James Stokes holding “Old Lady of the Lake, a 8 pound Eagle Lake Trout caught in 1961.
Since this is opening weekend of fishing at Eagle Lake, it is only fitting that I pass along an article from the Lassen Advocate of September 23, 1927, in regards to a big fish caught there.
“Wright Spalding and Tom Wilson brought one of the nicest fish that has been caught in this section of the county for the season to town yesterday, after having pulled it out of Eagle Lake.
“The fish is thought to be one of the old original Eagle Lake trout, commonly called land-locked salmon and weighs nine and fourth pounds. It is about twenty-six inches in length and is a splendid fish.”
Outlet of the Bly Tunnel, 1924. Courtesy of Lola L. Tanner
Bly was confident of the project, and Gallatin gave him her blessing, in addition she provided him with the necessary funds to launch the enterprise. Bly’s approach was different from the previous attempts. It was a two-prong approach. One was the technical aspect to design the system, obtain permits, etc. The other had to deal with financing. Bly went directly to those who would benefit the most, farmers and ranchers of the Honey Lake Valley. He persuaded one group to form the Tule Irrigation District. Adjoining Tule was a pre-existing district Baxter Creek that was at a standstill as it did not have a sufficient water supply. In a co-operative effort Bly convinced the two districts to pass a 1.25 million dollar bond measure to finance the project. His top selling point was, once the bonds were redeemed, they would own the system.
As soon as Bly had everything assembled and approved, no time was wasted to begin the actual implementation. In 1921, Bly contracted with the Grant Smith Company of Seattle to construct the entire system for $950,000. That fall work began on the 7,300 foot long tunnel. In the spring of 1923, the tunnel was completed, a few months behind schedule. It was a daunting task, to say the least, as 180,000 cubic feet of soil and rock was excavated to construct the tunnel.
On May 19, 1923, a grand celebration was held. The joyful times of Bly Tunnel were short lived. In a nutshell, there were two factors that caused the Bly Tunnel project to implode. Grant Smith Company’s contract stipulated the inlet would be eight feet below the lake’s surface, but they only did three feet due to volcanic rock encountered. Litigation ensued. To compound matters, a drought that began in 1917 and one that would last for twenty years, drastically lowered the level of the lake.
In 1935, after a decade to deepen the intake channel, the tunnel was abandoned. Many farmers in the irrigation districts went bankrupt, unable to make their bond payments. In 1961, the State revoked Bly’s original water right permit, thus a final blow. The tunnel has since been sealed and no water flows through it. The odd thing, many still cast the blame on the lake’s fluctuating levels on a sealed tunnel.
Bly tunnel inlet, July 1924. Courtesy of Wyn Wachhorst
This falls under the category, “Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time.” This was the consensus many had about the issue to tap Eagle Lake by means of a tunnel to irrigate the arid sagebrush lands of the Honey Lake Valley. After all, there was a mile distance between the lake and the headwaters of Willow Creek and that creek would provide a natural channel to convey the water to the Honey Lake Valley. After all, it should be noted that Eagle Lake is California’s second largest natural lake, and back in the 1870s, the reservoirs that we have today were non-existent.
The scheme had its humble origins with Augustine W. Blair. In the summer of 1872, Blair secured three investors to finance a mile and a half long tunnel to tap the lake. He estimated the cost at one million dollars. The project went no where. However, word of this enterprise spread and the following year, Captain C.A. Merrill paid the region a visit to inspect the scheme. Merrill was so consumed with the Eagle Lake project that he would spend the rest of his life in pursuing his quest, until his death in 1901.
Merrill was not the only one who saw the lake’s potential. Nine other entities were created over the next four decades with the same intent that originated with Blair, all without success. In 1914, enter Leon Bly, a civil engineer, who was recruited by Eagle Lake property owner, Malvena Gallatin, as to whether the tapping of the lake was feasible. Gallatin’s concern had nothing to do with irrigation. The constant rising level of the lake wreaked havoc to her shoreline property. Bly agreed and was methodical in his approach. It should be noted that prior to Bly, his predecessors were under the impression that the lake had an abundant supply of water, some who went so far to proclaim the lake’s depth at 1,000 feet! In 1915, the first thing Bly did was a sounding of the depth of the lake. His revelation surprised many, when the deepest point in the lake was 105 feet.
In the 1980s, the forest service considered Gallatin House at Eagle Lake surplus property and wanted to demolish it. More about this later. Anyhow, the property is now part of of Camp Ronald McDonald at Eagle Lake. This Saturday and Sunday they will be holding their 26th Annual Memorial Day Pancake Breakfast from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. It only cost five dollars for all you can eat breakfast. Proceeds benefit Lassen County Kids Camper Scholarship Fund.
At the July 18, 1927 Susanville City Council meeting, plans were finalized to transform Main Street into a boulevard. The major impact was that all cars entering Main Street from Roop, Lassen, Gay, Union and Weatherlow Streets would be required to make a full stop before proceeding. The matter was thoroughly discussed, it being the only item on the agenda. The ordinance went into effect on August 19.
1971 Advertisement in the Lassen Cougar Yearbook. Courtesy of Jim Chapman
Seasoned residents will remember this establishment located at the bend in Main Street. It opened for business on May 22, 1961. It was established by John Gilliam and Leonard Porritt who invested $40,000 in this new enterprise. Decades later it shut down. It was first reincarnated as Chinese Kitchen and today it is the home of the Courthouse Cafe.
This was one of those events that seemed to happen with a blink of eye and then it was gone. In March 1955 the California Mining Journal featured three articles on the uranium discoveries in Lassen County, or more specifically about four miles north of Hallelujah Junction in the neighborhood of Red Rock. The initial discovery was credited to Carlton A. Brown of Reno in the fall of 1953. What caused tremendous speculation was in 1954 a similar discovery had occurred in Inyo County and those initial prospectors sold their claims for $2 million. As word spread, there was the proverbial land rush to file claims, my family included. By the fall of 1955, it was determined the uranium was of low grade and possessed little value. Interest quickly waned.
There was a time when the DeWitt family was well known throughout the Honey Lake Valley. However, with time comes many changes and many old time families slowly fade away. DeWitt is one such family.
Franklin and Mary DeWitt settled in the Tule District of the Honey Lake Valley. A portion of their ranch is now known as the Fleming State Wildife Refuge Unit. Their son, Walter B. DeWitt (1863-1948) was a life-long resident of the Tule District. His 1906 biography stated: “The farm which he now occupies is situated on the Spoonville and Hot Springs stage line, about four miles west of the last named place. On his homestead, July 1, 1903, through his earnest and energetic efforts, a post office was established named in his honor, and he was chosen the first postmaster, a position which he still occupies, with his wife as assistant.” The post office closed on November 30, 1927 as part of implementation of the Rural Free Delivery system.
The doorway between the kitchen and dining room, April 13, 2019
A week ago, I featured an article on historical home interior in Susanville. This Sunday, I decided to do another “light” piece. In 1928, my grandparents John & Lola (Murrer) Tanner traded ranches with the Capezolli family. My grandparents new home was two-story, seven bedroom ranch house built in 1911. Many of the original features remain intact, even the lineloleum. One of the other striking features is the kitchen stove—a Home Comfort Range. My grandmother was more of a 19th century person, so this the only stove she used in her for the rest of her life. You might notice the water tank attached to the stove, which was her source for hot water.
A view of Diamond Mountain, from Lassen High School’s agriculture fields, 1916. Courtesy of D.M. Durst Collection
Spring in this part of California is an elusive creature. The current state of almost winter like conditions is nothing unusual. Then one day, the weather turns hot, summer is here with no real transition from winter to spring.
The above title was a headline story of the Lassen Mail of March 22, 1935. Some may appreciate the tale:
“Spring is here!
“On Thursday of this week Lassen County threw off its mantle of gloom and welcomed the sweet scented breezes of gentle Spring with a howling blizzard, a wind storm and six inches of fresh snow all combined with a drop in temperature that would make an Eskimo run for the furnace room.
“As befits an integral part of ‘sunny California,’ Lassen hailed the new season as chilly winds howled mournfully through the canyons bringing flurries of snow and rain. Indications at present are that the spring season here will be about the same as usual—which is enough bad news for one week.
