Tag Archives: Politics

History

An Interesting Editorial

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Main Street, Susanville, 1926.

The following editorial appeared in the Lassen Mail on July 9, 1926. It is interesting in a few aspects. There is a story, inside the story about elections/politics, and is only fitting since Tuesday is Election Day.

Buy Where You Earn. There is much talk these days of boosting Susanville and there are many activities that are making it better known, wealthier, bigger. The American Legion Convention will bring it state wide attention and will undoubtedly cause many people to make this their home.

But with all this there are many people who talk Susanville and act elsewhere. What of the man who talks of the great future of Susanville on the street corner and buys his clothes, his automobile, his printing and even his groceries in another city? His words are mere bombast but his buying his needs in other places is one of the worst blows that civic industry in this place can sustain.

A candidate for office approached a business man in Susanville and asked for his support in the coming election. The business man, after explaining that there was nothing personal in his refusal, told the candidate to go to Montgomery Ward for his political support. The candidate did his buying from the mail order house and the mail order house should support him in the election.

A man supports those who support him. You cannot expect business or co-operation if you are not willing to give the same thing in return.

Susanville goods are of the same quality and Susanville prices are just as cheap as those of other cities. The person who is mislead by cheap prices is losing out in the long run. The man who is buying his goods out of town is not gaining either financially or otherwise. If he does this he cannot expect local people to trade with him.

Local trading, of whatever nature, is beneficial to everyone. It increases industry and will increase population. A bigger and better Susanville is the aim of every public minded citizen and the best way to realize that ideal is to encourage home industry and stamp out the man who makes his money in Susanville and spends it in some other city.

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History

A Progressive Westwood?

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Westwood, 1931

One of things the Red River Lumber Company did not like about California was its politics. After the company established Westwood, it initially took a neutral stance to politics. That would change over time.

The Westwood Auto Club served as a de facto chamber of commerce for Red River. Since 1916, Californians voted on several bond measures to build a state highway system. By 1926 those funds had been exhausted and to the dismay of the residents of Northern California the majority of bond revenue was spent building highways in Southern California. In June a movement was on hand to place on the ballot a one cent per gallon gasoline tax to be used for highway construction. The Westwood Auto jumped on the bandwagon and led a vigorous petition drive to obtain signatures to place the matter on the ballot. It was widely supported and by the end of July enough signatures had been obtained to place the measure on the ballot, to be known as Proposition 4.

To date nearly $100 million had been spent in the last ten years for highway construction. It was estimated an addition $123 million was needed to complete the state highway system. Southern California had an initiative also on the ballot—Proposition 8. This was an effort to grab a major portion of road funds for the next twelve years. It turned into a North/South divide issue. Proposition 4 proponents worked hard and were successful. In Lassen County nearly 90% of the voters approved it.

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History

Diamond Mountain

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A view of Diamond Mountain from Antelope Grade, January 1975

Exactly who and when mountain was named, is not clear. By the early 1860s it was referred to Diamond Mountain. There are pockets of crystal quartz that can be found along the range, hence “diamond.”

In February 1910, Lassen County historian and retired school teacher, Asa M. Fairfield wanted to name the highest point on Diamond, Mount Roop. It went over like the proverbial “lead balloon.” Fairfield’s quest to have a feature named for Isaac Roop did not end. Fairfield consider Roop the father of Lassen County, while Peter Lassen received all the name recognition.

In 1921, Fairfield petitioned the United States Board of Geographical Names to rename Worley Mountain, to the west of Susanville. In 1922, the Board agreed and changed the name from Worley to Roop Mountain.

Susanville  Peak, 1947. Courtesy of Fred Lendman

Personally, Susanville Peak would have been more fitting to the name designation. In Susanville’s historic core, one cannot see Roop/Worley Mountain. Yet, Susanville Peak is highly visible throughout the community. I still refer to Worley by its given name because when I was growing up that is what everyone referred to it as.

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History

Congressman Raker’s Funeral

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John Edward Raker was born in Illinois in 1863, at the age of 10, came to Lassen County with his parents. In 1885, he passed the bar examine, and moved to Alturas to practice law.  He eventually went into partnership with his father-in-law, E.V. Spencer. Raker went on to being elected Modoc County District Attorney and then Modoc County Superior Court Judge. In 1910 he decided to run for the California’s First  Congressional District seat  and won by a slim margin of 141 votes. Raker continued to serve as Congressman until his death in 1926.

Raker was buried in the Spencer family plot in Susanville. The services were held on Sunday, January 31, 1926–an impressive. affair. The body arrived by train at noon at Susanville, which also consisted of a number of Congressmen, along with a contingent of forty-seven people from Alturas.

As the Lassen Mail noted: “The procession was an imposing one, as it slowly and solemnly wended its way along the slush covered streets. When the first automobile reached the Methodist Church, the line was still moving at the depot. The line of march was along Richmond Road to Weatherlow, north on Weatherlow to Main, up Main to Lassen and thence to the church.”

The night before the region was hit with a heavy snowstorm, making the roads a big slushy mess. Twenty-five members of McKea Post, American Legion, attended but it took them two and half hours to make the trip from Westwood. Had the weather been more favorable there would have been an even larger turnout.

Tim

History

We May Never Know . . .

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The petition.

This is a tragic tale of a indigent burial in the Susanville Cemetery.  It incensed those in attendance to petition the Lassen County Board of Supervisors to make sure it never happened again. The petition, which is transcribed below, fails to mention the deceased. Who that person was, we might never know. California law did not require that births and deaths be recorded until 1905. There are gaps in the local newspaper, so that avenue could not shed any light on the subject. The minutes of the Board of Supervisors might have information, but those early records are in storage during the courthouse renovation process.

February 6, 1889  — To The Honorable Board of Supervisors of Lassen County

”The undersigned citizens, your petitioners, hereby report to you of a certain burial made this day by the County Officer that we witnessed the same day and hereby most earnestly and candidly condemn the same—as the most atrocious, outrageous and indecent ever by us witnessed. There being no box nor covering for the coffin and the dirt thrown on the coffin lid and the treatment before burial of the corpse. The most inhuman barbarous and disgraceful. We therefore ask that hereafter the person who shall bury the county dead give bonds for at least a decent burial.”

Finally, it should be noted that of twenty-six people who signed the petition, nineteen of them would eventually be buried in the Susanville Cemetery.

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History

Yikes, the 1926 DeForestation of Lassen National Forest

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Lassen Mail, April 16, 1926

In April 1926 a conference of forest service foresters was held in Susanville. It was district forester S.B. Show whose statements caused alarm.  Show had been doing extensive studies for a number of years of the nation’s timber resources.

Show noted that the timber resources of the southern states were rapidly being depleted and that, in turn, would put more pressure on the forests on the west coast. When Show was asked how long the forests of Lassen will last, he replied that at the present rate cutting from 25 to 30 years.  Show continued that practically nothing is being done to reforest the lands that are being denuded by the timber operations and unless some constructive plan is worked out it is only a question of only a few years when the mountainsides of Lassen County will be bare and the only great natural resources within our boundaries will be depleted.

Show was not all doom and gloom. He stressed the importance of reforestation. He also noted the current tax assessments on timber provide the owners of such lands with little or no incentive to preserve timber for the future. It is interesting to note that later in the year the Lassen County Board of Supervisors reduced the timber assessment tax rate by twenty-five percent.

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History

The Prison Debate Continues

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CCC & High Desert State Prisons

Earlier this year, the State of California announced plans to close the California Correctional Center at Susanville by June 30, 2022.

In the early 1950s discussions were being held among the progressives in the community that the lumber industry, that had such a profound economic impact, was now fading. The big question was what to replace with it. A state prison sounded like a worthy option that would also be stable. On October 13, 1953, the first public hearing was held in Susanville to discuss the merits. Earlier in the year, California Lt. Governor Goodwin Knight, toured the region and thought that Susanville was a favorable site for a future state prison. Not everyone was in agreement. There were some in the community who gave it tremendous support, while an equal number who were dead set against. As is customary, there was also a large segment in the community that had no opinion. Ten years later, a dedication ceremony was held for the nine million dollar California Correctional Center.

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History

California County High School Act

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W.H. Weeks architectural rendering for the Lassen County High School. .

In 1892, California passed a progressive piece of education legislation enabling counties to establish public high schools.  Many California counties, while embraced the concept, were slow to implement due to the financial crisis of 1893, which certain regions took decades to recover.

In the spring of 1902, Lassen County Superintendent of Schools, O.M. Doyle embarked on an ambitious campaign to form a Lassen County High School. He succeeded. On November 4, 1902 the voters approved the measure—637 Yes and 295 Opposed. The opposition came mainly from Big Valley, Madeline Plains and Long Valley, since there was no doubt the high school would be located in   Susanville, and they resided such a great distance from there, it would not be beneficial in their opinion.

On September 14, 1903, the first session of the Lassen County High School was held. In attendance were approximately forty students, with two instructors, George Barton and F.C. Schofield, the latter also served as principal. In the summer of 1905, construction began on a high school, at a cost of sum $30,000. That iconic building on Main Street was torn down in 1968 and replaced with the current structures.

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History

Lassen County Budget Crisis—Trim the Fat!

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Lassen Union High School—Lola Tanner

In November 1931 a Lassen County Farm Bureau committee was formed to see how to make cuts to the expenses of Lassen County government. One of their first recommendations was to make the Lassen County Assessor personally inspect every tax payers property to make sure nothing escaped assessment.

It was education they really set their sights on. J.H. Hunter of Westwood stated that 32 cents out of every state dollar went to education. It was Hunter’s opinion that colleges were turning out so many yearly graduates who could not find employment.

J.A. Pardee chimed in with his two-cents worth. He thought community colleges were a waste of time and money. Its was Pardee’s thought that a grammar and high school education was more than sufficient and that higher education was not necessary. Their consensus, “We are spending hundreds on ten-cent kids.”

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History

A County Seat Proposal

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Standish, 1910–Prentice Holmes

The May 1907 meeting of the Lassen County Board of Supervisors was a lively one. The hot topic was a new county jail and courthouse. The board received numerous petitions from throughout the county. One common thread that residents was for better roads. Many thought the county should be investing in a rock crusher and replacing wooden bridges with steel. There was, of course, resentment from the public who resided far Susanville over the cost of the newly established Lassen County High School.

The petitions from Bieber and Standish had another odd twist. Both petitions urged the board that the county seat be relocated. It was their opinion that Standish be made the county seat on the grounds it was more centrally located. The board took no action on these topics. In addition, it would be some time before the board would even bring up the topic of a new jail and courthouse.

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