By Susan Couso
In the 1890’s, the narrow-gauge railway passed through Amadee, near Honey Lake’s northeast shore. It was still quite a trip to get from Susanville and surrounding areas to the train.
Susanville citizens, and especially businessmen, pushed hard to get a railroad to come through the town.
The impetus which finally got things moving was the promise of a new lumber mill in what is now Westwood. This was the Red River Lumber Company, owned by Fletcher Walker, which was to be one of the largest mills ever constructed.
By pushing the Fernley & Lassen branch of the Southern Pacific line to Westwood, the railroad was insured of financial success, and it also provided a shortcut to the railroad’s Shasta route.
The Fernley & Lassen branch was officially incorporated in 1909, and it began its surge toward Westwood. It reached its goal in 1914, and the mill began operations that year.
As the line reached Susanville, the town boomed. The St. Francis Hotel was built to accommodate travelers, business thrived, the construction industry flourished, and new lumber mills were built along the line, including Lassen Lumber & Box Co., and the Fruit Growers Supply Co.
But as political and economic climes changed, new rail lines were built which pulled the lumber industry’s business away from the area, and the mills began to decline.
Red River was the first to go, as it was purchased by Fruit Growers Supply in 1944, followed by FGS’s purchase of Lassen Lumber & Box in 1950. But Fruit Growers Supply struggled to function as the railroad began to pull away. By 1966, little was left of the Lassen & Fernley Branch. Then, in 1978, the railroad right-of-way was legally abandoned by SP.
This newly abandoned parcel inspired Congressman Harold T. ‘Bizz’ Johnson to work to make the property into a recreational trail, which was completed in 1986.
For many years the abandoned railway had been a mecca for local hikers, but with Johnson’s help, it was official, and the Bizz Johnson Trail became one of the most desirable recreational trails in the country.
