Lassen County Points of Interest
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24 September 2013
(Click Photos to Zoom)
390 Birch Street
Westwood
The Red River Logging Boardinghouses once had an interpretive marker similar to the Red River Bakery marker.
Unlike the bakery marker which is mounted on the building, the boardinghouses marker was staked into the lawn like a political sign. A Westwood resident told us that when the marker was buried in snow the previous winter, it had been destroyed by a vehicle.According to HMDB.org, the marker read:
Red River Logging Boardinghouses
The first boardinghouses were built by Red River Logging in 1915 near the mill in Pine Town. The consisted of wood floors and canvas tents. Nine 2 story units built on Birch Street housed 80 men each while two units south of Birch Street housed women. More units were built as the mill expanded. Small apartments in each bunkhouse housed two men with communal bathrooms and showers on each floor. Clean linens were provided by the mill. In 1918 the Madero Unit burned down killing 4 men. When rebuilt, all units had fire sprinklers added. Loggers would come to town maybe twice a month for clean clothes, hot showers and cold beer. Then maybe a poker game at the club across the street or out of town for more traditional amusement.