Sept. 16, 2008 — The Westwood Museum was broken into early Wednesday morning, Sept. 10. Judy Robinson, past museum president, said she received a call from the alarm company shortly after 12:30 a.m.

The Lassen County Sheriff’s Department was notified and responded.

Robinson said she drove to the museum at 311 Ash St., arriving at about the same time as sheriff Benny Wallace. The door to the museum had been kicked in and the glass broken with a rock. The only item missing was a large jar of money used to collect donations.

There was a sign on the jar encouraging people to donate spare change. Robinson said it read something like “your spare change could pay the rent for a couple years and maybe the electric bill.” It was placed on an antique stove near the front counter of the museum.

Robinson said the museum is funded by people who walk through the door and donate. It receives no funds from the county, state or federal government. She was astonished that someone would think the museum had so much money they could steal it. There was only about $50 in the donation jar.

She added the museum, which was founded about 21 years ago, was an asset to the community and the robbery was a violation of the entire town.

The museum has artifacts that trace the history of Westwood. The town was founded when T.B. Walker, the owner of the Red River Lumber Company, decided to build a mill at the location in 1912.