Whiskeytown, California

History

Whiskeytown was one of Shasta County's first gold mining settlements during the California Gold Rush of 1849, though at the time it was called Whiskey Creek Diggings. There are two stories for how the settlement might have gotten its name: The first states that a barrel of whiskey fell from a pack mule and into the creek that ran by Whiskeytown; the second attributes the name to the legend that miners at Whiskeytown could drink a barrel of the hard liquor a day.

The area became known as a source for gold. Nearby Redding, CA's newspaper The Record Searchlight reports miners averaged $50 in gold per day ($2,039.41 in 2024 dollars), and in 1851 a 56-ounce gold nugget was found. The first woman arrived in town in 1852, and by 1855 about 1,000 gold miners lived in Whiskeytown. The post office was opened in 1856, but the federal government didn't allow the Whiskeytown name to be attached to it because it was considered inappropriate. Finally, in 1952, the federal government agreed to name the post office after the town.

Construction of the Whiskeytown Dam began in 1960, and the basin began to fill with water in 1962. Some Whiskeytown buildings were moved to higher ground, but others remain underwater. The dam was dedicated by President John F. Kennedy in 1963.

Climate

According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Whiskeytown has a hot-summer mediterranean climate, abbreviated "Csa" on climate maps. The hottest temperature recorded in Whiskeytown was 120 F on September 6, 1988, while the coldest temperature recorded was 11 F on December 21–22, 1990.

|Jan record high F = 79 |Feb record high F = 82 |Mar record high F = 92 |Apr record high F = 97 |May record high F = 104 |Jun record high F = 113 |Jul record high F = 119 |Aug record high F = 115 |Sep record high F = 120 |Oct record high F = 104 |Nov record high F = 93 |Dec record high F = 81

|Jan avg record high F = 67.1 |Feb avg record high F = 71.3 |Mar avg record high F = 79.7 |Apr avg record high F = 86.9 |May avg record high F = 94.7 |Jun avg record high F = 102.7 |Jul avg record high F = 108.1 |Aug avg record high F = 107.8 |Sep avg record high F = 103.5 |Oct avg record high F = 93.8 |Nov avg record high F = 76.5 |Dec avg record high F = 65.6 |year avg record high F = 110.0

|Jan avg record low F = 29.4 |Feb avg record low F = 29.9 |Mar avg record low F = 32.9 |Apr avg record low F = 35.5 |May avg record low F = 41.8 |Jun avg record low F = 48.6 |Jul avg record low F = 56.7 |Aug avg record low F = 55.5 |Sep avg record low F = 49.8 |Oct avg record low F = 40.6 |Nov avg record low F = 33.0 |Dec avg record low F = 29.1 |year avg record low F = 26.6

|Jan record low F = 17 |Feb record low F = 18 |Mar record low F = 26 |Apr record low F = 28 |May record low F = 32 |Jun record low F = 39 |Jul record low F = 47 |Aug record low F = 47 |Sep record low F = 41 |Oct record low F = 28 |Nov record low F = 25 |Dec record low F = 11

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|access-date = July 25, 2024 |access-date = July 25, 2024 |access-date = July 25, 2024

Present day

Today, what was once a bustling mining town is a popular lake and recreation area. Whiskeytown Lake, part of the Central Valley Project, draws people looking to swim, sail, kayak, or fish, among other activities. On clear days, the outlines of buildings that were once Whiskeytown can be seen at the bottom of the lake, according to The Record Searchlight.

Whiskeytown Cemetery was moved during the construction of the dam. All the graves were exhumed and transported to higher ground.

References

References

1. {{cite ohp. 131. Whiskeytown. 2012-10-14
2. "Where's the Whiskey? Where's the Town? The Story of Whiskeytown, CA".
3. "Travelin' in Time: Whiskeytown earned its name as a drinking town". Redding.com.
4. "History of Whiskeytown Lake".
5. "Whiskeytown Cemetery: Alive with Memories and Personalities".