Shasta County historian Dottie Smith remembered for her 'spunkiness'

As a Southern California transplant to the North State, Dottie Smith spent decades teaching Shasta County residents about the history of the area.

She wrote books, newspaper articles, taught history classes through Shasta College and took students on tours out to the county's far-flung nooks and crannies to show them where history happened.

But after a battle with cancer this year, the well-known and prolific writer, activist and champion for Shasta County history, died Oct. 27 at the age of 79.

"She was passionate in terms of history and archaeology both. But I think her big claim to fame is that she wanted to share that information with people, whether it was in her classes, her tours or newspaper articles that she did and her Facebook posts and blogs," said her friend, Cris Hartman.

"You know, I think she wanted to teach people so that they would have a better understanding of history," she said.

But Smith's approach to history wasn't a dry recitation of dates and facts, Hartman and other friends said. She put her personality and passion into teaching about the county's colorful past.

"I think that she should be remembered for her spunkiness. But more than anything, I think her passion for teaching folks about Shasta County history," Hartman said.

While she eventually became an authority on local history, she came a long way to get to Redding and her home in Palo Cedro.

Smith was born in Charlton, Massachusetts, and later moved to Southern California with her former husband.

While there she worked as a secretary for McDonnell Douglas, the city of Anaheim and worked for the director of the Angel Stadium in Anaheim, according to an obituary written by family and friends.

While in Orange County she worked for Carl’s Jr. founder Carl Karcher, sewing pinafore aprons for the staff at a restaurant there, according to her obituary.

In 1979, Smith and her daughter Christine moved to Shasta County, where she bought a pizzeria and worked several temporary secretarial jobs. She later drove a bus for the Redding Area Bus Authority, according to her obituary.

Smith found her love of history while taking a Shasta College archaeology class taught by Eric Ritter. She soon became involved in several archaeology studies in the area. She started as a volunteer, but later worked as a paid employee with private consultants, as well as with federal and state agencies "to ensure history was being interpreted correctly and responsibly," according to her obit.

She also did research and wrote a number of historical publications for the U.S. Bureau of Land Management Redding Field Office.

Over the years she wrote several books on Shasta County history and authored or co-authored publications for the Shasta College Museum and Research Center.

She even developed a Trivial Pursuit-type game of Shasta County history. The game was sold at retail outlets in the Redding area.

Her books include the “Dictionary of Early Shasta County History,” “Everything from the Land: Shasta County Indians' Use of Plants, Animals and Materials,” “History of Chinese in Shasta County,” “History of Indians of Shasta County,” “History of Cottonwood, California: Now and Then” and “Registered Historic Places of Shasta County.”

She taught local history classes through Shasta College's Community Education Program, teaching in the classroom and taking students on bus tours to various historic sites in the county. She was also the curator of the Shasta College Museum.

Her "Today in History" and "Travelin' in Time" articles were staples of the Record Searchlight for many years. Recently, though, she offered her insights on history through Facebook posts.

Ritter, an archaeologist for the BLM, said Smith compiled a valuable body of work over the years.

"I think from a long-term perspective, she's made great contributions, and I use her stuff all the time when I do some of my research," Ritter said.

She was also active in trying to save and advocate for historic sites, such as the footbridge over Clear Creek within Whiskeytown National Recreation Area. Smith argued during the 1980s and '90s that the structure was originally a covered bridge and should be rebuilt that way, but the National Park Service rebuilt it as an uncovered footbridge.

She was also involved in trying to save the Dobrowsky House, a 1920s Craftsman-style home in downtown Redding. While a group of Redding residents rallied to save the building, it was torn down in 2017 to make way for a new courthouse.

Dan Fehr, a former California Department of Fish and Wildlife employee, said he attended one of her Shasta College history classes, became friends with her and consulted with her on historical issues as a game warden.

“She was just kind of a character personality-wise, a lot of fun to be around and deeply steeped in history. She had a recall that was amazing,” Fehr said.

“I think she kept local history alive, particularly through her courses at Shasta College,” he said.

On more than one occasion Fehr and his colleagues would come across small grave sites out in areas off the beaten path. When he asked Smith about them she could recite from memory the history of the people buried, Fehr said.

“There was one gravestone up off Placer Road that they came across up on a back road one time, and she was quite familiar with the lady and when she died. I think she was on a wagon train or something, traveling through the area and passed away and they buried her right there,” he said, recounting the story Smith told.

“She just delighted in anything historical and in connection to the personalities associated with anybody historically,” Fehr said.

Smith is survived by her daughter, Christine Kaiser of Coquille, Oregon; sisters Marilyn Norcross of Dudley, Massachusetts and Gloria McKissick of Mountain Lake, Minnesota, and her longtime partner Loren Goehring of Palo Cedro.

Fittingly, Smith has asked that any donations made in her memory go to the Fort Crook Historical Society in Fall River Mills.

This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Shasta County historian, activist Dottie Smith dies at 79