This Lassen College ski club was organized in the fall of 1939. In the 1930s, skiing was all the rage in the region. In 1934, Westwood’s Paul Bunyan Ski Club constructed a ski jump on Fredonyer. In 1938, Lassen College forestry students built a ski hill and warming hut at Willards some six miles west of Susanville. Of course, this ski club took advantage of many skiing events held at Mineral and Lassen Park. The club had a very short existence and went dormant by 1942, one of the many affects caused by World War II.

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On July 6, 1938 the Lassen Union High School Board of Trustees announced plans for several new buildings. They cited the increased enrollment had an impact on the existing facilities. After all in 1930 enrollment was at 383, and now it was 776. Of course, a portion of the increase was due to the Lassen Junior College’s popular forestry program, which shared the high school’s facilities. Under the proposal a new industrial arts building, a new gymnasium would be constructed and a redo to the old gymnasium. The approximate expenditure was placed at $100,000 that could be funded under a federal Public Works Administration (PWA) grant and loan. The trustees would ask the voters to approve a $55,000 loan by a bond measure, to draw 4% interest to be sold to the PWA. When it went to the voters, it was soundly rejected. This was due in part the whole issue was put together hastily and the information about the bond was confusing.

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On September 19, 1935 a Technical Institute course in forestry was offered at Lassen College. There was a lot of enthusiasm for the new course, not just from the college, but the timber industry who would benefit by its graduates. However, there were critics who thought the initial cost to implement it was expensive compared to other traditional vocational courses.

By the time the second semester began word had spread and there was tremendous interest from outside the region. When the fall semester of 1936 began the enrollment at the college had nearly doubled which was attributed to the forestry program. It was a turning point for the college. For the school to thrive it would need to seek out students from other areas, as the local tributary schools was not sufficient enough for the college to expand.

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Awhile back I wrote about Lassen College’s first student newspaper the Jaysee. It turns out a few years earlier that the college had a publication called the Lassen Jay-See. On December 17, 2000 Francis “Fritz” Riddell sent me a copy for the archives. It was Vol. 1 No. 2 dated March 1938. It contained twenty-six pages of short stories by the students and fourteen pages of local advertisers to support the endeavor.

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It is September, which is traditional back to school time, though these days in California many schools start their fall session in mid-August. The students at Ash Valley undertook an unusual social studies project. In September 1936, they entered a wild flower exhibit at the California State Fair. The exhibit contained 60 different varieties, 20 of which were found in the school yard. For their efforts they received as trophy as they placed third in the competition in this particular division. The students who prepared the exhibit were: Grace Bath, John Bath, Martha Bath, Patricia Nixon and Mary Lou Nixon.

For those not familiar with Ash Valley it is located between Adin and Madeline.

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