Special thanks to Janie Edwards for transcribing this directory and donating the data to the Lassen County, California GenWeb. The directory is indexed alphabetically by name of town of residence, then surname. You may wish to utilize your browser's "Search" function to search this page for a particular name. Keep in mind, however, that spelling (or misspelling, as it may be) and grammatical errors have been left just as they were printed in the original directory.

Town Directory (1885)
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History of Lassen County, CA (from the 1885 Directory)

This county is situated in the northeastern part of the State, being the second county from the north in the eastern tier. It is bounded on the north by Modoc County, on the east by the State of Nevada, on the south by Plumas, and on the west by Shasta and Plumas counties; contains an area of about five thousand square miles, and ranks in this respect as the eighth county of the State. The topography is uniform in character with the mountain counties of the State; flanked on the sough and west by the main chain of the Sierra Nevadas, the surface of the country gradually becomes less rugged and broken as it falls away to the east, detached mountain ranges, smaller in character, breaking away from the range proper, together with isolated mountains, cuts the county into many valleys, large and small. Intersecting these valleys fine streams of cool, clear water exist, rising from mountain springs in which fish, principally the California trout, are found in abundant numbers. Numerous lakes dot the surface, some of which are large enough to deserve distinctive notice. Honey Lake, the largest, situated in the southeastern part of the county, is fully one hundred miles in circumference, and has an average depth of about eight feet. The water of this lake is alkaline, and uninhabitable for trout, although certain species of white fish of an eatable quality are quite plentiful. The lake has no apparent outlet, and the disposal of the great volume of water it receives still remains a mooted question, the advocates of the evaporation theory being strongly contested by others who forcibly assert the existence of a subterranean outlet. To the northwest of Honey Lake and about twenty-five miles distant, Eagle Lake is found, entirely different in character from Honey Lake, its waters being cool, clear and fresh, abundantly stocked with splendid fish of all descriptions, and the home of many species of wild fowl. It is fifteen miles long by about seven and a half wide. Like Honey Lake, it has no apparent outlet, but about a mile from it to the southeast large springs, which continually pour forth great quantities of water, are logically thought to derive their supply from the lake. Horse Lake, an alkaline sheet, about three miles long by two wide, lies about twelve miles northeast of Eagle Lake. The Swan or Feather Lakes, a group in all about eight miles in length by four in width, situated forty miles northwest of Susanville, and Lassen Lake, in the extreme northeastern part of the county, completes the list of the most important. The last two are of fresh water, and well stocked in fish.

In climate, Lassen challenges comparison with any part of the State or of the country at large. The lowest of its vallies lies at an altitude of from thirty-five hundred to four thousand feet above the sea, insuring perfect immunity from all malarial impurities, and although the temperature occasionally reaches to nearly 100 degrees, which is its extreme limit, the dryness of the atmosphere enables one to endure it as easily as a temperature of 75 or 80 degrees in the Eastern States. In the winters, the snow falls to a considerable depth in the mountains, and remains on the ground in many places to even as late as July, but in the vallies and foothills scarcely a winter occurs, in which for the whole season stock is able to range at will, requiring no feed save that which they find for themselves.

The mining developments have thus far only given an index of the possibilities within the reach of an enterprising and comprehensive investment of capital. Up to the present time but three districts, known as the Antelope in the extreme southern, the Lassen in the southwestern, and the Hayden Hill districts in the northern central portion of the county, have been worked to any considerable extent, and these only upon the capital taken from the mines themselves, not a dollar, it is said, having come from the outside. The Hayden Hill district, by far the leading locality of the county, yielded a gross product for the years 1881 and 1882 of $260,00, and when it is remembered that the companies are still using the most primitive milling processes, by which the owners are claiming that a loss of at least 40 per cent. occurs, it will be at once apparent that in these mines a profitable source of investment may be found.

In its agricultural growth, Lassen County may be said to be yet in its infancy; in 1880, out of a total of 200,000 acres of arable land, as shown by the assessment rolls, but 20,800 acres were under cultivation. A large part of all the vallies are susceptible of cultivation, and with irrigation the whole can be made available. To this end various irrigating schemes have been projected, the principal of which, the Lassen Flume and Land Company, is now well under way. The timber supply of the county, which is most abundant, consisting principally of pine, spruce and fir, has as yet been scarcely tapped, there being at present no market, save that made by home consumption, but with the completion of the Nevada and Oregon Railroad, which is now in process of construction, a market can be reached in Nevada which will prove a wonderful stimulus to this industry.

The population of the is now about four thousand. The total value of all the property of the county, according to the assessment rolls of 1883, was $1,833,540, of which real estate and improvements amounts to $836,266, city and town lots and improvements $114,215, and personal property $880,659.

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BIEBER
This most important town of the northern part of the county is situated seventy-five miles northwest of Susanville, via Hayden Hill. Its location is an admirable one, lying a little west of the center of the Big Valley, of which scope of country it is the business metropolis; it commands an unbroken view of some twelve miles of sandy upland to the east; to the south and west four miles of level, black adobe land, and to the north, looking over the same character of rich land, the town of Lookout, six miles distant, can be seen. The people of this town, relying upon these fine agricultural surroundings, have pushed with commendable energy the improvement and development of the place, and are only awaiting the time when railroad connection will establish the place as the commercial center of Northeastern California. Two miles northeast of the town are found a series of hot sulphur springs, the waters of which, thrown out in large quantities, are always above the boiling point in temperature, and are said to possess great curative qualities. The town has good school facilities, fair hotel accommodations and possesses a bright, lively newspaper in the Mountain Tribune, published by Mr. Thomas P. Ford, which enjoys considerable influence and circulation. It has post and express offices, and has outside connections by stage routes to Susanville, and via the Redding, Bieber, Alturas and Lake View route to a railroad connection for San Francisco and other points.

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COPPER VALE
A small town, with post office, situated about midway between Prattville and Susanville, sixteen miles from the latter place. It has a tri-weekly stage route each way between these two points. Mountain Meadows, in which the town is located, has an area of twelve thousand acres, principally devoted to stockraising and dairying. Over seven thousand acres of the meadows are on the market, for which liberal arrangements can be made.

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HAYDEN HILL
A small mining town situated fifty-five miles northwest of Susanville. The town has two hotels, a schoolhouse, and a post office. It is supported entirely by the mines, which in this locality, yield readily and largely in decomposed quartz, easily worked, and realizes good profits. The population is about 100 over 60 being employed directly in the mines.

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JANESVILLE
A small town, with post office, twelve miles south of Susanville, in Honey Lake Valley, and is surrounded by fine grain, fruit and dairy lands. It has a hotel and a steam flouring mill of 30 barrells per day capacity. Daily connections by stage to Susanville and Reno are had each way daily.

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LONG VALLEY
A Post Office, situated at the extreme southeastern part of the county.

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MERRILLVILLE
A small town with post office, twenty miles from Susanville, located on Willow Creek, in the valley of the same name. Hurlbut's sawmill at this place has a capacity of 3000 feet per day. A large hotel is now in process of erection.

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MILFORD
A post office, in the southeastern part of the county. Freight for this point is shipped to Reno, Nev. Express matter to Janesville.

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PROVIDENCE
Post Office, Adin, Modoc Co.

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SUSANVILLE
The county seat of Lassen county, is situated about one hundred and fifty miles northeast from Sacramento, and ninety- five miles northwest from Reno, Nevada. The location itself is a peculiarly attractive one, lying as it does just at the base of the Sierra Nevadas, where the mountains give way abruptly to a comparatively level plateau and an unobstructed view over thirty miles is obtained, including almost the entire expanse of the Susan River Valley. The river itself rises in the mountains west of the town, flows past on the south side, thence in a southeasterly direction to its mouth, some twenty-five miles distant where it empties into Honey Lake. For about half of this distance (that part adjacent to Susanville) the land is thickly settled; small farms, well built and attractive residences, and large and commodious barns and outbuildings being the rule. The remaining portion of the valley will, with irrigation, unquestionably develop as well. The United States Land Office, located at this place, shows a record of 1694 cash, 1279 final homestead and 73 final desert entries, and there still remains within the limits of this district much valuable timber lands open to claimants, as well as so rated desert land which only needs irrigation to bring it up to a standard in fertility which will compare favorably with any land of the State. Susanville has one newspaper, The Lassen Advocate, weekly, which is the official county paper. It is ably conducted by Messrs, McKinsey & Hayden, proprietors. The school facilities of the town are fully up to the times; the Methodists and Congregationalists have fine and commodious church buildings, and the organizations are well sustained. Its hotel accommodations are amply provided for in two hotels, the Johnston House, a well conducted establishment, kept by Messrs, Dowling & Myers, being worthy of special mention, and among its business interests may be specially noted the Lassen Mills, with a capacity of forty-five barrels of flour per day, which is kept constantly running. Outside communications are had by daily stage line to Reno, twenty miles of this route on the end next to Reno being by rail. Two other lines are run during seven months of the year, one to a connection with the California and Northern Railroad to Oroville, and the other to Chico, connecting at that point with rail to all parts of the State. It has a money order post office, and Wells, Fargo & Co's Express.

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