Some readers may recall that I wrote about the burning of Constantia in April 2020, while not as dramatic as the burning of Atlanta, Georgia during the Civil War, for some, the loss of Constantia was traumatic.

Besides the Constantia General Store which was built in 1898, the other three buildings actually were not ranch related. In July 1926, the California Division of Highways (pre-Caltrans) made an agreement with the Galeppi family, owners of Constantia, to construct a maintenance station there. The three buildings—foreman’s residence, storage garage and bunkhouse—cost $4,000. During World War II with severe labor shortages the station was closed permanently.

Tim

In the 1890s, the creamery movement began in earnest in the Honey Lake Valley. One of the reasons for the slow development was there was no local skilled people to operate one.

One of the first creameries established was the Honey Lake Creamery located at Spoonville, east of Janesville and also known as Missouri Bend. The records are rather sketchy about the operation, though it appears it was placed into operation about 1895, by the Spoon Brothers. In addition, after a fire destroyed the plant in 1901, they brought James I. Christie as a partnership with the creamery and also that of a general merchandise store. The creamery was rebuilt with the equipment coming from the Diamond Mountain Creamery.

Changes were on the horizon. In 1904, Christie joined his brother, John B. in a store at Janesville. In 1905, The Spoons sold out to E.C. Brown. However, Brown was not interested in operating the creamery and it subsequently shut down. The abandoned building was used as storage. In the 1940s, it was moved a short distance to the Mulroney Ranch and converted into a barn.

A little note about the Christie Brothers. In 1919, James established Christie Furniture in Susanville. John took over the Eagle Lake Resort, hence the name of Christie Campground.

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Initially Johnstonville was known as Toadtown. According to Farris & Smith (1882) “Tradition hath it that in the early settlement of the valley, whenever a heavy rain-storm was experienced, the ground was literally covered with diminutive toads.”  Lisle Lester, a noted journalist, wrote in 1865: “Toadtown is a mere bit of a hamlet, on the Susan River, notable for its name.  I wondered why it was called Toadtown?  Roseville would have been more appropriate for the banks of the river was fairly bordered with wild roses.” Johnstonville was named for Robert Johnston who, in 1859, along with his brother-in-law, Eber G. Bangham, traded a cow and calf to William Dow for his property there. At their December 7, 1864 meeting the Lassen County Board of Supervisors ordered the Toadtown Voting Precinct be changed to Johnstonville, and the Toadtown name faded into oblivion. It should also be the school their was originally known as Susan River and the name was changed to Johnstonville in 1877.

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Note: This article originally appeared on March 14, 2015. Normally, Tuesday is a wild card day. So this part experimental, as a subscriber, for reasons unknown, is not receiving the notification.

In 1861, Carlton Goodrich settled at Mountain Meadows and would become one of the largest property owners there, as his ranch totaled over 7,000 acres. He located his ranch house just west where the highway crosses Goodrich Creek, approximately across from where the old chimney stands. It became known as Mountain House and was a popular stop for weary travelers. In April 1875, Sylvester Daniels paid Goodrich a visit while touring the region and wrote, “I love these mountain folks. No aristocracy among them.” When Goodrich died in 1886, due to estate issues and the subsequent sale to John Crouch, the popular establishment closed. When the Red River Lumber Company established its Westwood operation, they transformed the old Goodrich ranch into a dairy.

Tim