Category Archives: History

History

Lassen Volcanic National Park

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Park Entrance. Courtesy of Margaret A. Purdy
Park Entrance. Courtesy of Margaret A. Purdy

One hundred years ago today, President Woodrow Wilson signed Congressman John E. Raker’s bill to create Lassen Volcanic National Park. There were a lot of obstacles on the journey to make Lassen Peak and its surroundings a national park.

One of the first movements to create a Lassen Park began in 1904, but it was a fleeting moment. It would not be until the fall of 1910, when Modoc County Superior Court Judge, John E. Raker was elected to California’s First Congressional District seat, that the park movement was truly put into motion.  One of the first bills Raker introduced  called for the creation of a Redwood National Park, but it failed. On February 23, 1912, Raker introduced a bill, H.R. 19557, to establish Peter Lassen National Park. The proposed park encompassed 80,505 acres that included  two national monuments–Lassen Peak and Cinder Cone that were designated as such in 1907. Since the lands were under the jurisdiction of the forest service, a report from that agency was required. The agency neither endorsed nor opposed the park. The bill never made it out of committee.  Continue reading Lassen Volcanic National Park →

History

Surprise Valley Railroad – Part II

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Map of the proposed Surprise Valley Railroad
Map of the proposed Surprise Valley Railroad

In the fall of 1915, Robert Strahorn brought new life to the project. Strahorn had a reputation for developing these type of projects. One of the biggest changes was the line would start at Flanigan, Nevada, on the eastern edge of the Honey Lake Valley and its terminus at Cedarville, California. By the spring of 1916, it appeared real progress had been made with right-of-ways secured from the Department of Interior and many of the landowners. In addition, it was announced that Lakeview, Oregon would be the new terminus. For those familiar with the country the railroad now had the daunting task to to cross the Warner Mountains at Fandango Pass. First a grandiose three-mile tunnel was proposed, but was reduced to a 4,820-foot tunnel, which still alleviated 700 difference from the top of the summit. Continue reading Surprise Valley Railroad – Part II →

History

Surprise Valley Railroad – Part I

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Sand Pass, Washoe County, Nevada, looking north at the Smoke Creek Desert, 2008.
Sand Pass, Washoe County, Nevada, looking north at the Smoke Creek Desert, 2008.

In 1903, the Western Pacific Railway was incorporated with its main goal to build a 810 mile line from the San Francisco Bay Area to Salt Lake City. They were successful in one aspect. On November 1, 1909, the last spike was driven on Western Pacific’s line at Spanish Creek Bridge near Quincy, California. When the railroad was incorporated, it proposed to build twelve branch lines. These “feeder” lines were extremely important to generate rail traffic, which would provide necessary revenue for the fledging railroad. One of these proposed lines called for a Surprise Valley Railroad. Continue reading Surprise Valley Railroad – Part I →

History

Eagle Lake’s Water Carnival

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The water carnival at the Sunkist Lodge, 1921. Courtesy of Ed Standard
The water carnival at the Sunkist Lodge, 1921. Courtesy of Ed Standard

For two years, 1921 and 1922, the big three lumber companies, Fruit Growers Supply Company, Lassen Lumber & Box Company, and the Red River Lumber Company held a competitive swimming meet between their respective employees. Continue reading Eagle Lake’s Water Carnival →

History

Susanville’s Emerson Hotel Fire

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The hotel ruins. Courtesy of Vivian Hansen
The hotel ruins. Courtesy of Vivian Hansen

Shortly after midnight on August 5, 1915, a fire was discovered in Emerson’s warehouse on Cottage Street, adjacent to the Methodist Church. The warehouse, it should be noted, was originally the Congregational Church built in 1875.  By the time the fire was spotted the building was totally engulfed in flames. The fire spread rapidly due to west winds, sending embers across the alley and igniting the Emerson Hotel, located on the corner of Main and South Lassen Streets. Two adjacent buildings facing on Lassen Street–The Hyer Hotel and the Methodist Church–also caught on fire.  When it was realized that it was futile to try and save the buildings, all efforts were focused on keeping it contained. The losses were staggering, estimated at over $250,000.

Years later, Charlie Emerson’s daughter Mae, recalled  the tragic event: “I was home for summer vacation from college when the hotel burned on my father’s birthday and stood with his arm around me in the middle of the street and watched it go with all our worldly possessions and Dad’s business records of years destroyed.”

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History

Clampers Invade Susanville

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Neversweat ECV528

On August 4, 1984 some 500 members of the fraternal organization known as E Clampus Vitus descended upon Susanville. The occasion was the chartering of the Neversweat Chapter #1863 of the E Clampus Vitus and the dedication of the Pioneer, the oldest establishment in Northeastern California. The organization has been around since days of the California gold rush, and was a spoof on the more refined fraternal organizations of the day. In the 1930s it went through a revival and focused on marking historical sites and having a good time while doing so. The Neversweat Chapter was not the first for Susanville, as a lodge existed in 1868. In the early 1880s there were several lodges in Modoc County.

Back to that day at hand, the Lassen Advocate summed it by reporting, “By 7:30 a.m. most area residents were awakening for breakfast and routine Saturday tasks, the revelry at the Pioneer was already in full swing. Clampers were 3 to 4 deep at the bar, the beer was flowing and festive mood in the air. The celebrants began arriving at 6:00 a.m. and spilled from the sidewalk into the eastbound lanes of Main Street. Traffic was undoubtedly light during the early morning celebration.”

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History

Susanville – Cy’s Dairy

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The flooded dairy, April 1938. Courtesy of Betty Barry Deal
The flooded dairy, April 1938. Courtesy of Betty Barry Deal

In 1909, Cy Houghton arrived in Lassen County. After the establishment of Westwood, Cy went to work for the Red River Lumber Company. In 1934, he located to Susanville and opened a dairy, which is now Memorial Park.  In 1938, the dairy received extensive damage from the Piute Creek flood. At one point he considered abandoning the dairy, but changed his mind. In 1942, Cy’s Dairy closed for business. Not one to be idle, Cy later went to work for Sierra Army Depot and retired from the place in 1957.

Another view. Most people know this site today as Susanville Supermarket
Another view. Most people know this site today as Susanville Supermarket. Courtesy of Betty Barry Deal

 

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History

August Preview

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Amedee, 1916. Courtesy of Marie Herring Gould
Amedee, 1916. Courtesy of Marie Herring Gould

A little bit of everything this month. Enjoy!

Drakesbad 8/1/16
Susanville – Cy Houghton’s Dairy 8/2/16
Where Are We? 8/3/16
Clampers Invade Susanville 8/4/16
Emerson Hotel Fire 8/5/16
Eagle Lake Water Carnival 8/6/16
Surprise Valley Railroad – Part I 8/7/16
Surprise Valley Railroad – Part II 8/8/16
Lassen Park Established 8/9/16
The original Lassen Grizzlies 8/10/16
Susanville – Gay Street 8/11/16
The other McCoy Flat 8/12/16
Johnstonville School – Then and Now 8/13/16
Lonely Graves – Joseph Todd 8/14/16
Great Basin Architecture 8/15/16
Honey Lake Boating 8/16/16
Dry Valley School Revisited 8/17/16
Camp Lasco 8/18/16
Herlong Junction 8/19/16
Fredonyer City 8/20/16
Honey Lake’s Sugar Beet Experiment 8/21/16
Cemetery Foot Stones 8/22/16
Chin Sin Yu 8/23/16
Tunison’s Fried Chicken 8/24/16
Lassen County – Jesus Spring 8/25/16
National Park Service 8/26/16
Story Club Dedication 8/27/16
Constantia – The White House 8/28/16
Fruit Growers – Camp 11 8/29/16
Eagle Lake – Gallatin Peak 8/30/16
September Preview 8/31/16

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History

Buddy, can you spare a dime?

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Mohallo Siding
Western Pacific’s Mohallo Siding, south of Lake Almanor, July 18, 1931. Courtesy of Plumas County Museum

Lassen County was rather fortunate that it was not hit as hard as other places throughout the nation during the great depression of the 1930s. Yes, times were tough, but then again there were no Hoovervilles either. While the majority of the lumber mills on the West Coast closed, Lassen’s three mills-Fruit Growers Supply Company, Lassen Lumber & Box Company and the Red River Lumber Company remained open, though operations were curtailed. Those company executives understood the value of their employees. Sooner or later the economy would rebound, and they did the best they could under the circumstances to retain their skilled employees, rather than having to start all over again to re-train new ones at a critical time.

In Big Valley it was boom times. They were at the center of one of the last major railroad construction projects in the country. This was the Northern California Extension wherein the the Western Pacific extended its line north from Keddie to Bieber, to meet with the Great Northern who built their line south from Klamath Falls, Oregon. This opened a whole new rail corridor completed in 1931. In the future, I will do a piece on the Golden Spike Ceremony at Bieber.

This is one of the few times during the year in which I ask for you to consider supporting this site either by donation or subscription. I am very grateful for those who  do, but the reality is they makes up less than .005% of the readership. I am flattered that readership continues to grow, now with an average of 10,000 a month.  So taking a popular saying of the 1930s, “Buddy can you spare a dime?” For as a little as five dollars a month, you can subscribe and support this endeavor to not only assist to preserve the region’s history, but equally important to make it available. It is so easy, click here for the details. Don’t want to do an internet transaction, information is provided do so by mail, etc.  Thank you.

 

History

A Belfast Revival?

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The Belfast District. Courtesy of Bernard McCallister
The Belfast District. Courtesy of Bernard McCallister

In the 1870s, Captain C.A. Merrill began work on tapping Eagle Lake for irrigation in the Honey Lake Valley. Where Willow Creek enters the Honey Lake Valley he envisioned a great city there, he named Belfast. In the 1880s, he declared Belfast was destined to become a great commercial center, a city initially serving 25,000 people.  One of his many proposals was the establishment of a lumber mill there. The source of timber was the Eagle Lake basin, which the logs would be floated across the lake and down a flume to Belfast.  However, not much ever materialized.

In 1912, the Red River Lumber Company was in a hurry to establish a lumber mill in Lassen County. Fletcher Walker liked the Mountain Meadows location. No one else did.The problem was the winter weather was not conducive for much. Clinton Walker suggested Belfast, it had ample water, far removed from other communities and the future employees could even grow gardens. However, family patriarch, T.B. Walker,  nixed that idea, as  it was too far removed from the timber, thus added costs to transport logs to the mill. T.B. Walker was not keen on the Mountain Meadows site, but when Fletcher stated he would leave the company if Mountain Meadows was not selected. So much for a Belfast revival, and the town of Westwood was created over a temper tantrum.

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