Lassen County’s First Musem

Pullen Museum
The Pullen Museum, May 3, 2015

Granville Pullen first came to Lassen County in 1870 and worked at various jobs. In the 1880s he located to Sonoma County, but made frequent visits to Lassen County to see his sister, Susan Goumaz. In 1901, he moved back to Lassen County and bought a ranch near Janesville. In 1914, at the age of 76, he retired from ranching and bought a house in Janesville.

Pullen had been collecting various artifacts and curios for over forty years. Not to be idle he opened a small museum in Janesville to display his collection after he had sold his ranch. People fascinated by his collection began donating items to him. In 1920, Granville and his wife Mary, moved to Susanville and bought a home on South Roop Street. Next to his new home, he had a small concrete building built to house his museum. On June 18, 1921, he opened the museum to the public.  When he passed away in 1926,  his wife kept the museum open for awhile, but she did not have the same passion as her husband. Over the years, she donated a portion of the collection to Lassen County. The items were displayed for a number of years in the Veteran’s building, and over time slowly disappeared.

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