In 1860, Zenas J. Brown (1812-1895), a pharmacist, received the nickname of Dr. Eight Square when he constructed an octagonal building in Susanville. Brown, in the scheme of things is known for a lot of things.

In 1861, Brown created Susanville’s first subdivision, located in the vicinity of Lassen High School and aptly named Browntown. In my opinion this just weird. First, the nearby mining town Richmond rivaled Susanville. Secondly, it was not until in 1863, that Susanville plot map had been surveyed and recorded. However, Isaac Roop the questionable owner of said property, did not prevent him in sale of said lots that would become officially known as Susanville. It should be noted that in 1920,  what would comprised Browntown was legally subdivided and known as the Armstrong Addition. Furthermore, most that property today is the Lassen High School Campus.

Brown’s lasting legacy, that he is credited with the planting of the area’s first orchard of apple and peach trees. In 1863, one of Brown’s peach trees produced the area’s first peach crop —four peaches devoured by Susan Roop and Mrs. C.W. Fuller. In the fall of 1864, Brown sold his subdivision and left the region.

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It was on Valentine’s Day 1869, that Susanville’s founder Isaac N. Roop passed away from pneumonia. He was only 47 years old. One of the unique contribution that Roop did for Susanville, does not that garner much attention. Susanville which one of the oldest communities of the western Great Basin, has an extra ordinarily wide Main Street. This was a fire prevention measure. Thus, should a fire break out, it could be contained to either the north or south sides of Main Street. It worked very well, and only time it failed during destructive fire of 1893. in which all of the business district was reduced to ashes.

Tim

One of the more disastrous fires in Susanville occurred in August 1915, when a large portion of the block containing the Emerson Hotel, the Hyer House Hotel and the Methodist Church were destroyed. The losses were heavy, none of the buildings were fully covered by insurance.

Members of the Methodist Church were determined to rebuild their church that was constructed in 1901. The skeletal walls were deemed fit for re-use. While insurance covered a large percentage of costs to rebuild, more funds were needed. It was decided to hold a Kirmess Festival. Those not familiar with the term, is of Dutch origins.  While it has several meanings one is that it involves an outdoor fair/festival for charitable causes, usually affiliated with a church.

In early March 1916, members of the church announced a four day Kirmess festival to raise funds to rebuild their church. The kirmess was scheduled for March 28-31. On the first day, it took on air of Mardi Gras with a parade that included the majority of the community. Entertainment was held every night at the Orpheum Theater. On Thursday night Guy P. Johnson won the election and was crowned Kirmess King. A good time was had by all and nearly $1,000 was raised for the Methodist Church.

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One of my favorite No Trespassing Signs was the Baccala’s at Soldiers Meadows, Plumas County.  It succinctly though I might not remember it verbatim, but it you get the drift: “If we see hanging you see around  hanging today, you will be hanging tomorrow,” and poster was illustrated with a hangman’s noose.

When I began my research I was at “hanging” a lot at the Lassen County Courthouse. Needless to say, while they did the courthouse staff did not threaten my fate to the gallows, they put me work instead. From to time to time either County Clerk or County Recorder would receive a letter from individual doing genealogy.  They would give me the letter to answer.

One of those early request came from Callie Quint seeking information about her grandfather David Boyer who died in 1883 at Mountain Meadows and buried at Susanville. Boyer, a Pennsylvania native, migrated to California in search elusive of proverbial pot of gold. Like so many others before and after him it was elusive and resulted in a hardscrabble existence. In 1875, he briefly operated a saloon at Prattville, Plumas County. The town catered to tourist trade that escaped the heat of the Sacramento Valley in the  summer to what is now known as Lake Almanor. Boyer feeling pinched, pulled up stakes that winter and moved to Susanville. He soon learned the grass was not greener on the other side. He leased a boarding house, but that it did work out. An opportunity at operating a saloon at Janesville seemed promising, but it was not. Back to Susanville. His endeavors as an innkeeper or a bar keep just was not was in the cards to sustain liveliehood was not forthcoming. The paper trail disappeared. In the spring of 1883 he moved his family to Mountain Meadows, though what he did there is not that known. On July 2, 1883, David Boyer died of heart attack at the age of 53. He left a widow and four small children destitute. Amanda moved her family to Susanville did odd jobs, including a bakery to sustain her family. She left Susanville in 1885.

On a final footnote. This one instance helped me to develop my research and writing skills. For a time in the late 1970s, I penned a weekly history column for the Lassen County Times, and I wrote about Boyer.  This caught Lassen College instructor Bob Middleton’s attention. Bob urged to me to get a teaching credential in history, and I did. In the mid-1980s I taught a course of research techniques on local history at Lassen College.

Tim

In April 1963, the Lassen County Historical Society issued its Bulletin 10 entitled Susanville. It included a story by Med Arnold (1885-1967) The Susanville I Knew Over Seventy Years Ago. Those not familiar with Med, he was a grandson of Susanville founder’s Isaac Roop. Susanville’s Mark Street was named for his brother. Lassen High School’s Arnold Athletic Field,  was named after Med.

Med recounts the annual practice of ice-harvesting. One must remember this was before refrigerators. Med wrote: “Ice was cut on the mill pond [Bremner] just above town on the Susan River. Usually a foot and a half  to two feet thick, the ice was hauled into town by sharp shod horses, and was stored in ice houses for summer use by saloons, ice cream parlors, and a few private families. Sawdust used to cover the ice, and kept it nicely from one season to the next. We did, however, have one mild winter in which no ice was harvested. The users solved this problem by hauling in snow from Diamond Mountain.”

Tim

Over the holidays, Fred and Theresa Nagel shared the above photograph of Jay Cee’s parade float. In the early 1950s and to the mid 1960s there was the Susanville Junior Chamber of Commerce, hence the nickname “J.C.” It was my understanding that the members were in the 20 and 30s. It was like the reincarnation of the “20-30 Club.” It was the promotional arm of the Susanville Chamber of Commerce. One of major goals of the JC’s was to promote and organize events of Susanville Centennial of 1954. This is not be confused of centennial of the City of Susanville, but rather the centennial of when Isaac Roop settled there in 1854. It was a success. It was decided to keep the organization, and prepare for the Lassen County Centennial of 1964. After that event, the Susanville Junior Chamber of Commerce faded into oblivion .

Tim

Fratneral organizations once social fabric of many communities, both large and small have been waning. In Susanville, it came as shock to many residents that iconic Elks Lodge that has graced the west end of Susanville will be up for sale. A dwindling membership, maintenance costs  among other things  is cited for cause.

Way before the Elks organization, initial property ownership of this prime property is rather vague. It also happens, record wise, the earliest land transaction of Chinese in Lassen County.  On September 14, 1864  Chew Henry sold this lot in Susanville to fellow countryman Hoa for $266. How Chew Henry acquired it, is not known. Ditto, how Hoa disposed it.. In November 1865, Shong Lee sold it to Isaac Roop for $150. Eventually, Sarah Hosselkus bought the property. On March 22, 1884 she sold the lot J.G. Leonard for $450. Leonard in turn commissioned the structure that we know of Elks Lodge today.

Tim