On March 9, 1940 the Church of the Latter Day Saints held groundbreaking ceremonies on corner of Ash and Fifth Streets, in Westwood. This was the last house of worship to be constructed under Red River Lumber Company’s tenure at Westwood.

The church  was designed Caldwell and Richards, Los Angeles architects. After World War I, the LDS Church began to implement standardized plans. This particular church was the first to use this particular layout. The $9,000 church was built by volunteer labor and completed in four months.

In 1986, its congregation had grown, wherein they bought property in nearby Clear Creek and built a new church. In 1991, their old our church was acquired by Our Lady of Snows Catholic Church which they converted into a parish hall. However, with their new Lake Almanor church, it will be just a matter of time when this is placed on the market, and only time will dictate its fate.

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Red River Lumber Company’s town of Westwood was fairly well planned, but all the facilities built between 1912-14, a house of worship was not included. This was extremely odd when factoring in that T.B. Walker, founder of Red River was a devout member of the  Methodist Church.

The spiritual needs, however, was not completely ignored. In October 1913, the Rev. Robert G. Green, a Methodist minister at Akeley, Minnesota, where Red River operated mill,  was recruited to come to Westwood to oversee the social welfare of the community. Green found it to be challenge as to where to hold non-denominational services. Westwood’s first multi-purpose facility
was the Opera House, and it was there where Green delivered his Sunday sermons.  One of the problems holding services in the Opera House was that Green had to compete with other parties who wanted to use the building, since it was the only facility dedicated to public gatherings. Green had been informed a church would be built after the Opera House was completed, but that did not happen.

By early 1917, the pressure was on for a church to be built. A committee had organized to solicit donations. They had plans for a building, not only for its seating capacity but that it should have a full basement to provide for a library, kitchen/dining rooms, and other rooms for sociable functions such as Y.M.C.A. meetings.  After considerable debate it was determined that ideally the church should seat 600 churchgoers. Once the committee agreed to the building’s size, they were able to calculate the cost. They estimated a price tag of $8,700—with lumber the most expensive item at $4,000.   The committee had secured $3,000 in pledges and pressure was placed on Red River on its “stingy” spending for its employees. Red River was also learning the hard way in a critical labor market, that to retain workers and their families concessions had to be made. Red River finally obliged.

In the summer of 1917 the church project moved forward with Red River donating the lumber and labor.  The site selected was at 500 Cedar Street, which Rev. Green described as a rock pile strewn with empty beer and whiskey bottles. By November 1917 the new church was completed. Initially, it was a church with no name. Since it would serve the needs of variety denominations it was named The People’s Church. On Sunday May 19, 1918 dedication ceremonies were held with Dr. John Wilson, District Superintendent of the California-Nevada  Methodist Conference officiating.

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