Reading Adobe Site
Also known as: Rancho Bueica Ventiua
Why it's listed
Reading Adobe Site, about five miles from Cottonwood in Shasta County, marks the location of the headquarters of Rancho Buenaventura. Pierson Barton Reading, who came to California in 1843, received the Mexican land grant in 1844 and built the adobe in 1847. Today a fenced enclosure of roughly 150 by 200 feet holds a shapeless earth mound, a few trees and a brick curb, with a bronze California Historical Landmark marker in front. Beneath the mound lie brick floors, hearths and the lower courses of adobe walls. The nomination argues for the site's importance on several grounds. Reading was an officer in the California Battalion, an early agricultural pioneer and the discoverer of gold in Shasta and Trinity Counties in 1848. The adobe also served as the Shasta County seat from 1850 to 1851 and hosted a treaty with local Indians in 1851. Its intact subsurface remains offer potential for historic archaeology. The county owns the site, which is not in use.
Significance in brief: The adobe was built by Pierson Barton Reading, a California pioneer of 1843 who received the Rancho Buenaventura grant in 1844 and is credited with discovering gold in Shasta and Trinity Counties in 1848. It served as the legal seat of Shasta County from February 1850 to February 1851 and was the site of a treaty between local Indians and U.S. Indian Agent Dr. Wozencraft. The nomination also notes that much of the foundations, floors and subsurface data remain for archaeological study.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 71000194, listed July 14, 1971. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Adobe Lane, 5 mi. E of the center of Cottonwood, Cottonwood |
|---|---|
| County | Shasta County |
| Listed | July 14, 1971 |
| Reference number | 71000194 |
| Resource type | Site |
| Period of significance | 1847-68 |
| Architect / builder | Pierson Barton Reading (builder) |
| Areas of significance | Historic - Aboriginal, Politics/Government |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition marked as ruins and altered. The site is described as a fenced enclosure with an earth mound, brick floors and hearths, and a state landmark marker, and it is not in use. Later letters say the adobe was destroyed by vandals in 1942. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 40.39157, -122.19991 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
Sites (archaeological sites, battlefields, landscapes) are often listed with a restricted address to protect them from looting or disturbance. Listing is honorary for private owners; federal undertakings on or near the site go through Section 106 review, and state laws may protect burials and artefacts regardless of listing.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 71000194.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q49548489
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.