Upper Soda Springs
Encyclopedia
Upper Soda Springs is on the banks of the Sacramento River
in Dunsmuir, California
, USA
. It consists of approximately ten acres (40,000 m²) of level ground on both sides of the River, the surrounding hillsides, and continues north along the eastern bank of the Sacramento River to the Dunsmuir City Park. The State of California
and the City of Dunsmuir are creating a new park on this historic site. The Upper Soda Springs site contains a riparian ecosystem and includes its namesake mineral water
springs
. In large part because of its location on the Siskiyou Trail
, the site mirrors the history of the state and of the American West.
, the site had no permanent inhabitants. The nearest inhabitants, members of the Okwanuchu
tribe, used the site as a temporary campground during the annual salmon fishing season. Another nearby tribe, the Wintu
, likely did not have regular habitation sites this far north along the Sacramento.
The first European or American visitors in the area were likely hunters and trappers, including Hudson's Bay Company
hunting and trapping parties headed by Michel Laframboise
, coming down from the Pacific Northwest
during the 1820s-30s. As early as the 1830s, a pioneer cattle drive led by Ewing Young
, along what was to become known as the Siskiyou Trail
from Mexican-controlled California to settlements in Oregon, stopped at Upper Soda Springs. In 1841, an overland party of the United States Exploring Expedition
with cartographers and botanists entered the upper Sacramento River canyon, and recorded visits to mineral springs sites on the upper Sacramento River, including passing through Upper Soda Springs.
in 1848, brought the Forty-Niners to California in search of riches during the California Gold Rush
. For the next ten years, these prospectors spread from the original Gold Country
region of the Sierra Nevada throughout the state. Discovery of gold near Yreka, California
in 1851 greatly increased the traffic between California's Central Valley and Yreka, and north into Oregon
and Washington.
Packers with mule trains joined the prospectors heading north, following existing Native American
foot trails through rugged mountains, including the Sacramento River canyon. A rustic wayside hostel for these travelers was the first permanent habitation on the site, established in the early 1850s. During this same time, a band of Wintu, fleeing the predation of the Forty-Niners on the Trinity River
, crossed the mountains, and settled near the springs.
In about 1855, a toll bridge crossing the Sacramento River was built on the site by pioneers Ross McCloud
and Mary Campbell McCloud. During the next 30 years, the first stagecoach road between the Central Valley and Oregon passed through the site and a more substantial inn was developed, with a covered "springhouse" to allow the public to enjoy the "soda water" from the mineral springs (on the far right in the image to right.) Notably, the name "Dolly Varden trout
" was first given to a colorful local fish species by Elda McCloud, the daughter of Ross and Mary McCloud.
The arrival of the Central Pacific
railroad in 1886 heralded still further expansion of the inn. Now known as the Upper Soda Springs Resort, it was a destination for well-to-do Victorian Era
travelers who would come to "take the waters" at the mineral springs.
With the increasing popularity of the automobile in the 20th century, vacation tastes changed, and the Resort closed by 1920. The property was subdivided, and became private residences and businesses.
Sacramento River
The Sacramento River is an important watercourse of Northern and Central California in the United States. The largest river in California, it rises on the eastern slopes of the Klamath Mountains, and after a journey south of over , empties into Suisun Bay, an arm of the San Francisco Bay, and...
in Dunsmuir, California
Dunsmuir, California
Dunsmuir is a city in Siskiyou County, California, United States. The population was 1,650 at the 2010 census, down from 1,923 at the 2000 census. It is currently a hub of tourism in Northern California as visitors enjoy fishing, skiing, climbing, or sight-seeing...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It consists of approximately ten acres (40,000 m²) of level ground on both sides of the River, the surrounding hillsides, and continues north along the eastern bank of the Sacramento River to the Dunsmuir City Park. The State of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and the City of Dunsmuir are creating a new park on this historic site. The Upper Soda Springs site contains a riparian ecosystem and includes its namesake mineral water
Mineral water
Mineral water is water containing minerals or other dissolved substances that alter its taste or give it therapeutic value, generally obtained from a naturally occurring mineral spring or source. Dissolved substances in the water may include various salts and sulfur compounds...
springs
Spring (hydrosphere)
A spring—also known as a rising or resurgence—is a component of the hydrosphere. Specifically, it is any natural situation where water flows to the surface of the earth from underground...
. In large part because of its location on the Siskiyou Trail
Siskiyou Trail
The Siskiyou Trail stretched from California's Central Valley to Oregon's Willamette Valley; modern-day Interstate 5 follows this pioneer path...
, the site mirrors the history of the state and of the American West.
Before the California Gold Rush
Before the California Gold RushCalifornia Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The first to hear confirmed information of the gold rush were the people in Oregon, the Sandwich Islands , and Latin America, who were the first to start flocking to...
, the site had no permanent inhabitants. The nearest inhabitants, members of the Okwanuchu
Okwanuchu
The Okwanuchu were one of a number of small Shastan-speaking tribes of Native Americans in Northern California, who were closely related to the adjacent larger Shasta tribe...
tribe, used the site as a temporary campground during the annual salmon fishing season. Another nearby tribe, the Wintu
Wintu
The Wintu are Native Americans who live in what is now Northern California. They are part of a loose association of peoples known collectively as the Wintun . Others are the Nomlaki and the Patwin...
, likely did not have regular habitation sites this far north along the Sacramento.
The first European or American visitors in the area were likely hunters and trappers, including Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
hunting and trapping parties headed by Michel Laframboise
Michel Laframboise
Michel Laframboise was a French Canadian fur trader in the Oregon Country that settled on the French Prairie in the modern U.S. state of Oregon. A native of Quebec, he worked for the Pacific Fur Company, the North West Company, and the Hudson’s Bay Company before he later became a farmer and...
, coming down from the Pacific Northwest
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
during the 1820s-30s. As early as the 1830s, a pioneer cattle drive led by Ewing Young
Ewing Young
Ewing Young was an American fur trapper and trader from Tennessee who traveled Mexican southwestern North America and California before settling in the Oregon Country. As a prominent and wealthy citizen there, his death was the impetus for the early formation of government in what became the state...
, along what was to become known as the Siskiyou Trail
Siskiyou Trail
The Siskiyou Trail stretched from California's Central Valley to Oregon's Willamette Valley; modern-day Interstate 5 follows this pioneer path...
from Mexican-controlled California to settlements in Oregon, stopped at Upper Soda Springs. In 1841, an overland party of the United States Exploring Expedition
United States Exploring Expedition
The United States Exploring Expedition was an exploring and surveying expedition of the Pacific Ocean and surrounding lands conducted by the United States from 1838 to 1842. The original appointed commanding officer was Commodore Thomas ap Catesby Jones. The voyage was authorized by Congress in...
with cartographers and botanists entered the upper Sacramento River canyon, and recorded visits to mineral springs sites on the upper Sacramento River, including passing through Upper Soda Springs.
During and after the Gold Rush
The discovery of gold at Sutter's MillSutter's Mill
Sutter's Mill was a sawmill owned by 19th century pioneer John Sutter in partnership with James W. Marshall. It was located in Coloma, California, at the bank of the South Fork American River...
in 1848, brought the Forty-Niners to California in search of riches during the California Gold Rush
California Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The first to hear confirmed information of the gold rush were the people in Oregon, the Sandwich Islands , and Latin America, who were the first to start flocking to...
. For the next ten years, these prospectors spread from the original Gold Country
Gold Country
Gold Country is a region in the central and northeastern part of California, United States. It is famed for the mineral deposits and gold mines that attracted waves of immigrants, known as the 49ers, during the 1849 California Gold Rush.-Geography:State Route 49 was built through the Gold Country,...
region of the Sierra Nevada throughout the state. Discovery of gold near Yreka, California
Yreka, California
Yreka is the county seat of Siskiyou County, California, United States. The population was 7,765 at the 2010 census, up from 7,290 at the 2000 census.- History:...
in 1851 greatly increased the traffic between California's Central Valley and Yreka, and north into Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
and Washington.
Packers with mule trains joined the prospectors heading north, following existing Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
foot trails through rugged mountains, including the Sacramento River canyon. A rustic wayside hostel for these travelers was the first permanent habitation on the site, established in the early 1850s. During this same time, a band of Wintu, fleeing the predation of the Forty-Niners on the Trinity River
Trinity River (California)
The Trinity River is the longest tributary of the Klamath River, approximately long, in northwestern California in the United States. It drains an area of the Coast Ranges, including the southern Klamath Mountains, northwest of the Sacramento Valley...
, crossed the mountains, and settled near the springs.
In about 1855, a toll bridge crossing the Sacramento River was built on the site by pioneers Ross McCloud
Ross McCloud
Ross McCloud was a California pioneer and early settler in Northern California. While he is regarded by some as a namesake of the town of McCloud, California, and the nearby McCloud River, please see historical note below.Born and raised in Ohio, McCloud moved to Iowa when he was a young man,...
and Mary Campbell McCloud. During the next 30 years, the first stagecoach road between the Central Valley and Oregon passed through the site and a more substantial inn was developed, with a covered "springhouse" to allow the public to enjoy the "soda water" from the mineral springs (on the far right in the image to right.) Notably, the name "Dolly Varden trout
Dolly Varden trout
The Dolly Varden trout, Salvelinus malma malma, is a subspecies of anadromous fish in the salmon family, and is technically a char. Although many of the fish are anadromous, the fish also exists in landlocked waters.- Range :The subspecies S. m...
" was first given to a colorful local fish species by Elda McCloud, the daughter of Ross and Mary McCloud.
The arrival of the Central Pacific
Central Pacific Railroad
The Central Pacific Railroad is the former name of the railroad network built between California and Utah, USA that formed part of the "First Transcontinental Railroad" in North America. It is now part of the Union Pacific Railroad. Many 19th century national proposals to build a transcontinental...
railroad in 1886 heralded still further expansion of the inn. Now known as the Upper Soda Springs Resort, it was a destination for well-to-do Victorian Era
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
travelers who would come to "take the waters" at the mineral springs.
With the increasing popularity of the automobile in the 20th century, vacation tastes changed, and the Resort closed by 1920. The property was subdivided, and became private residences and businesses.
Modern era
Beginning in the late 1990s, through public and private efforts, riverside parcels of the historic Upper Soda Springs Resort property were acquired and dedicated to park land. Sections of the site have been restored and further work is planned.Tauhindauli Park and Trail
The former resort site is now part of Tauhindauli Park and Trail, which is a project of the Dunsmuir Garden Club. Activities include running, walking, fishing, swimming, kayaking and picnicking.External links
- Tauhindauli Park and Trail - official park site