History

Amos Lane – Bartender, Inventor, Judge

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Amedee Bath House & Hot Springs
Amedee Bath House courtesy of John M. Gibson

In 1890, Honey Lake Valley resident invented a new yew type of windmill. In 1891, he went t check out the new NCO railroad town called Amedee on the east side of Honey Lake. It was a bustling in activity and promoters stated that was tip of iceberg of things to come. With that promising of prosperous time, he decided to became an entrepreneur and established a saloon near the hot springs. It should be noted the hot springs offered unique facet-a small geyser, Lane devised a clocked to measure time of the spurts from the geyser. The geyser rose and fell at intervals of 38 second and on occasions the water would shoot up as high as eight feet. The natural wonder disappeared in May 1893, when the ground around the hot springs cracked open, allowing the steam to escape before the eruption.  Of the many hats Lane wore, he became the justice of peace for the town and surrounding area.

By the late 1893 the boomtown era of Amedee had peaked, and Lane like so many others made his departure in search of the proverbial greener pastures.

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History

September 11, 1899

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Having a bit fun at Eagle Lake’s north shore, 1923. Lola is to the left. The other two women were school teachers at Eagle Lake and Willow Creek.

September 11, 1899 is special day for me. It was on the date my grandmother Lola Lily Murrer was born in Willow Creek Valley, the eldest child of Edward and Mary (Knoch). Murrer. She had special affinity for photography. I am grateful for the photographs she took of Eagle Lake during its high water levels of the mid 1910s and of the Bly Tunnel construction. The Murrer Ranch was great hub activity during the tunnel construction. The tunnel outlet abutted the Murrer ranch. According to family lore, my grandfather, John Tanner, briefly worked as a teamster hauling supplies to the tunnel works and is how the two met. He had a ranch in the Standish district where they raised their family.

Lola, January 1925

The family sold the ranch in 2025. While going through ranch house prior to the sale, her great-great grandson located three boxes of her photographs. Most of thee are from the 1930s onward and I have not had an opportunity to inspect them. Whether there are early day Eagle Lake photographs I do not know. Whatever the case may be, if there are any interesting photographs, I will let the readers know.

Tim

History

The Camp Harvey Strike

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Harvey Cookhouse
Camp Harvey Cookhouse, 1947

Yesterday’s post when Fletcher Walker criticized Fruit Growers increasing logging camp board, here is another side of the story.

The cookhouse in logging camps operated at significant losses.In 1948, when logging camps of Fruit Growers Harvey line opened, raised the price of a meal to one dollar. Complaints were loud and long. But now, instead of losing thirty-six cents per meal, they only lost eight cents. That’s still substantial. At the end 1948 Fruit Growers’s losses for operating those cookouses was $63,500.

On May 2, 1949, Camps Harvey and Stanford opened for another season. In an effort to further reduce expenses, Fruit Growers leased the cookhouses and commisarries to the H.S. Anderson Company for one dollar. Fruit Growers thought perhaps an outside company could handle the meals more efficiently. They would never find the answer.

Dining Car
Camp Harvey Dining Car

Just threes into the logging season all operations on the Harvey line  shut down. The cookhouse crews, represented by Local 768 of the Bartenders and Culinary Workers Union, walked off the job in a wage and hour dispute with H.S. Anderson Company. Logging came to a standstill. As the weeks passed with no end of the strike, Fruit Growers abandoned all logging operations on the Harvey line.

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History

Fletcher’s Opinion

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Westwood
Westwood. Courtesy of Hank Martinez

There are certain people that they get. attached to something, that they hard a hard time moving on. Fletcher Walker, Red River’s Resident Manager of Westwood resided there since 1913 and he remained in that community when it was solo Fruit Growers in 1944.. It should be noted that Fletcher was instrumental in the planing and the construction of Westwood Some residents have fond memories of Fletcher, similar to that of the patriachal figure.

So it was no surprise Fletcher game his opinion freely to Fruit Growers concerning the operations.In a letter dated September 17, 1948 to Fruit Growers criticize the company on many fronts. There was of course, the uncertainty of Westwood, however, that situations known throughout the community before Fruit Growers purchase. Fletcher was critical of Fruit Growers who raised the logging camp board, though in reality logging camps were expensive operation.  Fletcher also questioned “cutting $300.00 lumber into $80.00 shook.

Box Shook
Box Shook at Westwood

Fletcher finally wrote: “If this plant were run to capacity there were would be a profit very close to $1,000,000.00 per month, which is quite a lot of folding money.”

Tim

History, News

A Festvity for 1927?

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Lassen County elected officials and employees.

First of all, I hope everyone has relaxing Labor Day.. Some one posted this comment about the 1927 Milford Rabbit Drive: “Is there is going to be a 100 year anniversary run for this event.”  This I thought is an interesting concept for a  centennial event and with some creativity’s some intersting potential. Anyone, up to challenge to organize it?  I would be willing to assist where I can.

For those interested, I am working on the John Jay Casey article. It may be awhile, since my future post pile has a way increasing day by day.

Tim

 

History

The Pine Creek Millpond

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Pine Creek
Pine Creek, circa 1914. It sholuld be noted that John Spalding’s original homestead was on the north side of Pine Creek. Courtesy of Wyn Wachhorst

In 1919, Fruit Growers Supply Company purchased the Collins Tract west of Eagle Lake the contained an estimated a billion board feet of timber. Lassen National Forest officials suggested a mill site on Pine Creek near Eagle. Lake. Fruit Growers examined two sites, in the region what is known as Spalding Tract. They were informed that Eagle Lake had dropped from 3 to 4  feet during 1917-18. There was also the uncertainty where Leon Bly had obtained water rights to the lake for irrigation in the Honey Lake Valley. It was suggested that Fruit Growers place a dam at the Pine Creek estuary for a millpond and in the worst case  scenario drill wells for a water supply. After a short debate Fruit Growers decided to locate the sawmill at Susanville.

Tim

History

The Old Lassen County Jail

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Photo by Matt Mattison

Yesterday, we explored this building’s counterpart, the Lassen County Courthouse. The old Lassen County Jail was built in 1911 at a cost of $30,000. Noted architect Frederick deLongchamp designed the building. It should noted deLongchamp was the architect of the St. Francis Hotel, now a thing the past and the original Susanville City Hall.  One of my favorite deLongchamp buildings is the Modoc County Courthouse.

This jail closed its doors in 1971, when a new jail was constructed behind it. That jail no longer exists and that’s another story. The old jail has been nearly vacant as long as it was in use. The roof of the building has partially collapsed, so how much long will it stand remains to be seen. In the future we will explore one proposal to restore it.

Tim

History

Lassen County Courthouse Myths

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Lassen County Courthouse, 1938. Courtesy of Jere Baker

Certain published accounts attribute that Susanville’s founder, Isaac Roop, donated to the Lassen County the block that occupier the courthouse. Not so. Truth be known Roop was not the benevolent type that folklore has it.

The actual construction cost of the present courthouse, completed in 1917, is somewhat muddled. In 1915 the voters approved a $125,000 bond measure to construct a new courthouse and a new hospital. The cost of the courthouse was $80,000.

Tim

History

Highway 395, 1937

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Highway 395 near Ravendale, 1937

Many will consider this rather mundane, yet the daily goings on whether past or present have their cycles, some dull and others dramatic. On the same token, a century ago left remarkable paper trail. In this digital era future historians will not have the luxury of sifting through paper documents.

While sorting through records I came this 1937 report from the California Division  Highways pertaining of road work on Highway 395 between  Termo and Ravendale, photographs included. The cost of widening the shoulders gravel and oil base was $23,100.

Tim

History

Little Susanville

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Hilt Company Store and Post Office, 1937.

While it can expected in urban areas to ethic enclaves such as a typical Chinatown a there was a little northern California community that a neighborhood was dubbed Little Susanville. This community was Hilt, Siskiyou County, near the Oregon border. It just happen to be a company  townof Fruit Growers Supply Company.

The Great Depression of the 1930s wreaked havoc on the lumber mills and numerous mills along the Pacific Cost region were shut down. The Lassen County mills were somewhat spared, but there were cutbacks in operations and lay offs. Fruit Growers valued its employees.. They understood how valuable a well trained workforce meant for smooth operations. Fruit Growers at its Susanville Operation transferred a small number of its employees and their families to Hilt. Thus origin of Little Susanville by locals at Hilt. By the late 1930s, when lumber activity rebounded, Fruit Growers easily met the demands, as well trained work force was intact. Fruit Growers General Manager A.E. Barnes was very pleased by this decision and that it paid off.

Tim

Exploring Lassen County's Past