While January usually witnesses some of the largest snowstorms of the season, February can pack a wallop. In mid-February 1922 was a classic example. A snowstorm hit region dumping seven feet of snow at Westwood Junction, five feet at Westwood and four feet at Susanville. It was a heavy wet snow that caused numerous problems, especially with power outages and travel.
Tim
A reader wanted know about the church in Doyle that survived the 2021 fire, and I featured an excellent photograph in a recent post, where everything around it was torched. The historic church was built at Constantia, circa 1898. In 1994, it was moved to Doyle, adjacent to the Long Valley Cemetery and restored.. It is maintained by the Doyle Historical Society. It is used for a variety of purposes including funerals and weddings, but no regular church services.
Tim
In the early 1900s there was a new battle as to who would gain control of Eagle Lake to tap it via a tunnel to irrigate the Honey Lake Valley. To be quite honest, attorneys benefited the most. While sifting through the archives, during a very cold and dry January, I came across a most unusual 1906 report about how the Lassen Willow Creek Water Company and its plans to exploit Eagle Lake. More about that in a future post. However, there was a certain aspect about water diversions that were never made public. If you happened to be named Martin, this story will particularly appeal to you.
In 1905, the Lassen Willow Creek Water Company was formed and unlike their predecessors they viewed Eagle Lake as a reservoir. In the fall of 1906, the company consulted with San Francisco Civil Engineer, Marsden Manson, who was involved with Hetch Hetchy. In Manson’s report of October 29, 1906 he wrote that to permanently increase the flow into Eagle Lake it would be necessary to divert portions of the headwaters of Susan River into Pine Creek. It was his opinion the run off of the Susan River is wasted flowing into Honey Lake. It would cost less than $10,000 to construct the diversion canal. Manson’s report was never made public, the water users of Susan River would never allow it.* Of course, this never materialized and by this time the Lassen Willow Creek Water Company was on the verge of imploding.
*Thanks go to Hardin “Finn” Barry and his daughter, Betty Barry Deal for preserving this document, and so much more.
While assorting through old brochures, I came across one published in 1970 by the Susanville Junior Chamber of Commerce. Some might be interested in the description of Janesville.
“One of the fastest growing communities within the Honey Lake Valley, Janesville is a historic pioneer town twelve miles southeast of Susanville. Many new homes are appearing on the scene as this picturesque little town with its beautiful mountain background and bountiful forests attract more and more people to its bounds. A great abundance of ranches and meadow land lie in the foothills of this area. Plans are being made to make use of these natural facilities for recreational and community living. Janesville is easily accessible to main highways. Small agricultural, cattle and poultry raising are part of the Janesville scene.”
Tim
Information about the use of oxen in the region is scant. On the other hand, many a pioneer settler who traveled overland to the west, used ox teams, because they could carry heavy loads and handle difficult terrain.
One of the earliest accounts of oxen used for freighting, occurred in November 1860. At that time, Mark Haviland rented his wagon and and six oxen to J.E. Shearer to haul merchandise to Virginia City, Nevada. On the toll road between Virginia City and Silver City the wagon and ox team overturned down a steep embankment. There was substantial damage to the wagon, one ox was killed and another seriously injured. Haviland sued Shearer for $150 for damages, and was awarded $120.
In 1907 was the last time oxen were used commercially in the Honey Lake Valley. At that time, the Lassen Mill & Lumber Company had a contract for a million board feet of lumber to the Nevada mines of Goldfield. The lumber came from the mills in the Janesville area. It was then hauled to the Barham Dock at Honey Lake, near Baxter Creek. It was then placed on a barge and shipped across the lake to Amedee. An ox team there, then hauled the lumber to the NCO railroad depot to be shipped. The oxen were needed as the ground near the lake was too soft for horses.
A subscriber inquired that for most of their experiences Honey Lake was either a dry dust bowl or a small mud puddle. The lake can be a lot of things.
First of all, the lake is a remnant of the ancient Lake Lahontan, so is nearby Pyramid Lake. There is a difference between the two, as Honey is a playa lake—a shallow body of water that goes dry in times of drought. However, there is another factor in play, since a great amount of water that would normally flow into the lake, is now diverted for irrigation, thereby never reaching the lake.
When there is a heavy wet winter, that causes flooding with excessive run off can fill up the dry lake bed. When the lake is full it covers some 60,000 acres. On the average it takes a successive three drought years for the lake to completely evaporate. When the lake is dry and with the downslope winds from the Diamond Mountain range creates a dust bowl. What is fascinating is the amount of sediment the winds remove, thereby allowing the lake to still retain in certain places a depth up to twenty feet, though on the average four to five feet, and shallower on the east side, when the lake is filled up with water.
Tim
Shumway was a ranch and stage stop located at Horse Lake. Benjamin Emerson Shumway (1823-1909) settled there in 1869 and built the first cabin at Horse Lake. In addition, he built the road from Willow Creek Valley to Horse Lake and then onto the Madeline Plains. For a time, it was the quickest route to Alturas and Surprise Valley.
On May 23, 1883, the Shumway Post Office was established with Susie Shumway, as postmaster. On October 31, 1913, it was discontinued. In 1916, Horse Lake residents attempted to re-establish the post office and have a mail drop off at the NCO Railroad’s Horse Lake siding. The postal authorities denied the request. They stated they did not need a mail drop as there were only four permanent families residing in the area. In addition, it was cited, the NCO was an unreliable operation, with irregular train service and since there was no attendant at the Horse Lake Station, there was no way that the mail could be protected.
Echo Lake is in northern Plumas County, not far from the headwaters of Bailey Creek. It encompasses some thirty acres, and there is a small unimproved forest service campground there. Prior to the early 1970s it was only accessible by hiking. That changed when the forest service decided to extend road along Bailey Creek from Heckle Ranch to connect over to Silver Lake and the Caribou Wilderness.
Unfortunately, this area was ravaged by last year’s Dixie Fire.
Tim
In 1908, the trustees of Lassen County High School ordered to have a fence built in front of the school. Its primary function was to keep stray livestock off the school grounds.
It should be noted that in Susanville during its early years had a problem with stray livestock roaming the community. It was so bad, that in 1870 the California Legislature passed “Barnes Hog Law”which prohibited free roaming pigs in Susanville. This was a major concern after all, since the town’s water supply came from Piute Creek and was distributed by open ditches.
