History

Piano Player Not Needed

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The Gem Saloon, Susanville, 1908. B.R. Zimmerman Collection

Susanville’s Gem Saloon, operated by B.R. Zimmerman was always in search of the latest innovative gadgets to entertain his customers. In the fall of 1907, he installed his latest attraction, which as predicted would garner a lof ot public interest—a electric piano. The Lassen Advocate provided the following description:

”It is of the regulation upright piano size and any performer can perform upon it the same as an ordinary instrument. But should there be no pianist available you only have to ‘push the button’ the electric motor starts and you have only. to look pleasant and listen to a brilliant rendition of the very. latest and best music. The instrument is a beauty and should prove a winner in public favor.”

Tim

History

Before Hetch Hetchy

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Prattville Hotel, 1899. Mary Dale Folsom

Long before Hetch Hetchy and Lake Almanor, too, there was an episode to use the abundant water resources of northern Plumas County to supply San Francisco with its water. That resource specifically was the numerous springs of Big Meadows, now a part of. Lake Almanor.

The Plumas National newspaper of Quincy on March 1, 1882 contained an article “Lively Times for Prattville.”  An excerpt states “For some time past San Francisco capitalist have been making investigations on Feather River with a view, it is said of taking water from that stream to the city. The sources of the river being enormous springs in and near Big Meadows, it is always clear and pure. The character of the country is such that there is no fear of the water ever being injured by mining above Bidwell’s Bridge (located near present day Canyon Dam). These considerations have led to the scheme of starting a ditch in the canyon below the bridge, the ditch is to be thirty feet wide and six feet deep. This would be continued to some suitable point where piping would be begun for carrying the water to the city. Dam and reservoirs would be unnecessary, the volume of water in the river nearly the same at all seasons. This would be an immense undertaking, but it is said that money enough can be had to carry it through. How the projectors will get the water across the bay to San Francisco has not yet been heard.”

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History

Rural Free Delivery System

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Janesville Masonic Hall, circa 1912. The first floor was a combination store and post office.

The Rural Free Delivery system was slow to implement. The whole purpose was to provide mail to those in rural areas, so one would not have to travel miles to obtain their mail at the nearest post office. While approved by Congress in 1896, it was slow in adoption..

Rural Fred Delivery did not reach Lassen County until 1918. When the Edgemont Post Office (located four miles east of Janesville) closed in that year the residents of that region were first to receive Rural Free Delivery. Within twelve years many of the small rural post offices in Lassen County were closed and replaced with Rural Free Delivery.

A number of the rural post offices were either in a store and/or at someone’s one home. The Merrillville Post Office, located some 15 miles north of Susanville in Willow Creek Valley is an interesting example. Established in 1875, it was located at the Folsom Ranch (now Willow Creek Wildlife Area). It would later be relocated to the Hurlbut Ranch, then to Murrer’s and then to the Stone Ranch at Eagle Lake when it was discontinued on November 30, 1928.

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History

The NCO’s Lakeview Car

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The Lakeview—-Marie Herring Gould

This Tuesday tidbit will be albeit brief. The NCO Railroad had two private cars the Esmeralda and the Lakeview. While the above photograph is hardly the best, some of the rail fans on this site will enjoy it nevertheless. I thought I had some handy notes on the Lakeview, but alas they are not so handy when I need them. When they do surface, I can always update the post, and if someone out there has information to share about the Lakeview that would be appreciated as well.

Tim

History

Remembering Lola

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Lola Murrer, 1924

Today, marks the fiftieth anniversary of the passing of Lola Lillie Murrer Tanner, my grandmother. She was born on September 11, 1899 at Willow Creek Valley, the eldest and only daughter of Edward and Mary (Knoch) Murrer. She had two brothers, Leo, born 1906, and Alfred born 1914.

Lola while growing up enjoyed the outdoors and exploring her “backyard” the east side of Eagle Lake. One of her early passions was photography. Because of her, she captured Eagle Lake at is highest level, but equally important the construction of Bly Tunnel.

Fun times at the north shore of Eagle Lake, Lola to the far left, 1923

In 1927, she married John Tanner and the following year they acquired the present Tanner Ranch, now sandwiched between the Dakin and Fleming Units of the State Wildlife Refuge, and still owned by the family. In 1945, she was widowed having to deal with raising three daughters and operating the ranch, yet with all those and many other challenges, she never complained.

While she did not have a high profile life, to me her legacy has been her photographs that I share with you the reader—priceless.

Tim

Lola, January 1925

Oh that flume from the other week!

Willow Creek Flume, 1925—Lola Tanner
News

Eight Years and Counting

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Downtown Amedee, 1982.

Well, I now have eight years experience going digital. It has been an interesting journey so far. Of course, it has pitfalls from day to day operations, just with any endeavor—it goes with the territory.

One of the nice features with an online format is the ability to reach a far wider audience, especially since I keep the content free—no paywall.

Next year will be a critical one with the renewal of the host server. Hopefully, the rates will be reasonable.

Tim

History

Hamilton Park, Lake Almanor

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Hamilton Park aka Big Springs, 1937

Long before Lake Almanor was conceived Big Springs and Hamilton Branch were popular camping/fishing spots at the then Big Meadows. A portion of that would change in the early 1900s when Great Western Power Company began land acquisition there. The company issued a statement that all camping and/or recreational activities were prohibited on their land, though initially permits could be obtained That is a story for another time.

When the first phase of the construction of Lake Almanor was completed in 1914, a great deal of the activity was logging by the Red River Lumber Company who had a contract to remove the standing timber from the reservoir. One of Red River’s earliest and best known logging camps, was Camp 14 located near Hamilton Branch.

In 1923, J.N. Boshoff contacted Red River officials about converting a portion of abandoned Camp 32 at Hamilton Branch into a little resort. Red River agreed, seeing it as an opportunity to provide recreational opportunities for its employees and their families. Boshoff then converted some of the cabins at Camp 32 into bath houses for changing and others into overnight sleeping accommodations. He dubbed his new enterprise Hamilton Park. Boshoff leased the property from Red River for the next fourteen years. Hamilton Park eventually became known as Lassen View Resort.

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History

The Demolition of Wendel

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Wendel, January 26, 2020

The railroad giveth and the railroad taketh could easily describe Wendel. In 1996, the Union Pacific Railroad received permission to abandon an 85-mile segment of the railroad from Wendel to Likely. The railroad implemented a plan to demolish most of the buildings it owned there. Among the first buildings demolished were a two-story railroad section house and the foreman’s house. Also torn dorn was a local favorite, the 24-hour cafe known as the Milepost Inn, which provided meals and housing for railroad crews laying over between trips, but was open to the public.

Tim

History

Driskell’s Hayden Hill Saloon

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Golden Eagle Mine, Hayden Hill December 9, 1909—-Dallas & Joyce Snider

By 1900 it was becoming apparent that so-called  “Wild West” had become to an end. In the early 1900s, in California, one was now required to go before the County Board of Supervisors to petition for a liquor license. If there was sufficient opposition, the Supervisors would deny the license. Thus, in the same county, one town would be “wet” and another one “dry.”

In 1902, T. Ed Driskell applied for a liquor license to operate a saloon at Hayden Hill, and it was granted. Times were quiet on the Hill (as it was referred) and therefore no opposition. By 1906, mining conditions  were picking up and the mine operators opposed Driskell’s saloon. In mid-May 1907 the Golden Eagle Mine shut down, implying the problems associated with Driskell’s saloon. In reality there were a scarcity of miners to be found.

While the owners of Golden Eagle fought to revoke Driskell’s liquor license, the matter would resolve itself in a peculiar manner. On July 12, 1908, Driskell’s was found dead at his saloon. A Coroner’s Jury was assembled, the cause of death—alcohol poisoning.

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History

Mill Closures

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Fruit Growers and Lassen Lumber in their glory days.

Recently, someone wanted to know when the various large lumber mills closed. The first casualty occurred in 1953, when the last of the decked logs were milled at Lassen Lumber & Box Company. The sawmill was dismantled. However, Fruit Growers who bought Lassen Lumber in 1952, sold thirty acres including the box factory to the T&M Sash & Door Factory, operated by A.I. Lucero and Walter Wirth. The building was destroyed by a fire on April. 3, 1966.

Next on the chopping block was Fruit Growers plant in Westwood, which shut down during 1955/56. Fruit Growers had purchased it from the Red River Lumber Company in 1944. Next, in what was kind of an off shoot of Red River was the Paul Bunyan Lumber Company. The Susanville mill closed in 1967, though the company operated another facility in Anderson, Shasta County. One of the shorter lived operations was the Susanville Lumber Company that was established in 1941. In changed ownership several times and then was reincarnated at Coin Lumber. In 1979, it became Susanville Forest Products, a division of Jeld-Wen Corporation. They closed the mill in 1993.

Lastly, was Sierra Pacific Industries. They acquired the mill in 1963 from Fruit Growers Supply Company. Sierra Pacific closed its Susanville mill on May 3, 2004, thus marking an end of era, of a once predominant industry in Lassen County.

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Exploring Lassen County's Past