FORT JONES, Calif. — Sometimes on my travels, I end up in small towns so far off the beaten path it’s hard to know what the community has to offer unless you stop in and meet the people. One such town is Fort Jones, which is located in the Scott Valley of Siskiyou County.
It has a population of just under 700 people and a main street that’s only a few blocks long. I decided to start my exploration at the Fort Jones Museum where Terry Mendenhall took me inside to see the town’s prized possession--which is a very unique piece of taxidermy.
“This is a two-headed calf born in 1953 at Melo Ranch on East Side Road,” Mendenhall told me.
I am not sure what is creepier: the fact that this cow has two heads or the fact that someone took the time to stuff the thing and put it in a display case. Unfortunately, Mendenhall had little information on how or why the two-headed calf ended up in the museum, or how many others there are.
“This is the only one I know of,” Mendenhall said.
I guess you could say the two-headed calf is Priceless. Just like a lot of the other oddities in the museum, according to Mendenhall.
“We have a nice collection of barbed wire, different kinds. Pistols--[people] love the pistoles and my granddaughter loves this saddle,” says Mendenhall while gesturing to an unusual-looking piece of riding gear.
TAKE A TRIP ON BARTELL'S BACKROADS:
► See an interactive map of everywhere John has visited on the backroads
► Watch all of the Backroads videos
► Follow John on Facebook
The discovery of gold in the 1850s brought miners, settlers, and the Army to Scott Valley. Under the protection of soldiers, Fort Jones became a trading post and stagecoach stop. A lot of artifacts in the museum belonged to early settlers; other items don’t, like the large rock outside the museum.
“That is the famous rain rock,” Mendenhall said.
Legend has it the rain rock belonged to the indigenous Shasta Nation who would pound the rock to make it rain, then cover it to stop the rain. Road crews unearthed it back in 1947 and Terry says today the town covers the rock during the annual Christmas parade. I asked Mendenhall if it really works.
“Well…ehh,” Mendenhall said. Even when pressed, he couldn’t give me a straight answer.
Just down the street from the museum is Five Marys Burgerhouse where you can get a bite to eat or buy a drink at the bar. Or you could get a free drink at Marty’s Barber Shop.
“Free beer with a haircut or a shot of whiskey,” Marty Russell said.
When you finish your drink, check out his antique barber collection or catch up on the town gossip.
Just a few blocks from the barber shop is the Marbel Rim Gallery where you can sign up for one of Susan Birch’s painting classes or you can go next door and browse the hardware store for knickknacks and such.
Fort Jones may be off the beaten path but has a lot to offer, including some hidden treasures.
MORE SMALL TOWN STORIES FROM THE BACKROADS: As a small town slowly vanished, its residents lost almost everything, except for their very special library.