Awhile back I received an interesting question about Honey Lake and the latest theory why the lake goes dry. More on that later.
In 1859, the settlers of Honey Lake were taken back when Honey Lake went dry. After all, in 1856, Isidore Meyerwitz and his Indian wife drowned in the lake while boating. Of course, various folks came up with theories as how this natural event came to be. One was a mythical creature Guyas Cutas that swallowed up the lake. The Quincy newspaper the Plumas Argus stated it was remarkable a lake 20 miles wide and 40 miles long should disappear in such a “inexpressibly short time.” Many agreed that the most logical one was the water sunk into vast fissure under the lake caused by an earthquake. It is interesting to note that no earthquakes had been reported in the area.
This brings us full circle as to the latest theory I was told.by a former Herlong resident of the 1960s who was told the eruption of Mt. Lassen sucked Honey Lake dry. This is a new one for me.It should be noted that during the eruptions of 1914-1917 Honey Lake remained full. Then, of course, Chester residents believed that the filling up of Lake Almanor caused Mt. Lassen to erupt in the first place.
In reality, in wet years the lake is full and dry years, well the lake goes dry.