The town of Shasta was established in 1848 shortly after Pierson B. Reading found gold in Clear Creek. The town grew rapidly as miners flocked to the area from all of the corners of the world and was first named after its founder - Reading Springs. It prospered as a hub of transportation and commerce for the region and was renamed Shasta in 1850. It was also named county seat of newly formed Shasta County In 1852 and 1853 two disastrous fires destroyed much of the town. When the merchants rebuilt after the second fire they built of fireproof brick and heavy iron shutters. Shasta was at its zenith of prosperity.
The gold mines around Shasta played out in the early 1860s. At about the same time transportation was undergoing major changes as the railroad took business away from the wagon. The Central Pacific Railroad chose a course for its track that bypassed Shasta and went through nearby Redding instead. Redding rapidly grew in importance and Shasta just as rapidly declined. Merchants and townspeople moved to Redding and in 1888 the county seat moved there too. |
