was erected sometime between 1856 and 1862. It is reported in old news articles and historical journals that John Pashburg lost his inventory and his building during the great fire of 1871. It is not clear to this author if the building was completely rebuilt or rennovated after the fire. The earliest photos of this building that this author has found shows the building to be a single story, it is unkown exactly when the second story was added. Originally living quarters for his family were in the rear of the building. The store operated as a tobacco shop for many years but at some point expanded to groceries and miscellaneous items.

An article appears in an 1897 newspaper in Yreka that states "John Pashburg...has contracted for the construction of a second story on his building, to be of corrugated iron. It will be extended back 40 feet, with an entrance on Third street an elevator at Miner street entrance to lower story. The work will be commenced next Monday." The building was added on to several times on both the lower and upper levels. Eventually a small addition on the side (that jutted further into Fourth Street) that once served as the local stage office and at another time a saloon, was added and that portion appears to have been rented out to other proprietors. Even though the article appears in an 1897 newspaper, there are photos of the building from what is reported to be the 1901 snow storm and it appears to still be a single story. The documentation for the various changes appear to be elusive.


It is a curious set of events about this plot of land the building sat on. In 1862 the City of Yreka sued the original owner a J. B. Rosborough for the "recovery of about one half of the original Fourth Street, between Miner and Center Street" according to a excellent work produced by Robert Archie Noonan in 1976 titled Yreka's West Miner Street. The building and business was in the "middle of the street" until 1931 when the building was razed to widen Fourth Street.


For a few years the top portion of this building sat on Fourth Street ~ and it can be viewed in our Images of America book, Yreka on page 45. Looking at the building located at 311 Miner Street, today operating as the Edward Jones Investment Representative office, the business in the rear of the building (currently a interesting clock shop), one can view the old metal siding on the exterior of the building. It has been reported that this metal exterior once faced a portion of the Pashburg building.

John Pashburg worked and lived in Yreka from 1854 until his death in 1910. He is listed as one of the pioneer merchant's. Upon his death his son and son-in-law inherited his business. He had a total of nine children with six living to adulthood. His wife was Mary Louise Fiock, and they were married in 1867.

Copyright: Claudia A. East, 2008