Weed, California:
A Short History
by Dennis Freeman, 1996
The site of the City of Weed was originally the home
of Shasta Indians until they were displaced by European and American settlers
in the mid-1800's. The highways that pass near the town today are close
to the original trails of early explorers, fur trappers, stagecoach roads
and the railway between California and Oregon. Weed's history is closely
tied to the area's vigorous logging and lumber industry from the early
1900's.
Weed is named for Abner E. Weed, who was born in Maine in 1842 and came
to California with his wife, Rachael C. Cunningham, in 1869. The Weed
family first settled in the Truckee area, then moved to the Sisson (Mt.
Shasta City) area in 1889.
In 1901 Abner Weed built a lumber mill called "Mill No. 1,"
which was the beginning of the town. In 1903, No. 2 Mill was constructed
alongside of No. 1. A post office, company store, depot, school, church,
hotel, homes and other buildings soon followed. Early residential areas
had names like "Whiskey Row," "Stringtown," "Rabbit
Flat" (named for the numerous rabbits that lived in the brush), and
"Camino Row" for the many people who migrated to Weed from Camino,
California.
Only 28 employees were hired in the early days. By 1960, the Long-Bell
Division of The International Paper Company employed nearly 1,500 workers
and turned 90 million feet of logs per year into lumber, sashes, doors,
frames, plywood, and other products. During the past three decades, logging and mill operations have declined.
Like many other rural communities, Weed struggles to find new industries,
such as tourism, for its economic base.
College of the Siskiyous, a public community college serving all of Siskiyou
County, has been an important part of the Weed community and its economy
since it was established in 1959.
Today, about 3,000 people live in Weed, with, perhaps, another 3,000
living outside of the city limits.
The city is nestled on the western slopes of Mount Shasta, a magnificent
14,162-foot mountain. The area is rich in lakes, rivers, forests, mountains
and wildlife. The picturesque community, originally established as a bustling
lumber town, still maintains its friendly, small town charm.
Sources of Weed history:
Langford, James Anthony. The Black minority of Weed-its history and
institutions, (Thesis) California State University, Chico, 1984.
Weed, Abner Edward, Jr. Weed: The Evolution of a Company Town,
(Thesis), California State University, Chico, 1974.
"Railroad Logging in N.E. Siskiyou County." The Siskiyou Pioneer,
Vol. 5, No.10, 1987.
The Siskiyou Pioneer (Weed Issue) Vol. 3, No. 2, 1967.
The Siskiyou Pioneer (Weed Edition) Vol. 7, No. 3, 2001.
Weed: A Town in Transition, First Western Bank, Weed Office, 1960?
Weed...The Way it Was, Bicentennial Committee, 1976?
Weed Historic Lumber Town Museum, 303 Gilman Avenue, Weed, CA 96094.
Open daily, May through October. (530) 938-5050
For more information:
Weed Chamber of Commerce
P.O. Box 366
Weed, CA 96094
(530) 938-4624
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