“The worst snow was in 1895 and 1896. On January 4, 1896 it snowed four feet in 24 hours, with a total depth of18 feet for the month of January. Up until March there were 11 feet of snow on the level on the streets of Chester. On an earlier occasion in 1880, the winter was extremely mild until April when during that month it snowed six feet.
“In 1900 the first logging company arrived, which was known as the Sierra Flume and Lumber Company. Then in 1910 “Hi” Browne working for the Red River Lumber Company arrived to survey the surrounding country, but it was not until 1914 that operations for this company commenced.
“In 1910, also, the Great Western Power Company started buying land in this vicinity which ultimately led to the construction of Butt Lake and Lake Almanor. The first water was stored in these two lakes in 1915. Many local people were of the opinion that this rise in the water was cause of the eruption of Mt. Lassen on May 22, 1915. Science, however, discredits this theory.
“There were no fires or other damage in the vicinity of Chester as a result of the eruption, although smoke rose five miles high and the noise was tremendous.
“Chester has grown in fame as a resort town. Surrounded with good deer hunting country, with Lake Almanor in the foreground and with many trout fishing streams and lakes at nearby distances the Chester community has continued to thrive.”