Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Jnr Hotel Hosted Burning Man Participants

The Burning Man Festival was its usual spectacular sight as Burners migrated through Cedarville going to & from the Labor Day weekend plus event in the Black Rock Desert. Travelers in both directions stayed at the JnR Hotel and enjoyed their stay according to their comment cards. They said it was very clean, comfortable and reasonable to low rates. With the street vendors doing BBQs and selling their wares, there were many folks that stopped to shop and eat. The Surprise Valley Chamber with the help of a small grant from Burning Man LLC was able to provide dumpsters and porta-potties for the passing burners.

Folks that checked in were just normal looking folks. When they checked out with their colored hair and burner duds, we almost wondered who they were. On their return everything and everybody was covered in white alkaline desert dust There were some spectacular vehicles built especially for the event - a bus with a deck on top, a firetruck with a fire breathing pipe organ, a pickup with a house and on the house a car, a giant mechanical walking machine, etc. Except for being extremely tired a great time was had by all. Unfortunately there will be no resting up as the next town events start early Friday morning and continue through the weekend. Who said that Cedarville, the last frontier, is a sleepy little town? Well sleepy yes, but just because we can't rest up. Deer hunting starts next. If you want to stay we highly suggest reservations 530-279-2423. It gets busy around here.

Sunday, August 29, 2010

JnR Hotel History

JnR Hotel History
1909 May 18. The hotel was built and called the Coffman Hotel. The owners were Goldia and Sylivia Coffman.
1910 March 8. Daniel Webster of Fort Bidwell died in his sleep at 3am. He was born in Cleveland, OH 6/4/1838. He had moved to Fort Bidwell in 1859.
1910 March 24. P. F. Powers were thrown out of the two-story hotel. Two girls witnessed the event. He was buried in Genoa, NV. He had moved here in 1884.
1910 April 7. Mrs. John Franklin, 29, died of unknown causes leaving behind her husband and 10 children - the youngest were twins about 2 weeks old. She is buried in Lake City.
1910 April 13, Alex Weilmunster was murdered by A. B. Hughes. Alex was stabbed after an argument got out of control. Officials found him face down in room 12. He was 41.
1913 November 13, John P Harris was found by a black housemaid on Wednesday morning. There were bloody sheets and the body. He looked as though he was bludgeoned with an object. There were no suspects.
1917 December 22, Fred Bush was murdered in an upstairs room. He was shot 11 times and his scalp removed, but not by Indians according to officials. Down the hall another body was found. The investigation continues.
1923 December 13, Coffman sold the hotel to James Williams who renamed it the American Hotel in Cedarville.
1924 April 9, George Elliot was shot in the hand by A. Gibson. George bled to death. Gibson was also shot in the hand and was taken to jail. He died to next morning.
1925 Hotel was named Surprise Hotel.
1925 December 2, George "Scotty" Brand, 83, died at the hotel of natural causes. He was born in 1842 in Scotland. He was buried at the local cemetery.
1932 May 26. A man walked into the lobby behind his wife and shot her. He then shot himself.
1932 November 16, Jack Miller was found dead by the officer in the hotel. Cause unknown.
1926 January 6, Dorris Fulcher of Fort Bidwell was shot by Harry Calderwood Christmas night in front of the hotel. Too much moonshine was the cause. Calderwood was found hanged in jail before sentencing.
1947 The name was changed to the Keystone Hotel. S. O. Cressler was the owner. He died 3 months later of natural causes. His wife took over the hotel. The hotel had a bakery, Lobby and barbershop.
1978 Golden bought the hotel and called it Golden-Bush. It had a restaurant, bar, lobby and barbershop
1953 June 2 or 3. A fire burned away the front of the hotel.
1988 Arreche owned the hotel but it wasn't open as a hotel.
1990 November, A fire burned part of the hotel.
1993 Named the Drew Hotel owned by Bill and Edith Drew of Petaluma
2005 August 1. Named the JnR Hotel owned by Jim and Ramona Brown. No dealths or murders as of yet and we hope to keep it that way. We are no longer a wild west hotel. Stop by and see us.