McCloud
Also known as: McCloud Historic District
The pin is a point inside the NPS boundary polygon, not a surveyed location.
Why it's listed
McCloud's historic district preserves the core of a Northern California lumber company town on the slopes of Mt. Shasta. It includes the commercial center along Main Street, modest weatherboard homes, three churches, and buildings from the McCloud River Lumber Company's administration. Seventeen buildings contribute, dating from the 1890s to the 1930s, with most built before 1920. Many are log-sided in a rustic style, including the railroad depot, the Catholic church and the company manager's house, while the hotel shows a more refined Colonial Revival look. The town grew from small sawmill settlements of the 1880s after investors incorporated the McCloud River Railroad in 1896. The company then ran the town until 1963, operating the store, hotel, offices and railroad that linked logging camps to national markets. The district is recognized for its link to that company and for being a rare, well-preserved example of a company town in California, with a period of significance of 1899 to 1940.
Significance in brief: The district is tied to the McCloud River Railroad and Lumber Company, which operated the town from 1896 until 1963 (Criterion A). It is also the main surviving collection of buildings from McCloud's early life as a company town, many in a log-sided rustic style (Criterion C). Statewide, such towns are not plentiful.
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 90000444, listed March 16, 1990. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Roughly bounded by Columbero Dr., Main St., W. Minnesota Ave., and Lawndale Ct., McCloud |
|---|---|
| County | Siskiyou County |
| Listed | March 16, 1990 |
| Reference number | 90000444 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1899-1940 |
| Architectural style | Late Gothic Revival; Neo-classical Revival; Other: rustic |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Industry, Community Planning and Development, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Integrity is described as high, with only two non-contributing buildings and one non-contributing site. Many buildings remain in use as shops, churches, a museum, inns and offices. The Milky Way Restaurant is noted as vacant for over 20 years. |
| Acreage | 13 |
| Coordinates | 41.25357, -122.13951 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
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 90000444.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q3306166
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.