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Siskiyou County, California
—  County  —
County of Siskiyou
[[File:
Shasta from south
West Miner Street in Yreka, CAIndian Tom Lake, California
|250px|none|alt=|Images, from top down, left to right: Mount Shasta, the historic West Miner Street in Yreka, Indian Tom Lake]]Images, from top down, left to right: Mount Shasta, the historic West Miner Street in Yreka, Indian Tom Lake
Flag of Siskiyou County, California
Flag
Seal of Siskiyou County, California
Seal
[[File:Script error: No such module "Mapframe".|250px|none|alt=|Interactive map of Siskiyou County]]Interactive map of Siskiyou County
Map of California highlighting Siskiyou County
Location in the state of California
Country United States
State California
Region Shasta Cascade
Incorporated 1852
Named for The Siskiyou Trail
County seat Yreka
Largest city Yreka
Area
 • Total 6,347 sq mi (16,440 km2)
 • Land 6,278 sq mi (16,260 km2)
 • Water 69 sq mi (180 km2)
Highest elevation[1] 14,162 ft (4,317 m)
Population (April 1, 2020)[2]
 • Total 44,076
 • Density 6.9000000000000/sq mi (2.7000000000000/km2)
Time zone Pacific Time Zone (UTC−8)
 • Summer (DST) Pacific Daylight Time (UTC−7)
Area code 530
FIPS code 06-093
GNIS feature ID 277311
Website co.siskiyou.ca.us

Siskiyou County ( /ˈsɪskj/ SIS-kew) is a county in the northernmost part of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 44,076.[2] Its county seat is Yreka and its highest point is Mount Shasta.[3] It falls within the Cascadia bioregion.[4]

Siskiyou County is in the Shasta Cascade region along with the Oregon border. Because of its outdoor recreation, Mt. Shasta, McCloud River, and Gold Rush era history, it is an important tourist destination within the state.

History[]

Siskiyou County was created on March 22, 1852, from parts of Shasta and Klamath Counties, and named after the Siskiyou mountain range. Parts of the county's territory were given to Modoc County in 1855.

The county is the site of the central section of the Siskiyou Trail, which ran between California's Central Valley and the Pacific Northwest. The Siskiyou Trail followed Native American footpaths, and was extended by Hudson's Bay Company trappers in the 1830s. Its length was increased by "Forty-Niners" during the California Gold Rush.

After the discovery of an important gold strike near today's Yreka, California, in 1851, prospectors flooded the area. This was described in detail by Joaquin Miller in his semi-autobiographical novel Life Amongst the Modocs.

In the mid 1880s, the construction of the Central Pacific Railroad along the Siskiyou Trail brought the first wave of tourism. Visitors were drawn by the county's many summer resorts, and to hunt or fish in the largely untouched region. The Southern Pacific railroad, the successor to the Central Pacific, called its rail line “The Road of A Thousand Wonders.”

In the early 1940s, Siskiyou County was home to the semi-serious State of Jefferson movement, which sought to create a new state from several counties of northern California and the adjoining counties of southern Oregon. The movement has seen a revival in recent years.

The origin of the word Siskiyou is not known. It may be Chinook word for a "bob-tailed horse", or as was argued before the State Senate in 1852, from the French Six Cailloux (six stones), a name given to a ford on the Umpqua River by Michel LaFrambois and his Hudson's Bay Company trappers in 1832. Others claim the Six Cailloux name was appropriated by Stephen Meek, another Hudson's Bay Company trapper who discovered Scott Valley, for a crossing on the Klamath River near Hornbrook.

The county is home to the Black Bear Ranch, a commune started in 1968 with the slogan "Free Land for free people."

On September 4, 2013, the Siskiyou County Board of Supervisors voted 4 to 1 to secede from the State of California.[5]

Geography[]

Mossbrae falls

Mossbrae Falls, near Dunsmuir, California

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 6,347 square miles (16,440 km2), of which 6,278 square miles (16,260 km2) is land and 69 square miles (180 km2) (1.1%) is water.[6] It is the fifth-largest county by area in California.

Siskiyou County is geographically diverse. From towering Mount Shasta (elev. 14,179 ft/(4,322 m)) near the center of the county, to lakes and dense forests, as well as desert, chaparral, and memorable waterfalls, the county is home to world-famous trout-fishing rivers and streams, such as the Sacramento and McCloud rivers. The county is dotted as well with lakes and reservoirs,[7] such as Castle Lake and Lake Siskiyou. Mount Shasta itself has a winter sports center. Pastoral Scott Valley in the western part of the county has many wide, tree-lined meadows, supporting large cattle ranches. The basins of northeastern Siskiyou County, including Butte Valley, Lower Klamath and Tule Lake basins, have some of the deepest and richest soils in the state, producing alfalfa, potatoes, horseradish, and brewing barley. Butte Valley nurseries are the leading source of premium strawberry plants in North America. Much of the county is densely forested with pine, fir, incense-cedar, oak, and madrone; Siskiyou County is also home to the rare Baker's Cypress Tree, Cupressus bakeri, which grows in only eleven scattered locations in the world, five of which are in Siskiyou County. The county's natural resources are most often used these days for skiing, snowboarding, hiking, mountain biking, camping, and wilderness recreation, as historic logging practices have been largely discontinued due to Federal and State environmental regulations. The county's water is viewed as sufficiently pure and abundant that the county is a source of significant amounts of bottled water, distributed throughout the country. A large Crystal Geyser plant is at the base of Mt. Shasta, near Weed.

Flora and fauna[]

Substantial amounts of the county are forested within the Siskiyou and Cascade Ranges, including significant oak woodland and mixed conifer forests. Siskiyou County is the northern extent of the range for California Buckeye,[8] a widespread California endemic. The Klamath National Forest occupies 1,700,000 acres (6,900 km2) of land which includes elements in Siskiyou County as well as Jackson County, Oregon.[9]

Adjacent counties[]

National protected areas[]

Cristobalite-Fayalite-40050

Cristobalite on obsidian, found near Lava Beds National Monument.

  • Butte Valley National Grassland
  • Klamath National Forest (part)
  • Lava Beds National Monument (part)
  • Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge (part)
  • Modoc National Forest (part)
  • Rogue River National Forest (part)
  • Shasta National Forest (part)
  • Six Rivers National Forest (part)
  • Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge (part)
  • Tule Lake Unit, World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument (part)

Transportation[]

SP 4449 and 3208 at Bray April 26 1981xrp - Flickr - drewj1946

Southern Pacific 4449 at Bray, en route to Railfair 1981.

Major highways[]

  • I-5 (CA) Interstate 5
  • US 97 (1961 cutout) U.S. Route 97
  • California 3 State Route 3
  • California 89 State Route 89
  • California 96 State Route 96
  • California 139 State Route 139
  • California 161 State Route 161
  • California 263 State Route 263
  • California 265 State Route 265

Public transportation[]

Siskiyou Transit And General Express (STAGE) operates buses connecting the more populated areas of the county. Amtrak trains stop in Dunsmuir. Amtrak California motorcoaches operate from Sacramento and Medford, OR, with stops in Yreka, Weed, Mount Shasta, and Dunsmuir, for passengers connecting to and from Amtrak trains in Sacramento or Stockton.

Airports[]

Siskiyou County owns and operates Butte Valley Airport, Happy Camp Airport, Scott Valley Airport, Siskiyou County Airport and Weed Airport (all general aviation). Dunsmuir Municipal-Mott Airport and Montague-Yreka Rohrer Field are also within the county.

The closest airports for commercial domestic plane departures are Rogue Valley International-Medford Airport north of the county in Medford, Oregon, Crater Lake–Klamath Regional Airport, northeast of the county in Klamath Falls, Oregon, and Redding Municipal Airport south of the county in Redding, California.

Politics[]

Voter registration statistics[]

Cities by population and voter registration[]

Overview[]

Siskiyou is a strongly Republican county in Presidential and congressional elections. The last Democrat to win a majority in the county was Lyndon Johnson in 1964; however, Bill Clinton won a plurality of votes in 1992.

United States presidential election results for Siskiyou County, California[12]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2020 13,290 56.62% 9,593 40.87% 589 2.51%
2016 11,341 55.34% 7,234 35.30% 1,918 9.36%
2012 11,077 55.40% 8,046 40.24% 870 4.35%
2008 11,520 53.42% 9,292 43.09% 752 3.49%
2004 12,673 60.64% 7,880 37.71% 346 1.66%
2000 12,198 61.55% 6,323 31.90% 1,298 6.55%
1996 8,653 47.30% 7,022 38.39% 2,618 14.31%
1992 6,660 32.21% 8,254 39.91% 5,765 27.88%
1988 9,056 50.88% 8,365 47.00% 376 2.11%
1984 10,544 58.25% 7,130 39.39% 427 2.36%
1980 9,331 55.75% 5,664 33.84% 1,743 10.41%
1976 7,070 48.37% 7,060 48.31% 485 3.32%
1972 7,563 51.46% 6,434 43.78% 699 4.76%
1968 6,334 46.13% 6,260 45.59% 1,138 8.29%
1964 5,186 36.18% 9,126 63.66% 23 0.16%
1960 6,279 42.95% 8,245 56.40% 96 0.66%
1956 6,841 49.79% 6,837 49.76% 63 0.46%
1952 8,735 55.69% 6,800 43.35% 151 0.96%
1948 5,315 42.53% 6,749 54.00% 434 3.47%
1944 4,351 42.15% 5,914 57.29% 58 0.56%
1940 4,387 35.92% 7,714 63.17% 111 0.91%
1936 2,919 29.46% 6,865 69.28% 125 1.26%
1932 2,458 26.76% 6,367 69.33% 359 3.91%
1928 3,758 55.49% 2,916 43.06% 98 1.45%
1924 2,437 40.58% 584 9.73% 2,984 49.69%
1920 2,909 60.05% 1,502 31.01% 433 8.94%
1916 2,059 34.13% 3,447 57.15% 526 8.72%
1912 29 0.58% 2,465 49.57% 2,479 49.85%
1908 1,813 47.40% 1,657 43.32% 355 9.28%
1904 2,104 59.67% 1,219 34.57% 203 5.76%
1900 1,898 52.36% 1,668 46.01% 59 1.63%
1896 1,473 44.98% 1,724 52.64% 78 2.38%
1892 1,493 46.27% 1,605 49.74% 129 4.00%
1888 1,361 47.84% 1,459 51.28% 25 0.88%
1884 886 45.58% 1,036 53.29% 22 1.13%
1880 800 46.54% 900 52.36% 19 1.11%



Siskiyou County is in California's 1st congressional district, represented by Republican   Doug LaMalfa.[13]

In the state legislature Siskiyou is in the 1st Senate District, represented by Republican   Ted Gaines,[14] and the 1st Assembly District, represented by Republican   Brian Dahle.[15]

On November 4, 2008, Siskiyou County voted 60.1% for Proposition 8 which amended the California Constitution to ban same-sex marriages. Dunsmuir and Mount Shasta voted against Prop 8.

On September 3, 2013, the Siskiyou County Board of Supervisors voted 4–1 in favor of secession from California to form a proposed state named Jefferson.[16][17] A similar move was made in 1941, but was shelved due to the attack on Pearl Harbor.[18]

Crime[]

The following table includes the number of incidents reported and the rate per 1,000 persons for each type of offense.

Cities by population and crime rates[]

Demographics[]

2011[]

Places by population, race, and income[]

2010[]

Historical populations
Census Pop.
1860 7,629
1870 6,848 −10.2%
1880 8,610 25.7%
1890 12,163 41.3%
1900 16,962 39.5%
1910 18,801 10.8%
1920 18,545 −1.4%
1930 25,480 37.4%
1940 28,598 12.2%
1950 30,733 7.5%
1960 32,885 7.0%
1970 33,225 1.0%
1980 39,732 19.6%
1990 43,531 9.6%
2000 44,301 1.8%
2010 44,900 1.4%
U.S. Decennial Census[27]
1790-1960[28] 1900-1990[29]
1990-2000[30] 2010-2015[2]

The 2010 United States Census reported Siskiyou County had a population of 44,900. The racial makeup of Siskiyou County was 38,030 (84.7%) White, 571 (1.3%) African American, 1,814 (4.0%) Native American, 540 (1.2%) Asian, 80 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 1,491 (3.3%) from other races, and 2,374 (5.3%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4,615 persons (10.3%).[31]

2000[]

As of the census[32] of 2000, there were 44,301 people, 18,556 households, and 12,228 families residing in the county. The population density was 7/sq mi (3/km2). There were 21,947 housing units at an average density of 4/sq mi (1/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 87.1% White, 1.3% Black or African American, 3.9% Native American, 1.2% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 2.8% from other races, and 3.7% from two or more races. 7.6% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 13.5% were of German, 12.0% English, 9.8% Irish, 9.5% American and 7.1% Italian ancestry according to Census 2000. 91.7% spoke English and 5.7% Spanish as their first language. As of March 2012, the largest self-reported ancestry groups in Siskiyou County are 15% German, 13% English, 12% Irish and 6% Italian.[33]

There were 18,556 households, out of which 27.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.7% were married couples living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.1% were non-families. 28.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.87.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.0% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 22.7% from 25 to 44, 28.4% from 45 to 64, and 18.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 96.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.1 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $29,530, and the median income for a family was $36,890. Males had a median income of $31,936 versus $22,650 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,570. About 14.0% of families and 18.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.6% of those under age 18 and 7.3% of those age 65 or over.

Communities[]

Siskiyou County map

Cities[]

  • Dorris
  • Dunsmuir
  • Etna
  • Fort Jones
  • Montague
  • Mount Shasta
  • Tulelake
  • Weed
  • Yreka

Census-designated places[]

  • Carrick
  • Edgewood
  • Gazelle
  • Greenview
  • Grenada
  • Happy Camp
  • Hornbrook
  • Lake Shastina
  • Macdoel
  • McCloud
  • Mount Hebron
  • Tennant

Other unincorporated communities[]

  • Ager
  • Bestville
  • Big Springs
  • Black Bear
  • Black Butte
  • Bray
  • Callahan
  • Cecilville
  • Clear Creek
  • Forks of Salmon
  • Fort Goff
  • Grass Lake
  • Hamburg
  • Hatfield (partial)
  • Hilt
  • Horse Creek
  • Klamath River
  • Klamathon
  • Lake Siskiyou
  • Little Shasta
  • Mugginsville
  • Oro Fino
  • Pondosa
  • Sawyers Bar
  • Scott Bar
  • Seiad Valley
  • Somes Bar
  • Thompson Creek

Ghost towns[]

  • Gullion's Bar
  • Negro Flat

Population ranking[]

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of Siskiyou County.

county seat

Rank City/Town/etc. Municipal type Population (2020 Census)
1 Yreka City 7,807
2 Mount Shasta City 3,223
3 Weed City 2,862
4 Lake Shastina CDP 2,401
5 Dunsmuir City 1,707
6 Montague City 1,226
7 McCloud CDP 945
8 Happy Camp CDP 905
9 Tulelake City 902
10 Dorris City 860
11 Fort Jones City 695
12 Etna City 678
13 Karuk Reservation[34] AIAN 578
14 Grenada CDP 314
15 Hornbrook CDP 266
16 Greenview CDP 208
17 Quartz Valley Reservation[35] AIAN 202
18 Carrick CDP 143
19 Mount Hebron CDP 103
20 Gazelle CDP 95
21 Macdoel CDP 86
22 Edgewood CDP 72
23 Tennant CDP 63

See also[]

  • List of school districts in Siskiyou County, California
  • List of museums in the Shasta Cascade (California)
  • National Register of Historic Places listings in Siskiyou County, California
  • Upper Soda Springs
  • Shasta Springs
  • Yreka Western Railroad

Notes[]

  1. ^ a b Percentage of registered voters with respect to total population. Percentages of party members with respect to registered voters follow.
  2. ^ Only larceny-theft cases involving property over $400 in value are reported as property crimes.
  3. ^ Other = Some other race + Two or more races
  4. ^ Native American = Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander + American Indian or Alaska Native

References[]

  1. ^ "Mount Shasta". Peakbagger.com. http://www.peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=2477. 
  2. ^ a b c "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/siskiyoucountycalifornia. 
  3. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. 
  4. ^ "Boundaries". Cascadia Institute. https://www.cascadia-institute.org/. 
  5. ^ "Siskiyou County supervisors vote to pursue seceding from state", The Record Searchlight, redding.com, September 4, 2013
  6. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html. 
  7. ^ List of Siskiyou County lakes Archived October 29, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ C.Michael Hogan (2008) Aesculus californica, Globaltwitcher.com, ed. N. Stromberg Archived November 22, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ Siskiyou County factsheet Archived October 11, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B02001. U.S. Census website. Retrieved 2013-10-26.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q California Secretary of State. February 10, 2013 - Report of Registration Archived July 27, 2013, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2013-10-31.
  12. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/. 
  13. ^ "California's 1st Congressional District - Representatives & District Map". Civic Impulse, LLC. http://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/CA/1. 
  14. ^ "Senators". State of California. http://senate.ca.gov/senators. 
  15. ^ "Members Assembly". State of California. http://assembly.ca.gov/assemblymembers. 
  16. ^ Longoria, Sean, Siskiyou supervisors support withdrawal from California Archived June 20, 2014, at the Wayback Machine, Redding Record Searchlight, September 4, 2013, accessed September 4, 2013
  17. ^ Mather, Kate, Siskiyou County votes to pursue secession from California, Los Angeles Times, September 4, 2013, accessed September 4, 2013
  18. ^ Northern California County Board Votes For Secession From State, CBS, San Francisco, September 4, 2013
  19. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Office of the Attorney General, Department of Justice, State of California. Table 11: Crimes – 2009. Retrieved 2013-11-14. Archived December 2, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
  20. ^ a b c United States Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation. Crime in the United States, 2012, Table 8 (California). Retrieved 2013-11-14.
  21. ^ a b U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B03003. U.S. Census website. Retrieved 2013-10-26.
  22. ^ a b U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B19301. U.S. Census website. Retrieved 2013-10-21.
  23. ^ a b U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B19013. U.S. Census website. Retrieved 2013-10-21.
  24. ^ a b U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B19113. U.S. Census website. Retrieved 2013-10-21.
  25. ^ a b U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. U.S. Census website. Retrieved 2013-10-21.
  26. ^ U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B01003. U.S. Census website. Retrieved 2013-10-21.
  27. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html. 
  28. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu. 
  29. ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/ca190090.txt. 
  30. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf. 
  31. ^ "2010 Census P.L. 94-171 Summary File Data". United States Census Bureau. http://www2.census.gov/census_2010/01-Redistricting_File--PL_94-171/California/. 
  32. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov. 
  33. ^ "Siskiyou County, CA - Siskiyou County, California - Ancestry & family history - ePodunk". http://www.epodunk.com/cgi-bin/genealogyInfo.php?locIndex=10900. 
  34. ^ Staff, Website Services & Coordination. "U.S. Census Bureau 2020 Census". https://data.census.gov/cedsci/all?q=Karuk%20Reservation%20and%20Off-Reservation%20Trust%20Land,%20CA%3B%20California. 
  35. ^ Staff, Website Services & Coordination. "U.S. Census Bureau 2020 Census". https://data.census.gov/cedsci/all?q=Quartz%20Valley%20Reservation%20and%20Off-Reservation%20Trust%20Land,%20CA%3B%20California. 

Further reading[]

External links[]

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