Tag Archives: Railroads

Westwood’s First Train

February 21, 2018 Tim Purdy Leave a comment

In January 1912, the Red River Lumber Company entered into an agreement with the Southern Pacific to construct the 120-mile Fernley & Lassen Railroad. Time was of the essence as Red River had entered into an agreement with the Great Western Power Company to log Big Meadows by 1914 as it was to be transformed into a reservoir known as Lake Almanor. On February 21, 1914 the first train reached Westwood. It would not be until summer that the railroad was officially completed, as ballast work needed to be done. The abandoned railroad line is known today as the Bizz Johnson Trail.

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History

A Wendel Story

February 12, 2018 Tim Purdy Leave a comment

In 1929, some one had high hopes for Wendel. Nearly sixty years later, some one in Germany thought it had occurred. At that time I had received a call about wanting to know the nearest international airport was for Wendel. In addition, what kind of accommodations were available and did Wendel have a Holiday Inn Hotel. Alas, I had to explain to Armin deWendel current state of affairs. Armin’s interest in Wendel was due to the fact it was named after his family who were investors in the NCO Railroad. Needless to say, after I sent him some photographs of the town, his interest to visit the place went by the wayside.

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History

Fairview School District

February 3, 2018 Tim Purdy Leave a comment

In January 1910, east side residents of Honey Lake petitioned for the formation of a school. They cited that there were twenty-seven eligible students in the proposed district. The nearest school was at Amedee, and the majority of the petitioners resided some 12 miles distance. However, the Lassen County Board of Supervisors did not approve the new school until November. The residents built a schoolhouse in the center of the district, since there were no towns in the area. That would suddenly change with Calneva Station established by the Western Pacific Railroad and Stacy on the Southern Pacific. In 1915, Calneva experienced a boom of sorts, and separated from Fairview to form the Fort Sage School. Fairview continued on even as the population dwindled and in 1936 the school closed for a lack of students.

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History

The Wendel Seance

December 30, 2017 Tim Purdy Leave a comment

Wendel Branch, Lassen County Free Library, 1920

Lassen Mail – March 14, 1930 – Wendel Promises A Big Boom

Shades of the days of forty nine or of the oil fields are about to be created and materialize in the near future if current rumor and certain things that are more then rumor prove to be true. The scene of the séance is to be at Wendel, and from the evidence it is a good place to hold one.

There is much to be said in favor of Wendel. During the past week there have been eighteen engines in one day, three new men added to the force in the roundhouse, and an extra telegraph operator put on. Everything indicates a big boom which will do its booming in the near future.

Certain people may prefer to scoff at Wendel as a possible metropolis of the plains, but the fact that there is more than sagebrush down there has been proven throughout the past two weeks. There is a good future in Wendel, and farsighted people will soon be watching this place to see what happens.

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History

The Western Pacific’s Highline

December 28, 2017 Tim Purdy 1 Comment

Mohalla Siding, south of Lake Almanor, July 18, 1931. Courtesy of the Plumas County Museum

Awhile back I received an inquiry about the status of my research on the Western Pacific’s Highline. For those not familiar it is a 200 mile stretch of railroad between Keddie, California to Klamath Falls, Oregon. Western Pacific would construct a 112 mile stretch from Keddie to Bieber, Lassen County. The Great Northern Railroad would construct the segment from Klamath Falls to Bieber. The rail line was completed in November 1931 with a golden spike ceremony at Bieber.

As to the question at hand, the project literally got derailed. In future posts, however, we will explore some of the history of this line, which someone Western Pacific’s dubbed the line the Mountain View Route, but it was never adopted.

History

The Fernley & Lassen Railroad Dismantled

December 19, 2017 Tim Purdy Leave a comment

In 1912, when an agreement between the Southern Pacific Railroad and the Red River Lumber Company was reached to build the Fernley & Lassen Railroad from Fernley, Nevada to Westwood time was important consideration. The Southern Pacific had two years to construct the line.

The demise of the railroad was a slow, lingering process. In 1963, a 60 mile segment from Fernley to Flanigan was abandoned. In 1978, the segment between Mason Station and Susanville experienced the same fate, though it would be rehabilitated into the Bizz Johnson Trail. It should be noted this segment had not been in use since 1955 due to extensive flood damage and the Westwood mill closure, Southern Pacific deemed it was not in its best interest to make costly repairs. In 2006, the tracks between Susanville and Wendel were removed.

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A Railroad for Milford, Again?

November 29, 2017 Tim Purdy Leave a comment

The Milford Post Office and Store, 1909. Courtesy of Betty Barry Deal

A month ago, we examined the NCO Railroad proposed railroad line for the west side of the Honey Lake Valley that was abandoned. By 1905, hope was on the horizon with the Western Pacific Railroad when survey crews came through the community. The Western Pacific had looked at two sites to cross the Sierra—Chilcoot or Fredonyer. Alas, Chilcoot was selected. Enter the Red River Lumber Company who wanted a branch line from Doyle to their lumber town of Westwood. It became close to a reality after the Chilcoot Tunnel caught fire in May 1912, but almost does not count.

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A Railroad for Milford?

October 1, 2017 Tim Purdy Leave a comment

The abandoned Milford Flour Mill as it appeared in 1901. Courtesy of the A.J. Mathews family

By 1887, residents of the west side of the Honey Lake Valley were excited when railroad surveyors showed up for the NCO Railroad. For Milford and other communities this would be a wonderful opportunity for growth. A year later they were snubbed, when feisty Erasmus Gest, the railroad’s manager abruptly changed plans to abandon the west wide of Honey Lake for the barren east side. Later management was quoted about this bypass as “one of the most monumental blunders I have ever known a sane man to commit.”

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1900s Migrant Worker Woes

September 22, 2017 Tim Purdy 1 Comment

Construction of the Western Pacific Railroad near Constantia. Courtesy of Marie H. Gould

It is interesting to note how the local newspapers made caustic remarks when Japanese farm laborers were brought in to work the sugar beet fields on the east side of the Honey Lake Valley. While there was a local work force available, those workers refused to do that kind of hard labor. During this same time period when the Western Pacific Railroad constructed its line through the lower of end Honey Lake Valley the bulk of its workforce was Hindus and Greeks.

History

The 1889 Solar Eclipse

August 21, 2017 Tim Purdy Leave a comment

My apologies for a newspaper clipping, but I was never able to obtain my print of the photograph back for the above press release, done way before scanners, etc.

You would nearly have to be hermit living off the grid to escape all the coverage about today’s eclipse. One of the best places to view the solar eclipse of January 1, 1889 was the Honey Lake Valley. On that date, the NCO Railroad (then the N&C) ran a special excursion train from Reno to its new terminus of Liegan (near present day Herlong) to view the eclipse. Forty people took advantage of the offer.

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