Siskiyou County is located in the far northernmost part of the state, in the Shasta Cascade region on the Oregon border. There are 6,347 square miles in Siskiyou County and the county seat is Yreka. Because of its substantial natural beauty, outdoor recreation opportunities, and Gold Rush era history, it is an important tourist destination within the state. Siskiyou County is the site of the central section of the Siskiyou Trail, which ran between California’s Central Valley and the Pacific Northwest. The Siskiyou Trail was based on Native American footpaths, was expanded by Hudson’s Bay Company trappers in the 1830s, and was expanded still further by “Forty-Niners” during the California Gold Rush.