The south side of Susanville, taken from the Fruit Growers’ mill tower around 1921.

By the mid 1920’s dry conditions throughout the entire western United States led to major destruction and losses. The winter of 1923-24 was so dry that only about three feet of snow had accumulated atop Donner Summit by early March.

1923-1924 was the driest year on record for nearly one hundred years. In 2020-2021 the record fell to a new low.

During the summer of 1924, Lassen County was engulfed by a wild cataclysm as several fires sprang out of the wildlands. In July, a fire began southwest of Susanville and immediately started its march towards the county seat.

On July 29th, the largest of these fires, pushed by a stiff wind, reached Susanville. The ‘front’ of the fire was nearly a mile wide and sent a shower of sparks and embers into the town. It crossed the Susan River and headed into the city limits where four houses in the Winchester Addition were destroyed by the flames and others were scorched by the intense heat.

The valiant efforts of the hundreds of firefighters prevented further destruction.

Red River Lumber’s fire train and crew in 1936

At about 2:00 p.m., as the embers descended upon the County Hospital, the water tank was destroyed by flames. Patients were loaded into whatever vehicles were available and removed from immediate danger to the Riverside Hospital above the Fruit Growers Mill Pond.

Two hundred families were evacuated from the surrounding area, as there was little hope of stopping the conflagration, and Southern Pacific passenger train No. 3, scheduled to leave at 3:00 p.m., was delayed as the fire jumped the tracks.

The two lumber mills in town, with over eighty million feet of dried lumber, worked to save their merchandise. Water was pumped from the millpond to prevent the embers from igniting the wood, but the water level soon dropped to a precarious state.

All businesses in Susanville were closed, and every able-bodied man hurried to assist in the efforts to save the town.

A solid wall of flame hovered to the west and south, and the mill whistle continued to send signals out to all employees to report for work on the fire. Residents loaded vehicles with their most prized possessions as they readied to leave their homes, and many expected to lose it all.

As the fire calmed overnight, women began to prepare whatever they could to help feed the hungry firefighters, and a sense of community and concern overtook the town.

Then, on July 28, 1924, sparks from a Fruit Growers Supply Co. logging steam engine, working just west of Eagle Lake, ignited the surrounding vegetation. The fire destroyed everything nearby, including logging equipment and even the railroad tracks, before spreading out at an amazing pace and heading towards the Eagle Lake Resort with an eight-mile-wide front.

By August 1st, the fire was under control and ‘mop up’ was underway. The lumber company lost many thousands of acres of prime timber and spent almost $35,000 attempting to control the flames, but no one was seriously injured.

Near Janesville, at the same time, a blaze was causing great worry as it continued to surge towards the small town. One ‘stand’ of good timber was lost, but the main confines of the fire were situated in the sage and grasslands.

By August 2nd, the blaze in Susanville was officially declared ‘under control’. About fifty men continued to patrol the town, in an effort to ensure that no new flare-ups occurred.

There were two human casualties in the fight to control the fire.

One man was overcome by smoke and a young boy, working to help wherever he could, was struck by a falling tree. Both were taken to Riverside Hospital and treated. Over a thousand men had labored in intense heat and adverse conditions to subdue the raging inferno. Lassen County was lucky.

By August 5th, men were clearing any remaining brush west and south of town, and others were working on Inspiration Point to make sure that the landmark did not burn. Once again, Susanville was saved, and people went back to ‘normal’.

The scholarship is awarded to a high school senior graduating from, or who has graduated from, a Lassen County High School pursuing an agriculture or agri-business career. The award will be based on leadership skills, a demonstrated commitment to the industry, grades and financial need.

Finalists will be notified of the date, time, and place of an interview.

Click here to download the scholarship application.

Students with questions about applying for these scholarships should contact their school counselors or call the Lassen County Farm Bureau office at 1.530.257.7242.

“Following an early morning briefing, our Point-in-Time survey teams departed to their assigned areas to gather information from individuals who receive housing from local shelters and service providers, or individuals who are currently unsheltered,” Lassen’s Director of Health and Social Services, Barbara Longo, MS, RDN explains.

“The surveyors, which includes community service members from community-based organizations and County staff, received training and were provided with ‘Winter Care Packages’ to give to individuals participating in the survey.”

According to Longo teams began the count around 6:30 Wednesday morning in and around the City of Susanville and Westwood and will continue with counts in the Herlong/Doyle area today, and in Big Valley on Monday.

The primary goal of this year’s survey is to collect data from unsheltered individuals, as required by the NorCal Continuum of Care Region and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, to assess Lassen County’s housing needs.

“We will use the results to develop programs and services specific to the needs of Lassen County’s individuals and families experiencing housing insecurity.”

Preliminary results from the Point-in-Time Count will be released, as soon as possible, after the data has been compiled.

Essence Goldman and Danny Evans as June Carter and

Johnny Cash in Johnny and June Forever. photo by Carolyn McCoy

Johnny and June Tribute Comes to the Sierra Theatre February 10th

Fans of Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash’s famed stage show are in for a treat this February when a group of talented musicians will visit Susanville to perform in Johnny and June Forever, a recreation of the pair’s iconic 60’s concerts.

Danny Evans and Essence Goldman front the show and are both emerging voices on the Americana landscape with their own careers, but in addition to their original music, they have come together to pay tribute to their heroes and dig deep into their passion for roots music with the tribute performance.

The show plays just one night only, on February 10th, at 7:00p.m., in the Sierra Theatre in uptown Susanville.

The snack bar at the theatre will be open with beer, wine, soft drinks and food.

Tickets are $25 and can be purchased at either the Sierra Theatre and at Margie’s Book Nook.

Snowy uptown Susanville in the 1950’s. photo courtesy Karla McKahan.

Susanville Club Elects Officers

January 26, 1949

James Lewis was elected president of the 20-30 Club Tuesday night at the Grand Café, Harold Robinson, first vice president: James Bone, sergeant-at-arms, and George Sargent, mascot.

New directors are Charles Boucher, Phil Travis, Wayne Thornton, Conrad Turner, Warren Agee and Robert Chetfield.

Harold Abbott, chairman of the Christmas Basket committee, reported that he and James Bone, with assistance from their wives, took care of 17 families.