Kirkwood History

“Before reaching Kirkwood’s, the oldest resort on the old Amador Wagon Road, now the Alpine Highway, one goes around the famous Spur, but not without pausing, for the scenery here cannot be surpassed, the American River Falls breaking the splendor of the vista.” - Amador County History –published in 1927

Kirkwood’s Historic Mountain Resort – One Of The Oldest In The Lake Tahoe Region

© 2005 by Anthony M. Belli

Pioneer Zack Kirkwood is fondly remembered today as the man who tamed this high country Sierra outpost that still bears his namesake. After obtaining the first of three 160-acre land grants at the 7,800’ – 8,000’ foot elevations east of the Carson Spur, Kirkwood first developed the land into a dairy where during the summer months he herded his cattle and sheep. Although Plasse’s is the oldest establishment along the Carson Emigrant trail it operated strictly as a trading post in those early pioneer days.

Zack Kirkwood went on to develop the first roadhouse and summer resort along the old trail, one year after it was improved for major traffic and re-named the Amador-Nevada wagon road in 1863. Today Kirkwood’s is the oldest resort along highway 88 and one of the oldest historic resorts in the Lake Tahoe region. From the time Zack opened his roadhouse and resort they were simply known as “Kirkwood’s.”

Zack’s historic roadhouse, the Kirkwood Inn served immigrants, teamsters and travelers of all kinds for many years. Miner’s, staging and express companies, cattlemen, hunters, and fishermen along with plenty of locals frequented the Inn. Some old timers no longer with us remembered spending many summer evenings here where they would tell of rather colorful guests at parties and the numerous dances that were held here.

Many evenings were passed with guests of the Inn playing cribbage and listening to Zack tell stories of moving his liquor bar and herds from one county to another to avoid paying local taxes.

In 1864 the formation of Alpine county, which was cut from existing El Dorado, Amador and Calaveras counties left Kirkwood’s sitting where all three county lines converged. The result left Kirkwood’s milk house and barn in Alpine county, and the Inn and log house being split by all three counties in the bar area. For years many tall tales were spun from this fact.

Exactly what year Kirkwood started operating as a summer resort is not clear, however with the increased traffic caused by the opening of the Amador – Nevada wagon road in 1863 access to Kirkwood’s from both California and Nevada opened the opportunity for family vacationers, campers, hunters and many others to escape summertime heat at lower elevations.

In time Kirkwood’s “old time resort” as it was also known became the desired vacation destination for many well to do merchants, land owners, mining moguls, politicians, county officials and wealthy families who could afford to spend weeks away from business and home. Kirkwood’s back then offered much the same in recreational activities that it still does today.

Hiking, camping, fishing, hunting, horseback excursions, games, a trip to the medicinal hot springs, horse racing, carriage rides, croquet and great fishing at Silver and Caples lakes made Kirkwood’s the ideal mountain retreat. Rooms at the Inn were rented out to those who preferred not to camp out-of-doors. For those who did camp, Zack improved a section of his land for groups and families where they could erect a tent and cook meals over an open fire. Kirkwood and his guest found a lively social life existed between Kirkwood’s, the Silver Lake House, Dr. Caples and Steven’s Place in Hope Valley. Every year during the summer months the mountain was surging with people and activity. In 1878 Mr. Agate reported in the Dispatch that the Inn was full with a “veritable who’s who of guests.” “Guests reported catching over 1,000 fish most weighing one pound!” he wrote. The following year fish wagons hauled more then 600 dozen fish from here to market.

Kirkwood’s Old Time Resort Becomes Kirkwood Meadows, Inc. Ski Resort

After the death of her husband Zack, wife Elizabeth Kirkwood stayed on during the summer months at the Inn. She and son Walter Kirkwood continued running cattle each year to Kirkwood’s. Like her husband she too would entertain guest with stories of the mountain. She recalled many chilling stories of narrow escapes in these mountains whenever a sudden storm overtook them. One year her and Zack were trapped in a small cabin that had become snowbound at Corral Flat. They had turned the horses adrift and eventually made it out of the storm to lower elevations but only after they had experienced some extreme hardships.

In later years when June Somerville ran the historic Inn its notoriety was still attracting some high-spirited characters. One such person was Benny Brown; a well liked and respected cattleman who is still fondly remembered for his colorful antics. Once he rode his horse right in through the front door with a fresh killed deer lashed to his saddle. Imagine, with rider in the saddle and his steed standing alongside the bar, Benny cut the rope that held the deer. It landed on the Inn’s old wooden floor with quite a “thud,” whereupon Benny called upon the cook to prepare him a fine meal. I’ve heard he also engaged in more then one gunfight inside the historic Inn with the catsup bottles sitting along the bar. He must’ve been a good shot cause Benny always seemed to get the upper hand on the enemy.

For more then a century Kirkwood’s operated as a mountain resort under the Kirkwood family or lessees. The Inn remained open until 1966 when it was finally closed. Zack’s grandson Warren Taylor still owned the land; he would later sell it to an investment group called Kirkwood Meadows, Inc. who opened it in the winter of 1972 – 73 as a Ski Resort. Decades later Kirkwood Mountain Resort has developed Kirkwood into a world-class skiing village and summer resort.

Anthony M. Belli is a retired police chief who works as a freelance writer – photographer from his Sierra chalet. He writes Gold Rush history and is a field editor for Lost Treasure magazine. He can be reached at: 530.644.1533 or online at: The-Hangman@comcast.net