On Monday, September 9th, the Lassen Library District has closed its doors temporarily due to a much needed renovation. It is anticipated that it will re-open February. It is a hinderance, but I have wealth of records in the archives I maintain.

While I do have the luxury of large number volumes of bound local newspapers, I still rely upon the library’s microfilm collection. The major impact is obituary requests. As an alternative, if know of the newspaper, and citation date, as well page and column the California State Library can provide assistance.

Of course, newspapers are just one source of material. For instance, I am researching when the residence at 120 North Roop Street, Susanville was built. An alternative of newspaper source, normally I would consult Book of Agreements lodged in the Lassen County Recorder’s Office. During the early 1900s, it was common for a building contractor and their client to record an building agreement as to the specifications, costs, etc. Alas,  there is  temporary roadblock there as well due the fact  that those records are in storage because of  the Lassen County Courthouse Renovation project.*

Patience is virtue, so I am grateful that the access of those records is just  temporary and not permanent.

*Mechanics Liens is a good source of building records.

Tim

It is Labor Day. Yours truly has been working very laborious this year learning new technology. Not an easy task, but I am getting there. I have that slow learner disorder with new devices.

This year I have had an unusual amount of research request. The inquirers all seem to share a familiar trait. By the time I respond, I receive a reply back, that they found everything on the internet. Truth be known, in a lot of those cases, the documents that I have in those particular files are not available on the internet. An example is correspondence with their long lost relatives. That is their loss, not mine. While there is a wealth information to be found online (some of which is questionable) and there is a wealth of material that is not. I will continue to do the hard work of hands on the ground, examining original documents versus questionable online sources, so I guess that makes me a relic of the past.

In the meantime, enjoy this special holiday. I am going to toil away for a part of the day working on the 2025 Calendars.

Tim

To see an actual jackalope in the wild, is rare–like spotting Big Foot. Yet, evidence of their existence during the 1950s through 1980s could be found at any roadhouse, i.e. bar/restaurant gas station such as the original Hallelujah Junction. However, those establishments are a vanishing breed, too.

The Jackalope, for those not familiar with the species is a cross between a jack rabbit and antelope. In the 1930s, Douglas Herrick of Wyoming is attributed to be the first to discover the mythological creature. Herrick, as an amateur taxidermist, made the first mounting. In time, others did too, but used small deer horns instead. Over the next few decades the appearance of the mounted Jackalope was widespread in the Intermountain West.

Tim

For your summer time treat, starting next Tuesday, July 30 through mid-September there will be Tuesday Tidbit post. One can thank Mother Nature and the heat wave for that. This has not been ideal conditions for outdoor explorations.

Tim