Sometime back I wrote how Brashear Street came to be. I did note that I would do a follow up on the Brashear Tract, one of Susanville’s smallest subdivisions. For a little background. In 1863, when the town plat was made the only blocks that were subdivided into individual lots were those with Main Street frontage.

In 1911, with railroad rumors swirling that Susanville would be serviced by the Iron Horse caused a subdivision frenzy. Z.W. Scott was the real estate agent for the Brashear Tract. Scott advertised the unique qualities of this small tract–there was the commanding views and its close proximity to everything. After all, it was one block from the Lassen County Courthouse and only two blocks from the business district. These choice and limited lots featured something unheard in Susanville. To guarantee the tract would be desirable it was stipulated that all homes constructed would require an expenditure of at least $1,000.

Tim

A reader remembered a long time ago when visiting the local history museum that there was a reference that Susanville had two hanging trees. and that they were a deterrent for visitors to engage in criminal activity. The Lassen County Historical Society even contributed to the folklore.

In its 1963 Bulletin entitled Susanville there is a short article by Robert H. Amesbury called the “Hangman’s Tree. Here is that story: “The large oak tree located in the front yard of the residence at 60 North Pine Street is alleged to have been used used by the law enforcement in early days of Susanville as an execution tree.

“Here were hanged several horse thieves and other wrong doers. Since the main road west from Susanville went up Pine Street at that time, this tree served as a constant reminder to travelers of the fate awaiting law breakers in this territory.”

Tomorrow we will explore what really transpired.

Tim

Having gone full circle on this topic of the west end of Susanville’s Main Street.

May be this unique plot of land should have a designated unique name? While the California Division of Highways (pre-Caltrans) created it, at the same time it is not a recognized parcel, thus legal ownership is in question. After all it does not appear on the Lassen County Assessor Maps!

The Monticola Club refers to it as the Triangle and are somewhat the unofficial overseer of it. In 1958, The Garden Section of the Club began planting flowers there. In 2023, the Monticola Club planted daffodils.  In 1987, the Monticola Club through the hard work of Patty Davies put together a history of the various activities of that organization. The following is an excerpt from that booklet: “The Triangle. The 50 foot steel flagpole  erected in the ‘triangle’ at the west end of town was purchased by the club in 1967. The club also ordered a flag that had flown over the U.S. Capitol. Since then, the club has paid the Lions Club $10 annually to raise the flag on major holidays. Several members donated six junipers for the area and planted lawn and petunias. Almost every year since, the club has been responsible for the beautification of that area.”

Tim

While going through a photograph transfer file, in search of a particular photograph that I thought had been scanned, I came across this one of interest. By the way, for those inquiring minds, I never did find what I was looking for.

In the summer of 1981, gabions were installed along the north bank of Susan River just below the Carroll Street bridge to prevent further erosion of the bank. As one can easily see, there was not much water in the river to divert during the project.

Tim

Back in 2017, I briefly wrote about this topic. This time around, I have a better photograph. For nearly a century there were water tanks located at the base of Inspiration Point, that served as the town’s water supply. For those not familiar, the water source is Cady Springs located some three miles west in the Susan River Canyon.  One of the interesting features about these old tanks, and the above picture highlights, is the fact that there were no covers on the tanks and remained that way as late as the early 1970s. These tanks no longer exist, and all that remains is the cement foundations.

Tim