In August, 1915, the Susanville’s Emerson Hotel was destroyed by fire. This left a huge void for accommodations, especially with the town which was growing leaps and bounds with the arrival of the railroad two years earlier. Unfortnately, the Emerson would not be ressurrected like the proverbial phoenix due to inadequate insurance coverage.

For years, this prime location remained a vacant lot. While there was interest to build a new hotel there, the lack of funding doomed such proposals. Ironically, Susanville was in the midst of an unprecedented twenty years of expansive growth, so one would not think that financing would be such an obstacle.

After ten years, something that was thought to be impossible, was on the verge of reality—the city’s bid to host the state American Legion Convention for 1926. Should Susanville be selected there was the issue of how to provide accommodations for 2,500 visitors. On April 7. 1925, a stock company, the Susanville Hotel Company was formed. It was their goal to riase $300,000 in stock to construct a three-story concrete hotel, to contain 70-rooms. Construction began in July, it was estimated the building would cost $155,000. With construction underway, the group had leased the hotel to Frank Coffin for ten years at an annual rate of $7,440. The new facility was named the Hotel Mt. Lassen and opened its doors on April 27, 1926.

The Hotel Mt. Lassen has been shuttered for quite some time now.  Whether it will ever re-open remains to be seen.

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