This was a most unusual post card that I came across. While it is linen type manufactured card typical of the 1930s and 1940s, the company that produced it, had no clue of the location. While it may be labeled Susanville, the photograph was not taken there. The background is clear indicator that it was taken elsewhere.
California Highway Route 139 from Susanville to the Oregon Border has the distinction of being one of the top five loneliest (least travelled) roads in the United States. The 143 mile route between Susanville to Malin, Oregon was a long slow process to construct. It started as Lassen-Modoc Joint Highway #14 when it was created in 1929. It was not finished until 1956 and in 1959 it was designated 139.
Tim
Dating old photographs can be tricky and the above postcard is rather unique. On the reverse it does have a 1919 postmark, which means nothing. This photograph was taken in the spring of 1915. The Knoch Building on left did not add a third story to that structure until the fall of 1914. The Emerson Hotel to left was destroyed by fire in August 1915. Finally, there is a banner across Main Street. It was placed there in the first week of April 1915 promoting Lassen County Day at the Panama Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco.
Tim
Karlo, located in Secret Valley, was a NCO Railroad station that was established in 1899. The post office was originally known as Secret, but the name was changed to Karlo in 1911. On December 1, 1925 postal authorities suddenly abandoned the Karlo Post Office, without consulting the residents. The residents were upset to say the least, for they now had to travel seventeen miles south to Wendel to pick up their mail. They petitioned to get the post office re-established, in which they succeeded. On December 26, 1925 the Karlo Post Office was back in business. The post office was finally closed in 1934 and made part of the Rural Free Delivery system.
During the 1920s and early 1930s, Lassen County’s three big lumber mills, Fruit Growers, Lassen Lumber & Box and Red River placed full page advertisements in the local newspapers. These companies were the biggest industries, thus the biggest employers. In addition, the newspapers of that era printed a special Christmas edition—26 pages.
Tim
On December 24, 1914 was a major event in Westwood when the town’s Big Store opened for business. The Plumas National provided the following description of the event. :“A complete butcher shop, a drug store, grocery department, men’s furnishings, women’s goods, hardware and shoe departments are all under special heads, each of whom is a specialist in his line. Nineteen men are employed in the store at the present time.”
In February 1916, the Big Store got even bigger with another forty-foot addition. The facility could boast 73,125 square feet of retail space, with an additional 8,800 square feet utilized for offices and other purposes. It was the largest department store north of Sacramento.
A year or two after the newly constructed Sierra Theater opened its doors in 1935, an annual Christmas event transpired. It was a special “Kiddies Day at the Matinee.” It was opportunity for all the school children of Susanville to have a special morning showing of movies, and given Christmas treats, as well. Various groups and businesses supported the event. This custom carried on for several decades.
Tim
The caption states taken “near Westwood,” but when it was taken remains unknown. When winter snows arrived on the east slope of the Sierra, travel across the mountains came to an abrupt halt. It was that natural barrier why east slope residents since the 1850s sought for their own self governance.
What is intriguing about this photograph is the road is plowed. In the late 1910s when Westwood was established, there was a competition with that community and those in Susanville to see who would be first to cross over Fredonyer in the spring. In addition, no doubt with a ting of spring fever, the two communities led a joint effort to clear each other’s side of the mountain of the snow.
When Highway 36 was completed between Susanville and Red Bluff in the late 1920s, when winter arrived the California Highway Department closed the highway. After intense lobbying, in 1929 the state agreed to plow the road for snow removal, thought initially it was sporadic.
In 1934, the California Department of Fish & Game introduced two varieties of fish into Eagle Lake. The first was a spiny ray fish, though exactly which specie it did not identify. They thought they would be successful because of their breeding habits. However, due to the lake’s high alkaline content the fish were almost immediately killed when planted in the lake.
The other experiment was with coho salmon. It was a substantial planting of 250,000 of coho. A problem occurred sometime between the initial planting and the spring of 1935. Unknown parties had removed the fish screen at Bly Tunnel. Instinctively, a large population of the salmon migrated through the tunnel, just as they would like a regular stream to reach the ocean. Fish and Game officials were furious to say they least. They stated there would be no more fish plantings until the problem was fixed.
While the fish screen was reinstalled, Fish and Game were hesitant of future plantings due to the high alkalinety of the water.
The latest storms residual moisture and lack of wind is the perfect combination for a pogonip, also known as a freezing fog. . A true pogonip is when the fog freezes coating everything with ice crystals. The name is from the Native American community when translated means white death, due to the number of Indians who would contract pneumonia from this weather condition.
There are varying types of pogonips. The most common form is when the high pressure holds down the cloud inversion. Thus, in many instances, one only has to travel a few hundred feet above the valley floor to bask in the sunshine. The pogonip season usually runs through December and January. The longest recorded duration, locally, lasted for six weeks in the winter of 1859-60.
On a final note, the National Weather Service states that there is a storm front headed our way tomorrow. There should be enough winds to break up the inversion, and may be we will see a little sun shine in the afternoon.