When Susanville was incorporated in 1900 as a municipality the city faced the daunting challenge of infrastructure, with limited financial resources. While  the city would from time to time in its early years asked voters to approve bond measures to make civic improvements a reality. The voters, on the other hand, routinely rejected them.

Street maintenance was a costly and severe strain on the town’s limited budget. Winter storms, of course, wreaked havoc on the streets, which each spring needed to be repaired and graded. City desired to have pave streets and cement sidewalks. That would be a giant hurdle to overcome. There was alternative and a temporary solution. In 1916, the city began oiling the streets. That may not seem like a big deal, but it eliminated two major problems, mud in the winter and dust in the summer.

Tim