Fort Jones, CA

Fort Jones sits in Scott Valley, where the Scott River runs between the Marble Mountains and the Klamath ranges of northern Siskiyou County. The settlement grew around a military post established in 1852, then cycled through names including Scottsburg and Ottitiewa before the Fort Jones name returned. The local name Ottitiewa came from the Shasta name for a branch of the Scott River. Portuguese families later settled along the northern tributaries, adding another layer to the valley’s farming history.

ATTRAlways dreamin / CC BY-SA 4.0

Today Fort Jones is a small town of homes, ranches, local shops, public services, and roads leading through Scott Valley toward Yreka, Etna, and the mountains. The Fort Jones Museum preserves the history of the valley’s original inhabitants, military post, ranching communities, and later settlers, while the Scott River and surrounding public lands shape fishing, hiking, hunting, and seasonal work. Mount Shasta country is close, but Fort Jones has its own scale and calendar. It is a place where a river valley, a military name, and working farms still share one map.