Category Archives: History

History

Susanville’s First Marijuana Bust

Leave a comment
Susanville Depot, 1970.

Since the topic of cannabis is on the ballot in Lassen County, I thought some historical perspective might be of interest.

The headlines news on the front page of the Lassen Mail of November 23,1928 “Dope Plant Grown In Susanville.” The discovery was made by Sheriff Jim Leavitt, when investigating a dance at the Brunswick Pool Hall across from the Susanville Depot. Leavitt confiscated ten kegs of whiskey and ten pounds of marijuana. In addition, the owners of the Brunswick, Emma and Pete Ovalle were arrested on a narcotics charge for the possession of marijuana, besides the alcohol charges.

Marijuana was something new to the residents. The local press described it as a Mexican tobacco that is smoked like a cigarette, and said it has an exhilarating and soothing effect for the smoker and can also make on feel “goofy.”

The next day, officials conducted another search of the premises surrounding the Brunswick Pool Hall. They found marijuana being grown along the Susan River. It was determined that the marijuana grown there did not contain the elements of other varieties found in tropical climates. In addition, it was asserted that even if one smoke a ton of marijuana grown locally, it would not produce any kind of “kick.” Due to those circumstances, the narcotics charge against the Ovalles was dropped. As to the illegal alcohol possession they pled guilty and paid the $300 fine.

Donate

History

An Indian Allottment Story

Leave a comment
Big Meadows Maidu Camp, 1887. Courtesy of the National Park Service

In 1887, Congress passed the General Allotment Act also known as the Dawes Act. It is a complicated story., however, for Indians not on tribal reservations they were entitled land allotments up to 160 acres.

In the early 1900s, when the Great Western Power Company began its aggressive campaign to purchase the lands of Big Meadows, Plumas County into a reservoir site to be known as Lake Almanor. Some of the purchases were not friendly and Great Western Power sued to obtain ownership. The company sued six Maidu Indians—Jennie Meadows, Ellen Jenkins, John Jenkins, Hester Jenkins, Robert Shafer and Jim Lincoln—to seek condemnation of their government allotted lands. On November 22, 1902, a court trial was held and the Maidu were awarded a judgment, giving them the assessed value along with an additional $1,600 in compensation. At the conclusion of the trial, Great Western paid cash to the Maidu, who according to one report the Maidu “went home rejoicing.”  There was a good reason, too. In 1908, it was disclosed that those six Maidu had never owned the lands Great Western sought condemnation!

Subscribe

History

Lassen National Forest vs. Lassen Volcanic National Park

Leave a comment
Butte Lake, circa 1920. Roy Sifford, of Drakesbad fame wrote: “The sign of the Manitou which means the sign of God. The shadows in the water made a long arrows which the Indians thought that was a sign of the Great Spirit (Manitou) or God gave them. Courtesy of the Sifford Collection.

When Lassen Volcanic National Park was created in 1916, its boundaries were much smaller than they are today. In the mid-1920s when the park wanted to extend its boundaries, taking in adjoining national forest land, the Lassen National Forest objected. It was their opinion, they could do a superior job of handling the natural resources that could be best utilized in the public’s interest, than the park.

Snag Lake
Snag Lake, 1911. B.R. Zimmerman Collection

One proposal in 1913 could have had a significant impact to Butte and Snag Lakes.. Jonathan Stark of the forest service viewed the two lakes as reservoir possibilities. It was his belief, though some scientific work would need to substantiate it, that Butte and Snag Lakes were connected by an underground stream. It was his idea to place a ten-foot dam at the outlet of Butte Lake. The ten-foot rise of the levels of Butte and Snag Lakes could impound a million gallons of water that could be utilized for irrigation downstream.

Subscribe

History

Shasta Forest aka Shafco

Leave a comment
Red River forest, Lake Almanor, 1926–Roy Rea

In 1944, when the Red River Lumber Company sold Westwood and its Burney Tract, the company still owned a large quantity of timberland in Northern California, besides other properties across the nation. The dissolution process would take years, and like many family affairs some members of the Walker family went their separate ways.

In January 1948, the Walker heirs announced they formed a co-operative company, Shasta Forests to manage their timber holdings. Seasoned residents referred to it as Shafco. In 1969, it went through a reorganization process and a new entity evolved as Red River Forest, which continues to this day. It should be noted that the property is managed by W.M. Beatty & Associates, who have had a long affiliation with the Red River heirs.

Tim

History

Local Dollars, Local Sense

Leave a comment
Main Street, Susanville, 1925

From time to time there is some local banter about Michael Shulman’s book Local Dollars, Local Sense. The gist of it if everyone invested just one percent of their money locally, it would greatly enhance the local economy.

A century ago, that was certainly the case locally. At the same time, this is when chain stores were opening in Susanville. Some held the opinion that these stores were a “menace” since their profits did not remain in the community. It should be noted the town’s two banks, Lassen Industrial Bank and the Bank of Lassen County were local institutions—they had a vested interest in the area’s economic prosperity.

It is also noteworthy how the citizens, raised funds as incentives to have the Lassen Lumber & Box Company and Fruit Growers Supply Company establish their lumber mills in Susanville. For Lassen Lumber the citizen’s offer was a 40-acre mill site, with water rights and $8,000 cash. For Fruit Growers 243 residents pledged a cash bonus of $41,130. Both investments paid off handsomely for the community.

Tim

History

The History of Branham Dam

Leave a comment
Branham Dam, Susan River, circa 1910—Keston Ramsey

Susanville’s first electric power plant was located at Bremner Dam on the Susan River, about a mile from town. It was destroyed by fire in 1894.  In 1895, James Branham revived the power plant and it was located further downstream. Just below Hobo Camp he built a dam and on the north side of the canyon he built a flume to convey water to the power plant about a half-mile  away. The plant operated until 1910, when it was closed and a new plant was built at Bunnell’s.

T.A. “Ab” Ramsey saw the potential in the dam. In 1888, he purchased a 737 acre ranch just south of Susanville, along Richmond Road. Many know by its current owner, Les Allen. Ramsey had an irrigation ditch starting at Branham Dam and extending to his ranch, which is still known today as Ramsey Ditch.

Branham Dam and Ramsey Ditch after the construction of the railroad in 1913–Keston Ramsey

In 1898, the dam caught the attention of civil engineer Albert Halen, who was working for the development of the Standish Colony. The colony had acquired the Susan River Irrigation System. He proposed to heighten the dam and extend the Ramsey Ditch all the way to Bald Mountain. That did not happen. In 1906, the Lassen-Willow Creek Water Company made the same proposal. Ditto, it did not happen.

In February 1928, a lawsuit was filed concerning the water rights to Ramsey Ditch. Several weeks later, unknown parties dynamited Branham Dam leading to its destruction.

Support

History

1928 Fire Season

Leave a comment
The 1926 Antelope Fire as seen from Willow Creek Valley. Courtesy of Lola L. Tanner

The 1928 fire season was different than most. In July witnessed the largest fire on the Lassen National Forest at Mill Creek near Mineral. It consumed nearly 11,000 acres, most of which was cut over lands of the old Sierra Lumber Company. Most of the other fires on the Lassen were two to ten acres in size. Other areas in California did not fare so well.

This was, however, when the area experienced its first large range fire. A fire broke out near Horse Lake and then extended all the way to Secret Valley consuming some 128,000 acres. While no structures were lost, considerable damage to fences was an issue. The area was used for sheep range by R.T. Jenkins and the Jauregui Brothers.

Tim

History

Prattville Cemetery, Plumas County

Leave a comment
Prattville, 1908–Sue Pratt

In 1861, James Lee settled on the west side of Big Meadows, not too far from where the original town of Prattville would be established, He died on June 17, 1864 and buried on his property. This, in time, became the Prattville Cemetery.

In 1914, Great Western Power Company transformed a portion of Big Meadows into Lake Almanor. In 1926, Great Western was in the process to heighten its dam, where by Lake Almanor would double in size. Thus, Great Western had to mitigate some of the areas impacted by the increased size of Lake Almanor, such as the construction of the Chester Causeway and the Prattville Cemetery would need to be moved to higher ground.

In October 1926, Great Western hired Greenville resident Kenneth Murray to exhume the bodies, some 101, and move them 300 yards to the west. A.D. Greig of the Susanville Marble Works was in charge of relocating the thirty-five monuments in the cemetery.

On a final Pacific Gas & Electric Company, the successor of Great Western, donated the Prattville Cemetery to the Chester Cemetery District in 1962.

Donate

History

Laird Spring, Smoke Creek Desert

Leave a comment

Numerous springs in the Intermountain West are named for wranglers and itinerant sheepman. Laird Springs is one, that has an interesting story, and one of which is still an unsolved murder.

Edward Laird was born in 1862, the eldest of three children, his two siblings Margaret born 1863, and brother Warren in 1864. They were  orphaned at an early age and raised in an orphanage in Carson City, Nevada. As young men, Ed and Warren went to work on various ranches in Northeastern California. By the late 1890s, they had settled in the North Warner Valley, Lake County, Oregon. Warren would remain in Lake County for the rest of his life.

In the early 1900s, Edward Laird worked as a ranch hand at Round Hole, Smoke Creek Desert, also known as Bonham Ranch. The owners William and Martha Bonham Ross, were in-laws to Laird’s sister, Margaret Sutcliffe.

Very little is known of Laird’s activities on the Smoke Creek Desert. Sometime after 1910, Laird filed a “squatter’s claim” to eighty acres, three miles north of Round Hole. There was a spring on the claim where he built a cabin. Edward Laird was murdered on or about August 20, 1917. Details of his murder are sketchy. According to newspaper reports, his body was marked with two shot gun wounds and he was found dead in his cabin. On August 29, 1917 the Nevada State Journal had a caption, “Revenge Believed to Have Been the Cause of Killing With Shotgun near Round Hole.”  However, the newspaper did not provide any details. A week later area ranchers offered a $500 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the party who murdered Laird. That was basically the end of the case. Cook Laird, Warren’s grandson, told me that Edward was a red head who was known to be hot headed with a mean temper.

Edward Laird was buried 100 yards east of where the spring bears his name.

Support

Note: In 2004, Laird Spring was included in a BLM tour.

History

Lincoln School Remodel

Leave a comment
The Lincoln School Remodel—Lassen Advocate, November 21, 1975

At the end of the 1966-67 school year, Lincoln School was closed, being replaced by the newly constructed Diamond View School. For a brief time Lassen College used the facility while its new campus was under construction.

In July 1975, Victor Bullard of Placerville purchased the shuttered Lincoln School.  Bullard had the building remodeled. An addition was made to the front of the building, replacing the old exterior staircase. On December 1, 1975 the Eagle Lake District of the Lassen National Forest became the new occupants of the building. Previous to this, the District’s office was located in the former Paul Bunyan Lumber Company office.

Lincoln School
Lincoln School, 1924

Tim