Sagebrush Reflections:
The History of Amedee and Honey Lake

By Tim I. Purdy

7x10; 66 pages, illustrated; ISBN 0-938373; Price $8.00

In the 1890s, Amedee was the commercial hub of activity for Northeastern California when the Nevada-California-Oregon Railroad extended their line along the east shore of Honey Lake. By 1900, a portion of the good times became deflated when that railroad extended its line northward to the Madeline Plains and later to Modoc County. Amedee, though, remained the pivotal center for the homesteaders of eastern Honey Lake Valley during the early 1900s. By the 1920s, not only had the homesteaders deserted their claims, but the railroad, abandoned the tracks there, and thus the beginning of it being a ghost town.

Honey Lake, is a remnant of the ancient inland sea referred to as Lake Lahontan that once covered large portions of Northwestern Nevada. While Honey Lake, is a playa body of water, that goes dry during times of drought. Yet, when full it takes on a new life. The lake has had many uses over the years, whether for irrigation to reclaim adjoining sagebrush lands to commercial boating enterprises, and the full story is disclosed in this volume.

Sixty Years of Siffords at Drakesbad

By Roy D. Sifford

6x9, 166 pages; illustrated, ISBN 0-938373-14-5 (hardcover) Price $16.95

Drakesbad is a unique guest ranch located in the Warner Valley of Lassen Volcanic National Park. In 1900 the Sifford family acquired E.R. Drake’s holdings and began the transformation of developing the resort. Roy Sifford recounts the family operations for the sixty years the family owned Drakesbad.

To accompany his memoirs, are a variety of vintage photographs, plus recollections of people closely associated with Drakesbad—Les Bodine, John Pelkan and Nancy Carruthers Rorty.

Sacred Heart Church

By Tim I. Purdy

6x9; 105 pages; illustrated; ISBN 0-938373-16-1 Price $10.00

 The history of Susanville’s Sacred Heart Church begins with the humble beginning in 1869 when Father Charles Lynch rode horseback from Downieville to Susanville to celebrate the first Mass there to a small contingent of Catholics at the home of Ned Mulroney.

The first segment chronicles the early struggles of the circuit priests whose far flung territory rarely allowed for more than one visit a year to the Honey Lake Valley. Yet, as the community began to grow, so did the Catholic population, prompting them to build their first Church in 1892. That church was dedicated in 1896 as the Church of the Sacred Heart.

In 1912 the Sacred Heart Parish was established comprising the territory of Lassen and Modoc Counties. Father O’Reilly would become the first parish priest, though he would fist reside in Alturas. That would soon change with the arrival of the railroad and lumber mills to Susanville, creating the need for a resident pastor.

Rectory

Various aspects of the parish history are explored. Examples of such is when Father McCarthy not only went on a campaign to build the Rectory in one month, followed by the next month of the construction of Our Lady of Snows Church at Westwood. There is, of course, the story of then Father Moran’s quest and fulfillment of building the current church among other goals.

The parish organizations, too, have left their imprint on the community. After all, it is the church’s St. Patrick’s Day Dinner, first held in 1917, is the old continuous annual event held in Susanville.

Fruit Growers Supply Company:
Hilt-Susanville-Westwood-Burney

By Tim I. Purdy

8x11; 164 pages; illustrated; ISBN 0938373-19-6; Price $39.95

This highly sought after work concerning the logging and sawmill operations of this unique company is currently out of print. Plans are underway for the reprinting. Provide us with a mailing address, should you desire to receive an announcement when it becomes available.

Memories of a Rancher
from the Land of the Never Sweats

By Claude C. Wemple

6x9; 370 pages; illustrated; ISBN 0-9632366-1-X; Price $10.00

 This autobiography of the late Milford patriarch recounts his life in ranching from the turn of the century to 1952. As reviewed in the Oregon Historical Society Quarterly, they noted “The author’s reminiscences of cattle ranching and horse breeding will no doubt spark similar memories in the minds of readers who have experienced the ranching life first hand. Moreover, the author’s detailed memories and colloquial style are engaging, and therefore also of potential interest to general readers of rural life in Northern California.”

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