The store belonging to Godwin Scudamore and Dr. R. G. Reynolds in Upper Lake appears in this undated prefire photograph. No one in the picture has been identified. Scudamore and Reynolds also owned stores in Lakeport and Bartlett Springs. Photo courtesy of the Lake County Museum.

In commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the founding of Lake County this year, Lake County News is publishing a series of historical stories about the county, its people and places. This week the fires that ravaged Upper Lake in the early 20^th century is the focus, thanks to the staff at the Lake County Museum.

UPPER LAKE, Calif. – In the early 20th century major fires destroyed large sections of several Lake County towns. Lakeport, Middletown, Kelseyville and Upper Lake all suffered disastrous fires at one time or another.

Today Upper Lake’s business district looks very different than it did a century ago, thanks to fires in 1915 and 1924.

The wooden buildings that constituted much of the town were no match for the flames. The Second Street business section lost several buildings in September 1915 and a major fire in 1924 destroyed most of downtown Main Street. Property owners learned from the disaster and rebuilt with fire-resistant buildings.

On the night of Sept. 22, 1915, a fire burned one house, one store, a garage and a combined machine and blacksmith shop near the intersection of Main and Second Streets.

Early in the evening, the fire began in the machine shop/blacksmithing business that belonged to Messrs. Jackson and Polk and spread quickly to the other buildings.

Main Street in Upper Lake following the 1924 fire. Riffe