When the Red River Lumber Company established its company town of Westwood in 1913, it had to provide numerous amenities due to its remote location at the time. It was necessary to not only attract employees, but to retain them, as the lumber industry experienced a high turn over rate in labor. The Westwood Club was one of several facilities designed to meet the recreational needs of its employees. It included a restaurant, lunch counter, soda fountain, cigar and newsstand, barbershop, reading room and a billiard room.

On early Friday morning, March 31, 1944 a fire broke out in the Westwood Club though the cause, was never determined. Within twenty minutes the whole building was engulfed in flames. The heat so intense, that Nick Kannier’s automobile which was parked in front of building, burst into flames. Even neighboring buildings from across the street were smoking, on the verge of spontaneous combustion, which with quick action by the fire department prevented the same.

The J.R. Bartlett Company were the concessionaire of the Westwood Club, which included the clubhouse, cafe, pool hall, bar and lounge. There were four other tenants in the building—Ehorn’s Pharmacy, Quitman’s Apparel, Westwood Market and Kilpatric’s Used Furniture department. Estimated loss for all parties was placed at $125,000.

This was an exciting era for the residents of Westwood. While the United States had not entered into the global conflicts, the nations economy was in high production to meet the nation’s allies. Lumber was a high priority commodity, and Red River Lumber Company’s operation at Westwood was put into high gear.

Red River not only went into a full production mode, the first time since World War I, it went on a major modernization campaign. Not only where there substantial upgrades in all the mill equipment, but its logging department saw major changes as well—among other things its own fleet of logging trucks.

While the casual observer or Westwood resident thought all these improvements was just a sign of prosperity from the recovery of the nation’s Great Depression of the 1930s. Behind the scenes, Red River was busy putting its Westwood operation on the market, to sell, nothing different what a current homeowner does prior to listing their house on the market.

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Every pine buyer wants to know , “What do I get for my money?” And “What does Red River-California offer that I can get nowhere else?” We submit herewith a few facts concerning Red River-California Sugar Pine and White Pine and the plant at Westwood, California, that produces it and delivers it to all parts of America. This service, more than any other gives you:

1. QUALITY: “Old-fashioned White Pine, “scientifically manufactured.
2. UNIFORMITY: Full specified thickness and width, thoroughly seasoned.
3. ECONOMY: Reduces your working-up cost. Gives you a superior product.
4. SECURITY FROM SUBSTITUTION: As manufacturers, we ship nothing but genuine Red River-California. Unlimited forest resources assure this uniform supply of many years to come.
5. RELIABLE DELIVERY: Plant runs the year ‘round. Westwood lies east of the Sierra Nevada snowsheds, on a direct line to eastern points and near a great transcontinental empty-car center.

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Pland-Evans was certainly not a household name to many, unless you happen to reside in Westwood during the 1930s and early 1940s. This San Francisco company were “operators of industrial subsistence facilities.” When the Red River Lumber Company during the 1930s went through its re-organization phase they leased their commercial facilities such as the Big Store and the Westwood Club to Pland-Evans. Pland-Evans operated these facilities in Westwood, as well as the Walker Mine in Plumas County until 1942. At that time they were succeeded by H.S. Anderson Company.

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During 1938 and 1939 the Red River Lumber Company experienced a lot of labor strife. Due to a strike in February 1939, Red River closed the mill. A unique thing happened at that time, Westwood would soon have a baseball park.

One of the effects with the mill closure was that residents were now without their regular wood supply for heating, for those who did not have steam heat. The idle strikers volunteered to cut trees on forest service land for firewood. They established a wood lot on the lower end of Birch Street, adjacent to the current VFW Hall.

Jim Travers came up with the idea they could use some recreational outlet to dispense with their extra energy. On the property they were using as the wood lot was a partially destroyed house caused by a fire some time ago. Travers and Earl Yaber came up with the idea to transform the property into a baseball park, and the other strikers were supportive of the project. The AFL union asked Red River if they could lease the property for that, and the company consented. In no time at all, the volunteers quickly cleared the property, removing the old building and hauled in 200 loads of decomposed granite from Fredonyer Summit to spread over the baseball field. In short order the property was transformed into a ballpark that could accommodate 600 people, along with parking, drinking fountains, rest rooms, an enclosed press box and seventeen flood lights. Nearly 500 men and women contributed to the cause.

On Sunday, June 12, the first softball games were held. First up was the Westwood AFL, who lost to Susanville’s Model Laundry by a score of 7 to 8. The next match was between the H.S. Anderson Club and Fruit Growers’ Story Club, which Anderson prevailed in the tight match that went into four extra innings with a score of 14 to 13. 

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