Lassen County
| Lassen County, California | ||
|---|---|---|
| County | ||
| Lassen County | ||
Lassen County Courthouse
|
||
|
||
 Location in the state of California |
||
 California's location in the United States |
||
| Country |
 United States
|
|
| State |
 California
|
|
| Region | Northeast California | |
| Incorporated | 1864 | |
| County seat | Susanville | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 4,720 sq mi (12,200 km2) | |
| • Land | 4,541 sq mi (11,760 km2) | |
| • Water | 179 sq mi (460 km2) | |
| Highest elevation | 8,741 ft (2,664 m) | |
| Population (April 1, 2010) | ||
| • Total | 34,895 | |
| • Estimate (2015) | 31,345 | |
| • Density | 7.4/sq mi (2.9/km2) | |
| Time zone | Pacific Time Zone (UTC-8) | |
| • Summer (DST) | Pacific Daylight Time (UTC-7) | |
| Website | www.co.lassen.ca.us | |
Lassen County is a county located in the northeastern portion of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 census, the population was 34,895. The county seat and only incorporated city is Susanville.
Lassen County comprises the Susanville, California micropolitan statistical area. A former farming, mining and lumber area, it has an economy today dependent on employment at two state and one federal prison; the former two in Susanville and the latter in Herlong. In 2007 half the adults in Susanville worked in one of the facilities.
Lassen County was formed on April 1, 1864 from parts of Plumas and Shasta counties following the two-day conflict known as the "Sagebrush War", also called the Roop County War, that started on February 15, 1863. Due to uncertainties over the California border, the area that is now Lassen County was part of the unofficial Nataqua Territory and Roop County, Nevada during the late 1850s and early 1860s.
The county was named by European Americans after Peter Lassen, along with Lassen Peak, which is in adjoining Shasta County. Lassen was one of General John C. Fremont's guides, and a famous trapper, frontiersman and Indian fighter. He was murdered under mysterious circumstances near the Black Rock Desert in 1859, and his murder was never solved.
By the 1880s small towns began to spring up all over Lassen County. Bieber developed at the north end of the county, in rich farm land. Gold was discovered at Hayden Hill, and the small town developed to support the miners. Hayden Hill no longer exists: when the mining stopped, the townspeople left for other communities. Madeline was formed at the north end of another rich farming valley, and along the railroad tracks heading north to Alturas, California. This community still has about 50 people living in and around the town.
...
Wikipedia