John Byrd, also called ‘Jack Byrd’, ‘Uncle Jack’, and ‘Captain Byrd’ had been born in Virginia about 1821. He has been described as a former Army Captain, although old records to show his Army years are difficult to find. ‘John Byrd’ was a very common name.

But as the Honey Lake Valley citizens formed a volunteer militia to combat Native American raids on local settlers, Byrd was selected to be the captain of the group.

Byrd’s cattle had a huge range to roam, up into the mountains to the west and out across the Nevada line to the east. The local Native population saw no reason to starve when cattle spread throughout their area, and soon, the usual troubles began.

On one of these raids alone, Byrd claimed to have lost 120 cattle. So, in 1860, he and other ranchers in the valley hastily formed an armed militia to stop their losses.

Meanwhile, Captain William Weatherlow was leading another group of men who were on their way to Nevada to suppress the Paiute population at Pyramid Lake. Weatherlow pressed John Byrd’s group to combine and follow them to the fight, but some of the men in Byrd’s group objected. They were there to find and bring back their livestock, not start a war.

Weatherlow stayed at the Byrd ranch for two days, jerking beef and making other preparations, before taking his group of twenty-six well-armed men on to Pyramid Lake.

As the Battle of Pyramid Lake, sometimes called the Battle of the Truckee, raged on, Byrd’s group searched for their livestock and the culprits who had continually raided the Honey Lake Valley, but with minimal success. They ventured into the Pyramid Lake area after the first battle there and saw little activity. After a two-week stay, the militia returned home.

Through 1865, the deprivations on the settlers continued, and even worsened. Again, the Honey Lake ranchers set out to see what they could do to lessen their misfortunes. Skirmishes with the Paiutes continued with casualties on both sides, and there seemed to be no end to the difficulties. Many local ranchers suffered a great loss of livestock.

Problems seemed to plague Byrd’s dream of life in the Honey Lake Valley. During 1858 and 1859, the area suffered a drought, and then severe cold winters including a deep layer of frozen snow and fog that lasted for six weeks and left the cattle unable to forage for food.

The livestock suffered greatly. Stung by his losses, in 1866, Byrd gave up on the Honey Lake Valley. He sold his property here and drove his entire herd of remaining livestock north from the Honey Lake Valley. He went through Idaho, where he ran into more difficulties as the Snake River Indians helped themselves to some of his stock, and eventually settled in Walla Walla, Washington.

In Walla Walla in 1891, he petitioned the Court of Claims of the U.S. Government to recover $41,950, for his losses while living in the Honey Lake Valley. His petition was denied, and Byrd died in Walla Walla in 1892. His son, Austin, inherited his estate.

For more information, telephone Marisa Williams at the BLM office in Susanville, 530-252-5303. More information about the Fort Sage Off-Highway Vehicle Area is available by visiting https://www.blm.gov/visit/fort-sage.

The Trust acquired the abandoned rail corridor for development and management as a shared-use, motorized public trail in 2008, and the Modoc Line Rail Trail Management Plan was adopted after public comments in January 2012.

The Trust’s applications can be reviewed at the Division’s website, http:/ohv.parks.ca.gov. Public comments are requested by May 3rd.

For more information, please contact Lassen Land and Trails Trust at info@lassenlandandtrailstrust.org or call (530) 257-3252.

The Home, Garden and Recreation Show, held each year at the end of April, is designed to help generate sales revenue for participating businesses, gain exposure for local services and products and attract visitors and tourists to the community. With an average attendance of 1,500 people this event is an inexpensive way to advertise your business and showcase your product or service.

The cost to participate in the event is $25 for a (10′ x 10′) booth space.

One table and two chairs will be supplied for the event, and the set-up will begin on Friday, April 29th from 12:00 to 4:00p.m.

If you are interested in being a part of the big soiree you can click here to download an event vendor application. Click here to download a letter to potential vendors.

For more information call the Lassen County Chamber of Commerce at 1.530.257.4323 or visit the chamber’s website at www.lassencountychamber.org.

Regular performances are scheduled for March 9th, at 6:00p.m., March 11th, at 7:00p.m., March 12th, at 2:00 and 7:00p.m.

Tickets are available now at Margie’s Book Nook, Zaengles Floor and Home and the Lassen County Chamber office.

For more information call 530-310-4302 or visit Best of Broadway online.

Click here and head on over to SusanvilleStuff to enter to win a pair of tickets to one of this year’s Susanville Best of Broadway performances. You can enter once per day, per email, and the deadline to enter is tonight, March 10th at midnight. We will announce the winners right here tomorrow, March 11th. Good luck!

According to F. F. Nixon, city building inspector, about $103,000 worth of new building permits have been issued in Susanville in recent weeks.

Over $42,000 of this amount is to be spent on new dwellings; $32,000 for a new laundry, and the balance on garages, additions to buildings, repair work, etc.

Nixon credited the building spurt to the warm weather and the hopes that come with spring.