David and Theda (Williams) Fritter wedding portrait 1906.
Some years back, I received an unexpected call from the Eagle Lake Ranger District, Lassen National Forest. There are petroglyphs on the west side of Eagle Lake that are on the forest service land. Over century ago, two Eagle Lake residents, Dave Fritter and Charles Spalding etched their names along side of the petroglyphs. The forest service wanted who those two individuals were. I obliged.
There are petroglyphs on the east side of Eagle Lake. Personally, I have not observed them, but I have never done due diligence to locate them.
Closer to home, i.e. Susanville there are a handful of petroglyphs. Most on private property, but one site is owned by the City of Susanville.
There was a lot hard work involved with the establishment of Lassen Volcanic National Park. If it was not for violent volcanic eruptions of Lassen Peak in 1914-15, the park might not have been established. In 1916, when President Woodrow Wilson signed the law to create Lassen, for the most part it was in name only. Congress only allowed an annual appropriation of $5,000 a year,. It should noted due World War I , Lassen never received a dime. To make matters worse the initial administration of Lassen was handled by Yosemite National Park officials.
Yet, Lassen Park advocates were a persistent bunch and they explored a variety of avenues. Take for instance in 1919, when former U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt died, consideration was given to rename Lassen after Roosevelt. Not only would it be a memorial in his honor, but it was considered a venue to overcome its financial dilemma with Congress. On the face it was a worthy idea, but it never happened. By the mid-1920s, Lassen overcame the appropriations barrier, barely.
The arch was a temporary affair, and a windstorm two weeks later, blew it over.
Those who reside or have resided on the east slope of the Sierra Nevada know all too well that they are prone windstorms. Some areas worse than others.
On September 18, 1914, a particularly strong windstorm hit the region. One account reported that dust from Susanville’s Main Street was so bad, that occasionally one could not see buildings on other side of the street! Numerous reports of damage to Susanville businesses were reported, chief among them was large plate glass window that was recently installed in the Del Mar Building was shattered. Just over two weeks ago the local Moose Lodge sponsored a Harvest Festival and placed an arch at the intersection of Main and Gay. It was toppled.
Trees were uprooted and damage to fruit crops was extensive. A.H. Taylor, whose apple orchard on North Westherlow Street was a victim. He estimated 100 boxes worth of apples were blown off his trees.
On April 16, 1921, a grand celebration was held in Susanville for the Fruit Growers Supply Company new mill that was placed into the operation. In evening, a banquet was held for an assorted of company officials and local dignitaries. Fruit Growers General Manager Frank Hutchens stated how the Lassen would be operated. Fruit Growers would conduct selected tree harvesting, whereby 30 percent of the merchantable trees would remain as seed trees. Fruit Growers and the Lassen National Forest Service were working on a selective harvest plan that would allow to operation to continue in perpetuity. They estimated it would take between fifty to sixty years to log their holdings. By that time, the original logged areas would be ready for the second harvest of mature trees which again would take between fifty and sixty years to harvest, and the cycle could continue.
C.E. Emerson, a local merchant and rancher, told the crowd of his reforestation experience locally. Emerson recalled as a child, forty years ago, he helpd plant a tract of pine trees on the family ranch just south of Susanville on Diamond Mountain. Those seedlings, he said, had become a fine stand of pine timber, many of which were 22 to 24 inches in diameter.
Left to Right: Ira Purdy, Kate Potter, Sam Potter, and Ruth “Ma” Potter, December 1957-Courtesy of Riki Jo Potter.
Last Friday, we explored Potter’s Maternity Home.I just happened to come across the other day a photograph that included Susanville’s best known midwife, Ruth “Ma” Potter.
A subscriber placed a question on the quarterly Ask Tim post about suggested reading materials of the Native American community. I am working on it. The title above is misleading. While it is designated of the California Indians series, volume five pertains to the settlement of Lassen and Modoc Counties. It should be noted Garland Publishing market was not mainstream in the sense was geared toward academia and libraries. Since I personally knew Davis, who at that time was the director of the California State Archives, he alerted me to its publication.
Davis, of course, devotes a chapter titled Indian Meets White. Davis provides one with some introspection in a tragic episode of history. He wrote: “The stakes of the contest were high. Retrospection is wide of the mark it does not note that, although both races were wrong, many times and more, each showed much willingness to work toward justice as it viewed in those days. Each felt its cause was right and each was determined to let nothing stand in the way of the maintenance of that right. The story is one of the head-on collision of two civilizations, and of the unending struggle for survival.”
On Sunday, April 20, 1924 the first Easter Sunrise Service were held in Susanville. Preparations began two weeks earlier for the non-demonitial service. Inspiration Point was the selected location. The event was organized by the Ladies Auxiliary of the American Legion. The women were ambitious. They persuaded the Lassen Lumber & Box Company to donate the materials and labor to construct a cross on the point at no cost. They employed the same maneuver with the Lassen Electric Company who adorned the cross with light bulbs. A week prior to service, in the evenings the cross was lit up and seen for miles around.
At five a.m. Easter Sunday some 300 people attended the service under very chilly conditions. The invocations were done by Father McCarthy (Catholic), Rev. Price (Methodist), Rev. Rowe (Baptist) and Captain Diez of the Salvation Army.
The 1931 Fake Eruption of Lassen Peak. Courtesy of the Plumas County Museum
On May 30, 1914, when Lassen Peak awoken from its slumber with its first eruption, it was an attention grabber to say the least. With each new eruption, caused even more excitement. In the fall of 1914, some practical jokers climbed Beckwourth Peak near Portola. According to one report a big “red”fire” could be seen by many. The stunt , of course, was to resemble a volcanic eruption. Some observers swore they actually heard rumbling noises in the mountain.
Pottter’s Maternity Home, 1600 Main Street, Susanville
Ruth “Ma” Potter (1886-1965) was a Susanville institution of sorts. In the early 1930s, the Utah native, opened a maternity home at Main and Park Streets, the current location of the closed Rite Aid. She continued on until 1963, when she finally retired. It should be noted that her home was moved to South Street in 1966 to make way for United California Bank. There is a plaque in the sidewalk marking the site.
During the time when Potter’s was in operation, one was either born there or at Riverside Hospital, the latter no longer exists. While my three siblings were born at Potter’s, I decided to be different or difficult, whatever the case may be, and was born at Riverside Hospital.
Tim
P.S. – There was the Lassen County Hospital. My Aunt Irene Bengoa Purdy worked there in the 1950s and the 1960s, She referred it as “County.” Births there were rare, and basically it those that were indigent. This would all change in 1963, when Lassen County built the Memorial Hospital which replaced Potters and Riverside.
Hetch Hetchy Valley, 1911 ( I paid $12.00 for this photograph on Ebay)
United States Congressman, John Raker served the as the representative of California’s First District from 1911-1926. Raker primarily resided in Lassen and Modoc Counties. In fact upon his death in 1926, he became a permanent resident of Susanville since he is buried in that community’s cemetery.
Raker was known for many things. In 1990s environmental groups painted Raker as a villain for the author of the Raker Act that Congress passed in 1913. The Act authorized for the O’Shaunessy Dam, that would flood valley the Hetch Hechty Valley, a part of Yosemite National Park. The purpose was a water supply for San Francisco.
Of course, it was fraught with the usual politics. By 1880, San Francisco sought a reliable water supply for the growing city. As I wrote before, the City even had its eye on the abundant springs at Big Meadows, Plumas County, now Lake Almanor. After the 1906 San Fransisco earthquake and fires, there was an urgent need for a abundant water supply.. One key player, that does not much draw attention is that of Franklin Lane. In 1912, President Wilson appointed Lane as Secretary of the Interior, which managed the National Parks, since the park service was not created until 1916. Previous to Lane’s appointment he served as the City Attorney of San Francisco, thus he was well aware of that city’s water supply issue. Lane, and others in the San Francisco water lobby sought out congressmen to support there cause, and they found Raker.
Raker, it should be noted that was an ardent supporter of Gifford Pinchot, the first director of the United States Forest Service. Along that line, while Raker urged conservation, he thought multiple land uses could co-exist.
In 1911, Raker who was in his first term as congressman, authored a bill to establish Redwood National Park. It failed. It did draw attention to the majestic trees. In 1918, the Save the Redwood League was established. It was not until 1968, that Redwood National Park was created. For the record, it was Raker that was instrumental in the creation of Lassen Volcanic National Park.
