Weed, California’s iconic totem pole felled in late night crash

By Cecilio Padilla

A Northern California city known for its name lost a piece of history late Tuesday morning.

The city of Weed, California’s police department says, a little after 11 p.m., officers were called to the parking lot of Ray’s Food Place for a reported crash.

At the scene, officers discovered that a big rig hauling a trailer had knocked down the iconic totem pole that had stood for more than half a century.

As seen in photos posted by Weed police, the pole was fully knocked over and appeared to have suffered some significant damage. Police say the driver involved provided the trucking company’s insurance information to authorities.

The 32-foot pole was commissioned in 1962 to celebrate the opening of what was originally a Safeway store. Despite showing some signs of weathering, the pole had remained standing and had become a notable roadside attraction in Weed.

It’s unclear if the totem pole will be reinstalled, as the extent of the damage it suffered in the crash was not known. 

The town of Weed, located in Siskiyou County, was named after local lumber mill founder and pioneer Abner Weed, but its unusual name has led to the frequent theft of its exit sign.