Driving up to Lake Tahoe on Highway 50, the Strawberry Lodge has been greeting visitors since Fred Baumhoff built it in 1939. What about the Strawberry House that greeted earlier travelers along the Swan-Henry Toll Road? Where Mr. Berry built the first Strawberry House has been a mystery to me. Perhaps someone in this group has the answer?
The third Strawberry House built in 1939 next to the present day Highway 50. UC Davis photo, Eastman collection:
The present Highway 50 was built in the mid-1930s, bypassing the old Swan-Henry toll road, which also saw service as the first state highway, The Placerville-Lake Tahoe Wagon Road, then as the Lincoln Highway from 1914 to 1928, and finally an early version of Highway 50. It was along the old road that Irad Berry built the first two incarnations of the Strawberry House, the second after the first burned down. It was along this route that travelers would have to cross the fabled "Slippery-Ford" across the American River at TwinBridges. Once you forded the river, the next stop was the "Slippery Ford House," past Hank Monk Rock, and finally Strawberry House.
The Strawberry Valley House along the Swan-Henry Toll Road.
Where was the first Strawberry House located? Looking at a couple of older pictures, we see the sight appears much closer to "Lovers Leap" than it sits today, which makes sense since the old road passed directly under the famous cliff.
Here is a map showing the new and old roads up to Twin Bridges. The new Highway 50 of the mid-1930s is the blue line, which is the same route we follow today. The red line is the old road, which followed a course next to Lovers Leap.
The following map is a close up in satellite view. As you can see, the old road, red line, emerged onto the area that is present-day Highway 50. The question I have is, did the old way follow the green path down Strawberry Lane, crossing the river further downstream, or did it follow the pink line, crossing the river before the Strawberry House?
Close up of the different roads.
The photograph below shows a series of small cabins that were part of the Strawberry Resort during the Lincoln Highway era. Where were these cabins located along the road?
1920 Mc Carthy Photograph showing the cabins at Strawberry. Photo from: Calif. State Archives.
The photograph below is from 1903, showing a stagecoach leaving Strawberry. Notice how close Lovers Leap is in the background. Where was this located along the old road? Where was the original Strawberry House? The only clues I have are the new 1939 building was built closer to the new highway, at least a few hundred yards west of the original.
1903 photograph shows an open stagecoach with "Lake Tahoe Placerville" printed on the side, men and boy standing in front, barn or stable in background. Photo from: California State Archives