Category Archives: History

History

Thomas Tucker – An Honored Veteran

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Thomas Tucker’s headstone prior to cleaning.

Thomas Tucker, a Maidu born at Big Meadows (now Lake Almanor), Plumas County in 1895 and moved to Susanville at an early age, where he was raised by his aunt and uncle Cap and Emma DeHaven. He first attended the Greenville Indian School, where he excelled in his studies. He was noted for his gifted vocals in singing, as well as his athletic abilities. When the U.S. entered World War I, he enlisted. On the fateful day September 28, 1918 he was killed in action in France, becoming the first casualty from Susanville in the War. His comrades held him in high esteem and when the local American Legion Chapter was formed in 1920, it was named in his honor, Thomas Tucker Post No. 204. In 1940, a tree was planted in his memory at the Lassen County Courthouse, and a small marker placed with his name. Continue reading Thomas Tucker – An Honored Veteran →

History

Veteran’s Memorial Halls Questioned

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Veteran’s Memorial Building, Susanville, 1926

After the conclusion of World War I, the nation’s patriotism did not subside, if nothing else it continued to gain momentum.  In 1921, the California Legislature amended provisions in the Political Code to allow cities and counties to provide homes and meetings places and associations for veterans.

Los Angeles County jumped on the bandwagon and appropriated $500,000 to build a “Victory Hall.” Not so fast stated the county auditor, who refused to pay any warrants associated with the building since it was not for public purposes. Therefore, in the auditor’s opinion, it would be a gift of public funds. The matter went to the California Supreme Court. The court’s decision rendered on November 30, 1923 ruled in favor of Los Angeles County and the American Legion organization.

Tim

 

History

Fruit Growers Burney. Railroad

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Burney, circa 1940

In early 1940s, the Red River Lumber Company proposed to build branch railroad logging line off the Western Pacific near Poison Lake with a final destination to Burney. That planned was on hold due the conditions of War World II and subsequent sale of Red River in 1944 to the Fruit Growers Supply Company. It should be noted that the Burney Tract contained estimated two billion board feet of merchantable timber.

Fruit Growers surveyed the railroad line descending off the Hat Creek Rim near Cassel then onward to Burney. In 1949, the Harvey Railroad logging line shut down. The rails were stored Halls Flat near Poison Lake, and that increased the speculation of the pending railroad. Then things got complicated and a new player enter the field the McCloud River Lumber Company. McCloud’s mill was sixty-one miles northwest of Burney. The Company was expanding to the south and had eye on the Burney Tract.

In 1951, Fruit Growers and McCloud drafted a mutually beneficial agreement. Fruit Growers would build the line they had surveyed from Poison Lake to Burney and lease it to McCloud, who would be responsible for operating and maintenance.  McCloud would eventually scrap the Poison branch. Instead, McCloud extended its line to Burney and on July 3, 1955 the formal dedication of that line was held.

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History

Weather Whiplash of the 1860s

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Honey Lake, 1984
Honey Lake, February 1984. To the right is the Hartson Sand Ridge. Photograph courtesy of Bob Sorvaag

The winter of 1861-62, is one for the record books for the entire West Coast.. The epic rains throughout California lasted over forty days. Thankfully, the A.L. Tunison diaries provide a glimpse of what happened locally and elsewhere.

The previous two winters had been dry. By the end of November 1861 there was a foot of snow in the Honey Lake Valley. Then on December 8 and 9, heavy rains began. On December 18, Tunison received news of flood damage elsewhere and writes, “Good flood in Sacramento Valley. Water 15 feet deep in Sacramento City. Boats run on Main Street in Marysville. Great many cattle lost. Slide on Sierra Nevada Mountain at Washoe covered up a quartz mill, injured two men, killed another. Two bridges gone on the Truckee River.” Continue reading Weather Whiplash of the 1860s →

History

Dyer Mountain Voter Initiative

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A view of Westwood with Keddie Ridge in the background,, Dyer Mountain is northern post on Keddie Ridge. It is also where to Sierra Nevada ends and the Southern Cascades begins. 1955.

On November 7, 2000 the Lassen County voters approved a contentious ballot initiative to amend the county’s General Plan, Zoning Ordinance and the Westwood Area Plan to allow the development of a four-season resort near Westwood known as Dyer Mountain. It was proposed to build three golf courses, ski runs, along with thousands of houses, condos along with commercial retail projects. It became a heated issue fought by environmental groups. Plagued with financial and legal issues the project was derailed.

Tim

History

Wendel’s Time To Shine

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Looking north of Wendell during the change to from narrow to broad gauge.–Jack Bowden

Wendel one of those railroad communities that in early years had an identity crisis. It was first known as Upper Hot Springs to distinguish of Lower Hot Springs five miles to the south. The later became known in Amedee in 1890,, when the Nevada-California-Oregon Railroad (NC0)extended its line there. In 1899 the NC0 extended its line, the small station there originally called Smithon, though general usage was Hot Springs Station. Since it was close proximity to Amedee it was hampered any type development. In 1913 Southern Pacific’s Fernely & Lassen Branch crossed the NCO tracks at Hot Springs with little fanfare. It should noted that in 1915, Wendel designation applied to railroad stations and the post office.

Wendel Store, circa 1925. Courtesy of Alda Riesenman

Changes were on the horizon. In  1922, Wendel became NCO terminus. A couple years later, Southern Pacific purchased beleaguered NCO. Then on July 1, 1927 800 railroad workers descended there  to broad gauge the narrow gauge. For some time, there was hub of activity at Wendel. Then in the fall of 1929 J.E.Faustino recorded the Wendel townsite. Susanville’s Lassen Mail newspaper went on  the Wendel bandwagon during the spring of 1930 and published statement: “Certain people may prefer to scoff at Wendel as a possible metropolis of the plains, but the fact that there is more than sagebrush down there has been proven throughout past two weeks. There is good fortune in Wendel, and farsighted people will soon be watching this place to see what happens.”

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History

Built When?

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100 North Roop Street, January 1916, built in 1908.

Over this past Labor Day Weekend I had receive an inquiry from a person wanting to know if the information when a home was constructed as listed per Zillow was correct.

This got me interested in what other erroneous material realtors have in their listings.  According to the online listings 1940 was a banner year for both commercial and residential construction.  In 2015, the listing for 506 Cottage Street, the real estate listing  states it was built in 1940. However, it was built in 1889 for A.E. DeForest. It should be noted that this property is now on the market again. In that same year, further down Cottage Street at 705, the current home of Woodies Goodies the real estate listing stated that it was built in 1965. For many a seasoned resident can clearly dispute that, as it was built in 1946 for Williams Furniture.

The list goes on and there are some real extreme ones out there. As the old saying goes, “buyer beware.”

Tim

History

Standish Branch, Bank of Lassen County

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Standish Branch of the Bank of Lassen County inside the Wrede Hotel
Standish Branch of the Bank of Lassen County inside the Wrede Hotel

For a time, Standish was a very prosperous community in the Honey Lake Valley. Not only did it have numerous businesses, but a hotel, and a creamery, too. Everything was so good, in fact, that it even had its own financial institution.

In 1892, the Bank of Lassen County was established in Susanville, the first of its kind in Lassen County. In the spring of 1915, the bank announced it was going to open its first branch in Standish.  However, it encountered some delays, especially with the installation of big safe, inside the Wrede Hotel, where the branch office would be located. On August 30, 1915, the branch opened with W.H. “Wally” Fulton, as the manager. Fulton had a long association with the financial institution, and equally important was well-known in the Standish region, having been married to Kathryn Mapes. The Standish Branch operated for ten years, closing its doors on December 31, 1925.

Wally Fulton later moved to Susanville and in 1933 became the City’s Treasurer. He remained in that position until his untimely death in 1941 by suicide. He used a gun in the city vault, and waited until the noon whistle from the Fruit Growers mill to mute the sound of the gun shot.

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History

Some Early Election History

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Tule Lake Precinct Petition

Since Election Day is upon us, I thought I do a piece on some early election history. Just as a region was dotted with rural one-room schools and post offices, there was another feature–voting precincts. Like schools and post offices it only made sense. To create a voting precinct was simple process. One petitioned the County Board of Supervisors.

On September 29, 1886 a petition was submitted to the board for the creation of the Tule Lake precinct. It contained nine signatures. The proposed boundary was in the very far northeastern corner of Lassen County, the area known as the very southern end of Surprise Valley. The Board obliged and the voting precinct was established.

Tim