The other day, I wrote about Peter Lassen’s demise. Even though he died in April, his remains were not brought back and buried on the ranch he owned in the Honey Lake Valley until November. In my most recent book, with other contributing authors, Untold Stories, is an account about his burial place.
While I wrote about Jules Alexander’s campaign for a new monument, there are two interesting paragraphs in his open letter of October 1916 that started the movement, that was not included in the book, that I liked to share.
Alexander wrote, “To one man more than another do we owe a debt of gratitude and today the soft-stone monument erected over his last resting place near Richmond is crumbling to decay. No adequate protection has ever been given it and the visitor who seeks out historic spots is impressed with a sense of our ingratitude and negligence in care of what is generally regarded as a sacred charge-the graves of our pioneers.
“Feeling that the people of Lassen County owe a debt of gratitude to Peter Lassen, he after whom our county and many local institutions and societies have been named, I am deeply impressed with a desire to see that his place of internment is properly honored and the historic spot made attractive and beautiful. It can be done without of any large sum and it should be done.”
Peter Lassen was indeed a visionary pioneer. Our work at his Rancho Bosquejo near present day Vina over the last 3 years has uncovered his view of the future. Two dams on Deer Creek fed water to two water systems which ran 2 separate mills, the 1850 town of Benton City, his 2 adobe compounds and general irrigation. Five reservoirs helped and controlled water for these uses. To date we have found and mapped just shy of 100 1850 building features. Peter was on track with his mill project in the Susanville area to repeat his accomplishments in Lassen County. Truly was a visionary person.
Dave Freeman,
I have read through all the comments on the Masonic site, but cannot figure out how to get a response through it. I am a member of the Eastern Star Chapter in Chico – 50 plus years and my 2 times great grandfather accompanied the Masons to California with the first charter – his name was General Allen Wood (often confused with Satchel Woods), the first master of the Chico Lodge in 1856, his photo is in the foyer of the Lodge. Part of your frustration with not getting answers could stem from the fact that: Benton City, first Lodge, moved to Old Shasta that should be #1, but that was confiscated by San Francisco, which was #2, became #1 and Old Shasta became #2. If you are trying to work with SF you are ruffling feathers of old history – let it go! My gg grandfather started lodges where ever he went; he ended up in Susanville where he started other organizations of the Masonic order and was an officers. If you become a member of the organization you may be able to make better headway, but, remember this is a closed organization and even is you get information you want you may not be able to write about it or repeat it. Please try to have a more position attitude about he Masonic Members. It is our history that you are inquiring about.
My grandfather Thomas Benton Johnson [moved here from Missouri where Benton was the name of everything and everybody] lived in Benton City when it was being constructed, then he and grandmother Catherine (Cate) Harrison Johnson lived at Bell Mill/Lyonsville before moving to Susanville. Grandmas father William Riley Harrison (third cousin of President William Harrison) was District Attorney in Red Bluff and then Susanville and a member of the Masonic Lodge – 3rd Master of the Vesper Lodge in Red Bluff.
My great uncle James Stewart Copeland, married Euphemia Narcissus Johnson, Thomas Benton’s sister, was manager of Stanford Vina Ranch in the late 1800s.
You may not be aware that there are old timers who didn’t think much of Lassen and his dealings and may shy away from that discussion.
I am interested in what you are doing. I plan on attending the shindig in Susanville Historical Society where I am a member. I could go to Tehama (where I have been a member off and on for years, but need to know date.
I am very involved in Genealogy for my family and my husband’s family who both settled the west from 1846 on.
Mary Long Andrews