History

Levi Button-Eagle Lake’s First Resident

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McClellabd’s Summer Camp at Eagle Lake, 1912-Pierce & Elburna McCleland

Eagle Lake’s first settler was.a thirty-three old New Yorker by the name of Levi Button, who recorded a claim to 160-acres on the northwestern shore on January 4, 1870. Button had resided in Lassen County since 1863, making living from prospecting and trapping. He built himself a cabin at the lake and resided there periodically until 1875. He then departed for eastern Oregon. Before leaving he remarked that the wildlife had greatly diminished due to the influx of livestock grazing on the surrounding mountains.

A number of individuals had become occupants of Button’s abandoned homestead. In a five years period, Isaac Adams, Frank Day, Samuel C. Dibble, Hiram Sewall and Daniel Cramer claimed possession of the place, but none them remained there for any length of time and failed to gain. title.

In the early 1880s, a German immigrant, Adolph Schuler took up Button’s abandoned claim. He had several improvements and secured 166-acre federal land patent. In 1885, Schuler sold the property to James D. Byers who had an extensive livestock operation in the Honey Lake Valley. Byers incorporated the property for summer grazing. Schuler worked as a ranch hand and. reminded on the property for most of his life. Byers who died in 1902, was a bachelor and he left the bulk of his estate to his nephew’s wife, Sarah McCleland. Since then, has it remained in the McClelland family.

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History

St. Mary’s Chapel aka Constantia Church

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Constantia Church
St. Mary’s Chapel as it appeared in 1971. Courtesy of Robert Williams

Five miles south of Doyle is a place known as Constantia, though not much remains today. In 1896, Henry Butters purchased the ranch and gave the place its name of Constantia. Butters transformed the place into a small village and next to his home had a small Catholic church built—St. Mary’s Chapel.

As a child, Roberta Turritin Weaver lived at Constantia from 1913 to 1923 and recalled: “The church was beautiful with stained glass windows and the pews were made from the oak trees in back of the ranch. As long as were in the big house Father Horgan came out several times a year. We were all very fond of him. My twin sister, Catherine, and I considered him a good sport since he put up with all our didedos.”

Constantia Church, Doyle, July 12, 2021—Ronda Dockstader

By the mid-1920s services were discontinued and the church abandoned. In 1994, the Doyle Historical Society moved the church to Doyle and restored the building.

Tim

News

Ask Tim

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Honey Lake Regatta, 1987

On a quarterly basis, I ask you the reader, if there is something you would like to learn more about 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. So by the time you read this I am already working on posts for the middle of November, or at least I should be. 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, you can always send a request at any time.

Tim

History

Nataqua versus Mahala

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A gathering of Maidu women at Johnstonville, 1900

On April 26, 1856, twenty settlers in the Honey Lake Valley gathered at Isaac Roop’s Trading Post and held a “mass convention” to establish a territory of their own. They named their new republic Nataqua.  It was purported that the name was a Paiute word for woman. That claim is rather dubious. Nataqua Territory was a short lived affair, and it was soon replaced  with the Sierra Nevada Territory.

Locally, the Anglos used term Mahala for designation of Native American women. A number of these women worked as domestics such cleaning and washing. Willow Creek Valley resident Abe Tunison for instance wrote in his diary on May 28, 1877 “A Mahala was here and washed.”

During the late 1800s’ the term squaw was used infrequently and usually derogatory manner, i.e, there are many newspaper citations  of a “drunken squaw.”

Tim

 

History

Lassen County Farm Bureau Reports

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Sunflower demonstration on the A.F. Babcock Ranch, Bieber, 1923. This appeared in one of those reports.

The records salvaged from dumpster dives cover a wide variety of topics. One of those were the Lassen County Horticultural Reports filed annually dating back to the late 1880s. This would later be superseded with the Lassen County Farm Advisor Reports. In the 1920s, nearly every Lassen County agricultural community had a farm bureau. It was the farm advisor’s many duties ro assist each one of the bureaus and would compile all the data collected in an annual report. These reports were meticulous in the information they provide. In certain instances, they included photographs of various demonstrations and/or experiments, such as today’s featured photograph.

Tim

History

A Mystery Solved

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Robbers Creek, 1918, I do not think its near Susanville.

A few years back, I published this photograph. However, I could never figure out the location. Now, I know. It is crossing of Robbers Creek to the north of Westwood. Since this is some twenty miles away from Susanville, in my opinion, I do not consider that near. The photographer named Engel, who I admire his work. took some winter scenes at Westwood in1918, and instead of giving the location of that lumber town, Engel, as he did in the above photograph affixed the label “near Susanville.”  I will be including a Westwood photograph by Engel in the 2025 Calendar.

Main Street, Susanville, 1918.

Here is a Engel photograph of Susanville.

Tim

History

The Standish Creamery – A Refresher

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Standish Creamery—Dorothy Story

In the past, I have written snippets about the Standish Creamery, so now a complete version. In 1898, Standish was founded as a utopian community based on the belief of Myles Standish. In beginning all worked well. By 1901, the Associated Colonies of New York, backers of Standish filed for bankruptcy. With that entity removed it allowed the community to grow without the former’s restrictions.

In 1901, Buntingville merchant Mike Phillips relocated from the west side of the Honey Lake Valley to Standish. One of his many enterprises at Standish was the establishment of a creamery. In 1904, Phillips for unknown reasons sold his various businesses there and moved to Reno. Susanville businessman, Charlie Emerson bought the creamery

In 1916, Emerson boasted that his creamery had the only pasteurized milk in Lassen County. It should be duly noted that California State Law required all milk to be pasteurized.

In 1929, the creamery was destroyed by fire and not rebuilt.

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News

The Pollard Memorial Dedication

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Benjamin Pollard’s memorial, October 5, 2024-Courtesy of Martin Blaauw

In February I received a request from Mark Hakvoort of Hollands Kroon, in the Netherlands. Their goal is to remember the
aircraft and crews perished there during World War II. You can learn more from their website here 

Hakvoort wrote: “We are searching for the grave of the USAAF pilot and his family at the Lassen Cemetery. B.A. Pollard was killed in action on 9 April 1944 in the Wadden Sea. His aircraft crashed / ditched in the cold sea water. The body of Pollard was washed ashore near the village of Hippolytischoef. His plane was the P-51B Mustang code 43-6761 C3-R. In the war he was buried at the “Zandburen Cemetery”. After the war his body was moved to the US assembly cemetery in Margraten. And later again moved back to the USA and re-buried at the Lassen Cemetery in Susanville. [in 1949]”

We were fortunate enough to locate several Pollard’s relatives. As a matter of fact, he has a niece still residing in Susanville.

The Dutch veterans assembled. for Pollard’s remembrance, October 5, 2024–Courtesy Martin Blaauw

On October 5, 2024, the Dutch held remembrance for Pollard. About 50 people attended, Ten Dutch veterans saluted to show their respect for the fallen comrade. The Mayor Mrs Rian van Dam and the USAAF representative  Colonel Juris Jansons unveiled the remembrance post. There was a  wreath laying ceremony, followed  by the playing United States national anthem.

A job well done.

Tim

Benjamin Ashby Pollard, 1921-1944
Grave of Benjamin Pollard, VFW Section, Lassen Cemetery, March 16, 2024
History

The Origins of Lassen High School

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E.W. Hayden,1846-1929–Gilbert L.Morrill

In the spring of 1902, E.W. Hayden, editor/publisher of the Lassen Advocate raised the issue for the need of a high school. Hayden proposed a district high school, rather than a county one. Hayden felt that all the school districts in the county would not support a high school.

In the fall of 1902, Hayden again revived the issue for a high school. This time he succeeded in generating more interest. In September, John Spalding and Franklin Ward circulated petitions to have the matter placed on the ballot for the November election. On October 2, 1902, those petitions were presented to the Lassen County Board of Supervisors and they approved the ballot measure.

Proponents were worried that the voter’s might confuse the issue as a bond measure. Yet, funding for a high school still had to be addressed. It was proposed that the property tax be increased by one cent per $100 assessed value. This tax would generate $3,700 a year-more than sufficient to operate a high school.

As the ballot proposition called for the creation of a county high school, there was Hayden’s concern that it might not pass, especially with the voters far removed from Susanville. Surprisingly many of the outlying school districts were supportive of the measure. After all, the nearest high school available was Reno, Nevada.

On November 4, 1902, the voters of Lassen County went to the polls. Th voters approved the creation of the Lassen County High School by a large majority with 637 votes in favor and 295 opposed.

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History

Susanville’s Hangman Tree-The Real Deal

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Main Street, Susanville, 1864.

There was a sliver truth in yesterday’s article about the town’s infamous hangman’s tree.

On April 17, 1868, Thomas Pearson, his wife, daughter Hattie and Samuel Cooper were massacred by the Indians on the eastern shore of Honey Lake. This episode created a great deal of tension between the settlers and the Indians. Expedition parties were organized to find the guilty parties. who were believed to be members of the Pit River tribe. The Indians who did dastardly deed, however could not be found.

Proximity of the Pearson Massacre Site—-Larry Plaster

In September 1868, Captain Munson of Fort Bidwell still conducted expeditions, but like the previous ones, found no clues. That changed when he arrived in Big Valley, where we met with the Pit River tribe. The tribe turned over to Munson’s custody three suspected Indians.

Later that month, Munson. arrived in Susanville with the three Indians for civil authorities to conduct a trial. The hearing was held at night. The Indians were acquitted and they were released from custody. The Sage Brush newspaper reported “. . . that no evidence of appearing to establish their guilt.” Yet, a number of citizens who had gathered outside the courtroom believed the Indians were guilty. They became a vigilante mob. They escorted the Indians up Main Street to North Pine Street, where they were hanged “. . . from the limbs of a patriarchal oak.”

The saga of the Hangman’s tree was born. As folklore would have it, the tree was used for other occasions, but actually it was not. Again, it has been written the tree was cut down as recently as the 1960s, when in fact it was cut down in January 1892.

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Exploring Lassen County's Past