In February, I inaugurated  a book-of-the-month, that featured Sagebrush Reflections. After all proceeds from book sales not only help support operations, but help finance future publications, in this case the stories behind the brands of the Pioneer.

April 1, 2014 marked Lassen County’s 150th anniversary. My sesquicentennial gift to the county is a quirky, entertaining look of the past 150 years. As Jane Baxton Little of the Sacramento Bee observed: “Purdy, Lassen’s self-appointed historian, juxtaposes the rural area’s colorful history with its not-so-distant past. He pairs a 1910 sighting of the Honey Lake serpent with the Army’s efforts in 2003 to get rid of the lake and its new monster, reportedly oodles of explosive debris from decades of Army operations. Honey Lake eventually was sold to the state for $8.6 million, a figure Purdy reports was redacted in public documents.

“His sardonic account of the cycles of history does not flatter the democratic process. In 1915 voters approved a $125,000 bond to build a new county courthouse. Its $39 million replacement was completed in 2012 without voter approval.”

For more information about the book and to order click here.

In 1863, Albert Elijah Ross (1836-1911) located on what would be later named Constantia. In 1884, Ross constructed a 17-room mansion there at a cost of $14,000. This residence and well-known landmark was simply referred to as the White House. In the early 1890s, Ross moved to San Jose to benefit his children’s education and eventually sold the property in 1898.  The ownership of Constantia would change several times until it became a part of the Pyramid Land & Livestock Company. In 1922, that Company filed bankruptcy and the Galeppi family purchased the Constantia Ranch. The Galeppi’s, for various unknown reasons, did not reside in the famed White House. Fred Galeppi stated that during World War II, the house was still in good shape, and even had furniture. During the construction of Sierra Army Depot during this time, Galeppi stated soldiers used the house for recreation, but over the years it slowly began to be vandalized.  In the early 1960s, most recall 1963, the house burned down. The cause of the fire remains unknown, though various residents of the region have their own story.

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When Congressman John E. Raker was diligently working on the establishment of Lassen Volcanic National Park, it was not the only item on his agenda. During the time when Raker introduced bills to establish Lassen Park, he had also authored proposals for the creation of a bureau of national parks. In 1914, Stephen T. Mather was recruited to create a separate agency inside the Department of the Interior whose sole purpose would be the administration of the national parks.

Raker and Mather, however, who sought for the same goal, had issues, namely in regards to that of Hetch Hetchy, which Mather opposed.  In 1913, Raker sponsored a bill to dam this glacial valley in Yosemite National Park for San Francisco’s water supply. The fight over it had been going on for a decade before Raker took office, though a century later Raker is branded as one of the main culprits, since his name is attached to the bill. There were many players in the field. One that is rarely mentioned is Franklin Lane, Secretary of the Interior. Lane was appointed to that position when President Wilson was elected in 1912. Prior to that Lane was the City Attorney of San Francisco who had a conflict of interest in Hetch Hetchy.

Whatever the case may be, one hundred years ago today, (August 25, 1916), President Woodrow Wilson approved the creation of the National Park Service, and Mather was made its first director.

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