Lassen Historical Society photos

But Dad Popcorn was not always Dad Popcorn. He was born William Morton Vellenoweth on July 17, 1853, in Cornwall, England. Little Bill was the third child of twelve children born to Henry and Ann Morton Vellenoweth.

The family soon immigrated to ‘the Land Down Under’. By the time Bill was 19 months old, he had a baby brother, named Peter, who was born in Collingwood, Victoria, Australia. As Bill grew to adulthood, he considered himself to be thoroughly Australian.

He was tall, just shy of six feet in height, and had bright blue eyes and dark hair. As he left home to make his way in the world, he hired on as a ship’s carpenter and spent considerable time traveling the seas and visiting various ports. Bill became one of those tough sailors who spent time in every port drinking away their pay.

The United States had major appeal for the wandering Australian, and he first established roots in Illinois. He settled in the Chicago area, and it is in Cook County, Illinois where he married Maud O’Toole on February 7, 1882. Maud was just eighteen years old, and Bill was twenty-eight.

Also in Cook County, William M. Vellenoweth became a United States citizen on March 21st, 1887. He was no longer British, no longer Australian, he was an American. But things apparently didn’t work out as the young couple had hoped. Before long, Bill was a widower, and decided to go ‘out west’ like so many others had done.

He ended up in the San Francisco area and used his skills as a carpenter to make a living. The city was growing, and work was plentiful but in 1906, the disastrous San Francisco earthquake shook the area to the ground.

Bill later told how he had loved San Francisco, and he wore a 1906 Buffalo Nickle on his watch chain to commemorate his survival through the disaster. For a while, as the city began to rebuild, Bill had enough work to keep busy, but as the city settled down, he decided to move on. His old ways of drinking and not showing up for work made him a less-than-desirable worker.

In 1912, Bill secured a position building the Fernley Lassen Railroad Line through the Susanville area. His skill as an expert carpenter enabled him to work on the bridge-building crew. But as the line reached its destination, Bill was out of work.

During his stint working on the rail line, Bill continued his unhealthy habits, at one point stumbling drunk, into the snow, and laying there long enough to become critically ill with pneumonia. But what do you do with a drunken sailor?

Dr. William E. Dozier gave Bill a strong lecture as to the danger of his habits, telling the old sailor that he would not survive long unless he changed his ways. Bill apparently took Dozier’s advice to heart and never drank again.

He used his carpentry tools as collateral to purchase a little hot tamale wagon and set it up along Main Street. Business was doing well, and he soon added roasted peanuts for his customers.

In 1914, Bill managed to buy a street vendors popcorn cart for his wares, and ‘Bill the Popcorn Man’ was born, selling from near the corner of Lassen and Main Streets. He realized that most of his business was done during the afternoons and evenings, so he used the morning hours to continue his carpentry work, first from a rented garage on Gay Street, and then in his place on Cottage Street.

Bill was always there, ready when customers of the new theater came and went. But the winters were cold, and Bill continued to have health problems from his ‘drunken sailor’ days. In 1916, he began building a larger wagon where he could sit inside and distribute his wares through a little window.

‘Dad Popcorn’, as he was beginning to be known, had his new popcorn wagon moved to the southwest corner of Lassen and Main Streets. He was out of the cold and windy weather at last. With his new establishment, he added candy and gum to his stock, and Bill always only used Jolly Time popcorn.

The town was growing, and automobiles were crowding the streets. Bill’s little business took up a lot of valuable real estate. With permission from Marshal Lannie Long, the popcorn wagon was moved to the southwest corner of Gay and Main Streets, and Bill was set up next to the Mt. Lassen Transit Company Stage Office. It was the fall of 1919, and Dad Popcorn’s stand had its own spot here for many years.

Dad Popcorn was an established part of Susanville life, and the children who first visited his stand back in 1913, had children of their own by the time his career ended with a bang.

It was Monday, February 17th, 1930, at about five minutes before noon, when the town was shaken by a loud explosion.

Bill was inside his wagon, and two little girls, Shirley Shoemaker and Fannie Frizzie came to see him. Suddenly, the steam tank, which was used to pop the corn, exploded, blasting the popcorn wagon apart.

Pieces went as far as through the window of the Bank of Lassen County, across the street and flinging parts of Bill’s little wagon 100 feet away. The Stage Office sustained damage, as well as cars parked nearby, and Dad Popcorn’s wagon was destroyed.

But most importantly, though injured and shaken, no one died. Bill was cut, and in shock, nine-year-old Fannie Frizzie was the least injured and five-year-old Shirley Shoemaker was terribly scalded by the escaping steam. The little girl’s clothing was shredded and torn from their bodies.

All of the victims were taken to Riverside Hospital, and miraculously survived, although Shirley sustained significant scarring.

Dad Popcorn recovered, but his livelihood was gone. In true Susanville fashion, the community rallied. Donations poured in to help. The Fruit Grower’s Supply Company built a new wagon, the Moose Lodge, of which Bill was a member, bought a new electric popcorn maker, and before long Dad Popcorn was back in business.

Perhaps it was the shock of the explosion, or perhaps it was simply from a long hard life, but in the spring of 1934, Bill began to fade. He was settled into the Lassen County Hospital, but efforts to extend his life failed. On May 4, 1934, William Morton Vellenoweth died.

Dad Popcorn, for many years a fixture on Susanville’s Main Street, was buried in the Lassen Cemetery. The Moose Lodge took care of the services, but Bill’s grave was not marked. Through the efforts of many sympathetic people, a granite marker was placed on his grave in 1989.

Annual Rails to Trails Festival Set for October 8th

The annual Rails to Trails Festival, a celebration of outdoor life in Lassen County hosted by Lassen Land and Trails Trust, is set for Saturday, October 8th, with a variety of events on tap for the entire family.

Events run from 10:00a.m. until 3:00p.m. at the historic Susanville Railroad Depot, 601 Richmond Road. Admission is free.

A highlight of the event is the chili cook-off and salsa competition, an always spirited contest involving local businesses and organizations vying for the honors of Lassen County’s best chili cooks.

The festival also features artisans, craft vendors and a farmer’s market, the last of the summer’s market season. There will also be live music and locally produced craft beers.

Participants can learn about Lassen County’s railroading and logging history by touring the Susanville Depot and climbing through the 60-year-old trailhead caboose. You can even take part in the one-of-a-kind handcar races, or cheer on your favorite team!

Vendors and chili cooks can find registration forms and more information at the LLTT’s website.

On October 1st, flows will be gradually increased from 350 cubic feet-per-second (cfs) to 1,400 cfs by 9:00a.m. before being gradually reduced to 1,000 cfs starting at 3:00p.m.

On October 2nd, flows will again be increased to 1,400 cfs by 9:00a.m. After 3:00p.m., flows will be gradually reduced to 200 cfs.

The recreational flows are conducted in cooperation with the American Whitewater organization and the Poe Recreation River Flow Technical Review Group. The flows are usually held annually the second weekend in October between 9:00a.m. and 3:00p.m.; however, the RTRG has moved the flows to the first weekend in October this year.

PG&E offers the following water safety tips:

• Stay out of cold water. Sudden immersion in cold water can stimulate the “gasp reflex,” causing an involuntary inhalation of air or water. It can even trigger cardiac arrest, temporary paralysis, hypothermia and drowning. When faced with swift water, even the strongest swimmers may be easily overwhelmed.

• Many unseen obstacles can be lurking below the water’s surface. Swift water can make these obstacles even more treacherous. Guided trips for inexperienced paddlers are strongly recommended.

• Recreating in PG&E canals and flumes is strictly prohibited. Stay out of canals and flumes, which are very dangerous due to slippery sides, sub-surface obstacles, fast moving water, and transitions to full tunnels and pipes. For more water safety tips visit: www.pge.com/hydrosafety

McKinley Elementary School in 1948. – Eastman Studio postcard

3,537 Enrolled as Students in Lassen Schools

September 29, 1957

The Lassen county superintendent of schools reports that the opening day enrollments in the county’s elementary schools, high school and junior college totaled 3537.

Most schools reported little change in enrollment from the opening day last year. Big increase was at Westwood where there was a total enrollment of 406, 312 in the elementary grades and 94 in the high school.

Susanville Elementary Schools reported an opening day enrollment of 1170 compared to 1207 on opening day last year. Lassen Junior College had an opening day enrollment this year of 167 and Lassen Union High School opening day was up from 521.

Opening day enrollment in other Lassen County elementary schools was Bieber 140, Bird Flat 10, Herlong 580, Janesville Union 109, Johnstonville 44, Lake 11, Long Valley 345, Madeline 17, Milford 13, Ravendale 23, Richmond 14, Riverside 8 and Shaffer Union 72.