In 1880, Baldwin purchased about 1,800 acres of land at Lake Tahoe, and there he built one of the largest and most popular summer resorts on the Pacific coast, The Hotel Tallac and Casino. The hotel could accommodate 350 guests and was fitted with steam heat, electric lights and every modern convenience at its time. Baldwin laid out and built miles of roads and walks through the meadows and forests, and to the many small lakes adjacent to Lake Tahoe. The casino was 2 stories high with hardwood polished floors, a ballroom, a ladies billiard and pool-room, bowling alleys and sun parlors. The hotel orchestra played nightly and during the dinner hour. All guests were required to “dress for dinner.” Mark Twain said of the Tallac, “The air was the same as the angels breathe.”
Simply called “Baldwin” Lucky’s private residence at Tahoe was a two-story Victorian built around two large pine trees that were allowed to continue to grow through the porch and roof. This served as an example of his attitude towards preservation of Tahoe’s old growth trees.
The Tallac was the resort destination of the affluent of San Francisco, Sacramento and Virginia City, was considered the grandest resort in the nation and referred to as the “Saratoga of the Pacific.”
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Carol Libby and Karen Hou
about Arcadia, CA.
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Carol Libby & Karen Hou
Arcadia Historical Society
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