For some strange reason, it is not working. Be patient while I work on the remedy.

Yesterday, I came across an article in the New York Times about the Wendel family. However, while quite interesting, it was not the same Wendel clan for the railroad town of the same name.  The Nevada-California-Oregon Railroad (NCO) named it after German investor Charles de Wendel. Some twenty-five years ago, Armin Wendel a family descendant contacted me about this town, which he thought was a major U.S. city. He assigned an assistant to make arrangements for a visit. That person contacted me about the Wendel International Airport, and was there a Holiday Day Inn where her boss could stay among many other inquiries. Needless to say Armin was disappointed when I relayed the conditions of the town along with photographs and he never made the journey.

It should be noted, there were two Wendels on the Nevada-California-Oregon Railroad (NCO). The first Wendel Station was established in 1913 in Lake County, Oregon and its existence was brief. In October 1914, the Lassen Advocate reported that the NCO and Southern Pacific (SP) Junction name was to be changed from Caloreta to Wendel. In addition, the post office located there was known as Purser, and that name would also be changed to Wendel. While the NCO adopted the name change, the SP did not change it to Wendel until 1917.

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In 1913, with the construction of the town and Westwood, along with the railroad construction crew rapidly approaching to Susanville, the camp followers of the day were not far behind. Out of this delegation were those sometimes referred to as the “ladies of the night.” Continue reading Susanville Bordello’s – Part II →

My computer is being overhauled today, new hard drive, etc.  This does not affect the website. However, I will not be able to respond to communications, such as comments and emails. Hopefully, all goes smooth and be up and running by mid-day.

Today, I did not receive a daily post notification, so I am conducting this test, since it will publish immediately.  Thanks for your understanding.

Here is February’s line-up. Of course, everything is subject to change. However, I have included three from Your Topic suggestions.

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Frank White passed away on January 15, 2016, a day after his birthday. He was a cherished family friend. His family  moved here in 1954, his father Frank, to manage J.C. Penny. Many people may remember the The Smart Shop owned and operated by the family.

Some people are familiar with my Triumph, aka “shoebox” among other titles. Frank bought it in 1966, and I first drove it in 1976. I patiently waited for over 20 years, before he finally agreed to let met by it. However, Frank, being the the nice guy he was, allowed me to drive it over the years.

On a quarterly basis, which began last July,  I ask you the reader, is there something you would like to learn more about or maybe its something you heard but question its validity.  So here is an opportunity to participate. I will do my best to answer any questions. It should be noted, it may take awhile for the answer to appear as a post. The primary reason, many of the daily posts are done nearly a month in advance. For instance, this item was composed on November 21.  So by the time you read this, I am already working on posts in the middle of March. Whatever the case may be, I look forward to hearing from you. Of course, it should be noted that paid subscribers requests receive priority. In addition, you can always send an request at any time.

The topics readers wanted to learn about are a wide range from the Susanville Coca Cola Plant to the Shinn Ranch.

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Susanville’s founder wore many hats, one being an attorney at law. There is the interesting tale when Roop was to take the bar examination for the Nevada Territory. At that hearing, a lawyer from Carson City attempted to provide Roop with some assistance. The bar examination was fairly simple and one of the more difficult questions was the definition of a corporation. The Carson attorney informed Roop that “A corporation is a creature of the law, having certain powers and duties of a natural person.” When Judge Gordon Mott, who presided over the examination asked Roop to define a corporation Roop replied, “A corporation is a band of fellows without any soul of whom the law is a creature, who have some powers and take a great deal many more, and entirely ignore the statutory duties imposed on them.” Thus, with that remark Roop was admitted to bar.

In 1865 Roop was elected Lassen County District Attorney and was re-elected to a second term in 1868. He never served the second term, as he did not post the required bond.

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In education circles there has been a debate brewing over whether cursive handwriting should be taught.

By 1850, Spencerian Script had been widely adopted in schools as well as in the business community. With the advent of typewriters it began to fade away in the early 1900s. By the 1920s, schools began adopting the Palmer Method. It was considered more streamlined, less laborious and faster technique.

Of note, the Spencerian had some quirky traits, which one sees a lot in early documents of Lassen County. A double “s” such as Lassen, looks like a “p.”  This was evident in the short-lived Lassen Post Office in the Willow Creek Valley that only operated from June 19, 1874, to July 14, 1875.  Some records cite it as “Lapen,” due to the penmanship of Edward Bonyman, its first and only postmaster.

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