In 2019, I published an A&W advertisement, that a number of people emailed me about fond memories of the establishment. With that in mind, I thought I would do another. I am also including the advertisement from the past files.
A&W opened in 1961. I do not know when it closed. If anyone knows, please inform me of the same. A&W still exists, the nearest one is located as 1311 Baring Blvd, Sparks, Nevada. In the above ad, take note of Regal Gas Station gas prices.
Tim
In 1906, Brashear Street became the first new street inside the original town plat. There would be only three other streets inside the original city limits to be created. The others were Hill, Maple and Quarry..
William Brashear came to the Honey Lake Valley in 1863 and moved to Susanville where he purchased all of Block 32 and segments of Blocks 24 and 31, near the Lassen County Courthouse. These had never subdivided into lots. Creating the street was one matter, and the subdivision a different story. I will be doing a follow up, when I able to due a file transfer, using a one of the local library’s computer.
Tim
Note: Seasoned readers may recall this article from several years ago. However, it being Halloween, current readers might enjoy the same. These parties were popular in the teens and twenties of a century ago. They were held early in the year to break the winter doldrums.
Olga Wemple who wrote the Society page of the Lassen Weekly Mail reported on a special party that occurred on March 3, 1916. She wrote: “A freak party given by Mr. and Mrs. Jules Alexander (145 North Roop St., Susanville) proved to be the most unique and original that Susanville Society has seen for a long time. Every one was requested to come dressed in freakish costumes. Those who were invited responded with such enthusiasm in designing their queer attire that wide spread interest was caused not only among the lucky ones, but also among their friends who eagerly aided with their ideas. The home of the hosts was decorated in keeping with the plan of the evening. The living room was brightened with strings of oranges, lemons, apples with gayley colored balloons hung from the chandeliers and freakish pictures of all descriptions ornamated the walls. When every one had arrived each drew a caricature cleverly drawn by E.J. Feher to find “yourself” which table to be seated at.
“At midnight all entered the dining room which was decorated with onions, turnips, and beets. The large table was bountifully laden with all kinds of goodies. At each place a card upon whichwas tied a minature knife, fork and spoon and also the initials F.W.M.B.F were painted. All were asked to guess the meaning of the initials and Mrs. C.M. (Maybelle) MacDonald proved the clever one and guessed the meaning which was “Fingers were made before forks.”
Very seasoned residents will remember this location as Borghi’s on Richmond Road. On one side was a grocery store and deli, the other a bar known as the S.P. Club. After the brutal murder of Jennie Borghi in 1973, the placed closed down.
In the early 1980s it was brought back to a new life as Aardvark Pizza and became a popular gathering place. When the business moved to 1535 Main Street, now the location of Mazatlan, it just did not have the same appeal as its original location and eventually closed.
Tim
Along the same vein as Westwood’s Hotel Saville, in Susanville there was the Alpine Hotel. It was located on the west side of the 700 block on Alexander Avenue, across the street from Lassen Lumber & Box Company. It was built in 1919 to provide dormitory housing for the single men employed at Lassen Lumber.
Lassen Lumber’s glory years were brief and in 1935 the Alpine Hotel found a new life as a dormitory for Lassen College. The college used the building throughout the 1940s. It was by the way, where the forestry students were housed. Other than that, I know very little about the Alpine Hotel. May be one day, I will get lucky and uncover some of its history.
Tim
When Susanville was incorporated as a city in 1900, it had one glaring problem—it had no funding mechanism in place. During the debate whether to incorporate, proponents made it clear there would be no property tax. It was their belief that the City could operate on revenues generated from business license fees, especially the lucrative fees set by the state on saloons. Lassen County still collected the liquor license fees on the five saloons in Susanville. The County fathers were not going to give up this money without a fight, and they did.
It was a messy legal battle. It would force the City to impose a property tax assessment until the liquor license issue was resolved. In August 1903, the City imposed a tax levy of 40 cents per $100 assessed value.Of course, there were critics and even talks of disincorporation.
Relief would soon arrive. On August 25, 1904, the California Supreme Court ruled in Susanville v Zimmerman, et al that the town’s saloon owners had to pay the license fees to the City.
A native of Vermont, William Herbert “Herb” Edwards came to Susanville in 1868 with his parents at the age of 13. As a young man, in 1886, he ventured out on his own to Los Angeles. While there he worked briefly for the Los Angeles Police Department. After that he opened a butcher shop. In1887 he contracted tuberculosis. Due to his poor health he returned to Susanville to recover. In 1888, he married a young Milford woman. by the name of Marion True.
The young couple made their home in Susanville, where he opened a butcher shop. In the summer of 1900 there was a strong movement to incorporate Susanville. In August five city trustees (known today as council members); a city clerk; a city treasurer and a town marshal were elected. Edwards was that marshal making him the town’s first law enforcement officer. It was a two-year term and he won re-election in 1902. He did not run again and in 1904, he carried on with his own private business activities, though at times he did stints as the town’s nightwatchman.
By 1911, the effects of tuberculosis had so damaged his lungs, that he became an invalid. He passed away in 1914 and is buried in the Susanville Cemetery.
This is something a little bit on the lighter side. Personally, I happen to like this view of Fruit Growers Supply Company of its office/residential section, prior to the construction of its famed three-story Story Club. From the angle it was taken, and probably from the mill’s smokestacks, there is no indication in the background that Susanville exists. Today, the site is best known as Riverside Park.
Tim
In 1928, it was announced that Minneapolis firm W.B. Foshay Company was in negotiations to by Susanville’s municipal water company. This, of course, brought up the usual debate that the City should own it. The town’s water supply was a hot topic. What is interesting, the Lassen Mail published an account on the origins of the water supply. The newspaper did not cite an author or source. However, I found it of interest, and thought others would too.
”The first attempt of supplying the settlement with water was made by Governor Roop, who constructed a rude system by laying pipes from Piute Creek to a tank located near the center of population. The ‘pipes’ were the trunks of trees bored out after the fashion then employed in the mining operations and in other settlements of the state. Those who needed the water went to to the tank and took what they needed. For this service they paid a small rental—when the governor thought about collecting it, or unless the user gave him a hard luck story and begged off.”
Tim
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It was on August 7, 1993 when the Neversweats Chapter #1863, E Clampus Vitus had a plaque dedication of Susanville’s iconic Grand Cafe. While it has been shuttered for many years, rumor on the street that it will re-open later this year.
The plaque states: “Established in 1909, the Grand was first operated by Kwan Wong In 1912, the Grand moved to this location and in 1921 Sam Vucanovich and Steve Sargent became the new owners. The original building collapsed in 1934 from construction next door and the Grand reopened in this building in 1935 with Steve Sargent at the helm, accompanied by his wife Helen. For over seventy years the Sargent family has been dedicated to serving the public’s needs.”
Tim