Category Archives: History

History

Susanville’s First Political Stance

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Main Street, 1901
South side of the 700 block of Susanville’s Main Street, 1901

In 1891, Congress passed the Forest Reserve Act, the beginning of today’s national forest. It was a slow process to create individual forest reserves and even to change name to national forests.

At the December 29, 1902, the City Council (known as trustees then) meeting they took their first political stance and passed its first resolution, after all the city had only been existence less than two years. At issue was the federal government’s establishment of the Lassen Butte and Diamond Mountain Forest Reserves. The council, as was in the case of many municipalities and counties where large tracts of public timberlands were located, opposed the reserves for fear they would be detrimental in the case of future economic needs. The resolution stated in part: “Whereas the establishment of said Forest Reserves will be fatal to the prosperity of this Town; in that they are calculated: 1, to defer the investment of capital in this vicinity for the manufacture of lumber and other products; 2, to prevent the building of any railroad to connect this place with markets of the county; 3, to cause the surrender of all title lands within their limits to the Government, thereby greatly reducing the assessable property and public revenue there from.” 

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History

Tuesday Tidbit – Hudson’s Gas Station

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Hudson’s Service Station, 504 Main Street, Susanville, California.

Some one wanted to know if I had a photograph of the gas station located at Main and South Roop Street, Susanville. Well, here it is. I remember it, but it had been closed for a long time. The site is now a vacant lot.

Back in 1950s and 1960s there gas stations galore, then referred to as service stations. Back in the day, at the same time, there were plenty of bars, too.

Tim

History

A Shaky Experience

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Thompson Peak, 1911.
Thompson Peak, 1911. It should be noted that Thompson Peak, and the Diamond Mountain Range is a part of the Honey Lake Fault Zone.

During the 1860s and 1870s earthquakes in the Honey Lake Valley were a common occurrence.  In 1874, Sylvester Daniels arrived from Iowa and spent time with his sister, Polly Parks, who resided just east of Buntingville. He kept a journal of his experiences that he wrote specifically for his daughter, Viroqua and the rest of his family who remained in Iowa. The following is his account of the first earthquake he experienced.

“Sunday, January 24, 1875 – Well, we are all alive yet. Now, I will tell you why I started as I did. You have heard of earthquakes I suppose. Well, I will tell on the sly that there was a live one came along here this morning early about 4 o’clock. It awoke me very suddenly, then such a crash. I thought the house was all breaking to pieces and it seemed to roll  back and forth in bed. At any rate it shook things up pretty lively, while it lasted. But it was not near as long as I have written about. It seemed to roll back and forth and jar terribly. It seemed to pass towards the Mountain from the Valley.

Sylvester Daniels. Courtesy of Jean Gorzell

“The hens flew and cackled and the pigs squealed. Polly Parks said it shook every bottle and everything in the house. She said the cream was disturbed on every pan. So you see there was quite a commotion for a time. All the damage that I have heard of as of yet, is some chimneys are slightly rent and some were frightened. I have not heard anyone express themselves to wish it repeated.  Polly and Elisha Parks say they are not as near as afraid of them as they used to be of thunderstorms and tornadoes in the East.”

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History

Big Valley Toll Road Company

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Big Toll Road
This hand drawn map, was made part of the company’s Articles of Incorporation.

Toll roads in this part of California were never successful enterprises. It did not prevent folks from trying to make it a go. In 1870, when the gold rush to Hayden Hill was in full throttle, it was only a matter of time for some enterprising entrepreneurs to come up with plan to make money on this scenario. In this case it was John Watts, David Watson and Benjamin Neuhaus. On April 24, 1871, they incorporated as the Big Valley Toll Road Company. The road would begin at the Neuhaus ranch (Murrer) in Willow Creek Valley, then north along Eagle Lake, Grasshopper Valley to Hayden City, then to Hayden Hill with a terminus near Adin. These “dreamers” hoped to raise $40,000 in stock to finance their endeavor. While the concept on paper had merit, in reality it was doomed to failure, as it was already an established road. In 1875, the Lassen County Board of Supervisors declared the route as a public thoroughfare. Portions of the original route would eventually become part of State Highway 139.

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History

Susanville Country Club

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Susanville Country Club, 1931. Courtesy of Fred and Alyce Bangham
Susanville Country Club, 1931. Courtesy of Fred and Alyce Bangham

In the spring of 1924 witnessed the development of Susanville’s first golf course. It was an outstanding success that gave birth to the Susanville Country Club.  For the new organization the timing was exquisite. It just happened that in the summer of 1924, the Lassen Lumber & Box Company purchased George Wingfield’s summer home some eight miles south of Susanville along the base of Diamond Mountain. Equally important one of the lumber company’s executives, A.G. Breitwieser was a big proponent of golf.

In the fall of 1924, not only had the local “duffers” outgrown the first golf course, that a golden opportunity came there way. The Lassen Lumber & Box offered the Wingfield property to the Susanville Country Club at a bargain price of $20,000.  It was reported that Wingfield had spent $335,000 to develop the property.

Stock Certificate issued to Wes Emerson

The club sold stock to finance the purchase. In addition, the club offered an exclusive 100 resident membership and 50 non-resident.  The cost $250. that, however, included a lot to build a personal cottage. In addition, there was a a five dollar monthly dues. This was not a deterrent and within a few short weeks, the club had a full charter membership.

The good times did not last that long. In the fall of 1931, L.R. Cady and Frank Coffin purchased the property, thus ending a chapter in the Susanville Country Club.

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History

Welcome Company 740, CCC, Secret Valley

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A train picking picking up CCC departures at Secret Valley, April 4, 1936—C.H.Bennett Collection

Once a week for the next several months we will explore the Civilian Conservation Corp Camp at Secret Valley, partially through the photographs of Charles H. Bennett, Company Clerk, who was stationed there from 1936 to 1938. Before the CCC camp was established at Secret Valley, there was a much smaller camp at the Fleming Ranch, known today as the Fleming Unit of the Honey Lake Wildlife Refuge. This consisted of approximately thirty men. It served two-fold. One for the men to get acquainted with the area to formulate what work would need to undertaken. Fleming Ranch had ample housing accommodations while the Secret Valley was being constructed. On August 20, 1935 the Secret Valley Civilian Conservation Corp Camp opened some thirty-five miles northeast of Susanville. One hundred and sixty-one young men arrived on a special 14-car train. The men came from New York and New Jersey. It was reported that it was quite a shock for them seeing this new environment of sagebrush and sand. These men would be sent to other camps, and Secret Valley became the home of Company 740 from men transferred from Piedmont, Missouri. The Secret Valley camp was also referred to District Grazing Camp No. 13. In future posts we will explore some of the work they did and during their short days off, some of their excursions.

When one enrolled into the CCC program one could enlist for six months and re-up to serve a maximum of two years.

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History

Lathrop City, Honey Lake Valley

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Mapes Ranch
Mapes Ranch, with Shaffer Mountain in the background, 1906. Courtesy of Madelyn Mapes Dahlstrom

You probably never heard of it. Guess what, most people in the Honey Lake Valley during the 1860s, never heard of it either. Today, it is known today as the Mapes Ranch, located four miles east of Litchfield.

In June 1859, George W. Lathrop and Thomas J. Harvey claimed 1,280 acres there. Located adjacent to the Susan River and the Nobles Emigrant Trail, it quickly developed into a station for travelers. On September 8, 1862, Lathrop sold this place to Uriah and James Shaffer for $4,250 and then the place was called either Lathrops or Shaffers Station. By 1863, it consisted of Shaffers station/trading post, Henry Lomas’ cabin and blacksmith shop, and a house belonging to Wilmans & Bass. At this same time, traffic along the emigrant trail increased dramatically as it was the shortest route to the mining discoveries in Idaho and Northwestern Nevada. With bright prospects, the residents plotted out a town and a name was needed. The place was best known as Lathrops. It was decided to name it Lathrop City. Henry Lomas, the “city’s” blacksmith recalled years later that the name was “Just too much for the town and it died a natural death.”

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History

Church of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints

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LDS Church
The LDS Church was located on the corner of Main and North McDow.

The Church of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints, also referred toas Mormons were slow to make an appearance in Susanville. It was not until1911, two missionaries, Elders Harry Janson and L.R. Halverson arrived in Susanville, though it appears their stay was brief. It was not until 1922, that the members of this church organized in Susanville. The initial families included those of Frederick Johnson, W.K. Davis, William Mortimer, Afton White, James C. White, John Heath and Peter F. Olsen.

Initial services were held in member’s homes. By 1924, their numbers had grown and they rented the Knoch Hall  for $2.50 a week. From there they moved to the Orpheum Theater and later to the OddFellows Hall.

Like so many religious institutions, they wanted a church of their own. On November 13, 1927, discussions were held to build a chapel. The site chosen was the northeast corner of Main and McDow Streets. On November 10, 1929, the church was dedicated by Heber J. Grant, President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

Thirty years later the members had outgrown the church. They selected a new site on Richmond Road. On November 5, 1961, groundbreaking ceremonies were held for the $300,000 chapel.

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History

Tuesday Tidbit – Antelope Grade, 1947

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Antelope Grade, 1941

Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, but for me when it comes to old photographs it is the little things at times, that pique my interest. During the winter, I obtained a box from storage that contained a little bit of everything, but not necessarily what I was looking for.

This photograph was taken near the summit of Antelope Grade. What is interesting is you can clearly see the old and new grade, When researching the archives, it appears I have not wrote about the construction of the current Antelope Grade. I will have to add to my to do list.

Tim

History

The Chester Rodeos of Yesteryear

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Chester Rodeo, 1928—Margaret Purdy

Long before Chester’s big July 4, celebration, the first major special event that helped bring awareness to the fledgling community of Chester was a rodeo. In 1920, McKenzie & Stover sponsored the first rodeo in Chester at the Stover Ranch, and it was held there for the next eighteen years. Within a short time it became quite popular, initially attracting about a thousand spectators. As the word spread, by the early 1930s the crowds had swelled to between 2500 and 3000.

If the word-of-mouth advertisement was not enough to entice a person to attend, how could one not go wrong after reviewing this promotional literature of the event? “Cowboys, broncos wild steers, Indians, thrills, action and the shores of Lake Almanor takes on a scene of the old frontier. The wild west days of yore live and breathe in the 15th annual Chester Rodeo Pageant, Sunday July 28.

”Suddenly, like the roaring echo of Mount Lassen, the calm little logging hamlet, banked on either side by the tranquility of pine covered thickets of the Sierras, burst forth in gala Cowboy Rodeo Fashion almost overnight. A Cowboy’s curdling yipes-prancing cow ponies-the whirl of lariats-the snort of wild-steers careening, untamable broncos-strong wooden gates and corrals, wheezing and groaning with impending mass of animal flesh-a cloud of dust cheering grandstands; lack-a-day friends, it’s rodeo time.

”Join the throngs as they sit side by side in the tense moment, viewing the spectacle! Feel the thrills of your favorite cowboy. Give voice to your emotions as a wild bull bites the dust and is tamed to the tune of a husky cowboy’s bull-dogging yodel! Be red-blooded American and rejoice as history of the old wild west repeats itself. Plan now to have the adventure of a lifetime.”

In 1938, Stover & McKenzie held their last Chester Rodeo. It should be noted two years later saw the dissolutioon of that venerable partnership.

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