Fort Jones, California

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Fort Jones is a city in the Scott Valley area of Siskiyou County, California, United States. The population was 660 at the 2000 census.

Contents 1 History 2 Military Presence 3 Interesting Facts 4 Geography 5 Demographics 6 Resources 7 External links

[edit] History

Ultimately, the town of Fort Jones takes its name from the frontier outpost once located less than a mile to the south. From the time of the earliest communal settlement, circa 1850, the town was referred to as Scottsburg, then Scottville, and in 1852 the townsite was named in honor of Mr. O. C. Wheelock who, with his partners, established the first commercial enterprise in the upstart village. In 1854 a post office was established in the town by the name of Ottitiewa, the Indian name for the Scott River branch of the Shasta tribe, and the name held for some six more years until 1860 when local citizens successfully petitioned the postal department to change the name to Fort Jones in honor of the nearby military outpost.

The earliest permanent building at the townsite of Fort Jones, built in 1851 by two Messrs. Brown and Kelly, was purchased soon after construction by O. C. Wheelock, Captain John B. Pierce, and two other unknown partners. Wheelock then established a trading post as well as a house of public entertainment (sic) at this site, primarily serving soldiers garrisoned at the fort. Near the end of the 1850s the nearby mining camps of Hooperville and Deadwood began to peter out as a result of dwindling placer gold, epidemic illness and, of course, decimating fires. Consequently, commerce began to focus at the town of Fort Jones, and its continued existence as a center for both mining and agriculture at the northern end of Scott Valley was assured.

As with many other places in California, the mines around Scott Valley attracted many foreign peoples. Most notably, the Irish and the Portuguese remained as ranchers in the area after making enough on the gold fields to purchase property tracts in the valley. In the early years of the twentieth century the northern Scott River tributaries of Moffitt and McAddams creeks were extensively settled by the Portuguese. The Irish surname Marlahan lives on after that family received a shipment of British hay infected with the seed of a plant known as Dyers Woad. Those seeds spread their spawn throughout Scott Valley, culturing a plant known in the area as Marlahan Mustard. The plant has a beautiful, canary plume in the spring which matures to small, black, hard seeds. Unfortunately, the herbivore beasts of burden will not eat hay in which this plant exists, and ever since it has been a scourge on the ranchers of Scott Valley.

[edit] Military Presence

The post at Fort Jones was established by its first commandant, Captain (brevet Major) Edward H. Fitzgerald, 1st Dragoons, E Company. Such military posts were to be established in the vicinity of major stage routes, which would have meant locating the post in the vicinity of Yreka, sixteen miles to the Northeast. Yet the areas around Yreka did not contain sufficient resources, such as forage for their animals, and Capt. Fitzgerald located his troop some sixteen miles to the southwest, in what was then known as Beaver Valley. Fort Jones was established on October 18, 1852, named in honor of Colonel Roger Jones, the Adjutant General of the Army at that time, and would continue to serve Siskiyou County's military needs until the order was received to evacuate some six years later. Fort Jones ceased to exist as a military garrison on June 23, 1858.

The history of Fort Jones would not be complete without the short list of officers stationed there who would attain national prominence in ensuing years. Among them were Phil Sheridan (Union Army); William Wing Loring (Confederate); John B. Hood (Confederate); Ulysses S. Grant (Union) was named to Fort Jones, but was Absent Without Leave for whatever his tenure would have been; George Crook (Union), who would arguable become one of the greatest leaders for the Grand Army of the Republic less than a decade later; and George Pickett (Confederate).

[edit] Interesting Facts

At a height of 128 feet, Fort Jones has the tallest flagpole in Scott Valley.

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Norman F. Cardoza is a Fort Jones native, son of John C. and Emily S. Cardoza, and is a product of Moffitt Creek School and Fort Jones High School.

[edit] Geography

Fort Jones is located at 41°36′26″N, 122°50′31″W (41.607303, -122.841817)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.6 km² (0.6 mi²), all land.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 660 people, 298 households, and 185 families residing in the city. The population density was 424.7/km² (1,096.7/mi²). There were 328 housing units at an average density of 211.1/km² (545.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 88.64% White, 0.15% African American, 3.18% Native American, 0.45% Pacific Islander, 1.52% from other races, and 6.06% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.03% of the population.

There were 298 households out of which 28.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.6% were married couples living together, 12.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.6% were non-families. 33.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.81.

In the city the population was spread out with 23.6% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 23.3% from 25 to 44, 24.1% from 45 to 64, and 22.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 89.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $21,563, and the median income for a family was $25,625. Males had a median income of $31,058 versus $16,875 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,301. About 23.3% of families and 26.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 31.1% of those under age 18 and 14.5% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Resources

Lauran Paine, ed., Preface and The Fort and Its Dependencies, The Siskiyou Pioneer, Vol. III, No. 3. Yreka, CA: Siskiyou County Historical Society, 1960.

Gary D. Stumpf, Gold Mining in Siskiyou County 1850-1900. Yreka, CA: Siskiyou County Historical Society, 1979.

Michael Hendryx, O. Silva, & R. Silva, Historic Look at Scott Valley. Yreka, CA: Siskiyou County Historical Society, 2003.

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[edit] External links

• Maps and aerial photos Coordinates: 41.607303° -122.841817°
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