Touring the Little Shasta Valley and Montague
We went for a long afternoon drive yesterday through the Little Shasta Valley, which lies well to the east of I-5. It’s secluded and full of cattle pastures and rolling hills. We headed out because my husband was in the mood for a drive and he wanted to photograph the Little Shasta Church. The Church is very well maintained and picturesque, and quite popular for wedding. We’ve got a very striking photo of it at home, and wanted to see what we could with our own cameras. We took Harry Cash Road up from A-12, because it’s so pretty (that’s where the Mt. Shasta Lavender Farms is located). We went through the old gate and walked the lawn at the church, shooting photos and admiring the curtains of spring rain (they weren’t falling on us at the time). Then we took a little side trip into Montague for snacks and drinks at the mini mart (you can gas up here too). Then we headed back out into the Little Shasta Valley. We did a loop past the Shasta Valley Wildlife Refuge, and we surprised at the amount of water in that area and the geese floating on the shallow pools. The loop out to Hart Road brought us back to Harry Cash Road, and so back to the Church. We stopped again.
Once we stopped at the Church we decided to head off onto some side roads, and what a wonderful afternoon that made for. We drove past the old Soule Ranch, with it’s glorious 120-year old Queen Ann Victorian that, while in need of refurbishment, just pulses with life. We stopped at the Historical Marker on the corner of Soule Lane to read about Tailholt, a town started in the 1880s that survived up into the 1930s. According to the marker, Tailholt had a post office, grist mill, saloon, blacksmith shop, race track, ball field and a few houses, until it disappeared. All you see know is an open pasture where the Soule’s cattle used to graze.
Then we wandered out Willow Creek Road, passing Table Rock, Solomons Temple and Temple Rock. The road took us up and down many hills, through a narrow drainage in these hills touched with the subtle green and pick of lower growing spring grasses and flowers. We simply enjoyed being out in the spring weather, seeing the new growth of spring and exploring roads we’d never been on. There weren’t any attractions to stop for, no tourist shops or interpretive signs, just wide open country that felt remote and protected. On our way out to Airport Road we stopped to take photos of a small heard of bison, and then later we saw antelope.
We headed north, thinking about going up to Hornbrook, but turned aside at Ager-Beswick Road, which goes out to Copco Lake. We saw the marker for the old stage stop that reads “All Roads Lead to Ager” and the old Ager Hotel. Again a very hilly, remote setting; although certainly more houses out here. We turned back after awhile, not wanting to drive all the way back to the lake. We passed Shasta View Vineyards, then stopped in Montague, thinking of dinner. The Corner Club was advertising fettucino alfredo as its dinner special, and that place is always good for a steak. We thought about visiting our friends at Shepherds Dream, where we got our super comfy wool comforter, but it was late in the evening, so we headed south back to Mt. Shasta.
For any of you yearning for a nice Sunday drive (no matter what day of the week it is), I highly recommend this drive. The country is beautiful and kinda lonesome, and there is something new to see over every hilltop. Keep your eyes in the fields and hills where you’ll all kinds of beauty (and maybe some buffalo). Take a map, if you’re not the sort to trust your sense of direction and luck. We found a northern California map that has all of the little side roads on it, although a Klamath National Forest map will help too. You can find suggestions for other scenic drives in the area at VisitSiskiyou.org. If you’re doing this drive in the summer, you can even contemplate taking a road over the hills and into Butte Valley for a longer adventure (be sure you’ve got a full tank of gas for this one). It’s a wonderful thing, driving around with no destination in mind, and something we’re lacking in our fast-paced world. Sunday drives are a thing of our childhood, and it was with child-like delight that we explored the Little Shasta Valley.
Tags: Butte Valley, Copco Lake, Hornbrook, Klamath National Forest, Little Shasta Church, Little Shasta Valley, Montague
History, Rural culture, Sense of Place | Renee @ visitsiskiyou April 29, 2009 | 
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Head down to Dunsmuir tonight, Thursday, March 26th, for “When Water Was King”, a presentation by historian Craig Ballenger about the 19th century resorts, like Shasta Springs and Upper Soda Springs, that peppered the Sacramento River canyon. Ballenger, a Mt. Shasta native and author, will share tales of mineral springs health resorts that touted their “restorative” waters. As many a 17 were once built along the canyon from Sims Campground, south of Dunsmuir, to the Mount Shasta City Park. Ballenger will talk about the rise of the mineral spring health movement and the local resorts that drew people north, often by train, to come partake of the health benefits of soaking in Mt. Shasta’s mineral waters. Remnants of some of those resorts can still be seen today out in the woods along the river and feeder streams.
Here in Northern California we are living in the mythical State of Jefferson – a dream of Southern Oregon and Northern California residents from years gone by that just won’t let go. The heyday for Jefferson was back in November of 1941 when the secession movement gained popularity and attention from major newspapers. Locals were blocking old Highway 99 to distribute info about the effort to become the 49th state and even went so far as to elect a governor of the State of Jefferson. Everything came to a halt with the attack on Pearl Harbor and the movement never regained the momentum and fever of 1941. You can read a full account of the story at the 
Took a stroll through Yreka’s historic downtown last week to check out shops and goodies. This two-block section of town is home to the 1850s-era buildings that didn’t burn down in the Gold Rush period. Just looking at these old beauties is kind of fun, but then there are also the shops and restaurants to check out as well. I was excited to see that at the Tasty Q, which also home to the Visitors Center, they sell locally made products: sweet treats, sauces, and other goodies. You can get an ice cream cone there and sit out across the street in the City Plaza before heading into the newly opened Liberty Arts Gallery. We passed on the ice cream and stopped in at the Village Grind, where the scrumptious coffee cake and fruit smoothie were quite tasty.
While on the tour of Yreka’s historic treasures we cruised through both the indoor and outdoor exhibits at the Siskiyou County Museum on Main Street. I got a kick out of looking into the restored buildings in the outdoor exhibit. The potatoes and gravy in the old homestead looked pretty ancient!
