Category Archives: History

History

A Damming Problem

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Nevis Dam under construction, that was later abandoned.

When the Great Western Power Company was ready to build a dam at Big Meadows, to flood it and create Lake Almanor,  they ran into a few problems.  The first site they chose, it turned out to be on property they did not own and was quickly abandoned.  In April 1912, construction began  on a multiple arch dam.  When the construction crew struck an impervious layer of clay that allowed for a subsurface seepage of water. It was decided later on down the road, that condition could affect the dam’s stability.  In April 1913, a new site was chosen,  and would be gravity fill instead of multiple arch.  In addition, it was decided to build seventy-two foot high dam. The reduction in height meant the new reservoir would only be half the capacity.  In 1925, the dam was rasied by forty-five feet. In 1962, the dam was raised a final time by sixteen feet.

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History

Roop Street Remnants

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Roop Street Remains, September 3, 2018

On March 5, 1903, Jules Alexander, John Borrette, Isaac Knoch, Sol Nathan and John Spalding formed the Susanville Creamery Company.  By the end of the month, the newly formed company hired Herman Enhorning and Charles Odette to construct a creamery at the end of Roop Street, near Piute Creek for $1,925. By July the new creamery was in operation. There were problems. There were too many creameries in the area with others being located at Johnstonville, Spoonville and Standish. Equally important, there was not enough dairy cattle and labor to support all four. This would change in the 1920s with Bennett & Cardinal, but that is another story. Continue reading Roop Street Remnants →

History

Cromwell, Lassen County

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The Cromwell subdivision.

Nearly twenty years after the planned community of Honey Lake City had fallen, another real estate speculator arrived on the scene. In 1909, the place became the junction of the Nevada-California-Oregon (NCO) and Western Pacific (WP) railroads, and that enhanced the site. A location with access to two railroads had appeal for development.  But this place had one drawback—water, or more specifically, the lack of it. Continue reading Cromwell, Lassen County →

History

Westwood’s Kangaroo Court

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Kangaroo Court, 1938
Kangaroo Court, 1938

One of the reasons the Red River Lumber Company located and created the town of Westwood, was due to its remoteness, thus creating a buffer from outside influences such as organized labor. By the 1930s, however, Red River had to deal with labor unions, and it was not by choice. There would be some very ugly labor disputes at Westwood. Continue reading Westwood’s Kangaroo Court →

History

Sheepshead, Nevada

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Smoke Creek Picnic, 1915. Courtesy of Fred Nuckolls

Sheepshead, Nevada was a stage stop in the Smoke Creek Desert dating back to the 1870s. It was so named as a big horn sheep’s head was nailed to a cottonwood tree there. It should be noted that the last big horn sheep in that vicinity was killed on Skedaddle Mountain in 1881. Sheepshead was a popular gathering place for the residents of Smoke Creek, due to the creek flowing through, along with the cottonwood trees, made for an ideal setting.

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History

Invasive Species

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The east slope of Fort Sage Mountain is now covered with cheat grass. June 7, 2018

If there was one positive aspect due to the lack of railroads in the region, was it delayed the  appearance of invasive non-native plant species.  The Russian Thistle, best known too many as the iconic “tumbling tumbleweed” did not make its appearance in Lassen County until 1914.  The first plants were spotted along the Fernley &  Lassen Railroad right-of-way. For the next two years, major efforts were undertaken to eradicate it, but it was a lost cause. The tumbleweed was followed next by an even more hazardous plant cheat grass.  After the 2017 fire that spread from Doyle to almost Pyramid Lake, in many of the burned areas is covered with a thick growth of cheat grass, thereby choking out native plants.

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History

Red River’s Almanor Line

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The Almanor branch, 1924. Courtesy of Minnesota Historical Society

In 1921, the Red River Lumber Company needed to expand its logging operations having logged over most of the surrounding territory around Westwood and the northeastern section of Lake Almanor.  A second main line would be constructed from Red River Junction (Clear Creek) running to the west to Chester. One of the biggest obstacles to build the nine-mile segment was the crossing at Bailey Creek. There a wooden trestle of some 550 feet in length and fifty feet high required nearly 300,000 board feet of timbers, that took nearly a year to complete.

Over time this line extended way past Chester to Deer Creek. Like, Red River’s other main line that extended along the east shore of Lake Almanor, led to speculation and rumors.  Would Red River extend its line down Deer Creek to connect with the Sacramento Valley, was a question on a lot of minds. By the time the logging line reached Deer Creek, Red River was faced with so many financial issues, that it was not feasible.

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History

Doyle versus Portola

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The Portola Depot. Notice the rails had been recently laid, no ballast.

During the construction of the Western Pacific Railroad, and with the rails reaching California, the big question was where the division point would be. There were two small stations, that sought that destination—Rayl, now the site of Herlong and Omira, just a short distance south of Doyle. While those two places were never serious contenders the battle was between Doyle and Portola. Each had their unique assets, but it was Portola that would claim victor.

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History

The Founder of Drakesbad

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E.R. Drake

A native of Maine, Edward Russell Drake came to California in 1850. After nearly a decade roaming around the Golden State he located in northern Plumas County where he spent his time prospecting and trapping.  In the spring of 1884, Drake was overcome with health problems and spent an extended stay at Gilroy Hot Springs.  In 1885, when he returned he relocated at Thomas Malgin’s abandoned homestead at the far end of Warner Valley, which included Hot Springs Creek.  Over time he assembled ownership of 400 acres. Drake made many improvements to the property and the place became commonly known as Drake’s Springs. In 1890, with the assistance of Russell Whitcomb, built the the first lodge, that stood until it was crushed in the heavy snows of 1937-38. In 1900, Drake sold out to Susanville school teacher for Alex Sifford for $6,000. In 1914, the place was renamed Drakesbad. Drake, it should be noted passed away in 1904 at Chico, California at the age of 73.

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