Last updated: March 18, 2021
Person
Susan Watson
NPS Photo
Quick Facts
Significance:
Conservationist, Park Advocate
Place of Birth:
Unknown
Date of Birth:
September 22, 1927
Place of Death:
Orinda, CA
Date of Death:
April 21, 2016
Place of Burial:
Unknown
Cemetery Name:
Unknown
Susan Watson first visited Drakesbad Guest Ranch when she was three years old. Her childhood summers and time as a waitress at the Ranch cemented her connection to the park. In her adult years, Susan supported the park as the first Vice Chairperson of the Lassen Park Foundation. She remained dedicated to the conservation of the park well into her later years, even celebrating her eightieth birthday on Lassen Peak summit.
Childhood Memories
Susan Watson first came to Drakesbad Guest Ranch in Warner Valley with her family in 1931, when she was just three years old. The Watson family then revisited the Drakesbad Guest Ranch every year until 1941, excluding 1935. At the time Susan and her sister Connie were the youngest guests. Susan was quoted as saying, “Drakesbad was the highlight of the summer. We really looked forward to it. We loved it there. Somehow, we were never bored, even though in the thirties, we didn’t have companions up there. There were so many things to do.” As two of the only children at Drakesbad, Susan and Connie turned to exploring Warner Valley’s lakes, hydrothermal features, and meadows.
A Wartime Dude Ranch
The Sifford family—Alexander, Ida, Pearl, and Roy—ran the ranch during the Great Depression and World War II years, when they also began raising cattle to support the war effort. The small guest ranch turned into a dude ranch, while attempting to maintain the cultural and scenic standards that caretakers had maintained since 1900. As Susan described it, “but one foot, as it were, were in Victorian manners and mores, and the other foot was in the twentieth century, which was exuberant and technologically going for it. So there was that kind of contrast in that way. But it was held together by how we were living our lives. It was not noticeable, certainly, to very young children. We just accepted what we were born into and how it operated.” Visitation was low during those years so often only very dedicated returnees came to the ranch.
At Work at the Ranch
At age 17, Susan worked as a waitress at Drakesbad in 1945. This was her first look behind-the-scenes at Drakesbad. She describes watching the chef cook on a huge solid iron range in the back to prepare the meals for all of the guests. Watson noticed that the fresh milk they served every day varied greatly based on the temperature outside, and would try and save young guests from drinking the sour milk. She recalls one of the most difficult parts being memorizing the food orders. “We’d have to take it, remember who ordered what and all of these separate things, take it to the kitchen, break it down again for the cook and for side support, reassemble everything, and get it back, and serve it to the right people. And I made very few errors.” Working at Drakesbad gave Susan an insight into how her childhood vacation spot operated and the immense effort it took to have it run smoothly.
The Sifford Family
The Sifford family ran the ranch from 1900 to 1952. Susan Watson became close friends with the Siffords as a result of all the time she spent there. She describes their vision for Drakesbad as, “Decorum, with a capital D, really. And that was both a mirror of the age and a requirement for Roy’s vision of having a civilization in the middle of the wilderness, the charm of that distinction.” Susan worked hard to support Roy’s vision, even after the Sifford family gave the Ranch over to the park. Roy Sifford sold Drakesbad Guest Ranch to the National Park Service in 1956.
Lassen Park Foundation
Susan Watson became the Vice Chairperson of Lassen Park Foundation upon its organization in 1985. She had remained connected to the park through adulthood, bringing her husband and children to Drakesbad. Susan used her position as Vice Chairperson to fundraise for park projects. She celebrated her eightieth birthday on the top of Lassen Peak.
Susan also advocated for other natural areas as well. She advocated for Save Mount Diablo and the East Bay Regional Park District in the San Francisco Bay area, and many other organizations. Susan won many conservation awards such as the 2005 William Penn Mott Jr. Environmental Award of the Orinda Association, which led to additional recognition from the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors, California Legislature and the US Congress; a 2001 Mountain Star Leadership Award by Save Mount Diablo, a Legacy Award for Lifetime Achievement, First Annual Women of Achievement Award; the Environmentalist of the Year Award from Mt. Diablo Silverado Council of BSA in 1997; and the 1992 John Muir Conservation Award (with her husband, Robert) as long-time President of Save Mount Diablo and coordinator of the Technical Advisory Committee for Lassen Volcanic Park and Forest. She was also instrumental in the development of the Lassen Crossroads Regional Interpretative Center from 1985-2001.