Category Archives: History

History

The Deadly Baxter Creek Water Dispute

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William Leith, 1900-Courtesy of Vivian Hansen

On May 27, 1867, Robert C. Hayden purchased 160 acres from John Baxter, adjoining Baxter Creek, just east of present day Buntingville. There was a tragedy in the making. On the morning of May 19, 1876, three men were killed in the worst water dispute in the annals of Lassen County history. That morning, Robert C. Hayden, aged 55, went to inspect the west end of his property along the creek. There he found his neighbor, William Leith, his son, William Leith Jr. and John Thayer in the process of constructing an irrigation ditch through his property. The construction of the ditch had been an ongoing quarrel. Hayden hold them to stop digging, but they continued. Hayden warned them he would return with his “crowd.” Hayden came back with his son, Robert D. , aged 32 and Edward Bartlett, aged 67. The elder Hayden was the only one in his party with a musket. All members the Leith party had firearms. Hayden told the Leith party to stop or to shoot to b damned. Leith Sr. fired a shot at the elder Hayden, who fell to the ground and died. The younger Hayden rushed to pick up his father’s musket, charged against the Leith party and was shot by all three pf them, and he too, died on the spot. The elderly Bartlett attempted to defend himself with a grubbing hoe. Bartlett was struck over the head with a rifle, either by one of the Leith’s or Thayer. The record is not clear and Thayer died three days later from fractures to his skull. The thee men were charged with murder, but only Leith Sr. stood trial. He was found guilty and the case was appealed to the California Supreme Court. That court cited problems: confusion as to who actually fired the fatal shots, and also criminal intent. The Supreme Court reversed the guilty verdict and remanded for a new trial. A new trial was never held and the case was closed.

Baxter Creek,near Janesville

On a final note, in 1904, Leith Sr was deemed insane. The court’s examining physician cited Leith suffered from delusions, proclaiming to have murdered three men! Leith died in 1906, at the age of 79, at the Napa State Asylum for the Insane.

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History

Bunnell Retires

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Bunnell's
Bunnell’s Resort, Big Meadows. Courtesy of Philip S. Hall

In 1901, when L.W. Bunnell built his second hotel at Big Meadows (now Lake Almanor)  changes were on the horizon Quietly, behind the scenes in that same year Great Western Power Company with plans to transform Big Meadows into a massive reservoir as part of its hydroelectric power system. Agents for the company, at first were buying up properties at Big Meadows, though no one knew what was exactly going on. When Great Western Power Company contacted Bunnell he was agreeable, after all he was 76 years old.

June 6, 1914 burning of Bunnell’s-Courtesy of Holly Blackburn

On April 11, 1906, Bunnell sold his properties to Great Western Power for $35,000. He continued to operate the resort for the 1906 season and the following year he moved to Susanville. Great Western then took possession and abruptly closed the resort. The company, however, did use it as their local headquarters. In 1914, with the dam nearing completion and the flooding of Big Meadows to become a reality, on the evening of June 6, 1914 all the buildings at Bunnells were set ablaze for demolition.  

A somewhat lasting legacy of Bunnell’s remains in its name which was applied to tip of the Lake Almanor peninsula–Bunnell’sPoint–near where where the resort once stood.

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History

Camper’s Wash Day

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South shore Eagle Lake, circa 1922-Mary Fern Nutting

It is mid-August and because schools start earlier these days the summer camping season starts to wane. While camping may be the perfect opportunity to get away from it all, one can not escape from mundane tasks. This was especially true in the pre-RV era. Take for example, in the 1920s families would camp for a week or maybe two. It took a lot go work to prepare, pack and then navigate unknown road conditions.

Wash day at Eagle Lake. – Mary Fern Nutting

These images of a wash day at the south shore of Eagle Lake were taken by Susanville resident Mary Fern (Long) Nutting (1896-1957) Alas, I do not the particular story behind them, but I did want to share them.

Tim

 

History

City Of Susanville Turns 125 Today

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Main Street, 1901
South side of the 700 block of Susanville’s Main Street, 1901

On August 20, 1900, the City of Susanville became an incorporated municipality. After the devastating fire of June 6, 1900, residents gathered to discuss to incorporate the town as means to have control of fire suppression. They petitioned for the Lassen County Board of Supervisors to hold a special election, which the board obliged. On August 15, the voters approved the measure  for incorporation by 61 to 20. Five days later the City became a reality.

Elected to serve as the first Trustees (now Council) were Charles E. Emerson, John E. Humphrey, Howard W. Meylert, Julien E. Pardee and John. Riley. Also elected were W.H. Edwards, Town Marshall, W.T. Masten as Clerk and M.F. Schmidt, as Treasurer. The first meeting was held on August 28, 1900, and Pardee was selected as President (now mayor).

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History

A Century of Motels

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Hacienda Motel, Alturas, California

Well, it is the dog days of summer. California is the birthplace of so many things, and motels just happen to be on the list. It was Pasadena architect named Arthur Heineman who coined the name motel–a combination to motor and hotel. In the fall of 1925, he built the first motel in San Luis Obispo,

Main Street, Janesville, January 25, 2020

After World War II, the  kitchsy roadside motels were quite the rage. Janesville resident, Clyde Knox, was on all board as the wig wam theme that proved popular elsewhere.. While Knox never completed them, they are an architectural gem for that town.

Tim

History, News

Bedside Manners

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Riverside Hospital, Susanville, 1940 courtesy of Betty Barry Deal

Personally, this is a historic day for me. It was on this date, ten years ago, at Renown Hospital in Reno, Dr. Bray of Reno Orthopedic Clinic point blank said to me “You are going to die.” He abruptly left my room, and I never saw or heard from him again.

What happened. On the evening of August 15, I had shattered my right hip. An interesting tale to say the least. The next morning Dr. Bray was my surgeon. Twenty-four hours after surgery, he visited me, and was disgusted because I could not walk. It should be noted, that he hollowed out my femur and inserted and stainless steel rod, connecting to myknee. For the next three weeks I was not able to put any weight, per Reno Orthopedic doctor’s orders, on the injured leg.

Every quarter, for a year, I would have follow up appointment at Reno Orthopedic. Dr. Bray assigned an intern to me. The intern criticized me for walking with a limp. Fast forward several years later, it was revealed to me that during the hip surgery Dr. Bray performed, he shortened my leg by two inches, and never told me about it. Hence, that explains why I have a balance problem while walking.

Oh well, it’s water under the bridge, but ten years later Dr. Bray’s prediction never came to fruition. So here I am still conducting research and writing about the regions past. One positive benefit as a result from that accident, is I have sixty days of post scheduled, just in case of an emergency. At the moment, I am working on the wild horse issues of yesteryear, scheduled for November 7.

Tim

History

A Plea – The Susanville Helipad

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Partial Map of Susanville Ranch Park,showing the helipad.

Since, I do want overlook any unturned stones, so to speak, I am reaching out to the readers for assistance. In July there was a question regarding the Ask Tim post. Some one wanted to know about the helipad located on the rim of the Paiute Creek Canyon, overlooking Susanville Ranch Park, and a short distance from the California Division Forestry (CDF) headquarters.

It is one those crazy research challenges. To begin with the concrete helipad was located on private property belonging to the California Pacific Utilities, later to be known as CP National, the local power and water company. I could not find any recorded agreement between the company and the CDF or any other fire fighting agencies. In 1984, when CP National donated what is Susanville Ranch Park to Lassen County, there was no reference as to the helipad.

The helipad was constructed in the 1960s. CDF has a photograph that it was used ever so briefly in the early 1970s. Does any one know some one, who may have worked as seasonal firefighter during that time? On the other hand, may be some one who worked at the power company at the time. I need to ask George Sargent about that,

It should be noted that in 1987 Lassen Municipal Utility District purchased CP National, but since the latter company had operations elsewhere, they probably retained their records.

Whatever the case may be, I am open for suggestions.  Some times, I have been known over think the topic at hand, and overlook the obvious.

Thank you, Tim

 

History

A Family Dispute-Winter Logging

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A winter logging crew, 1916. Courtesy of Hank Martinez

When T.B. Walker, founder of the Red River Lumber Company, made his westward expansion from Minnesota, it was the set the foundation for his five sons to operate it. Things happened and it did not quite had the desired results he had imagined. Family partnerships are fraught with their own set of obstacles, the Walker sons was a perfect example.

The earliest dispute was selection of the site of Westwood. T.B. attempted to be referee, but to no avail. There was a fallout when son Clinton objected, that he would he leave the company. Fletcher, another son, if site had chosen to be Westwood, Fletcher won out, he would became the resident manager of the Westwood.

It was Fletcher’s goal to operate Red River year round, much to the chagrin of his father. On February 25, 1915, T.B. wrote to Fletcher criticizing him for running the mill during winter storms, and that he should just shut it down. T.B. commented: “I have never expected that we could run all year in the mountains of California. I had in mind when I was securing the millsite where you built, that this would likely be about a nine or ten month’s milling job.”

A steam donkey being pulled through Westwood, 1916.

Fletcher questioned his father’s judgment on the ease of operating a winter mill in Minnesota, and remarked, “I never discovered that it was an easy operation to get through four months of cold and snow.”
The following year T.B. again requested Fletcher to shut down the logging operations in the winter as it was just plain too costly. Fletcher agreed the winter operations operated at a loss. However, his justification was that outfits such as McCloud River Lumber Company that called it “quits” in the sawmill operation on November first,  placed Red River at an advantage by having a ready supply of lumber. In summation, Fletcher wrote, “In place of our figuring from this end on closing down, we have been figuring carefully the pros and cons of taking advantage of the bulging market to produce a bunch of timber of lumber this summer and make a real killing.”

Fletcher suspended winter logging during World War I. In 1920, Red River resumed winter logging briefly, only terminate it finally in 1924.

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History

Susanville City Jail

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1929 Sanborn Insurance Map

Yes, that is right folks, the City of Susanville even had its own jail. For the casual observer of local politics the County of Lassen and the City of Susanville has through years been a frosty relationship. It has been ongoing since 1900 and personally I do not think it will ever change, or least in my lifetime.

Initially, when one committed a misdemeanor crime in Susanville, the Lassen County Sheriff would obliged to house the person in the county jail. When the County built in a new jail in 1911, it would no longer accept the City’s inmates. A temporary solution was found. The County offered to rent the City its old jail for $17.50 a month. How long the City could use the facility was unknown, since it had been condemned once by the State. In the summer of 1914, Guy P. Jones of the California Department of Public Health arrived to check out the sanitary conditions. He said overall conditions in Susanville were good, except for one–the City Jail. Jones found it deplorable, and wrote, “To confine any human being in such a horrible place is nothing short of inhumane.”

In 1915, the State condemned the City’s use the old County Jail.. This forced the City to build a  jail, one that would have to be approved by the State. First, a site had to be selected. The City purchased a small lot behind the City/Fire hall from William D. Minckler. In January 1916, the City hired George C, Sellon as the architect, as het met State qualifications. Sellon was in Susanville to oversee the construction of his latest project, Lassen County Courthouse. The State specified the building be of masonry. It was decided that the exterior would constructed with native stone.

Lassen County Courthouse and Hall of Records, 1908–David Zoller

The City did get a good deal for the stone.In 1887 the County had a small native stone building constructed next to the courthouse. It was known as the Hall of Records. This building had to be demolished to make way for the new courthouse. The County offered the stone from that building to the City for free. The County’s old Hall of Records was recycled into the City’s new jail.

On August 5, 1917, Henry Krueger was awarded the contract to construct the City Jail for $907. The City urged him to build it as quickly as possible, since they were without jail and the County would not let them  to use their jail. Kroeger started on the jail the next day. In December 1917 the new jail was completed and furnished–it consisted of two beds and a stove.

In the mid-1950s, the City Jail was closed. The structure was converted into a garage, and later used for storage. In 2001, it was demolished to make room for the new addition to City Hall. If any one has a picture of the structure, please let me know.

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History

Bunnell’s Resort

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Bunnell’s rebuilt 1899 hotel that later became the annex. – Courtesy of Holly Blackburn

In 1855, native New Yorker, Luther Wellington “Wells” Bunnell settled in Butt Valley, Plumas County. He soon connected with William H. Miller and they operated a trading post. In 1867, they parted ways and Wells relocated  to nearby Big Meadows, known today as Lake Almanor. Like many in the region he had a dairy cows. He noticed when his neighbor Dr. Willard Pratt, who opened the first hotel in Big Meadows, met with great success. After all, those who could escape the heat, ever so briefly in the summer months from the Sacramento Valley, flocked to places like Big Meadows,, after all this pre-air conditioner times. Wells, decided to establish his hotel for summer visitors. All went well, until on June 10, 1899 it was destroyed fire, the cause a defective flue. The loss was stated at $15,000 and the insurance paid Bunnell $7,144 a week after the fire.

Bunnell’s, 1903. Courtesy of Philip S. Hall

Bunnell contemplated whether to carry on with the resort business, after all he was approaching 70 years age.  Rebuild that he did. Then, in 1901, Wells expanded his resort and a built a second one–the most elaborate structure ever to adorn Big Meadows.

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