Just as the old time photographers left us a visual record, early day journalism left us with a written impression. For the late 1850s the Marysville Daily, Appeal, the Red Bluff Beacon and the Shasta Courier reported on the happenings in the Honey Lake Valley.

In April 1860 the Richmond Times made its debut. At the helm of this enterprise was Andrew Ramsey (a member of Dozier, Torrey families). Not much is known about the paper’s content, except it was a handwritten manuscript, which was not unusual for that era. The subscription price 200 pounds of potatoes when harvested.

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Just a follow up on some documentation. As noted in the post of the Eagle Lake School, it closed in 1937. It was not until 1940 when the school was annexed to nearby Willow Creek School District. That school closed in 1946, and in 1950 all that territory of the two districts were annexed to Susanville.

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With a lot of pomp and ceremony the local Masonic Lodge featured prominently in the laying of the cornerstone of the new Lassen County High School building on September 23, 1905. When the high school was formed it held its classes in the Susanville Grammar School, later renamed Washington. In 1904, the trustees purchased the Main Street campus for $2,000. The next step was to build the school. In July 1905, the Granite Rock Company was awarded to build the landmark building at a cost of $25,670. It was designed by W.H. Weeks of Watsonville, California.  Placed in the cornerstone were copies of Lassen Advocate, Lassen Weekly Mail, Big Valley Gazette, Programme of the Day, List of Town Trustees, Copy of Red Book, List of County Officers, and Rays from the Purple. Whether the cornerstone was saved when the school was torn down in 1968, is not known.

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This evening will mark the 110th commencement exercises at Lassen Union High School. One hundred years ago on June 1, 1917, seven graduates received their diplomas:  Myrtle Doyle, Helen Woodward, Alma Frawley, Stella Glass, Pauline Ruf, Mildred Zimmerman and George Winchester.

It was a simple ceremony with a handful speeches, beginning with the invocation by Rev. R.N. Rowe. In between speeches were two different musical solos, one by Esther Gilman and the other by Dr. F.D. Walsh. The commencement address was delivered by Lassen County District Attorney, J.A. Pardee.

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Lassen College’s forestry department began in 1938, though now its major emphasis is on fire science, than forestry. It was in this era of the late 1930s and early 1940s that the forestry students developed a small winter recreational area known as Willard Hill. For several decades it was a very popular spot for sledding, etc.

Paul Bunyan Days was a logging competition held not only at Lassen College, but other community colleges that had forestry programs.  Tom Gilfoy who graduated from Lassen in 1951, said it was Ralph Throop who was instrumental in starting Paul Bunyan Days. At that time it was held behind the high school, since the college was located on the same property. Tom stated they made an impromptu dam on the Susan River for log pond events.  Years later Paul Bunyan Days was moved to Willard Creek.  Mike Moyers who later taught at Lassen stated that around 1981 or 1982 was when the last Paul Bunyan Days was held. In 1984, the forestry program at the college was terminated due to lack of students.

This rural Honey Lake Valley school was located approximately halfway between Milford and Doyle. It was established on January 7, 1896. That summer the residents built the schoolhouse. The school opened in the fall with fourteen students, Tillie Downing was its first instructor. From 1934 through 1938 the school was closed for lack of students. It re-opened in 1939. In 1959, it closed for the last time and annexed to Long Valley.   The schoolhouse, situated along Highway 395, has had many uses since its closure, presently it has since been converted into a private residence.

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