Diamond Mountain Inn as it appeared in the 1920s and was located next to the Masonic Hall. It was destroyed by a fire in 1931.
The Diamond Mountain Inn was originally known as the Janesville Hotel. The two-story wooden structure contained twenty-two rooms and was built by Dennis Tanner in 1872.
In 1913, B.R. Holmes acquired the hotel. It was in need of substantial upgrades. He named his new enterprise the Diamond Mountain Inn—the named remained until its demise.
Holmes operated the hotel for a brief period. It would change numerous ownerships over the years. In 1920, LeRoy Pollock was one of them, whose son Jackson Pollock would become well known in the modern art world.
On the night of December 6, 1931, J.C. Moore, the current owner, was awakened by the crackling sound of fire. He hastily escaped the burning building. A bucket brigade was quickly assembled, with all efforts to prevent the fire from spreading. The hotel was a total loss, and only partially covered by insurance. The origin was a defective flue in the dining room.
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This post was a long time in the making. Research during a pandemic, along with the courthouse renovation project, just added challenging layers.
While this is not complete as I would like, but it is a start. Who knows, some one might see this, who has first hand knowledge. During the 1950s kitchsy roadside motels were quite the rage. The particular one is Janesville is still somewhat of a mystery. According to the Assessor’s Office, there was never a permit issued, nor were they ever completed. All I remember was in the 1970s Clyde Knox owned the structures.
If anyone has additional information, that would shed more light on this, I would like to hear from you.
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There was a time, not long ago, when it was customary to through a celebration to burn a mortgage. After all, it was an important milestone to own the property outright.
On October 16, 1935 the Janesville Masons celebrated two events the first being it was the lodge’s sixty-first anniversary. The other they had just paid off the mortgage.
It was a festive occasion with Masons from Susanville and Westwood partaking. Superior Court Judge H.D. Burroughs of Susanville provided a history of the lodge. The Westwood Masons furnished the music. Len Dozier who served two roles one as master of ceremonies and the other to keep watchful eye on Steve Bass to make sure the only thing he burned was the mortgage.
In 1992 the Janesville Lodge consolidated with Lassen Lodge. A few years the Janesville Lodge building was sold.
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The Janesville Hotel when it was owned by Justus R. Bailey, circa 1880.
This actually a tale of two Janes. In May 1857, Malcolm Bankhead bought the claim of Thomas Mitchell. He built a two-story log-house and offered public lodging. It remained until 1872, when Dennis Tanner tore it down and constructed the two-story wooden frame building known for many years as the Janesville Hotel.
Malcolm was soon joined by his wife, Jane and four children. I 1858, Smith Hill built a house nearby. In 1861, Henry Lomas established a blacksmith shop there at the same time, Smith Hill opened a combination saloon and shoe-shop. The village was initially known as Bankhead’s. Some accounts have it that at that time it became known as Janesville, in honor of Jane Bankhead. It should be duly noted that Malcolm and Jane’s daughter, Susan, married Smith Hill on June 13, 1859. On May 17, 1862, the Hill’s daughter, Jane Agnes was born, a first in the village. Some state the town was named for her, being the first child born there. On June 15, 1864, the name Janesville was official with the establishment of the post office. Whatever the case may be, the naming of Janesville was a family affair.
Janesville Oddfellows Hall—Courtesyof Howard & Gladys Scott
For whatever unknown reason the residents of Janesville were reluctant to embrace electricity, unlike their Standish neighbors. In the fall of 1929 there were a handful of Janesville residents who campaigned the citizens to sign up for electricity so a power line could be constructed from Standish. By November 1929, sixteen people had signed up, but to make the project a reality required twenty sign ups. The organizers were stymied by the reluctance of the Janesville Masonic and Oddfellow Halls to sign up. After all, it was thought these two buildings held many public functions, and they would be better served with electricity. In 1930, a power line was extended to Janesville for the initial subscribers.
Thompson Peak Fire Lookout, circa 1950–Courtesy of Margaret Purdy
September is a wonderful time to go out and explore, with mild temperatures and in many cases most of the back roads you will have all to yourself. An interesting excursion is the Thompson Peak Fire Lookout that looms above Janesville at an elevation of 7795’. It was built in 1931, and it is still a manned lookout. The view of the Honey Lake Valley and the surrounding territory is magnificent. However, due to the Walker fire it may be awhile before one can access Thompson Peak.
In 1910, with no concrete substantial proof that a railroad would traverse the Honey Lake Valley, the Lassen County Chamber of Commerce remained positive that one day it would happen. In an attempt to be proactive, they approached the Susanville City Council to rename the town. It was their contention that the suffix “ville” carried on the conotation of a small village. They wanted something with a metropolitan flair. It was a sensitive issue, since the town’s namesake Susan Roop Arnold still resided in the community. The chamber wanted the matter placed on the ballet. The council said no, case closed.
In 1912, with the Fernley & Lassen Railroad a reality, the real estate community was in full force to rid the Honey Lake Valley of town’s ending in “ville.” The first victim was Spoonville, which became Edgemont. The next one, Janesville, was controversial. well. On July 2, 1914, the Janesville Post Office was renamed Lassen. This did not set well with many of the town’s residents. A petition was sent to the Postmaster General to restore the name, but it was denied. It led to confusion since the town was known as Janesville, but its mail designation was Lassen. In 1923, the residents once again petition the postal authorities to restore the name. It was granted and on September 22, 1923, the Lassen postal designation was dropped.
A little background for those not familiar with the topic, that I wrote about in the spring of 2015. Granville Pullen first came to Lassen County in 1870. He moved around, and in 1901 he bought a ranch near Janesville. In 1914, at the age 76, he retired from the ranch and bought a home in Janesville. It should be noted that Pullen had been collecting various artifacts and curious for forty years. Upon his retirement he opened a small museum to display his collection. People were fascinated and donated items to him.
In 1920, Granville and his wife, Mary, bought a home on South Roop Street in Susanville. Next to his new home, he had a small concrete building constructed to house his museum and it opened to the public on June 18, 1921.
When Pullen passed away in 1926, his wife did not share her late husband’s possession for his artifacts. In early 1927, Mary donated the bulk of the collection to Lassen County and many items were put on display in the new Veteran’s Memorial Building. At the December 5, 1927 meeting of the Lassen County Board of Supervisors a discussion was held regarding the Pullen Museum. Mary Pullen offered the museum building on Roop Street to county on the condition it would be moved to another location. County Purchasing Agent E.F. Koken informed the board that it would be too difficult to move the building and the county declined the offer.
The Buntingville Post Office operated from 1883 to 1920
Today, Buntingville, a few miles south of Janesville, is just a mere wide spot in the road. Yet, back in the day it was strategically located at the intersection of the Alturas and Reno Stage Road. Today, it is part of the focal point of the cut-off of Highway 395 from Buntingville to Standish, i.e. County A-3, for those traveling north or vice versa.
In the early 1870s, Alexander J. Bunting (1836-1903) located there and operated a stage station to accommodate travelers. Bunting only had a squatters claim to the land that he occupied. In 1883, Bunting moved to Lake County, Oregon, where he spent the remainder of his life. In 1878, Edward A.Weed, editor of the Lassen Advocate, while visiting Buntingville, humorously suggested that the name be changed to Catville, “There being more cats and kittens to the square rod than any other place we visited.” In the late 1870s and early 1880s Buntingville flourished, and gave serious competition to its rival Janesville. Serious debate was held as to where to build a new flour mill for the region—Buntingville or Janesville? In 1882, Janesville became the victor. While Buntingville lost out on the flourmill proposal, it continued to thrive for some time. In 1900, the small community could boast of its own newspaper, the Buntingville Breeze. The paper was short-lived, for after two months, its editor and publisher, Mike Phillips, who also operated the town’s general store, moved his enterprises to Standish.
Buntingville’s claim to fame, that it was the headquarters for the Honey Lake Valley’s first telephone company. On July 10, 1911, the Honey Lake Valley Mutual Telephone Association incorporated as a co-operative. In 1924, the group had over 200 subscribers from Standish, Janesville, Milford, and Richmond. Plagued with financial problems, it was taken over by the Lassen Telephone Company on July 21, 1924.
In the late 1940s and early 1950s witnessed numerous changes with the Lassen County schools. Not only there were numerous consolidation of school districts, but a lot of new schools were constructed then. In 1948, the voters of the Janesville School District approved a bond measure for a new school and it was approved. On November 3, 1951, Al Row, with his high bid of $380, purchased the old schoolhouse and he moved it to his property. However, the school trustees donated the old bronze bell that adorned the schoolhouse to the Janesville Fire Department.
