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Category Archives: History
Sheep Camps
As mentioned about the story of the Worley Ranch, how the sheep industry played a prominent role in Lassen County. Many of these outfits used the region for summer range, returning to lower elevations for the winter. Many of these camps were rather primitive, usually just a log cabin. As shown above was the camp of Galen Clark McCoy whose headquarters was at Bridge Creek and for whom the nearby McCoy Flat Reservoir is named for. Stanford University had two sheep camps along Pine Creek, north of Camp 10, which was unusual. The majority of these camps were abandoned in the 1920s, and nature has reclaimed the sites.
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Life in the fast lane
As the old saying goes, “the more things change, the more they stay the same.” While doing some research, I came across this short, but interesting tidbit in 1930, that many people had hectic lifestyle.
“And you think we live in fast times. Its not the high speed of present day civilization that is causing many persons to die of heart disease. Such is the belief of Dr. George E. Bright of San Francisco, member of the state board of health. More persons die of this ailment he says because people are living longer than they formally did and heart disease an affliction usually associated with old age, carries them off.”
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All those bars!
Yesterday, I duly noted the large number of gas/service stations, well there was a large concentration of bars in the uptown district. From Weatherlow Street to Roop Street there was: Manuel’s, Marion’s, Round Up Room, the 802, State, Pioneer, Western Room and the B&B. There was the Bank Club, but that was before my time. Then, if you wanted to be discreet, you could get a drink at the Grand Cafe. Today, there is only one, Lassen Ale Works at the Pioneer.
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Gas Stations Galore!
Seasoned residents will recall that it seemed like there was a gas station on nearly every corner of Susanville’s Main Street back in the 1950s and 1960s. Actually, the proper term at that time was “service station.” If one approached Susanville from the west, one of the first items they would see, was not one, but two service stations at the intersection of Main and Roop Streets. At 504 Main Street was a Union 76 Station and kitty-corner and next to Doyle Motors was a Shell Station.
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A Lonely Job
Fruit Growers Supply Company’s Camp 10, located in Pine Creek Valley, west of Eagle Lake was a lively outpost from spring through fall, where over 200 people called it home. For a time it could even boast its own voting precinct. Yet, when the logging season ended, Camp 10 was de-populated, except for one lone soul. A caretaker was hired to keep an eye on everything. In the winter of 1951-52, George Moore was Camp 10 sole resident. The position would soon be eliminated as at the end of the 1952 logging season Camp 10 closed for good.
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Roosevelt Pool Revisited
Three years ago today, I started the daily postings. At that time the hot topic was the Roosevelt Pool that was in the final stages of demolition. Each subsequent March 1, I did a follow up on the status of the replacement pool. The Roosevelt has been reincarnated as the Honey Lake Valley Community Pool. It is a joint effort between the city and county and I will spare the dear reader of the gory details of meetings that finally led to its creation. More importantly the community now has a swimming pool, located adjacent to the site of the old one. When the temperatures starts rising this summer, stop by and check it out.
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Rosendale – Lassen County
While today, the east side of Honey Lake may look bleak and barren, it was not always the case and there were numerous attempts to develop it. In 1915, Rosendal Minster envisioned a Scandinavian settlement south of Amedee. Minster had a lease/option to purchase the lands and the pumping plant of the Standish Water Company. He then formed the Farmer’s Land Company to operate the holdings.. The properties were split into 40-acre tracts with a price range of $45 to $65 per acre. The new settlement was named Rosendale. While Minster vigorously promoted the project, but due to debts he quickly accrued, he abandoned it the following year.
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The Steward House
In 1864, Joseph I. Steward had a large hotel constructed at the corner of Main and Gay Streets, the location known today as the former Bank of America parking lot. It was the most pretentious in Susanville at that time and it was a signal to the end of the log cabin era. Steward sold the hotel the following year to Miller & Kingsley for $12,911.80. The property changed hands numerous times over the years, but it always retained the Steward House name.
Whatever the case may be, the Steward House was Susanville’s social hub during its existence. On July 18, 1893, the Steward House, as well as the majority of Susanville’s business district, was destroyed by fire.
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Crazy Harry Revisited
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