Anderson: The Railroad Man's Town

The town of Anderson, ten miles south of Redding, exists because of a deal struck between a farmer and a railroad. In eighteen seventy-two, a rancher named Elias Anderson owned a spread here called the American Ranch, a well-known stopover on the California-Oregon Trail. When the Central Pacific Railroad came through, Anderson deeded them a right-of-way across his land.

In exchange, the railroad named the depot after him, platted twelve town lots around it, and built a spur and a corral. Anderson moved his ranch hotel to the corner of Main and Ferry Streets in eighteen seventy-six, and the settlement locked in. What began as a rest stop for cattle drives became a railroad hub that still carries the name of the man who let the tracks through.