You know you’re

a Tahoe Local if: You have

gone off-

roading in

a vehicle

that was

never

intended

for such

activities.

Week 5

Today’s date is October 29, 1846 where was the Donner Party?

Week #5 Mile Markers on

Highway 50 from Placerville

Early Hotels and Luxury Resorts

Sail Boats and Steamers

“By the end of the 1860’s

granite markers marking each

mile had been erected.” Landauer pg 70

“The current markers date to 1907” Highway 50 Corridor.com

Granite Markers on Highway 50 Right side of the road going towards

Tahoe from Placerville.

All mile numbers are estimates from Placerville.

To be safe let the passenger find them on the trip to or from Placerville.

Some were constructed by Folsom prisoners. A large number made prior to the depression were stacked at Riverton.

Placerville Court House

1853 the 3 Mile House was built in Smith Flat over the Deep Blue Lead Mining Channel. 3 Mile House became Home Ranch, now called the Smith Flat House Center for Health. Deep Blue Lead Mine was the best known and one of the richest in Placerville area.

Five Mile House

Cal Trans Camino Station Mile 10

MILE MARKER 13 is on Pony Express Trail.

Fresh Pond Old sign.

A house and ranch were built here in 1861 where several wagon roads converged, including the popular Gold Rush-era Johnson’s Cutoff route, which dropped from here into the canyon of the South Fork of the American River. www.fs.fed.us/r5/eldorado/documents/rogs/rog_highway50.pdf

The Fresh Pond stop dates back to the 1950's. 1966 a Chevron gas station and a Greyhound Bus station. In 1983, everything but the sign was demolished. Since 2005 there is a new Chevron gas station/convenience store and restoration of the Fresh Pond sign.

Pacific House 1910

1859 Pacific House was a roadside hotel. Horace

Greeley and Mark Twain were visitors.

Bridal Veil Falls

1915 Bridal Veil Falls

1901 Riverton Bridge Construction

Sugar Loaf

36

`

Old Strawberry

1859 – The name Strawberry, came from Berry's alleged

practice of feeding travelers' horses with straw, while the owners had paid for hay. Yet another story indicates that Berry’s lodge featured thin straw mattresses. Visitors would call for “More straw, Berry!” Hence the name –

Strawberry.

Swan Henry Toll Road

There is a bowling alley in the basement

Slippery Ford

Those who traveled on their own were at peril from many

hazards like the killings at Slippery Ford in 1875. Laundauer

pg 69

Slippery Ford Bridge

Phillips

Established in 1862 as a stage stop and way station. Located at the turn off for Sierra at Tahoe Ski Resort.

Echo Summit

51

Approximating Mile Maker 55

Early Hotel and Luxury Resorts

1850’s (+) in the Upper Lake Valley

1861 Yank Clement- “Yanks” three story 14 room house. For passengers and Pony Express. Two saloons eventually became a small village on the Great Bonanza Road.

1873 Yank sold to George Meyers and moved to Tallac Point.

Ephraim “Yank” Clement

In 1861 Yank purchased from Martin Smith and developed into a complex (boomtown).

Stables, 14 room hotel, barn livestock corral, Pony Express riders, blacksmith, stockyard, slaughter house, wagon repair saloons, stop for stagecoaches.

1873 sold to George Meyers.

Ceilo family had the hotel open into the 1920’s.

Barton House

The First Tahoe Hotel on the Lake

Highway 50 1859 Lake House

– 8 room house. Judge Seneca Dean, nephew and William Lapham east of the Truckee Marsh. After 1868 fire rebuilt by Tom Rowland.

Judge Dean, W. VanWagner and R.G.Dean proposed the name Lake Tahoe and Tahoe City. Lekisch pg 127

*Lapham’s Hotel Highway 50 Stateline ran through the hotel

Lapham’s

Stateline prior to 1899

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1860 Fridays Station

Friday Burke and James

Small

1860 Augustus Pray

(Glenbrook) Lake Shore

House and saw mills.

1863 Lou Colbarth and Joe Winters Glen Brook House

1865 Zephyr Cove House

1867 Pomin’s Tahoe House

1864 M.L. King built Kings Hotel

1869 Tahoe City Hotel 1871

Grand Central Hotel.

Chambers Landing

Sugar Pine Point

Emerald Bay

Idlewild

1859 Lake House1860 Lapham’s

Is Tahoe City a City?

1864 Tahoe City William Pomin built home.

1864 M.L. King King’s Hotel.

1867 William Pomine Tahoe Hotel.

1869 M.L. King remodeled and called it the Tahoe City Hotel.

1871 M.L. King (A.J. Bayley was the owner according to

Saga I pg 29) remodeled and called it the Grand Central Hotel. By 1875 up to 200 guests were dinning.

M.L. King’s

Grand Central HotelGrand Central

Meat Market

Pomin’s

Tahoe

HouseCardwell’s

Bowling

Alley

J. A. Toulman

By 1863

Over 24 establishments were in operation around the lake. The shore line was linked by the steamer Governor Blasdelbelonging to Augustus Pray (Glenbrook).

A resort could make a profit if it had a pier and was connected to the rest of the lake resorts.

1864 Nevada joins the Union (during the Civil War) and the United States residents have come to stay.

One Minute Review

What was the most useful or meaningful thing you learned during this session?

What question(s) remain upper-most in your mind as we end this session?

Tahoe Sailboats and Steamers

You know you’re

a Tahoe Local if:

You design

your child's

Halloween

costume to

fit over a

snow suit.

Irene Mayn waves good bye 1915 c. Lady in the gold

suit mural is located at Government building near Fox

Gas Station.

Sailboats

Cargo Carrying sail boats

1860 Fish and Ferguson’s Iron Duke (Duke of Wellington) could handle up to 125 tons, 60 feet long 50 feet tall masts. Would work with the wind.

In 1862 hay brought 240 tons at $250/ton on the south shore. *Hauled Tahoe City and Squaw Valley hay from North Shore to South Shore for the animals used to haul equipment to Virginia City. Saga I pg 26.

Unpredictable schedule. In service for 24 years, burned in 1884.

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1860 Iron Duke Route

1859 Lake House

1860 Augustus Pray

(Glenbrook) saw mill supply

house.

1860 Laphams1861 Taylor’s Landing Bijou pier

1864 Tahoe City

Chambers

Landing

Steamers

1863 Augustus Pray (developer of Glenbrook) launched the steamer H.G. Blaisdel (the name of the future first governor of Nevada)

42 feet long 24 feet beam - paddle. Towed log booms and some passengers.

The first steamer on the lake with daily cruises on Lake Tahoe.

After 13 years of service its boiler exploded.

In 1877, it was beached and sold for firewood.

First Nevada Governor

H.G. Blaisdel

Emerald I

1870 Ben Holladay’s Emerald55 feet long 12 feet beam.

The first Emerald, arrived in Truckee by flatcar, carried by the new Central Pacific Railroad.

Powered by an underwater propeller, rather than paddle wheels.

Made daily cruises around Lake Tahoe.

1874 purchased by D.L. Bliss for towing. It could make 12 miles an hour and in addition to hauling freight and towing log booms, often carried passengers. It continued in service until 1881. 11 years

1863 - 1872

Governor Blasdel

Emerald

Truckee

There were many sail boats but they were the only steamers on the lake.

1872 Governor StanfordGovernor Stanford at McKinneysGovernor Stanford at Custom House

Tahoe City

W.W. Laphams (Lapham’s Fish Market and Landing) wooden hull, 92 length, 16

feet beam, 125 passenger, 75 horse power, 7 knots side-wheeler, demolished 1883 winter storm. Daily cruises around

Lake Tahoe. 11 years in service.

Niagara

1875 Niagara was launched by J. A. Todman. It was 83 feet long and had a 10-foot beam. 50-horsepower steam engine, propeller and could barely make four knots.

“The Niagara held the all time record of slowness in marine transportation on Lake Tahoe.”

1876 sold to Fish and Ferguson, the owners of the sailboat the Iron Duke, used to slow but steadily. It hauled freight and up to 35 passengers.

It was fully outfitted with every modern convenience, including life preservers, and suited tourists who were more used to sailboats, and therefore not in a hurry.

1880 sold to Hobart and towed logs to the mill at Incline Village NV.

In 1905, 30 years of service it became firewood.

Baldwin’s Tallac –

D.L. Bliss’ Nevada

1890 Lucky Baldwin’sTallac 60 feet long, 11 foot hull, carried 40 people. E. J. “Lucky” Baldwin, wanted a luxury steamer to serve the patrons at his hotel.

The second year, while tied up at the hotel's pier, it caught fire and burned to the steel hull. It was towed to Tahoe City and 25 feet was added. 12 knots

1896 Sold to Bliss and was renamed Nevada.

Lasted 50 years, scuttled

Nevada

Steamer Tahoe 6/24/1896 D.L. Bliss Steamer Tahoe, 169 feet steel,

two boilers, two - 4’10” diameter props, 18½ knots, 1200 horse power, 200 passengers mail and cargo.

Daily trips around Lake Tahoe until 1934. EB Scott Saga Tahoe I pg 433

Docked in Tahoe City until 1940. August 29, 1940 towed by the Captian Saxton and

son Jerry Saxton Quic Cha Kiddin and scuttled near Glenbrook. Mr. Ham opened the petcocks.

The Bliss family scuttled the Meteor 4/1940, SS Tahoe 8/1940 and Tallac / Nevada 10/1940 and scrapped the Emerald II and sold the parts to a boat builder in San Diego in 1940. 1940 was the last year for the commercial steamers on Tahoe. Lyndall Baker Landauer Ph.D Steamboats of Lake Tahoe 1996 Lake Tahoe Historical Society pg19

Quic Cha Kiddin can be seen in the boat house next to the Boat House Theater near Camp Richardson.

Fremont’s Cannon (replica) Firing at

the SS Tahoe’s 1896 Launch

.

August 29, 1940 Going to Glenbrook

Quic Cha Kidin

SS Tahoe

Steamer Tahoe Life Boat. The other is said to be in the Carson City Rail

Museum.

1936 Quic Chakidn

Tevis’ Consuelo”William Saunders Tevis, Sr's magnificent 72 foot, $60,000 twin screw

Consuelo, a product of the Twigg's yards in 1909, purchased by

George Newhall in 1915, and burning in Newhall's Rubicon Bay

boathouse five years later.” Saga I pg 436

Pope’s Sheik

Mfg ElcoTallant purchased land in 1894 from Baldwin, then sold to Tevis in

1899, who sold to Pope in 1923.

Boat House in Tallac Estate

.

The Highest Lighthouse in the

World is at Lake Tahoe.

Where is it?

Sugar Pine Point

Where is the Old Light House

Located?

.

Rubicon

Point near

D.L. Bliss

State Park

Faster Boats

1925 Lucky Strike II 85 mph

1927 Mercury “Worlds Fastest”

Thunderbird: Whittell’s and Harrah’s

Tahoe Miss Bill Harrah’s Hydroplane 150+ mph at Tahoe, 200 mph at sea level.

L. Gordon Hamersley 1925

The V-12 produced 625 horsepower.

First all aluminum race boat ever built. At speeds of 67 mph the boat wanted to ride up on its chine and threatened to roll-over. Clarke determined the Allison was unsafe .

R. Stanley Jr. 1937

R. Stanley Jr. acquired the aluminum racer from Hammersley in 1937 and brought her to Lake Tahoe.

Seventy-five years after her first victory, the boat would go back in the water under her own power. A Mercury Marine, V-8, 420 hp. Subsequent operation has proved the weight to power ratio of the new configuration to be the best ever. Running on Tahoe at 6,226 feet above sea-level, at about 90% of throttle, she was recently clocked by a follow boat at 55 mph.

August of 2003, Mercury made her debut at the Concourse d'elegance, Tahoe's annual antique boat show. http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=23085

Whittells’

Thunderbird Purchased in 1939 for $87,000

55-foot Hacker – art deco-era designed

Honduran mahogany wood

Two Allison Aircraft V-1710 engines. 1936, 1000 horsepower, V-12 was WWII aircraft.

Recent applications; tractor pull competitions have tuned the V-1710 to 4,000 horsepower.

Gallon consumed for fuel on average - ½ mile per gallon.

Bill Harrah, “70 mph cocktail lounge.”

2007 operations and maintenance $200,000 per year. Tahoe Daily Tribune August

10-12, 2007 Julie Brown

Lockheed -

P38 Lightening

Bell – P39

Aracobra

Curtiss - P40K

Shark mouth

DC-3

Duisenberg

Thunderbird prior to

Bill Harrah

George Whittell’s Thunderbird.

Refinished by Bill Harrah

US Coast Guard on Lake Tahoe ?

Coast Guard started 1916.

Closed in 1988.

Reopened in 1989..

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One Minute Review

What was the most useful or meaningful thing you learned during this session?

What question(s) remain upper-most in your mind as we end this session?

Next Week #6

This week

Early Hotels

Mile Markers

Boats

Next week

Tahoe Natural Wonders second hour

Railroads

Lure of Lake Tahoe