Westwood High School - Chipmunk Yearbook (Westwood, CA)

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This is a noontime view of one of our many losing camps located in the timber adjacent to Westwood.

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Westwood and N a small mountain, about six hundred feet high. and two miles to the southeast of Westwood, a group of five H. S. pupils were standing one day in May. As they looked down on all sides of the moun- tain there was only one side which drew their attention, that was down into the valley where Westwood lay. At the foot of the mountain on which they were standing, was a road winding around the tall pine trees. Further down the slope was the beautiful river, not very wide but winding around through the meadow. This, the Hamilton Branch of the Feather River, wound slowly down and into a large lake, known to everyone, Lake Almanor, which was only partly visible to the people on the mountain, as the rest was hidden from view by the tall trees. At this lake many tourists reside during the summer, for there are good fishing and hunting Farther on toward the background of the picture formed in the minds of my readers, there was, nestled in the tall timber, a little city. It was just on that final slope at the foot of a mountain. One could distinguish a long row of freshly painted rooming houses. Further up the town was seen the tower of the church, etc., then there could be seen the homes, among the pine trees. There was the mill, box factory and the rest of the Red River Lumber Company’s plant, including the lum- ber yards, which are about four or five miles in circum- ference, stretched out to the east of town. However, those are only a few things that are in Westwood. Ten years ago the Indians roamed over this spot where now there is a modern l'ttle city. Six vears ago a number of lumber men came out here from the east and took a lease. The next spring men started to work and within six months they had built a sawmill, and while the people lived in tents, houses were being erected for there. Its High School them. At the end of that year hundreds of people were furnished with very neat houses. It was in June or July of that year that the sawmill burnt and by Sep- tember it had been replaced by a larger and finer one. Hence you see that in one year a great deal had been done, as a grammar school had also been organized, and was holding sessions in a rooming house. In the next year (1914) everything kept advancing; new homes were built and a new Grammar School build- ing had been erected. By that time there had also been built a large department store, post office, steam laundry, pool hall, club room, park and hospital, etc. That September the children were moved into their new Luilding. It was in that building that the High School was started. And for these past five years it has grown, until it was found necessary in 1918 to erect another building to accommodate the pupils. For two years the town grew and prospered. The schools developed, and so did everything else. From the very beginning the railroad came into Westwood and now when a person does not wish to ride in an auto- mobile. he may go out by train, for it goes out twi.e a day. On September 19, 1917. the south yards of the R. R. L. Co. burnt. The cause for a time was nut known. It was in the early hours of the morning that the large fire whistle blew A few moments after the first blast, which awakened the whole town, the general alarm was blown for five minutes. When that blew’ every man, woman and child in Westwood was awake and dressing, for they knew' that there must be an awful fire for that signal was never given unless help from all men other than the firemen was needed. The firemen are a high-class organization now.