Constantia, located five miles south of Doyle came into existence when Henry Butters bought the Albert Ross Ranch, and gave his new acquisition its name. In 1898, Butters transformed the ranch into a small village—complete with a general store, Wells Fargo Office, dwellings for the employees and a Catholic Church.

The Constantia Post Office was late on arrival, it was not established until April 5, 1912, with August C. Drayeur, serving as first postmaster. In the 1920s, saw the introduction of the Rural Free Delivery, thus many of these rural post offices were closed. Constantia was a victim and it ceased to operate on June 30, 1927.

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It was on this day in 1864 that saw the creation of Lassen County. It was not quite supposed to happen in the way it was originally intended. It was Plumas County Assemblyman Richard A. Clark who introduced the legislation to create the new county. Clark proposed the name Byers County, after James D. Byers, a Plumas County Deputy Sheriff during the Sagebrush War. It was that event that led to the creation of the new county. Byers objected and suggested it be named after the late Peter Lassen, one of the original settlers of the Honey Lake Valley.

It was only fitting that later that year, on Halloween Nevada was granted statehood. Also on Halloween in 1800, Peter Lassen was born. Another of these notable dates, Susanville’s founder, Isaac Roop died on Valentines Day 1869, at the age of 47.

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In November 1859 a posse was formed to retrieve Lassen’s remains for burial on his property near Lassen Creek by a majestic ponderosa pine tree. In June 1862 the newly organized Masonic lodge placed a monument on Lassen’s unmarked grave. It should be duly noted when Lassen made the trip to Missouri in 1847 to recruit settlers, on his return he brought back with him the state’s first Masonic charter. By the early 1900s, concerns were made that the elements were taking a toll on the monument. In 1916, Jules Alexander unveiled an ambitious plan to raise funds for a second monument, which was placed and dedicated in September 1917.

Fast forward nearly a century later, it was determined the property could use some tender loving care. The first community organization to step forward was Susanville Rotary Club. Their first order of business was to replace the old wooden picnic tables with metal ones. The Masons, too, got involved, since they are the owners of the property. The next thing you know in 2017, Susanville Boy Scout Hayden Chittock made the rehabilitation of the premises into an Eagle Scout project. It was a massive undertaking to say the least, with many volunteers lending a helping hand. Go check it out, when you can.

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