Wandering Lizard
Northeastern California

The gold mines around Shasta played out in the early 1860s. At about the same time transportation was undergoing major changes as the railroad took business away from the wagon. The Central Pacific Railroad chose a course for its track that bypassed Shasta and went through nearby Redding instead. Redding rapidly grew in importance and Shasta just as rapidly declined. Merchants and townspeople moved to Redding and in 1888 the county seat moved there as well. The town was basically abandoned for the next thirty years until a group of concerned citizens began efforts to preserve this bit of history. Today it is an important part of the State Park System.