SeeCalifornia.com

Six miles west of Redding’s gleaming Sundial Bridge and colorful Turtle Bay, there’s a 19 acre ghost town where visitors can wander through an historic cemetery, and explore the brick ruins of  hotels, barbershops, bookstores, meat markets, and stables that occupied the mile long stretch of hollowed buildings that prospered from 1850 to 1890.  And if Shasta State Historic Park gets enough money to keep its doors open even just a few days a week, you’ll still be able to step inside the Courthouse Museum, Blum Bakery and Litsch Store to experience the Gold Rush era lifestyle.

One of the hidden gems among the treasures in the Courthouse Museum is artwork comprising Boggs Collection, unparalleled for its representation of  California during a 100 year period from 1850 to 1950.  The private collection of Mae Helene Boggs  who grew up in Shasta in the late 1800s, includes 98 historic paintings by different artists reflecting dozens of cultural and ethnic backgrounds.

Litsch Store is an old general store with authentic wooden floors, high ceilings, and a world to explore–cans, jars and bottles of foods, dry goods, ointments, brooms, umbrellas–everything under the sun made shopping a simple task that involved one stop!

Before you go: Be sure to check the status of Shasta State Historic Park (parks.ca.gov). The locals are trying to get funding and volunteers to keep it open and news is that there may be some help on the horizon. It was tagged as one of 70 parks to close by July 2012 to help California cut expenses.

Ruth Coleman, director of California State Parks, said that the state’s current budget crisis demands tough decisions be made and the closure methodology includes protection of the closed parks so that they remain attractive and usable for potential partners. At least 92% of today’s attendance will be retained, 94% of existing revenues will be preserved, and 209 parks will remain open.

As of January 2012, agreements have been reached for keeping nine of the 70 “tagged for closure” parks open and operating.  Details of keeping Shasta Historic State Park open are sketchy at this point (nothing is official, or certain) but its role of educating students and adults by offering a glimpse into the California Gold Rush era makes it well worth saving.