Category Archives: History

History

Camp Lasco, Lassen County

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The Camp Lasco commuter train. Courtesy of Ron Linebarger

In 1918, the Lassen Lumber & Box Company built a sawmill and box factory at Susanville with an average annual production of 30 million  board feet of lumber. Unlike the Fruit Growers Supply Company and Red River Lumber Company, who owned their timber, Lassen Lumber’s  main source of timber came from two timber sales they had purchased from the Lassen National Forest.  In 1919, they started railroad logging on the northside of Peg Leg Mountain.  From 1919 to 1922, they operated three logging camps. In the fall of 1922, construction began on its largest logging camp—Camp Lasco. It opened in the spring of 1923, and became a seasonal home to 250 plus loggers and their families. The camp remained in operation through the logging season of 1930. In the winter of 1930, the Company leased the camp to the Western Pacific Railroad who was in the process of constructing the railroad’s Northern California Extension

High Noon at Lasco, 1923.

The nation’s Great Depression took a toll on Lassen Lumber & Box. The company suspended its logging operations. They either purchased logs from its neighbors Fruit Growers or Red River, or in the majority of instances hired gypos, i.e., independent contract loggers.

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History

Susanville’s “Bermuda Triangle”

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An 1886 view where the triangle has already developed. Courtesy of Bud Lesser

Not quite like the Bermuda Triangle, but it is an interesting piece of real estate, that really belongs to no one. Actually, the owner is the federal government, due to Roop’s carelessness. The Lassen County Assessor does not even recognize its existence of this parcel.

500 Block, Main Street, Susanville, 1911—C.R. Caudle Collection

The property in question, is located at the west end of Susanville’s Main Street, which people are familiar is the triangle piece of property in front of the Elk’s Lodge, with the diverging Pine Streets going in different directions, creating kind  of like  a “fork in the road.” Currently, a community Christmas tree is placed there and in years past various other Christmas displays.

By the 1890s the local newspapers wrote editorials criticizing that it was an ugly patch of unkept property at the head of Main Street.  Relief came in 1902, when the Mountain Echo Band constructed a bandstand there. Four years later, the bandstand had been neglected and received community scorn for it being an eyesore, and was torn down shortly thereafter.

This parcel truly came into existence in 1922 with the construction of Highway 36. For years, the City of Susanville maintained it, by water the mowing the lawn. The Monticola Club would plant flowers along the lawn’s edge.  Today it is a dry patch of scorched earth.

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History

Butte Lake, Lassen County

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Butte Lake, circa 1920. Roy Sifford, of Drakesbad fame wrote: "The sign of the Manitou which means the sign of God. The shadows in the water made a long arrows which the Indians thought that was a sign of the Great Spirit (Manitou) or God gave them. Courtesy of the Sifford Collection.
Butte Lake, circa 1920. Roy Sifford, of Drakesbad fame wrote: “The sign of the Manitou which means the sign of God. The shadows in the water made a long arrows which the Indians thought that was a sign of the Great Spirit (Manitou) or God gave them. Courtesy of the Sifford Collection.

Butte Lake in the eastern portion of Lassen Volcanic National Park is worthy of a trip. Because of its location and access is from a dirt road off of Highway 44 tends to be crowd free.  This lake was originally referred as to Black Butte Lake and later Lake Bidwell. J.S. Diller named it Lake Bidwell in honor of General John Bidwell who came to California in 1841 and founded the town of Chico. The official name dates back to 1883 and no doubt received its name from two surrounding landmarks, Cinder Butte and Black Butte.

The French Canadian trappers of the Hudson Bay Company introduced the term “butte” to Western Americana. It was used to designate a landmark for an isolated peak, but not high or large enough to be a mountain.

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History

Sacred Heart Church On The Move

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Sacred Heart Church
Sacred Heart Church, 1910, at the Union Street location.

In 1908, the Susanville rumor mill circulated that the catholics wanted to build a new church. Thats kind of odd, since the existing Sacred Heart Church had just only been built 1892. In reality, they wanted to move its existing church to a new location from its Richmond Road site. Since that location was somewhat out of the way, and it was prone to vandalism.

Antone Bantley was designated to locate and negotiate the purchase inside the Susanville’s City limits. Bantley found a site on the corner of Nevada and Union Streets. The church purchased it for $325 from the L.C. Stiles Estate.

On May 26, 1909 the Lassen Weekly Mail reported, “The work on moving the Catholic Church is progressing. It will be a week or ten days before it is finally landed on the new site, judging from the progress already made. “ During this era, the church did not have a resident priest and relied on a circuit rider. On October 24, 1909, Father Thomas Horgan celebrated Mass at the new location.

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History

Susanville’s McDow Street

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L.D. McDow Residence. Courtesy of George McDow, Jr.

In 1875, Lafayette D. McDow constructed a house on what would later become of the southwest corner of Main and McDow Streets. McDow came to Lassen County in the 1860s, where he spent much of his time either operating a sawmill or mining on Diamond Mountain.

In 1920, McDow’s son, George and Russell Brownell subdivided property in the eastern portion of Susanville to be known as the Milwood Tract. Of course, McDow took the liberty to name the street after his family. His partner, Brownell did the same, when a street was named after him—Russell Avenue.

On June 28, 1928, the former McDow home was destroyed by fire. At that time, it was occupied by the J.A. Metz family. For Metz, the house was convenient, as he worked as the janitor of the nearby Lincoln School. This particular fire did not go unnoticed. It once again raised the annexation issue, since the outlying areas of Susanville were without fire protection. The battle was lost before it was begun, since opposition mounted with the main factor to become part of the city would raise taxes.It was not until 1947 when that area was annexed into the city.

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History

Amedee Hot Springs, Lassen County

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Amedee Bath House
Amedee Bath House courtesy of John M. Gibson

In the 1840s, Hudson Bay fur trappers referred to the Honey Lake Valley as Hot Springs Valley. This was due to hot springs on the east side of Honey Lake.

The springs were originally referred to as Upper and Lower Hot Springs. In the 1880s the Lower Hot Springs  were also known as Brubeck Springs, for the owner of the property, L.W. Brubeck. The name was changed to Amedee with the establishment of the town. A unique feature of the springs was a geyser. In 1854, Lt. E.G. Beckwith, during his exploration of a transcontinental railroad route visited the hot springs and noted that the geyser consisted of a column of water twenty inches in diameter.

The hot springs came into prominence when NCO Railroad extended its line and established the town of Amedee. As previously mentioned, the geyser became quite an attraction when the town was established. Amos Lane, bartender and inventor, devised a clock to measure spurts of the geyser that rose and fell at intervals of 38 seconds. At times the geyser would shoot as high as eight feet. The geyser ceased to exist in May 1893, as the ground around the springs cracked and allowed the steam to escape. The town’s newspaper was aptly named the Amedee Geyser.

The springs were heralded for their curative properties and the first public bathhouse opened in 1892. In 1900, Arthur Holland appeared on the scene to transform Amedee into a health resort. Holland dubbed his enterprise the “Karlsbad of America,” a bold attempt to associate it with the famed Czech resort. Holland’s venture never materialized in the grandeur he desired and he abandoned the project within a years’ time. Yet, people would still come to Amedee for the specific purpose to take mineral bath. This practice continued through most of the 1930s.

Amedee Bath
Amedee Bath House courtesy of Tom Armstrong

         In 1984, Matti Ripatti and California Hydro Systems recognized the geothermal potential of the springs. They applied to the Lassen County Planning Department for a permit to construct a geothermal plant there. The permit was granted and in 1988 the power plant was constructed.

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History

The Naming of Ravendale, California

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Early day Ravendale. Courtesy of Dorothy Capezzoli

There were three communities on the Madeline Plains, Madeline, Ravendale and Termo. All three owed their existence to the Nevada California Oregon Railroad, which the arrived on the plains in 1899 and created Termo and a few years later Madeline.

It was reported that the end of February 1910,  that a new NCO station was rapidly being built five miles south of Termo. Dame rumor had it that it was to become a division point for the NCO railroad.  It was also stated that J.H. Williams and G. Horton were surveying a town plat.

So much for speculation. William B. Edwards, locally known as Uncle Billy had formed the Western Land & Power Company to entice homesteaders to eastern Madeline Plains. The best stopping off point was the homestead of Jim and Laura Coe. They agreed to subdivide their land, and the NCO also agreed to establish a station there.  On November 15, 1913, the official town plat of Ravendale, was recorded with the Lassen County Recorder. According to Madeline Plains historian, Don Garate, the name Coeville had been suggested for the new town, but Laura Coe already chosen a name—Ravendale. Why she chose that name is not clear.

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History

Victor Robinson—An NCO Railroad Tragedy

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Robinson’s Coroner’s Inquest Verdict

Unfortunately, when it comes to the history of the Nevada-California-Oregon Railway (NCO) the majority of published accounts cover the basics. Yet, there is a tremendous wealth of material that remains untouched in a variety  of records, which researchers have neglected and this is just one example.

Today’s post is a perfect example of such research. The material comes from the Lassen County Coroner’s Inquest that involved a NCO train collision at Horse Lake. On February 23, 1915, Victor Robinson boarded a NCO passenger train at Lakeview, Oregon  bound for Reno, on his way to Sacramento. According to E.G. Ryder, the Traveling Freight and Passenger Agent for the NCO that the passenger train had stopped at Horse Lake Station and was just starting again when a NCO livestock train, consisting of fourteen cars loaded with cattle, also heading south, struck the passenger train. Ryder was in the caboose of the stock train, so he was not sure of all the details. Ryder stated, “That Robinson was caught between the two cars on the passenger train. There were two coaches and Robinson was between the two coaches on the platform.” When the collision occurred Robinson was ejected from the platform died immediately from injuries. The account is rather confusing, but I shared it with a person familiar with the NCO cars and he was under the impression that Robinson was thrown under the wheels between the two coaches upon impact.

Horse Lake Station, 1915. Courtesy of Nevada Historical Society

Ryder was the only person to testify at the inquest. The twelve men summoned for the coroner’s jury and this was their conclusion, “The Jury came to the verdict that death was caused by a collision of passenger and extra stock train through the negligent neglect of employees in charge of trains operated by the NCO.”

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History

Fruit Growers Logging Railroad Network

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Fruit Growers logging train, Pine Creek Valley, 1940–Russell Gilbert

If you ever spent much time exploring the region west of Eagle Lake, you probably have encountered remnants of Fruit Growers logging railroad system. From 1920 through 1952 Fruit Growers railroad logged, and like many operations, finally converted to truck logging.However, it should be noted railroad  and truck logging worked in tandem—transfer stations.

It was one of those days, that I had a lapse of better judgment should have, but did not take a picture of Shay’s Hole. However, about a mile down the road, we stopped to take pictures of these old railroad ties still in place, August 18, 2016.

In the future this will be a topic we will explore.

’Tim

History

Our Interesting Milestone Dates

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Lassen County Courthouse, circa 1890s. Assembled are county officials, along with the grand jury.

Today, is April Fool’s Day. In 1864, on that date Lassen County was created. Our neighbor to the east, the Battle Born State of Nevada was created on Halloween in1864. That also coincided with a shared birth date of Peter Lassen in 1800.  Susanville’s  founder, Isaac Roop died on Valentines Day 1869 of pneumonia. Hayden Hill’s namesake, Joseph W. Hayden died there on Christmas Day 1884.

There are score of local events that happen to occur on interesting holidays. Personally, however, that Lassen County and Nevada created in the same year, that then and now have so much in common, and the they share unique anniversary dates. It should be duly noted Nevada Day is no longer observed  on Halloween. What a shame, because back in the day and I can attest fun times were bountiful. On a final note, California no longer formally observes  its Admission Day of September 9, and government workers who had the day off then, traded it for Friday  after Thanksgiving.

Tim