WEED - A LUMBER TOWN IN SISKIYOU, CA

WE WORKED ON THE KLAMATH FOREST IN THE LATE 70'S AND WE WORKED ON TWO DISTRICTS JUST NORTH OF THE TOWN OF WEED. WEED IS LOCATED 10 MILES NORTHWEST OF MT. SHASTA, THE
SECOND TALLEST MOUNTAIN IN CALIFORNIA. ABER WEED BOUGHT THE LUMBER MILL IN 1897 WHICH OCCUPIED 280 ACRES. BY 1940'S WEED WAS THE WORLD'S LARGEST LUMBER TOWN AND SAWMILL, CUTTING MOSTLY DOUGLAS FIR AND VARIOUS PINE TREES. THEY HAD A SIGNIFICANT RAILROAD ASSOCIATED THROUGHOUT NORTHERN CALIFORNIA TO HAUL THE CUT WOOD TO THIS SAWMILL AND OTHER SMALLER SAWMILLS. MANY OF THESE OLD RAILROAD TRAILS ARE NOW USED FOR CROSS COUNTRY SKIING. THE SAWMILL ENDED IT'S OPERATION IN THE LATE 1980'S.

THE MINER'S IN THE KLAMATH CAME TO MINE FOR GOLD DURING THE 1850'S LEAVING HUGE CAN DUMPS ALONG THE RIVERS AND HUGE PILINGS OF THEIR DREDGINGS ALONG ALL OF THE DRAINAGES. SOME OF THEM BUILT CABINS, WHILE OTHERS STAYED IN TENTS. THEY ALSO BUILT WOODEN SHOOTS TO HAVE WATER COME FROM HIGHER ELEVATIONS DOWN TO THE RIVERS WHERE THEY MINED. THERE WERE HUNDREDS OF CAMPS THAT WE LOCATED, RECORDED, PHOTOGRAPHED FOR PRESERVATION BASED UPON AERIAL PHOTO SEARCH AND INTERVIEWS WITH LOCAL SENIORS.