Long before Herlong came into existence, there were several attempts to establish a town there. One of these was Rayl, for Stanley Rayl who in 1915, investigated the premises. Since the location was at the junction of the Nevada-California-Oregon (NCO) & Western Pacific (WP) railroads, it was an attractive spot for entrepreneurs. In the summer of 1915, Rayl filed rights to an initial 40 acres and constructed a combination two-story hotel and general store.
At first, it appeared Stanley Rayl did not possess the grandiose plans ofhis predecessors. Then came World War I. In the spring of 1917, Rayl contacted California Senators James D. Phelan and Hiram Johnson and proposed the establishment of a military training camp at Rayl. It was estimated that 40,000 draftees would be processed through the proposed camp. Rayl received Congressional support from Nevada, Oregon, Idaho and Washington. However, Rayl’s proposal was rejected. As the Lassen Weekly Mail noted: “The powers that be, have decreed that this is not to be. The Washington authorities, who do not seem to be able to recognize a good thing when they see it, state that all locations have been decided upon with the exception of two in the Southern States.”
At the same time, a major railroad change occurred at Rayl, involving the NCO. On June 11, 1917, the NCO sold the trackage, from Rayl to Reno, to the WP for $700,000. The NCO needed the money to retire general obligation bonds and the WP wanted a route into Reno. Shortly after the sale, the WP began removing NCO’s tracks. Rayl was then the southern terminus of the NCO.
In the summer of 1920, Rayl had more or less abandoned his Honey Lake outpost. On November 17, 1920, Rayl leased his enterprise to Cyrus Helman and appointed him assistant postmaster. In the spring of 1922, Rayl noticed discrepancies with the postal receipts, when Helman collected $123.53 in sales, he wrote himself a money order for $284.13. That was not the only accounting problem Rayl encountered with Helman. Rayl had sold all of the merchandise in the store to Helman for $400, but to date he had been paid only $200. On June 13, 1922, Rayl filed a lawsuit against Helman for $783.33, for monies owed to him on account. Helman denied everything. During the next several months the two battled it out in court and the record does not indicate any form of resolution. On August 5, 1930, the Court dismissed the action, since no trial date had been scheduled.
During the original 1922 court battle between Rayl and Helman, the NCO had another effect on this lonely outpost. On October 31, 1922, the last NCO train left Rayl, on a northbound run. The NCO originally sought to abandon the entire line there but received permission from the Railroad Commission to only abandon sixteen miles between Wendel and Rayl. Instead of a junction to two railroads, the spot was reduced to a station on the WP that they designated as Hackstaff. For some unknown reason, Rayl held onto the property. On July 9, 1942, with the establishment of the Sierra Army Depot, Rayl sold his forty acres to the Standard Electric Signal Company for $1,000.