National Register of Historic Places

Tower House District

Whiskeytown, Shasta County, California

Listed

July 1, 1973

Type

District

Period

Listed

Ref No.

73000257

About this property

Tower House, California was a mining town in Shasta County. The mining District of Tower House was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 2, 1973, as #73000257 as the Tower House Historic District. The Tower House Historic District is located just west of the Whiskeytown National Recreation Area. The town started as a California Gold Rush camp. The town is named after Levi Tower, who built the Tower House Hotel and helped establish the town. Major Pierson Barton Reading found gold at Reading's Bar south of Tower House on the Clear Creek in May 1848, starting a California Gold Rush in the surrounding area. Tower House was built at the site were three creeks merge into one creek: Mill Creek, Willown Creek flow into Clear Creek. Clear Creek flows down to Reading's Bar and the town that was started there Horsetown. Before the town was built the lands were part of the Wintu Tribe. The other founders of the town were Charles Camden and Philena Camden, and Wintu American Kate Camden. North of Tower House was the mining town of French Gulch, now the French Gulch Historic District. A stagecoach and covered wagon road was built from French Gulch to Tower House. Other roads at Tower House were: a road north to Scott Mountains then to Yreka; a road east to Weaverville and on to Humboldt Bay, and the road east to Shasta, the Old Shasta Road that Tower built. This made Tower House a key place to stop and rest for travelers. This made Tower House a key stopping spot for travelers. The Tower House Hotel became the center of the town, it was used as a Hotel, community center, election precinct, mining district Headquarters, part-time courthouse, stagecoach stop, and telegraph office. When Levi Tower was sold the land in 1852 for the hotel, a small trading post and a bridge across Clear Creek were already in the small town since 1825. The California-Oregon stage Company had a stop at the Hotel starting in 1858. The California-Oregon stage Company also leased stables from Tower for keeping fresh horses ready for the stagecoach use. The California-Oregon stage Company ran though Tower House till 1870, when it changed its route and bypassed Tower House. Due to is fine food and construction, the hotel became a summer resort for those in the hot summer Central Valley 1870's. The Tower House Hotel was lost in 1919 fire and not rebuilt. Buildings that are still standing include the Bickford Mine (also called the El Dorado Mine), the Camden House, the Carriage House, the Levi Tower Grave Site, the Tenant Farmhouse, barns, bridges, and other houses. The Tower House Historic District is administered by the National Park Service. The Tower House Historic District is on the outside southwestern edge of the Interlakes Recreation Area.

Location

Whiskeytown, Shasta County, California

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Native Heritage

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Settlement

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The Community

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Questions about this property

When was Tower House District listed on the National Register?

Tower House District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 1, 1973.

What type of historic resource is Tower House District?

Tower House District is classified as a district in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Tower House District?

The period of significance for Tower House District is recorded as the listed era.

Can I research the history near Tower House District?

Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Tower House District will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.

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