Walter William Scott
Walter William Scott came from Edinburgh, Scotland, to the United States with his wife Elizabeth Crawford, arriving in New Jersey. While in New Jersey, their daughter, Annie Jeanette Scott, was born on September 2, 1837. Sometime after the birth of their daughter, Walter headed to the West Coast. His wife presumably stayed behind with the child in New Jersey, but years later coming west to California.
Upon reaching California, possibly as early as 1847, Walter William Scott first lived in Washington, Yolo County, California. Quite possibly he could have been a fur trader in the early days. But during the Gold Rush, he worked his way north to Shasta, then known as Reading Springs. During his journey north he initiated business negotiations with several outfits here in Shasta County, particularly, in the burgeoning gold mining community of Shasta, a few miles northwest of present day Redding, in an effort to secure contracts to transport merchandise by horse and mule train from Sacramento.
Scott's daughter Annie Jeanette Scott arrived in Sacramento from Rhode Island with a friend in 1850. A year later his daughter was married to Joseph C. Gray, a pioneer and veteran of the Mexican War, in Sacramento. Walter William Scott worked his way north again and this time he bought property in Shasta County and was hired by the Callaghan Brothers in Shasta, though he apparently still considered Sacramento to be his home.
Shasta was a flourishing town in the 1850's. At that point, it was the County Seat and the general supply center for the scramble for gold in the region. In 1855, an impressive 16x17 foot, one story brick building was constructed. This building, located on the south side of Main Street, housed four different stores. The building was owned by the Callaghan brothers and was known as the Callaghan Block.
Eventually the Callaghan brothers, Daniel and Jeremiah Callaghan, and a third brother whose name is unknown, left the business leaving Jeremiah behind to run the business. Jeremiah held things together and promoted Walter William Scott, who had continued running pack trains bringing in merchandise for the brothers. Jeremiah Callaghan offered Scott a clerk's job and part ownership of the Callaghan Block.
Accepting the promotion, the name of this impressive building in the town of Shasta was soon changed and it became known as Scott and Callaghan, or the Scott and Callaghan Block. Walter William Scott may have also been the person who established Scott's Corral, which was located opposite from Shasta's very first hotel the Trinity House.
In his later years, from 1870 to 1881, Walter William Scott lived with the Joseph C. Gray Sr. family on Cow Creek in eastern Shasta County, that is until his death there on August 8, 1881. Walter William and Elizabeth Crawford Scott are buried in the Millville Masonic Cemetery. Some of his descendants still live in present day Shasta County.

Contributed by Jeremy M. Tuggle
Resource "Rooted In Shasta County" by Jeremy M. Tuggle published by Preserving Memories in 2003, 2nd Edition 2004.
Walter William Scott Pioneer Plaque folder on file at Shasta Historical Society.

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