Category Archives: History

Roosevelt Pool Revisited

March 2, 2017 Tim Purdy Leave a comment

Last year's invite to the groundbreaking ceremony. — Last year’s invite to the groundbreaking ceremony.

Yesterday marks the second anniversary of the daily postings. The first topic I covered was Roosevelt Pool. At that time the pool was being demolished. A lot has happened since then. I asked Jim Chapman to provide us with an account along the way, and he obliged. So without further ado . . .

After almost two years of going thru every imaginable bureaucratic hoop, the JPA board was finally able to award a Design-Build contract to Modern Building Company Inc (MBC) of Chico for the new pool in late 2015. It must be noted that during the first couple of years of the existence of the JPA, considerable time was spent evaluating potential locations for a new pool, along with the demolition of the old Roosevelt Pool, so the process to begin constructing the new pool really didn’t begin until the middle part of 2015.

Resolution 15-07 was adopted on December 3, 2015 authorizing Phase 1 for the design portion, based on months of discussion preceding the action. MBC had 120 days to complete that task. The 120 days ended around the first of April 2016. Based on their initial presentation, another 6 weeks was taken by Jared and his staff to narrow the proposal down to something that fit within the expected budget.

One of the big sticking points that frustrated the JPA board was the fact that MBC in putting together the their design, they based it on communications from city staff, and initially designed the pool to be heated by the city natural gas service and not the geothermal resources that are available. Whether it was intentional or not will probably be debated for years to come. So a part of the delay in April and May was necessitated by the fact that MBC had to modify its construction documents to incorporate how to utilize the city geothermal heating system. To the distress of some of the board members, the on-site low-temperature geothermal well that produces 106˚ warm water is not being utilized in the new pool. The on-site well was the water that not only filled the pool, but it heated the original Roosevelt Pool. From its construction in the late 1930s until around 1985, Roosevelt Pool used the on-site well to fill it and keep it warm. Around 1985 the city shifted the heat source to the new city “hot” geothermal well (aka, Richardson-1) located on South Lassen Street near the Susan River producing 180˚ water. The old pool was served on the back end of the city geothermal system loop to maintain the heat in the pool. It is Richardson-1 well that will be the primary heat source for the new pool, with the natural gas system being considered a back-up heat source. One issue still to be worked out between the JPA board and the city is the cost of the domestic water being provided and then heated by the hot geothermal well. When the city operated the old pool, it was an in-house budget and finance issue. Now that the JPA is an independent agency, the city will be treating the service like they would with any other customer. The JPA will have, at some point, decide if it is more feasible to obtain water and heating from the city or to utilize the JPA-owned on-site geothermal well, which sits about 20 feet from the new pool and the new pool house.

Continue reading Roosevelt Pool Revisited →

History

A sawmill burns down . . .

February 27, 2017 Tim Purdy Leave a comment

The mill engulfed in flames. Courtesy of Fred Lendman

Susanville’s Paul Bunyan Lumber Company was located in the current neighborhood of Wal-Mart. It was built in 1936 and originally referred to the Cedar Mill, as it was operated by the Springfield Cedar Company.

In 1945, during the long dissolution process of the Red River Lumber Company, one family member, Kenneth Walker continued to carry on in the family business and he took over the Cedar Mill. He also retained Red River’s company Paul Bunyan logo, and he named his new enterprise the Paul Bunyan Lumber Company.

However, it was not too long when disaster struck. A little after midnight on May 22, 1946, Charles Bannerman, the night watchman, signaled the fire alarm. By dawn the mill had been completely destroyed. Like the proverbial phoenix rising from the ashes, Walker would build a new mill, which was placed into operation on February 16, 1947.

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History

Flanigan, Nevada

February 26, 2017 Tim Purdy 5 Comments

Flanigan, was a railroad town in far eastern Honey Lake Valley, in Washoe County.

Flanigan, 1976, courtesy of Christopher Moody

In the fall of 1909, the Western Pacific Railroad established a station in eastern Honey Lake Valley that they designated as Flanigan. Patrick L. Flanigan was a prominent rancher and former Nevada Senator who had also granted the railroad a right of way across his lands. In 1912, the Southern Pacific began construction of its Fernley & Lassen line, and at Flanigan, their tracks crossed those of the Western Pacific’s. On July 22, 1913, the Flanigan Townsite was recorded with Washoe County on lands that had been recently purchased by Charles A. Ross and George L. Warnken of Oakland, California. As land speculators, Ross & Warnken had high hopes for this town, but they never transpired. In 1916, there was the bright prospect that Flanigan would be linked to a third railroad—the Surprise Valley Railway—but it never materialized. In 1921, a hopeful oil discovery in the area fizzled. Flanigan existed only as a railroad town, its promoters hopes of grandeur diminished as the years passed by. On March 31, 1961, the Flanigan Post Office closed.

On January 2, 1969, the town’s most notable landmark, Gertrude Milne’s combination store and residence, was destroyed by fire. This was followed with another event that year that marked the end of the community. On June 19, 1969, the Bonham School, located at Flanigan, closed. It was the last one-room school house in operation in Washoe County.

Flanigan, 1984 — Flanigan Real Estate Promotion sign, 1984

Note: This article originally appeared on April 3, 2015. I am selecting some early posts, to fill in while I get my Mother’s affairs organized.

History

Riverside School – Lassen County

February 25, 2017 Tim Purdy Leave a comment

Riverside School, 1916. D.M. Durst Collection

The Riverside School was located near present day Leavitt Lake subdivision, which the area was referred to as Clinton. It was established on May 7, 1883, and was created from the eastern portion of the Johnstonville School District. The school remained in operation until 1958 when it was closed. During the mid-1960s, the schoolhouse was used as a day care center for handicapped children. In the late 1970s, the schoolhouse was moved to Sunnyside Road and converted into a private residence.

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History

Fort Janesville

February 24, 2017 Tim Purdy 2 Comments

During the Pyramid Lake War of 1860, residents of the Honey Lake Valley took precautions and fortified themselves at different places. At Janesville, the residents built a stockade measuring 63’ x 90’ from pine logs that were12 to 14 feet high. After the fears of Indian attacks had subsided, the fort was used as a private school from 1861-1864. In 1865, the school was abandoned and area residents helped themselves to doors, windows and anything else they wanted. Asa M. Fairfield wrote, “The stockade stood for a good many years and fell down a log at a time.”

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History

Perspectives

February 20, 2017 Tim Purdy Leave a comment

The menu cover of the Grand Cafe, a cherished Susanville establishment.

Several months ago, while having lunch at the Lassen Ale Works, Margaret, a co-owner, was excited to see me, they had found an old menu, but was not sure whether it was associated with the Pioneer. I assured her it was, and I remembered back in the 1960s. Of course, her staff, thought that something from the 1960s was an ancient relic. Do I dare mention, the first car I ever owned and still own, is a 1964 Triumph?

Then, to the other extreme, take the case of my grandfather, John Tanner. He was born in 1882, near the original Soldier Bridge. At that time, there was no Standish, Litchfield or Wendel. That segment of the Honey Lake Valley was a very rural outpost.

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History

Wild Horses

February 19, 2017 Tim Purdy Leave a comment

Wild Gatheres — In 1978, the Sierra Club published The Wild Horse Gatherers. It is an illustrated story of BLM’s wild horse round-up locally.

Note: Margie’s Book Nook has received a couple copies of The Wild Horse Gatherers. First come, first serve. There are some other out of print books that the store has recently received.

A hundred years ago, the wild horse population was kept under control by out of work wranglers. During the winter months, it was not unusual for ranches to let go extra help, especially single men. A number of these men, would take a 160 acre desert homestead to make a home, especially properties with unclaimed springs. To make some extra money, they would catch wild horses and break them. By spring they would sell the horses, and pocket the money. Continue reading Wild Horses →

History

McKissick Cattle Company

February 18, 2017 Tim Purdy Leave a comment

Long Valley pioneer, Jacob McKissick created a large ranching empire in Lassen and Washoe counties. It would all come crashing down with his death in 1900. McKissick was a life-long bachelor, so there was a lot of speculation as to who would receive what. The bulk of his estate he left to his nephew, Benjamin Howard McKissick, who had a spent the greater portion of his life working for his uncle. Of course, this did not set well with other family members, and lawsuits were filed to contest the will. In 1903, Benjamin Howard McKissick could no longer handle the stress of these conflicts and committed suicide in a most painful way, by swallowing carbolic acid.

This event, of course, created even more estate litigation. After nearly ten years, issues were resolved and Jacob McKissick’s vast holdings were sold to H.G. Humphrey, W.H. Moffat and J.L. Humphrey. On February 4, 1914, these men incorporated this enterprise as the McKissick Cattle Company. In the future, we will explore more about the McKissick operations, and this family was the catalyst for my research work in the region’s history.

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History

The Eagle Lake Cut

February 17, 2017 Tim Purdy 1 Comment

The first of many of deepening the intake to the Bly Tunnel. — The first of many of deepening the intake channel to the Bly Tunnel.

One of the problems associated with Leon Bly’s tunnel at Eagle Lake concerned the construction. The original plans stated that the tunnel would tap the lake eight to nine feet below the surface. It was not until 1924, that it was revealed that the contractor, Grant Smith & Company had only had a cut three feet below the surface, and in that same year, one of the driest on record, that the water flow through the tunnel was inadequate.

In the fall of 1924, Edward Whaley was hired by the irrigation districts to make a cut five feet below the surface to correct the problem. Whaley, like Grant Smith, would not fulfill his contract either. The problem was blasting through solid rock. Each year the districts took it upon themselves to extend the channel further out into the lake. In 1932 the last work was done, but between the drought and water taken out, the lake had dropped by twenty-four feet.

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History

Golden Eagle Mine – Hayden Hill

February 16, 2017 Tim Purdy 1 Comment

This is an interesting photograph in more ways than one. Alexander Howell, was a photographer. For a brief time in the 1880s, his brother Oscar Howell, was a one-time renter of Papoose Meadows at Eagle Lake.

In 1979, I obtained a copy of the above print from Alexander Howell’s granddaughter. She thought it was tunnel at Eagle Lake. Well, it is obvious that indeed it is a tunnel, just not the original tunnel at Eagle Lake. It is actually, the tunnel entrance of the Golden Eagle Mine at Hayden Hill, the largest and most productive mine there. In the 1990s, Lassen Gold Mining revived operations at Hayden Hill, which most of the place was obliterated. However, as a Lassen County Planning Commissioner, I made an inspection of Hayden Hill, as part of the reclamation process. What caught my attention, probably no one else is aware, amazingly the tunnel entrance is still intact.

There will be a feature article on Hayden Hill in the Northern California Traveler March/April issue.