Editing Alturas, California (section)

== History ==
[[File:Nevada-California-Oregon Railway Co. General Office Building 2 (cropped).jpg|thumb|left|The [[Nevada-California-Oregon Railway Co. General Office Building|Nevada-California-Oregon Railway Building]], built 1917–18]]
[[File:California - Alturas through Amargosa - NARA - 23934073 (cropped).jpg|thumb|left|Alturas in 1920]]
[[File:Alturas California 1975.jpg|thumb|left|Downtown Alturas in 1975]]
Alturas occupies what was initially an [[Achomawi|Achumawi]] (Pit River) village known as Kosealekte<ref name='Key to the City 1997'>{{cite web|url=http://www.usacitiesonline.com/cacountyalturas.htm |title=Welcome to Key to the City's page for Alturas, Modoc County, California |access-date=April 3, 2010 |last=Thorne |first=Samuel |year=1997 |work=Community pages |publisher=Key to the City }}</ref> or Kasalektawi.<ref>{{cite book | last = Pease | first = Robert W. | title = Modoc County; University of California Publications in Geography, Volume 17 | publisher = University of California Press | year = 1965 | location = Berkeley and Los Angeles | page = 47 }}</ref>  The city was initially known as '''Dorris Bridge''' or '''Dorris' Bridge''', named after Pressley and James Dorris, who built a bridge across the Pit River at this location.<ref name=CGN />

The Dorris Bridge post office opened in 1871.<ref name=CGN /> The town was renamed '''Dorrisville''' in 1874<ref name='Pease 84'>{{cite book | last = Pease | first = Robert W. | title = Modoc County; University of California Publications in Geography, Volume 17 | publisher = University of California Press | year = 1965 | location = Berkeley and Los Angeles | page = 84 }}</ref> and Alturas in 1876, the latter meaning "heights" in Spanish.<ref name=gudde>{{cite book|first=Erwin|last=Gudde|author2=William Bright |title=California Place Names|year=2004|edition=Fourth|publisher=University of California Press|pages=10|isbn=978-0-520-24217-3}}</ref>  The census of 1880 showed a population of 148.  However, settlement continued over the next two decades, until the city was [[municipal corporation|incorporated]] on September 16, 1901.  Because of its central location, Dorrisville became the county seat when [[Modoc County]] formed in 1874, even though both [[Adin, California|Adin]] and [[Cedarville, California|Cedarville]] were then larger towns.<ref name='Pease 84' />