So much for hindsight, I should have scheduled this the day after last week’s post about Ward Lake Reservoir, since the topics are related. Once Susan River flows past Standish, it starts breaking into various sloughs before it reaches Honey Lake. Some of these sloughs are natural, and some man made.

The Hartson Slough is man made, named after Charles Hartson.  In 1881, Hartson filed on 160 acres of sagebrush land near Honey Lake, in the Tule District. However, Hartson needed more water to not only reclaim this parcel but to expand.  In 1889, Hartson worked as the construction superintendent of the Ward Lakes Reservoir. Hartson made a deal with the Balls Canyon Reservoir Company, the company behind the project,  that, for a portion of his services, they would give him a share of water rights. This gave Hartson the water he sought to reclaim his land. He built the slough to convey the water to his ranch. By 1901, Hartson owned 1,500 acres of land, half of which was planted in alfalfa. In that same year, Hartson & Sons ranch was one of the first in Lassen County to incorporate. In 1910, Charles Hartson retired and moved to Susanville. He turned the ranch over to his son, Frank Hartson.

It should be noted that a portion of the Hartson Ranch, is a part of the Dakin Unit, of the Honey Lake Wildlife Refuge. Hartson’s daughter, Elsie was married to Pete Dakin.

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