When Honey Lake is full, it has found many uses such as boating, fishing and ice-skating to name a few. One of the more unusual usages of the lake was baptisms. On Sunday, March 8, 1914 the Janesville Baptist Church held services at the Lakeview School. After the services, the congregation went to the shores of Honey Lake, where the Rev. L.D. Howard baptized several new candidates into the flock. Unfortunately, I have not been able to find a record as to who they were.
In 1919, Honey Lake went dry and would remain so until the winter of 1937-38. So baptisms as the lake was no longer an option. On April 2, 1932, the Rev. Bond of the Seventh Day Adventist Church o Susanville found an alternative—the Wendel Hot Springs—which thirteen members were baptized there.
While assorting through old brochures, I came across one published in 1970 by the Susanville Junior Chamber of Commerce. Some might be interested in the description of Janesville.
“One of the fastest growing communities within the Honey Lake Valley, Janesville is a historic pioneer town twelve miles southeast of Susanville. Many new homes are appearing on the scene as this picturesque little town with its beautiful mountain background and bountiful forests attract more and more people to its bounds. A great abundance of ranches and meadow land lie in the foothills of this area. Plans are being made to make use of these natural facilities for recreational and community living. Janesville is easily accessible to main highways. Small agricultural, cattle and poultry raising are part of the Janesville scene.”
An acquaintenance of mine was surprised to learn that famed modern art painter, Jackson Pollock attended school at Janesville. The other day, I was thinking about a well known archaeologist who attended school at Missouri Bend, some three miles from Janesville. There the similarities stop.
In 1926, Harry S. Riddell moved his family to a small farm north and east of Janesville. Riddell, an engineer, was hired by the Baxter Creek & Tule Irrigation Districts to see if he could come up with a solution with the problems surrounding the Bly Tunnel at Eagle Lake. His two sons, only barely a year apart, Harry and Francis attended the Missouri Bend School. The two boys started noticing arrowheads on the school grounds. They were fascinated by this other finds of Native American artifacts. In 1936, the family moved to Sacramento. Both Harry and Francis studied and became archeologists. Harry was the low-key of the two. Before I go any farther, Francis was best to known to his colleagues and friends as Fritz. However, he was always Francis to me.
The old Missouri Bend School, December 2020–Smith Properties
Francis became the first archeologist to be hired by the State of California, first as a curator of the California State Indian Museum. Later, he went to work in the Department of Parks & Recreation. In 1948, he began to participate in archaeological surveys throughout the state, using a standardize form, something unheard at the time.
Francis had a special fondness for the Honey Lake Valley and the Indians there. He was involved with the archaeological excavations of Karlo and Tommy Tucker Cave. Francis did not stop there. He had a passion for Indian Ethnography to better understand his work. As Francis commented, “I could not separate the past from the present.” During the late 1940s and 1950s, Riddell, along with colleague Bill Evans would compile the Ethnographic History of the Honey Lake Maidu and the Honey Lake Paiute. A very valuable document, indeed.
Not only was Riddell was highly regarded in California archaeology, but for his work in Peru. Riddell even invited me to partake in one of his Peruvian expeditions. Alas, I had to decline due to a lack of funds.
Native Daughter’s plaque for Fort Janesville site.It was actually built in 1860.
Yesterday, I wrote about the military presence in the region during the 1860s. There is a little follow up about how the locals took matters into their own hands so to speak. Those early day Honey Lakers were an independent lot. They had to. Their numbers so small, and far removed from the gold fields, they had no choice but to be resourceful and make do the best they could with their own resources.
Since military assistance was not reliable, Honey Lakers took matters into their own hands. Captain William Weatherlow usually was the one to form a posse when needed during the conflicts of the Indians and settlers. During the Pyramid Lake Indian War of 1860 the residents of Janesville built their own stockade for protection known as Fort Janesville. In 1864, a local militia was formed known as the Honey Lake Rangers which functioned similar to a National Guard Unit.
The Janesville Methodist Church had a very short time span, of just thirty years. By 1928, it had been abandoned. In January 1946, the Trustees of the Susanville Methodist Church, who had inherited the old church put it up for sale. The demand for buildings in the region was extremely high due to the conclusion of World War II. The trustees asked for bids to be submitted by February 4, 1946. Unfortunately, I have not been able to ascertain what transpired since then.
Janesvlle Methodist Church, 1911. Courtesy of Marge Foster
On Sunday, August 29, 1897 was a joyous day with the dedication of the new Janesville Methodist Church. Dr. E.W. VanDeventer presided over the services, with a standing room crowd in attendance. The church measured 28’x40’ feet was built by Susanville contractors, Enhorning and Harrison for $1,500. Frank Rowland donated the land for the church. Trustees for the church were: G.W. Meylert, Wm. Dow, E. Winchester, George Riddle, W.T. Masten, J.T. Masten and Charles Cramer.
On Saturday morning, August 12, 1978, 23-year-old Marc Doener of Monterey had a very memorable experience at Thompson Peak, that rises above Janesville. Doener attempted to hang glide off the top of peak. It did not go as intended. He lost control as he started to jump, the glider flipped plunging him into a 3,000 foot descent. Amazing when the Search and Rescue team found him he only sustained minor injuries, including a sprained ankle, cuts and scratches.
Twice in Lassen County’s history there have been local militia units of the California National Guard. The first was the Honey Lake Rangers of the 1860s. The last time was during World War II. Initially, there was to be one large unit for Lassen and Modoc counties. That plan was neither feasible or practical and was dropped.
A new strategy was drafted. Inside each county, especially in large rural counties like Lassen, several local militia units would be formed. There duties were to protect the area in case of enemy invasion. Their involvement was confined to the boundaries of the county. Uniforms, guns and ammunition would be provided to each unit. They would also be trained in guerilla warfare. In Lassen County it fell upon the Farm Advisor (T.S. Brown) to organize these units.
On May 20 1942, the first organization meeting was held in Susanville. Local units were created for Susanville, Bieber, Doyle, Janesville and Standish. By the first of June, the Susanville Militia had 70 members. It became known as Thomas Tucker Militia—named after Thomas Tucker the first casualty from Susanville in World War I. Fortunately, this volunteer force never had to be activated. At the conclusion of the war, each individual’s enrollment in the militia was automatically cancelled.
In case you missed it, an alert subscriber, Jane Hail, provided a bit of additional insight. After all, she has a family connection. Her husband, Roger Hail, is a nephew to the late Clyde Knox. According to the information Jane provided, it was a project of Clyde’s, though he never did get around to finishing them.
Now, my next Janesville research involves the demise of the town’s Methodist Church. I came across some of old notes of mine, that it was put up for sale in 1946. Stay tuned.
Smith Properties has the old Missouri Bend School house for sale at $109,000. The school was built in 1909 for $1,500. In 1954, Missouri Bend was annexed to Janesville Unified School District
