Fort Reading

Shasta County August 29, 1993

6.5 miles and 15 minutes from the California-Oregon road landmark we roll out into open country and come to the last landmark on this visit to Shasta County, Fort Reading.  

Pierson Barton Reading


Back in the day, it was nice to have Cow Creek running right by the fort…great for fresh water and bathing…in the summer. It was a different story in winter however when the place turned into a muddy swamp and sickness was common. An inspector noted: "troops had intermittent fever and are powerless in the field with broken constitutions."  Add to this the fort was supposed to be a base of defense against hostile Indians for a 200 mile radius, but the central location placed too far from any goings-on and was for the most part useless. After the quinine taking soldiers moved on, the buildings were sold sometime after 1870 and nothing remains of the fort today.   

Fort Reading site today - NoeHill photo

Plaque inscription: NO. 379 FORT READING - Fort Reading, established on May 26, 1852 by Second Lieutenant E. N. Davis, Co. E, 2nd Infantry on the orders of Lieutenant Colonel George M. Wright, was the first and largest fort in Northern California. It was named in honor of Pierson Barton Reading and stood in a clearing of 10 acres. The fort was abandoned in June 1867.
Location: 0.6 mi E of intersection of Deschutes and Dersch Rds, 6 mi NE of Anderson
Google maps: 40.478292,-122.222128