1927 holiday greeting card from the Lassen County Sheriff’s Office. Left to Right, Sheriff Jim Leavitt, Deputy Tom Massey and Deputy A.C. “Cass” Hunsinger.
Today, residents in far northern California will go the polls in a special election to elect a new State Senator. Having worked elections for many moons, so I want to give a special thanks to all the poll workers that make it possible.
With that in mind, here is a bit of local election history. The race for Lassen County Supervisor, District No. 2 was a cliffhanger. On Thursday after the November 1936 election, incumbent Seymour Case had 1,055 votes and challenger, former Lassen County Sheriff Jim Leavitt had 1,026 votes. There were still ninety absentee ballots to be counted. When the final count was tallied Leavitt won by two votes—1094 to Case 1092.
Piute Creek, April 9, 1938. Courtesy of Betty Barry Deal
In 1870 the California Legislature passed a law that prohibited hogs from running at large in the village of Susanville. This was serious business, since the problem was so bad, the residents had to petition Sacramento for assistance! Take for example that on May 22, 1864, Isaac Roop, the owner of the town’s water system sued Hiram Teft for allowing his hogs to roam freely. It should be noted the town’s water supply was from Piute Creek, and was distributed through open ditches. In Roop’s court complaint he cited, “ Teft’s hogs has entered and wallowed in my water ditch and has urinated and deposited excrements therein whereby the water running in said ditch has been muddied and rendered filthy and make unfit for use.” Roop sought $50 in damages and loss of water sales. As no judgment was entered into the court, Teft and Roop must have reached an agreement.
Timber fallers, Lake Almanor, 1927. Courtesy of Roy Rea
Once upon a time, this program established in 1908, had a major impactof funding for local governments where national forests were located. Initially, twenty-five percent of timber sales were distributed to counties where government timber was sold. These funds were earmarked for roads and schools. For many decades in Lassen County it was a huge deal. For example in 1926 Lassen County received $33,886.28–the third highest amount in California. While that figure may seem small by today’s standards, that sum represented one-quarter of Lassen County’s budget.
The Susanville plant, 1921. Courtesy of Ed Standard
In this era of being bombarded with the term “fake news” the City of Susanville deserves a gold medal award to distort the record to accomodate someone’s warped mind. It should be noted, after all, I have spent the majority of my life researching the region’s history to provide an accurate record versus false statements, which is different from folklore. For instance, when my Eagle Lake book was published in 1988, Bob Amesbury congratulated me, since he had written a book on the lake, too. Bob went onto say that he had all the bullshit and I had all the facts.
Fast forward to the summer of 2018, when at the City’s urging I met with with two officials, Mr. McCourt and Ms. Schuster, concerning the history of Riverside Park. It was an exercise in futility, for this dynamic duo, could care less about the history of site, and were bound and determined to change the name of Riverside Park to Fruit Growers Park, regardless of the facts, which ultimately they were successful, using a deceptive survey, that the general public was excluded.
Fruit Growers Supply Company, 1936
Oh, dear reader, it gets worse. To support their claim they lied on the record at a city council meeting at the September 5, 2018, and that information then appears in the local newspaper only to get perpetuated. One of Schuster’s first comments that the city gave Fruit Growers the millsite property consisting of 256 acres, which it should be noted was larger than the city itself, and was located over a mile away from the city limits. Just the twenty acre parcel where the park is located, Fruit Growers purchased that from George and Pearl Bassett for $9,500. In all, Fruit Growers spent more than $60,000 for the millsite property and water rights. It just gets worse. Schuster noted that Fruit Growers sold the mill to Eagle Lake Lumber Company in 1944. Fact, Fruit Growers sold to Eagle Lake Lumber in 1963 for $875,000. Later on it was mentioned that Fruit Growers donated the park property. Excuse me. The city purchased it in 1976 for $23,000 from Sierra Pacific Industries, and it was not the city’s first choice. The city was trying to buy Vallejo Meadows along Piute Creek, north of Willow Street, and west of Parkdale, as part of a greenbelt program, but that deal fell through.
In closing then, with the City’s current thinking, Riverside Hospital where I was born and lots of others could not have existed under that name, as it must have been Fruit Growers Hospital.
Susanville resident, Fred Brockman, dawning a black face for a 1918 event.
If you have been following the national news, then you aware of the Virginia governor linked to a “black face photograph” in his college yearbook.
So you maybe thinking, what does this have to do with Lassen County history. In the annals of its history, it is something that was part of the culture across the country over a century ago. Take for instance that on Thanksgiving Day 1900, the Milford Dramatic Club held its first entertainment—a Coon Dance. While attendees were not required to dawn a “black face,” those who wanted to participate in the “Cake Walk” were required. The cost for attendees was $2.00 that included a midnight supper, and to pay for Susanville’s Pastime Orchestra, who provided the music.
T.N. Long-Courtesy of his grandson, Jack Howard Long
It should be duly noted, that Thomas Newton Long (1833-1917) is not related to the other Long family of Susanville. It is somewhat similar to the Doyle Doyles and the Milford Doyles, as they are not related, just makes things confusing.
This Alabama native came to Susanville in 1861 and with A.R. Leroy operated a saloon. He would have a colorful career in county politics when in the fall of 1867 he was elected sheriff of Lassen County and re-elected in 1868. In 1871 he ran for county treasurer and lost. In 1874 he was elected Lassen County Supervisor, District 1. In 1877, he was elected county treasurer and served one term. In 1882, he was elected Supervisor District 1 and remained in that capacity until 1900. Outside of county government he operated a livery stable and had a family of fourteen children. On footnote, the location of the livery stable, would later become the Telephone Building, and also the first location of Safeway.
First of all, a friendly reminder tomorrow is Election Day and please exercise your civic duty. Having been an election official for many years, voter turnout is high priority in more ways than one. There is considerable amount work months prior for this one special day, and months afterwards. Now, I will get off my soap-box. Continue reading The 1864 Election→
While there has always been a lot of talk over the years of dividing up California, there is lesser known movement of annexing parts of California to Nevada. This, of course, is much more realistic than splitting the Golden State.
In 1907, Nevada took the lead to attempt to annex Alpine, Inyo, Mono, Lassen and Modoc Counties. Measures in support of the annexation passed in both the Nevada Assembly and Senate. It was their contention that the residents of those counties desired annexation to Nevada. In addition, they were tied to Nevada, geographicaly, socialy and politicaly, while they were ignored by California. Nevada requested that California allow the voters in the affected counties to vote on the annexation question. California said no.
While there are the rumblings to attempt to split the state, there have been from time to time attempts to split counties. After all, Lassen County was originally part of Plumas and Shasta Counties. Take for instance, from that on occasions Big and Fall River Valleys wanted to succeed from their respective counties and form a new county. In 1889, Susanville’s Lassen Advocate was annoyed by the rumors about this particular split and noted that it would not occur as those places did not have a sufficient population to support a new county.
Fredonyer’s Claim to what would become Susanville.
On April 26, 1856, twenty settlers in the Honey Lake Valley gathered at Roops cabin and held a “mass convention” to establish a territory of their own. After all, the group concurred, they were not residents of California and they did not want to be under Mormon domination of the Utah Territory whose boundaries extended to the eastern boundary of California. They named their new government Nataqua Territory. Nataqua, or Natauga as it is sometimes spelt, purportedly, was a Paiute word for woman. Their land grab was grand to say they least. They carved out a territory, 240 miles long and 155 miles wide, almost two-thirds the size of the State of Nevada. Ironically, the legal description of their new sovereign state, excluded themselves. Roop’s home, for instance, was located 35 miles west, outside the their western boundary. The Nataqua Territory, in essence, served as a form of local government to provide an avenue to protect their rights and to handle local land affairs. The territory served as a foundation until a more formal government was established. In 1857, the Nataqua Territory was abandoned when an attempt was made to form the Territory of Sierra Nevada.
