The automatic notification failed this morning. Attempting to see if it is just a one time glitch.
Susanville’s Ash Street
On January 16, 1911 M.O. Folsom unveiled his East Addition, Susanville subdivision containing 300 lots. Many of its north/south streets were named for trees, i.e., Ash, Cedar, Fir, Spruce. The east/west were numbered, i.e, First, Second, Third, Fourth and Fifth.
Ash Street, initially ended at Fifth Street. Travelers headed north either used Hall Street or Weatherlow Street to Chestnut. In 1947, Ash Street was incorporated into the Lassen-Modoc Joint Highway #14, the pre-cursor to State Highway 139. Ash Street was extended to connect the highway making for a straight route into Susanville.
Tim
A Little Known Dairy—Ramelli
By the 1870s, Swiss Italians, mainly from province of Ticino were migrating to Northeastern California. A majority of whom found a new home in Sierra Valley, yet there was for a time a spill over in the Honey Lake Valley.
In 1887, Cesar A. Ramelli, was one of those migrants and he eventually located at Purdy, Long Valley, California. The area is best known to many as the region behind present day Bordertown, on the California-Nevada border. Rameilli established a dairy there. He later expanded and operated a second one at Bella Vista in the Truckee Meadows. With the assistance of his three sons, their dairy herd consisted of seventy-five cows. From that herd, butter and cheese were made. The cheese was made into blocks of 10, 20 to 25 pounds which was sold in the Reno stores.
Tim
Susanville’s Brannan House
Susanville’s first hotel, if you could call it such was Cutler Arnold’s story and half structure of hewn logs. For two years, beginning in the spring of 1857, it also housed the town’s only dining establishment, meals costing seventy-five cents.
As the town progressed so did the accommodations. In 1860, Emanuel “Mike” Brannan built a two-story hotel on the northeast corner of Main and Lassen streets. It was a transitional period, as the days of log structures were being placed with wooden framed ones. Brannan operated the hotel for the next four years, and due to some financial problems lost the hotel. Just as the Brannan House had replaced Arnold’s, Brannan’s was replaced by the superior Steward House in 1864.
The Brannan House slowly faded away entirely. Its second floor was converted into lodge hall for the Oddfellows. The first floor was used for a variety purposes including that of the post office and the government land office. In 1880, it was torn down and replaced by a new Oddfellows Hall, and that building was replaced with the current structure built in 1896..
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Fort Weatherlow and Other Musings
In June 1927, the Lassen Advocate reported how “Fort Weatherlow” was threatened by fire. The reporter new to the area, was not aware that while the historic structure located on Weatherlow Street, was known as Roop’s Fort.
Fast forward nearly a century later, though Susanville has no newspapers, there are some online news outlets. Some of these outlets are staffed by people new to the area. No problem with that. However, when they occasionally come up with new names for established landmarks, that make me cringe.
Tim
Fire Train Restrictions
The Red River Lumber Company at its Westwood operation developed its own fire trains used to fight forest fires. Of course, Red River had its extensive railroad logging network. However, if Red River wanted to access the Southern Pacific’s railroad tracks between Westwood and Susanville there were protocols set by Southern Pacific. In 1936, a Southern Pacific Bulletin stated ”The fire train of the Red River Lumber Company may make the following speeds: Between Mason and Westwood Junction, 35 MPH’ Between Westwood Junction and Susanville, 25 MPH; and through all tunnels, 10 MPH.” I do not know what type of restrictions the Western Pacific imposed.
Tim
How Romantic
It being Valentine’s Day, I thought I share something a bit different. In the way back yonder, how real property was exchanged, was done in a variety of ways. During the late 1890s and through the early 1900s, transactions between spouses carried the clause “in consideration of love and affection,” to deed real property, which in most instances was the title to the family residence, as seen in the illustration above.
Tim
Tuesday Tidbit – Did You Know?
The following is an excerpt from article that appeared in the Los Angeles Times on February 11, 2024.
“In parts of California and much of the Great Basin, land owners have declared war on pinyon pines and juniper trees, clearing them from rangelands with chains, bulldozers, saws and herbicides. At the same time, the trees are drawing increasing interest as a source of renewable energy — such as in California’s Lassen County, where 150,000 tons of the trees are fed into the Honey Lake Power Plant each year to generate energy for customers including San Diego Gas & Electric.”
Tim
Western Pacific’s Snowball Special
The Western Pacific Railroad’s Highline also referred to as the Northern California Extension went from Keddie, Plumas County north to Bieber, Lassen County where it connected with the Great Northern Railroad. A major disappointment to many was that regular passenger service was never instituted. Continue reading Western Pacific’s Snowball Special
Where Are We—Smoke Creek
Smoke Creek is a desert stream that is approximately twenty-six miles in length with an equal portion in California and Nevada. Its headwaters is Big Springs at the southern base of Observation Mountain. The creek descends into a small canyon that early day explorer J. Goldsborough Bruff in 1850 dubbed as Hierioglyphic Creek, due to the numerous petroglyphs on the canyon walls. From there the stream enters a much larger deeper canyon.
On the Nevada side, the lower end of the creek was a welcomed sight for weary travelers of the 1850s and 1860s on the Nobles Emigrant Trail. The water flow decreases the closer one gets to the Smoke Creek Desert.
The terminus of the creek varies as to the kind of water year. It can spread over the scrub brush terrain. I can attest since I played at a golf tourney there over Labor Day Weekend. One of the course’s many hazards were the mosquitos, and they were a hungry lot.
Tim