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.

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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 →

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.”

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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

Spanish Springs is a locale in the southwestern corner of the Madeline Plains. Folklore has it that it was named for a Spaniard who was the first person to locate there, but subsequently abandoned his claim.  On April 5, 1875, J. O. Conard filed the first claim to the springs. In the mid-1880s, August Penning located on Conard’s abandoned claim and operated a stage station there during the late 1800s through the early 1900s.  In 1893, Penning was granted a liquor license to operate a saloon with one provisin no more than one quart of distilled spirits to any person. On November 17, 1941, the Pennig family sold their Spanish Springs Ranch to John Sugadi for $11,000.

It was in 1989. when R.C. Roberts established the Spanish Springs Guest Ranch, that for a time put the area on the map. They offered spring and fall cattle drives for their guests to take part, though to partake was not cheap. The facilities and accommodations  were not shabby either. My last dining experience there was in June 2004, with Franklin Dill (Lassen High Class of 1933). It was another year or two when the 3,500 acre ranch was auctioned off, but the guest ranch portion was never resurrected.

This is one of those instances where I have been derelict in duties to chronicle the history of Robert’s enterprise. However, those who had business dealings with Roberts, it was not always a pleasant affair. In 2000, I felt the ire, when the Roberts Estate wanted to hire me to do  extensive water right research, but I had to decline for his advisory the John J. Casey Estate had already retained my services. Enough said, but the Casey Estate was prompt on payments for my services.

Tim

This is a kind of strange, short tale., especially since the records are somewhat sketchy. Lassen County records indicate that plots were sold in the Madeline Cemetery on May 3, 1909. Yet it was not until passing of one year old Bobbie MacDonald, on May 11, 1911 who would become the first person buried there. On January 11, 1917 John Bigford donated the land to the county, but it does appear he even owned the property. It was accepted by the county, and which a cemetery map was prepared in 1918. The cemetery received very little use there being only fourteen graves. As far as I know the last person buried there was Chris Laras in 1962.

Tim

When the NCO Railroad arrived on the Madeline Plains 1899/00, it gathered a great deal of media attention. The area witnessed some prosperous times, which peaked around 1915-16. World War I saw the drafting of the young men of the Madeline Plains, who after the war did not return because there were a lot of opportunities elsewhere than making a hardscrabble existence at their former home.

By the 1920s and into the 1930s, it was not all doom and gloom. Take for instance the Bailey Creek Sawmill to the west of Termo, that was a major boost to the economy. Of course, the Southern Pacific Railroad, which had taken over the former NCO provided jobs as well.

Of course, passer by travelers also was part of the economic fabric. For one Jim Lechuga, his visit to Ravendale was memorable. On April 28, 1930 he was arrested there with a suitcase that contained  360 tobacco tins full of marijuana. He told authorities it was for medicinal purposes. Roy D. Jones, State Narcotics Office, said that was hogwash, that marijuana had no medicinal value. On May 7, 1930, a jury trial was held in the Lassen County Superior Court. Lechuga was found guilty and sentenced to six years in prison at San Quentin.

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