For the casual observer who decides to make a detour off Highway 44, near Poison Lake in western Lassen County, to travel the dirt road north to Pittville, one will see a variety of sights along the way. One of the first encounters is that of Halls Flat, a small non-descript sagebrush covered flat surrounded by pine trees. Nothing to get excited about. In the late 1910s, Tehama County rancher, Walter Hall used this area for summer grazing—hence the name Halls Flat. Little did he know, that not too far in the distant future, this spot would be an amazing hub of activity.
It first began, in 1930, when the Interstate Commerce Commission approved the Highline or Inside Gateway that connected the Western Pacific Railroad from Keddie, California with the Great Northern Railroad at Klamath Falls, Oregon. This happen to coincide with the development of Lassen Volcanic National Park. The railroad would come close to the park’s eastern boundary. Lassen Park and Western Pacific had a courtship—the park was seeking a concessionaire, while the railroad hopefully would see increased passenger service.
Halls Flat could have played a pivotal role. Western Pacific would develop a resort at Manzanita Lake in the park. At Halls Flat a railroad station would be built. At this point, passengers would disembark and be shuttled by bus through the northern section of the park to their destination at Manzanita Lake to spend days recreating. To build the lodge at Manzanita along with other amenities was estimated at $275,000. Due to outside legal issues, the Western Pacific had to suddenly withdraw from the proposal.
While the proposed Lassen Park/Western Pacific Railroad deal did not pan out, the Western Pacific did not abandon Halls Flat. In 1931, when the Western Pacific constructed its Highline route they constructed a depot at Halls Flat. This was rather peculiar since not a single person resided for miles in the vicinity. Little did any one know that this would suddenly change and that in a few years there would be dramatic changes.
During the Great Depression of the 1930s, Lassen County would have two Civilian Conservation Camps, better known as the CCC. One was located at Halls Flat. The other was Secret Valley, northeast of Susanville. The Halls Flat CCC camp was established in 1933 and shut down in 1942. The camp provided a lot of manpower for the Lassen National Forest. Among the work done was grazing studies, range habitat improvement and some logging of pine beetle infested trees in the nearby Blacks Mountain Experimental Forest.