Tag Archives: Susanville

History

The Floods of 1955

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Southern Pacific's railroad trestle at South Lassen Street, December 1955.
Southern Pacific’s railroad trestle at South Lassen Street, December 1955.

The floods of December 1955, locally and throughout California was a notable event to say the least. It began with warm rains on December 15th and by December 20th, 4.41 inches had fallen in Susanville. The snow elevation remained high, and on December 20th there was  21 inches of snow on Fredonyer summit.  The rain continued turning the Susan River into a raging menace. Conditions worsened as the river brought assorted debris with the floodwaters. The debris became a major obstruction when it collided with the Southern Pacific’s railroad trestle at Susanville’s Lassen Street. On December 23rd Marvin D. Coltran, a member of Southern Pacific’s bridge gang fell into the water there. Efforts were made to reach him, but the river’s swift current swept him away. Continue reading The Floods of 1955 →

History

Susanville – McDow Street

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L.D. McDow Residence. Courtesy of George McDow, Jr.
L.D. McDow Residence. Courtesy of George McDow, Jr.

In 1875, Lafayette D. McDow constructed a house on what would later become of the southwest corner of Main and McDow Streets. McDow came to Lassen County in the 1860s, where he spent much of his time either operating a sawmill or mining on Diamond Mountain.

In 1920, McDow’s son, George and Russell Brownell subdivided property in the eastern portion of Susanville to be known as the Milwood Tract. On June 28, 1928, the old McDow home was destroyed by fire, then occupied by the family of J.A. Metz. For Metz, the house was convenient, as he worked as the janitor of the nearby Lincoln School.

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History

The Government Land Office

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Susanville's Knoch Building, 1900. For many years it housed the Government Land Office. Courtesy of Philip S. Hall
Susanville’s Knoch Building, 1900. For many years it housed the Government Land Office. Courtesy of Philip S. Hall

The United States Government Land Office played an important role in the development of region locally, as well as across the western United States. It was through the Government Land Office (GLO) is where a person went to file for a federal and, in certain instance a state, land claim, once the region was officially surveyed by the government. Continue reading The Government Land Office →

History

Susanville – 200 S. Roop Street Revisited

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200 S. Roop St., Susanville, July 20, 2016. Courtesy of Annie Henriques Blank
200 S. Roop St., Susanville, July 20, 2016. Courtesy of Annie Henriques Blank

Susanville’s uptown/historic district has an eclectic blend of architecture. During the 1920s, during the boom era brought on by the lumber mills certainly left its mark.

Charles McGowan one of the original owners of the Lassen Lumber & Box Company had a very striking residence. The home was constructed in 1924, and he moved his family into their new residence in July of that year. In November 1928, McGowan resigned his post as Vice-President of the Lassen Lumber & Box Company as he was in the midst of taking a new position with the Castella Box Factory in Shasta County.  In the spring of 1929, he had the house converted into three apartments, and remains that way after all of these years.

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History

A New Sacred Heart Church

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Groundbreaking ceremony at Sacred Heart. Courtesy of Mario and Pauline Vial
Groundbreaking ceremony at Sacred Heart. Courtesy of Mario and Pauline Vial

As mentioned in a previous post concerning Father Moran’s quest for a new Catholic church in 1939, had some major obstacles to over come. First and foremost, was his crusade would coincide with World War II, the latter overshadowed much the daily life of the parishioners and the community as a whole. Continue reading A New Sacred Heart Church →

History

Thanksgiving, 1966

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thanksgiving567

First, I am wishing everyone a wonderful and memorable Thanksgiving holiday. Some annual events come and go, and then some such as Sacred Heart’s St. Patrick’s Dinner just keep going on. While working in the filing bin, I found the above ticket. In my preliminary sleuthing, I have not been able to locate more information about this Thanksgiving Ranch Breakfast. I am examined the Lassen Advocate newspaper, and the only item the paper reported was it being listed under Make It A Date column. So if anyone has ever attended, or knows anything more enlightening please share with the rest of us.

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History

Susanville’s Kirmess Festival

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Methodist Church
The aftermath of the August 4, 1915 fire.

One of the more disastrous fires in Susanville occurred in August 1915, when a large portion of the block containing the Emerson Hotel, the Hyer House Hotel and the Methodist Church were destroyed. The losses were heavy, none of the buildings were fully covered by insurance.

Members of the Methodist Church were determined to rebuild their church that was constructed in 1901. The skeletal walls were deemed fit for re-use. While insurance covered a large percentage of costs to rebuild, more funds were needed. It was decided to hold a Kirmess Festival. Those not familiar with the term, is of Dutch origins.  While it has several meanings one is that it involves an outdoor fair/festival for charitable causes, usually affiliated with a church.

In early March 1916, members of the church announced a four day Kirmess festival to raise funds to rebuild their church. The kirmess was scheduled for March 28-31. On the first day, it took on air of Mardi Gras with a parade that included the majority of the community. Entertainment was held every night at the Orpheum Theater. On Thursday night Guy P. Johnson won the election and was crowned Kirmess King. A good time was had by all and nearly $1,000 was raised for the Methodist Church.

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