Susanville Coca Cola Plant

The Susanville Coca Cola Plant as it appeared in the 1950s, during the Lassen County Fair Parade. Courtesy of Margaret A. Purdy
The Susanville Coca Cola Plant as it appeared in the 1950s, during the Lassen County Fair Parade. Courtesy of Margaret A. Purdy

One subscriber wanted to know the history behind this plant, which is also known as the Susanville Bottling Works. I must confess a lot of ignorance, as to specific dates, etc, so this will be updated when new material surfaces.

The original bottling works was established around 1914 by H.W. “Pop” Wharton. It was located at 906 South Alley between South Weatherlow and Union Streets. The building, painted a chocolate brown, is still there and converted into apartments.

In 1923, Howard L. McMurphy took over the complete operation. It was an interesting and lucrative time to be in soda business  with Prohibition. It saw not only the local production of Coca Cola, but a local line of the Mt. Lassen brand of sodas.

Sometime in the late 1920s or early ’30s a new plant was constructed at Main and S. Sacramento Streets. For many the star attraction was the large picture window on Main Street, where people on the street could watch the assembly line of the sodas being bottled.

In 1967, Phyllis McMurphy Beard dissolved the Susanville Coca Cola Plant and the local production of sodas ceased.

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7 thoughts on “Susanville Coca Cola Plant”

  1. I remember looking on the bottom of every Coca Cola bottle to see where it came from. Most were Susanville.

  2. I looked for many years for a Susanville bottle and finally found one in Palmer Alaska at a small antique shop.I was blown away when I found it in Palmer Alaska. I was raised in secret valley and Janesville, graduated at Lassen high in 1971. When I was very young my brothers and sisters and l would look in the windows and watch the plant run.

    1. I just found an empty Mt Lassen Beverage bottle from Susanville while Quad riding today outside of Chester, Ca. Was researching it and found your comment.

  3. Still the best Cream Soda on the planet, the Orange Soda too, and the reused bottles made the drinks so much better than today’s throwaway/recycles. Life didn’t get much better than a Mt. Lassen Cream Soda with a half of a pack of salted Planters peanuts pored in!

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