Subscribers may recall the post about Chicken Nuggets. There was one particular instant when gold nuggets surfaced in a field near Spoonville. It is also a tale of lost treasure, but many of those tales are based on fiction, whereas the following has some real substance.

One November morning in 1877 one of John Dunn’s daughters, (some say Arminta and others Mary) followed their father who had just plowed a field near the old location of Spoonville. The little girl picked what she thought was a piece of brass and on her way back home, tossed it aside. She mentioned this to her folks and they went back and retraced her steps and found the specimen. It turned out to be a 13 ounce gold nugget worth $220. The next day neighbors began examining the field, and more nuggets were found, but not as large as the first one. It was believed that the gold belonged to the Frenchman Henry Gordier who was murdered in 1858. There are some under the impression that there is more gold to be found, and others still search for clues as to where the gold came from.

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There are a handful posts that I repeat each year, and for good reason. With summer weather upon us, it is an ideal time to check out the many wonders that surround the residents of the Lassen Region. I hope this editorial from the Lassen Advocate of June 21, 1929 will inspire you to explore the wonderful country around us.

Know Your Country

If you were wondering what to do with your weekends this summer, have you ever given any thought to the fact that you don’t know your own county and the wonderful lake and mountain country immediately contiguous. Continue reading Go Exploring →

First of all, today I want to extend a Happy 95th Birthday to Susanville native, Arthur Cahlan Mathews. Art’s father, Arthur J. Mathews, a San Francisco native went to investigate some issues in Reno, Nevada. There he met W.E. Hills and Scott Hendricks. In the spring of 1910 they formed the California Northern Telephone and Telegraph Company to provide for telephone service for Northeastern California. That fall the Town of Susanville granted the company a fifty-year franchise.  On September 13, 1911, Susanville residents could call long distance anywhere in California.

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Juniper Lake located in Lassen Volcanic National Park’s east side, is the largest lake in the park. For park officials it was one of their troublesome “inholdings,” private property inside the park. In 1914, San Francisco resident Charles P. Snell purchased 475 acres that included Juniper Lake for $2,500. Snell was bound and determined to establish a Juniper Lake Resort, along with summer cabins, which he did. In 1924, he created the Lassen National Park Country Club and leased his properties to this entity. Snell thought it would give an air of sophistication to the place that would entice buyers for cabin sites.  It did not work. In the future, we will explore more about Juniper Lake.

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