1912 was an exciting time in Susanville with the anticipation of the arrival of the railroad. There was housing building boom. There were more houses constructed in Susanville in 1912, than the previous eleven years combined! It also ushered in a new architectural style, the bungalow, and the days of the Queen Anne style were over.
In Susanville’s early years as an incorporated city, it was remarkable what the council did. One of their actions, I still support today, and that is the prohibition of fireworks. The first time they banned fireworks was in 1906, following the aftermath of the San Francisco earthquake and fire. It was also a nod to the insurance companies who suffered tremendous loss from that event. It was their belief, as well as many other communities, that this preventive measure would reduce the risk of fires. Continue reading Susanville Bans Fireworks
It was my intention to conduct a Susanville Mural Tour today. However, due to other time constraints I have not had ample time to assemble the program. As I have previously mentioned that the tour not only gives background on each mural, but the building in which they adorn. For example, there is a bit of irony with the Purity Grocery mural on the LMUD building, since that building was constructed in 1940 for Safeway, Purity’s competitor. My goal now is sometime in July.
On August 15, 1900 the voters inside proposed boundaries of Susanville voted to incorporate as a municipality. Its status was regarded as a “Town.” In the spring of 1940, the citizens submitted a petition to change from “Town” to “City.” which the council obliged.
The Paul Bunyan Road as a city street was a long undertaking. The road of course first started out as a railroad to deliver logs to the Springfield Cedar Mill, that evolved into the Paul Bunyan Lumber Company. When the mill closed in 1967, traffic on the road greatly diminished, though with agreement Sierra Pacific Industries utilized it on occasions. However it was a private road. When the Cherry Terrace subdivisions came into existence in the early 1960s, both the city of Susanville and county of Lassen set their sights on the Paul Bunyan Road as a means for better traffic. At the November 6, 1978 meeting of the Susanville City Council it was revealed that some of the first easements for right-of-way for this road was approved. However, it would be still decades away before it became a reality.
This year marks the centennial of the dedication of the Lassen County Courthouse. Of course it has under gone numerous changes in the past one hundred years. In September 1978 prison inmate Robert Clawson who was in the courtroom on pending kidnapping charge broke free of the bailiff and fled. He exited the courthouse by jumping out of the window on the second floor landing in the flower bed, From there he ran away, but was later apprehended. From this episode many of the windows were replaced with smaller openings to prevent future escapes.
In 1864 Heiro K. Cornell and his brother-in-law William S. Hamilton constructed Susanville’s first warehouse. Cornell located on property that now occupies Lassen High School and extended past to McDow Street. In 1873, he sold out and moved to western Modoc County. In 1902, his son, John Cornell returned to Susanville and purchased a piece of his father’s original holdings. During the boom era ten years later Cornell sold to R.F. Pray, General Manager of the Red River Lumber Company. In 1920, Pray subdivided the property and created three streets–Cornell, Foss and Small.
In less than a decade the Susanville Branch of the Bank of America went through three buildings. In 1928, BofA acquired the Lassen Industrial Bank that was located on the corner of Main and Gay Street, which is now the bank’s parking lot. In 1971, the bank announced construction of a new building adjacent to the current one, which was demolished, to the dismay of many, to create a parking lot. Then in April 1978, the bank announced it was going to build the current structure on Gay and Nevada Streets, and the other bank building, like the one it replaced, was demolished, too, to become a parking lot.
Over the years in the area surrounding and including the Susanville Cemetery various Native American artifacts have surfaced. In one particular instance the Lassen Advocate of 10 June 1881 reported the following: Indian Relics. In digging the ditch to lay pipe for conducting water to the cemetery, eighteen inches below the surface, Mr. Frost came upon four stone implements that were once used by Indians or some other race of people. One of the stones is evidently a mill for making flour from seeds or acorns, the other three were probably used for dressing skins. They have fallen into good hands, Mr. Frost is collecting these interesting relics of the past to be preserved.
Of particular note the grave of Mr. Frost will be included in September’s cemetery tour, as part of the centennial celebration of the Lassen County Courthouse.
It will not be too much longer when the new community pool, that replaced the Roosevelt, will open. Yet, it was on this date, April 17, 1938 that the Roosevelt Pool opened.
The Works Projects Administration (WPA) was part of President Roosevelt’s New Deal program to help stimulate economic recovery brought upon the Great Depression of the 1930s. For years Susanville residents desired a swimming pool. Frank O’Kelly spearheaded the movement and wanted to convert the Fruit Growers ranch (now Susanville Ranch Park) into a recreational facility complete with a golf course, swimming pool, picnic area and playground. Everyone liked the concept except for Fruit Growers who owned the property and were not interested in leasing or donating the property. O’Kelly undaunted by the setback persevered and it was decided to move forward with a community pool. The plans were submitted and the WPA approved it for a cost of $28,433.