Have you ever wondered who has had the most impact on Lassen County? One hears Peter Lassen and Isaac Roop’s names bandied about all the time. Their influence was rather minor in the scheme of things. Captain C.A. Merrill’s Lassen County Desert Land Act of 1875, which was revised to the Desert Land Act of 1877 had a huge impact on the Western United States and the current groundwater export from the Nevada side of the Honey Lake Valley is a result of that. In addition, it was Merrill that opened the door that led to Leon Bly’s tapping of Eagle Lake, but his work, still pales into comparison. Then there is A.J. Mathews who came to Susanville in 1910 and built the telephone system we know today. Mathews had major political clout in Sacramento and the only Lassen County resident to serve as the Speaker of the California State Assembly. We should be thankful for Mathews’ endeavors, yet he is not the influential person I am thinking of.
A month from today, I will reveal the identity. In the meantime, I will work on an appropriate prize for the correct answer. Only a subscriber can win the prize.