In July of 1893, a fire wiped out Susanville’s entire business district.  An 1898 fire would destroy records pertaining to 1893-1896 era. This makes this photograph rare, but intriguing. As the saying a picture is worth a 1,000 words. In this case, the picture asks a multitude of questions.  After all, these buildings would be destroyed by a 1900 fire. It was that fire, the residents of the Susanville Township rallied for incorporation as a municipality for fire protection.  A special election was held in August and City of Susanville became a reality.

Tim