Glowing in the last rays of a California sunset, the lofty summit of 14,162-foot Mt. Shasta is a beautiful and unforgettable sight. The original postcard is from 1939 and the picture was probably taken using one of the new Kodachrome cameras, giving vivid color to Mt. Shasta and the California rural landscape surrounding it.
Mt. Shasta is part of the Cascades mountain range in California, the second highest in that range, and the fifth highest in California overall. The mountain consists of four overlapping volcanic cones. There are seven glaciers on Mt. Shasta and relatively no glacial erosion except on one face. Shasta has had a volcanic eruption an average of every 800 years, during the past 10,000 years. The last known volcanic eruption on Mt. Shasta was 200 years ago.
Mt. Shasta and the surrounding area are managed by the U.S. National Forest Service and the entire area is known as the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. The Shasta-Trinity National Forest offers visitors a wide range of recreational activities, including hiking, backpacking, mountain climbing, horseback riding, camping, boating, fishing, sightseeing, downhill skiing, snowboarding, cross-country skiing, and snowmobiling. Located upon one side is a ski resort, the Mt. Shasta Ski Park, which gives almost year-round skiing availability to enthusiasts.