It was on Christmas Day, 1925 when the Saint Francis Hotel in Susanville opened its doors to its west wing expansion. Work began in September. While it only added an additional nine guest rooms, six with private baths, it allowed more complimentary features. Not only were the lobby and restaurant facilities more than doubled in size, adorning the top floor on the Main Street side was a balcony. The balcony was removed by the Goni family in the 1950s.
Tim
Sometime back I wrote how Brashear Street came to be. I did note that I would do a follow up on the Brashear Tract, one of Susanville’s smallest subdivisions. For a little background. In 1863, when the town plat was made the only blocks that were subdivided into individual lots were those with Main Street frontage.
In 1911, with railroad rumors swirling that Susanville would be serviced by the Iron Horse caused a subdivision frenzy. Z.W. Scott was the real estate agent for the Brashear Tract. Scott advertised the unique qualities of this small tract–there was the commanding views and its close proximity to everything. After all, it was one block from the Lassen County Courthouse and only two blocks from the business district. These choice and limited lots featured something unheard in Susanville. To guarantee the tract would be desirable it was stipulated that all homes constructed would require an expenditure of at least $1,000.
Tim
Having spent decades in Lassen County cemeteries I have encountered a lot of interesting objects and some interesting people, too.
This story is about the Lassen Cemetery in Susanville. In 1978 I did a headstone inventory. In the fall of 2006 I did an updated inventory. The above marker for Vlaad Eifilhar did not appear in 1978. Notice the dates 1561-1662. This metal marker was common in the 1930s. A few years later I went back to the site to take a better photograph. Alas, it was gone.
Tim
In the spring of 1882, Hiram Dakin and Hiram McCellan proprietors of the Milford Flour Mill began making plans to build a new mill. After all, the Milford one was constructed in 1861, and it had outlived its purpose.
The first order of business was where to build the new mill—Buntingville or Janesville. Buntingville was just beginning to flourish, it being a popular stop for travelers heading north to Modoc County. After careful consideration Janesville emerged as victor.
On June 8, 1882, construction of the three-story structure began on Main Street, a just a little north of the prominent large oak tree that still remains. When the mill was placed into operation in September, the residents knew it—at seven a.m. every morning the steam whistle blew. In 1886, J.K. Gehring purchased the enterprise known as Honey Lake Mills for $6,000. In 1918, Gehring closed the mill, he being 81 years old, and with the new Honey Lake mill in Susanville, no buyers were interested. In the early 1920s, the mill was dismantled and James H. McClelland purchased the lumber to use on his ranch.
A point to ponder. Lassen Advocate, Susancville, California 22 October 1909: “The weather prophets say if this coating snow on the summit of Diamond Mountain lasts any considerable time without melting, we may expect a light snowfall this winter. Some of those weather prophets have been watching this indicator for thirty years or more, and ought to know.”
Tim
Back by a somewhat popular demand are the calendars, though next year, maybe very limited. Time will tell. As usual there are always an interesting mix historic photographs. Among those featured is that Helen Sargent, proprietor of the Grand Cafe, 1984; Eagle Lake, 1916, Paul Bunyan Lumber Company, 1947, Westwood 1918 to name a few.
One has three options to purchase calendars:
1) Locally, you can purchase them at Margie’s Book Nook.
2) You can purchase direct online by clicking here
3) You can also email me to place your order, and it will be sent with an invoice. Important Notice: There are only 50 calendars available, and once sold out that is it.
A subscriber wanted to know more about Fruit Growers Spring, also known as Bagwell Springs. These springs are located north of present day Susanville Ranch Park.
The springs were named for James Washington Bagwell, who located on 160-acres that included the springs. In 1893, he sold out to George W. Long for $300. In 1901, William Black Long claimed rights to this spring that he designated as Bagwell. In 1919, the Fruit Growers Supply Company purchased the property for its water rights. For a number of years the spring was known as Fruit Growers Spring. It appears with that designation in the decree of Fleming v Bennett—the adjudication of the Susan River watershed. In 1935, Fruit Growers sold the spring to the Republic Electric Power Company, who purchased it as an additional water source for Susanville. Thereafter, the spring was once again referred to as Bagwell. The springs are now owned by the City of Susanville, which are used in conjunction with the city’s water system.
Patrick L. Flanigan was one of those rags to riches to rags stories. In 1877, at the age of 17, he came west to Reno where he found employment milking cows. Five years later he obtained a loan from the Washoe County Bank to purchase 1500 sheep. Thus, like many before and after him became an itinerant sheep man and moved his sheep from place to place where ever he could find feed and water. (When the Taylor Grazing Act came into effect in 1934, put an end to this practice.) Flanigan, like so many others, lost over 50% of sheep during the harsh winter of 1889-90. Continue reading Pyramid Land & Stock Company
Lassen County, in many ways, did not experience the harshest aspects of the nation’s financial depression of the 1930s. This is not to infer that all was good. Many of the ranchers were still self sufficient for many of their needs. While the sawmills did curtail operations, they continued to operate, where numerous mills on the Pacific Coast closed. Lassen County also benefited from one of the last major railroad construction projects in the nation, the Inside Gateway linking the Western Pacific Railroad with the Great Northern at Bieber. For Big Valley it was a prosperous era.
However, there were some residents who were very marginalized and did whatever they could to make ends meet. There was some money to be made in selling scrap metal. Take for instance, some unknown parties ransacked the abandoned tugboat on the shore of Honey Lake and removed the engine and any other metal component. At Bly’s Eagle Lake tunnel the light rail and ore cars used in the excavation disappeared, too. Depending upon one’s perspective today, the scavengers either did a good job of cleaning up the environment or the opposite spectrum, those who like to examine old relics might be dismayed.
The first recording of Eagle Lake’s lake level elevation occurred in 1875, done by the United States Government Land Office. The surveyor’s benchmark was placed at the lake at an elevation of 5,109 feet above sea level. Their documentation has been cited continuously as a guidepost for monitoring the lake’s fluctuation. At the moment the lake level stands at 5092 feet.
Eagle Lake began rising after the 1875 survey. In the early 1880s, the lake had encroached on developed ranch land on the north shore and the pine trees on the south shore were being inundated. Thus, at the south shore began creation of what was called the “stub forest.”
In 1915, Professor S.T. Harding began studies of the water variations at Eagle Lake. Harding, as well other scientist, were intrigued with the rising low that lake levels. After all, the lake has no outlet, but further the main water source was the spring run off. When Harding arrived on the scene the lake level had increased 13 feet since 1875. Harding focused on the stub forest to obtain data on the lake’s elevation. He studied the tree rings and the exact elevation of a number of trees. By taking the lowest submerged trees (the oldest one was found to be a 245-year old stump at the elevation of 5,116, that was submerged in 1895), he determined the lake level had to be at 5,115 feet or less from 1650 until the time it was submerged. Another stump examined placed its initial growth between 1420 and 1520, and during that time period the lake had to be at an elevation below 5,099 continuously from 1420 to 1520. In addition, Harding also examined trees at the 5,126 foot elevation that were found to be over 400 years old.
By the early 1920s, the stub forest literally lived it to its name. In 1918, the lake began to recede, which it should be noted prior to the Bly tunnel. The inundated trees of the south shores reduced to dead snag trees, and the tops would break leaving tree stumps. It should be noted that a few stumps still existed at the south shore in the 1960s.