Platina (
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
for "
platinum
Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver".
Pla ...
") is a small
unincorporated community
An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...
in
Shasta County, California
Shasta County (), officially the County of Shasta, is a county in the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its population is 182,155 as of the 2020 census, up from 177,223 from the 2010 census. The county seat is Redding.
Shasta ...
, approximately and equidistantly west of
Redding and
Red Bluff Red Bluff(s) may refer to several places in North America:
Places
Canada
*Red Bluff, British Columbia, a community near Quesnel, British Columbia, Canada
** Red Bluff First Nation, a First Nations band government headquartered near Quesnel, ...
. Its population is 13 as of the 2020 census. Its ZIP code is 96076. Wired telephone numbers follow the pattern
530
__NOTOC__
Year 530 ( DXXX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. In the Roman Empire, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Lampadius and Probus (or, less frequently, yea ...
-352-xxxx.
History
Platina was founded as Noble's Station in 1902, named after Don Noble, a local resident. It served as a
stage
Stage or stages may refer to:
Acting
* Stage (theatre), a space for the performance of theatrical productions
* Theatre, a branch of the performing arts, often referred to as "the stage"
* ''The Stage'', a weekly British theatre newspaper
* Sta ...
stop for stagecoaches traveling to and from Red Bluff to Knob, Wildwood, Peanut, and Hayfork. A
boarding house,
general store and
post office
A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional ser ...
were located in the tiny settlement.
During the 1920s, Noble and others discovered
platinum
Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver".
Pla ...
in nearby Beegum Creek, causing Noble's Station to quickly become known as "Platina". Platina is a native alloy of platinum with
osmium and other related metals.
![Platina CA Post Office](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/43/Platina_CA_Post_Office.jpg)
The current Platina post office was established in 1921. Today, it and the general store stand on almost the same spot as the old station. The store's owners recently tried to sell it and a few other buildings in town on
eBay
eBay Inc. ( ) is an American multinational e-commerce company based in San Jose, California, that facilitates consumer-to-consumer and business-to-consumer sales through its website. eBay was founded by Pierre Omidyar in 1995 and became ...
, but were unsuccessful.
Monastery
![Saint Herman of Alaska Monastery](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c8/Saint_Herman_of_Alaska_Monastery.jpg)
Saint
Herman of Alaska
Herman of Alaska ( rus, Преподобный Ге́рман Аляскинский, r=Prepodobny German Alaskinsky; 1756 – November 15, 1837) was a Russian Orthodox monk and missionary to Alaska, which was then part of Russian America. His g ...
Monastery
A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone ( hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer whi ...
, a monastic community of the
Serbian Orthodox Church, is located just outside of Platina, to the south. It was founded in 1968 by Fr. Herman Podmoshensky and Fr.
Seraphim Rose
Seraphim Rose (born Eugene Dennis Rose; August 13, 1934 – September 2, 1982), also known as Seraphim of Platina, was an American hieromonk of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia who co-founded the Saint Herman of Alaska Monastery in P ...
, with the blessing of St.
John the Wonderworker, Archbishop of Shanghai and San Francisco. Rose was a graduate of
Pomona College
Pomona College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Claremont, California. It was established in 1887 by a group of Congregationalists who wanted to recreate a "college of the New England type" in Southern California. In 1925, it became t ...
and the
University of California at Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant uni ...
who converted to
Russian Orthodoxy and became a prolific author and translator of ancient Orthodox texts, many of which were printed at the monastery. Fr. Seraphim died September 2, 1982, and is buried in the monastery cemetery.
Fr. Seraphim is revered by many
Orthodox Christian
Orthodoxy (from Greek: ) is adherence to correct or accepted creeds, especially in religion.
Orthodoxy within Christianity refers to acceptance of the doctrines defined by various creeds and ecumenical councils in Antiquity, but different Churche ...
s around the world, though he has not been formally canonized (as of 2021) by any Orthodox
synod.
Politics
In the
state legislature Platina is located in the 4th
Senate District, represented by
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
Jim Nielsen, and in the 2nd
Assembly
Assembly may refer to:
Organisations and meetings
* Deliberative assembly, a gathering of members who use parliamentary procedure for making decisions
* General assembly, an official meeting of the members of an organization or of their representa ...
District, represented by
Democrat
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (United States) (D)
**Democratic ...
Wesley Chesbro
Wesley P. Chesbro (born August 20, 1951) is an American Democratic politician from California. He was an assemblymember for the 2nd district, encompassing the North Coast. Previously, Chesbro served as the Assembly member from California's 1 ...
.
Federally, Platina is in .
Climate
According to the
Köppen Climate Classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
system, Platina has a
warm-summer Mediterranean climate
A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...
, abbreviated "Csa" on climate maps.
Climate Summary for Platina, California
/ref>
References
External links
Includes photos of Platina and St. Herman of Alaska Monastery.
St. Herman Press
Website for the St. Herman Press, part of St. Herman of Alaska Monastery.
* Seraphim Rose: The True Story and Private Letters'', a biography by author Cathy Scott, Father Seraphim's niece]
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Unincorporated communities in California
Unincorporated communities in Shasta County, California
Populated places established in 1902
1902 establishments in California