In the early 1920s, C.P. Snell constructed a modest lodge at Juniper Lake, inside Lassen Volcanic National Park. It was a venue for him with his Juniper Lake Resort, as a sales feature for a 1500-lot subdivision there. His wife, Cora was in charge of the lodge, and she hired a cook and supervised the kitchen and dining room. Cora’s many duties were to run the store, along with cabin rentals and campsites. C.P.Snell busied himself with the sale of lots, road improvements and made regular trips to Westwood for supplies. An outgoing man he would greet visitors and ask them to sign a guest register.
The sale of lots never materialized to the degree that Snell desired. The remoteness of Juniper Lake and the fact that it is only accessible for about four months of the year, did not help. While the lots did sell, the buyers rarely built on them. During the 1920s, Snell sold an average of six lots a year.
Tomorrow: The demise of the lodge.