Mt. Shasta has small towns nestled around its base. Each town has a differing historical background although lumber mills were common among most of them. There is one town in the Sacramento canyon, which originated with a very important source of transportation, the railroad. Early survey showed that the upper Sacramento River canyon was the best route to link California with Oregon. By the mid 1880’s the railroad entered Siskiyou County. The town was first called Pusher named after the pusher engines that were assembled to help push the trains over the step grades to the north. Then a man by the name of Alexander Dunsmuir a British Columbia coal baron donated a fountain to the town and the town was renamed Dunsmuir. There was an enormous roundhouse built along with machine shops and rail yards. The population increased dramatically and by some accounts the population reached twenty thousand and remained so for many years. But in the 1960’s the railroad began to change. Steam had been gone for many years and diesel was the mode of energy. Structures were torn down. Dunsmuir was not a focal point for the railroad anymore. The population decreased significantly and today boasts about 2500. But the people have taken great pride in keeping the historical buildings as authentic as possible.
So, when traveling to Siskiyou County, put Dunsmuir on your list of visits. The Sacramento River runs right through the town and is noted for world-class fishing. The city park is right on the river and hosts a botanical garden. There are wonderful hikes to Mossbrae Falls and Hedge Creek Falls. Castle Craigs State Park is just a few miles south and is named after the huge rocks that jut up in to the sky. Of course don’t miss Railroad Park where you can actually stay in a railroad car equipped with all the amenities of a nice motel. You can eat a wonderful meal in one of the railroad cars that has been converted to a restaurant.
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