Fruit Growers – Story Club

Story Club, 1924. Courtesy of Lola L. Tanner
Story Club, 1924. Courtesy of Lola L. Tanner

The Fruit Growers Supply Company operated a lumber mill in Susanville from 1921 to 1963. When it was sold it became the foundation for Sierra Pacific Industries.

In 1910, Fruit Growers found itself as a mill operated at Hilt. It should be noted Fruit Growers is a purchasing agent co-operative for citrus growers known today as Sunkist. This was an era when produce was shipped in wooden boxes, hence the need for lumber.

One lesson Fruit Growers learned early on was its adoption of a policy to not only provide affordable housing and decent wages, but also extra amenities. On September 16, 1922, Fruit Growers held an open house for the Story Club in Susanville, part of its Lassen Operation. The three-story clubhouse, named in honor of Francis Q. Story, former president of the California Fruit Growers Exchange (now Sunkist), had a movie theater, that was also used as a dance floor among other forms of entertainment.

The movie theater in the Story Club, 1923. Courtesy of Fruit Growers Supply Company.
The movie theater in the Story Club, 1923. Courtesy of Fruit Growers Supply Company.

A month after the open house, attended by over 500 people, the Lassen County Free Library opened a branch in the Story Club. The initial book collection was donated by Francis Story.

Never miss a story, click here to subscribe.

3 thoughts on “Fruit Growers – Story Club”

  1. you stories take me back to memories of things my Mom told me, and a few of my own, Susanville was my home and there is no place like home.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.