It is that time of year when the lilacs are in full bloom. With that in mind, here is a bit of trivia. Lilacs were introduced into the region from colonist from New Englanddc who located at the utopian community of Standish in the late 1890s. During the 1950s, Susanville’s gardening community tossed around the idea to hold a lilac festival, the plant being abundant there.
While sorting through materials, I came across notes about the demolition of Susanville’s first Bank of America building. It was in the spring of 1972 when the demolition began. The four stately columns were knocked down on April 9. The building was constructed in 1922 and originally was the home of the Lassen Industrial Bank.
For me, I find it of a particular interest the number of residences that instead of being demolished, were moved to another location. Take for instance the former home of Dr. J.S. Wren located on the corner of Mill and South Lassen Streets. The property was to be the future home of Western Title Insurance Company. At daylight on October 29, 1976, Jim Music had the task to move the structure to its new location on Cornell Street. All went well until the house reached the intersection of Main and Weatherlow Streets where it took about forty minutes to maneuver the building around the stop lights.
I just never know, when someone has a question for me, what it might be. A Susanville resident was confused why a city street known as Paiute Lane, and Piute Creek has two different spellings. The truth be told there are a lot of regional spellings for this Native American tribe. At the time of Anglo settlement, the references to the local band of Indians was spelled as Piute. Fast forward a hundred years later that correct spelling included the letter “a” hence Paiute Lane. Then you have the situation where on November 1, 1859, James Archy claimed “Pyute Valley” near Susanville.
With little fanfare on May 3, 2004 Sierra Pacific Industries closed its Susanville mill. In a certain way it was a momentous event considering there had always been at least one sawmill in operation since 1857. This particular mill was constructed in 1921 by the Fruit Growers Supply Company to provide wooden boxes for its parent company, best known today as Sunkist. In 1963, Fruit Growers sold the mill to the Eagle Lake Lumber Company which would eventually evolve into Sierra Pacific Industries.
During 1977-78 some progressive Susanville residents banded together to establish an independent community bank. The last time this occurred was in 1912, with the formation of the Lassen Industrial Bank. Anyhow, in 1978, the Sierra Security Bank was formed. The location of the new bank was at 100 Grand Avenue, Susanville, now the home of the Lassen County Times. Sierra Security’s bank building was a portable structure. In November, 1978 the new 4,200 square foot bank arrived in six sections, from Sunnyvale, California where it had been used by De Anza Bank.
In 1908, residents of Lassen County were surprised with the formation of the Hill Lonkey Land & Livestock. Two of the key figures were Nevada residents Thomas Hill and Camille Lonkey. They purchased the San Francisco Ranch (now Five Dot) and the Folsom Ranch (now Fish & Game) in the Willow Creek Valley. The partnership was brief and they dissolved the company two years later. Hill took possession of the Folsom place, and Lonkey the San Francisco Ranch. Continue reading Susanville – 710 Mill Street
In 1976, after twenty years of non-use the Southern Pacific Railroad filed for the abandonment of its rail line between Susanville and Westwood. The City of Susanville and the Lassen County Board of Supervisors opposed the measure. They feared the loss of a potential transportation corridor. The Lassen County Chamber of Commerce wanted to see it converted into a tourist line, similar to that of Mendocino County’s Skunk Train.
Fast forward two years later and both the city and county embraced the Bureau of Land Management’s proposal to acquire the abandon line for recreational purposes. Thus, the rails to trails program, became part of the local lexicon.
In 1862, John Burkett opened a saloon at what would later become the address of 724 Main Street. He named his new enterprise the Humboldt Exchange. After all, at this time, a number of Honey Lakers were prospecting in Humboldt County, Nevada where there were a flurry of mining discoveries. The following year, he sold to George Heap and Joe Hale and they renamed it the Pioneer. The Pioneer, now the home of Lassen Ale Works, has operated in the same location all these years, though it has been through several buildings. The back bar, it should be noted is from its 1901 building. Of note, that building still exists and is located on the 900 block of Main Street.
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Like so many religious denominations the Seventh-Day Adventist experienced a rocky road to establish itself in Susanville. It was not so much their faith, but when they first held meetings there in the early 1900s, the population of the community was a meager 1,000 inhabitants, including dogs and cats. For reasons, not known to me they flourished for a brief time and built a church on Main Street, between Hall and McDow Streets. The good times did not last long, and in 1919, the remaining members of the church petitioned the Lassen County Superior Court to sell the property. In their petition, they stated it had not been used for five years. It was granted. Otto Hisaw bought the church and converted it into a pool hall.
A decade later the Seventh-Day Adventist saw a resurgence in Susanville and on September 7, 1928, Elder J.H. McEchern of Reno organized the Susanville. For nearly a decade the congregation would meet in members homes. In 1939, they built a church on the corner of Cedar and Fifth Streets. In 1976, an opportunity arose and they purchased the Chapel of Memories on Johnstonville Road from Jim and Betty Stone which they still occupy. In 1983, the Adventists sold their old church to the Church of the Foursquare Gospel.