In 1922, John Hamlin, novelist and part time resident of Lassen County wrote an article for Sunset magazine about Asa Fairfield and his Pioneer History of Lassen County. When asked why he devoted so much time and effort to the book, Fairfield replied, “The book just had to be written. I knew I would have no piece of mind until it was done and in print. I had never used a typewriter, but I secured one and went to work, transcribing all my notes for a volume of five hundred pages. Nobody was asked to subscribe. I published at my own expense. It was a labor of love. I could not bear to think that the early history of Lassen County would die with its pioneers. It had been an isolated section, no railroads connecting it with other points. No one else had taken the trouble to compile its history. The responsibility seemed to rest upon me.”

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Unfortunately, my family heritage, at times has a lot to be desired. Take for instance the 19th century two most prominent Lassen County bachelor uncles—James Byers and Jake McKissick. Both settled there in 1859, and both amassed a huge ranching empire. With their passing they left behind an incredible amount of wealth for the heirs to fight over, which they did.

That was not the case with my Uncle Jake Murrer. In 1898, Jake with his brother Ed, bought Joseph Eddy’s ranch at the headwaters of Willow Creek, now known as Murrer’s Upper Meadow, though  the family refers to it as the upper ranch. This is where Jake’s claim to fame was born.  Jake made his home at the upper ranch, while his brother remained on the home place.  For whatever unknown reason on September 2, 1907 he literally blew up the ranch house with dynamite stored at nearby Eagle Lake tunnel works. When authorities inquired where he was at the time of the explosion, he stated he was seated on the sofa. This could not be as pieces of fabric from the sofa were now decorating the cottonwood trees.  After a brief stint at the Napa State Insane Asylum, he later returned and sold his interest to Mary Murrer, and would later spend the rest of his life in Susanville, with his sister, Rose Bagin.

Another bit of his legacy, is how and where he is buried. Not only was he not buried in the family plot, the family selected one the furthest possible from the family plot. Not only that they cemented the top of his grave, as his sister-in-law Mary Murrer, remarked they were not leaving any chance behind for him to escape.

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E Clampus Vitus is a fraternal organization dating back to California’s gold rush days, that was a spoof on the more stoic fraternal societies such as Masons.  Asa Fairfield in his Lassen County history briefly noted their existence in Susanville. In the early 1880s, E Clampus Vitus was a major force in Modoc County.

In the 1930s, after being dormant for some time the organization was revived, with a focus on historical preservation, and having a good time along the away.  Some referred it to as a “drinking historical society.” In 1984, the Neversweat Chapter #1864, of E Clampus Vitus was chartered in Susanville. The local group flourished for awhile placing historical markers at such places as Jacks Valley, Milford, the Grand Cafe, and, of course, the Pioneer.

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Long before Lassen Volcanic National Park was created, hiking to the summit of Lassen Peak was a popular past time. In late August 1864, a camping party consisting of Pierson B. Reading, Kendall Bumpass, S.S. Thomas and Aurelius and Helen Brodt made the ascent to the top, and thus becoming trendsetters. Two weeks later, Aurelius Brodt wrote: “We found a beautiful little lake near the top of the mountain which was named Lake Helen after my wife, she being the first woman that had ever seen it, also her name and date, Aug. 28, 1864 is inscribed on the side of a large rock on the very peak, she being the first woman that ever ascended the peak.”

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