With Labor Day Weekend approaching, some may have short attention spans. Thus, this 1976 photograph of Ravendale, basically depicts a wide spot in the road of Highway 395. Nothing to get excited about, but its here for posterity.
On the other hand, a view of Ravenalde, during better times.
Tim
Recently, I acquired a photograph of the Ravendale Bar/Cafe. However, I do not have that much information on this former establishment. It was a fun place to stop. My memory is a bit hazy as to when it was destroyed by fire. It had recently changed ownership, and some were of the opinion that the fire’s origin was “suspicious.”
If anyone has information has on this topic, I would like to hear from you.
Tim
There were three communities on the Madeline Plains, Madeline, Ravendale and Termo. All three owed their existence to the Nevada California Oregon Railroad, which the arrived on the plains in 1899 and created Termo and a few years later Madeline.
It was reported that the end of February 1910, that a new NCO station was rapidly being built five miles south of Termo. Dame rumor had it that it was to become a division point for the NCO railroad. It was also stated that J.H. Williams and G. Horton were surveying a town plat.
So much for speculation. William B. Edwards, locally known as Uncle Billy had formed the Western Land & Power Company to entice homesteaders to eastern Madeline Plains. The best stopping off point was the homestead of Jim and Laura Coe. They agreed to subdivide their land, and the NCO also agreed to establish a station there. On November 15, 1913, the official town plat of Ravendale, was recorded with the Lassen County Recorder. According to Madeline Plains historian, Don Garate, the name Coeville had been suggested for the new town, but Laura Coe already chosen a name—Ravendale. Why she chose that name is not clear.
The Madeline Plains historically is not the easiest place to make a living. Raising a family with children and to provide for their educational presents another challenge, whether yesteryear or today.
On the eastern Madeline Plains when the Moulton School District was abolished in 1898, it was succeeded by Cove School District. It took several attempts to get the district established due to problems associated with the proposed boundaries. It was finally approved on April 4, 1901. The petition was signed by nine families who, on the average, resided 25 miles away from the nearest school—though M.L. Millsaps’ three children resided 45 miles from the nearest school, at the old Tuledad station next to the Nevada border. According to Madeline Plains historian, Don Garate, the residents built the first school on the west side of Cold Springs Creek. The region experienced a record population growth with the influx of homesteaders and the school building needed to be enlarged and placed in a more central location. On October 16, 1908, the voters approved a $100 bond measure to build a new schoolhouse—the smallest bond measure ever to appear on a ballot in Lassen County. Just as quickly as the population increased, it dwindled. The school closed in 1916, as there were only four students, one shy of minimum requirement of five. The school never again opened its doors to students. In 1918, it was annexed to Ravendale. On November 24, 1924, Elinor Coldren offered $25 for the Cove schoolhouse, but it was rejected. In 1927, the Board of
Supervisors offered the schoolhouse for sale, but no bids were
received.
Its never been easy to make a living on the Madeline Plains. By1920 many a homesteader’s dream was shattered and moved elsewhere to make a living.
As the old saying does, as one door closes, another opens. This was certainly the case for the Madeline Plains. The nation’s Prohibition brought opportunities for some. For the plains, its isolated location was not a hinderance for bootleggers. Far enough away from the eyes of law enforcement, but not too far to market is major product—jackass brandy.
For one person, Ira Evans, this did not sit well for him. Evan’s owned the two-story hotel in Madeline. He had difficulty in finding managers for the facility. The last one he hired, turned out to be a notorious bootlegger. In 1929, enough was enough. Evans had the hotel dismantled. The salvaged lumber was taken to Alturas to build dormitory housing for the Pickering Lumber Company.
Many an interesting character has passed through Lassen County over the years. In early 1927, was World War I veteran Frank Heath. He was on a mission to ride horseback through every state of the Union on a single horse. He left Washington, D.C. on April 1, 1925 on his horse he named the Gypsy Queen. In all he would travel 11,523 miles and on November 14, 1927 arrived back in Washington, D.C. Continue reading An Interesting Journey—Frank Heath
Moon Valley Ranch was just one of many sudivisions throughout the State of California that forced the State to take preventive measures to prevent this type of future subdivision—namely the California Subdivision Act of 1971. Its a perfect example why there are disclosure laws in the real estate industry today. Numerous folks still invest in that property, purchasing parcels site unseen, only to realize that they bought a lot on a sagebrush plain or a rocky hillside covered with juniper trees. However, there are others that find its pristine setting magical, and buy a parcel as a special get away. Of course, Moon Valley, is a temporary home for illegal marijuana grows.
Abandoned townsites are a matter of there own. There have been speculators to revive the same to make a quick buck. The town of Flanigan, in eastern Honey Lake Valley, was a shining example. Some Reno realtors purchased the majority of the vacant town lots. This venture happened in the early 1980s, but never got quite off the ground. It was their intention to donate lots to such celebrities as John Wayne and Clint Eastwood. They would then advertise to prospective buyers, that could be neighbors to these famous personalities. These novelty lots would be priced at around $200 to $300. They had not anticipated a federal law that put an end of their enterprise. This was the Interstate Land Sales Full Disclosure Act of 1968. The law mandated improvements such water, streets, sewers, utilities, etc would be required for any lot sold for over $100, and that it meets the criteria of the Department of Housing and Urban Development. End of story.
The Occidental Petroleum Company’s published a very enticing portfolio of the wonderful virtues of Moon Valley for perspective buyers. The advertising of the region made it too good to be true. “Now you get it all at Moon Valley Ranch: prime recreation land, within 4 miles of a 2,500 acre lake, in Northern California, the next recreational capital of the West and profitable investment property almost certain to appreciate as California’s recreation-hungry population continues to explode . . .And what a price now you can buy 20-acre parcels for less than $199 an acre–$150 down, $29 monthly.” Their portfolio expands on all the nearby wonderful recreational areas, such as skiing and golfing at Westwood, though they did not mention that Westwood was some seventy miles away. Also they did not disclose the fact that the golf course at Westwood was only proposed. The Company was correct in their advertisement that is was “The magnificent, away-from-it-all Moon Valley Ranch” to “land-that-time-forgot.”
Moon Valley is not really a valley per se, but a very large subdivision on the Madeline Plains. In 1968, the Occidental Petroleum Company purchased a large portion of the lands owned by the Rees T. Jenkins Land & Livestock Company. On the west side of the Madeline Plains, they subdivided thousands of acres into 20-acre parcels they named Moon Valley Ranch. The first unit was recorded on July 12, 1968.
Moon Valley conjures up many images depending on one’s perspective. For some Lassen County officials it presents many challenges. Law enforcement officials have to contend with illegal marijuana grows and from there the list goes on.
A number of these parcels are sold sight unseen. Once sold the new buyer who finally makes the pilgrimage there, realizes the land is not what they envisioned and that it was not such a great deal after all. I recall, in one instance a young man from England came into the Lassen County Assessor’s Office wanting to know about a parcel he recently inherited there. Of course, in his mind, he thought he found the proverbial pot of gold, after all it was real property in California. The Assessor’s Office did the best they could to describe the property, yet the young man was undeterred. After he left, we all agreed that he probably spent more money to make the trip from England than what the property was worth.
Tim
There were only a handful of proposed rural schools in Lassen County that were never approved. Spanish Springs School District was one of them.
On January 28, 1906, Lassen County Superintendent of Schools, J.F. Dixon, received a petition from August Penning requesting the formation of a school district, to be named Spanish Springs.. Penning stated he and his neighbors were too far removed from
the nearest schools at Cove in the eastern portion of the Madeline Plains and Secret Valley to the south. Dixon was concerned about the proposed boundaries, for it could jeopardize the enrollment
populations of the Cove and Secret schools. On the other hand, Dixon requested that the Board of Supervisors to consider Penning’s petition carefully, for he felt that the Spanish Springs residents would benefit from having a school. At the March 5, 1906 meeting, the Board of Supervisors declined to consider the petition, stating it was received too late. No attempt was made by residents press the issue any further.