This is a tale of two Susans—Susan Parker Nobles and Susan Roop Arnold. While the two women never met, one has a river named for one Susan and the other a town, i.e. Susan River and Susanville.

First we begin with Susan River. During the years 1851-1852, William H. Nobles located a new emigrant road from Shasta, California to Lassen’s Meadows, Nevada. This road passed through the Honey Lake Valley. Nobles named the Susan River for his wife, Susan Parker Nobles.  Very little is known about Susan  Nobles. She resided in Minnesota for the majority of her married life, only moving to California when her husband, Nobles, died in 1876.

Susanville was officially named on March 17, 1859 when the  Susanville Post Office was established with Isaac Roop the first postmaster. It was so named after Roop’s daughter, Susan. When her father came to California in 1850, she was left in care of her maternal grandparents. In 1862, at the age of nineteen, Susan left her grandparents home in Ohio and moved to California to be with her father. On December 27, 1864, Susan married Alexander T. Arnold and spent the rest of her life in the community that was named after her. She passed away on July 22, 1921, at the age of 79.

Support by subscribing.

When Susanville incorporated as a city in 1900, its eastern boundary was Weatherlow Street. In 1920, annexation of Halltown and the East Addition was discussed, but no action was taken. With continued growth east of the city limits annexation efforts failed. In 1947 that finally changed when voters approved an annexation. The City’s Main Street now extended from Weatherlow to Fairfield, and additional eleven blocks.

Everyone had guessed what the Greater Susanville population was, but no one knew exactly. After the approval of the annexation, the City requested the U.S. Census to conduct an official count. This was important, for the City needed that information to provide it to federal and state authorities for allocation of tax funds based on population. A census was conducted on April 30, 1948, and it showed there were 5,358 inhabitants.

In 2023, the population was 11,593.

Support by subscribing.

The spring of 1923 brought a new surprise when the store clerks of Susanville organized, but not as a labor union. On May 3, 1923 the Clerks Co-operative Association was organized with an initial membership of twenty-two. Harry Coleman as selected as Chairman and Fannie Winchester as Secretary.

The first item on the agenda, was a committee of five were appointed to meet with the merchants to have uniform closing hours. It was their desire to close at 6:30 p.m.. during the summer and 6:00 p.m. in the winter. Another item, was to aid each other to improve salesmanship skills. Finally, it was their desire to work in harmony with the merchants.

Tim

The establishment of a library was a slow, tedious process. In 1906, one of the earliest attempts to form a library came about when some civic minded people formed the Susanville Library Association. Their initial goal was to establish a Reading Room.  Through the generosity of Charles Emerson he donated a room in his hotel for this worthy enterprise. However, the organization struggled and by 1908 it had been disbanded.

There was hope on the horizon when in 1912 a group of civic minded women formed the Monticola Club. In the fall of 1914, Lottie Cahlan of the Monticola Club reported that preparations were being made for. Reading Room in the newly constructed Del Mar building on the corner of Main & Roop Streets. They would have the expense of rent at $40 per month, in addition to lighting costs. The city agreed to assist with some of the expenditures. Members donated furniture and books. Each member donated one day a month to volunteer in the Reading Room to assist patrons, who could examine a newspaper, magazines or books. The Monticola was not finished. With their momentum by the fall of 1915 they had convinced the Lassen County Board of Supervisors to form the Lassen County Free Library.

Support by subscribing.

Mark your calendars for April 1 when Margie’s Book Nook celebrates forty years in business. The store had its humble beginning at 28 North Lassen Street, next to Fred’s Barbershop. Several years later, the store needed to expand and moved a block away to 35 North Gay Street. After several years passed, the store again needed more room. Another move, not quite a block away to the current location at 722 Main Street, next to The Pioneer.

I am not sure all the festivities planned for Saturday, April 1 but will be a lot of fun. More information and some of the store’s history can be found their Facebook page.

Tim