Category Archives: History

History

Hayden Hill School

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Hayden Hill School, 1894. Courtesy of Del & Diane Poole

Providing service’s to Lassen County’s largest mining community had its challenges. There were, of course, the boom and bust cycles, so its population was always in state of fluctuation. Due to its elevation and harsh winter conditions, many residents sought refuge elsewhere in the winter months.

Hayden Hill School, 1918. B. Dorsey Collection

Those factors influenced educational opportunities at Hayden Hill. In 1872, Perry Edris opened a private school on the Hill. It was not until 1878 that the public school was created. The school opened in the fall of 1878, with Ida Spalding as the teacher of fifteen students. The school remained in operation until 1925, when it closed for lack of students.

On June 1, 1931, the Board of Supervisors offered the schoolhouse for sale. Fred Bunselmeier and Lloyd Walsh purchased the two-story building for approximately $125.

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History

The Dark Side of Eastman Studios

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Amedee during its heydays in 1892. Courtesy of Grant and Lena Trumbull

This well published photograph of Amedee is credited to Eastman Studios. During the early 1960s, with the upcoming Lassen County Centennial, many an old time resident wanted to have a historic photographs duplicated. They went to Mirl Simmons, the owner of Eastman Studios, and he obliged by having a copy negative made, and subsequent prints could be made. Unbeknownst, Simmons have two copy negatives made-one for the customer and one for him. Lo and behold it would be about a month that Simmons’ turned their customer’s historic photograph into a postcard, with out that person’s consent and/or acknowledgement.  When Lena Trumbull had her Amedee photograph for reproduced, she was livid when Simmons copied it and made into a postcard.

Tim

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History, News

Crazy Harry Gulch – Update

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Crazy Harry Gulch, August 20, 2025

We have explored this once, read the history of Crazy Harry here. The gulch/drainage is an intermittent stream that feeds into the Susan River near Goumaz, west of Devils Corral One must turn off the main road to explore gulch which one encounters a meadow. I had not been there since June 2020, and I was concerned that this area might have been ravaged by the Hog Fire, that occurred in July 2020. Alas, my fears were laid to rest that the forest surrounding of meadow were untouched. Since my excursion there, August 20, it was dry as the photograph reveals, If you go in the spring you will be rewarded with a luscious green meadow.

Crazy Harry Gulch, June 4, 2020

Tim

History

Susanville Indian Rancheria

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Notice of the pending water pipeline to the Rancheria.

This might be called a trifecta as the last two posts were about the Indian Heights Cemetery and the Indian Heights Subdivision. Adjoining the subdivision to the east is the Susanville Indian Rancheria. The thirty-acre Rancheria was created on August 15, 1923 to serve the Modoc, Paiute, Pit and Washo tribes.

There was a major hinderance that hampered development of the Rancheria, a lack of water. The. few early day hardy Indians obtained their drinking from  a small spring located on the hillside above Chestnut Street and between Roop Street and Paiute Lane. Relief came to the Rancheria in 1928 when County of Lassen approved the expenditure to construct a water line to that place.

Tim

History

Susanville’s Indian Heights Subdivision

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Roop Street
This would been one of the views from Indian Heights. Roop Street in the background from Rooster Hill. Seated, Frank League and Tom Long, circa 1895.

On March 12, 1912, it was formally announced of the construction of the Fernley & Lassen Railroad and Susanville would finally get the benefits of the iron horse. Of course, this set off land speculation and a flurry of subdivisions.

One of the early Susanville subdivision, was Indian Heights, and  most peculiar one at that. This 78-acre parcel occupied  a rocky hillside and was not even contingent to Susanville proper. This was conceived by Paul Riecker of Oroville, in the summer of 1912. He named it Indian Heights, because it was where the local Indian population chiefly lived. Rieckert offered lots for $100 and a down payment of $25. There were problems, a lack of streets and no water. Riecker disposed of it a year later to local resident Ralph Buckhout, who would end up with buyer’s remorse.

Indian Heights in the background, fall of 1968-Courtesy of Art Porter

It was not until the 1950s, that Indian Heights was developed. In 1953, W. Robert Jennings, a civil engineer for the State of California, re-surveyed it because he deemed it “mathematically impossible to contain this subdivision within lands of original boundary.” It was re-surveyed and renamed Northridge Heights. However, it did in keeping Indian Heights theme, kept intact three streets named for local tribes–Maidu, Paiute and Washo.

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History

Susanville’s Indian Heights Cemetery

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Indian Heights Cemetery, Susanville, 2007

Many people do not realize that Susanville has three cemeteries–Indian Heights, Lassen and Susanville.

Indian Heights Cemetery located on Paiute Lane and is a Native American cemetery.,. The earliest known internment is for the wife of George Peconum who died on September 5, 1905 and buried there on September 6, 1905 . This makes its the second oldest cemetery, as Lassen Cemetery on Chestnut Street was not established until 1919.

This cemetery contains numerous graves that do not have the traditional type of Anglo headstone, and provides no indication of the internments. In addition, it should be noted that many Native Americans are buried in the nearby Lassen Cemetery ..

The cemetery was so named as it was in the Indian Heights Subdivision that was created in 1912. It should be noted that the  half-acre parcel that the cemetery is located was owned for many years by Clifton and Betty Cramer.  On June 6, 1975, the Cramer’s signed Quit Claim to the cemetery  to the Bureau of Indian Affairs to hold into trust for the Susanville Indian Rancheria. It should noted that even the oldest of the Anglo cemeteries were located on private property, and that during the late 1890s the County of Lassen began negotiations to acquire them.

Tim

History

It’s September!

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Honey Lake Valley, 1970s

The above is an Eastman Studios postcard that I happen to like. September is one of my favorite months of the year. The weather is normally ideal, warm days and cool nights.

It also a harbinger of of upcoming fall colors. The most notable is when rabbit brush (Ericameria nauseosa) starts bloom. For me it is a visual delight. However, for others with allergies it is not pleasant experience.

Tim

History

And That Was That

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Susanville city/fire hall.

It did not take much for the City of Susanville to abolish its Planning Commission. On May 21, 2025, the City Council passed a resolution to  make a commission  a relic of the past. The Council will now serve in that role.

For me, personally, it sends a mixed message. On the one hand the City is seeking ways for economic development, yet, by getting. rid of the commission on the face of it, the City is less optimistic for its future growth.

For the record the Planning Commission was established on June 13, 1921. The first members were L.R. Cady, C.E. Emerson, J.J. Woodward, F.H. Bangham and R.M. Cook.

Tim