Shasta State Historic Park

I had a bit of an argument with myself over the title for this blog.  I have known this little community over the years as "Old Shasta", and still refer to the town by that name.  However, the argument on the side of providing an accurate, up-to-date narrative for anyone interested in visiting this area won out in the end.   Shasta was a gold mining town in the mid-1800's, and was the county seat at one point.  Today, the original county courthouse hosts a wonderful museum, with collections showing the history of the area on the main floor, and the jail below, leading to the gallows at the north end of the building.

Museum display

Jail cell

The gallows

The park-like area surrounding the courthouse is home to the Coyle-Foster barn that was originally constructed in the late 1850's in the Trinity Center.  It was dismantled and moved to this site when the building of the Trinity Dam meant flooding of it's original home. 

 


Old Shasta photo gallery
                                                                                        

Across Highway 299, you can walk the boardwalks in front of the brick ruins, which were once the businesses that provided services to the residents of the town during the gold rush years.  A few of the original buildings are still standing, and have been restored. 

A visit to the Park might not take long, but for anyone interested in the history of Shasta County and particularly the Gold Rush era, it is a worthwhile way to spend an afternoon.