Lassen County Courthouse

Completed 1917

The first settlers of what was then known as Honey Lake Valley presumed that they were part of the Nevada Territory, though officials of Plumas County insisted that the valley belonged to California. After tensions on jurisdiction and taxation culminated in a shootout in February 1863, a survey of state boundaries determined that the valley was indeed part of California, and Lassen County was established. The Masonic Lodge and the Magnolia Saloon served as courthouses until a two-story wooden building was constructed in 1867. In 1915, residents approved a bond measure for a new courthouse built of native stone. It remains in use and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Courtesy Department of Special Collections, University of California Library, Davis


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