| Castle Crags | |
|---|---|
 Castle Dome, a popular trail destination at Castle Crags (left foreground).Mount Shasta can also be seen (distant right). | |
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| Location | Shasta County,California |
| Nearest city | Castella |
| Coordinates | 41°10′32″N122°20′22″W / 41.17556°N 122.33944°W /41.17556; -122.33944 |
| Governing body | California Department of Parks and Recreation |
Castle Crags is a dramatic and well-knownrock formation inNorthern California. Elevations range from 2,000 feet (610 m) along theSacramento River near the base of the crags, to over 6,500 feet (2,000 m) at the summit of the tallest crag.
Located just west ofInterstate 5, between the towns ofCastella andDunsmuir, Castle Crags is today a popular tourist stop along the highway. Mount Shasta is 10 miles to the north.
The formation and surroundinghabitats are protected byCastle Crags State Park, located on both sides ofInterstate 5 at them, and byCastle Crags Wilderness Area of theShasta-Trinity National Forest.
Although theNorthern Coast Ranges ofnorthwestern California consist largely of rocks ofvolcanic andsedimentary origin,granite bodies (plutons) intruded many parts of the area during theJurassic period. Heavy glaciation at this location during thePleistocene eroded much of the softer surrounding rock leaving the toweringcrags and spires exposed, from which the Castle Crags pluton derives its name.Exfoliation of huge, convex slabs of granite yielded rounded forms such as the prominent Castle Dome feature of Castle Crags.
Situated along an ancient trade and travel route known as theSiskiyou Trail, Castle Crags has witnessed dramatic events. Strained relationships between 1850sCalifornia Gold Rush miners and the local native Indian populations resulted in the 1855Battle of Castle Crags, in which the poetJoaquin Miller was wounded, and which he later described in an essay of the same name.
Exploitation of the land by lumber andmining operations encouraged concerned citizens in 1933 to acquire much of the land, which would eventually becomeCastle Crags State Park. However much of the crags themselves are part of theCastle Crags Wilderness Area within theShasta-Trinity National Forest, managed by theU.S. Forest Service.
The forested area ofCastle Crags State Park was used by several native groups. The wilderness was the ancestral home to the Okwanuchu Shasta people. The Crags were also revered by the Indigenous people surrounding them including theWintu,Achumawi andModoc people. Many features of theCastle Crags Wilderness are considered sacred to Native Americans including all of the streams, theSacramento River, and the region's abundance of natural springs.
During the 1848California Gold Rush, miners flocked to California from all over the world, invading the original homelands and destroying the life-sustaining resources and environments of the native people. Thousands of miners invaded theCastle Crags Wilderness when false rumors of the fabled "Lost Cabin Mine" began to circulate in the region. This invasion led to the genocide, slavery and forcible displacement of Indigenous people.[citation needed]Joaquin Miller wrote about the atrocities committed on the regions native populations during the 1855 Battle of Castle Crags, in one instance describing in detail a massacre of Native American women, children and infants who were ambushed by a mob of drunken settlers while they slept.[citation needed] More than two-thirds of the native California Indian people died as a result of the conquest, with its gruesome violence and contagious diseases—among them, many Okwanuchu Shasta,Wintu andModoc people from this area.[citation needed]
Native Americans utilized a natural mineral spring in theCastle Crags Wilderness which is known today as Castle Rock Mineral Spring, and is situated on the edge of theSacramento River inside of Castle Crags State Park. The mineral spring is supported within a rock-built enclosure which was constructed by theCivilian Conservation Corps back in the 1930s. Today it still has a sulfuric smell and bubbles up from the ground. The natural mineral waters are widely reputed to have restorative, healing, medicinal and therapeutic properties.
The massacre of Indigenous people from theCastle Crags Wilderness opened up the region for commercial and industrial exploitation of the land's resources, which are sacred to native people.[citation needed] The Castle Rock Mineral Spring was one of the earliest land resources seized after a genocidal campaign that eliminated Native Americans from this region.[citation needed] During the 1890s, theCastle Rock Mineral Springs Bottling Works was formed, and cases of the mineral water were bottled, sold and shipped all over the world to prestigious clients.
| Founded | 1889 |
|---|---|
| Defunct | 1929 |
| Fate | Bankruptcy |
| Headquarters |
Castle Rock Mineral Springs Bottling Works was founded in 1889 inDunsmuir, California, United States. The company bottled natural spring water which was shipped all over the world.[1][2][3]
George Washington Bailey operated a resort and a hotel across the river from the Castle Rock Mineral Springs. A footbridge provided convenient access for tourists from the hotel to the springs. People traveled from all over the nation to visit the resort and mineral springs, which were said to contain healing properties.
The company operated profitably until 1906, when theSan Francisco earthquake ended its plans to further divide up and develop the area commercially. The company subsequently went bankrupt during the 1929 stock market crash.
In 1943 the State ofCalifornia purchased 925 acres of the Castle Rock Springs property, which was the beginning of Castle Crags State Park.[4][5]
Two native species of plants which areendemic to Castle Crags are:
