The Lassen Grain and Milling Company was established in 1917 and located on Richmond Road, Susanville across from the Southern Pacific’s railroad depot. By the 1920s, the beleaguered company was barely holding its own. A major problem facing the company was the lack of grain being grown in the Honey Lake Valley to support the mill.

Enter the Susanville Mill Company. Founded in the fall of 1926, this company took over Lassen Grain. Susanville Mill comprised of three men—B.F. Hutchens, E.B. Birmingham and L.E. Deforest. Hutchens and Birmingham were executives of Fruit Growers Supply Company, while DeFores was well known in the local agricultural community. It was their intent to encourage local ranchers to plant turkey red wheat and provide them with the seed.

After several years of operation the company sold to Bronson & Doyle.

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In 1913 the United States Government Land Office (GLO) intervened. California was on a major verge to overhaul water rights, yet that was of little concern to the GLO. At issue, at least with the GLO, was the State’s law was vague and failed to state whether water from a lake with no outlet could be appropriated. Until that issue was resolved, the GLO had no choice but to revoke Standish Water Company’s rights-of-way of its canals across federal lands. In essence the Company was forced to cease and desist, thereby forfieting revenue from water sales to recover its initial investment. This issue with the State was not to be resolved in a timely manner. In November 1914, the voters of California were presented with an initiative to overhaul the State’s water right system. It was approved and the Department of Water Resources was created. This new agency had complete control over the issuance of water appropriations, which previously was done at the county level. It was necessary reform, since the counties recorded water right claims but had no authority to determine concerning multiple applicants over a single water source. Continue reading Standish Water Company – Part II →

In June 1931 fifty-one farmers attended a meeting at Standish to discuss wages to be paid to workers during haying season. There was no uniform wage rate. Some paid $2.00 a day, others $3.00 day.  After considerable discussion it was agreed to pay $2.50 a day plus board. Another issue widely talked about, but there no consensus was reached was the amount of hours. However, just agreeing on a uniform wage was a major milestone.

Tim

Bringing electricity to the Honey Lake Valley was a long, slow process that began in the 1920s. When power finally did arrive, it brought about the slow demise of the windmill. Phil Hall (1909-1996) and a native of Long Valley,  commented that there were at least fifty windmills between Susanville and Doyle. Hall’s statement came from a 1989 conversation with another old time rancher, Claude Harwood. In response to Phil’s comment, Claude stated that they did not have power from Buntingville to Milford until 1938. Claude continued after that, people stopped using them. Phil added the abandoned windmills also became victims of wind, blowing them down.

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