One of the most driest was the winters was that of 1923-24. It also occurred during a twenty year drought from 1917-1937. Susanville received less than five inches of precipitation during 1923-24. It was so dry that winter that in the middle of March, a one-inch snow fall at Susanville caused great excitement. There was even a greater commotion in Westwood when eighteen inches of snow fell. It disappeared in a matter of hours. That was the extent of precipitation for the winter.
In May 1924 the drought in Westwood was extremely severe. Duck Lake, the main water source for Goodrich Creek, which was Westwood’s water supply went dry. On May 10, 1924 Fletcher Walker, resident manger of Red River Lumber Company at Westwood wrote “The water supply for the Town is failing us quite rapidly and it is now a race to get water from Clint’s Camping Ground Spring [Clear Creek] before the Goodrich Ditch water fails us. We are running the Town on meal hours so every one can get water for their meals and then closing it off. To do this requires water taken from the millpond. We are sure up against a real dry season as indicated by the Buck Brush and Manzanita leaves curling up and turning black. Springs that have heretofore been dependable are failing.”
If one is a familiar with the by-gone relic of millponds, that to use the water from the same was a desperate measure. As Walter Luff Jr., recalled when they used the millpond water to bathe with and he stated the water tasted like turpentine. Relief came in the summer, when a pipeline was placed to bring water from Clear Creek to Westwood.