Today, I decided to take the day off, the first one this year. With Memorial Day Weekend approaching I have lots to do between now and then. More to follow in a future post. In the meantime, you can always use the search feature in the far right corner and explore 500 plus previous posts.
Enjoy your day, while I do the same.
For those who missed the tour, some have expressed an interest in a second one. With that in mind, a second tour will be conducted this summer on a Saturday morning. Tentatively, I am looking at July 9 or July 30.
You can read about the preview and topics discussed here.
When Lassen Townsite’s unveiled its massive subdivision to the south of Susanville, there was a task of naming all the streets. The streets on the northside of the railroad tracks were named after investors such as Knoch, Pardee and Minckler. The streets to the south of the railroad tracks were named after California counties. When the Lassen Lumber & Box Company established its plant in 1918, they constructed their employee housing on the south side of the railroad tracks, it being adjacent to their mill.
Several folks figured it out, that it is Sunkist Street in 1920, which was the road leading to the Fruit Growers Supply Company’s mill. There was a real easy clue, as I forgot to change the photograph’s name. In case some of you may not realize, if you click on the photograph, it will enlarge the image.
In 1916, the Al G. Barnes Circus advertised that his “The Only Real Wild Animal Show on Earth! was coming to Susanville. It was announced that there would be 65 animal acts and exotic animals from around the world. The circus never arrived, as the circus train derailed near Flanigan, Nevada.
Two years later, Barnes’ circus finally did make it to town. On May 8, 1918 crowds lined Main Street for a mile-long parade with exotic animals. At Halltown tents were set up for the performances. The only problem encountered this time was the typical erratic spring weather witnessed a few snow flurries during the day.
It has been awhile since I did quiz. Some may remember the last featured question was High Rock Ranch, and it stumped quite a few to my amazement. So just for fun, does anyone recognize this Susanville Street? You may leave your answer in the comment section, or the shy one can email me. The winner, by the way will receive the 2017 historical calendar when it is released in the fall.
Delbert Lester Brown (1890-1966) gave this most unusual address to his homestead that was situated on the bench above Pittville. Brown located there in 1914, after moving from Lakeview, Oregon. When Brown was digging a well by hand, he reached a point when it was necessary to blast out the rocks with dynamite. Brown set his charges into the well hole and tried to detonate them. Nothing happened, so he crawled into the hole to locate the problem. Brown discovered the charges had become damp. Since there was little light, Brown, with the claw end of a hammer, accidentally struck one of the blasting caps. Luckily, it did not go off. At that moment, Brown decided that the hand of the Lord was on his side and that he must change his ways. After that incident Brown began spreading the gospel and he became widely known as Preacher Brown.
Between 1930 and 1960 the majority of Susanville’s population was either born at Potter’s Maternity Home or Riverside Hospital. Potter’s was located on the 1600 Block of Main Street on the corner at Park. In 1966 the house was moved to South Street, as United California Bank acquired the property for a new location. The bank building was torn down in August 2015 and was replaced with a Rite Aid store, which opened in May 2016.
