History

Lake Almanor Cloud Seeding

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Lake Almanor

Note: This originally appeared on January 8, 2018, so it might be familiar to some. For some odd reason in August 2021 it garnered a lot of attention from first an internet search and then spread on social media. While seasoned subscribers may recall it, there are new ones who may find it of interest.

From time to time discussions have been held whether the cloud seeding in the Lake Almanor Basin area by Pacific Gas & Electric Company affects the areas to the east. In 1979, Lassen County officials thought the cloud seeding was part of the drought problem in southern Lassen County. In October 1979, Henry LaPlante of PG&E stated that the company has been treating selected storm systems for more than 25 years. He said the intent of the seeding was to increase the high elevation snowpack. Furthermore, LaPlante wrote, “There is no scientific evidence which indicates that cloud seeding activities in our Almanor area reduces the amount of precipitation in any other area.” 

Tim

 

History

Standish Meat Market

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Left to Right: Garfield Vogt, Les Cottingham, Orrin Myers, Fred Hansen, Roy Hopkins, Unknown—Vivian Hansen

The Standish Meat Market was an early day enterprise of Fred Hansen. When it first opened it was located on the north side of Todd Hemler’s Standish Livery Stable. What a peculiar arrangement to the say least. As business increased Hansen moved to a second location and branched out in carrying groceries. One of his newspaper advertisements caught my attention with the statement “Local-killed Meats.”

Tim

 

History

Oak Grove School, Lassen County

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Oak Grove School, circa 1905.

In the fall of 1882, W.H. Sifford led the effort for a new school district on the west side of Honey Lake.  The two nearest schools were nearly five miles away in either direction—Milford to the south and Lake to the north. In May 1883, the Oak Grove School District became a reality. The nucleus of the student population came from Clark, Decious and Raker families. It should be noted that the Wales, Wilburs, Lindsay, Fisher and Grass families also contributed to the student population. Like so many rural schools in 1920, the enrollment had declined to such an extent it was closed.  In 1922, with no indication that the school would be resurrected,  it was annexed to the Lake School District. The school was torn down in February 1926.

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History, News

Fruit Growers Departs from Northern California

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Burney, circa 1940

Since 1907, Fruit Growers Supply Company has had a presence in Northern California. It first began at Hilt in Siskiyou County. In 1919, it expanded to Susanville. In 1944, another expansion of the purchase of Westwood and equally important the Burney Tract in Shasta County. After the closure of Hilt in 1972, Fruit Growers was no longer operating any sawmills, the company owned some 400,000 acres of timberland in Northern California. In 2019, Fruit Growers began to liquidate, the first to go was the Burney Tract which was sold to Sierra Pacific Industries.

The water carnival at the Sunkist Lodge, Eagle Lake, 1921. Courtesy of Ed Standard

The next to go was the Lassen Tract. In 2020, it was also sold  Sierra Pacific Industries.

Fruit Growers Mill at Hilt, 1919

Hilt, was of course, Fruit Growers first acquisition and it would be the last sold, which occurred in 2021. It was purchased by a firm known as New Forest based out of Sydney, Australia.  Fruit Growers has focused on purchasing timberland in Oregon and Washington.

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History

Quincy Union Newspaper

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Main Street, Susanville, 1864.

While sifting through some notes, I came across these items from the Quincy Union newspaper of the 1860s. Regional newspapers such as The Territorial Enterprise (Virginia City) to the Marysville Daily Appeal provided coverage of the Honey Lake environs. So here are some tidbits.

January 3, 1864 – They have a rabbit mine at Honey Lake. On one day 400 of those animals were sent to the Virginia City market.

January 30, 1864 – Hay is selling for $80-$100 per ton in Honey Lake. There is no hay in Sierra Valley.

March 5, 1864 – The farmers in Honey Lake are busily at work ploughing, sowing, repairing and improving their ranches.

September 17, 1864 – The new jail in Susanville is in course of erection and when completed will be an ornament to the town and very convenient. It is built of Roop granite found in the quarry near the town.

September 15, 1866 – Post Offices at Black Rock. Post offices have been established at Spring City and Hardin City. W.H. Vanalstine is appointed postmaster at Spring City and Charles Nixon at Hardin City. This will be of a great accommodation for the Black Rockers.

29 September 1866 – On the Way. Alvaro Evans of Long Valley has a quartz mill on the road for Black Rock. They expect to have it put up and running by the first of November. (Note: This mill was moved to Hayden Hill in 1871)

Tim

History, News

Engel Mine Revival?

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Engels Copper Mine, 1922. Courtesy of Lola L. Tanner

In 2018, US Copper announced preliminary intention to bring the back copper mining in northern Plumas County Copper Belt. They focused on a 13 mile square area that includes Moonlight Valley to the Engel Mine on Lights Creek, just north of Taylorsville. Between 1915-1930 161 million pounds of copper was extracted. It was their intent to begin a drilling program in 2021, but due to last year’s Dixie Fire in the region work was temporarily stalled.

Tim

History

Camp Poison Lake

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A McGiffert Loader at Camp Poison Lake—Gordon Thelander

This was a short-lived railroad logging camp, located near Poison Lake. It was established in 1944 by the Red River Lumber Company and then taken over by the Fruit Growers Supply Company. There is a scant information about it. Since this was World War II, and the timber industry deemed “essential” coverage by news outlets were censored. In July 1946, the camp at Poison Lake was closed, as well as Camp Bunyan to the north at Halls Flat. The rails from the Poison Lake line were removed to build a twelve-mile extension of the Harvey line that started at Halls Flat and went eastward.

Tim

History

A Bly Tunnel Story

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The outlet construction camp of the Bly Tunnel, 1922. Courtesy of Lola L. Tanner

This sounds a little far-fetched to me, but the following appeared in Lassen Advocate on May 19, 1922 with the latest update on the construction of Bly Tunnel.

”An interesting circumstance in connection with the tunnel work is the fact that mules are used therein to haul cars used to convey the excavated materials to the incline. These mules were taken down the incline last fall and have remained underground continuously ever since, except a short time ago one of them became slightly indisposed and was brought to the surface for treatment. Upon reaching the surface and encountering the strong light of day, the mule apparently became panic stricken and cavorted around in an unusual manner for some time and finally backed up to the mouth of the incline and descended downward to the tunnel level, holding on to the slats or steps with his front feet. He is now back on the job and will probably stay until the tunnel is completed.”

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History

Truth in the Rumor

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Deepening the inlet channel, Bly Tunnel.

Initial work on Bly’s Eagle Lake tunnel began on the Willow Creek side, just as Merrill did before him. By the spring of 1922, rumor was circulating that there were problems with the construction of the tunnel. In May, J.F. Blakemore, the superintendent for Grant Smith Co., the tunnel contractor, invited residents to Eagle Lake for a picnic, as work had not started on the lake side. When some of his guests questioned him about the rumors, Blakemore denied it and that everything was going smooth and the tunnel would be completed in time.

A year later with the approaching completion of the tunnel, the story had changed. The initial plans called for the tunnel to tap the lake forty below its surface. That was later renegotiated to eight to nine feet below the surface. In February 1923, Grant Smith encountered solid rock for the last portion of tunnel which put the project behind schedule. In the end, Grant Smith only tapped the lake three feet below the surface of the lake. This was totally unacceptable and did not provide sufficient water flow. The matter would be litigated. The Baxter and Tule Irrigation Districts, owners of the tunnel, would spend the next ten years deepening the tunnel inlet.

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History

Johnstonville School Bell Rings Again

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Johnstonville School
Johnstonville School, 1916

In 1952, the Johnstonville School went through a remodel “modernitzation” process with an addition to the school, transforming from a one room school to two rooms. For reasons unknown, the school bell was removed. Five years later, in March 1957 that situation would be corrected. The bell all that time had been stored in a barn in the nearby Jenkins Ranch. Through the efforts of Johnstonville School Principal John White and School Board member Harry Reuck, they spent several days in putting the bell back in its original perch. In 1961, a new school was built to replace the original one that was constructed nearly a century ago.

Tim

Exploring Lassen County's Past