Susie’s Place
The history of Susie Lawing’s place on Vilas Ridge is complex, beginning with the Vilas Brothers who settled there in the very early 1900s, and continuing with “Old Hutch”, a well-known local historian who lived on the property with his family from 1945-1960. In 1973, Susie and her husband Patrick purchased 26.5 acres and moved into the old Vilas home with their children. Many improvements were made to the property over the years, which eventually became known far and wide as “Susie’s Place.” Susie’s place was a beautiful Cohasset location which welcomed community members, other visitors, and various group events and retreats.
The old garage/shed next to the house was remodeled and used as a home school for local children beginning in 1975. That same year Susie’s sister Trish and her husband built a house on the far side of the property, where they lived with their children, and a basketball court and pool were constructed on the land. In 1976 the family constructed a pond and sauna, and in the 1990s they built a barn with a loft that was used as a dance studio.
Along with the 26.5-acre property came the old Vilas family water rights to an excellent water supply from a spring to the north which was piped from over one mile away. In the 1980s and 1990s everyone in Cohasset (and a few folks in Chico) knew about “Susie’s Place” and many were regular visitors. Wednesdays were open to community members to visit the pond and sauna. During that time and more recently, Susie called the property “Enchanted Ridge” and made the land available for Yoga and Tai Chi retreats as well as other events. Many of the Cohasset quilts, donated for fundraising at the Cohasset Bazaar, were sewn at Susie’s Pond. In the early 1990s, Susie, with her partner Lorenzo, organized “The Trees are Coming” project which involved planting 50,000 trees supplied by the Magalia and State nurseries. Driving an old school bus, they would arrive at Chico Natural Foods on Saturday mornings to pick up volunteers. Saplings were planted throughout Butte and Tehama counties, and sawdust from the old Vilas Mill was used to fertilize the soil for the young trees.
