In December 1908, the NCO Railroad finally made it all the way north to Alturas.  One would think the residents would be thrilled, but with a major increase of frieght rates, it had a chilling effect. Then, when the NCO built its passenger depot on 12th Street, far from everything else in town, the residents complained. To appease the situation, the railroad carefully disassembled the stone depot, numbering each stone, and once dismantled the stones were reassembled at the new location on  Fourth Street. The depot closed in 1938, and in 1962, the Alturas Garden Club took over the property and still maintains it.

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That was the sideline article that appeared in the Lassen Mail of January 31, 1930. The main headline was the barbaric murder of Robert L. Smith, railroad gang foreman at Karlo.  The Mail wrote: “In addition to establishing the record as the most brutal crime in the history of Lassen County, the murder at Karlo last Sunday morning also established a peak of honesty that will stand for some time.

”While Coroner Edenholm was handling the burned body at the scene of the crime, one of the track laborers came up to him and giving him $25, told him that he owed that amount to the dead man.”

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Often just referred to as the “Bizz,” is a thirty-mile recreational trail that was converted from the abandoned Fernley & Lassen Railroad between Susanville and Westwood. There were a number of hurdles along the way, one which was to secure federal funding.  Name it after a well known congressman, would do the trick. In1983, Congress designated it as the Bizz Johnson Trail in recognition of Northern California Congressman Harold T. “Bizz” Johnson who served in the House of Representatives from 1958 to 1980. This an excellent time to enjoy the trail and the fall colors.

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This was something I had always wanted to do, was ride on an old fashioned railroad speeder. They were so named, as I understand, that they were faster than a handcar. Speeders were used to examine maintenance of the railroad track. You might have seen the modern version were pickup trucks that have flanged wheels that can be lowered onto the rail, and I think that would be fun too.

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This was a dubious land subdivision that was laid out northeast of Amedee in February 1893. It was promoted to investors outside the area and for a good reason. The prospective buyer was presented with maps and photographs of the prosperous new town of Amedee. They were informed the new addition  was on ground slightly higher that of the town, thus with its views made it desirable residential property.  When buyers actually inspected lots they purchased, they were in for a real surprise. As the Amedee Geyser reported: “Truly the view from the terrace is a magnificent one, but the suburban resident to reach his home with the assistance of a fifty foot ladder will lose enthusiasm over the scenery.” 

In the fall of 1893, a warrant for H.B. Griffith’s arrest was issued , who was the promoter of the subdivision, on the grounds for selling property under fraudulent pretenses.  Griffith caught wind and fled the state, thus avoiding criminal charges.

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The poor little Nevada-California-Oregon Railroad had a troubled beginning that would stay with it. The N-C-O for those not familiar was narrow gauge line that ran from Reno, Nevada to Lakeview, Oregon. It was initially known as the Nevada & Oregon and later the Nevada & California, before it finally incorporated all three states in its name in 1888.

These initials, N-C-O became a target for criticism for the railroad’s poor service. The railroad received such dreadful titles as the Narrow-Crooked & Ornery, Northern California Outrage, Never Comes Over and the Nevada-California-Occassional. J.M. Tremain, editor of Susanville’s Lassen Weekly Mail, called the N-C-O a Tri-weekly: “It goes to Reno one week and tries to return the next.”

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