Siskiyou County Superior Court Explained

Established:1853
Jurisdiction:Siskiyou County, California
Location:Yreka
Coordinates:41.7302°N -122.6384°W
Appealsto:California Court of Appeal for the Third District
Chiefjudgetitle:Presiding Judge
Chiefjudgename:Hon. Karen L. Dixon[1]
Chiefjudgetitle3:Court Executive Officer
Chiefjudgename3:Reneé McCanna Crane[2]

The Superior Court of California, County of Siskiyou, also known as the Siskiyou County Superior Court or Siskiyou Superior Court, is the branch of the California superior court with jurisdiction over Siskiyou County.

History

Siskiyou County was partitioned from Shasta and Klamath Counties in 1852; the county seat was Yreka City, then called Shasta Butte City.[3]

After its formation, Siskiyou County was assumed to be part of the Ninth District, where its parent county (Shasta) remained; however, court was not convened in Siskiyou until 1853, when it was moved to the Eighth District, held by Hon. Joseph Montgomery Peters.[4] Peters was succeeded by Judges William P. Daingerfield (1858–64), E. Garter (1864–70), A.M. Rosborough (1870–80), and Elijah Steele (1880+).[4]

The first temporary courtroom was rented on the upper floor of a building in Yreka on Miner Street, near Main, with the county offices on the ground floor. In 1854, a fire destroyed the sheriff's office and a brick structure was built to replace it; at around the same time, a new building was built on Fourth, and court operations moved there. The county board of supervisors advertised for bids in early 1856 to build a brick courthouse, and awarded the contract to A. Witherall on April 1 for $15,479. The courthouse was built "in the center of the public square ... at equal distances from the outsides, the ends or fronts of said building to face Fourth and Oregon streets". It was formally accepted on April 18, 1857, at a final cost of $16,779.[5]

The original building from 1857 remained in service until 2021, albeit with expansions and wings added in 1885 and 1896–97; a large concrete addition was built from 1953 to 1954 on the east side facing Fourth.[6] The original building was designed by R.L. Westbrook and H.T. Shepherd; the later 19th century additions were designed by W.J. Bennet, and the 1954 concrete addition was designed by Robert J. Keeney.[7] Its setback from the street was credited with saving it from fires.[8] The 1857 courthouse also was noted for having "significant security deficiencies" and routinely flooded during heavy rains. Construction of a new Siskiyou Superior Courthouse began in March 2019, with funding from SB 1407 (Sep 2008),[9] and was completed in June 2021, next to the prior courthouse complex. The first date of occupancy for the new building, with of space on of land, was June 14.[10]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Order of the Presiding Judge, Temporary Emergency Orders . April 6, 2021 . Superior Court of California, County of Siskiyou . 2 July 2021.
  2. Notice of Opening New Siskiyou County Superior Court . May 28, 2021 . Superior Court of California, County of Siskiyou . 2 July 2021.
  3. 1852 . CXLVI . An Act to establish the County of Siskiyou, and establish the Seat of Justice thereinn . March 22, 1852 . 233. direct URL
  4. Book: History of Siskiyou County, California; Illustrated with Views of Residences, Business Buildings and Natural scenery, and containing portraits and biographies of its leading citizens and pioneers . D. J. Stewart & Co. . Oakland, California . 1881 . 2 July 2021 . https://archive.org/details/historyofsiskiyo00well/page/80/mode/2up . XII: The Courts and Judiciary . 80–93.
  5. Book: History of Siskiyou County, California; Illustrated with Views of Residences, Business Buildings and Natural scenery, and containing portraits and biographies of its leading citizens and pioneers . D. J. Stewart & Co. . Oakland, California . 1881 . 2 July 2021 . https://archive.org/details/historyofsiskiyo00well/page/n147/mode/2up . XI: Financial and Public Buildings . 77–80.
  6. Web site: Siskiyou County . Deacon, John . 2015 . American Courthouses . 30 June 2021.
  7. Web site: Siskiyou County, California . Courthouse History . 30 June 2021.
  8. Web site: Siskiyou County . California Supreme Court Historical Society . 30 June 2021.
  9. News: Siskiyou courthouse construction to begin in March . January 25, 2019 . Siskiyou Daily News . 2 July 2021.
  10. Web site: Siskiyou County, New Yreka Courthouse . California Courts . 2 July 2021.