Today, Peter Lassen born on this date in 1800. So, I thought some might be interested in some of the little known facets about him. Lassen arrived in California on July 14, 1840 at Bodega Bay by sailing down the Oregon coast. There was no welcome mat, as he encountered Mexican officials there to prevent foreigners from entering. Luckily, a Russian commandant was at hand and invited Lassen and his companion William Wiggins to stay at Fort Ross. Their stay at the Russian settlement was brief, and once outfitted with supplies and horses the two men went John Sutter’s compound, known today as Sacramento. Lassen was impressed with Sutter’s hospitality, but after a two-week stint sailed to Yerba Buena, known today as San Francisco. Lassen’s next stop was San Jose where he spent the winter of 1840-41 applying his trade as a blacksmith. His wanderlust next found Lassen at Santa Cruz. He would bounce around a bit, until 1844 when he received his Mexican land grant in what is known as Tehama County.
Lassen’s outpost at Deer Creek was not only the northernmost settlement in the Sacramento Valley, but in time became one of the best known interior settlements of Northern California. This was, of course, the best of times for Lassen. By 1850, with bad business ventures and such, it was time to move, he having lost nearly everything relocated to Indian Valley, Plumas County. In 1855, he moved over the mountain to Honey Lake Valley, where he is buried at the location where he spent his first night there.