The 1930s were a financially difficult time for Med Arnold, the grandson of the town’s founder, Isaac Roop. In a desperate need of funds, on October 8, 1936, Arnold put Roop’s iconic landmark up for sale. This in turn spurred a grass roots campaign movement to raise funds. In May 1937, the City of Susanville purchased it. When the Shasta-Cascade Wonderland Association held its 1937 convention that fall in Susanville, one of its highlights of the meeting was the dedication ceremony of the landmark, with California Governor F.F. Merriam as the guest speaker. In 1974, Roop’s Fort was entered into the National Register of Historic Places.