Igo is an unincorporated town with 625 residents 9 miles west of Redding, CA. Its ZIP Code is 96047. Wired Telephone numbers follow the pattern 530-396-xxxx. It has a neighboring town of Ono 4.0 miles west. It is also home to the Northern California Veteran's Cemetery, dedicated in December 2005. It has a post office, elementary school, the store, and a restaurant/beer & wine bar/banquet hall - The Igo Inn. It is also home to Brigadoon Castle Bed and Breakfast but it is now a private residence.
Politics
In the state legislature Igo is located in the 4th Senate District, represented by Republican Sam Aanestad, and in the 2nd Assembly District, represented by Republican Doug LaMalfa. Federally, Igo is located in California's 2nd congressional district, which has a Cook PVI of R +13 and is represented by Republican Wally Herger.
History
Igo is the relocated town of Piety Hill, once located on the other side of Conger Gulch a quarter of a mile east of today's downtown Igo.
Because Piety Hill stood on top of an ancient riverbed that the Hardscrabble Mine was planning to hydraulically mine for the gold it contained, plans were made to lay out a new town across Conger Gulch. George McPherson, superintendent of the mine, began laying out the new town in 1866. The first resident in the new town was William Conger. Before long, others followed. Only the white residents moved to Igo; the Chinese stayed at Piety Hill. As fate would have it, Piety Hill was not destroyed by hydraulic mining. It was a very close call because the mining stopped right at the edge of town.
Like Ono and Piety Hill, there's more than one colorful version on how Igo received its name. One version claims Igo and Ono received their names from McPherson's young son, who, when seeing his father leave for work, would put on his own hat and say, "I go," and his father would answer with "Oh no." Still another version claims the name was derived from an incident between a Chinese man and two white miners who came upon a prospective site occupied by a Chinese miner who didn't want to leave. When the Chinese man was asked to leave, he replied, "Oh no." When again asked to leave, this time with the gesture of a pistol, he replied "I go." One man named his claim for the first response, while the other named his for the second response. Still another version claims the name was derived from an incident between a Chinese man and white miners who came upon a prospective site occupied by the Chinese miner. When the miners claimed the land and told the Chinese man to leave, he said "I go" and moved on. Some time later, as the white miners moved on from the first claim, they again came upon the Chinese man and again told him to move on to which the Chinese man said "Oh no".
Igo quickly became a bustling community and the metropolis of western Shasta County. The largest concentration of silver mines in Shasta County was nearby on South Fork Road, now called Zogg Mine Road. In addition to its mines, Igo was also a good agricultural area that produced crops of hay as well as vegetables and fruits. Cattle raising was another good business. Stockmen wintered their cattle in the foothills near Igo where the wild oats and clover grew in abundance. Sheep were also brought in and successfully raised, but sheep-raising was not popular with the cattlemen.
The Igo Post Office was established July 14, 1873, and is still operating today.
The Masons purchased the land where the Igo Oddfellows building (aka The Igo Inn) stands today in 1885 for $50 and built it with the intention of it serving as their meeting hall. In 1887, the Independent Order of Oddfellows No. 209 (IOOF) moved into the building and began sharing it with the Masons. They shared the building until 1935, when the Masons moved to Shasta.
In the 1920s, the dance hall was added to the building. It still exists and is one of the few spring (aka sprung floor) floors still around. Over the years, the lodge hall served as the voting precinct and the location of many social gatherings, meetings, funerals, weddings and dances. However, IOOF membership and attendance began dwindling and funds to keep the building in good repair were becoming increasingly scarce. The building was abandoned, and stood vacant and open to the elements of Mother Nature and vandalization. It was eventually declared unsafe.
In 1987, Denise Wallace purchased the building and painstakingly restored it, without destroying the historical features of the building. Today it is the most prominent historical building in Igo and is operating as a steakhouse, beer and wine bar and banquet hall.
References
- ^ "Will Gerrymandered Districts Stem the Wave of Voter Unrest?". Campaign Legal Center Blog . http://www.clcblog.org/blog_item-85.html . Retrieved 2007-10-20 .
- ^ "Travelin' in Time: Mystery surrounds name of small metropolis". Redding Record Searchlight . http://www.redding.com/news/2009/jan/23/mystery-surrounds-name-of-small-metropolis/ . Retrieved 2009-01-23 .
Coordinates: 40°30′20″N 122°32′30″W / 40.505556°N 122.541667°W / 40.505556;
Ferndale Hotel Bed Breakfast Inn Lodging Northern Coast California
Ferndale, Eureka Hotel Bed Breakfast Inn, Gingerbread Mansion, on the North California Coast is a spectacular romantic Victorian B&B. Located in Ferndale, CA - nestled between ...
Northern California Bed and Breakfast, Humboldt County CA, Ferndale ...
Shaw House Inn, Bed and Breakfast, Bed & Breakfast, B&B, B and B, Victorian Bed and Breakfast, Northern California, romantic getaway, romantic vacation, honeymoon, weddings ...
Eureka California Bed and Breakfast - Halcyon Inn Bed and Breakfast ...
Eureka California bed and breakfast, Halcyon Inn offers lodgings and accommodations in for vacations and getaways in Northern CA.
Lodgings in Mendocino :: Bed and Breakfast in California :: Northern ...
Enjoy fine lodgings in Mendocino at Headlands Inn Bed and Breakfast in California, a northern California Coast vacation rental.
The Vine Hill Inn Bed and Breakfast - Fine Lodging in the Heart of ...
Enjoy a relaxing vacation at the Vine Hill Inn Bed and Breakfast, located in Sebastopol, California, one hour north of San Francisco, in Sonoma County's wine country.
Bed and Breakfast Northern California, Bay Area and North Bay ...
Pamper yourself at this Mendocino California Bed and Breakfast. Luxurious Whitegate Inn is located in the Village of Mendocino with spectacular gardens and views of the Pacific ...
Felton Crest Inn | San Francisco Bed and Breakfast
... Crest Bed & Breakfast Inn, a wonderfully romantic getaway, set in the majestic redwoods of Felton California. This Felton CA bed and breakfast inn ... to the north and Monterey, ...
Bed and Breakfast Bay Area, Northern California, and Mendocino ...
Pamper yourself at this Mendocino California Bed and Breakfast. Luxurious Whitegate Inn is located in the Village of Mendocino with spectacular gardens and views of the Pacific ...
McCloud River Inn. A Bed and Breakfast Inn located in McCloud ...
This all combines to make the McCloud River Inn Bed and Breakfast the perfect choice in Northern California lodging. Start your day with a complimentary breakfast and then enjoy ...
The North Coast Country Inn, Gualala, California | Bed & Breakfast ...
A Bed and Breakfast in Gualala, California: The inn has all the small town hospitality and picturesque rural charm, while the rooms have country-style furnishings.