Some might be interested in this map of Eagle Lake. No doubt, there might be a few folks, who think that the cartographer had gone mad. I can rest assure you that was not the case. In the modern era, the Gallatin name has always been synonymous with the south shore of the lake. As one can see from the map, the south shore was referred to as Halls in the late 1800s. It was so designated as Wright P. Hall, a Susanville resident and well known Lassen County public figure, owned Papoose Meadows since 1876. Albert Gallatin’s, ranch manager Byron Bell had a sheep camp near what is known today’s as Spaldings. Prior to this, there had no designation for that locale. In 1914, things suddenly changed. Malvena Gallatin had a built summer home at the south end of the Lake. It was in 1914, the first Spalding subdivision was plotted on the west side of the lake.
Another interesting note, is Madeline located in Grasshopper Valley. The first Madeline was established in 1870s as a stage stop to accommodate travelers to Hayden Hill and other points north. The Madeline we know today on the Madeline Plains came into existence 1902 with the arrival of the NCO Railroad, which was formally known as Van Loans.
