It has been awhile since I wrote about the professional photographers of the area who left a valuable historical record behind.
In September 1912, Peter Julian “Jack” Thompson announced he was going to relocate his photography studio from Loyalton, which had been in operation there for ten years, to Susanville. However, due to some delays he did not open for business here until February 1913. Continue reading Susanville’s Thompson’s Photography Studio
Less than 10 years after it opened, it was disclosed that the State of California had plans to shut down the California Conservation Center at Susanville. Of course, the community fought to keep it and on December 13, 1972 the Save Our Center campaign was launched. State Director of Corrections Ray Procunier stated that the California Conservation Center near Susanville was to be closed effective April 1, 1973. Procunier cited a decline of the inmate population by 4,000. In doing so it would eliminate 270 jobs. Procunier stated, “The cutting off of that payroll is to have an impact of the economy of that community, but Susanville is not the best location in the world for a correctional institution because of its remoteness.”
In 1907, Franceska Murrer Neuhaus, with her husband, Ben, retired from their Willow Creek Valley ranch and moved to Susanville. Not to be idle, she kept busy investing in several commercial enterprises. In 1913, flush with money from the sale of the ranch, to her son, Edward Murrer, she had one more venture to undertake. At this time, she hired Nevada architect Frederick deLongchamps to design a hotel at corner of Main and Union Streets.* She named her new enterprise the St. Francis Hotel. Franceska was well versed in the innkeeping business. For years, the Neuhaus home in Willow Creek was well known for its hospitality to accommodate travelers. Her daughter, Rose Bagin, operated hotels at Hayden Hill and Susanville. Rose’s home in Susanville happened to be conveniently located behind the St. Francis, and her elaborate flower garden complimented the hotel. When the St. Francis opened its doors in 1914, Franceska’s son and daughter-in-law, Bill and Flora Neuhaus managed it.
*deLongchamps first Susanville building was the Lassen County Jail completed in 1911.
For over a fifty year stretch Susanville was home to two newspapers the Lassen Advocate and the Lassen Weekly Mail.
On October 25, 1886, the Mail made its debut on the streets of Susanville with Nevada newspaperman Benjamin M. Barney at its helm. Barney, however, lacked capital for his new enterprise and made M.B. Bransford, a partner. In addition, he borrowed $1,088.38 from Robert Tremain to purchased a new printing press. In 1891, Bransford became sole proprietor and moved the printing office into the Masonic Building.
In 1893, the Masonic Building and much of Susanville’s business district was destroyed by fire. Bransford abandoned the newspaper, and Tremain who was still owed money for the printing press, took over the paper. Tremain’s son, Joseph Mellow operated the paper and eventually purchased his parent’s interest.
Tremain had newspaper experience, and even worked at a time as foreman of the Lassen Advocate. Tremain’s journalistic endeavors bordered on the mundane, with the exception of one big topic, the Red River Lumber Company. Tremain and Red River’s owners, the Walkers became real cozy. This paid big dividends, and the Mail published the inside scoop on all of Red River’s proposed activities.
In 1911, when Susanville was on the verge of tremendous growth, Tremain sold the newspaper, and soon ushered in the era of the Cook family, more about that later.
In the early 1900s a number of Susanville’s restaurants were operated by Chinese, though serving American cuisine. The Grand Cafe was just such an establishment. It was established in 1909 by Kwan Wong in the rear of the Pioneer saloon. Continue reading The Grand Cafe – Early Years
A paid subscriber wanted to more about the seedier side of Susanville. When it comes to the world’s oldest profession, locally it is divided into two eras–before and after the railroad and logging industry. Continue reading Susanville Bordellos – Part I
Besides Susanville, California there is another Susanville, just up Highway 395 near John Day, Oregon. However, it has seen more livelier times.
It was a mining camp dating back to the mid-1860s, though its post office was established in 1901 in a dubious manner. Its biggest claim to fame was in 1913 and the discovery of the Armstrong nugget, that weighed 80.4 ounces and was believed to the largest of its kind found in Oregon. The nugget is on display at US Bank in Baker City, Oregon. After the 1930s, prosperity there dwindled and in 1952 the post office was closed. Today, its only inhabitants are prospectors during the summer, and a few curious seekers.
This hospital was located at 2005 River Street, Susanville. There was a time in the area’s past that there were two local institutions where one was born–Potter’s and Riverside. My siblings were born at Potter’s, while I was born at Riverside, a few years ago. Rarely, did births occur at the Lassen County Hospital. During the 1950s, my Aunt Irene Purdy Trout worked at the latter, which they affectionally referred to as “County.” She recalled only one birth there for nearly a decade that she worked there. That all changed in the early 1960s, when a new Lassen County Hospital was constructed next to the old one. By that time, Ma Potter after some 30 plus years as a midwife was ready to retire and changes were on the horizon with Riverside and its aging facility in which it would be torn down in 1969.
One just never knows how pieces of history make it to the surface. The above photograph is just one example. When the bar from Marion’s on Weatherlow Street was being moved to a new home in Chester, some interesting material somehow managed to get lodged behind the bar. There was an assortment of about a dozen Red River Lumber Company photographs and this wedding cake picture.
On 10:00 a.m. Sunday, November 15, 1936 at Sacred Heart Church, Rose Agnes Sergi and James Sacco were married. The bridesmaids were Louise Saffores, Concha Larrea and Camilla Alosi. The best man was Marion Larrea. After the ceremony a wedding breakfast was held at the Veteran’s Memorial Hall, with 500 guests. The centerpiece at the bride’s table was a magnificent five-foot tall wedding cake, weighing 250 pounds.
On October 30,1919, the Fruit Growers Supply Company purchased it from McKissick Cattle Company, for approximately $29,000. Fruit Growers anticipated using Bagwell Springs for a water supply and they would use the ranch land to provide winter pasture for the horses they used in logging. Fruit Growers constructed a water pipeline from the ranch to the mill, but it was never used due to litigation filed by other water right users. Fruit Growers briefly operated their own dairy there and, in 1923, leased it to the O’Kelly family who operated Lassen Dairy through the 1950s. In 1934, Fruit Growers offered to sell the ranch to the City of Susanville. Fruit Growers cited it would make an ideal golf course, that the money received from the golf course could be used to develop the remainder of the property into a park. The City liked the idea, but said no. In 1935, Fruit Growers sold the ranch to the Republic Electric Power Company who wanted to acquire Bagwell Springs as an additional water supply for Susanville. Over the years, that Company went through numerous reorganizations and became CP National. In 1984, CP National donated the ranch to Lassen County, and it is now a county park.
An interesting footnote to the story is that Lassen Community College examined the property for a future campus back in the 1960s, but the asking price was too expensive.