Before the City of Susanville was incorporated, it went through its own evolution. First as a trading post, then a village. There were some citizens that were not pleased that the Lassen County Board of Supervisors dictated what the town could or could not do. Fire protection was a major concern, especially after the 1882 fire that destroyed a large portion of the town’s business district. The citizens wanted to form a fire protection district.  To do so, an actual township needed to be created with a set of boundaries and a population count. With proposed boundary set, Susanville’s first special census was enacted. On April 8, 1884 a census was held and revealed there were 586 inhabitants. Thus, the foundation was laid for what eventually would become the incorporated town of Susanville in 1900.

Tim