Siskiyou Union High School - White and Gold Yearbook (Weed, CA)

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SISKIYCDU CQUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY The design reproduced above was adopted as the book plate of the Siskiyou County Historical Society in November 1946 from a contest held among public schools of the county. About thirty entries covering a great variety of historical subjects were submitted but this was selected as being best from a standpoint of art and its representation of Siski- you resource background. It was the entry of Miss June Hildebrand of Mount Shasta High School. Other prizes were awarded to Donald Gaubitz of Edgewood and Alan Clayton of Yreka, both students of Yreka High School. All entries were striking in their originality and composition and the society was well pleased with the results. Prize money was dis- tributed as above, Donna Naves receiving .honorable mention and a complimentary mem- bership in the society given to each. I3

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THE YOUNG MEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION A group of teen-age clerks founded the Young Men's Christian Association in 1844. Their first meetings were held in a dingy bedroom of the loft of a wholesale dry goods house, under whose roof they Worked, atc and slept. Like thousands of other young men they left their homes on farms and in villages of rural England to fill jobs offered by the stores, oilices and factories of the new industrial sections of metropolitan centers. Work- ing conditions were bad. A 14-hour working day was not uncommon, pay was small, recreation was an unknown word and the social environment was vicious and degrad- ing. Greedy employers exacted profits at the cost of human welfare. What happened to employees apparently was of no concern to the employer. George Williams served as the leader of this little club of his fellow workers. At their first meeting in his room he reminded them of the hard lot of clerks and challenged them to organize for the achievement of Christian character. A regular Bible class was scheduled and a few courageous fellow clerks were recruited to its membership. The group remained small but its influence increased rapidly. Personal relationships among employees improvedg friendliness replaced distrust, viciousness decreased and a spirit of good will began to prevail in the lives of one wholesale establishment in London. Word concerning the new Christian Youth organization spread. London employers, managers and workers became interested. Requests for assistance in launching new YMCAs poured in. Each step in the growth of the YMCA program was wisely guided by George Williams who had been elected its president. He aided in organizing club facilities and in providing the kinds of activities desired by young men. From the beginning, mem- bership in the YMCA was opened to any young man of good character. By 1851, the YMCA had pushed out beyond the British lsles and across the Atlantic to North America. In rapid succession YMCAs were established in Boston, Washington, Montreal, New York and within a few years in San Francisco and other coast cities. Today standard YMCA buildings are a familiar part of the life of every large American city. Not so well known are the YMCAs that provide social, educational facilities and educa- tional leadership for youth in smaller communities. Of particular interest is the Shasta District YMCA and its outreach to the youth of 21 high schools of five northern California counties. In Siskiyou county, YMCA activities have had the wholehearted support of the joint Union District High Schools. Delegates have conducted panel discussions and participated in other activities of conferences at Redding, Richardson Springs and Etna. Among the speakers at high school assemblies and conferences were President William C. Jones of Whittier College, Mr. Ralph Schloming and Mr. Charles Van Winkle of the Area YMCA of Los Angeles and Mr. Carl S. Metzger of the Shasta District YMCA. YMCA membership and participation in YMCA activities are open to all young people and adults. The YMCA unites youth and adults in a world-wide fellowship, loyal to Jesus Christ, for the purpose of developing Christian personality and building a Christian society. I2

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KLAMATH NATIONAL FOREST Big Caribou Lake-Salmon Trinity Alps The Klamath National Forest was created on May 6, 1905, through official proclama- tion of Theodore Roosevelt. It comprises 1,482,336 acres of Siskiyou County lands in addition to areas in Humboldt and Del Norte Counties in California and Jackson County in Oregon. Its vast acres with its many lakes and streams afford a primitive playground. for recreationists and opportunity for the hunter and fisherman. Its mountain meadows subsist large herds of cattle and its hills and valleys support a timber growth of fir, pine and other species which constitutes an enormous natural resource for California and the Nation. The people of Siskiyou County support the policies of conservation as advocated by the Forest Service. A I4