Vilas Homestead and Sawmill

The history of Euro-American settlement on the land now owned by Susie Lawing goes back to the 1870s. The sequence of ownership of the property includes John Mann (1877), L.P. Toll, Vilas Brothers (1909), Thomas C. Gaumer (1925), William and Esther Hutchinson (1946), Clifford and Svea Surrell (1959), and Susie and Patrick Lawing (1973). Historic maps indicate that in addition to the 40 acres in and around Susie’s place, Perry and Walter Vilas owned the West ½ of Section 13, for a total of 360 acres.

Walter Vilas (pictured below, on the left) was born at Vilas Mill in Viola, Shasta County, in 1873, and his brother Perry (below, right) was born in Shingletown, in 1877. In 1908, L.P. Toll, who owned the NW ¼ of Section 24, sold 40 acres to Walter Vilas for 10 dollars gold coin. The Vilas brothers built and ran the Vilas Sawmill on that property in Cohasset from 1907 until 1914. Their sister, Lillie Vilas (1871-1964) married Samuel Sorenson in 1904. In 1907, Lillie and Samuel moved to Cohasset, where they operated a general store and post office. Lillie taught school in Cohasset for 20 years, from 1918 until 1938.

William Hutchinson (aka, “Old Hutch”) purchased 160 acres in Cohasset, including the old Vilas Sawmill property, in 1946. He lived on the land with his wife and two children until around 1959. Old Hutch was a renowned writer and local historian. He taught history at California State University until 1978, and passed away in 1990. In his chapter “The Naming of Cohasset” in Tales from Old Hutch, he stated “As I write this testimonial, I can look longingly out my window through the oaks and see the head-rig foundation, rusting boiler shell, and enormous sawdust piles that were left by an enterprise belonging to the turn of the century.” He and Lillie Sorenson are pictured in the photos below.

Walter Vilas

Perry Vilas

Lillie Sorenson

William “Old Hutch” Hutchinson