Artois, California
| Artois | |
|---|---|
| census-designated place | |
Downtown Artois, along the former US 99W
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 Artois
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| Coordinates: 39°37′11″N 122°11′38″W / 39.61972°N 122.19389°WCoordinates: 39°37′11″N 122°11′38″W / 39.61972°N 122.19389°W | |
| Country |
 United States
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| State |
 California
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| County | Glenn County |
| Area | |
| • Total | 2.880 sq mi (7.458 km2) |
| • Land | 2.880 sq mi (7.458 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0 km2) 0% |
| Elevation | 167 ft (51 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 295 |
| • Density | 100/sq mi (40/km2) |
| Time zone | Pacific (PST) (UTC-8) |
| • Summer (DST) | PDT (UTC-7) |
| ZIP Code | 95913 |
| Area code(s) | 530 |
| GNIS feature IDs | 1657951; 2628707 |
| U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Artois, California; U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Artois, California | |
Artois, formerly known as Germantown, is a census-designated place in Glenn County, California, USA. It is located 5 miles (8 km) north of Willows, at an elevation of 167 feet (51 m), in the northern Sacramento Valley of California. It is located on the former United States Highway 99W, and is bypassed to the west by Interstate Highway 5. It is served by the California Northern Railroad, formerly the west Sacramento Valley line of the Southern Pacific Railroad. Its coordinates are approximately 39°37' N 122°12' W. The ZIP code for Artois is 95913. The community is inside area code 530. The population was 295 at the 2010 census.
The name stems from the ancient province in France where the method of boring artesian wells was first adopted. Artois was formerly named Germantown, and petitions to change the Germantown post office name were successful with Artois adopted on May 21, 1918. Local belief is that a World War I troop train stopped to water at Gemantown and a riot ensued when the troops took offense at the name. The town was then renamed after the battles of Artois.
The Germantown post office opened in 1877, and changed its name to Artois in 1918.
On June 1, 2011, a tornado rated at EF-1, struck east of Artois, uprooting hundreds of almond trees, and causing damage to farm equipment and roofing materials.
On May 4, 1878, blacksmith Christian Mutschler (also spelled Mutchler) and his friends John Kelley and Henry Holmes got into an argument with a saloon keeper named Hageman. Mutschler, who was suspected of starting a fire in St. Johns, California the year before, was persuaded by Kelley and Homes, along with W. Hagaman, F. Todt, Charles Hansen and Carl Regensberger to set a bag of shavings afire in the saloon. A couple of cowboys having a drink witnessed Mutschler lighting the shavings and shot him in the leg. Mutschler was charged with arson by the Justice of the Peace, a man named Boardman. Oddly, no charges were brought up on the cowboys. No one would testify against Mutschler so Boardman released him. Mutschler wasted no time in getting out of town, but the local stage was ordered not to let Mutschler ride. He started limping towards Orland, California in the hot sun. Mutschler's friend, John Kelley swore out a complaint that Mutschler had threatened his life, and a deputy was sent up the road to arrest the hapless blacksmith. Mutschler's bail was set at a thousand dollars, which he could not pay. Because Germantown did not have a jail, Mutschler was put into the protective custody of Constable William McLane, the owner of another Germantown saloon, where the prisoner was kept during the night. During the early morning hours of May 5, 1878, a group of twelve to fourteen masked men burst into the saloon and took Mutschler about a quarter of a mile away and shot him to death. Mutschler's friends, Holmes, Kelley, Hansen, Regensberger and a man known as R. Radcliff were all arrested for the crime. Their trial started on December 14, 1878, but was immediately dismissed due to missing witnesses.
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