First Baptist Church, Nevada & Gay Streets, Susanville
On October 14, 1905 the Baptists held their first service at the home of the Reverend J.C. Long. The Baptists had been holding services in the Honey Lake Valley since 1873, and built a church in Johnstonville in 1889. Initially the Susanville services were held in someone’s home. As the congregation grew in 1913 they purchased a lot on the northwest corner of Nevada and Gay Streets. Shortly thereafter work began on the construction of a church and on February 20, 1914 a open public house was held.
In 1984 the congregation voted to leave the American Baptist denomination and joined the Evangelical Free Churches of America. At that time it was renamed the Community Evangelical Church of Susanville.
Hat Creek Powerhouse No. 1, 1921. Courtesy of Lola L. Tanner
The Red River Lumber Company operated many enterprises and it still as an influence concerning electricity to many residents of the region. From time to time when the Susanville area has a power outage, many times there will be a reference to the Hat Creek line. So you may ponder how did Hat Creek come to be? Continue reading Hat Creek Power→
The June 2, 1866 issue of The Sage Brush measured only 6 inches by 12 inches and was printed only on one side.
In my opinion, which does not seem hold much weight, I was rather impressed by the fact that in 1892 four newspapers were published in Lassen County. Lassen County only had a population of 4,400, so there were more jack rabbits than people. Those four newspapers were: Amedee Geyser at Amedee, Mountain Tribune in Bieber and the Lassen Advocate and Lassen Weekly Mail both published in Susanville. However, it was short-lived as the Amedee Geyser went bankrupt in 1893.
This would occur a second time after the establishment of Westwood. The four newspapers co-existed until 1939, when the Lassen Advocate purchased the Lassen Mail. The general populace was well informed then. Sadly, today there are no newspapers.
A century ago, sending a postcard was a quick, convenient way to send someone a note, whether to let know relatives they made it to their destination safely, etc. Something akin to today’s email. What made a lot of postcards of the past were the image could be quite unique. When one had their film developed, they could have their images printed on postcard size stock, ready to send. The above photograph is a perfect example. It was not a professional postcard, just a picture someone took to send to their friend.
Reno Rodeo, 1926
The above professional postcard of the Reno Rodeo, is a family treasure of sorts. It was sent in April 1926 by my grandfather, Ira Purdy, to his wife, Margaret in Sacramento. Ira wrote, “leaving Reno for Susanville to look for work.” When Ira arrived in Susanville, he found employment as a mechanic for Doyle-Hunsinger Ford dealership and where they spent the rest of their lives. It was one of the few paper trails they left.
This particular photograph for some reason I have a fondness for. The right foreground is the Arnold Planing Mill that was destroyed by fire in 1914. Further down the road to the left is Sacred Heart Church, built in 1892. The church was moved in 1909 to the corner of Nevada and Union Streets. When the church was built there was some local criticism about the location, especially, though not seen in this picture, but to the far right was Chinatown. It is interesting to note, when the church was moved, it was located in Susanville’s original town of the 1870s.
One of the items that caught my attention about this particular photograph was the clarity of the skies. Notice that both lumber mills—-Fruit Growers and Lassen Lumber—were idle and not belching large copious s amounts of black smoke. In addition, look at the background behind the mills, as that area remained untouched from development.
Some time during the night of March 27, 1906 an unknown individual(s) attempted to blow up the old Bremner Dam on Susan River with dynamite. The dam was built in 1886 in conjunction with the Bremner sawmill, about a mile west of Susanville. The damage was slight and it was reported that whoever did the deed was not familiar with explosives. The dam had fallen disrepair over the years, since the destruction the sawmill there in 1894. Some were of the opinion, that the dam was a hazard, especially to those downstream and it should be removed.
Bremner Dam Remnants, Susan River, 1977
That never happened and the dam quickly deteriorated and by 1914, most of it had washed away. However, during the drought of 1977, water level in the Susan River dropped to such an extent to expose the remnants of the dam’s foundation.
One of the most impressive sawmills constructed on the Susan River was the Bremner Mill. In 1886, Lawrence, Leavitt & Company was formed to construct and operate it. The site selected on the Susan River was approximately a mile west of Susanville. The firm built an imposing dam 250 feet long and 25 feet high. The dam created a reservoir that backed up water for a mile. That was beneficial for the company, since it would float logs down the river to the mill.
In December 1887, Charles Bremner, a lumberman from Maine, purchased the mill. His two sons, James and William, arrived from Maine to assist. On December 8, 1888 Bremner sold a half interest. in the mill to Alex McCrimmon. The partnership short-lived. McCrimmon was not pleased with Bremner’s management of the company funds, and sold his interest to Leavitt & Woodsum for $1,800. Bremner was plagued with financial problems. In 1892. with Bremner unable to pay his debts, William Greehn foreclosed on the property and became the new owner. Greehn, however, retained Bremner to operate the mill.
Bremner sawmill, Susan River Canyon, 1891. Courtesy of Betty Barry Deal
In 1891, to take advantage of the water power from the dam, James Anthony installed a power plant, to generate the first electric power for Susanville. The generator had a capacity of 30 horsepower, enough to provide power for40 arc lamps.
On Tuesday night, August 14, 1894, fire broke out at the mill. It went unnoticed by the several people who were at the mill. Once it was discovered the building was in flames and it was too late to suppress it. The mill machinery and Anthony’s electric plant were a total loss. The origin of the fire was never determined. The mill was not rebuilt, and Anthony built a new electric plant half a mile down from the dam.
This six foot diameter ponderosa pine log entering the Fruit Growers’ Susanville mill, 1943—FGS Co.
Whenever an exceptional logging and/or mill scene Fruit Growers made sure the event was captured on film. In turn, in many instances it would appear in the company’s annual report. In a sense it was part promotional and educational tool at the same time. Fruit Growers’ audience was the citrus growers who owned the co-operative and invested in the mills and timberland to provide them an adequate supply of wooden boxes at a reasonable to price to ship their fruit. The majority of the owners had little knowledge of the sawmill industry that they were heavily invested in.
Lunch time at Dow Butte, August 21, 1953. Courtesy of Hank Martinez
What Fruit Growers did was not unique. Many lumber companies did the same to provide illustration to their investors where their money was being spent.
Recently, I came across two snippets of local citizens who experienced the Spanish Flu first hand. The first is from Mary Eloise Sifford Thomas who was born near Susanville in 1892. She stated that the flu was very bad and that several people in Susanville had died from it. She, as well as her four sisters contracted it and that old fashioned vegetable soup seemed to help. Her father, Tom Sifford, never did come down with the flu. She wrote, “I think chewing tobacco and taking a little whiskey made him immune.”
George McDow, Jr., who was born in Susanville in 1910 wrote, “Our town was not spared from the devastating effects of the nation-wide influenza epidemic. One of the prominent people to succumb to the illness was Lassen County Surveyor, Thad McKay, a good friend of my father. As a precautionary measure the Town Trustees had closed the theater and all the saloons and barred any public gatherings, but only for a short while.”
Bremner Dam, 1906—George McDow Jr.
