Soldier Bridge School, DeWitt, California. Courtesy of Franklin Dill.
The Soldier Bridge School was located a short distance from the present day Fleming Unit, of the California Department of Fish & Game. The district was established in March 1865 from a division of Susan River (Johnstonville). The first classes were held in the fall of 1865, with Miss Lurana Walker as instructor. In 1883, George W. Fry donated the land where the school had been built. At that time, Honey Lake Lodge #358 of the Independent Order of Good Templars was established and a hall was constructed next to the schoolhouse.
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Horse Lake Station, 1915. Courtesy of Nevada Historical Society
It was originally a Nevada-California-Oregon Railroad station and later a Southern Pacific Railroad siding that operated from 1930-1961. In a way it is a bit of misnomer, since it is located five miles east of Horse Lake and near Snowstorm Ranch.
In 1913, the Shumway Post Office at Horse Lake was discontinued. In 1916, Horse Lake residents attempted to re-establish the post office and have a mail drop off at the NCO Railroad’s Horse Lake siding. The postal authorities denied the request. They stated they did not need a mail drop as that 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 at the Horse Lake Station, there was no way that the mail could be protected.
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A 1920s advertisement for the Pioneer. It had to change its ways during prohibition.
How I select topics is done entirely at random, many are accidental in nature. I might come across a photograph that I find of interest and write something about it. Then again, while researching one topic, I will stumble across something of interest to share.
With that in mind, I thought I would ask you the reader, is there something you would like to learn more or maybe its something you heard but question its validity. So here is an opportunity to participate. I will do my best to answer any questions. It should be noted, it may take awhile for the answer to appear as a post. The primary reason, many of the daily posts are done nearly a month in advance. For instance, this item was composed on July 13. So by the time you read this, I am already working on posts in the middle of November. Whatever the case may be, I look forward to hearing from you. Of course, it should be noted that paid subscribers requests receive priority.
In addition, I do have two requests pending: R.J. Scott and Susanville’s “seedier” side. I had hope to had them posted by now, but circumstances beyond my control prevented that from happening.
Tim Purdy
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Devil’s Corral Bridge, 1918. Courtesy of Margaret A. Purdy
The circumstances leading to its name are not known. There are two possible explanations. In 1865, San Francisco journalist Lisle Lester wrote: “Late in the afternoon we crossed a weird looking place of a rock wall enclosing a little flat meadow land called Devil’s Corral. The place is historical, for in the early days a band of emigrants stopped here to feed their stock and were overtaken by disease which covered the little nook with the bones of their cattle, and added to its soil many a way-worn form. For years the bones of the cattle bleached here in rude piles.”
In 1923, when the first highway bridge to span Devil’s Corral was completed, this published version made its debut: “The name was given the curious lava rock formation on the banks of the Susan River at this point by early day wagon trains who sought to reach the Sacramento Valley by following the course of the Susan River. At this point the perpendicular rock walls of the canyon made further progress impossible and they were forced to turn back, hence the name Devils Corral.”
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Richmond Road Bridge, circa 1910. Courtesy of Lola L. Tanner
Yesterday, we examined the route out of Susanville’s western boundary. For some odd reason, I must have transportation issues on my mind. To leave town to the south, required crossing the Susan River. Just like how Pine Street at one point became Prattville Road, the same name change occurs wherein South Weatherlow Street ends on the north side of Susan River and after one crosses the bridge, the route becomes Richmond Road. The wooden bridge crossing the river was a contentious issue between Lassen County and the City of Susanville once the railroad was constructed. Back then, the river served as the southern boundary of Susanville. The wooden bridge could not support the heavy freight arriving at depot on Richmond Road. It took some time for the two entities to agree to split the costs for a new bridge.
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Last month when I wrote about Plumas Pines, someone inquired about Prattville Road. Prior to the construction of State Highway 36, west bound travelers from Susanville ventured up North Pine Street, which at that time ended at North Street. From that point onward it was designated as Prattville Road. The original town of Prattville was located at Big Meadows, Plumas County prior to the construction of Lake Almanor. At that time, Prattville was the next community west of Susanville, hence the name of Prattville Road. Continue reading Prattville Road→
One of the nice features using this forum, instead of traditional print, some photographs will not print well. The above is a perfect example, yet it is an interesting photograph. This is at 501 Main Street, now Uptown Cinemas. This caravan of equipment is headed to Westwood while the first sawmill was under construction. Courtesy of Marcella Mathews Searles.
When the Red River Lumber Company finally decided, or actually more to the point Fletcher Walker demanded the Mountain Meadows location or otherwise he was going to quit, there were numerous hurdles to overcome.
During the initial construction phase of 1912-13, everything would have to be freighted in, while the railroad was under construction, and it would not be completed to Westwood until February 1914.
The road over Fredonyer as it appeared in 1914.
The bulk of the machinery was shipped by rail on the Western Pacific to Doyle. Smaller shipments also went by the Western Pacific to Keddie. In either instance, that is still a long haul for all the machinery to build one of the largest electric sawmills. In addition, all the auxiliary items needed to build a company town. This is before paved highways no less, and the truck traffic certainly made its imprint on the roads, though not in a favorable way.
Hopefully, bringing you this information, it might give you a tiny incentive to part with five dollars a month to keep things running.
This cut is just west of Susanville at Miller Road.
Since today is Lassen Land & Trails Trust annual Rails to Trails festival, it is only fitting to share a few scenes of the construction. In September 1913 work began on the construction of the line from Susanville to Devil’s Corral. This segment provided railroad officials with numerous challenges, since there were hardly any physical barriers to contend with the segment from Fernley, Nevada to Susanville. Time was also of the essence, since the railroad had a contractual obligation to complete the line to Westwood by February. With that in mind, over 1,000 men were hired for this construction phase. On December 12, 1913, the construction train crossed the Devil’s Corral, and all appeared well, until Mother Nature unleashed a fury of storms, which is a topic for another time.
Construction train in the Susan River Canyon.
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Susan River from the Carroll Street Bridge, 1981. Courtesy of Jim Cooper
While going through a photograph transfer file, in search of a particular photograph that I thought had been scanned, I came across this one of interest. By the way, for those inquiring minds, I never did find what I was looking for.
When I returned home a couple of weeks ago, I noticed the Susan River still had a pretty good flow, considering the circumstances of the drought. In the summer of 1981, gabions were installed along the south bank of Susan River just below the Carroll Street bridge to prevent further erosion of the bank. As one can easily see, there was not much water in the river to divert during the project.
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Notice how high the water is in the trees at the current marina site.
Note: While I am getting around better, I still have a long way to go. Some might have noticed that the published October Preview has deviated from what was intended. My apologies, but scanning images to accompany topics, has presented a challenge, due to my ongoing recovery from a broken hip. Please have patience sooner or later the intended topic will appear.
It is only fitting that a week ago, I attended the Eagle Lake Interagency Board meeting and yesterday’s Lassen County Planning Commission meeting. Since so much focus has been with drought levels of Eagle Lake, and groundwater basins, I thought let’s take a look at the other extreme. Continue reading Eagle Lake’s Historic High Level→
