In the spring of 1857, Ephraim Roop, Isaac Roop, and William McNaull constructed the first sawmill in Lassen County, along the Susan River at a place that would later become known as Hobo Camp. In November 1860, Perry Craig fell out of a boat at the millpond and drowned. Craig was buried on top of the hillside near the river, and from that episode the Susanville Cemetery was created. On August 18, 1862, Roop & Company sold the mill to Luther Spencer for $200. Spencer operated the mill until it was destroyed by fire in the spring of 1868.