In 1843, Pierson B. Redding gave the river and the Native American tribe located there, the name Pit. Reading noted there were numerous “pits” along the river, and some could be hazardous to your health.
Then there is the small community of Pittville that is on the Lassen and Shasta county line. As to the spelling with the double “t” the Shasta Courier noted in 1900 that the only folks who spell Pit with a double “t” are the ones who do not know the history of the naming.
Milton McGee fell into one of those pits on the 23rd of Oct. 1843. “Mr McGhee was walking ahead of the company and very suddenly disappeared in a few minutes we saw the top of his head rising in the path – he having met with the misfortune of having been trapped” P.B. Reading, 1843.