History

Susanville – Alexander Avenue

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This view shows the proposed realignment.

Alexander Avenue came into existence in 1912 as part of the Lassen Townsite subdivision. It was named for Jules Alexander who came to Susanville in 1877 and eventually became a successful merchant. He left that field, and became involved in banking until his death in 1935.  Alexander was also a major investor in the Lassen Townsite Company.

Alexander Avenue is one of those handful of city streets that witnessed a major realignment. In the early 1970s, the street was straightened between Main and Cornell, thus moving Sherman’s Texaco Station to the other side of the street, as Alexander had separated it from Walker’s.

Then there is the lingering issue, will Alexander Avenue be extended all the way to Richmond Road, as has been suggested in previous planning documents.

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History

Modoc Line – Biscar Reservoir

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Biscar Reservoir

Last week, we featured the Horse Lake Siding on the abandoned Modoc Line, now a recreational trail. One of the favorite segments of the Modoc Line is that from Karlo to Snowstorm. One of the many interesting features along the route is Biscar Reservoir, as this water oasis standouts among the high desert countryside.

The reservoir was so named for Secret Valley rancher, Pierre “Pete” Biscar, (1881-1947) a native of France who settled there in 1904. In 1909, he constructed the first reservoir at the mouth of Snowstorm Canyon. In 1915, it was washed out by a flood and subsequently rebuilt. Today there are two reservoirs that are a part of the 550-acre Biscar Wildlife Area.  It was initially purchased in the late 1940s by the California Department of Fish and Game as part of a long range plan to obtain water for the department’s Honey Lake Wildlife Area.

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History

Ski A Volcano – Part II

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Supan’s Sulphur Ski Works

In 1982, the park granted California Guest Services a twenty-year concession to operate Lassen Ski Area, as it was formally known. This time there was a surprising catch. The contract carried a stipulation that when expired, downhill skiing would be phased out. The termination of downhill skiing came sooner than expected. In the spring of 1993, John Koeberer of California Guest Services contacted the park and asked if it would consider canceling the contract. Koeberer cited financial losses over the previous nine years. A contributing factor to the situation, was for the last five years due to low snow falls. The few cases of heavy storms arrived on weekends, discouraging use by the skiing public. The park obliged, although many regional ski enthusiasts were upset with this abrupt closure. Continue reading Ski A Volcano – Part II →

History

Ski A Volcano

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Mt. Lassen Ski Club, 1930

Lassen Volcanic National Park is known for many things, whether  be its wondrous hydrothermal features or that a large segment of park is left in its primitive wilderness state.  Lassen Peak and its surrounding territory is known for its tremendous snowfall. After all, it should be noted that Lassen has an average of over 600 inches of snowfall annually and has some of the highest snowfall accumulations in California.

The 1920s witnessed some dramatic changes to the American lifestyle. Two contributing factors were the affordability of the automobile and development of highways to promote travel. By 1930, Lassen Park was a benefactor of those factors. The first and foremost saw the completion of State Highway 36 that skirts the southern entrance of the park. Equally important came the announcement from the State of California that this route would remain open during the winter months. In the past it was closed whenever it snowed. Continue reading Ski A Volcano →

News

Modoc Line – Horse Lake Siding

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Horse Lake Station, 1915. Courtesy of Nevada Historical Society

In 1996, the Union Pacific Railroad received permission to abandon    an 85 mile segment of railroad from Wendel to Likely. Since then it has been converted into another “rails to trails.”  It should be duly it was the NCO Railroad that initialy constructed the line and in the 1920s it was acquired by the Southern Pacific  Railroad.

The Horse Lake Station later siding was established in the early 1900s by the NCO. It was so named after Horse Lake, located five miles to the west. An interesting footnote in its history. In 1913, the Shumway Post Office at Horse Lake was closed. In 1916, Horse Lake residents attempted to re-establish the post office and have a mail drop off at the NCO’s Horse Lake Siding. The postal authorities denied the request. They stated they did not need a mail drop off 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 there, there was no way the mail could be protected.  In 1961, the Southern Pacific abandoned the siding.

Foundation remains of the Horse Lake Siding, January 27, 2019. Courtesy of Anna Stewart

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Lassen Airplanes?

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During World War I witnessed an increased demand for airplanes for the war effort—a first. The preferred wood was the Sitka spruce found along the coastal regions of Oregon and Washington. There were numerous problems associated with not a only a limited supply, but problems with labor unions in that region.

In January 1918, a representative from the war department arrived  in Westwood for purpose of selecting sugar and/or yellow pine timber for building a fleet of government airplanes. Early tests indicated that California pine was superior to Oregon fir for the purpose intended. The government official was to select 300,000 board feet of Lassen County timber to be processed by the Red River Lumber Company.  Whether this transpired, the record is not clear, due in part of the censorship of certain types of news during the War.

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History

Lassen High School, 1928

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Lassen Union High School, 1922.

Lassen County voter’s can be a stingy lot when it comes to passing local bond measures. During the 1920s, Lassen High School was overwhelmed by the increase of the student population, due to the tremendous growth from the lumber mills being established. By 1926, Susanville Elementary School District had built three schools in six years. The Lassen High School Trustees was in dire need to expand its facility, but were keenly aware the voters had no appetite to finance another bond measure. What to do? The most pressing need was to find a solution to the overcrowding. After all, classes began at 8:00 a.m. and lasted until 5:00 p.m. as a heavy rotation schedule was in place to meet all the needs of the students.  The remedy was to build an east wing addition to the current structure. At the November 5, 1928 meeting, the trustees at the high school approved to construct the $33,000 east wing addition. They had a budget reserve of $6,300 that would be the initial down payment. At this time, they were only spending 69 cents of assessment funds, though the maximum was at 75 cents. The following year, they would raise the cap to 75, that provided an additional $12,000 for the building fund and it would remain until the project was paid in full.  Work would not begin until May 1, so not be disruptive during school operations and was completed in time for fall classes.

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T.B. Walker’s Philosophy

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In the early 1900s, whenever Red River Lumber Company’s founder, T.B. Walker, made an appearance in California it drew widespread attention. This was especially the case as he acquired more and more timber land and speculation was rampant. In 1909, on a visit to Redding , Walker visited with the local press. He stressed one of biggest obstacles he faced was the lack of railroad access to his vast holdings. However, he provided the following insight of his future intent:

“I will make my timber a perpetual resource of Shasta County, and I want to have the people with me. When I begin to manufacture lumber, my saws will cut timber only as fast as nature reproduces it.” This, of course, raised the question, why he did not take the same kind of action in Minnesota. Walker explained, “Conditions are far different in Minnesota. There the excessive taxation forced me to cut the timber as fast as possible. Minnesota land is worth considerable for agricultural purposes after the timber has been cut off, though it is not so valuable as was first estimated. In Shasta County the timber land is not worth 50 cents an acre after the timber is cut off. It is really more valuable for grazing purposes with timber than it would be without timber.” In conclusion, Walker noted that he can conserve the timber supply better than the government.

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Exploring Lassen County's Past