Back in December/January I was for the most part a shut-in due to snow and ice. While at times in nearly drove me “batty” I did use the time to sift through more archival boxes in storage. Thus, one of the finds was this photograph taken in 1992 of the restored Applegate Lassen Trail marker at Fandango Pass in the Warner Mountains of Modoc County.
First lets begin with the Applegate Trail established in 1846 by Levi Scott and the Applegate brothers. A portion of their route ventured from the Block Rock Desert going in a northwest direction to Surprise Valley and crossing over the Warner Mountains. At Goose Lake the trail proceeded to Oregon. In 1848, Peter Lassen used a portion of the same route, but at Goose Lake his route went south to the Sacramento Valley. For a number of years the pass was also known as Lassen’s Pass, but eventually became known as Fandango.
There are several variations as to the origin of the name of Fandango—which was the name of a lively Spanish dance. A common theme of various stories has to deal with cold temperatures. Most historians agree that a group of emigrants burned some of their wagons for warmth and reportedly one observer stated it was so cold that “the men had to dance to keep warm” and they named their camp Fandango Valley., that was located near the pass.
Today, one can participate in Fandango Days held in Alturas during the Fourth of July.