In April 1963, the Lassen County Historical Society issued its Bulletin 10 entitled Susanville. It included a story by Med Arnold (1885-1967) The Susanville I Knew Over Seventy Years Ago. Those not familiar with Med, he was a grandson of Susanville founder’s Isaac Roop. Susanville’s Mark Street was named for his brother. Lassen High School’s Arnold Athletic Field,  was named after Med.

Med recounts the annual practice of ice-harvesting. One must remember this was before refrigerators. Med wrote: “Ice was cut on the mill pond [Bremner] just above town on the Susan River. Usually a foot and a half  to two feet thick, the ice was hauled into town by sharp shod horses, and was stored in ice houses for summer use by saloons, ice cream parlors, and a few private families. Sawdust used to cover the ice, and kept it nicely from one season to the next. We did, however, have one mild winter in which no ice was harvested. The users solved this problem by hauling in snow from Diamond Mountain.”

Tim