After several posts concerning the Secret Valley CCC camp, a reader wanted to know why Secret was so named. The name was applied to region by the late 1860s.
In 1927, when Frank Heath traveled through the region he wrote: “Wild hay along southwest side of Secret Valley—which so named by a poetical cowboy on account of its many secret springs.” On September 20, 1864, Melissa Turner recorded the first land claim in Secret Valley. On December 6, 1888, the Lassen Advocate published this descriptive account: “Secret Valley lies about twenty-five miles northeast of Susanville and is surrounded on all sides by mountains, covered sparsely by timber, although there is sufficient juniper in the
immediate vicinity to provide fuel for a long time. Lumber is hauled
from this valley. The land, in this valley, is great part sagebrush soil bearing the large, thick brush, by which we of Northern California have learned to distinguish as fertile soil. There is, however, considerable meadow land, largely comprised in the ranches of J. B. McKissick, J.J. Tipton and James Sellick, water altogether with springs, which are quite warm, although the water does not by any means approach the boiling point. Within the enclosure of T. Ashby are seventy-five springs. Mr. Ashby has raised this year about sixty thousand pounds of fine potatoes which grow in Secret to a large size and of a very fine quality.”
On a final note there is a small family cemetery in Secret Valley, and interred there is John Best “Buster” the proclaimed World’s First Champion Cowboy. in 1876.