In March 1851, Abraham Thompson, a mule train packer, discovered gold near Rocky Gulch while traveling along the Siskiyou Trail from southern Oregon. By April 1851, 2,000 miners had arrived in "Thompson's Dry Diggings" to test their luck, and by June 1851, a gold rush "boomtown" of tents, shanties, and a few rough cabins had sprung up. Several name changes occurred until the city was called Yreka. The name comes from wáik'a, a word meaning "north mountain" or "white mountain",[8][9] the name of nearby Mount Shasta in the Shasta language.[10]
[Twain's mentor Bret] Harte had arrived in California in the [eighteen-]fifties, twenty-three or twenty-four years old, and had wandered up into the surface diggings of the camp at Yreka, a place which had acquired its mysterious name – when in its first days it much needed a name – through an accident. There was a bakeshop with a canvas sign which had not yet been put up but had been painted and stretched to dry in such a way that the word BAKERY, all but the B, showed through and was reversed. A stranger read it wrong end first, YREKA, and supposed that that was the name of the camp. The campers were satisfied with it and adopted it.[11]
In 1853–54, poet Joaquin Miller described Yreka as a bustling place with "a tide of people up and down and across other streets, as strong as if a city on the East Coast".[12] Incorporation proceedings were completed on April 21, 1857.[12]
Lynchings
There have been two documented lynchings in Yreka. The first took place on August 26, 1895, when four men—William Null, Garland Stemler, Luis Moreno, and Lawrence Johnson—awaiting trial for various charges of murder and robbery,[13] were simultaneously hanged by a lynch mob from a railroad tie suspended from two adjacent trees.[14][15]
The second lynching occurred on July 28, 1935. Clyde Johnson and Robert Miller Barr robbed a local business and its patrons in Castella, California.[16] They then stole a car from a patron and drove north to Dunsmuir, California, where they planned to abandon the car and make a getaway by train. Soon after they abandoned the car north of Dunsmuir, they were stopped by California Highway Patrolman George "Molly" Malone and Dunsmuir honorary Chief of Police, 38-year-old Frank R. "Jack" Daw. Johnson pulled out a Luger pistol and wounded both policemen. Malone recovered, but Daw died the next day.[17] Johnson was caught a few hours later by a dragnet and taken into custody. Barr, who was holding the $35 that they obtained from the robbery, panicked during the shootout and ran off into the woods, then escaped on a freight train. Daw was a beloved figure in Dunsmuir. His title of Chief of Police was given to him because of his cool head and experience as a World War I veteran. The night of Daw's funeral a dozen cars from Dunsmuir, carrying approximately 50 masked men, drove north to Yreka to lynch Johnson. On August 3, 1935, at 1:30 a.m., the vigilante mob reached the Yreka jail and lightly knocked on the door. Deputy Marin Lange, the only guard on duty at the jail, opened the door slightly and was quickly overtaken. He was driven nine miles east of Yreka where he was released, barefoot. The mob searched the jail, found Johnson, drove him away in one of the cars and hanged him from a pine tree.[18][19] Barr was arrested over a year later, on September 4, 1936, in Los Angeles on a burglary charge.[20] During his time on the run, he secured a part as an extra in the Nelson Eddy/Jeanette MacDonald film Rose Marie, scenes of which were filmed near Lake Tahoe. He is credited in the film under his real name.[21]
On November 27, 1941, a group of young men gained national media attention when, brandishing hunting rifles for dramatic effect, they stopped traffic on U.S. Route 99 south of Yreka, and handed out copies of a Proclamation of Independence, stating that the State of Jefferson was in "patriotic rebellion against the States of California and Oregon" and would continue to "secede every Thursday until further notice."[22]
The secession movement ended quickly, though not before Del Norte County District Attorney John Leon Childs of Crescent City was inaugurated as governor of the State of Jefferson on December 4, 1941.[23]
The first blow was the death of Mayor Gable on December 2, followed by the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7. Those in favor of secession focused their efforts on the war effort, which crippled the movement.
Geography
The Yreka Phlox (Phlox hirsuta) is the city's official flower.
Yreka is approximately 2,500 feet (760 m) above sea level in the Shasta Valley, south of the Siskiyou Mountains and north of Mount Shasta, a 14,000 ft (4,300 m) dormant volcano that towers over the valley.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of 10.1 sq mi (26 km2), of which 10.0 square miles (26 km2) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2) (0.72%) is water.
Natural history
The official city flower of Yreka is the Yreka phlox (Phlox hirsuta).[24]
The annual average temperature of Yreka is 53.5 °F (11.9 °C), July is the hottest month with 74.2 °F (23.4 °C), and December is the coldest month with 36.0 °F (2.2 °C). The average annual precipitation is 18.92 inches (481 mm), and the precipitation in winter (December-February) accounts for almost 48% of the whole year. The annual snowfall is 11.6 inches (290 mm), which is basically concentrated from November to February of the next year.
The annual extreme temperature ranged from −11 °F (−24 °C) on January 20, 1937, January 22, 1937, February 2, 1950, and December 9, 1972, to 112 °F (44 °C) on July 16, 1925, July 17, 1925, and July 27, 1939; the record cold daily maximum is 11 °F (−12 °C), set on January 22, 1962, while, conversely, the record warm daily minimum is 80 °F (27 °C) on July 22 and 23, 1915.[27] There are 66.6 days each year with the highest temperature over 90 °F (32 °C), 11.4 days with the highest temperature over 100 °F (38 °C), and 142.2 days with the lowest temperature below 32 °F (0 °C).
Climate data for Yreka, California (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1893–present)
The Census reported that 7,718 people (99.4% of the population) lived in households, 33 (0.4%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 14 (0.2%) were institutionalized.
There were 3,394 households, out of which 983 (29.0%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 1,338 (39.4%) were married couples, 471 (13.9%) had a female householder with no husband present, 160 (4.7%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 269 (7.9%) unmarried couples, and 17 (0.5%) gay couples. 1,202 households (35.4%) were made up of individuals, and 636 (18.7%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27. There were 1,969 families (58.0% of all households); the average family size was 2.92.
The population was spread out, with 1,871 people (24.1%) under the age of 18, 678 people (8.7%) aged 18 to 24, 1,603 people (20.6%) aged 25 to 44, 2,119 people (27.3%) aged 45 to 64, and 1,494 people (19.2%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41.7 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.5 males.
There were 3,675 housing units at an average density of 365.6 per square mile (141.2/km2), of which 1,751 (51.6%) were owner-occupied, and 1,643 (48.4%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.4%; the rental vacancy rate was 6.7%. 3,895 people (50.2% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 3,823 people (49.2%) lived in rental housing units.
2000
As of the census[31] of 2000, there were 7,290 people, 3,114 households, and 1,880 families residing in the city. The population density was 730.8 inhabitants per square mile (282.2/km2). There were 3,303 housing units at an average density of 331.1 per square mile (127.8/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 86.6% White, 0.5% African American, 6.0% Native American, 1.8% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 1.7% from other races, and 3.3% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 5.4% of the population.
There were 3,114 households, out of which 29.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.8% were married couples, 13.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.6% were non-families. 34.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.92.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.5% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 23.5% from 25 to 44, 23.8% from 45 to 64, and 19.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41. For every 100 females, there were 88.3 males. For every 100 females, age 18 and over, there were 83.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $27,398, and the median income for a family was $37,448. Males had a median income of $31,632 versus $23,986 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,664. About 17.5% of families and 21.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 33.6% of those under age 18 and 8.8% of those age 65 or over.
In addition, because it is the county seat of Siskiyou County, a number of businesses related to the county courts, county recorder, and other official county functions are in the city. Butte Valley National Grassland is in northern Siskiyou County, near the Oregon border, but is administered from Yreka offices.[39][40]
Yreka is home to a branch campus of the College of the Siskiyous[44] which hosts the Rural Health Science Institute[45] and Administration of Justice programs. The college is one of 10 California community colleges to offer on-campus housing.[46] High-school buses carry students from towns that would not otherwise be able to fund a secondary education.
In Yreka, the gold-mining era is commemorated with a gold museum, as well as with a remnant of a silver mining operation in Greenhorn Park. The Yreka Union High School District sports mascot is a gold miner. School colors are red and gold. Yreka High School was the first high school in the county, founded in 1894. It has 11 feeder districts that serve the approximately 1,200 square miles (3,100 km2) county area.[47]
The Yreka elementary school district is composed of Evergreen Elementary as well as the Jackson Street Middle School.
Charles Earl Bowles, a.k.a. Black Bart, robbed a number of stagecoaches on the trails leading to or from Yreka in the 1880s.[55]
Leander Clark, an Iowa state legislator and Union Army officer, prospected for gold in the Yreka area, returning home to the east coast via the isthmus of Panama in 1852, $3,000 to $4,000 richer.[56]
Tim Meamber, American football player, was born in Yreka.[60]
Richie Myers, baseball player, was a resident of Yreka when he died there.[61]
John Otto was the first park custodian at Colorado National Monument, and was a key advocate for its creation and its later inclusion in the National Park System. He spent his final 20 years on his mining claim near Yreka and was buried in a pauper's grave.[62]
Eric Pianka, biologist, grew up in Yreka and experienced injuries related to a unfired bazooka round.[63]
Elijah Steele, an early Northern California pioneer, state legislator, and Indian agent who tried to prevent the Modoc War, lived in Yreka when he was Superior Court Judge for Siskiyou County from 1879 to 1883.[64]
Palindromes
"Yreka Bakery" is a palindrome. The loss of the "B" in a bakery sign read from the reverse is mentioned as a possible source of the name Yreka in Mark Twain's autobiography.[11][65] The original Yreka Bakery was founded in 1856 by baker Frederick Deng.[66] The palindrome was recognized early on: "spell Yreka Bakery backwards and you will know where to get a good loaf of bread" is quoted as an ad in the May 23, 1863, Yreka Semi-Weekly Journal and states that 12 loaves cost $1 (~$25.00 in 2023).[66] The Yreka Bakery moved eventually to its longtime location, 322 West Miner Street, where it remained under several ownerships until it closed in 1965 on retirement of the baker "Martin", and clerk Alta Hudson.[citation needed] Another Yreka Bakery opened in a different location in 1974,[66] but is no longer in business.[67] Author Martin Gardner mentioned that Yreka Bakery was in business on West Miner Street in Yreka,[68]: 246 but it was pointed out by readers "the Yreka Bakery no longer existed. In 1970 the original premises were occupied by the art store Yrella Gallery, also a palindrome".[68]: 251 The historic Brown-Nickell-Authenrieth Building, 322–324 West Miner Street, houses a restaurant.[69]
^Transcribed by Iowa GenWeb Project (1883). History of Tama County Chapter XIII. Springfield, Illinois: Union Publishing Company. Archived from the original on July 25, 2008. Retrieved July 15, 2010.
^Wells, Harry L. (1881). "Elijah Steele". D. J. Stewart & Co. p. 92B & 92C. Retrieved August 7, 2013.
^Mikkelson, Barbara; David Mikkelson (August 12, 2011). "Yreka Bakery". Snopes. Snopes.com. Retrieved August 7, 2013.
^ abcCarey, Don (April–May 1983). "Yreka Bakery". Yreka Historic Preservation Corporation, Yreka Echoes. This article was quoting a column by editor Ed Foss in the Siskiyou Daily News, February 9, 1973
^Tivoli, Brian (September 12, 2005). "Yreka Bakery solution". Brainy Planet. Archived from the original on May 1, 2013. Retrieved August 7, 2013.
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