The construction of houses on the west side of 100 block of North Roop Street did not begin until a half century after the town’s founder, Isaac Roop located at Susanvile. One of the problems that hampered this, was the block had not been subdivided into lots. In the early 1900s that change occurred.

On November 26, 1903, the Lassen Advocate reported:  “Carpenters  have begun work on the Bunnell residence on Roop Street. From the appearance of the ground plan the building will be decidedly attractive one.” The owner, Abel Bunnell (1844-1916), was well known through region and was a on and off resident of Big Meadows, now Lake Almanor. It should be noted that in 1907, his brother L.W. Bunnell had the house built kitty-corner from them.

Abel’s home  was passed down to his daughter and son-in-law, Georgia and Bert Jensen. At about noon, on Saturday, June 21, 1928, the Jensen’s nearly lost their house to fire. Bert, and his two sons, Jud and Abe, were away working at the family ranch, a few miles  east of town. Fortunately, neighbors and onlookers began hauling out the furniture while waiting for the fire department to arrive. It was estimated the fire caused $5,000 worth of damage.

It should be noted that Bert & Georgia divorced. Georgia kept her family home, and converted it to three apartments. She resided there for nearly fifty years.

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P.S. In honor of the late Noreen Frieling, a delightful nurse practioneer,  whose birthday is today, I share the comedy errors of my recent medical treatment. First,I was transported to Banner Lassen for knee injury. Banner Lassen had me transported to Reno at Renown for a MRI for my head. Renown then  treated me for a hand injury and then Renown was to transport me  Hearthstone, but driver got lost and tried to drop me off at the wrong facility. A thirty minute drive turned about  to be a  ninety-minute joy ride! I have not  a bill for that excursion.

As this is Memorial Day, I thought I share with you about the history of Lassen Cemetery. Before my fall from grace in April and subsequent upheaval that followed, I had been sorting through documents of the proceeding papers of the Lassen County Board of Supervisors of the 1910s. There were stack of documents  that I intended use for future posts, but alas I have not located that box, so far.

Several of those documents pertain to what we now know as the Lassen Cemetery. However, the original proposal was for a new cemetery and hospital adjoining Richmond Road. Instead that property would become the future home Roosevelt Elementary School. Then there was a lengthy letter from Lassen County Supervisor L.R. Cady about the urgent need of a new cemetery, as the existing Susanville Cemetery no longer have plots available. In a mad scramble work started on cemetery on Chestnut Street. In February 1919, Isaac Coulthurst became the first person buried there. Not only was he among first settlers of the Honey Lake Valley, in 1857 he married Mary Jane Duval, the first couple to do so. He was a very colorful character in the annals of local history. The truth be known, I had begun work on a Lassen Cemetery tour, his grave would be the first stop.

Tim

On November 12, 2025, the Governing Board of the Lassen College Trustees voted to terminate its gunsmithing program, the oldest in the nation. Thus, with this graduation today, will be last of the gunsmithing graduates as this program will cease to exist at the end of academic year. A successful program, but there were those who finally succeeded in a ten-year period to abolish it. Enough said on my part.

Tim

For those that plan an extended stay to Eagle Lake with the opening fishing season there, you might want to plan an excursion to the west of the lake and wander around Pine Creek Valley.

From the late1800s to the 1950s there was a lot of activity there. First there were cattle and sheep outfits who utilized the region for summer grazing. Many of the natural topographical features bare their names like Campbell and Logan.

In the 1920s, the Fruit Growers Supply Company made their presence with railroad logging in the region. In 1929, the company established Camp 10 on the northeastern edge of the valley. Not only was this substantial logging camp home to over 200 people, for a time being it even boasted its own voting precinct.

Normally, logging camps were short lived, once the available timber cut, the camps moved on. Not so with Camp 10, it remained in operation at the same location until 1952, when Fruit Growers discontinued railroad logging. Remnants of the camp can still be found.

Tim