In days of yore, there was no such thing as trick or treat that we know today. However, it was an opportunity for pranksters to have some fun. In 1898, Susanville’s Lassen Advocate reported: “Halloween hilarity was on a moderate scale than usual. There were some gates unhinged, a few wagons drawn into unfrequented places, a few ‘tictacs’ arranged to plague the rest of the peaceful folks—nothing very devilish—nothing very malicious.”

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In late November 1918, the Nathan Store Company located at 700 Main Street, Susanville announced they were going out of business. What remaining stock was left would be auctioned off on December 2, 1918 by Buckwalter & Younie.

The store was founded in 1877 by Marcus Nathan. For a time there were two separate Nathan general merchandise stores. One operated by Sol Nathan and the other by Marcus. The two stores were on opposite sides of Main Street facing each other. The closing of Nathan Store coincided with the exodus of the town’s Jewish merchants. At one time they were a dominate force besides Nathan there was Alexander, Asher, Cohn, Greehn, Knoch and Schmidt. With Nathan’s closure the only remaining Jewish merchant left was Robert Jacobs.

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Some may recall that in the past I mentioned that the Susanville Fire Department was prohibited from leaving the city limits. The policy was adhered to, no matter what the circumstances. In case you are pondering why, it had to do with insurance rates.

On the evening of March 11, 1935 the Susanville City Council held a special meeting concerning the abandonment of a portion of Cornell Street. This was at the urging of Lassen High School, as part of their program to expand its athletic field between the school buildings and the Susan River. The meeting was interrupted when the fire alarm went off. It should be noted City Hall and its fire department were located in the same building. A brief recess ensued as Harry Riddell, served as City Clerk and Fire Chief. Before the firemen departed, Mayor E.P. Honsberger exclaimed, “Remember boys, the fire truck stays inside the city limits.” The fire was at the north end of Weatherlow Street, outside the city limits and the fire truck did not venture there. It was a house fire, and the building destroyed. The story does not end there. The house was owned by Mayor Honsberger who had it as a rental. When the news was relayed to Honsberger, he exclaimed, “What a life!”

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Nearly since time immemorial Susanville boosters grappled with the town’s population figures. This became quite problematic when the town incorporated in 1900, due to its small boundaries. At that time the western boundary was Inspiration Point, Piute Creek to the north, Susan River to the south and Weatherlow Street was the town’s eastern boundary. 

One of the issues the City of Susanville grappled since it was incorporated was its population.  To lure business and families, the larger number of inhabitants was an enticing inducement, and still is to this day. After the lumber mills arrived by the early 1920s, there were numerous subdivisions to the east of the City. The City tried its darndest to annex, but large property owners like the Red River Lumber Company which owned the Milwood Tract was a force to be reckoned with and defeated many annexation measures. All the Susanville boosters could do, is at least advertise a Greater Susanville. It should be duly it would take nearly a half of a century before City was able to annex adjoining properties.

However, this concept was not limited to any certain era. For instance in the 1990s, when the City annexed the State Prisons, those incarcerated became city residents. Those 8,000 inmates were reflected on the City Limit signs noting it now had a population of 17,000. As one city official informed me at the time to include the inmate population in the sign, was for marketing purposes hoping to influence more businesses and perspective residents to take a second a look. 

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The Johnston House was built in 1893 after a devastating fire that destroyed the north side of Susanville’s Main Street business district. It was so named for its original owner/proprietor Robert Johnston. Until the Emerson Hotel opened in 1901, it was the town’s major hotel. There was the smaller Cottage Street Hotel, which was more like a boarding house. In 1897 Johnston sold the hotel and it changed owners on a frequent basis. In 1916, Henry C. Dobyns purchased and renamed it the Hotel Lassen. It was destroyed by fire in 1919.

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