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Volume XV Issue 234 | Thursday, June 22nd, 2023

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Looking down on Highway 36, near Devils Corral, in the 1920s

From the Files of the Lassen Historical Society: The Trail Through Susanville


by Susan Couso


Thousands of emigrants passed along the Nobles Trail into what was to become Lassen County. As they turned south onto the route of today’s Highway 395 and crested the rise, which is still called Viewland, they were amazed at the beautiful panorama ahead of them. This was what they had hoped for.


The trail turned westward towards California, and as the emigrant trains neared the site of today’s Susanville, they followed the pretty little river named for William Nobles’ wife, Susan.

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The trains would camp where Memorial Park is situated and spread their livestock out to graze and refresh for the trek ahead.


The trains moved on up the trail, roughly where Nevada Street is now, and then turned to the north of the little bluff, up today’s North Pine Street, before turning to the west again. They roughly followed the Susan River until they reached the perilous chasm which we call Devil’s Corral.

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Devil’s Corral taken around 1918


Here they turned farther north and followed an easier route, weaving back and forth along where Highway 44 currently runs. They worked their way through the wilderness, traversing present day Lassen National Park, and then on down into the lush valley below.


The Honey Lake Valley area grew in leaps and bounds and people still used the same path as those early emigrants did to reach the northern California valleys. It was a narrow, crooked, and sometimes steep trail.


As the valley grew more populated and traffic to and from the valley towns increased greatly, the road became a dangerous place. The oxen and horse-drawn conveyances were replaced with motorized vehicles, which were so much faster and larger. The curves and grades caused quite a challenge. Even today, Susanville’s North Pine Street is a bit of a threat to unwary drivers.


By the early 20th Century, it was evident that something needed to be done to make the highway to the west more passable.


Many attempts were made to get something done to improve the road conditions and small repairs and improvements were made. Still, it remained a rough ride with many treacherous and scary sections.


By 1928 the Red Bluff – Susanville State Highway was in full use. It was considered a scenic drive through the newly formed Lassen Volcanic Park, and an entry point to the recreational opportunities in the area. But it was also a vital link between Susanville and the many business ventures with the rest of California. The importance of this route was noted in 1909 when it became a state highway, connecting two county seats, Red Bluff and Susanville.


The new highway was a great improvement, but there was still the problem of those tight curves and steep grades, especially at the entrance to Susanville.


The work had included creating a new access to town by making a cut into the south side of the Inspiration Point Bluff and connecting near Quarry Street. This was a great idea which eliminated the sharp turns of North Pine Street, but it was still a narrow cut with a sharp turn at the Quarry Street connection.


The one-half-mile section of new roadway between North Pine Street and Quarry Street contained three very sharp curves and an exceedingly narrow cut on the very steep grade which still causes problems today.


The new highway also had numerous issues at 5,400’ foot high Fredonyer Pass and the chasm known as Devil’s Corral. The steep narrow roadway was a headache for motorists and maintenance workers alike, especially in the winter snow.

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Stuck on the highway between Susanville and Westwood in the 1930’s


By 1931, the dangerous aspects of the highway were again on the minds of local citizens. It was obvious that to make the curve into Susanville less dangerous, some houses would need to be removed.


The city worked to obtain a new right-of-way through established homes at the site. Those citizens who were going to lose their homes were Wright L. Spalding and Mrs. Lena Caughell, and others, including Hans P. Jensen, E. W. Short and George Scott owned unimproved property in the proposed right-of-way.


The owners demanded a total of $26,500 for their property, and the city just didn’t have the money. The state highway commission eventually agreed to pay $10,000 to help, and Short and Jensen, who only had vacant land agreed to a tentative property exchange to ease the situation.


The city faced the problem of either paying the landowners, filing condemnation suits, or simply abandoning the project altogether and leaving the city entrance as it was.


By July, negotiations and plans to redo the section of highway from Devil’s Corral to Susanville were going ‘full steam ahead’, and engineers worked frantically to find solutions to the many concerns about the dangers of the highway. They came up with a proposal.


The short perilous curves would be replaced with larger turns and the new entrance into Susanville would have the level lowered by eight feet to make a long sweeping grade.

Finally, by March 1932 the long negotiations with the property owners were finalized.


Wright Spalding got $9,500 and Lena Caughell received $3,500. George Scott sold his vacant lot to the city for $500. The state paid $12,500, which left only $1,000 for the city to come up with. It was a great deal for the city because they had excess property. Whole lots were purchased, so they could then sell the excess land that was not needed for the right-of-way itself.


All buildings had to be removed from the right-of-way before April 15, 1932, and Mayor E. P. Honsberger agreed to finish this task on time. This feat was accomplished, and work began immediately to finish the Red Bluff – Susanville Highway and secure a safe new 100’ wide entrance into Susanville. The entire project was to be completed in one year, with different contractors working on different sections of the highway.


W. C. Colley of Berkeley was awarded the contract to construct the road from Devil’s Corral into Susanville for $219,000. Colley promised to hire as much local labor as possible, a wonderful ‘plus’ since unemployment was at an all-time high as the Great Depression was in ‘full swing’. Everything was in place and agreed upon, and the work of rerouting and realigning the highway began.


By the spring of 1934 the final coating of crushed rock and oil was applied to the beautiful new Red Bluff – Susanville Highway. It had been many years in the making, but travelers could now enjoy 108 miles of the best road available.


As the work finished on the Red Bluff – Susanville section of the highway, crews immediately moved to the other end of town to begin work on the route to Reno.

If you are a fan of our weekly history stories you should join the Lassen County Historical Society!


It’s a fun way to be a part of our county’s rich history. When you sign up, you’ll receive regular Historical Society newsletters with interesting stories and information. Membership is open to anyone with an interest in area history.


Through your membership you help preserve local history. You can download a membership application by clicking here.

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250 Photos from Lassen High’s 2023 Graduation Ceremony


A SusanvilleSnapshots Gallery

by Marshel Couso


More than 170 graduates, along with family, friends, teachers and staff came together Friday evening, June 9th, for Lassen High School’s 118th Commencement ceremony.


We have nearly 250 photos from graduation in

our SusanvilleSnapshots.com gallery. Click here to see them all!

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We have nearly 250 photos from graduation in

our SusanvilleSnapshots.com gallery. Click here to see them all!

Permits Required for Special Events and Commercial Activities on National Forest Lands


The Lassen National Forest is a popular destination for fishing enthusiasts. With so many opportunities to catch the big one, our forest is often the host of many fishing events and fish-guiding operations.


Sound stewardship of your national forests includes properly managing commercial activities and getting the appropriate permit for these types of special events. A commercial use or activity occurs when an entry or participation fee is charged or if the primary purpose is the sale of a good or service, regardless of the intent to produce a profit.

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Individuals or groups that want to host fishing tournament events or operate commercial outfitting or guiding activities on National Forest System lands must obtain a special uses authorization permit from our offices, approving their operations and activities, in addition to any state permitting requirements.


These permits are required when Forest Service facilities and lands are used for events or services, such as boat launches where fishing tournaments are held or guiding services that occur on the National Forest System lands, including but not limited to the Canyon Dam or Almanor boat launches.


Operating or hosting events without a permit is illegal and in violation of the Code of Federal Regulations, 36CFR261.10 (c), 36CFR 261.10 (k), 36CFR 261.10 (n) for which a citation may be issued.


To obtain a permit for your event or operation on the National Forest System lands, contact the local ranger district office in the area where you wish to conduct your activity. The permit administrator will provide guidance on the application, requirements, and fees.


Depending on the size and duration of your activity, there may be other costs you are responsible for as part of your authorized activity. Liability insurance coverage or a performance bond to protect the environment and site cleanup may be required. Timelines for processing will vary based on season and staffing. Plan early when submitting your permit application.


Please contact your local ranger district office to obtain the necessary permit application forms:


• Eagle Lake Ranger District — (530) 257-4188

• Almanor Ranger District — (530) 258-2141

• Hat Creek Ranger District — (530) 336-5521


For additional information about recreational activity permits, please visit our website at https://www.fs.usda.gov/main/lassen/passes-permits/event-commercial

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Fruit Grower’s mill pond from the air in an early 1940’s Eastman Studios photo.

Water Shortage Declared Serious

June 22, 1947


Rapid drop in the level of the mill pond at the Fruit Growers Supply Co plant here this week was called serious by Resident Manager C. H. Vincent.


The pond level has lowered about a foot in a week because of failure of the Susan river as a water source Mr. Vincent commented that the dry year has made the water so low as to fail to supply the pond for the first time in his memory.


In hopes of relieving the situation a new large well is being completed at the lower end of the Fruit Growers Supply Company lumber yard. But the bottleneck for its use has been a delay of five weeks so far in delivery of a new pump from Pomona for the well.


This new well is expected to substitute for another large, deep well which was made useless last February when its pump struck deep in its casing. Drillers from Klamath Falls, Oregon, who have just completed the new well beside the old plugged one, Tuesday began trying to retrieve the pump stuck in the old well. However, on Wednesday, they had been unsuccessful.


The new well has been drilled beside the old one. A 500-foot well, it will produce 1,200 gallons a minute. The first 160 feet have been fitted with 16-inch pipe and the last 340 feet with 12-inch pipe. Cement was poured around the casing this week.


The water shortage is so critical that watering lawns and gardens in the F.G.S area has been prohibited except evenings and weekends. The pond at the Lassen Lumber and Box Co. has prior water rights over the F.G.S Co. pond.

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If you are a fan of our daily history stories you should join the Lassen Historical Society! It's a fun way to be a part of our county's rich history. When you sign up you'll receive regular Historical Society newsletters with interesting stories and information. Membership is open to anyone with an interest in area history.


Through your membership you help preserve local history. You can download a membership application by clicking here.

The SusanvilleStuff Team


Jeremy Couso

Owner, Publisher and Editor

Marshel Couso

Owner and General Manager

Ray Couso

Sales and Retention Consultant

Susan Couso

Feature Writer

Terra Avilla

Feature Writer

Shelley Bennett

Feature Writer

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Congratulations to Tyler Singh, the

winner of this week's Pizza Factory giveaway!


You too could win a large one-topping pizza from the Susanville or Janesville Pizza Factory locations just by entering our weekly giveaway!


Just click here and follow the link to our handy entry form. You can enter once per day from each email address. We'll announce our weekly winner right here next Monday morning.


The prize is good for take-out or dine-in orders only, sorry no delivery.


Good luck and enjoy that yummy Pizza Factory Pizza!

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