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    Resorts of Lake County
    Resorts of Lake County
    Resorts of Lake County
    Ebook164 pages43 minutes

    Resorts of Lake County

    By Donna Hoberg

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    Beginning in the 1860s, the first vestiges of the resorts of Lake County appeared around the sparkling pools of the region s many hot springs and upon the shores of Clear Lake. Lured by the supposed medicinal qualities of the water, people flocked to rustic campgrounds and cabins to take the cure for their ailments, drink, and bathe, staying for long periods each summer. Within a few years, ambitious
    entrepreneurs bottled the springs mineral waters and built more luxurious accommodations and amenities. Although the claims of curative waters lost sway over time, resorts equipped with extensive
    recreational facilities, dance floors, live music, bountiful food, hunting, fishing, and children s entertainment continued to draw visitors in droves. Families filled the resorts in summers, and by the 1940s, large group and society meetings as well as conventions began to utilize the resorts on spring and fall weekends. Though few original resorts remain, today, in 2007, the region s business directory lists 51 Lake County resorts.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherArcadia Publishing
    Release dateSep 26, 2007
    ISBN9781439634233
    Resorts of Lake County
    Author

    Donna Hoberg

    Author Donna Hoberg, a longtime Lake County resident, is a member of the Hoberg Resort family. With the generosity of the Lake County Historical Society and the Lake County Museum, she has chosen images from their archives and other private collections to present this dazzling picture of Lake County resorts from the 1860s to the 1960s.

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      Book preview

      Resorts of Lake County - Donna Hoberg

      tutoring.

      INTRODUCTION

      The first resorts in Lake County began with the discovery of the mineral springs that were found in various regions throughout the county and on stage routes that linked Lake County with adjacent areas. The springs’ development began as early as the late 1860s by making the waters available to tourists for drinking and bathing and establishing campgrounds. The first lodging constructed were small, crude cabins, but that changed quite quickly as the springs’ popularity grew. Many of the immigrants who flooded into California in the mid-1880s were form the eastern states and settled in the Bay Area, believed in the cures that mineral waters offered, and were anxious to visit health spa facilities. With business booming, the early entrepreneurs were able to build hotels and more-comfortable accommodations and, in time, offered more recreational facilities. About the same time, a few resorts without hot springs were built at strategic spots along the stage roads coming into the county where the stage would stop to rest their horses and give the passengers a break. These resorts offered relaxation, recreation, and good food as well as accommodations.

      In the area in the hills northeast of Clear Lake, four springs resorts were built: Bartlet, Allen, Hough and Newman—Bartlett Springs being the largest by far. These all contained multiple springs of varying temperatures and mineral content. To the east of this group sat Witter and Saratoga who also had multiple springs. On the road running to Ukiah from Upper lake were three early resorts on Blue Lakes that had no hot springs. On the west side of Clear Lake, about mid-way between the north and south shores, is Soda Bay, where hot springs came bubbling from the lake bottom and around the edge of the bay. Soda Bay Resort was established in 1872.

      In the southern volcanic area of the county, some of the early hot springs resorts were Seigler, Howard, Adams, and Bonanza, and nearer to Middletown were Harbin and Anderson. Highland Springs was located west of Kelseyville on a stage road that came into the county from Hopland and continued on to Lakeport. In Cobb Valley, Glenbrook resort sat on the stage road halfway between Middletown and Lakeport. Glenbrook had no hot springs.

      Recreation was not the most important asset of the spring’s resorts in the beginning. Guests came to drink the water and bathe in it. They walked and relaxed, and since health was the foremost issue, most resorts began to provide healthy food and advertise quality table. Health claims ran amok. Testimonials were common in their advertising, some with doctor’s names attached. It was said that by drinking the mineral waters you could cure most ailments known at that time. The water was so popular that some of these businesses began hauling barrels of it to the Bay Area market by mule train. They also bottled the water and thousands of cases of Lake County bottled water were sold all over California and other parts of the United States. Between 1903 and 1914 mineral water was the major mineral extracted in Lake County.

      The popularity of Lake County health resorts lasted about 50 years, before more modern times and less trust in the health claims of mineral waters began to affect the numbers of tourists who came just for their health. Tourists continued to come into Lake County, but they were looking for recreational facilities primarily, and as Lake County’s population grew, more resorts without mineral springs were built. The state and county began improving the roads, and the new roads that were built left some of the older resorts too isolated, making it difficult for guests to reach their facilities and affecting the resorts’ ability to stay in business. Sometimes they were defeated by disastrous fires or poor management. There were resorts, however, that combined their springs features with multiple recreational facilities and continued to operate into the 1960s.

      By the 1920s and 1930s, small resorts offering housekeeping facilities and known as tourist camps had sprung up all around Clear Lake and in other areas. These provided economical lodging and some recreational facilities, but often the recreational opportunities were nearby. Campgrounds with minimal facilities were very popular and often offered only a creek or a pool if they were not near Clear Lake. Campgrounds were sometimes combined with cabins, and there would be a small store and restaurant.

      American-plan resorts in the Cobb area, such as Hobergs, Forest Lake, Seiglers, and Adams, were a popular destination for people looking for rates that included their meals and provided not only recreational facilities but also entertainment. Adams and Seiglers were among the

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