Bravo! There has been quite an effort on behalf of Susanville history lately as a group of dedicated folks raised money, volunteered and worked with the City of Susanville to begin the process of saving Susanville’s oldest building – the 160 year old cabin on Weatherlow street built by town founder Isaac Roop.
The historic property known as Roop’s Fort, or Fort Defiance after its role in the 1863 Sagebrush War, has spent the better part of a century and a half ravaged by elements with little care or preservation. In fact by most accounts the structure hasnt been touched by hammer and nail since 1937-1938 when local civic organizations and private individuals raised money to repair the roof and clear brush from the grounds.
Almost 80 years later the Lassen County Historical Society and the City of Susanville were faced with a monumental problem. The structure was quickly becoming unsound. The roof could hardly be called that any longer. Interior bracing, which was a patchwork of more than a century of repairs, began to fail.
In stepped a cadre of volunteers headed by Historical Society President Tony Jonas who worked closely with City Administrator Jared Hancock and the City Council to start the process of making the fort whole again. It was a building that welcomed almost one-third of California’s immigrants during the 1850’s, and all those involved set out with one goal in mind – to give the fort a new lease on life, preserving our local history for future generations.
As plans were made local civic organizations once again stepped to the plate as they did in 1937 and contributed money to the rebuilding.
In September of last year Susanville’s Sunrise Rotarians made a generous contribution with a donation earmarked for structural improvements. The very first step was to temporarily brace the structure against the wind, just in time for the February storms that wreaked havoc across the county. The repairs held the cabin together while other newer structures throughout the valley were blown to the ground.
Now with sketches and diagrams approved the volunteers have begun to return the area around the fort to it’s heyday. An LMUD crew, as part of the utility’s Public Benefits Program, removed an unused power pole that had leaned against the fort for at least 30 years. Dan’s Tree Service cleared limbs and branches that threatened to destroy the roof, artist Ron McBride and LASCO created a fantastic sign for the fort property, NST engineering worked to make sure the plans were in order. It is truly a community-driven project.
And finally, this week, work on the structure began in earnest. Surrounded by family, Zellamae Miles, the great-grandaughter of Isaac Roop, used a golden hammer to drive the first nail into the roof and volunteers began cleaning the century old wooden shakes from the roof.
As the new roof goes on, the structure is stabilized and we get a chance to see the old fort slowly return to its former glory, be thankful. There are very few towns who can claim that their very first building is still standing. Even fewer towns have a building of such importance. Remember this single, simple log structure was the first sign of civilization that tens of thousands of overland immigrants saw during the gold rush to California. This was the building where the first seeds of our county were planted. A 20×30 foot one-room cabin where a group of rather brave pioneers staked out a claim in the vast wilderness of the frontier.
Roop’s Fort is the single best connection we have to local history – so thank you to the volunteers, the folks at City Hall, the local organizations and businesses who are working on the project. This effort is something that we, as a town, can all be very proud of.
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