The Hog Flat and McCoy Flat reservoirs were constructed in 1889. It was part of a plan engineered by Benjamin Leavitt, who built his first reservoir on the Susan River watershed in 1875, known today as Leavitt Lake. These three reservoirs are owned and operated by Lassen Irrigation District.
The Plinco Mine was located in the Last Chance area of northeastern Plumas County. Doyle in Lassen County was in part beneficiary of the mining operations due to the access with the Western Pacific Railroad. From the mine to Doyle was approximately thirteen miles.
The initial mine was discovered in 1905 by Joseph Novak of Utah and Orlando McNabb of nearby Milford, an avid prospector. Attempts to develop the mine languished. In the fall of 1915, J.F. Cutler, a Midwest capitalist began an ambitious project to develop the Novak Mine. On November 2, 1915 Articles of Incorporation for Plinco Copper Mine were filed in the State of Nebraska. Cutler stated at that time he had ten men working on shafts and buildings investing some $16,000 in the venture. There does not appear to be much documentation about the Plinco mine. In late August 1919 a massive forest fire, to be named the Ferris Fire ravaged the Last Chance country and destroyed the Plinco Mine buildings. The operation then ceased to exist.
Keefer, on the edge of the Madeline Plains, was one of those lonely stage stations. In 1869, the most direct route to Alturas and Surprise Valley from Susanville followed a most interesting route. The road travelled north to Willow Creek Valley and onward to Horse Lake. It then veered straight north to the Madeline Plains. Let me inform the intrepid explorer, I traveled the route from Horse Lake to the Madeline Plains——its one of those roads you only do once.
On June 3, 1890, James Edward Keefer (1861-1916) purchased this stage station from Herman Knipping for $600. In 1898, the station had already been shuttered, and Knipping was residing at Vina, Tehama County when he sold the property for an undisclosed amount to Mahala Shumway. The station was also known as Knippers, Mud Springs and Long Hollow Camp..
A portion of the landscape was drastically altered this summer.
It is Election Day so hope every one votes. Having been a former election official, I can attest there is a great deal of work that goes on behind the scene to put on election.
Anyhow, something a little off topic for those political junkies. In December 1938, Senator Edmund R. Burke, of Nebraska introduced a constitutional amendment wherein it would limit future presidents of the United States to one six-year term. It was not a new idea. Burke cited that the Democratic national convention in 1912 placed a plank in its platform calling for a single term. Burke stated, “Six years would be sufficient for a president to place his program into operation. Such a term would remove the president, immediately upon his induction into office from consideration of a second term and could concentrate this energies.” In conclusion, Burke noted, it would remove the president from a dual responsibility—as the head of the nation and as head of the party which elected him.
Tim
In the fall of 1916, Lassen County’s new hospital was approaching completion. It should be noted it was funded by the same bond measure the voters approved the previous year to construct a new courthouse. The Lassen County Board of Supervisors who oversaw the operation adopted the following rates.
“The rates adopted are as follows: Private rooms, $25 per week; private ward, $17.50 per week; use of operating room, $10 for each procedure; anesthetic $5 for each procedure. It is made the duty of the head nurse to collect these in advance.”
How times have changed. It was a year ago, when I had my “fall from grace” and broke my leg. My room at Banner Lassen Hospital for two weeks was $25,000. The operating room was double of the room charge and I will let your imagination run wild as to all the cost incurred.
It is that time to slowly focus on a new year that is quickly approaching. As usual I have put together a 2021 calendar with a wide variety of historic scenes. Among the featured photographs is Fruit Growers Camp C, Lake Almanor, Tunnel No. 2 of the Fernley & Lassen Railroad, Thompson Peak among others. It should be duly noted that this will probably be my last calendar.
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.
Tim
This is from the archives of the Lassen Mail, dated November 1, 1935 which appears there were more tricksters than treaters on the streets of Susanville for Halloween.
And the Old Town Is Turned on End. That great institution the American Boy went hog wild in Susanville last night, with the result that the old town looked tattered and torn this morning.
Halloween the eve of All Saints was celebrated by the youngsters of the community with great gusto. It’s an old American custom, and it certainly was carried out unrestraindly here.
Gates, fences, automobiles and outhouses stood the brunt of the holiday pranksters. Many a car owner who foolishly left his machine on a public street awoke this morning to find all four tires as flat as a bride’s first cake, and valve caps gone to the land of missing auto parts.
Streets, even the highways were strewn with debris of all sorts, including logs, paper boxes, city garbage cans, milk cans, tree branches and a dead cat or two.
The usual stunt of marking store and automobile windows with soap and tallow was indulged in freely, and plenty of tick-tacking developed throughout the residential sections before the witching hour of midnight.
Yes, it was a large night for the youth of the town, but it won’t occur again for another whole year and so—-why worry?
In 1917, California reclassified the black bear as fur-bearers, from which they were formerly game animals. The designation prohibited the hunting of bears. This, however, did not prevent the killing of bears if they were deemed predatory.
For local sportsmen this was not good news. The two prime hunting areas were the southeastern area of Eagle Lake and the west slope of the Diamond Mountain Range, such as Last Chance, Murdock Crossing etc.
In time, it was Plumas County officials who sought for a reclassification of the black bear to game animals to restore hunting, the bears being plentiful in that area. They succeeded. On November 1, 1935 bear season opened for a two month period.
Lassen County turned down an offer to have a free Carnegie Library built. At the August 1916, Lassen County Board of Supervisor’s meeting, Charlotte Cahlan, Attaway McKinsey, Alberta Dozier and Lassen County Librarian Miriam Colcord approached the board. They had been approved funding to build a Carnegie Library, as long as the County would provide a building site. The women requested a lot on the north side of the courthouse, which at that time was under construction. The board informed the women they would take it under advisement, which was the polite way to say no. More then a century later, the board still uses that lingo.