Westwood LDS Church

March 30, 2016 Tim Purdy Leave a comment

Church of the Latter Day Saints, Westwood, June 14, 1943

On March 9, 1940 the Church of the Latter Day Saints held groundbreaking ceremonies on corner of Ash and Fifth Streets, in Westwood. This was the last house of worship to be constructed under Red River Lumber Company’s tenure at Westwood.

The church was designed Caldwell and Richards, Los Angeles architects. After World War I, the LDS Church began to implement standardized plans. This particular church was the first to use this particular layout. The $9,000 church was built by volunteer labor and completed in four months.

In 1986, its congregation had grown, wherein they bought property in nearby Clear Creek and built a new church. In 1991, their old our church was acquired by Our Lady of Snows Catholic Church which they converted into a parish hall. However, with their new Lake Almanor church, it will be just a matter of time when this is placed on the market, and only time will dictate its fate.

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History

Lassen Union High’s Block L

March 29, 2016 Tim Purdy 2 Comments

The "L" as it appeared on the mountainside in 1947. In the foreground is the Paul Bunyan Lumber Mill, now the area of WalMart, etc. Courtesy of Fred Lendman — The “L” as it appeared on the mountainside in 1947. In the foreground is the Paul Bunyan Lumber Mill, now the area of WalMart, etc. Courtesy of Fred Lendman

On February 18, 1928 the Lassen High Block L Society formed, that was the boy’s athletic organization. One of their first activities was the painting of the “L” on Susanville Peak. In 2008, Betty Jo Buckles Coplen provided me with this behind the scene account: “In 1924, my father, Maynard Robert “Billy” Buckles accepted a position teaching at Lassen Union High School, and we moved to Susanville. Four years later, members of the new Block L Society came to my Dad. They asked him to help them plan a Block L for them to lay out on the hillside. He helped them to design a letter L with the proper classic proportions (200 yards long). He also warned them that a letter of that size would be difficult to keep whitewashed. The Block L boys persevered and constructed the letter on the hill, moving rocks into the outline to be painted white. For decades as planned the freshman boys painted the letter each year, but eventually that practice died out.”

While the Block L Society no longer exists, the Lassen High Alumni Association has from time to time maintained it, the last time was done in 2008.

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History

Roseberry House

March 28, 2016 Tim Purdy Leave a comment

Located at 609 North Street, Susanville is the stately Roseberry House constructed in 1903 and is the community’s only bed and breakfast operation. However, a hundred years earlier, its owner then, also took in tourists.

The house was constructed for Thomas and Viola Roseberry. When Lassen Peak came alive as a real live volcano in 1914, area residents flocked to the mountain to take a look first hand. For Thomas Roseberry it was a fatal mistake for in August 1915, while climbing down the peak he died from a heart attack. Another tragic event occurred earlier in the month when the Emerson Hotel, located only two blocks from the Roseberry home was destroyed by fire.

These circumstances forced Viola into action. She made some remodeling changes to her home and began to take in travelers and boarders alike, which she would do so for another decade.

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History

Sacred Heart’s Rectory

March 27, 2016 Tim Purdy 1 Comment

When the Sacred Heart Parish was established in 1912, it had a church, but it did not provide housing for a priest. When Father O’Reilly arrived to take care of the pastoral duties, he boarded initially at the Emerson Hotel. When that hotel was destroyed by fire, he purchased a small cottage.

In October 1922, Father Patrick J. McCarthy became O’Reilly’s successor. McCarthy spent his first three weeks sleeping in the organ loft of the church. It turned out to be unseasonably cold, and as many an old time parishioner recalled that church was cold and drafty. As a result McCarthy came down with pneumonia, and required hospitalization. Once discharged from the hospital efforts were underway to build a rectory next to the church. Within in a month’s time it was completed with lumber donated by Fruit Growers and Lassen Lumber and parishioners volunteered to construct it.

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History

William S. Brashear

March 26, 2016 Tim Purdy 3 Comments

William Samuel Brashear arrived in Lassen County in an unexpected way. In 1863, he helped fellow Southerner John M. Kelley retain his original land claim of 1200 acres. When the U.S. Government surveyed the Honey Lake Valley, one could only file claim to 160-acres. Thus, nucleus of southern sympathizers claimed property around Kelley and the region became known as the Tule Confederacy. Continue reading William S. Brashear →

History

Diamond Mountain Guest Ranch

March 25, 2016 Tim Purdy 1 Comment

The Wingfield property as it appeared in the 1950s.

George Wingfield’s original summer home had many reincarnations. In 1946, three Carson City investors acquired the property eight miles south of Susanville and known to many as Ellena’s Mountain Meadow Ranch. They incorporated as the Diamond Mountain Guest Ranch. They envisioned transforming it into another New Mexico Vermejo Club or Colorado’s Rio Blanco Ranch.

J.E. “Jack” Hauskins was hired as manager/promoter. It was their original intent to offer 150 one-acre homesites on the property under a 49-year lease agreement. The first 50 sites were offered at $2,000 each, approximately $25,000 today, with an annual fee of $20 for maintenance. They also proposed to build an elaborate clubhouse just east of the original Wingfield home, where numerous events would be held, the least not being, “A good lively dance every night with excellent string music. Never any raucous nerve-racking noise by our so-called orchestras.” Needless to say, this enterprise was not a success.

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History

Susanville’s Sierra Theater – Preview

March 24, 2016 Tim Purdy Leave a comment

Monthly Preview Sheet, May 1936. Courtesy of Jim Chapman

Well, I had hoped to had this ready by now, but I still need to finish up some research. To be honest, I got sidetracked when I reviewed the Lee Zwiebel file, a manager of the theater during its early years.

Of course, there were some controversies that arose from the theater over certain films shown. Whatever the case may be, if anyone would like share their stories about Sierra, by all means contact me.

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History

The Shinn Family

March 23, 2016 Tim Purdy 2 Comments

Shinn family plot, Susanville Cemetery, November 19, 2015

In my previous post about the Shinn Ranch, I promised a follow up concerning the children of Oliver & Louisa Shinn.

James Oliver Shinn, the eldest child pursued a career in newspaper business. He first gained experience working for Susanville’s Lassen Advocate. Along with his brother, Al, they launched the Mountain Review on November 12, 1879. The newspaper continued until his untimely death the following summer. Continue reading The Shinn Family →

History

Susanville Street Names

March 22, 2016 Tim Purdy Leave a comment

A serene Cottage Street scene, circa 1906. Courtesy of Betty Barry Deal

It is interesting to note that when the first town plat of Susanville was surveyed only three streets were named after individuals–Lassen, Roop and Weatherlow. Fast forward to 1912, when the town’s largest adjoining subdivision, Lassen Townsite, was laid out nearly all the over half of the streets were named for individuals. Those streets such as Alexander, Knoch, Pardee, Minckler, were named for the investors.

In future posts, we will delve into the history of the street names, and who were these people. For instance, Mark Street was named for Mark Arnold, the seventeen-year-old son of Alexander and Susan Roop Arnold, who died in 1898.

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History

Coyote Scalps

March 21, 2016 Tim Purdy Leave a comment

In 1880s and 1890s, California began offering a bounty on coyotes at the insistence of the livestock industry. By 1894, the price per scalp was five dollars. The whole procedure was handled through the county clerk’s office. For some individuals it was a lucrative deal, and could actually make a living at it. Many Native Americans partook in the program, instead of working as a laborer for a rancher. Once the county clerk received reimbursement from the state, the clerk would take the scalps and burn them.