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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In the summer of 1937, V.R. McClure announced his intentions to tear down the Wrede Hotel and replace it with a restaurant and bar.  For whatever reason, he procrastinated and did not do the demolition until the fall of 1942.

The structure was originally known as Pringle Hall. When it was built in 1898, it was the most substantial structure in the new town of Standish. The downstairs housed Mike Phillips general mercantile store, while the upstairs was a hall, used for a multiple purposes. This is where the initial church services were held until a church could be built. It was also used for dances and various lodges held meetings.

As Standish grew more facilities became available. Frank Wrede purchased the building from James Pringle and expanded it. The upstairs was converted into hotel rooms. The downstairs had a store, restaurant and a branch office of the Bank of Lassen County.

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It is that time year, and I am pleased to announce that the Lassen High Alumni Association 2016 calendars are now available. The calendar, for those new to the Association, is the resurrection of Lassen High School’s Graphics Art Class that produced calendars from 1977 to 2000. Those calendars contained vintage photographs of the region.

Again, like the 2015 calendar, the 2016 is in a portrait format versus the previous landscape. So the calendars are narrower and longer. However, the calendar still contains a great selection of historic photographs. Some of the scenes depicted include: Eagle Lake high water mark, 1916; Susanville, 1947; Lassen Peak eruption, 1917; Methodist Church, 1950, Westwood, 1916.

For the first time, you can order your calendars right here. In addition, they are available in Susanville, at Margie’s Book Nook. During the months of November and December the calendars can be purchased at Doyle’s Gift Shop, Milford. For mail orders, send $13.00, plus $2.50 for shipping to Lassen High Alumni Association, P.O. Box 471, Susanville, CA 96130.

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Susanville’s uptown/historic district has an eclectic blend of interesting architecture. During the 1920s, during the boom era brought on by the lumber mills certainly left its mark.

Charles McGowan one of the original owners of the Lassen Lumber & Box Company had a very striking residence. The home was constructed in 1924, and he moved his family into their news residence in July of that year. For whatever reason in the summer of 1929, the house was converted into three apartments, and remains that way after all these years.

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Well, folks believe it or not it has been a half year since I started doing these daily postings.

Here is a glimpse of future posts for the month of August. However, everything is subject to change, since I have already revised this. In addition, the topics readers suggested will be posted when I complete them. Though the Susanville Coca Cola building, while I do have some information, it will require further research.

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