The following is some promotional 1923 literature courtesy of the Lassen County Chamber of Commerce: Westwood is the big lumber town of the Red River Lumber Company and probably the most unique town in the United States. It is a modern town in every respect and entirely managed by the company. The company owns all the houses and operates all the business enterprises at a small margin of profit. But this system enables the company to furnish its employees with good houses, heat, light, food, education facilities and entertainment at low cost and keeps them satisfied.
The town is located in the midst of the timber area on a level plateau. It is laid out in wide streets lined with pretty homes with here and there a tall pine as a symbol of the industry which supports the town. The big company department store is the largest in Northern California and there is a cafeteria that feeds over a thousand men an hour, and a great club house where the men can spend their leisure hours.
The schools of Westwood are modern and maintain a high scholarship. There is a union church where all sects can worship, and a Catholic church; and there are libraries, clubs and fraternities. In no aspect is Westwood a lumber camp—it is a city built around one industry and it is a permanent city.
A Westwood history tidbit: My parents built a cabin at Eagle Lake using timbers salvaged from the Westwood bowling alley (Too bad all those buildings aren’t still standing!). My dad bought the timbers from the salvage place on Riverside Drive near the park. I can’t remember the guy’s name! Dad called him “Hippie Paul.”
The cabin, which my mother had to sell after my father died, is at Buck’s Bay, near the road. You can’t miss it.