Roop’s Fort: Centerpiece to the Sagebrush War

In the early formation of the western states there was plenty of confusion, bickering and redrawing of state lines. There were people who thought they were living in one state but were actually in another. This often brought out conflicts and contested boundaries in the old west.

Few were as dramatic as the events that transpired in what is now Susanville, California. It would involve a grab for a new county by two states: Nevada and California. As often does, this story begins with a single person.

Isaac Roop

Isacc Roop came to California on the newly formed Nobles Emigrant Trail in 1851. Three years later he moved from Shasta to the wilderness above Honey Lake. The house he built, first called Roop House, was the first structure in the area in what would evolve into Rooptown. It quickly became an important stop on the Emigrant trail. The small log structure served as a house, a fort and station. It was also the site of the signing for the formation of Natagua territory in 1856. Issac Roop was named secretary. Since it was assumed the area was a part of Nevada Territory, Roop was elected as the first Provisional Governor of Nevada in 1859.

The looming problem was both Nevada and California claimed the area. Nevada authorities tried to reinstate the old traditional boundary, the crest of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, which the county was east of. California refused to relinquish control, claiming the land was within the newer boundary, and as a result, Nevada renamed the area Roop County.

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By this time, 1863, authorities in California went to collect taxes from the Roop County people as well as from the greater Honey Lake area. This did not work too well, as the residents refused to pay California taxes, claiming they were in the Nevada Territory. Apparently, even back in those days nothing angered the California Government more than not getting their taxes. Warrants were issued to these rebel citizens, which was likewise ignored. After a failed discussion beneath a white flag, armed men from Plumas County, California, with a cannon in tow, set out to settle things once and for all.

Many of the Roop County defenders holed themselves up in the Roop House, which Roop no longer lived in. The California volunteers entered town and holed up in a barn about 500 yards west of the Roop House, now called Roop’s Fort. The shooting began and The Sagebrush War was on!

This was in no way on the scale of the ongoing Civil War in the east. Not hardly. The Sagebrush War lasted about four hours. When the shooting stopped one of the Californians had been shot in the thigh and a judge from Roop County had been shot in the collarbone. That was all! A cease fire was called and extended until morning at which time both sides agreed to let the governments of the two states determine the boundary.

A committee decided not to file charges on anyone, stating, “each party thought itself justified by law in all its actions.” The following year, upon the creation of Nevada as a state, it was determined by both states that the area was a part of California. The ensuing boundary line held, and the area became Lassen County, California. Not only was Roop County gone, but the Rooptown name went by the wayside as well when Issac Roop renamed the growing town after his daughter, Susan. Susanville would prosper as an important logging town.  Fort Roop also became known as Fort Defiance, after the battle was over.  Issac Roop died in Susanville in 1869. His daughter stayed in the town of her namesake until her passing in 1921.

Today, at the center of Susanville, Roop’s Fort still stands. The old building has gone through a few roofs over the years, but the log walls are believed to be the originals. Behind the fort is the sprawling Memorial Park, which was once a meadow where the wagon trains camped and rested. Also on the grounds is the Lassen Historical Museum, which is a great place to ask questions about Roop’s Fort and Susanville in general. You can visit them online at https://sierranevadageotourism.org/entries/lassen-historical-museum-and-roops-fort/c1dc44d6-cfd8-42a8-9590-8ddbaec125e1 

Although it was not uncommon for newly formed areas to be claimed by more than one entity, some places didn’t want to be claimed at all! One town even became its own nation for awhile. You can read about that in another blog post of mine at https://outerrealmz.com/rough-and-ready-…-became-a-nation/