Earlier this month , the Sierra Theater closed its doors. Its future is uncertain. The Susanville Symphony Society would like to see it converted into a performing arts center. That group has a request before the City of Susanville to appropriate a portion of the unallocated American Rescue Plan Act funds. No decision has been made by City officials pending a review of the Society’s plans.
In 1934 the Liberty Theater was condemned as state inspectors deemed it unsafe. The building was demolished. T&D Enterprises owner of the facility announced a new theater would be built on the site of the old one, to be named Sierra Theater. Construction on the concrete re-inforced theater began in October, and the owners noted it was earthquake proof, the first of its kind in Susanville. On Friday, March 8, 1935 a grand opening was held for $75,000 theater. The first showing was appropriately a film named, “The Whole Town’s Talking.”
Yesterday, we explored how the taps ran dry on alcohol beverages. Even with the passage of the Volstead Act aka Prohibition, bootlegging was prevalent and the social experiment would eventually be doomed.
On April 7, 1933 beer was again was flowing in California as chipping away of the Volstead Act aka prohibition continued. There was a catch, however. Only establishments that served meals were eligible to serve beer. Many a former bar, installed lunch counters. In Susanville, it was debated what constituted a meal? Did a sandwich constitute a meal, to allow a person to drink beer all day if they wanted to? Whatever the case may be, that is why bar and restaurants go hand in hand.
Susanville’s Owl Saloon circa 1907. Ironically, this establishment burned down only six weeks after Prohibition took effect in 1919. Courtesy of Del & Diane Poole
The temperance movement locally gained a foothold in the early 1880s, but never could gain any traction. In the late 1910s everything was about to change.
Lassen’s first draft of inductees,, August 10, 1917. D.M. Durst Collection
The first two times the town went dry were unusual circumstances. The first time was on August 7, 1917, at the request of the United States Army Draft Board. This was to accommodate the examining physicians. The doctors experienced a number of difficulties in examining inductees, since the majority of them arrived for physicals heavily intoxicated!
A year later the saloons were closed again, but this time by City of Susanville. The Spanish Influenza epidemic was the cause. There were over 300 cases of the flu in Susanville alone–roughly one-third of the population. The City held a special meeting on November 11, 1918, and it was voted three-to-two to close the saloons. The ban was effective immediately. On November 19, the City met again in special session to discuss the ban and it was lifted. It had been noted that there had been a decrease in flu cases
In 1919 witnessed the passage of the Volstead Act, also known as the Prohibition Act or the Eighteenth Amendment. June 30, 1919, was the last official day for the saloons to operate in Susanville. The Lassen Weekly Mail noted its observance; “The final obsequies for John Barleycorn in Susanville last Monday night was a very tame affair when compared with the scenes in other parts of the country. The saloons had disposed of practically all their stock before Monday and the supply of liquid refreshments was not very plentiful at the close. The doors were closed promptly at 12 o’clock.”
The saloon business was big business in Susanville. The city treasury was hit hard. The closing of these businesses city lost one-quarter of its revenue from licensing fees.
No doubt exciting times were on the horizon. The Lassen Lumber & Box Company was in full operation. Fruit Growers Supply Company’s mill was under construction. When completed Fruit Growers would employ some 1,500 people. Many of Fruit Growers new hires would be bringing their families, so the area was about to witness a huge population explosion. A lot of growing pains to contend with.
The City of Susanville continued with its progressive plan to continue to make improvements for the betterment of the community. The City Council held many special meetings to figure out a way to pave the streets, put in gutters and sidewalks. The paving of Main Street was a number one priority. The street was costly to maintain, especially on the city’s meager budget. A bond measure was out of the question at this time. The city deemed a special tax assessment to be levied over a period of years as the best method to proceed. On October 22,1920 the city awarded a contract to pave Main Street and build sidewalks to the Warren Construction Company for $191,256.20.
Fruit Growers Manager’s Residence under construction on what became part of River Street, Susanville, 1920–Ed Standard
In 1922, Susanville’s Milwood Tract subdivision was created. There was one street that was somewhat of an after thought and evolved over the years—River Street. Even before Milwood Tract and that of River Street it was the location of Riverside Hospital and Fruit Growers Supply Company’s Resident Manager’s residence. River Street, initially began from Main Street, headed one block south, then made a hard right and at the intersection of South Fairfield merged with Riverside Drive. Later it was modified at the initial one block starting point became South Gilman Street. River Street at that intersection then extended west to McDow Street. It would even later be extended again to connect with South Ash Street.
Construction of Riverside Hospital, 1920. Courtesy of Ed Standard
160 North Pine Street, Susanville, 1921–Lola Tanner
For the remainder of the month of August, I have selected a random bunch of photographs for the Tuesday Tidbit feature.. The house at 160 North Pine Street, Susanville is situated at the intersection of Pine and North Streets. It is so situated that the view from the house looks directly down North Street. It was the original home of George B. Long and in the 1990s it was still owned by descendants. Of course, something that is a century old does experience modification. While that is the case with this residence, it still retains its original integrity.
Before the City of Susanville was incorporated, it went through its own evolution. First as a trading post, then a village. There were some citizens that were not pleased that the Lassen County Board of Supervisors dictated what the town could or could not do. Fire protection was a major concern, especially after the 1882 fire that destroyed a large portion of the town’s business district. The citizens wanted to form a fire protection district. To do so, an actual township needed to be created with a set of boundaries and a population count. With proposed boundary set, Susanville’s first special census was enacted. On April 8, 1884 a census was held and revealed there were 586 inhabitants. Thus, the foundation was laid for what eventually would become the incorporated town of Susanville in 1900.
The ruins of the Methodist Church and Emerson Hotel, August 6, 1915
On August 5, 1915 a devastating fire destroyed the Emerson Hotel, Hyer House Hotel and the Methodist Church. between Main and and Cottage Streets. The three-story Emerson Hotel would not be rebuilt. The Methodist Church on the other hand were able to salvage the burnt out hull of their building.
The aftermath of the 1915 fire.
It would be a slow tedious process. Due to financial constraints the church did not want to take on any more debt. In 1917, the church was completed and fully functional. The one alteration was that the steeple was not replaced.
The application of “fort” to this landmark is somewhat of a misnomer. It had no military affiliation. It started out originally as a trading post on the Nobles Emigrant Trail.
In 1863, the abandoned structure became the focal point in the skirmish known as the Sagebrush or Boundary War. The Honey Lakers fortified themselves in the log cabin during a short battle with Plumas County authorities. Hence the “fort” appellation. The building is sometimes referred to as Fort Defiance.
The so-called war was a political dispute between Plumas County officials and the residents of the Honey Lake Valley. At issue was who had jurisdiction over the region—Nevada Territory or the State of California. While it was known that California’s eastern boundary from the Oregon border to Lake Tahoe was the 120th meridian. The problem was no one knew where it was. For a complete version see Sagebrush War.
On August 4, 1984 some 500 members of the fraternal organization known as E Clampus Vitus descended upon Susanville. The occasion was the chartering of the Neversweat Chapter #1863 of the E Clampus Vitus and the dedication of the Pioneer, the oldest establishment in Northeastern California. The organization has been around since days of the California gold rush, and was a spoof on the more refined fraternal organizations of the day. In the 1930s it went through a revival and focused on marking historical sites and having a good time while doing so. The Neversweat Chapter was not the first for Susanville, as a lodge existed in 1868. In the early 1880s there were several lodges in Modoc County.
Neversweats chartering festivities at the Pioneer, August 4, 1984.
Back to that day at hand, the Lassen Advocate summed it by reporting, “By 7:30 a.m. most area residents were awakening for breakfast and routine Saturday tasks, the revelry at the Pioneer was already in full swing. Clampers were 3 to 4 deep at the bar, the beer was flowing and festive mood in the air. The celebrants began arriving at 6:00 a.m. and spilled from the sidewalk into the eastbound lanes of Main Street. Traffic was undoubtedly light during the early morning celebration.”
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