Author Paul Nelson recently released his book “Lost Grand Resorts of Old Lake Tahoe,” chronicling some of Tahoe’s most opulent former resorts along with historical profiles of some fascinating characters from Lucky Baldwin to Harry Comstock, Duane Bliss, Norman Biltz (the Duke of Nevada) and a lot of characters and cons in between. The book features 110 illustrative historical photos.
“Beginning in the 1880s, the beauty of Lake Tahoe enticed entrepreneurs to build the most opulent resort hotels in America catering to the wealthiest from California and Nevada,” according to a press release from Arcadia Publishing. “Baldwin’s Tallac House, the Tahoe Tavern and Brockway Hot Springs Hotel fought to outdo one another as they took luxury to new heights with musical entertainment, movies, horseback excursions and five-star dining. Tahoe Tavern even featured its own private railway, while Brockway spawned America’s first gambling casino resort, the Cal-Neva Lodge, where celebrities mingled with mobsters. By the 1960s, the golden era had begun to fade as the tourist demographic shifted, but a splendid legacy endures.
“I have had the support of the North Lake Tahoe Historical Society, the Lake Tahoe Historical Society, the University of Nevada and University of California Archives and the California Historical Society in tracing down the accurate histories and documenting them. So far as I have been able to determine, no one has ever written a book telling the fascinating stories of the people behind these great historical resorts,” said Nelson in an email to Tahoe Guide. “I have had great input from local folks with never told stories and an enthusiastic response from those who have read drafts. | arcadiapublishing.com
