A long time ago, when I was first assisting Tom Armstrong on his research of the NCO Railroad, he told me about the “Other Susanville.” There is another Susanville, just up Highway 395 near John Day, Oregon. However, it has seen more livelier times.
It was a mining camp dating back to the mid-1860s, though its post office was established in 1901 in a dubious manner. Its biggest claim to fame was in 1913 and the discovery of the Armstrong nugget, that weighed 80.4 ounces and was believed to the largest of its kind found in Oregon. The nugget is on display at US Bank in Baker City, Oregon. After the 1930s, prosperity there dwindled and in 1952 the post office was closed. Today, its only inhabitants are prospectors during the summer, and a few curious seekers.