Category Archives: History

Lassen County’s First Whiskereno Contest

January 30, 2021 Tim Purdy Leave a comment

William S. Hamilton, a Honey Lake Valley resident from 1864 to 1880, when he became a permanent resident of the Susanville Cemetery—Philip S. Hall

In early August 1924 the Susanville Elks Lodge sponsored a whiskereno contest. This was part of its Western Night festivities in-conjunction with the Lassen County. It was a nod to the pioneer era to days long before. It should be duly noted that prior to 1900, the. majority of the male population in the region had beards.

As one “cheeky” observer noted of the affair and wrote: “If the Lassen County Settlement Board could only persuade some of the whiskerenos that are parading the streets to allow their whiskers to grow and could send them east there would be little difficulty in convincing the easterner that the Lassen County climate was all that was claimed for it. Any climate that will grow a crop of spinach such as some of the local Elk members have grown in the short period of the weeks will surely grow anything and the farmer would be convinced.”

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History

It’s Officially Doyle

January 28, 2021 Tim Purdy Leave a comment

Doyle, with the Western Pacific Depot, 1915—Sue Whitten

On January 28, 1908 the Doyle Post Office was established. It should be duly noted the region was served for many years with a post office named Long Valley. In addition, the place was also known for a number of years as Willow Ranch, a popular stage-stop there, located next to the the Long Valley Cemetery. In 1909, the place would begin a transformation when the Western Pacific Railway was built through there. However, it was not until 1911, that the Doyle townsite came to be.

History

Wendel’s Milepost Inn

January 27, 2021 Tim Purdy Leave a comment

In a certain way, this was the region’s best, yet least known, eateries. Located in the railroad community of Wendel the establishment served two purposes. One side of the building provided sleeping accommodations for railroad employees during their down time. The other was the restaurant to feed the railroad workers, since the trains came through all hours of the day. The Milepost Inn was a twenty-four operation.

The Milepost Inn did welcome locals to stop by and dine. While it had a no frills ambience, the food was first rate and cheap—subsidized by the railroad. Personally, I liked their buttermilk pancakes. There is more to the story, on a personal note. One day, in late January 1997, Ginger Martinez and I escorted Linda Kennedy to the Milepost Inn for her birthday brunch. Little did we know, it was the Milepost Inn’s last day. This was due to the fact the railroad had abandoned the line from Wendel to Likely in December. I asked if I could have a menu, and they kindly obliged. The next time I visited Wendel the building had been demolished.

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History

Your Tuesday Tidbit-A Different Kind of Press

January 26, 2021 Tim Purdy Leave a comment

Fruit Growers Box Factory, Susanville, 1922–Ed Standard

An interesting component in Fruit Growers’ box factories. This press imprinted box shook with the name of Sunkist or the names California Fruit Growers Exchange, the co-operative marketing company of the citrus growers.

Tim

History

Toll Roads of Lassen

January 25, 2021 Tim Purdy Leave a comment

Black Rock Road — Stockton’s recorded map of his proposed toll road.

Last week we explored the Red Bluff-Honey Lake Toll Road. For some odd reason, in 1866 saw the creation of two toll road companies—Gold Run Road Toll Road and the Honey Lake-Black Rock Toll Road, depicted in the above illustration. These proposals were doomed from the beginning. Both routes were already existing public roads, so there was no incentive by public to pay a toll.

Big Toll Road — This hand drawn map of the Big Valley Toll Road, was made part of the company’s Articles of Incorporation.

The last toll road proposal was that of the Big Valley Toll Road Company of 1871. The individuals behind it were attempting to capitalize from the traffic going to the Hayden Hill mines. Just like their predecessors it was impossible to enforce a toll on an existing road.

History

The 1-0-1 Cemetery

January 24, 2021 Tim Purdy Leave a comment

This is a private cemetery located on the former 101 Ranch, near Coppervale. In 1864, David Johnson and his family came to California. While en-route to the Sacramento Valley, his wife Martha, who died on October 12, 1864 at Devil’s Corral. Johnson transported her body to Mountain Meadows and buried her at this location. On September 26, 1884, Johnson’s son Ralph was buried there. David Johnson, who was better known as “Peg-leg” and for whom a nearby mountain is named after him was buried in this cemetery in 1904.

Of note, I never know where I locate certain photographs. I was not expecting to find the above photograph in the archives of Lassen Volcanic National Park.

History

Herman Brince, Photographer

January 23, 2021 Tim Purdy Leave a comment

Herman Brince was a photographer in Lassen, Modoc and Plumas counties during 1878-79. I have always been impressed with his photographs, though only dozen or so are known to be existence. Whatever, became of his negatives is unknown, but we do know that he died in New Zealand in 1882.

Fortunately, the Nevada Historical Society in their collections had these two Brince photographs of Adin and Cedarville. There are newspaper references of photographs that Brince took. In 1878, Brince did a portfolio of 25 scenes of what would become Lassen Volcanic National Park. One of these was Malgin’s Sheep Camp, known today as Drakesbad. However, known of these photographs have been found.

This 1879 photograph of the Susanville Masonic Hall is another Brince photograph. This I found on Ebay and which I purchased for a tidy sum. I inquired with the seller how he acquired the photograph, which he informed at a yard sale in San Francisco. One never knows, where something might surface. On a final note, the above photograph is the only known one in existence of Susanville’s original Masonic Lodge.

History

In Search of Painter’s Grave

January 22, 2021 Tim Purdy Leave a comment

First a little background. For those not familiar, Painters Flat is a remote location in northeast Lassen County, not far from the Nevada border. It was so named after Alexander A. Painter who died and is buried there. On June 19, 1860, Painter was part of a posse after a band of renegade Indians who killed Horace Adams in the Honey Lake Valley. They followed the Indians’ tracks north to the Madeline Plains. From there, they headed east through a canyon. Just before entering a valley there, they were ambushed by the Indians, Alexander A. Painter was mortally wounded. Painter’s body was moved a mile northeast from where he died. He was buried there beneath a cedar tree.

Fast forward to the mid-1990s. Terry Mallery and I made several expeditions there in search of Painter’s grave. We used the Lander’s written account of the event for reference. We struck out. In the spring of 2020, Brent Espil sent me the above photograph, with the question, “Is this Painter’s grave?”. Unfortunately, I do not have an answer.

Coming soon in search of another grave expedition in the Smoke Creek Desert.

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History

How Cold?

January 21, 2021 Tim Purdy Leave a comment

Dynamiting the Westwood millpond, January 27, 1949. Courtesy of Fruit Growers Supply Company

It has been some time since this region has experienced prolonged sub zero temperatures, which is fine with me. When it does get that cold things happen. In January 1949, the temperatures plummeted to nearly thirty degrees below zero at Westwood. The millpond froze. When the Red River Lumber Company designed the facility, they placed piping from the powerhouse that forced steam air directly into the millpond near the sawmill. This system was no match for Mother Nature. To keep the mill operating it was necessary to use dynamite to blast loose the logs in the millpond. Continue reading How Cold? →

History

Jensen/Sifford Water Wheel

January 20, 2021 Tim Purdy Leave a comment

Jensen Water Wheel, near Susanville, 1900.

Fortunately, I happen to have a copy of Mary Eloise Sifford Thomas’ unpublished memoir, My Girlhood on the Ranch. She wrote this back in 1974 at the urging of family members. She was born on the family ranch on November 20, 1892, the oldest five. The Tom Sifford Ranch was in the vicinity of the intersection of Main Street and Johnstonville Road. She noted at the time of her birth, the family lived two miles from Susanville.

Anyhow, from her memoir, it is the only account about this water wheel. Mary wrote: “I will have to tell about our water wheel. It was in the branch of the Susan River that ran through our ranch, half-way between our place and Winchester’s. We loved the old water wheel. It turned a big drum with a heavy belt on it. It carried small galvanized buckets that dumped water into a wooden trough and it ran out into a ditch to irrigate the alfalfa. We used to take little picnic lunches out there and sit and watch the wheel turn.”