Lassen County Times
7 February 2006
Page 2A
By Ruth Ellis Staff Writer
Buildings on the Half Diamond F Ranch, located on Hackstaff Road in Doyle, are now on the Lassen County/city of Susanville Historic Building Registry.
The decision to add the ranch house, the milk house and the two-room cabin to the registry was made at a Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 17. By being placed on the historic registry, the owners will be able to take advantage of the Historic Building Code, which makes it possible to restore buildings that could not be brought up to current codes.
Ralph Robinson and Mary Maxfield, who are both deceased, owned the buildings and the structures are now in possession of daughter Karen Robinson Higgins.
In 1863, James McDermott purchased 320 acres of land in Doyle and resided on the property until 1885.
McDermott built a house and barn and established a hay and stock operation from which the cream, milk and butter was transported, first by wagon, then by train to the Chisholm Dairy in Reno.
In 1885, Edwin Farris purchased the ranch and it has been in the family ever since.
The eastern property line is a fragment of the Honey Lake Wagon Road, which now makes up the driveway and connects with Hackstaff Road. Hackstaff Road was once the roadbed of the narrow-gage Nevada, California & Oregon Railroad.
The home is a sprawling ranch-style building with four bedrooms, a huge living room and pantry.
The house has a fireplace constructed of native stone, sandstone piers and hand-hewn foundation timbers. The building has multi-paned windows and shingles and both the ranch house and the milk house have board and batten siding.
The two-room cabin is also known as the Meadowview Cabin and was moved down from Meadowview Station during World War II to be used as housing for a family member when her husband was drafted into service. The cabin was also used as Forest Service quarters.
Higgins said the buildings' appearance remains very much as they did in the late 1800s and early 1900s although they are deteriorating. Higgins said she they were worth saving.
Once the weather is better Higgins said she will fix the milk and ranch houses first and they will be restored to look like they originally did.