The Hartson Slough is man made, named after Charles Hartson.  In 1881, Hartson filed on 160 acres of sagebrush land near Honey Lake, in the Tule District. However, Hartson needed more water to not only reclaim this parcel but to expand.  In 1889, Hartson worked as the construction superintendent of the Ward Lakes Reservoir. Hartson made a deal with the Balls Canyon Reservoir Company, the company behind the project,  that, for a portion of his services, they would give him a share of water rights. This gave Hartson the water he sought to reclaim his land. He built the slough to convey the water to his ranch. By 1901, Hartson owned 1,500 acres of land, half of which was planted in alfalfa. In that same year, Hartson & Sons ranch was one of the first in Lassen County to incorporate..The incorporation document is unique that normally a town designated as the principal place of business. Hartson & Sons stated “that the business to be transacted shall be at the farm headquarters on the lands owned by this corporation near the shores of Honey Lake.”

It was Honey Lake that resulted in the downfall of Hartson Ranches. In 1909, they were heavily invested in the Standish Water Company. That company built a pumping plant on Honey Lake with miles of irrigation canals. The patriarch  Charles Hartson retired in 1910 and moved to Susanville. He turned the main ranch over to his son, Frank Hartson. Frank Hartson sold out Frank Wood in 1926. The house was destroyed by fire on May 4, 1935.

Subscribe