It was on Labor Day 1955 (Sept. 5) when a fire broke out near Merrill Flat, south of Eagle Lake. The cause, a lightning storm hit the area. Conditions were extremely dry, the worst since 1924. The fire spread rapidly towards Eagle Lake and it even reached the shoreline and destroyed a cabin and barn at the Eagle Lake Resort. Over 800 men were recruited to fight the fire. Just as Mother Nature was responsible for the fire, it helped extinguished it with a light rain fall on September 8. In all, 19,000 acres was consumed by the fire.
Cinder Cone, 1911. Courtesy of B.R. Zimmerman Collection
With Labor Day behind us, this is an excellent time to check out Cinder Cone in the eastern portion of Lassen Volcanic National Park. After all the temperatures are bit cooler, and you want to take this into consideration whether to hike just to the base of Cinder Cone, or take the trail to the top. Both options are good choices.
Were you aware that at Lassen Park, is one of the few places in the world where all four types of volcano can be found—plug dome, shield, stratovolcano and of course cinder cone. From various scientific evidence, it was determined that the last time Cinder Cone erupted was in 1666.
It is September, which is traditional back to school time, though these days in California many schools start their fall session in mid-August. The students at Ash Valley undertook an unusual social studies project. In September 1936, they entered a wild flower exhibit at the California State Fair. The exhibit contained 60 different varieties, 20 of which were found in the school yard. For their efforts they received as trophy as they placed third in the competition in this particular division. The students who prepared the exhibit were: Grace Bath, John Bath, Martha Bath, Patricia Nixon and Mary Lou Nixon.
For those not familiar with Ash Valley it is located between Adin and Madeline.
In 1935, President Franklin Roosevelt signed into law the Wagner Act. This was a gigantic leap forward for the labor movement. Of course, any type of sweeping reform like this gets challenged in court. In 1937, the Wagner Act was upheld and was a catalyst for union organizing. Of course, the sawmill workers of Lassen County embraced, it but there would be struggles.
By the late 1930s, a majority of the local workforce, outside the agricultural community organized their respective union, whether barbers or bartenders. The latter, however, would be included in the Culinary Workers Union. It Westwood the Local Union No. 654 from time to time would flex its muscle. Their protagnist was not the Red River Lumber Company, but H.S. Anderson Company who operated Red River’s commercial enterprises in Westwood. In 1940, H.S. Anderson had taken over the Westwood Club. They fired fry cook, Bill Knighton. In retaliation the four waitresses walked off the job and formed a picket a line. The Westwood Club would be forced to shut down for eight weeks until the issued was resolved.
Hopkins claim recorded in Book A, Page 42 of Lassen County Premptions
Asa Fairfield and W.N. Davis, Jr., are well known for their writings on the early history of Lassen County. For some odd reason when it came to that of Secret Valley, they missed some records. Accordingly, both men have Jacob McKissick as the first locator of Secret Valley in 1868. In 1870, a member of the McKissick clan built the first cabin in Secret Valley.
Actually, to set the record straight, it was a woman, Melissa Turner who filed the first land claim to Secret Valley on September 15, 1864. Three days later, Daniel Hopkins filed for water rights to Warm Springs Creek, adjoining Turner’s claim. What is also interesting to note, is they both specifically note the area being designated as Secret Valley. What became of the duo, or how long they remained is not known.
On a final note, Warm Springs is now known as Tipton Springs that has a temperature of 70 degrees.
In 1861, Carlton Goodrich settled at Mountain Meadows and would become one of the largest property owners there, as his ranch totaled over 7,000 acres. He located his ranch house just west where the highway crosses Goodrich Creek, approximately across from where the old chimney stands. It became known as Mountain House and was a popular stop for weary travelers. In April 1875, Sylvester Daniels paid Goodrich a visit while touring the region and wrote, “I love these mountain folks. No aristocracy among them.” When Goodrich died in 1886, due to estate issues and the subsequent sale to John Crouch, the popular establishment closed. When the Red River Lumber Company established its Westwood operation, in 1912, they transformed the old Goodrich ranch into a dairy.
The reservoir as it appeared in 1914. Minnesota Historical Society
Wendel Store, circa 1925. Courtesy of Alda Riesenman
This was not your best criminal mind at work. At one o’clock in the morning of February 22, 1931, fifteen-year-old Paul Bryan entered Bill Lewis’ restaurant in Wendel. (It no doubt operated twenty-four hours day to accommodate the railroad workers.) He asked the night clerk for some onions. The clerk went into the store room to fetch the onions. When the clerk returned Bryan and the store’s slot machine were missing. In a short time Bryan returned for the onions. The clerk obliged with the onions and when Bryan left, the authorities immediately notified.
At daybreak, Sheriff Jim Leavitt spotted the young man in the railyards trying to board a freight train. He was arrested on the spot. About a mile from the restaurant the slot machine and bag onions were found. The slot machine had been chopped opened with an axe, the money all gone.
Champs Flat, located due west of Spalding Tract was a lonely outpost for some during the summer months a century ago when summer livestock grazing was a major activity there. The winter of 1937-38 was an epoch one, and to navigate most any where in the spring of 1938 provided numerous challenges.
On May 12, 1938, Lassen National Forest Ranger, P.D. Hook and Forester, Philip Lord attempted to make the trip to Champs Flat. The roads west of Spalding Tract were either impassable due to water or washouts and never made it to Champs. They did note Eagle Lake’s level. “The lake level appeared to be higher than at any time during the past ten years. A well and windmill placed on the east side of the lake by Ranger Hook, and which by last fall was approximately one and one-quarter miles from the water’s edge, is now threatened by high water.”
Hotel Olsen, Chester. Courtesy of Margaret A. Purdy
Peter Olsen was one of the early settlers of Big Meadows, known today as Lake Almanor. Like so many of the residents there of the late 1800s, he operated a dairy among other pursuits. By 1885, his ranch located in the proximity of modern day Chester consisted of 1,300 acres, one of the largest in Big Meadows.
In the early 1900s, the Great Western Power Company began acquisition of the ranches in Big Meadows, with their intention to create a reservoir, a part of their hydroelectric power system. The Olsen family sold nearly a 1,000 acres of the ranch, retaining a small acreage surrounding the ranch house. In the fall of 1911, Olsens, along with their neighbor, Edith Martin subdivided their respective properties to create the town of Chester. Olsen’s Southern Addition consisted of twelve blocks containing 115 lots. In 1914, the Olsen’s built a major addition to their ranch house and now became the proprietors of the Hotel Olsen, a first for that community. Nels and Eula Olsen operated it for many years and on April 4, 1948 they sold the hotel and the remaining Olsen Ranch to Earl McKenzie and the hotel was subsequently closed.
In the late summer, and some times in the fall the Board of Directors of the Fruit Growers Supply Company would make an annual tour of their mill operations and timber holdings in Northern California, which they still do, minus the mills. It should be duly noted that Fruit Growers is the co-operative purchasing agent for the citrus growers marketing co-op known as Sunkist. The reason for these holdings, was to provide wooden boxes for the shipment of citrus, prior to the advent of the cardboard box.
In mid-August 1955, the Board made their annual tour, and no one thought much about it. This was about to change with a sudden announcement. On August 25, 1955, H.A. Lynn, President of Fruit Growers made the following announcement: “A diminishing supply of company timber and the reduce requirement for box shook, the company will permanently close the Westwood Operation.”
It came as a shock, but then it was not. After all, it was a widely held belief, just how long could the lumber industry survive. In another announcement that year, Sunkist would no longer use wooden boxes for shipping, and made the conversion to cardboard.
The logging and mill operations at Westwood would continue as normal for the remainder of the 1955 season. In 1956, the process would begin to phase out and close the Westwood mill.
