Lake Almanor was constructed by Great Western Power Company in 1914.
The name "Almanor" was coined by Guy C. Earl, Vice-President of
Great Western Power Company, who combined the names of his
three daughters, Alice, Martha, and Elinore.
Great Western Power Company later became Pacific Gas & Electric. They further developed Lake
Almanor, building the present dam in 1926-27. The lake stores approximately 790,000 acre-feet of
water and is 13 miles long and 6 miles wide, in all,
52 square miles of crystal-clear water and beautiful scenery.
The town of Prattville was founded by Dr. Willard Pratt in 1867. Located on the southwest side of the
Big Meadows (approximately where the Camp Prattville Marina and boom logs are now),
Prattville boasted three general-merchandise stores, one wagon shop, a blacksmith shop, a saloon,
a resident physician (Dr. Pratt), and a first-class hotel owned by
Dr. Pratt. Prattville was then, as now, a resort area. Most of the
clientele came from the Chico area, usually by stage coach. When Great Western Power Company
decided to build the dam, they bought all of Big Meadows and tore down and
burned the town of Prattville.
