Dunsmuir, Calif., established in 1887, grew rapidly, the population reaching 350 by the end of the following year.
The railroad was the cornerstone of the growing community. A variety of businesses sprang up, including Branstetter’s general store, Brown’s hotel, and the Scott and Company lumber mill. Other businesses included a carpenter, saloon, meat market, shoemaker, and a doctor’s office.
The town’s main street was Sacramento Avenue, known better as “front street.” Florence Avenue, also known as “back street,” is today’s Dunsmuir Avenue.
Scott’s mill above Hedge Creek supplied the lumber for the town buildings. James J. Scott and three other men had originally filed on four timber claims in 1885, which included the area soon known as Shasta Springs.
Scott, originally from Roseville, discovered a mineral springs on his property in 1886 and formed a corporation with investors from the Bay Area to market the water at what became the Shasta Water Company and the Shasta Springs Resort. Located on the Upper Sacramento River, along the main line of the Southern Pacific Railroad, the springs was a popular tourist destination for many years.
Today, the Saint Germain Foundation owns the Shasta Springs Resort.
Source: Jones, Ruth T. "Dunsmuir." The Siskiyou Pioneer, 4.1 (1968): 46-48. Print.
