Talbott’s freight team, Union Street, near Cottage, 1914. Courtesy of Leona F. Byars
During the Civil War of the 1860s, communities in support of the North, applied Union to street names, squares, etc. Susanville was a perfect textbook example.
Typical of the era, map makers were one dimensional. Susanville’s original plat, shows Union Street extending beyond Cottage and connecting Weatherlow Street at the Richmond Road bridge. There were two problems. First the proposed street would dissect the block that was home to the Susanville School District. The other was the physical restraint of the hillside for Union to connect with Weatherlow. During the messy title problems of the 1870s, caused by the town’s founder, to rectify this particular situation, that segment of Union to Weatherlow was abandoned.
Lassen College on the Lassen Union High School campus.
Back in 1989 I briefly corresponded with Jerry King, a 1950 Lassen College gunsmithing graduate. He wanted to know what became of C.W. Frost. He wrote, “At that time Mr. Frost was the only gunsmithing instructor and had been since he and one student began the program in 1945 . . . I think it is only fair that Mr. Frost be recognized and Harlan Fritts be recognized for their part in founding the gunsmithing program.”Continue reading Lassen College Gunsmithing Program→
A week ago, I challenged reader’s minds with the latest Where are we? Only one person, Jim Chapman came up with the correct answer. However, it should be noted Jim’s first answer was a toss up between Hog or McCoy Flat.
This small man-made lake is located approximately two miles east of the Eagle Lake Summit. In the late 1940s, the Paul Bunyan Lumber Company began logging operations in the region including Gallatin Peak and Round Valley. One of the company’s employees, Jim Coleman constructed a small dam on Piute Creek, near its headwaters. The small lake supplied the water used to wet down the logging roads, controlling the dust. It should be noted some maps have it spelled as Colman Lake.
Drake & Pierce’s Richmond mercantile store, was for a time, the largest in the Honey Lake Valley.
The Susanville Post Office was established in 1859. A little known fact, it carried the postal cancellation of Susanville, U.T., as in Utah Territory. Nevada had not yet been created and Utah’s western boundary was that of California.
The biggest problem for the new post office was receiving mail for distribution. On March 3, 1860, Susanville resident wrote to Col. F.W. Lander in Washington, D.C. about the state of the postal affairs: “There is an effort being made to have a daily mail established from Oroville from the first of June to the 30th of November, and semi-weekly for the balance of the year. Now Sir, if you could get the same service continued on through Indian Valley which needs a P.O. having about three hundred inhabitants through Richmond to Susanville with a P.O. at each place you would confer a great favor on the people here about five hundred in number and constantly increasing (There having been rich mines discovered here since your departure.
“There was three routes established last year, one from Shasta, one from Oroville (the route you went down) and another from LaPorte all arriving at Susanville. There was however been no service on either of them and if we could get the above route from Quincy it would answer us better than all three of those which were recommended by Judge Crane without knowing the actual wishes of the people.”
During the 1860s witnessed improvements with the Idaho-California Stage Company that had the mail contract from Chico to Idaho via Susanville. In 1869, conditions for receiving mail was stabilized with the completion of the transcontinental railroad.
Make sure to click to enlarge. Courtesy of Dolores Gasperoni
In 1913 a new fraternal organization was organized–Susanville Lodge 1397, Loyal Order of Moose, commonly referred to as the Moose Lodge.
The following year, the lodge decided the town needed a celebration. The Fourth of July was the only regularly celebrated event. The annual county fair had not been established. So the Moose Lodge decided on a harvest festival. In July 1914, they announced their intention to hold a four-day festival to commence on California’s Admission Day, September 9.
On the northwest corner of Main and Gay Streets (now the Bank of America parking lot) an open air pavilion was constructed. Also at Main and Gay , the lodge constructed an arch over Main Street.
The arch was a temporary affair, and a windstorm two weeks later, blew it over.
A one block segment of Main Street, between Lassen and Gay was transformed into a street carnival. There were popular concessions such as a mirror maze, glass blowers, a musical show with six chorus girls, three comedians and a wheel of fortune. The farmers of Honey Lake Valley displayed specimens of their crops. Fehr & Worley of the Big Store (now Margie’s Book Nook) took the opportunity to show off their line of farm machinery.
Saturday evening was the climax of the festival. It was complete with a confetti battle and the merriment of locals dressed up for the “Parade of Horribles.” Some of the costumes were outlandish, but more important, it was an opportunity to have fun. A case in point Charlie Emerson playing the role of a blind organ grinder, and Dr. J.S. Wren as his monkey.
The Moose Lodge later reported while it was not a financial success, but that it was a successful venture as everyone had a good time.
Desmond Meadows, 1906. Courtesy of Betty Barry Deal
On January 22, 1859, Malcolm S. Scott claimed the meadows along Piute Creek, west of Susanville, that he named Spring Valley. Scott later abandoned his claim and the claim was taken over by Emanuel Brannon during the following year. Interest in the meadows fell by the wayside until 1873, when Robert M. Bean took possession of the meadows. Somewhere along the banks of Piute Creek, between Desmond Meadows and Susanville, Bean established the first brick kiln yard in Lassen County. In the year 1878, Bean manufactured 130,000 bricks. Hard times quickly fell upon him. Because of his creditors and the death of his wife, Alice, Bean sold the meadows to Jonathon Lovell, a Susanville blacksmith. Ownership of the meadows changed hands numerous times during the early 1880s. In 1886, it was purchased by John and Hannah Desmond from M. C. Bishop for $1,500. Married life for the Desmonds was not pleasant. In 1890, the couple separated and Hannah remained at the meadows. For the next ten years, to support herself and her family, Hannah operated a firewood business. The County of Lassen was one of her major customers, purchasing eighty cords annually at a $1.50 per cord. On November 19, 1900, Desmond sold the meadows to Anton Bantly for $2,000.
The Lassen Lumber & Box Company’s office on Alexander Avenue, Susanville, 1923. Courtesy of Ivajean Wheeler
The Lassen Lumber & Box Company (Lassen Lumber) was the smallest of the big three lumber companies, the other two being Fruit Growers Supply Company and Red River Lumber Company. It was also different than the other two, as their source of supply for timber was the Lassen National Forest.
This time the citizens of Susanville were eager to court this new company, having lost out to the Red River Lumber Company and the smaller Western Timber Treating Company. As an incentive they offered the company 40 acres, with water rights and $8,000 cash. They accepted. Construction began on the sawmill and box factory in the spring of 1918 and on July 27, 1918 the first logs arrived at the mill.
For Susanville the payoff was big, during the summer season Lassen Lumber employed upwards to 450 men with a monthly payroll of $65,000. The mill would operate until 1953 when it was closed. More about the history of the company will appear in future posts.
Jurgen Jensen family will be a part of the tour: Left to right: A.R. “Bert”, Delia, Effie and Jurgen, 1902. Courtesy of Abe Jensen
During the summer, I have been doing preliminary work on an Oktoberfest Cemetery Tour. This will be similar to the St. Patrick’s Cemetery Tour wherein this time the focus will be the German immigrants who are now permanent residents of the Susanville Cemetery.
Tentatively, the graves selected are: Jacob Schmitt, Jurgen Jensen, Antone Bantley, Hans Wiencke, William Brockman, Ben Neuhaus, Daniel Cramer, John Hulsman and Andrew Miller. An interesting note descendants of all these families still reside in Lassen County.
Currently, it is scheduled for Saturday October 1, 2016. It would truly be appreciated if those interested in attending would let me know. If there is a lack of interest, then there is no reason for me to finalize the presentation. You can either post in the comment section or email me.
Note: For non-subscribers there is a five-dollar fee.
The American Legion Hall was one of Westwood’s tallest buildings.
On July 15, 1918, Westwood resident Clyde A. McKea died in combat in France, making him the first casualty from Lassen County of World War I. In the fall of 1919 a new national veterans organization was formed—The American Legion. Continue reading Westwood’s American Legion Hall→
In normal weather cycles this mountain meadow depicted above is usually a lake. It is also part of the headwaters of a well-known Lassen County stream. In the past, it was even popular with duck hunters.
