The History of Tahoe City

 

The history of Tahoe City begins in 1863 when the town was first surveyed and plotted. This was quickly followed by several small dwellings and the construction of the Tahoe House Hotel by pioneer settler William Pomin in 1864. During this time, the Tahoe Basin was being logged to fuel the gold and silver rush that began in 1858 and continued until the 1890’s in Virginia City to the east.

Initially North Lake Tahoe was mostly known for logging and fishing. Pomin had been the first businessman to see the need for a small hotel, and more importantly a saloon, to feed the needs of the locals and the growing tourist trade spurred by the influx of miners and wealthy investors to the Comstock mines of Virginia City.

Tahoe City was accessed by a stage road built in 1860 by John Huntington. Visitors had the choice of three different daily stages that met the passenger trains in Truckee. The route was a toll road that was poorly maintained but known for its picturesque beauty following along the Truckee River. With construction of the Central Pacific Railroad through Truckee in 1867, visitors had a much easier time getting to Tahoe and it quickly became a resort community and recreational destination for San Francisco elite and the miners of the Comstock.

In 1869, to address the growing tourist industry A.J. Bayley built the Tahoe City House. It was the largest hotel in town with 84-rooms and a splendid view sitting on a bluff above the Lake in the area where Christy Hill Restaurant sits today. The Tahoe City Post Office was officially opened in 1871 and in 1873 a telegraph line from Tahoe City to Truckee was installed.

Few people actually lived in Tahoe City full time. In the summer it was a bustling town with tourists and San Francisco elite using their summer homes with the Tahoe City economy largely based on logging and tourism as well as fishing and some hay harvesting and dairy ranching on the large natural meadows found outside of town. Therefore, winter in Tahoe City was slow. Most people left, the hotels closed, the fishing boats and steamers were pulled up onto shore, and the dairy and sheep herds were driven down to the foothills.

By the 1880’s, tourism was increasing in the region as was mounting support for slowing the exploitation of Tahoe lumber. Perhaps seeing the writing on the wall, D.L. Bliss (the lumber baron) focused his sites on Tahoe City and the burgeoning tourist industry with the construction of a luxury hotel, The Tahoe Tavern. The Tahoe Tavern was built 1902 and by 1909, the resort could accommodate 450 guests.

Bliss had a small gauge rail line built between Truckee and Tahoe City and formed the Lake Tahoe Railway & Transportation Company. The line operated from May 15 to Nov. 15 each year and arrived right at the Lobby of the hotel. Another wing was added to the hotel in 1925 with the addition of a casino and a well-stocked liquor bar. The Bliss family sold the Tahoe Tavern to Linnard Steamship Lines in 1926. The purchase by Linnard and the conversion of the narrow gage railroad to standard gage by Southern Pacific Railroad led to a new era for the exclusive resort.

With the collapse of the mining and logging industries that fueled the initial settlement of the area, Tahoe became known as an outdoor recreation and tourist destination. It was believed that the ‘vast snowfields of the Truckee Basin’ would be able to attract tens of thousands of visitors in the winter months, making the region a tourist destination year-round. With this in mind, Charles F. McGlashan (a local newspaper owner and businessman) worked with other local businessmen to create the Truckee annual Ice Carnival, which featured an ice palace and parade. From the 1890’s-to the 1910’s, the winter carnival attracted winter tourists and set the stage for today’s booming winter sports economy in the Truckee-Lake Tahoe region. (Click here for more on the history of skiing in Tahoe and Snowfest!)

In Tahoe City, hoping to capitalize on the growing winter tourism of the area and to increase winter visitors, the Tahoe Tavern began operating year-round. Tahoe Tavern used the area then known as Ski Canyon (present day Granlibakken) as a draw for winter recreation with a toboggan slide, ski jump, and small warming hut. They called it the Tahoe Tavern Winter Sports Grounds and visitors were transported by sleigh to watch ski jumping exhibitions, dog sled races, and to go sledding. In 1928, Tahoe Tavern hired Lars Haugen to build a ski jump. It took 2 years to complete and in 1931 Olympic tryouts were held on what was is now known as Olympic Hill at Granlibakken.

 

In the 1930’s the look and feel of Tahoe City began to change. The once small-scale industrial town began to transform into a tourist destination focused on the pristine lake and mountain views. Before the 1930’s, Tahoe City had no beach access available for public use. A large commercial wharf, which accommodated the Tahoe steamers, a railroad spur line and numerous buildings, occupied most of the shoreline. In 1937, a fire destroyed much of the wharf and rail houses. These buildings were mostly owned operated by the Lake Tahoe Railway & Transportation Company. After petitioning the governor and local officials and a lawsuit that wound up in the California Supreme Court, a portion of the shoreline was set aside for public use and was named Commons Beach as the original town plate map indicated as well as a deed signed in 1872 by President Ulysses S. Grant to the Tahoe City residents.

In the 1950’s the town would change again, this time with the introduction of Lake Tahoe to the rest of the world. In 1949, Wayne Poulsen and Alex Cushing opened Squaw Valley Ski Resort on Thanksgiving Day. Seeing the potential of the ski resort and the region as a whole Cushing began lobbying the International Olympic Committee to host the 1960 Olympic Winter Games in Squaw Valley and his bid was successful.

The eight Winter Olympic Games were held in Squaw Valley in 1960. They were the first televised Winter Games and brought the region into the global spotlight solidifying Lake Tahoe as a premier recreation and tourist destination which has dominated its existence ever since. Tahoe City today has undergone many changes since the 1960 Winter Olympics but it is still known as one of the premiere regions in California and the world for recreation, drawing thousands of visitors each year.

 

 

References:

Gordon Richards president and research historian for the Truckee Donner Historical Society

1924  W.B. Lardner and M.J. Brock History of Placer and Nevada Counties California

Photos curtesy of The Western Nevada Historic Photo Collection (https://wnhpc.com)