Visit California's Once-Thriving Gold Rush Town Near Redding That's Now A Historic State Park

Located just outside Redding are the remains of a once-thriving Gold Rush town formerly called the "Queen City". Shasta, which is now the Shasta State Historic Park, has several restored buildings from the 1800s, while others are mostly brick walls without roofs, which still carry the character of their origins, including iron hinges and shutters.

Prior to Gold Rush settlement, the area that is now Shasta County was home to several Indigenous groups, including the Wintu, Yana, Okwanuchu, Hat Creek, and Pit River peoples, according to the Shasta Historical Society. Settlers arrived during the mid-19th-century Gold Rush, and Shasta County became one of California's earliest counties formed during that period. In the decades that followed, the region developed into a diverse economic hub, with timber, mining, and railroads driving its growth.

To get to this historic state park from Redding, it's a 15-minute drive along California State Route 299, also known as Eureka Way. It's free to visit, but the Courthouse Museum does charge a fee, unless you have the Historian Passport Day Use Admission Annual Pass. The park is open year-round, and dressing in layers is recommended during the colder months.

The Courthouse Museum is a good starting point for exploring Shasta State Historic Park. The museum highlights the history of Shasta through interactive exhibits and display cases featuring artifacts ranging from antique pistols and handcuffs to mining equipment. Another highlight is the restored courthouse, gallows, and jail, which have been preserved to reflect conditions in the 1860s.

Visitors can also stop by the historic Litsch General Store for a look back into consumer history. The building now houses the General Merchandise Museum, displaying the typical goods and sundries the general store would have sold during the 19th and 20th centuries. 

Historic trails wind through the 19-acre site of this former scenic California Gold Rush town, where visitors can still see the remnants of early cottages and a cemetery. The 1850s Coyle-Foster Barn still stands, with its original beams, joints, and wooden pegs intact. The site makes for an easy family day trip from the outdoorsy town of Mount Shasta City or the tranquil beach at Whiskeytown Lake.