Centennials are important milestones. It was on Saturday May 21, 1924 that the Susanville Lodge #1487 of BPOE, better known as the Elks, received its charter. It was, by the way, a big day in Susanville.
It was a full day of merriment beginning at sunrise and lasting until the wee hours of Sunday morning. One hundred thirty eight members were initiated that evening. At 12:30 p.m. a special passenger train arrived bringing Elk delegates from the San Francisco Bay Area. Upon. arrival a excited procession picked them at the depot and proceeded to the lodge at the west end of Main Street.
Lassen Industrial Bank built this Susanville landmark in 1922. Some fifty years later Bank of America tore it down.
The most unusual event was that of Professor Stillman Taylor who was to do a high dive off the top of the Lassen Industrial Bank building, into a three foot deep bathtub of water. It was reported that after Taylor said his prayers a dummy was substituted for the dive.
Oh that dreaded jury duty summons. However, I will get on my soap box to stress how important jury duty is. Of course, I have a legal background having worked for both the courts and in the legal community. Shucks, one time I had to sub in for the jury commissioner who was on vacation.* A lot of people’s lives are affected by the juror’s verdict for better or worse. One day you, a family member or friend may find this themselves in this situation and I doubt you would not a want juror’s serving without an attitude?
Anyhow, I came across this old letter written to Judge F.A. Kelley seeking to be excused. While the scanned image appears at the top, some may have find it difficult to read. After all, penmanship, is what it is, some excel and others do not.
On April 23, 1904, Milford resident J. W. Hurlbut wrote: “Dear Sir. Since the summons was served on me to act as juryman on the 25th of April my business has been awful so that I have a dairy on my hands and it will be impossible for me to attend. Please excuse me and oblige. Yours truly J.W. Hurlbut.”
Not sure what the out come was. Of course, there was the issue whether the letter would actually be received on time.
Tim
*The excuses people make to get out of jury duty boggles the mind. Let’s just say there are some real creative types out there!
Folsom/Houghton property, 1946–Special Collections, U.C. Davis
By the 1880s, the village of Susanville desired a public park. Then a township, its governing body was the Lassen County Board of Supervisors. That board balked at the idea.
In 1900, the City of Susanville became its own separate entity, but a city park was low priority. In the spring of 1928, the Rotary Club got on the park bandwagon. It set its sights on the Folsom property behind the American Legion Hall on North Street. M.O. Folsom offered the property at $6,000, with $750 down and $750 per year at six percent interest. The Rotary Club enlisted the aid of J.W. Gregg, a landscape architect with the University of California and paid for his expenses to visit Susanville. Gregg volunteered his time to design plans for a park on the Folsom property. The plans and his offer were then presented to the City. The City, while impressed, took the matter under consideration.
The Rotary Club continued with its efforts. In 1929, it put together a 10-year strategy plan for a park, and sought support from other civic organizations. At a park meeting on September 23, 1929, Frank Cady offered to donate $4,500 to purchase the Folsom property for a park. Folsom reduced his askig price to $3,500 as long as it was used as a park.Another $1,000 was needed to purchase an adjacent parcel from Med Arnold.
The wheels were set in motion. The Rotary Club approached the City Council which was agreeable to accepting the donation of the property should Cady purchase it for theCity. The Council agreed to move forward to implement Gregg’s plans. There was one slight problem—the property was located outside the city limits. The Council stated it would be necessary to form a park district. That would allow an venue for assessment fees for construction and maintenance.
The park district issue was presented to the Lassen County Board of Supervisors, as the proposed district fell under their jurisdiction and the Board agreed. The procedure called for a public hearing and setting of an election date. On December 2, the public hearing was held. The adjacent property owners were against it. The Board decided against the district. It was the Board’s opinion that Susanville residents would receive more benefits from the park, but the county would have the greatest burden of costs. The County vetoed the park district, and city decided to place the matter on hold.
P.S. – In the1920s, Folsom allowed this property to be flooded for ice skating.
A Fruit Growers railroad logging crew with iies and a Clyde tracklayer, 1932 in Pine Creek Valley
A subscriber inquired from the Ask Tim post of April about railroad logging/grades west of Eagle Lake. I have been slow to post, as I have been experiencing technical issues with scanning, however on a bright note that will soon be resolved.. Of course, to properly address this topic will take several posts. However, I wanted to begin the series with these two illustrations.
A Fruit Growers Clyde tracklayer in operation near Camp Harvey, 1947
The top one is an excellent photograph depicting everything needed, workers, railroad ties and a Clyde tracklayer machine. Fruit Growers initial railroad logging began just north of present day Highway 44, and a little southeast of McCoy Flat Reservoir in 1920. The Susanville mill was still under construction, so only a small volume of logs were needed. The following year, witnessed large scale railroad logging activity and the establishment of two large logging camps Camp B & C.
Stay tuned more to follow.,including a map showing all the lines and spurs.
In September 1933, the City of Susanville had transferred the right-of-way of Main Street to the State of California. This was in accordance with State legislation for integration of city streets that were part of the state highway system. In the beginning all worked well.
After World War II when life returned to somewhat normalcy, the City learned a few lessons of what they could and could not do—the hard way. In 1947, to alleviate congestion on Main Street, the City proposed to install stoplights at the intersections of Main with Lassen and Weatherlow. When the State Highway Division learned of this, it objected. The State said Main Street did not meet the requirement of 100 cars per hour passing through the intersections. Their solution to relive the congestion, introduce parallel parking on Main Street, then striping to make four lanes—two in each direction. That went over like the proverbial lead balloon with the merchants.
Over the next couple of years it was a highly debated topic. The resistance group was no match for the State.. In 1949, State Highway Engineer R.N. Putnam informed the City that it must discontinue angle parking on Main Street.
On July 10, 1950, the City Council moved forward to adopt parallel parking for Main Street. The Council no doubt was concerned that if it was not in compliance with State law, the State conceivably could withhold the City’s apportionment of gasoline tax money. The parallel parking ordinance went into effect on August 10.
There was, of course, public uproar. It was not until the summer of 1952, the issue had simmered down, and slowly everyone adjusted to the fact that parallel parking was here to stay.
One of the many wrecks at the retaining wall entering Susanville.
Susanville’s main thoroughfare has been an interesting political foot ball since the town incorporated in 1900. Initially, the major debate was fire issues. As the town progressed, some wanted civic improvements, others did not. Of course, those opposed, while they wanted nice items such as sidewalks, gutters, and paved streets, they did not want to pay for them.
The town’s Main Street would be and still is a contentious issue. The bickering between California Highway officials and the City began in 1920. The issue then, was the during construction of Highway 36 and its approach into Susanville.
The first battle was the approach. The City refused to give the State Highway Department the right-of-way to the town’s Main Street. The state would only build the highway to the city limits. To connect the highway to Main Street resulted in a nasty “S” curve. This was an internal problem with the city and problems with property owners not willing to grant right-of-ways to correct the situation. The retaining wall entering Susanville was the scene of numerous wrecks. But changes were on the horizon when the cash strapped city made a major concession that has ever since affected its main thoroughfare. More about that tomorrow.
The grave of Earl Conkey, died 1879, Susanville Cemetery, October 1976
This notable landmark in one of Nevada’s premiere mining towns has a connection to Honey Lake Valley. It should be duly noted Virginia City’s existence no longer has nothing has much ado about mining for gold and silver, but what is does best these days is mine the pocketbooks of tourists.
For those not familiar with Myron Lake, he is considered the founder of Reno. In 1859, C.William Fuller located along the Truckee River in the Truckee Meadows and built a toll bridge and small hotel there being nothing else. (Today, that location is known as the Virginia Street bridge). Business would soon be brisk with the discovery of the Comstock and the establishment of Virginia City. In June 1861, Fuller traded his enterprise for land in the Honey Lake Valley to Myron Lake. Lake continued acquiring more property in the Truckee Meadows and timing can mean so much. In 1868, the Central Pacific Railroad was approaching the Truckee Meadows as part of the nation’s first transcontinental line.Lake sold the railroad 160 acres for depot and town and Reno was born.
Virginia Street Bridge, Reno,—Nevada Historical Society
In 1862, the widowed Jane Conkey Bryant with her three children—Florence, Seymour and Lillian—came to the Honey Lake Valley upon the urging of her parents—Sylvester & Betsy—along with various siblings. (The Conkeys resided on present day Wingfield Road known as Nagel’s Happy Valley Ranch). It should be noted Lake, prior to his move to theTruckee Meadows was a neighbor to the Conkeys. It is unclear how Lake courted Jane, but the two were married in Janesville in 1864. To make a long story short, Jane’s daughter, Florence married William Thompson. The Thompson’s daughter, Ethel married Ed Simmer owner of Piper’s Opera House in Virginia. City. The property remained in the family for years, though for a time in a neglected state. In the 1960s, Louise Zimmer Driggs restored the Opera House in the 1960s and eventually donated ti to the non-profit organization that operates it today.
Indian Valley Railroad. Courtesy of the Plumas County Museum
One of the biggest issues T.B. Walker had against the Red River Lumber Company’s location at Westwood, was it lacked a railroad link directly to California. For a time there was a glimmer hope with the Indian Valley Railroad.
On June 30, 1916, the Indian Valley Railroad (IVR) was incorporated to build a line from Paxton on the Western Pacific Railroad to the Engel Copper Mine near Taylorsville–a distance of 21 miles. Sixteen months later the rail line was completed. It should be noted, that it was originally proposed as a narrow gauge line, but Willis Walker of the Red River Lumber Company objected. After all, Walker was keen enough to see the possibilities for a link to Westwood, and with that would force the Southern Pacific Railroad to be more competitive in their rates.
Early on the IVR had its sights on Westwood. In 1918 a survey was made to extend the line to Westwood was conducted, With Red River’s main branch logging railroad extending along the east shore of Lake Almanor to Canyon Dam, there was not much territory separating the two lines. In 1927 a request was sent to the Interstate Commerce Commission to put in this proposed line to be known as the Northern California Railroad. It was rejected. However, in the works was the Western Pacific and Great Northern Railroads to connect their respective lines with a new railroad from Keddie, Plumas County to Klamath Falls, Oregon. This was approved in 1930, and Red River Lumber Company would finally have a second railroad connection it had always sought.
Juniper Lake is located in the southeastern corner of Lassen Volcanic National Park. On April 1, 1914, C.P. and Cora Snell purchased 475 acres that included Juniper Lake. They eventually created a 1,500 lot subdivision. It should be noted that Lassen Park was not created until 1916. These inholdings inside the park created numerous problems for park officials.
After some thirty years of wrangling with the Snell’s Juniper Lake Resort and subdivision promotions, Lassen Park officials finally found resolution. While the park negotiated with the Snells, there was another obstacle—they had to negotiate with various owners who owned some 300 lots.
In 1957, park officials made an appeal to those lot owners to sell. This fell on proverbial deaf ears. The only way officials could overcome this impasse was to file condemnation suits. The owners were not pleased and considered it a government land grab. In the spring of 1959, forty owners, who held title to 259 lots at Juniper, were served with Notice of Intent by the park to condemn. The government’s offer was for $16,687.50, or approximately $64 per lot. It should be noted that many of those lots had been purchased for as little as $2.28 per lot at delinquent tax sales.
Ruth Pancera of Susanville was livid when she was served with the notice. She remarked how she had been “harassed” by federal officials for two years to sell her property at an “unreasonably low price.” The same sentiment was echoed by Dr. Richard Bahme of Berkeley, spokesman for the newly formed Juniper Lake Resort Owners Property Association. Bahme said, “the federal government is now attempting to buy our property at obsolete and unrealistic prices, based on what it might have cost 40. years ago, instead of its value today.” In addition, they felt discriminated against, for the suit did not affect the property owners with cabins, which numbered only a dozen.
The disgruntled owners fought, and the proceedings dragged on for five years, until the Department of Interior ultimately prevailed. It should be noted that the Dixie Fire, 2021, destroyed some of those existing cabins, and some intend to rebuild.
In 1863, Albert Elijah Ross (1836-1911) located on what would be later named Constantia. In 1884, Ross constructed a 17-room mansion there at a cost of $14,000. This residence and well-known landmark was simply referred to as the White House. In the early 1890s, Ross moved to San Jose to benefit his children’s education and eventually sold the property in 1898. The ownership of Constantia would change several times until it became a part of the Pyramid Land & Livestock Company. In 1922, that Company filed bankruptcy and the Galeppi family purchased the Constantia Ranch. The Galeppi’s, for various unknown reasons, did not reside in the famed White House. Fred Galeppi stated that during World War II, the house was still in good shape, and even had furniture. During the construction of Sierra Army Depot during this time, Galeppi stated soldiers used the house for recreation, but over the years it slowly began to be vandalized. In the early 1960s, most recall 1963, the house burned down. The cause of the fire remains unknown, though various residents of the region have their own story.
