Deadwood and Yreka

Yreka vs. Deadwood

   The Fight for the County Seat

 By Claudia East

              It had been a little over a year from the discovery of gold in 1851 on the flats that that Yreka had grown to over 2,000 inhabitants.  Siskiyou County was formed in March of 1852 from parts of Shasta and Klamath Counties and was named after the Siskiyou Mountain Range.  It wasn't long before a county seat needed to be determined for this new county of California.  At the time there were two towns vying for the title; that of Yreka and neighboring Deadwood which was second only to Yreka in population and was located over Greenhorn down towards the Ft. Jones area near McAdams Creek.   

            Deadwood was one of the most important business centers in the county; it was a mining town as well and had three stores, two hotels, a drug store, a butcher shop, three saloons, a bakery, two stables and a dairy.  The first bank to ever open in Siskiyou County was opened in Deadwood according to historical writings.  Many well known local pioneers had businesses in Deadwood and among them were A. B. Carlock, Daniel Ream and M. Rosenberg. 

            Early Yreka was also vibrant with stores, a stage office, brewery, hotels, meat market, hardware store, blacksmith, barbershop, saloons, a church and other places of business.  Unlike Deadwood, Yreka also had permanent residences while most of the miners in the Deadwood area lived in tents and shacks or at the boarding houses. 

            When it came time to choose a County Seat the competition between the two towns was fierce.  It was not readily predictable who would win as it was a large county and folks would have to travel many miles from one part of the county to the other to actually visit the County Seat and take care of government matters, many of them relating to property ownership, court matters and the like.  A story from a local newspaper following the county convention to elect a county seat reported the following:

            The people have spoken, and Yreka has been voted to hold the title of County Seat for the newly formed County of Siskiyou recently named by the California Legislature.  The campaigns were strong and neighboring Deadwood came very close behind Yreka, there are still rumbling accusations of underhanded dealings during the elections.  Apparently Etna had a lower voter turnout and some say it is because of the whisky party that was carried on the night before the election.  Plans will soon be underway for officers of the county and a place to hold official meetings.

            According to some historical information (whether speculated or accurate it is not entirely known…) that Etna being closer to Deadwood would vote in that direction along with others and the whiskey delivered to the voters in Etna was from Yreka.  Some reports tell of the deciding vote to be only one, and other reports simply say it was a very close election.

            In 1861 the majority of the town of Deadwood was burned to the ground in a fire.  Following that fire there were a few buildings remaining and a few residents, but it wasn't long before the town faded from existence.  Deadwood was vibrant for only 10 years, but adds a significant story to the history of our county.  Today the only thing that remains to mark the town site are a few very old fruit trees and one of the first historical monuments placed by the Siskiyou County Historical Society in 1948.  One can visit the site by traveling one of two ways.  Travel Highway 3 towards Ft. Jones and turn on McAdams Creek Road before entering the town limits of Ft. Jones.  Simply following this road will eventually take one to Forest Service Road 45N49 turn and travel a few car lengths to the monument.  The second route would be to simply travel up Greenhorn Road from Yreka and continue over the mountain and back down and look for Forest Service Road 45N49.  The monument is visible from the road if you know where to look, but the most identifiable marks will be the open flat area the town site was located and a few ancient fruit trees on the side of a hill.

            Note:  This author  is sad to report that this historic monument has been the recent target of vandals, the monument was restored a few years ago with the help of E Clampus Vitus, Humbug Chapter, along with the Siskiyou County Historical Society to repair earlier damage, but again it has been targeted by vandals shooting bullets at the bronze plaque.

Yreka, Capital City ~ State of Jefferson

In December of 1941 Yreka was named the new Capital of the State of Jefferson. It was an exciting and fast moving time when counties from southern Oregon and Northern California first said the word “succession” from their respective states and wanted to form a new 49^th state!

This particular movement started with the “Curry County Incident” where a group of folks decided that Southern Oregon and Northern California were being ignored. Roads were bad, bridges were old, and our area was rich with timber and mineral resources that could easily be used for the war effort in Europe against Hitler. On November 17, 1941 a group from Curry County Oregon met with the Yreka Chamber of Commerce to discuss how they could develop our timber and resources for the war effort and our economic prosperity. Much discussion, planning, and late night activities prevailed by the movers and shakers of the time. Yreka’s 20-30 Club, comprised of young businessmen, were instrumental in keeping their plight in the news by feeding information via the state of the art teletypes and telegraphs in the area to major papers in San Francisco and beyond. Parades were held in various towns throughout the area and a favorite protest sign about the conditions of our roads was: “Our roads are not passable, they are hardly jackassable!”

Ten days after that meeting, on November 27, the Yreka 20-30 Club presented their Proclamation of Independence for the hopeful new state. Road blocks were set up along Highway 99 (the main artery of the time heading north and south) at intermittent times. Folks stopped cars and passed out the Proclamation of Independence and then let them on their way. One day a week it was suggested that merchants keep buckets by their cash registers and keep the sales tax from California sales to go to the State of Jefferson.

December 2, 1941 the news media descended upon Yreka and began to report the news of the budding new state and creating news reels to be shown in the theaters of the day. (Newsreels were the CNN and Fox News of 1941; no television, just radio, newspapers and the newsreels one would see at the movies.) The San Francisco Examiner even sent their star reporter, Stanton Delaplane to cover the events. As an interesting side note ~ later Mr. Delaplane received the Pulitzer Prize for his coverage on Yreka and The State of Jefferson in 1942.

On December 4, 1941 a large parade was held in Yreka. Folks from all the counties involved came and marched, there were bands from various areas, folks carrying signs and torches, cars and trucks full of enthusiasts and the streets were packed with observers. On the Siskiyou County Courthouse Square the inauguration of the new Governor of the State of Jefferson, Judge John Childs, from Del Norte County was sworn in and gave a stirring speech to the overflowing crowds. It was the culmination of a swift and productive movement. Folks were told the newsreels would be shown on December 8, 1941 and the new state citizens were eagerly awaiting the reaction of the rest of the United States!

The newsreels, however, were never shown; on December 7, 1941 Pearl Harbor was bombed by the Japanese and the United States suddenly was at war. On December 8, 1941 a statement was issued to the press by the State of Jefferson Territorial Committee that the current national emergency was of highest importance and all activity of the State of Jefferson would cease.

The State of Jefferson although not an actual separate state, has existed as a state of mind for many citizens within northern California and Southern Oregon for over 155 years. The first recorded news account of this area seeking independence (by this author) was in The New York Daily Times, January 1855.

Copyright, Claudia East

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 lovingly called) operated at the street level of this building. Today it houses Bella Arts and their delightful "old time" ice cream fountain!

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. There were two places of business occupying the downstairs at this time, the east side was an office for Dr. Albert Newton who practiced there from 1935 until 1952, and the west side was the Yreka Drug.  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 shop 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. Others remember the fountain during the 1940s, so we estimate that the fountain was installed during this remodel even though newspapers accounts did not report much of the interior renovations at the time.  Today a portion of the old fountain remains, but the memories of past days are very much alive.  During the 1950s, 60s and 70s this was “the” soda fountain in town!  Many a high school student stopped in for a cherry coke, fries, egg salad sandwich, or the once famous “pressed toast” that was a local favorite!  During the 1980s the Drug Store was sold to a Don and Sandra Murphy of Etna.  They did extensive renovation to the interior at that time.  They were also the owners of the once historic Scott Valley Drug Store in Etna.

            If you are a visitor to our fair town, be sure and stop in and visit Bella Arts and their charming soda fountain, you can get a tiny glimpse of what life in town was like from the 1940s and 50s by just walking into the building!  Don't forget, however to try one of their most delicious ice cream treats!

Copyright: Claudia A. East, 2009  
Updated:  2015

The Bottling Works

Photo copyright: Claudia East, 2009


Viewed above is an image of the current Bottling Works Mall along Main Street in Yreka. This structure has played an important role in the life of Yrekans, and has been known as the "bottling works" for nearly 75 years. It all started when...

By the spring of 1935 the Yreka Bottling Works had already been in operation for 37 years and owned by Fred Meamber ~ the Siskiyou News ran an article about the bottling works as they moved into their "new" quarters at 412 South Main Street, Yreka (aka, Hwy. 99). Prior to the bottling plant moving to this location the building was occupied by the McNair garage.

The news article explained that the building not only housed the Coca-Cola bottling plant, but areas for all of their beverage business. They constructed a wine room near the front of the building, in the back of the building a new cold storage room was built for beer with a capacity to handle three carloads of keg beer at a time! At the writing in 1935 the Bottling Works were the exclusive distributors in Siskiyou County for Matevista wines, Beringer Brothers Wines, Buffalo, Acme, Golden Glow and Rainier beers; Coca-Cola, Hires Root Beer, Orange Crush, and 7-Up!

It was originally around 1898-1900 that Fred Meamber and his brother George purchased the Yreka Bottling Works. The plant moved in 1912 into quarters near the train depot until the present move (1935). A photo of the building near the depot in 1913 can be found in the 1976 Siskiyou Pioneer on page 63, published by the Siskiyou County Historical Society. (Reprints of this issue may still be available at the Siskiyou County Museum.)

Today one can roam through the shops in the "mall" or lunch at Nature's Kitchen and enjoy viewing the building that still has a feel similar to 1935. Parking is located in the rear just across Yreka Creek. It is another great way to enjoy our wonderful history!

*Information gleaned from The Siskiyou News, April 4, 1935, page 1 and several issues of the Siskiyou Pioneer. Copyright, Claudia East, 2009.

Major H. White Home, 1936

Photo copyright Claudia East, 2009.


The stately Colonial type home located at 414 North Main Street in Yreka, California appears somewhat hidden behind the trees, but in winter it dominates the block! This lovely home was built in 1936 by Major Harold (Harry) White and his wife Kathleen M. White. This was the first home built at this address, in 1935 this was simply a empty lot that was nearly at the edge of town along the Pacific Highway, or only recently named, Highway 99. The (almost hidden) addition on the north end of the house was added in recent years.

Major White was originally a native of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, however census records show his parents were both Americans. Major White received his commission from West Point in 1917. He served in World War I (the "Great War" and the "War to End All Wars") was wounded, and was stationed in France. Major White's class from West Point was somewhat of an exception to most... the class was graduated two months ahead of schedule because of the war and the need for trained leadership. The New York Times newspaper has an article from April 21, 1917, describing the graduation and the events that happened during the exercises ~ from being held in the "new" gym to the overhead flight of two aeroplanes with one crash landing, and listing each of the 138 graduates from the class of 1917.

The White family moved to Yreka in 1933 coming from the town of Anselmo in Marin County, California. Major White served in several capacities while here in Yreka, he sold insurance, sold real estate, and also served as Judge. He was also the Commandant of Yreka's Company M, 10th Regiment of the California State Guard. Company M was mustered into service a few days after the bombing of Pearl Harbor and their objective was to protect military objectives in Siskiyou County and form a resistance to any invasion attempt.

Information about this home was found in census records, city directories, from printed material on a historic home tour from 1989, and the New York Times.
Copyright: Claudia A. East, 2009

Yreka Studio & Snappy Goodrich 1930's & 40's

The ad shown is from a 1937 Yreka HS Yearbook. The image is of the building (taken winter, 2009) that housed the Yreka Studio while John David "Snappy" Goodrich conducted his business here in Yreka. The building is located almost behind the Ley Fire Station at 111 So. Oregon Street.

John D. Goodrich was born in 1899 and spent time in the Los Angeles area prior to coming to Yreka. In 1923 he married Minnie Dae Clodfelter. It has not been exactly determined what year he arrived in Yreka, but by 1933 he is listed in the Yreka City Directory operating the Yreka Studio. It is believed that the front half of the building was the Studio and the rear portion of the building served as his residence. The Yreka Studio was "the" place to have one's photo portrait taken, and he had a lively business with Seniors from the High School as well as other important events. During these years (1930's - 1940's) when one had a roll of film to be developed ~ it was taken to a photo shop and developed. One day service in automated machines was unheard of, not to mention digital images! In addition to his portrait studio, he was a active photographer in the post card business. Many of his post cards can be found from time to time on eBay, and they often command a good price! Next time you find a older postcard turn it over and look to see who the photographer or artist was, you may find a little treasure! Goodrich traveled up and down the North West taking photos for his postcard sales. By 1945 he advertised on the back of his postcards as "Snappy's Scenic Portraits of the West".

Snappy Goodrich operated the Yreka Studio for many years, in 1949 his wife, Dae, passed away and he continued for a short while in the business, but in 1951 he sold the business to a individual with the name of Young who carried on the Yreka Studio. In later years the business was known as the Yreka Studio and Camera Shop or commonly known as YS&CS.

Information on the Yreka Studio is relatively scarce while Snappy Goodrich operated the business, although his skill behind the camera will live on for many years yet to come.
Copyright: Claudia A. East, 2009

Greenhorn School

Photo copyright:

Claudia A. East, 2007.

The Greenhorn School District was first established in 1859. The photo above is the last school building that was used in the local Greenhorn District. This building stands near the Grange Building on the south entrance to Greenhorn Park in Yreka. The building clearly appears to be a old school building and the red color gives it a certain kind of dignity, however, there isn't any visible marker telling of its history that one sees when driving by. In the 1970's the building was used as a club house for the local "Trailriders" organization. It appears to still be in use today, but it is not obvious what group or organization is utilizing the building.

The original school building (unfortunately, no longer in existence) was first built near where Greenhorn Creek and Yreka Creek met. This location isn't any visible any longer as changes to Yreka Creek and Greenhorn have been made due to freeway construction and flood control.

It is interesting to learn that the Greenhorn area was considered to be a separate community from Yreka for some time. In 1868 the Greenhorn School District was merged with the Yreka School District, only to re-establish its own district again in 1878. It apparently continued to function as a separate district until 1927 when Greenhorn District combined with part of the former Rose School District. (The small Rose School District was actually just up Greenhorn Road about 3 miles straight up from Interstate 5. There is nothing left of the building that once stood for Rose School District, and according to records it began around 1901 and functioned about 15 years.) It wasn't until 1951 that the Greenhorn District was fully absorbed into the Yreka Union School District permanently.

Up through the 1950s it was not uncommon for small schools to be located throughout the county and countryside. Rapid transportation and good roads were not always available. Children usually attended schools relatively close to their homes even in rural areas for accessibility.

The Siskiyou County Office of Education has a wonderful addition to their website providing historical school information. There are many photographs that are very interesting. You can access the information here: http://www.sisnet.ssku.k12.ca.us/users/imcftp/public_html/schoolhistfirstpage.html

Click on the Historical Resources lists and one can find a page listing the names of all schools former and current within the county. One can spend hours surfing their offerings! Give it a try!

* Information for this post was gleaned from the History of The Schools of Siskiyou County, Compiled and Edited by Stanley J. Balfrey, published by the Siskiyou County Schools.

Copyright: Claudia A. East

City Apartment Building & Franco American Hotel

Photos Copyright Claudia East, 2008.

The Photo on the left is an apartment building owned by the City of Yreka, located just off the corner of North and Third Streets. (Close to the back of the Franco American Hotel) The photo on the right is the back of the current Franco American Hotel just around the back of the apartment house on the left.

So, what do these buildings have to do with each other? Well, they were once connected and part of the Franco American Hotel! The apartment building was once part of the kitchen and was connected to the Dining Room on the first floor, the second floor had hotel rooms. I am not exactly sure when this portion of the building was added to the Franco, but in Robert Noonan's book (thesis), Yreka's West Miner Street self-published in 1976 he reports that in 1899 the dining area was enlarged and a new two story brick dining room with additional suites of sleeping rooms upstairs. He also mentions in passing that this section of the building was "recently" (in 1976) moved northward and now serves as an apartment house. This section of the hotel, actually seems to appear on fire maps with rooms on the second floor in 1897. However, the plans may have been made and construction underway for a finish date of 1899.

It is interesting to note that in 1939 this area of the hotel still had rooms on the top floor, but the bottom floor was sectioned into two parts, one serving as a card room and the other as the Southern Pacific Stage for railroad passengers. The old dining room which actually is in the photo on the right, turned into a saloon.

If one looks carefully at the photo of the back of the old hotel, one can see that the bricks on the back of the building are of different construction, and are actually pulling away from the building. This is where the two buildings used to connect. When they moved the building they also turned it 90 degrees from this location as it originally was "in line" with the Franco American Dining Room.

Copyright: Claudia A. East, 2008.

Charles A. Larison Home 1890

Located on the corner of North and North Oregon Streets in Yreka sits the Charles A. Larison Home that was originally built in 1890. Charles A. Larison was a dentist and had his practice here in Yreka. At the turn of the century his offices were located in the upstairs of the Siskiyou County Bank Building (also known as the Guilbert Building) located at 216 Miner Street. Dr. Larison was born about 1859 in California and in 1883 married Dora Peters in Yreka. It is mentioned in the 1976 Siskiyou Pioneer [a publication of the Siskiyou County Historical Society] on page 55 that Charles A. Larison was also a local photographer in the 1890's. He was in his early 50's when he died and left his widow and at least two children at home.

This house has changed only a little during its nearly 120 year life... maps that show the "footprint" of the home the year it was built shows a nearly flat front and some porches on the back of the home not visible in the image above. By 1897 the house changed to the appearance as seen in the image above. The front south corner of the house was angled off and additional space was created by making rooms out of the old porches in the back and additing additional porch space. Sometime between 1908 and 1927 bay windows were added on the south side of the home.

Today this fine structure serves as apartment dwellings. The image seen above was taken from a magazine article written in 1897 and the Larison home was one of Yreka's "showcase" structures.
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.

The Yreka Inn 1925 (Sadly gone...)

In 1925 The Yreka Inn was built by L. L. Weaver and his brother, W. J. Weaver ~ entrepreneurs that originally began in the grocery business and subsequently into general merchandise, the lumber business, etc. and eventually into the Hotel industry.


The Yreka Inn had 102 rooms and was an "imposing" concrete structure. The Yreka Inn was located on the "Great Pacific Highway" (later known as Highway 99) midway between San Francisco and Portland in Yreka. It was reported in the History of the Sacramento Valley, California by Jesse Walton Wooldridge that "the prices ... are reasonable and the rooms are well filled throughtout the year by tourist and commercial travelers." The Inn had an adjoining restaurant and dinner house as well as a ballroom. The local Rotary clubs and other organizations were regulars with the hotel services. It was touted as a first class hotel!


In a newspaper account from the Siskiyou Daily News on December 2, 1941 the Yreka Inn was noted as the place that held the first meeting of the secessionists that began the movement from Northern California and Southern Oregon to form the State of Jefferson. That movement was "tabled" within a few days because of the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the beginning of World War II. However, many still hold the dream that someday a State of Jefferson might be formed.


Unfortunately in 1975 the hotel was razed when the property was purchased for a new local bank. The hotel was "older" then and the former Great Pacific Highway (Hwy 99) was bypassed by Interstate 5. Many wish the building could have been saved and restored, it would be an extraordinary valuable asset to the city today if it were still standing!


Above is a view of the front entrance with an unidentified woman standing in the front. The colored image on the right is from a vintage matchbook cover that was once given away at the Yreka Inn for advertising purposes. Additional images of this hote, including a interior lobby view can be seen in the Images of America book, Yreka on page 42.
Copyright: Claudia A. East 2008