In the spring of 1871, the residents of Willow Creek Valley constructed and operated a private school at the west end of the valley near the Murrer Ranch. Miss Fanny Lovell was employed to teach the first classes. In June 1871, residents petitioned the Lassen County Board of Supervisors for the formation of a school district and that was granted. At that time it was one of the largest school districts, land wise. It included Grasshopper Valley, the Madeline Plains and Horse Lake.
It was not until 1877, when John Dobler donated the land that the school was built on, with a stipulation that the property would revert back to him or his heirs when it was no longer used for a school. That would never happen.
During the 1880s through the early 1910s, the school boast an average population of 30 students. The original school building was destroyed by fire on April 17, 1942, caused by a defective flue. A small building was moved onto the property with little interruptions in the student’s schooling. However, by the mid-1940s, enrollment dropped so low, that in 1946 was the last year it operation. In 1950, the district was annexed to Susanville.