Highway 36 opens for the winter
In the 1920s, the Westwood Auto Club was a force to be reckoned with. After all, it served as Red River Lumber Company’s de-facto chamber of commerce. The club had a lot of influence during the construction of Highway 36. They did have one item of contention with the state when the highway was completed. They did not the like the idea of being snowbound in the winter months and yearned for the day when the state would keep the highway open year round. In November 1928, the club wrote State Highway Engineer Comley to plead their case: “We believe that in asking for this we are justified as in previous years we have been snow-bound for at least four months each year, and as you realize that our work is more or less seasonal nature and that vacations are taken when work is slow or the woods closed down, it does not give us a chance to drive our cars to the section we most desire to spend our vacations and leisure time, and where our cars give us the pleasure that we desire. In addition to that phase of life we would use our cars to a very large extent to also pursue business, which would make this road available for that purpose.
“It is our earnest desire Mr. Comley that you study this problem further, and give it your earnest consideration and although there can be many points raised against the feasibility of is points in its favor should and we hope will predominate. The control of this road during storm periods would eliminate any hazard to lives and we agree that that has been our highest argument against opening the road.”
Comley concurred and understood the plight of not only the residents of Westwood, but all those located along the route who were shut out from winter storms. On the other hand, Comley informed the club there was little in his power he could do to rectify the situation. It was a matter for the State Highway Commission to determine and equally important how to finance the snow removal. The Auto Club’s persistence paid off, a year later the Commission informed the group that beginning in the winter of 1929-30 they would keep the highway open year round. After all, the Commission cited that nearly a million dollars had been spent to construct the highway, therefore it made no sense to have it closed during the winter months.
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Thomas Bracken Sanders
He was born on November 29, 1848 in Illinois, one of thirteen children, yet ten of his brothers and sisters died in infancy, some of whom are buried in the Susanville Cemetery. It should be noted that the family came west in 1860 and settled in Plumas County and in 1867, they moved to Susanville.
One of his more interesting jobs began in the late 1870s, when he went to work for the Fish & Game Department as a deputy. They kept him busy planting fish in the various lakes and streams to learn what would best adapt in the area. In January 1879, Sanders along with Dr. H.S. Borette and William Dow introduced the first non-native species of fish at Eagle Lake. It was two wagonloads consisting of 225,000 Great Basin whitefish. That fall they planted brown bullhead catfish at Eagle Lake. Sanders also planted catfish in the Susan River and Piute Creek, where they did quite well. Take for instance, in 1883, Masillon Martsteller caught a twelve pound catfish from the Susan River. Sanders, himself, caught a catfish from Piute Creek that weighed fourteen pounds.
While Fish & Game paid Sanders a stipend for what he did, the work was sporadic and the payment not sufficient to make a living. For a livelihood he learned the carpentry trade. He specialized in making cabinets, furniture and trunks. As most furniture makers of this era, he was called upon to make coffins. He added undertaker to his profession and continued until 1896 when he sold out to Tom Oakes. In 1897, he moved to Sacramento where his brother, Plumas Sanders resided. It was not a good move. Two years later, unable to find steady work, he committed suicide.
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