Personally, I have special affinity for architecture, but my honest opinion I disagree with this newspaper article as follows.

In July 1908, it was announced that Susanville pioneer merchant David Knoch hired Enhorning & Harrison to  construct a house at 100 North Roop Street. The Lassen Advocate noted: “The Knoch residence on the corner of Roop and Nevada streets is a one-story edifice, 32×62 feet and will contain five rooms, bath, closet and pantry. It will be bungalow style, with a round tower on the corner. The building be wired. throughout, and strictly up-to-date in all its furnishings and appliances.”

First and foremost, bungalow style homes do not have a semi-circular porch. Second, I knew owners Lyle “Dan” & Nadene Wemple and frequently visited them during the late 1970s. The interior of the house basically remained the same as it was built–bland. There were was no wood work features and/or cabinetry associated with a bungalow.

On a side note Enhorning & Harrison kept busy, besides Knoch residence, they built the Borrette next door in that same year. In 1909 they constructed houses of 120 and 130 North Roop Street.

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It was on December 2, 1987 that the last issue of the Lassen Advocate rolled off the press. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge David Russell ordered the shut down of the 122 year-old newspaper. Richard Myers publisher, said, “They just took over, marched in with a locksmith and changed all the locks on the doors and told us to leave.”

Of course, there were the chatter of all arm chair quarterbacks as to what went wrong.  There was debt of new building, now home of the Susanville Police Department. Also, on October 18. 1978 the Lassen County Times made its debut and now the Advocate had competition.

Tim

While the Susanville Elks Lodge has owned its iconic building for 100 years, construction began in 1884 making the landmark building 140 years old.

On March 22, 1884, J.G. Leonard purchased the vacant lot at the west end of Main Street from Sarah Hosselkus for $450. Leonard, a dentist originally studied to become an architect, and designed this unique structure. All, the rooms , with the exception of the kitchen/dining were octagonal in shape. In November 1884, Leonard hired Charles Odette to construct it.  In February 1885, Leonard moved into the house, though it was not finished. However, when C.H. Lawrence filed a Mechanic’s.Lien for lumber sold ($1,463.77) it stated the house was completed on March 10, 1885.

Anyhow, Susanville, then a small town was not large enough to support a full-time dentist. That prompted Leonard to ride the circuit, practicing his profession in the outlying regions of Lassen, with extended trips to Modoc and Plumas Counties. Leonard went bankrupt  due to cost to construct the house. It did not help matters, as many of his patients paid in trade rather than cash. In 1890, William Greehn who Leonard owed$2,800  was awarded the house in the bankruptcy proceedings. It became one of Greehn’s many property rentals. The rent $15 a month.

On April 11, 1908 Greehn’s Estate sold the house to Joel Swain for an undisclosed amount. Swain, who owned s popular saloon finally finished the house. Swain died in 1918. In 1922, his widow sold the residence to the Antler’s Club, an off shoot of the Elks organization. In 1924 the  local Elks groups received their charter and it has been their home ever since. Like so many organizations they go through peaks and valleys. This year happens to be a low point for the local Elks Lodge. It is my understanding due the building’s upkeep has caused financial burnden for the lodge and they proposed to put it for sale.

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In the spring of 1874, Iowa resident Sylvester Daniels came to Janesville to spend some time with sister Polly Parks. The primary reason for the journey was to inspect the country as possible relocation of is family. He kept daily journals, whether such entries was done doing. chores, but equally important was the observations of people and places.

On his first visit to Susanville he wrote on June 9, 1874: “There are some pretty good looking ranches along the Susan River. Susanville is the County Seat of Lassen County. They can boast all they are mind to of this country, but it not here. So far as I have seen there is very small portion of this country that has a soil. All that the greatest part is good for is what mineral can be got out of it  and the climate. There is million acres good for nothing so far as man can see, only to hold the world together. It looks to me that here is about as many folks in this valley, it will support..”

In December 1875, Daniels liked what he saw up north in Surprise Valley He relocated there, died in at Lake City in 1908. His descendants still reside there.

Tim

It was on Christmas Day, 1925 when the Saint Francis Hotel in Susanville opened its doors to its west wing expansion. Work began  in September. While it only added an additional nine guest rooms, six with private baths, it allowed more complimentary features. Not only were the lobby and restaurant facilities more than doubled in size, adorning the top floor on the Main Street side was a balcony. The balcony was removed by the Goni family in the 1950s.

Tim

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