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.
Tim
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.
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.
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.”
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.
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.
Tim
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.