The 2008 issue of our annual publication The Covered Wagon is now available for sale at our Research library located at 1449 Market St., Redding, CA, 96003.

The stories in this year's edition offer a tasty menu of treats from the present to our past. We begin with a cover photograph and related poem about the Sacramento River, the very lifeblood of our region. The flavors of our area continue to unfold with stories about local families, including the House, Graves, Fleharty, Haynes, and Bartell families. Each is a part of our history and therefore a part of us all.

Other stories offer segments of success in the growth and building of this area. Who among us would remember the Quartz Hill Railroad without a story to remind us? Everyone knows where Shasta College is located but the history of the beautiful Stillwater area brings it all home. The Old Station area east of Redding has a colorful past brought to light on these pages. The history of local radio broadcasting is finalized here with Part Two of the history, the stations, and the personalities. For those of us who traveled through this region in our youth, those roadside water fountains are remembered in these pages.

Look further and you will find a story about a fortune in lost gold beneath the waters of Clear Creek. One author recounts several old stories, legends, and lies tied to our past while another penned the saga of Henry Woods. In reading through these pages, we hope each of you will realize your value as a part of local culture and take the time to jot down old tales and memories to hold your place in history. — The Editors