In 1850, a Mississippi man by the name of John Weaver arrived in the locality, one of the remotest sites in California at the time. Located in the Trinity Alps, incoming mule trains carrying food and other supplies were often unable to get through to the town. The snowdrifts were simply too deep during the winter and spring months. This made for short tempers and occasionally violence would flare up. Weaverville got along without a jail for quite a while by the simple matter of quick execution or release. As did happen in other towns, fire was the cause to use brick during any rebuilding process. Weaverville today is not a ghost town and has much to offer of what it was like in its heyday. The town is on highway 299 just north of Douglas City. Submitted by Henry Chenoweth.

A short distance northwest of Shasta on Highway 99 is the once riotous town of Weaverville. The first strike at this remote spot below Trinity River was made in 1849 by William Weaver, a Mississippi born frontiersman. The following year the town sprang up bearing his name. By 1852 it had 49 wooden buildings and a population of 1200. Life was rugged in the remote area. In the winter of 1852-1853 Weaver was completely marooned from the outside world. Snow was so deep it crushed the roofs of houses. For one full week there was nothing to eat but barley. Many escaped on snowshoes and the rest were thinking about it when the thaws first came. Today Weaverville is one of the most delightful towns in the entire state and has much to show its visitors dating backing back to the 1850s.

Old Weaverville Fire Station -- rammed earth walls were constructed
by early Chinese settlers.
Courtesy Dolores Steele

Chinese Temple of the Forest Beneath the Trees
Courtesy Dolores Steele

Weaverville
Courtesy Dolores Steele

Weaverville Cemetery
Courtesy Dolores Steele