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1894 Map of Shasta

Name: 1894 Topographic Map of Shasta
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1906
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1906

About this map

The towering presence of Mt Shasta and its subsidiary peak, Shastina, anchors this late nineteenth-century reconnaissance of Northern California. Surveyed in the 1880s, the landscape reveals a region defined by its rugged verticality and the vital water systems of the Shasta River and Little Shasta River. To the west, the Scott Valley hosts established settlements like Fort Jones and Etna, while the southern reaches follow the Upper Sacramento River towards Berryvale and the volcanic heights of Ash Creek Butte.

Resource extraction and early infrastructure are visible in the placement of the Altoona Mines and Empire Mill, alongside the Yreka Irrigating Ditch which speaks to the hydraulic needs of the era. The map traces the transition from the high Siskiyou Mountains at the Oregon California Boundary Line down through mining camps and ranching outposts like French Town and Callahan Ranch, documenting a territory where transportation relied on a Ferry crossing at the Klamath River and mountain passes.