It many aspects it is one of Red River Lumber Company’s most unusual and significant logging camps. For the most part, Red River camps were given numbers and not names. It was by far the largest and many of its building were a permanent nature versus the portable. Continue reading Camp Bunyan
Millponds at lumber mills are a relic of the past. Those who have recollections, especially if living nearby can attest during the summer months of the odiferous stench from them. Continue reading Westwood Millpond
Here is a glimpse of forthcoming posts from July 1 to July 15.
| Murrer’s Upper Meadow | 7/1/15 |
| Westwood Millpond | 7/2/15 |
| Murray Dunham | 7/3/15 |
| Leon Bly | 7/4/15 |
| Upper Smoke Creek | 7/5/15 |
| Camp Bunyan | 7/6/15 |
| Susanville Reporter | 7/7/15 |
| Black Rock Toll Road | 7/8/15 |
| Steward House | 7/9/15 |
| World War I Living Memorial | 7/10/15 |
| Drakesbad | 7/11/15 |
| Janesville Flour Mill | 7/12/15 |
| Eagle Lake Bass | 7/13/15 |
| Brand Project Update | 7/14/15 |
| Jurgen Jensen Family | 7/15/15 |
Order of Camels was a fraternal organization opposed to prohibition. The camel was an ideal symbol as it could go for long spells without a drink. As we know they did not succeed in stopping prohibition. In a peculiar move, a local chapter was organized on June 10, 1920, nearly a year after prohibition took effect.
On January 29, 1912 a contract was signed in San Francisco that would forever change Lassen County. On that historic date, T.B. Walker signed an agreement with the Southern Pacific for the construction of the Fernley & Lassen Railroad.
T.B. Walker with his need for a railroad transformed Lassen County in countless ways. It brought an era prosperity that has seen before or since. The huge influx of population provided a huge market for the local farmers and ranchers. Take for instance, there was not a single dairy, by 1920 there fifteen.
Of course, if opened the door to the timber industry, and transformed Susanville in a major lumber manufacturing center. What was thought with sustained yield and other forestry practices it was believed that it would remain the dominant industry for well over a hundred years if not more. Within fifty years, the writing was on the wall, and Lassen County’s citizens sought a new industry—prisons.
In future posts we will explore those exciting times, as well as T.B. Walker.
Garfield Oates began his career as a mechanical engineer with Diamond Iron Works in Minneapolis. In the fall of 1912 he was sent to Westwood to supervise the construction of Red River’s sawmill, as it was designed by Diamond Iron Works, who supplied most of the machinery. After the completion of the mill, Red River offered him a position of resident engineer which he accepted. Oates designed many of the landmark buildings of Westwood including the Auditorium, Masonic Hall and Theater. He was very active in community and served many years as the president of the Westwood Auto which was a defacto Chamber of Commerce for Red River. After all, Red River did not need a chamber, since it was company town, so there was no need to attract businesses to locate there. Yet the Auto Club promoted Red River products. He died in 1934 after a four day bout with a gall bladder attack.
The winter of 1923-24, was one of the driest on record in California. That summer another record would be broken–forest fires. It was June, 1924, when the Red River Lumber Company having been in operation for over a decade experienced its first major forest fire. The fire broke out at Chester Flats between Camps 34 and 38 and burned a narrow strip of land, eight miles in length. Red River’s loss was minimal as the fire burned recently logged over land and the only significant damage was 500 cords of wood burned along 1,000 feet of railroad track. Red River considered its biggest loss was to the men fighting the fire which cost the company a $1,000 a day in wages, and it took a week to contain the fire. Continue reading Westwood’s Fire Train
As we enter our fourth year of drought, let us hope it does not last as long the 1917-1937 drought. The most severe was the winter of 1923-24. Susanville received less than five inches of precipitation this year. It was so dry that winter that in the middle of March, a one-inch snow fall at Susanville caused great excitement. There was even a greater commotion when eighteen inches of snow fell. It disappeared in a matter of hours. That was the extent of precipitation for the winter. Continue reading The Drought
In August 2013, I led a Westwood Cemetery tour as part of that community’s centennial celebration. The graves that were highlighted, provided a different aspect to Westwood and the Red River Lumber Company.
Robert Stinson was born in Quincy in 1882, and followed in his father’s footsteps as a commercial photographer. It was a tough trade to operate a business in a rural region. So like many others it became necessary to be itinerate traveling from community to community for business. In 1913, Red River hired Stinson as their company photographer, who at the time was located in Red Bluff. Stinson’s main job was to make a complete photographic inventory of all the buildings being constructed in the town, as well as the sawmill plant. A portion of this collection exists in the T.B. Walker papers housed with the Minnesota Historical Society. Stinson just happened to be at the right place at the right time, when Lassen Peak set off a series of volcanic eruptions beginning in 1914. Unfortunately, for Stinson and other photographers such as P.J. Thompson, are overshadowed by that B.F. Loomis, but that is another story, for another time. Stinson stay at Westwood was brief and left Red River in 1915 to be replaced Otto Kratzer. On a final note, Red River always had an in-house photographer, though they also hired others for commercial work.
When the decision was finally made by the Red River Lumber Company to locate a mill at Mountain Meadows, there was still the obstacle of a railroad. Actually, the selection process was a volatile one, which one can read in Red River: The Early Years. On January 29, 1912, Red River entered into a contract with the Southern Pacific Railroad to construct a 125 mile railroad from Fernley, Nevada to Mountain Meadows, to the town that would be named Westwood. As an incentive, Red River guaranteed the Southern Pacific that all their freight would be handled by this line for a period of five years. In addition, it was understood that once Red River was ready to expand north, the Southern Pacific would extend its line to Klamath Falls, Oregon. However, that is another story, though Red River gave serious consideration to build a second mill near Lookout. Continue reading Westwood’s First Train