On this Day in History: President JFK Dedicates the Whiskeytown Dam

We know that our area holds significant landmarks for the state as well as the country, and no event signifies that more than the visit of the President of the United States of America.

On September 28, 1963, President John Fitzgerald Kennedy dedicated the Whiskeytown Dam as part of his conservation tour in which he also visited Lassen Volcanic National Park. The dedication carries significance as both a testament to our beloved Whiskeytown Lake, but also a glimpse into the final weeks of a historic figure in our country. It included a beautiful speech in front of many local Redding residents.

Watch President JFK dedicate the Whiskeytown Dam:

“On September 28th, 1963, just seven weeks and six days before his assassination in Dallas, Texas, President John F. Kennedy made his last official visit to California to dedicate the Bureau of Reclamation’s Whiskeytown Dam. For five days, President Kennedy had been touring the Western states preaching to the nation the value of conservation. A crowd estimated at ten thousand had gathered early and waited for the arrival of the first president to visit the Redding, California area in 13 years.“

It’s really chilling to watch our sitting President at our beloved lake only weeks before his assassination. This memory certainly stands as a significant chapter in NorCal history.