LAKE COUNTY HISTORY
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Lake County History, Chapter 102: The Bartlett Springs Fire, Part 2

At one o’clock in the afternoon, Hans Anderson, faithful employee of the Bartlett Springs forty years, discovered a fire in the bottling plant. The conflagration soon spread to the nearby buildings. Strong winds, blowing up from the steep canyons below, drove the flames from building to building in minutes. The four large hotels were quickly engaged in the inferno. The handful of guests and workers at the resort could not hope to combat such a fire. In less than three hours, more than fifty buildings, from the four large hotels to the smallest open-air cabin and tool house, were no more than smoldering embers and ashes.
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LAKE COUNTY TIME MACHINE
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Lake County Time Machine: The Great Labor Saga

In June 1976, county employees rejected an “insulting” pay offer from the County of Lake, and things went downhill from there until the County of Lake and the employees reached an agreement in late January 1979. Employees sued the county. The supervisors were cited for contempt and nearly went to jail. Supervisors and department heads got raises, and then had to pay back some of their raises. Supervisors faced recall campaigns. One supervisor resigned. The Taxpayers Association of Lake County sued the county. Voters passed Proposition 13, which lead to employee layoffs. Two and a half years after the employees filed suit against the supervisors, the battling parties came to agreement. Step into the Time Machine to see for yourself.
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LAKE COUNTY HISTORY
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Lake County History, Chapter 101: The Bartlett Springs Fire, Part 1

20 September 1934, the Lake County Bee reported Bartlett Springs Resort was destroyed by fire. It was a bad fire. Fifty buildings were torched. Only the heroic efforts of hundreds of CCC boys, called to battle the blaze, kept the mountains around the Resort from burning. The Resort was above Nice, northwest, and twelve miles from Clear Lake. The road to that forlorn memory twists and turns like a peripatetic snake. To reach Bartlett Springs, the intrepid traveler must climb into Lake County’s higher mountains to an altitude of nearly forty-five hundred feet. He must pass over Bartlett Mountain’s summit at about four thousand feet. He will pass Pinnacle Rock and then Little Pinnacle on his left; both also close to four thousand high. Finally, as the road runs beside the South Fork of Bartlett Creek, the traveler may heave a sigh of relief. The last stretch to the springs levels out. Once there, the traveler will be in the center of what once were some of the most important mineral springs in Lake County.
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LAKE COUNTY TIME MACHINE
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Lake County Time Machine: The Great Labor Saga

In June 1976, county employees rejected an “insulting” pay offer from the County of Lake, and things went downhill from there until the County of Lake and the employees reached an agreement in late January 1979. Employees sued the county. The supervisors were cited for contempt and nearly went to jail. Supervisors and department heads got raises, and then had to pay back some of their raises. Supervisors faced recall campaigns. One supervisor resigned. The Taxpayers Association of Lake County sued the county. Voters passed Proposition 13, which lead to employee layoffs. Two and a half years after the employees filed suit against the supervisors, the battling parties came to agreement. Step into the Time Machine to see for yourself.
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LAKE COUNTY HISTORY
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Lake County History, Chapter 100: Aunt Hester’s “Medicine”

“The pools at Seigler Springs are inside a great building. There is a warm pool, a cool pool, and a hot. It is the fashion to enter the warm, then the hot, and finish up in the cold. Stone steps lead down into the water. Every person seems to be having a relaxing time. There is a group of men in one corner. They are discussing bear fighting and cockfighting. Another group is enthusiastically looking forward to a boxing exhibition to be given at Harbin Springs nearby. The ladies chat about needlepoint, babies, and the impossible task of keeping domestic servants. With the lowered voices, they talk about the interesting fact that the waters of Witter Springs are supposed to cure a social disease. ‘Well,’ I tell Aunt Hester, ‘When you consider that most of us know someone, who has gone there… Well, it certainly opens the room for conjecture.’ “
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LAKE COUNTY TIME MACHINE
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Lake County Time Machine: The Great Labor Saga

In June 1976, county employees rejected an “insulting” pay offer from the County of Lake, and things went downhill from there until the County of Lake and the employees reached an agreement in late January 1979. Employees sued the county. The supervisors were cited for contempt and nearly went to jail. Supervisors and department heads got raises, and then had to pay back some of their raises. Supervisors faced recall campaigns. One supervisor resigned. The Taxpayers Association of Lake County sued the county. Voters passed Proposition 13, which lead to employee layoffs. Two and a half years after the employees filed suit against the supervisors, the battling parties came to agreement. Step into the Time Machine to see for yourself.
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LAKE COUNTY HISTORY
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Lake County History, Chapter 99: Good, Fresh Air

Early morning at Seigler Springs was beautiful. “Warm sunshine wakens us next morning. It is early, and there are birds singing outside our windows. A different maid brings us hot water, and we dress quickly, for the room is cold. The ladies don shawls, and we go downstairs and out into the veranda. How beautiful the mountains are! How clean the air smells! In the city, one is continually afflicted by the odors of livery stables and garbage. Siegler Springs is quite large and modern. It is one of the nicest places to take the waters. The hotel, where we have spent the night, is two stories tall with a gracious veranda extending around to its side. The dining hall is a separate building to the left of the hotel. To the right, down the hill a short distance, is a dance-hall and a theater. There is a dormitory out back for the help. Numerous small cabins are sprinkled about under the trees, that one can rent for a reasonable rate. Directly in front of the hotel, there is a lovely fountain. Beyond this a badminton, tennis courts, and a race track with what must be the most elegant barn in all Lake County. A path behind the hotel leads to the mineral springs, and then the bathhouse and then the enormous swimming pool.”
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LAKE COUNTY TIME MACHINE
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Lake County Time Machine: The Great Labor Saga

In June 1976, county employees rejected an “insulting” pay offer from the County of Lake, and things went downhill from there until the County of Lake and the employees reached an agreement in late January 1979. Employees sued the county. The supervisors were cited for contempt and nearly went to jail. Supervisors and department heads got raises, and then had to pay back some of their raises. Supervisors faced recall campaigns. One supervisor resigned. The Taxpayers Association of Lake County sued the county. Voters passed Proposition 13, which lead to employee layoffs. Two and a half years after the employees filed suit against the supervisors, the battling parties came to agreement. Step into the Time Machine to see for yourself.
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LAKE COUNTY HISTORY
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Lake County History, Chapter 98: A Hard Road

“I am sure the ladies appear as disturbed over the dangers of the road as Aunt Hester and me. One of the gentlemen passengers explains, ‘Ladies, you must not be concerned. This stage is being driven by one of the best drivers on the route. He is driving one of the most experienced teams of horses.’ I noticed the two rear animals were chosen for their size, being larger than the horses in the front. On the sharp turns, our driver allows the horses to deal with the situation on their own. The leaders pick up speed, swinging out, which allows the Wheelers to hold back just enough to keep the stage under control. Be that as it may, Aunt Hester has become ill with motion sickness and must take a sip from the medicine bottle she carries in her handbag.”
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LAKE COUNTY TIME MACHINE
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Lake County Time Machine: The Great Labor Saga

In June 1976, county employees rejected an “insulting” pay offer from the County of Lake, and things went downhill from there until the County of Lake and the employees reached an agreement in late January 1979. Employees sued the county. The supervisors were cited for contempt and nearly went to jail. Supervisors and department heads got raises, and then had to pay back some of their raises. Supervisors faced recall campaigns. One supervisor resigned. The Taxpayers Association of Lake County sued the county. Voters passed Proposition 13, which lead to employee layoffs. Two and a half years after the employees filed suit against the supervisors, the battling parties came to agreement.
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LAKE COUNTY TIME MACHINE
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Lake County Time Machine: The Great Labor Saga

In June 1976, county employees rejected an “insulting” pay offer from the County of Lake, and things went downhill from there until the County of Lake and the employees reached an agreement in late January 1979. Employees sued the county. The supervisors were cited for contempt and nearly went to jail. Supervisors and department heads got raises, and then had to pay back some of their raises. Supervisors faced recall campaigns. One supervisor resigned. The Taxpayers Association of Lake County sued the county. Voters passed Proposition 13, which lead to employee layoffs. Two and a half years after the employees filed suit against the supervisors, the battling parties came to agreement.
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LAKE COUNTY HISTORY
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Lake County History, Chapter 97: A Perilous Beginning

This next cheerful travelogue may lighten your spirits. The author, Marilyn Johnson, took everything in easy stride, including her slightly inebriated Aunt Hester. Ms. Johnson’s description deserves recognition, if for no other reason than she takes us back to that day as if we made the trip with her. Her marvelous incite and awareness of things around her, and her ability to impart her impressions with the written word is almost too fine. The reader might have the sneaking suspicion Ms. Johnson fabricated this tale. It is too perfect. Whether a genuine experience or a work of fiction, Kudos to Ms. Johnson.
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LAKE COUNTY HISTORY
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Lake County History, Chapter 96: Coming Home

Lilly’s tour through the West in America covered her with money, and Lake County was already becoming known as a good wine country. She met Freddie Gebbard, a wealthy American playboy and man about town. Handsome Freddie lavished the beautiful Lilly with attention. They wanted to be married, but divorce was not possible. Unable to divorce Edward Gantry, a Belfast shipping merchant, Lilly purchased the Guenoc Ranch in Lake County to live with Freddie, her real love. She ignored the scandal, and since California was known for its liberal views, California is where Lilly set her sights.
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LAKE COUNTY TIME MACHINE
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Lake County Time Machine: The Great Labor Saga

In June 1976, county employees rejected an “insulting” pay offer from the County of Lake, and things went downhill from there until the County of Lake and the employees reached an agreement in late January 1979. Employees sued the county. The supervisors were cited for contempt and nearly went to jail. Supervisors and department heads got raises, and then had to pay back some of their raises. Supervisors faced recall campaigns. One supervisor resigned. The Taxpayers Association of Lake County sued the county. Voters passed Proposition 13, which lead to employee layoffs. Two and a half years after the employees filed suit against the supervisors, the battling parties came to agreement.
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LAKE COUNTY HISTORY
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Lake County History, Chapter 96: Coming Home

Lilly’s tour through the West in America covered her with money, and Lake County was already becoming known as a good wine country. She met Freddie Gebbard, a wealthy American playboy and man about town. Handsome Freddie lavished the beautiful Lilly with attention. They wanted to be married, but divorce was not possible. Unable to divorce Edward Gantry, a Belfast shipping merchant, Lilly purchased the Guenoc Ranch in Lake County to live with Freddie, her real love. She ignored the scandal, and since California was known for its liberal views, California is where Lilly set her sights.
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Lake County Time Machine: Plane Crashes

During World War II the US government established military airfields around northern California including a number at places such as Orland, Oroville, Redding, Siskiyou County, Marysville, Santa Rosa and Novato. Novice pilots trained in hastily-constructed planes over Lake County, which led to emergency landings and crashes in Lake County. In those days Lake County had a number of small airfields scattered around, such as Polk Field near Upper Lake. Planes from both the army and the navy crashed in Lake County.
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LAKE COUNTY HISTORY
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Lake County History Chapter 94: The Dashiell Affair

One story about a Confederate sympathizer is typical of the hard feelings that remained after the Civil War. The Santa Rosa Press-Democrat reported on what happened to southern sympathizers in Lake County. On the 20th of April, 1865, six days after Lincoln was assassinated, a company of soldiers, dispatched from Fort Wright and under the command of Captain Charles Douglas, were given orders to arrest any ‘Johnny Rebs’ that expressed glee at the news of the assassination. They took the road into Potter Valley on 1 June, to receive written complaints from residents that heard any expressions of glee over the assassination. Ranchers, loyal to the Union, reported such expressions they heard from certain of their neighbors, and, upon receiving the report, the soldiers took off to arrest the culprits.’
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LAKE COUNTY TIME MACHINE
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Lake County Time Machine: Plane Crashes

During World War II the US government established military airfields around northern California including a number at places such as Orland, Oroville, Redding, Siskiyou County, Marysville, Santa Rosa and Novato. Novice pilots trained in hastily-constructed planes over Lake County, which led to emergency landings and crashes in Lake County. In those days Lake County had a number of small airfields scattered around, such as Polk Field near Upper Lake. Planes from both the army and the navy crashed in Lake County.
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LAKE COUNTY HISTORY
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Lake County History Chapter 93: Putting Meat on the Table

Supplying meat for the table by hunting and trapping was essential for the poor folks of Lake County. The Enderling children, poorer than most, set their traps on the way to school. In the afternoon, when school was out, it was the duty of the three Enderling children to collect the snared rabbits and small animals that had been caught in the traps. They were provisions for the table’s dinner.
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LAKE COUNTY TIME MACHINE
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Lake County Time Machine: Plane Crashes

During World War II the US government established military airfields around northern California including a number at places such as Orland, Oroville, Redding, Siskiyou County, Marysville, Santa Rosa and Novato. Novice pilots trained in hastily-constructed planes over Lake County, which led to emergency landings and crashes in Lake County. In those days Lake County had a number of small airfields scattered around, such as Polk Field near Upper Lake. Planes from both the army and the navy crashed in Lake County.
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Lake County Time Machine: The Philippine Clipper Crash

During World War II the US government established military airfields around northern California including a number at places such as Orland, Oroville, Redding, Siskiyou County, Marysville, Santa Rosa and Novato. Novice pilots trained in hastily-constructed planes over Lake County, which led to emergency landings and crashes in Lake County. In those days Lake County had a number of small airfields scattered around, such as Polk Field near Upper Lake. Planes from both the army and the navy crashed in Lake County. Some crashes in Sonoma and Mendocino Counties involved Lake County. When Pan Am’s Philippine Clipper crashed in Mendocino County in 1943, searchers looked for it in Lake County because its location wasn’t found for several days. Some Lake County men were involved in the search.
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LAKE COUNTY HISTORY
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Lake County History Chapter 92: A Pomo Beats the System

Pomos were sent to Mission Schools. Except once, in an old Kelseyville Grammar School photograph, the rule was ignored. A Pomo boy was standing in the group. His darker skin stood out against his whiter classmates. He had slipped through the cracks and was, most likely, one of the first of the Pomo boys to attend a White Public School in Lake County. The incongruity occurred in a school district where only nine students had been found. A school District required ten children. The problem was solved easily enough with a clever ploy. Forced integration drove the small community to the point they had no other choice but to bring one of the local Pomo boys to the school and thereby fill the minimum requirement of ten students.
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LAKE COUNTY TIME MACHINE
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Lake County Time Machine: Jim Brady

Lake County men served all over the globe during World War II, from the Philippines, to Australia, to D Day. They belonged to the Army –Infantry, Army Air Force and Cavalry- Navy, Marines, and Merchant Marines. Some were prisoners of war. To Lake County folks, they were still Lake County men, even those who had moved away. The newspapers commemorated their losses. Some of them rest in Lake County cemeteries, others in military cemeteries on other continents. This month the Time Machine offers a sampling of stories about Lake County men who died in service. Lake County men served all over the globe during World War II, from the Philippines, to Australia, to D Day. They belonged to the Army –Infantry, Army Air Force and Cavalry- Navy, Marines, and Merchant Marines. Some were prisoners of war. To Lake County folks, they were still Lake County men, even those who had moved away. The newspapers commemorated their losses. Some of them rest in Lake County cemeteries, others in military cemeteries on other continents. This month the Time Machine offers a sampling of stories about Lake County men who died in service. Brady introduction This group of articles is about Jim Brady, who died on a target practice training flight off the coast of California. Brady had attended Kelseyville High School, then after his family move to Lakeport, he was a student at Clear Lake Union High School where he graduated in the class of 1940 of Clear Lake Union High School. Brady served as a pilot in the Marine Corps.
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