Susanville’s The Big Store as it appeared in 1916. Photograph courtesy of the Worley family
In 1866, David Knoch purchased a lot on Main Street for $1,400. This address would later become known as 722 Main Street, the current home of Margie’s Book Nook since 1995. For the next 76 years three generations of the Knoch family operated the store. The current building was constructed in 1893, though it did received substantial damage from the 1900 fire.
In 1912, Fehr & Worley took over the helm of the general merchandise store, which they renamed the Big Store. Times were rapidly changing with the arrival of the railroad and lumber mills. In 1919, Fehr & Worley did the first remodel of the building changing its exterior and interior. They also opened a new department inside the store, and a first for Susanville—a delicatessen.
With the passage of the Volstead Act aka Prohibition there would be countless polls taken on whether it should be repealed. Robert M. Cook, editor/publisher of Susanville’s Lassen Mail newspaper decided to take an informal straw poll vote from the readers of the newspaper in the spring of 1926.
The results were not surprising, since bootleg operations were widespread throughout the region. Only 12 votes were cast to keep the existing law, while 401 wanted it repealed. A second question was whether to allow just wine and beer, which 110 said yes and six no.
Some readers sent in comments. One wrote “Voluntary abstinence always, compulsory prohibition, never.” Another “Bear in mind that the organized bootleg ring does not want the present law repealed. If it were the country would have fewer millionaires.”
It should be noted that earlier in the year a national poll was taken wherein California only 525 voted to keep the law, while 12,637 were against. What was surprising was Utah only 61 yes to keep the law, while 1,323 wanted it repealed.
In July 1875, eighteen Ash Valley residents petitioned for the formation of a school district. The Board of Supervisors tabled it. The petition failed to enumerate how many children resided in the valley. Of note, the majority of the petitioners were bachelors. A year later, a new petition was submitted that informed the Board there were fifteen children in the valley—the petition was approved.
Sometime in the late 1870s, the residents worked together to construct the schoolhouse. Records are not clear, but between 1917 and 1919 the school was closed. In July 1920, the residents requested the school be re-established and the request was granted. In 1923, the school closed again, as Julia A. Norwood, County Superintendent of Schools stated there was not a sufficient number of students. Norwood, on an optimistic note, ordered that the school’s fixtures and equipment remain in tact. The records, again, do not indicate when the school re-opened. At the County Board of Supervisor’s meeting of August 20, 1929 the minutes state: “Mrs. Mary Bath, Mr. & Mrs. J.T. Bath of Ash Valley appeared before the Board in the interest on emergency school at Ash Valley. It appearing that the proper showing had been made for this school, Mr. Bath is advised that a teacher would be designated.” This problem occurred again in 1934, when the school trustees were not able to secure a teacher and it was designated as an “emergency class.” The Board hired Jessie B. Madison for its teacher. The school closed for a final time in 1941. The last students to graduate were John Bath and Martha Bath in 1938. In September 1946, the Board of Supervisors declared the school as surplus property and ordered its sale, yet no buyers came forward.
Ash Valley School, as viewed from the cemetery, 2002.
It should be noted the school is located on a 40 acre parcel that also contains the Ash Valley Cemetery.
Mary Fern Long at the Carroll Street bridge, Richmond Road circa 1917—Leona Byars
While this photograph may not be distinct in the scene displayed, it still has some significance. The photographer, Leona Jackson Byars, daughter Rose Murrer Bagin, was best friend with Mary Fern Long who married Jim Nutting, an attorney and one time Lassen County District Attorney.
In the background on top of the hill is the 200 block of South Gay Street. Many of today’s existing homes have not been built.
Partial Cover of the 1928 Great Register, since I do not have one for 1926.
In a by gone era, the Lassen County Great (Voter’s) Register was printed and distributed to the poll workers. In 1926, Lassen Mail printed the primary election register. The newspaper published a story about some of the odd data found— there were 4, 989 names.
“Our town may be in Susanville, but it don’t mean a thing to the ladies, as there are but two Susans and one Susie registered here, while there are some score or more in the county.
“The principal occupation of the men seems to be farming, with clerk and laborer running close seconds. Very few woodsmen, loggers or woods workers in proportion to the importance of our primary industry.
”One wonders how the dishes get cleaned in the restaurants, as there is not one dishwasher registered. While there are quite a number of “sheepmen” in the county, there were apparently only three “sheep herders.”
“Politically, Lake Greeno is the most overwhelmingly democratic precinct, with 14 democrats and 11 republicans, while Ravendale redeems the republican prestige with 42 republicans and 6 democrats. Pittville seems to be the most socialistic precinct with 11 registered of this affiliation and a number who refuse to give their political belief.
“Westwood precinct No. 1 is the largest precinct with 556 names and Secret the smallest with but 10. North and South Susanville are most evenly divided with 361 names each.
“Cox, Cyr, and Orr and several others vie for the honor of having the shortest name, while Schoenberger wins in a walk with the longest name of 14 letters.
“Providence precinct is unique to that every one of its 20 voters gives their post office address as Adin, which is outside of the county. in which they reside in and vote.”
The following editorial appeared in the Lassen Mail on July 9, 1926. It is interesting in a few aspects. There is a story, inside the story about elections/politics, and is only fitting since Tuesday is Election Day.
Buy Where You Earn. There is much talk these days of boosting Susanville and there are many activities that are making it better known, wealthier, bigger. The American Legion Convention will bring it state wide attention and will undoubtedly cause many people to make this their home.
But with all this there are many people who talk Susanville and act elsewhere. What of the man who talks of the great future of Susanville on the street corner and buys his clothes, his automobile, his printing and even his groceries in another city? His words are mere bombast but his buying his needs in other places is one of the worst blows that civic industry in this place can sustain.
A candidate for office approached a business man in Susanville and asked for his support in the coming election. The business man, after explaining that there was nothing personal in his refusal, told the candidate to go to Montgomery Ward for his political support. The candidate did his buying from the mail order house and the mail order house should support him in the election.
A man supports those who support him. You cannot expect business or co-operation if you are not willing to give the same thing in return.
Susanville goods are of the same quality and Susanville prices are just as cheap as those of other cities. The person who is mislead by cheap prices is losing out in the long run. The man who is buying his goods out of town is not gaining either financially or otherwise. If he does this he cannot expect local people to trade with him.
Local trading, of whatever nature, is beneficial to everyone. It increases industry and will increase population. A bigger and better Susanville is the aim of every public minded citizen and the best way to realize that ideal is to encourage home industry and stamp out the man who makes his money in Susanville and spends it in some other city.
In 1882, Julius M. Howells, a civil engineer for Agassiz & Shaw, was hired to study the geological features of the Feather River country. The region left a lasting impression on him. First, there was the abundant watershed found at Big Meadows (now Lake Almanor). Then there was the dramatic elevation once the Feather River left that basin, descending some 4,350 feet in a distance of some seventy miles. Two years later, Howells left the region to work on other projects.
In the 1890s hydroelectric power was coming to the forefront. In 1895 his brother-in-law, J.J. Seymour, was a co-founder of the San Joaquin Electric Company in Fresno. In 1899 Howells accepted the position of consulting engineer for that power company to construct the Crane Valley Dam.
In 1901, in Los Angeles, Howells affiliated himself with noted engineer James Dix Schuyler. In November, Howells returned to Big Meadows to compile facts and figures for the potential development of a hydroelectric system utilizing the Feather River. Upon his return, with data in hand, Schuyler arranged a meeting between Howells and Edwin T. Earl—the latter had done very well in the citrus packing industry and was branching out into other endeavors.
Earl consulted with his brother, Guy C. Earl, an Oakland attorney. They concluded that Howells’ venture was worth pursuing. It was deemed that secrecy was the order of the day, so as not to alert the competition, as Plumas County resident George Cornell had a similar proposition in the works, but lacked financial capital.
Nevis Dam under construction, that was later abandoned, and the dam moved upstream to today’s current location.
Fast forward to the spring of 1913, after numerous hurdles and one failed dam attempt, Julius Howells went to work for the Earl Brothers who had formed the Great Western Power Company. By the summer of 1913 work was in full progress and the newly constructed reservoir known as Lake Almanor was completed in the summer of 1914.
Due to financial issues the original proposed dam was scaled back by half. In December 1924, Great Western Power announced its intention to raise the dam by forty-five feet. Julius Howells was brought back as consulting engineer.
In December 1926, the raising of the dam was complete. On April 22, 1927, Julius Meriam Howells passed away in San Francisco.
Eastern Honey Lake Valley , near Stacy, 1911—C.R. Caudle
The Nevada-California-Oregon Railroad (NCO ) was such a colorful enterprise and how it managed to exist for nearly a half of a century is mind boggling.
In 1884, the NCO’s line extended thirty miles north of Reno, at the old Antelope Ranch, and they named it Oneida. At the same, Edgar Heriot was brought in as general manager and under his leadership made numerous beneficial improvements.
At the end of 1884, the NCO extended its line five miles north to Junction House (near present day Hallelujah Junction. Heriot had ambitious plans. On March 31, 1887 Heriot announced that work would commence on a 45-mile extension from Junction House to Brubeck’s Ranch at Lower Hot Springs on the east side of Honey Lake. This did not set well with Susanville or the communities on the west side of the valley. However, there were delays due to litigation with landowners over rights-of-way in Long Valley. This was a considerable expense and Moran’s owners of the NCO fired Heriot. He was replaced with the cantankerous Erasmus Gest.
No matter how hard Susanville lobbied the Morans, dealing with Gest was an exercise in futility. Gest had made up his mind. He was determined to build the line as quickly as possible to the Oregon border, on the most direct route. Gest feared competition from the north, and it was his desire to have the railroad built to eliminate rival lines. Gest informed the Morans of his decision to stay with the original plans. Gest stated it was a waste of money to build to Susanville, referring to it as a “no place.” Later management called Gest’s judgment to bypass Susanville as “ . . . one of the most monumental blunders, I have ever known a sane man to commit.”
The Johnston House, circa 1909. It was located on the north side of the 700 Block of Main Street, and the wooden buildings on that block were destroyed by fire in 1919. Courtesy of Betty Barry Deal
One of Susanville’s first ordinances, was a real attention getter and would dramatically change the town’s business district. Adopted in 1902, Ordinance No. 17 prohibited the construction of wooden frame buildings in the heart of the town’s business district—the four blocks on Main Street between Roop and Gay. It required building plans be submitted to the city clerk and to designate whether the building materials were brick or native stone. Roofs were required to be metal, slate or tile. This it was deemed to reduce fire, something that was dominate issue in the town’s history. In 1912, the ordinance was amended to include the block from Gay to Weatherlow.
In 1914 the ordinance was challenged in court. O.M. Doyle who wanted to build on the southeast corner of Roop and Main Streets, but thought the cost of non-flammable building materials was prohibitive. The judge in the case upheld the city’s ordinance. Doyle then had a two-story property constructed on the property in question, that became known as the Del Mar, which still stands today.
The Arnold Planing Mill is a featured photograph in the 2023 calendar.
Back by a somewhat popular demand are the calendars, which I thought last year was to be the last. It is my intent to carry on for a few more years. As usual the calendars contain an interesting mix of historic photographs. Some of these are: Bumpass Hell, 1908, , Standish Methodist Church, 1910, Lassen High 1907 track team to name a few.
One has three options to purchase calendars:
1) Locally, you can purchase them at Margie’s Book Nook.
2) You can purchase direct online by clicking here
3) You can also email me to place your order, and it will be sent with an invoice.
Important Notice: There are only 50 calendars available, and once sold that is it.
