The
Honeymoon Cabin
The “honeymoon” cabin of Olive Watson and William Martin was
built
|
|
v
How the cabin looked
when we bought it v
Twin Bridges Area Local Weather
(Strawberry Cabin)
Cabin Slide Show |
A History
of Highway 50
|
Most of this material was extracted from "Tamarack Flat
1844-1996" Albert Babayco, June 1996. Original
copies are still available to purchase. Please send requests to tollhouseflat@earthlink.net Al grew up in Sacramento & Tamarack Flat. His father built the Babayco family cabin at the confluence of Ralston Creek
and the South Fork of the American river in 1934. Al was a teacher with the His passion for history and education started him
collecting postcards, pictures, and history of Highway 50 from |
|
Highway 50’s
Beginnings The Highway 50 has its historical beginnings April 28, 1855 when the
California State Legislature passed the Wagon Road Act authorizing the
construction of a wagon road from The first use of the Wagon road appears to have been a party
of 7 men who left SILVER! The Comstock Load The “rich beyond dreams” wealth of Swan’s Upper Toll House at Tamarack Flat Swan's business sense convinced him there was profit to be
made from the ever-increasing traffic along the wagon road. Late in 1859 he
filed a request of preemption to acquire from the U.S. Government a
one-quarter section of land along the wagon road in the Tamarack Flat area.
Ultimately he was awarded the toll road franchise which extended from
Strawberry east up Slippery Ford and through Sayles and Tamarack Flat. Swan received the land patent (title) for his Tamarack Flat
property in late 1861. Swan’s Upper Toll House was built in 1859-60. It was a
large two story, rough-hewn log building of about twelve rooms with a single
story “annex”. Several outbuildings and corrals completed the complex. It was
one of the larger and better-planned way stations along the road to the
Comstock. (The toll house was located in the general area of With his toll road franchise and “elegant” toll house
established Swan was in a good position to “tap” the now almost continuous
traffic on the road. Swan himself estimated that 250 tons of freight plus 200
stage passengers and 1,000 horses, mules and oxen passed through Tamarack
Flat every twenty-four hours. His As long as silver flowed in the Comstock everything the 25,000
to 40,000 population of the It has been estimated that between 1859 and 1868 the amount of
money made on the road in freight and toll charges alone equaled the value of
silver ore mined in several of the more successful Comstock properties. With
drinks at twenty-five cents, meals and lodging at $1.00 and tolls nearing
$100,000 per year the “Big Bonanza” for In 1863 Swan’s brothers, William and Joseph, joined him as
partners. The toll house and toll road would remain under the Swan name until
1869. End of the Comstock and the The end of the great rush to the Comstock along the On October 27, 1869 the Swan property in Tamarack Flat was
sold to Charles Watson a stagecoach driver for the Pioneer Stage Line and
co-owner of Strawberry Station.
Charles Watson became an unwilling foot note in Seldom was there enough traffic on the road to maintain both
the road and way station and show a profit. Watson used the Flat to graze
cattle and timber contracts were let, on occasion fishing and hunting parties
stayed at the toll house. On January
17, 1880 Charles Watson transferred the 160 acre The toll road era ended in 1886 when the franchised sections
were purchased by |
|
The Martin’s
“Honeymoon” Cabin at Tamarack Flat October 27, 1869 the Swan property in Tamarack Flat was sold
to Charles Watson a stagecoach driver for the Pioneer Stage Line and co-owner
of Strawberry Station. Delia Watson granted her quarter section at Tamarack Flat to
her daughter Olive on March 13, 1913. Olive had married William Martin of
Strawberry and a “honeymoon” cabin was built in the Flat in what they called
“Martin’s Meadow.” Olive deeded the
land to her husband, William Martin in 1919.
It was the first of many cabins to come in the area. During renovation work we found a hand written note inside the
bedroom wall that looks like it says “Built by W. Willy July 1919 for $350”,
not sure about the last name.
On
This must be the Dreher’s
and the pre-rebuild cabin. |
||
|
The Dreher family lived in the Martin’s
“honeymoon” cabin north of the highway.
In the early 1930's, the cabin split apart due to a very heavy winter.
The Drake Brothers, early builders in the area, were hired to rebuild the
cabin. At that time, a new design was added to the front part of the roof.
The Drake Bros, shaped water-soaked shakes around half-logs for a rounded
eave appearance.
1936- Also the Dreher’s? Post rebuild shingle roof and eves. Side refrigeration room visible on side off
kitchen. During Mr. Dreher's ownership, the
cabin remained pretty much the same as when it was rebuilt in the early 30's.
Running water was available and water was heated through coils
in the wood stove in the kitchen. The
pipes have suffered some wear & tear over the years.
The stove is rumored to have been salvaged from Swan’s Toll
House when it was torn down and moved to Phillips.
Kerosene lanterns provided light even though electrical lines
had gone through the area a few years before the sale.
Room heat was supplied by the original Ben Franklin stove. The
stove cracked from the cabin cave in, but was still usable. The bathroom
contained a claw-footed bathtub and a toilet with an overhead wooden reserve
tank. Refrigeration was available in a very unique and natural
way. A small metal-lined room existed
on the west side of the cabin, seen in the 1936 picture above. A trap door in the roof was left open in
the winter and the room would become filled with snow. The trap door was
closed in the spring and the snow trapped inside would keep milk products,
produce, and meat fresh throughout the summer months. A side opening provided
easy access to whatever was stored inside. |
||
|
Honeymoon Cabin
Owners William Dreher sold the Martin’s
“honeymoon” cabin in 1959 to a Mr. & Mrs. Logan. Mrs. Logan lived in the cabin until well
into her eighties. Mr. Rentfro purchased the cabin from
the Current owners: |
|
Tamarack Flat Development The Dreher Era For his Sierra Pines and On December 2, 1946 Vern Sprock and
Ernie Richardson purchased most of Dreher’s
property north of the highway, subdivided and started selling lots along
Sierra Pines and Mt. Ralston Roads. As partners they built Tamarack Pines Lodge - just west of
the present-day telephone building and on the north side of the highway.
The-two-story lodge had hotel rooms, a restaurant, bar, grocery store, mail
boxes and an Associated “Flying A” gas station. Sprock left the partnership in 1953 to
manage the first Sierra Ski Ranch that
had been built by the Barrett Brothers in 1 946-47. He purchased the facility
in 1955 and thirteen years later moved the operation to south and west of
Phillips. Sierra Ski Ranch was enlarged and developed into a major family ski
center-now Sierra-At-Tahoe. In April of 1967 the cabin owners south of the highway formed
the Tamarack Park Homeowners’ Association. Its primary purpose was (and is)
to maintain and upgrade the water system serving its members. The old Tamarack Pines Lodge was torn-down in 1969. During the 1970’s construction was
“booming” in Tamarack Flat. More cabins were built - mainly north of the
highway. A dam and improved water-collection facility was built above the
church camp (Adventist then, now Baptist) to provide an increased supply of
pure water for both homeowners’ associations. It was soon evident that this
“improved” system was not adequate as a water source for both Associations. The Tamarack Park Homeowners’ Association decided that an
independent water source was needed.
In 1986-87 the Tamarack Park Homeowners’ Association dug a well and
constructed a pump house in the general area where Swan’s Upper Toll House
had been located. The system went on line in the summer of 1987 drawing its
water from over four hundred feet below ground. Upgrades have been made to
the system to increase water storage capacity. Mt. Ralston Homeowners’ Association water development 1989. |