Tag Archives: Fruit Growers Supply Company

History

FGS Photographer—O.O. Winn

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Fruit Growers Susanville mill under construction, 1921–Ed Standard

In 1920, Fruit Growers Supply Company hired photographer O.O. Winn for a two year period to capture on film the construction of its Susanville plant. Interesting, when I examined Fruit Growers’ archives in Studio City back in 1997, they only had a handful of these photographs. It should be noted, Frances Johnson, was meticulous with company’s paper files, but alas the photograph collection was in shambles.

A Fruit Growers log cabin under construction at Eagle Lake, 1920—Ed Standard

A strange development occurred in 1998 when I was away to visit my grandfather John Tanner’s only living first cousin in Cornwall, England. When I returned home there was a small package containing some 700 negatives of Winn’s negatives. It turns out, that Ed Standard, who worked for Fruit Growers, was delegated of task of cleaning the Susanville office in 1963 prior to the sale.  He was instructed to take the negatives to the burner to be destroyed, but took them home instead. My dear friend, the late Hank Martinez, made prints of selective negatives that I chose, the collection was to overwhelming. Fast forward to 2024, a volunteer is scanning many of the negatives into positives. So over the next few months you know why an abundance of Fruit Growers photographs.

Tim

 

History

Fruit Growers Logging Camp No. 9

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Camp E, FGS Company—Lola Tanner

In a ten-year period between 1920-29 Fruit Growers Supply Company established 10 logging camps west of Eagle Lake. Many of these camps were substantial in size, housing over 200 men. There were several smaller camps that only existed for a single season. These small camps differed from their counterparts as they had wooden canvas tests, whereas the others were actual cabins, that could be placed on rail cars to move from one place to the next.

Camp A
Camp A, Fruit Growers Supply Company, located just north of McCoy Flat Reservoir, 1921

Camp 9, located a few miles west of Camp 8, also known as Summit Camp operated during the 1928 logging season. It was not a full fledged logging camp, and it only housed timber fallers.

A Fruit Growers canvass tent, 1920–Ed Standard

Tim

History

Fruit Growers Railroad Logging Apparatus

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A Fruit Growers railroad logging crew with iies and a Clyde tracklayer, 1932 in Pine Creek Valley

A subscriber inquired from the Ask Tim post of April about railroad logging/grades west of Eagle Lake. I have been slow to post, as I have been experiencing technical issues with scanning, however on a bright note that will soon be resolved.. Of course, to properly address this topic will take several posts. However, I wanted to begin the series with these two illustrations.

A Fruit Growers Clyde tracklayer in operation near Camp Harvey, 1947

The top one is an excellent photograph depicting everything needed, workers, railroad ties and a Clyde tracklayer machine. Fruit Growers initial railroad logging began just north of present day Highway 44, and a little southeast of McCoy Flat Reservoir in 1920. The Susanville mill was still under construction, so only a small volume of logs were needed. The following year, witnessed large scale railroad logging activity and the establishment of two large logging camps Camp B & C.

Stay tuned more to follow.,including a map showing all the lines and spurs.

Tim

History

It Almost Never Came to Be—Susanville Ranch Park

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A historic view near present site of Susanville Ranch Park parking lot/trail head.. Courtesy of Hank Martinez

Susanville is fortunate to have the Bizz Johnson Trail on the south side of town and Susanville Ranch Park with multiple trails on the north side of town. Each has their own unique story how they evolved. Today, we focus on Susanville Ranch Park.

The first person to examine the property for non-agricultural purposes was T.B.Walker, founder of the Red River Lumber Company. In 1912, the Walker family had a heated debate. as to their permanent mill, though a site had been selected at Mountain Meadows. T.B. Walker had given considerable thought to this particular site. However, as we known Mountain Meadows would win over, and the town of Westwood became a reality,

The ranch as it appeared in 1922, when Fruit Growers owned it.

In 1919, enter Fruit Growers Supply Company when they were scouting around for a mill site. That company went one step further and purchased the property for while undecided one the site, they wanted the water rights to Bagwell Springs.  While Fruit Growers chose a different Susanville location, they retained the property. After all it would be beneficial for pasture for horses, a then an important component in logging. Fruit Growers then established a dairy there. It was brief, and it was a leased to the Okelly family who operated Lassen Dairy there for several decades.

In 1934, Fruit Growers offered to sell the ranch to the City of Susanville. Fruit Growers cited it would make an ideal golf course, that the money received from the golf course could be used to develop the remainder of the property into a park. The City liked the idea, but said no. In 1935, Fruit Growers sold the ranch to the Republic Electric Power Company who wanted to acquire Bagwell Springs as an additional water supply for Susanville. Over the years, that Company went through numerous reorganizations and became CP National. In 1984, CP National donated the ranch to Lassen County, and it is now a county park.

An interesting footnote to the story is that Lassen Community College examined the property for a future campus back in the 1960s, but the asking price was too expensive at $3,500.

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History

Red River’s #102 Locomotive

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Red River’s 102, with a jammer in tow.

In 1914, Red River Lumber Company purchased three Baldwin locomotives from. the Tonopah Goldfield Railroad for its Westwood operation. Of course, Red River had quite a fleet of locomtives at Westwood.

The 102 remained in operation during Red River’s tenure there and the locomotive became the property of Fruit Growers Supply Company in 1944. When Fruit Growers closed the Westwood mill in 1956, the 102 was sold for scrap.

Tim

History

A Historic Day for Susanville

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Fruit Growers Susanville plant under construction, 1920–Ed Standard

Saturday, April 16, 1921 was the dedication of Fruit Growers Supply Company’s new mill facility at Susanville. Of course, there was usual amount dignitaries on hand to celebrate the moment and give speeches. Thomas B. Dozier, a Fruit Growers’ attorney served as master of ceremonies. Dozier’s opening statement was simple, “We will supply the boxes from the Snowkist woods for shipment of Sunkist—all from California.”  Dozier informed those assembled that the California Fruit Growers Exchange (renamed Sunkist in 1951) represented 10,500 growers, who produced three-quarters of the citrus in the United States.

Continue reading A Historic Day for Susanville →

History

Fruit Growers Logging Railroad Network

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Fruit Growers logging train, Pine Creek Valley, 1940–Russell Gilbert

If you ever spent much time exploring the region west of Eagle Lake, you probably have encountered remnants of Fruit Growers logging railroad system. From 1920 through 1952 Fruit Growers railroad logged, and like many operations, finally converted to truck logging.However, it should be noted railroad  and truck logging worked in tandem—transfer stations.

It was one of those days, that I had a lapse of better judgment should have, but did not take a picture of Shay’s Hole. However, about a mile down the road, we stopped to take pictures of these old railroad ties still in place, August 18, 2016.

In the future this will be a topic we will explore.

’Tim

History

It Was Cold in 1949

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Dynamiting the Westwood millpond, January 27, 1949. Courtesy of Fruit Growers Supply Company

In January 1949, the temperatures plummeted to nearly thirty degrees below zero at Westwood. The millpond there froze. When Red River designed the facility, they placed piping from the powerhouse that forced steam air directly into the millpond near the sawmill. This system was no match for Mother Nature. To keep the mill operating it was necessary to use dynamite to blast loose the logs in the millpond. Continue reading It Was Cold in 1949 →

History

Camp 8 – FGS

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Camp 8
This old water tank is the last remnant of Camp 8, Photo taken June 18, 2015

Fruit Growers operated a total of 11 logging camps, though Camp Y could hardly be classified a camp. The camps were designated with the first letters of the alphabet, i.e, Camp A. After Camp F closed, the next would be G, the seventh letter in the alphabet, but Fruit Growers switched to numbers when Camp 7 was opened at Bridge Creek.

Camp 8, had the unique distinction of being referred to as Summit Camp, it being on the Summit between Pine Creek Valley and Eagle Lake. Not a great deal is known about the activities at Camp 8. It was the first camp that a young Arthur Anderson went to work. What he remembered vividly was watching the death of his friend Daniel Dragovich, whose skull was crushed in a logging accident near the camp on July 2, 1928. For Anderson this served as a wake up for him, and he decided to change professions. He later became an attorney and in 1972 he was elected Lassen County Superior Court judge, serving one term.

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History

Taking Care of Business—The Story Club

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Story Club, 1924. Courtesy of Lola L. Tanner

Fruit Growers Supply Company is a non-profit purchasing agent co-operative of Sunkist. The latter is a marketing co-operative of citrus growers. There was a time when fruit and vegetables were shipped in wooden boxes, that is another story. Fruit Growers, as it is known entered the lumber business reluctantly to manufacture wooden boxes for their member owned citrus growers.

One of Fruit Growers earliest lessons learned was the value of employees. To retain a reliable/skilled workforce amenities were provided to prevent labor turnover. When Fruit Growers mill opened its Susanville mill in 1921, they were in hopes the town would provide such. Susanville had been so overwhelmed by its short term growth, that it was just too much.

The movie theater in the Story Club, 1923. It was used by many religious denominations for services. Courtesy of Fruit Growers Supply Company.

While Fruit Growers would provide housing and a hospital, that was not enough. In 1922, they had a three-story recreational building constructed on their premises. Susanville had never experienced a facility like this. Of the many attractions inside the building was a theater that could seat 450 people. It was a multi-purpose room that served as a ballroom and other forms of entertainment—including indoor baseball which I do not know how that operated. The place boasted a billiard room, a restaurant, soda fountain, and a library. The place was named the Story Club, after an influential member of Sunkist who donated the initial stock for the library.

The billiard room, Story Club, Susanville, 1923. Courtesy of the Fruit Growers Supply Company

On the north side of the building there was a children’s playground. The Story Club was destroyed by fire in 1944. Times had changed, and Fruit Growers converted the site into a park known as Riverside.

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