Scott Valley is a large, scenic rural area of western Siskiyou County, California, known for its vistas of the Marble Mountains, cattle and dairy ranches, and its historic background as a gold mining area, dating back to the days of the California Gold Rush. The towns of Fort Jones, Etna, Greenview, and Callahan are found within Scott Valley.
Drained by the federally-designated Wild & Scenic Scott River, Scott Valley is steeped in history. At the time of the first contact with Europeans in the 1830s, the valley was occupied by the Scott Valley branch of the Shasta tribe of Native Americans. The first recorded non-Native American presence in Scott Valley was that of trappers seeking the abundant local beaver in the mid-1830s, led by mountain man Stephen Meek.
An early road, an alternative to the Siskiyou Trail, wound its way up from Shasta, California through Scott Valley to Yreka, California and then into Oregon. This route remained in steady use until the development of more established stagecoach roads in the 1860s (and later the railroad in the 1880s) along the Sacramento River to the east.
The discovery of gold during the California Gold Rush by pioneer John W. Scott at Scott Bar, downriver from Scott Valley, brought many prospectors into the area; Scott's discovery led to the naming of the valley and the river in his honor.
The town of Fort Jones started in the 1850s first as trading post for the "Forty-Niners" who came in search of gold, and later took the name of "Fort Jones" after a U.S. Army post which was established nearby.
Scott Valley's weekly newspaper the Pioneer Press, located at 12021 Main Street in Fort Jones was established on November 16, 1972 by Gary Mortenson, and is now owned and published by Daniel Webster. The Pioneer Press is the official newspaper for the State of Jefferson.
The town of Etna was the site of early mills supplying flour and was originally named Aetna Mills.
Gold recovery operations continued well into the Twentieth Century, including substantial dredging for gold along the Scott River.
