While for many it it is an out of the way location, it was for decades where the Old Timers Picnic was held.
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Category Archives: History
The Unexpected Early Flooding of Lake Almanor
The Great Western Power Company encountered numerous problems with the construction of their dam that would create Lake Almanor. The first dam they started to construct they were forced to abandon. A new dam site was selected and by the summer of 1913 work was fully underway. However, due to financial constraints, the dam’s height was greatly reduced, which meant the new reservoir would only be half the size.
On Christmas Eve, 1913, Mother Nature intervened. An estimated five feet of snow had fallen at Big Meadows, the location of the new reservoir. In January a warm rainstorm struck the region. The snow quickly melted and the reservoir began filling up prematurely. This caught the Baccala family, whose ranch was located along Bailey Creek, off guard. Their place flooded, stranding nearly a hundred head of cattle, and an automobile, among other personal effects. Further down, towards present Prattville, was Great Western Power’s headquarters, Nevis, which was was the former Meadow View Hotel. The surrounding area flooded, creating an island. Relief came somewhat in the form of snow. Did it ever snow! Some areas of Big Meadows reported nearly twenty-feet by mid-February.
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Pearson Massacre, 1868
Thomas Pearson and John Sutherland were dairy farmers at Red Rock, located north of Reno. In 1867 they took up a claim on the east side of Honey Lake, then known as Lower Hot Springs (Amedee). It seemed like an ideal location for their purposes since snowfall was minimal during the winter months.
In the middle of April 1868 Pearson and Sutherland were eager to return to their old home at Red Rock. The relationship with the Indians had become quite tense. During the winter two Indians had been killed near their place and during March, their neighbor J.L. Crow of Upper Hot Springs (Wendel) had horses driven away by the Indians. Then there was an entirely unrelated issue caused from an unusually wet winter. The waters of Honey Lake were rising so rapidly they feared their cabin would soon be inudated.
On the morning of April 17, 1868 John Sutherland and Henry Bereman herded the livestock towards Red Rock. Pearson, in the meantime, went to the Hamilton Ranch (Fleming Unit, Fish &Game), seven miles away to obtain some assistance. Pearson’s wife, Maria, and daughter, Hattie, remained at the cabin to finish packing. Pearson succeeded in a borrowing a man, Samuel Cooper, and a wagon to assist in the move.
It was in the afternoon that Pearson and Cooper had the wagons loaded and proceeded on their journey. The ground the wagons were traveling upon was soft and moist. They had barely gone a mile before one of the wagons became stuck. It was then the Pearson family and Samuel Cooper were massacred by the Indians.
John Wollenburg, an employee of the Hamilton Ranch, had been in the vicinity herding sheep. Wollenburg was alerted by gun shots and the women screaming. He rushed to his tent only to discover his guns had been stolen. The Indians had spotted Wollenburg and began to pursue him, but Wollenburg was fortunate enough to have a good distance from the Indians and escaped by running eight miles to the Sharp ranch to get help.
When Wollenburg arrived at the Sharp ranch only, Mrs. Lurana Sharp was there. She rushed to the neighbors seeking assistance. A group of men were assembled and went to investigate what Wollenburg had stated. It was evening when they arrived at Wollenburg’s tent, where they found Cooper’s body. With night fall approaching, men fearful of an attack, returned to their homes. The next morning, they set out again and found the bodies of the Pearson family. They brought the victims to Susanville where Samuel Cooper was buried. The remains of the Pearson family were shipped to Sacramento for burial by their relatives.
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Camp C – Fruit Growers Supply Company
One of the things that impressed me about Fruit Growers Supply Company was they valued their employees and went the extra mile in taking care of them. What the company had learned early one, was how costly labor turn over could be. By providing the employees a bit higher wage, extra amenities, paid off in the long run, with a loyal and stable workforce.
The company’s logging camps were exceptional, besides the living conditions, even provided recreational activities. In 1922, motion pictures were offered at Camps B and C. In 1923, at Camp C a 500-seat outdoor arena was the site of professional boxing and wrestling matches. On June 23, 1923 at the inaugural wrestling match pitted Susanville wrestler Bill Mohler against Paul Kinney of Omaha, Nebraska.
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On A Clear Day
One of the items that caught my attention about this particular photograph was the clarity of the skies. Notice that both lumber mills—-Fruit Growers and Lassen Lumber—were idle and not belching large copious s amounts of black smoke. In addition, look at the background behind the mills, as that area remained untouched from development.
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Highland School, Lassen County
The Highland School was a short-lived district, that was referred by the name where the school was located—-Termo. It is interesting to note that Don Garate’s book Termo to Madeline does not even refer to the school by its official name.
Information on the school is rather scant. When the petition was submitted on November 6, 1914 it contained the following signatures—Martha Cox, Elvira Smith, Mrs. C.C. Brack, Margaretta Drees,Wm. Boydston, Mrs. J.A.Shoaf, Mrs. W.H.Brown, and E.B. Coffin. Collectively, they had sixteen children. Which they met the criteria of at least having ten children. They also resided anywhere between six and thirteen miles from the nearest school. Thus, they met the second criteria of being more than two miles from the nearest school house.
The school district was approved on January 5, 1915. Its existence was brief, and in 1925 the Highland School was annexed to Ravendale. The following year, the school’s fixtures were transferred to the Madeline School only to be destroyed by a fire in 1927.
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Hiking Amedee Canyon
This is a somewhat non-historical post. Blame it on Covid Cabin Fever. Amedee Canyon, located in the Amedee Mountains, is about halfway between Amedee and Wendel, near the archeological site known as Tommy Tucker Cave.
It was a late winter, many moons ago, that I hiked it. It should be noted, it is quite the hike to the entrance of the canyon. Before long inside the canyon, it is no longer a hike, more like a rock climbing expedition. Near the top of the canyon are interesting caves—one of which had ice.
The other reward for your efforts is the view from up high overlooking Honey Lake.
Tim
Bremner Dam Vandals
Bremner Dam, 1906—George McDow Jr.
Some time during the night of March 27, 1906 an unknown individual(s) attempted to blow up the old Bremner Dam on Susan River with dynamite. The dam was built in 1886 in conjunction with the Bremner sawmill, about a mile west of Susanville. The damage was slight and it was reported that whoever did the deed was not familiar with explosives. The dam had fallen disrepair over the years, since the destruction the sawmill there in 1894. Some were of the opinion, that the dam was a hazard, especially to those downstream and it should be removed.
That never happened and the dam quickly deteriorated and by 1914, most of it had washed away. However, during the drought of 1977, water level in the Susan River dropped to such an extent to expose the remnants of the dam’s foundation.
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The Bremner Sawmill
One of the most impressive sawmills constructed on the Susan River was the Bremner Mill. In 1886, Lawrence, Leavitt & Company was formed to construct and operate it. The site selected on the Susan River was approximately a mile west of Susanville. The firm built an imposing dam 250 feet long and 25 feet high. The dam created a reservoir that backed up water for a mile. That was beneficial for the company, since it would float logs down the river to the mill.
In December 1887, Charles Bremner, a lumberman from Maine, purchased the mill. His two sons, James and William, arrived from Maine to assist. On December 8, 1888 Bremner sold a half interest. in the mill to Alex McCrimmon. The partnership short-lived. McCrimmon was not pleased with Bremner’s management of the company funds, and sold his interest to Leavitt & Woodsum for $1,800. Bremner was plagued with financial problems. In 1892. with Bremner unable to pay his debts, William Greehn foreclosed on the property and became the new owner. Greehn, however, retained Bremner to operate the mill.
In 1891, to take advantage of the water power from the dam, James Anthony installed a power plant, to generate the first electric power for Susanville. The generator had a capacity of 30 horsepower, enough to provide power for40 arc lamps.
On Tuesday night, August 14, 1894, fire broke out at the mill. It went unnoticed by the several people who were at the mill. Once it was discovered the building was in flames and it was too late to suppress it. The mill machinery and Anthony’s electric plant were a total loss. The origin of the fire was never determined. The mill was not rebuilt, and Anthony built a new electric plant half a mile down from the dam.
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Pyramid Lake Task Force
In 1969, the Pyramid Lake Task Force was established to seek solutions concerning the shrinkage of Nevada’s famous desert lake. In 1971, the Task Force submitted a proposal to Lassen County officials for their consideration. They obliged. The plan called for the exportation of 50,000 acre-feet of Honey Lake water to Pyramid Lake. The two lakes, both remnants of Lake Lahontan, are relatively close, though Honey Lake is 190 feet higher in elevation. It was their intention to dry up Honey Lake, except in the northeast corner. There a 4,700-acre freshwater reservoir would be created for a wildlife sanctuary. Adjoining it would be a holding reservoir with a capacity of 27,000 acres. A pumping plant would be built near Amedee, where the water would flow through a twenty-four mile long aqueduct to Pyramid Lake. The Task Force considered this plan the most feasible of all considered. Construction cost was estimated at $12 million, with an annual operating cost of $200,000. This did not include any litigation fees with affected properties for rights-of-way or damage payments to lakeshore owners. The adverse effects of Honey Lake being permanently dry drew heavy criticism from the local residents. The lake is enjoyed for its aesthetic beauty when full. When the lake is dry, it is a scene of numerous dust storms. Opponents were also concerned with the loss of humidity and its effects on agricultural crops. At a November 8, 1971 public hearing the Lassen County Board of Supervisors passed a resolution opposing the project. After all these years later, the problems with Pyramid Lake’s water level still has not been solved.