110 years ago   

For a considerable time, E.V. Spencer has been diligently, though quietly, working on a plan for building a railroad from Smithen to Susanville. Mr. Spencer is looking after the right-of-way and has the line actually marked out for more than two thirds of the distance and has deeds for the same. He is meeting with every encouragement and support — so much so, in fact, that there seems no room for doubt that the road will be built.

Several new cases of small pox were reported this week in and around Susanville. Three teachers have been quarantined with smallpox in their boarding places.

35 years ago   

The Lassen Community College District Governing Board met Tuesday afternoon and did not adjourn until nearly midnight, to deal with an agenda including security, labor contracts, hiring of new staff and participation in the Tri County Regional Occupational program. A decision was made by President Robert Theiler to establish a security patrol, whose main responsibilities would be to handle parking problems and security of campus buildings, persons and property.

20 years ago   

The inmates of the California Correctional Center at Susanville in a display of compassion for the victims of the Oct. 17 Bay Area earthquake donated more than $1,000 to the Salvation Army and the American Red Cross.   

Inmates began collecting money on Oct.  20 and had raised $1,075 by Oct. 22. Inmates make anywhere from 12 to 30 cents per hour.

10 years ago   

After turning to the federal and state government for health answers about Sierra Army Depot’s open-air detonations, Lassen County’s Supervisors finally looked within.   

At the Nov. 9 meeting, board members realized that acting as the Lassen County Air Pollution Control District, they might get more questions answered more quickly than waiting on past federal tests and pending state tests of the Herlong blasts.

Five years ago  

Thanks to more budget woes at the state level, come Jan. 1 Lassen County agencies will no longer be able to avail themselves of California Correctional Center inmates crew help.   

“This is a pretty significant impact on the agencies who rely on the crews,” said Matt Mullin, CCC community resource manager and associate warden of the conservation camp program.

A year ago

Employees at the Susanville Fire Department responded to a very unexpected call on the afternoon of the Monday, Nov. 10, when a man came into the department claiming he had found some military grade explosives in a house he owns at 344 Alexander Ave.   

The unidentified owner of the home and his wife had discovered four pounds of military grade TNT around 3:30 p.m. The owners of the property had been cleaning up a property they owned to rent out again after the previous tenant had moved.   

Susanville Police Captain Tom Downing said they found the explosives during the cleanup process.   

“It was in the backroom of the house high up on the shelf,” Downing said. “The wife had carried it out and the owner, who said he had some experience dealing with explosives, handled it from there.”   

Downing said the explosives looked old because of the signs of decomposition and residue on the side of the package the explosive material was in.

Downing then said the owner and his wife took the explosives out of the house and left it on top of a nearby trash dumpster. He said the owner then took some pictures of the materials and walked over to the fire department to tell them about what they had found.