This 1928 advertisement caught my attention, and was something I wanted to share. The dairy was located near Johnstonville, though I do not know much about it. I do, however, have a Cramer milk bottle which are rather rare. After all, those who knew Leroy Cramer, a collector of everything, did not even have one.
It should be noted one of my Mother’s past times was going to yard sales, which at one she found this milk bottle.
Tim
Today, Peter Lassen born on this date in 1800. So, I thought some might be interested in some of the little known facets about him. Lassen arrived in California on July 14, 1840 at Bodega Bay by sailing down the Oregon coast. There was no welcome mat, as he encountered Mexican officials there to prevent foreigners from entering. Luckily, a Russian commandant was at hand and invited Lassen and his companion William Wiggins to stay at Fort Ross. Their stay at the Russian settlement was brief, and once outfitted with supplies and horses the two men went John Sutter’s compound, known today as Sacramento. Lassen was impressed with Sutter’s hospitality, but after a two-week stint sailed to Yerba Buena, known today as San Francisco. Lassen’s next stop was San Jose where he spent the winter of 1840-41 applying his trade as a blacksmith. His wanderlust next found Lassen at Santa Cruz. He would bounce around a bit, until 1844 when he received his Mexican land grant in what is known as Tehama County.
Lassen’s outpost at Deer Creek was not only the northernmost settlement in the Sacramento Valley, but in time became one of the best known interior settlements of Northern California. This was, of course, the best of times for Lassen. By 1850, with bad business ventures and such, it was time to move, he having lost nearly everything relocated to Indian Valley, Plumas County. In 1855, he moved over the mountain to Honey Lake Valley, where he is buried at the location where he spent his first night there.
Longville was one of many Plumas County mining communities, some of which have connections over the mountain in Lassen County. One of those forgotten places was Longville located in Humbug Valley. This valley is located a bit south and west of Lake Almanor. It is a picturesque meadow surrounding by pine trees.
The settlement began there in 1855, when B.K. Ervine and William B. Long used the valley for stock-range. Two years later, gold was discovered and set off a flurry of mining operations. Long and his father-in-law, Allen Wood, built a hotel, and a sawmill mill, too, and thus the town of Longville came into existence. In 1862, Long came to Susanville and purchased William Weatherlow’s ranch, known today as Susanville Ranch Park.
In 1856, Andrew Miller made a permanent home at Humbug Valley, He did stray on occasions. In 1863, he ventured over to Susanville for awhile and with Rufus Kingsley constructed the first native-stone building, the site being the current location of Margie’s Book Nook. After his brief stay in Susanville he returned back to Humbug. However, in 1874, he was appointed Receiver of the Government Land Office in Susanville, and remained in that position until 1886. The Government Land Office was the only federal office in Lassen County, and today is known as the Bureau of Land Management. Miller once again returned to Humbug where he remained until his passing in 1903 and is buried in Susanville.
Longville, like so many rural communities, suffered from the effects of World War I, and it quickly depopulated. Its post office, which Andrew Miller established in 1861, closed in 1918.
It should be noted that Long and Miller descendants still reside in the Susanville. It was Miller’s grandson, Claude Heard, who established Heard’s Market, a focal point for decades in Litchfield, but now closed.
Back in the 1970s, when I first doing my research, I came across real estate promoters literature of the 1890s about the balmy climate around Amedee and it being ideal for citrus production. Of course, we know that is not true, but there was a lot of deceptive literature just waiting to fleece some strangers hard earned money.
While doing research on the Standish book, that I will never do, for lack of interest, one of the area’s residents came up with a unique marketing plan to sell his crops. Frank B. McKay needed to come up with a ploy to make his produce stand out from the others. Word spread that he had a new specialty of oranges, when it fact that large orange orbs he offered for sale, were known to many as the standard pumpkin.
In the late 1870s, Isaac Wilson Bassett developed the hot springs near Bieber, first by excavating a swimming hole where water was diverted because the springs were too hot. Later a bathhouse was constructed that contained wooden tubs. If the water became too cool, a wooden spigot could be turned into the tubs to add additional hot water so that optimum temperature was maintained in the pool. As Frances A. Gassaway recalled, “For twenty-five cents, one could go into the plunge and bathe. For a dime more one could be furnished a swimsuit. It was quite a treat to go to the springs.” In 1928, under Barney Fillingim’s management, the wooden pool was replaced with a concrete swimming pool. The Bassett family continued to operate the springs until 1945 when it was sold to Gerald and Birdie Packwood for $17,500. The Packwoods continued operations for a short period of time. Due to health regulations, maintenance, and insurance the Packwood’s deemed it too costly to operate and the facility was closed.
During the late 1800s with all the proposed irrigation/reclamation enterprises in the Honey Lake Valley, flumes to convey water was not considered. On the west slope of the Sierra, flumes were numerous used primarily for logging and mining.
The first flume in the region was built in 1861 to furnish water power for the Milford Flour Mill. One of Captain C.A. Merrill’s grandiose plans for Eagle Lake called a for flume to transport logs to his proposed town of Belfast.
In 1895, James Branham built a flume on the north side of the Susan River just below Hobo Company to convey water to power his small electric plant. It was a short-lived operation that shut down in 1910.
Up north to the mining community of Hayden Hill, saw the use of flumes. The town had problems with the lack of water, though on the other hand some of the mines had problem with water in their diggings. The Lassen Mining Company built a flume to divert water from Willow Creek to Hayden Hill.
Someone recently wanted to know who Chappuis Lane was so named. The Chappuis family operated a ranch along the Susan River, where the lane passes through.
In 1890, Frank Johnston filed a 160-acre homestead at that location and in 1893, moved his family there. In 1906, his daughter Nancy married Ed Chappuis. For many years it was known as the Johnston & Chappuis Ranch. After the passing of Frank Johnston in 1909, his Fred Johnston, along with Ed & Nancy Chappuis carried on. In 1951 the ranch was divided, with Nancy Chappuis retaining her father’s original ranch. Nancy and her sons—Evan, Ray and Leo—carried on for many more decades. (It should be noted that Ed Chappuis passed away in 1943).
Tim
The real estate firm of Engel & Volker has listed the Hotel Mt. Lassen for sale, which has been vacant for a long time. Asking price $3.4 million. For the curious you can see the listing here .
Tim
Since the topic of cannabis is on the ballot in Lassen County, I thought some historical perspective might be of interest.
The headlines news on the front page of the Lassen Mail of November 23,1928 “Dope Plant Grown In Susanville.” The discovery was made by Sheriff Jim Leavitt, when investigating a dance at the Brunswick Pool Hall across from the Susanville Depot. Leavitt confiscated ten kegs of whiskey and ten pounds of marijuana. In addition, the owners of the Brunswick, Emma and Pete Ovalle were arrested on a narcotics charge for the possession of marijuana, besides the alcohol charges.
Marijuana was something new to the residents. The local press described it as a Mexican tobacco that is smoked like a cigarette, and said it has an exhilarating and soothing effect for the smoker and can also make on feel “goofy.”
The next day, officials conducted another search of the premises surrounding the Brunswick Pool Hall. They found marijuana being grown along the Susan River. It was determined that the marijuana grown there did not contain the elements of other varieties found in tropical climates. In addition, it was asserted that even if one smoke a ton of marijuana grown locally, it would not produce any kind of “kick.” Due to those circumstances, the narcotics charge against the Ovalles was dropped. As to the illegal alcohol possession they pled guilty and paid the $300 fine.
In 1887, Congress passed the General Allotment Act also known as the Dawes Act. It is a complicated story., however, for Indians not on tribal reservations they were entitled land allotments up to 160 acres.
In the early 1900s, when the Great Western Power Company began its aggressive campaign to purchase the lands of Big Meadows, Plumas County into a reservoir site to be known as Lake Almanor. Some of the purchases were not friendly and Great Western Power sued to obtain ownership. The company sued six Maidu Indians—Jennie Meadows, Ellen Jenkins, John Jenkins, Hester Jenkins, Robert Shafer and Jim Lincoln—to seek condemnation of their government allotted lands. On November 22, 1902, a court trial was held and the Maidu were awarded a judgment, giving them the assessed value along with an additional $1,600 in compensation. At the conclusion of the trial, Great Western paid cash to the Maidu, who according to one report the Maidu “went home rejoicing.” There was a good reason, too. In 1908, it was disclosed that those six Maidu had never owned the lands Great Western sought condemnation!