In 1891, Loomis homesteaded on the present site of Viola. In 1896 he built a store there which was patronized by the sawmill workers. The following year he married Estella Loomis. Loomis developed a business hauling freight to Viola and shakes from there to the Sacramento Valley, while his wife tended the store and operated the Viola post office.

 

On May 30, 1914, Mount Lassen began to erupt. Loomis, an amateur photographer, photographed the eruptions and documented his experiences with the volcano in writing.