Changing of the guard at the Tallac Historic Site

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - A glimpse of a bygone era is just a couple of miles from South Lake Tahoe, spread over 74 acres with 19 historic structures including three rustic mansions dating from 1873 to the 1920s.

This preserved area is the Tallac Historic Site and was once heralded as the "Grandest Resort in the World" at its beginnings in the late 1800s. Now what remains are three rustic mansions that were once the summer retreats for three of San Francisco Bay Area's socially elite families - the Tevis family, the Baldwins, and the Hellers.

The Pope Estate, as it is now known, was originally built by Lloyd Tevis, the former president of Wells Fargo in 1894. The Baldwin House was built in 1921 and named after Elias Jackson “Lucky” Baldwin whose opulent casino and hotel, the Tallac House, rested just north of the historic site. Baldwin's granddaughter Dextra had this home built. The third of the estates, Valhalla, was built in 1923 by the Heller family, named from the Viking’s Heavenly Place in Norse mythology.

The Tallac Historic Site is now owned by the USFS Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) and the management of the area is changing from the Tallac Heritage Foundation to the Great Basin Institute (GBI).

Vahalla Tahoe, a non-profit dedicated to preserving Tahoe heritage through art music, and theatre is still partnering with the Forest Service to manage and hold events on the Heller estate.

Changing of the guard

GBI has been the LTBMU’s interpretive association partner for the past few years, operating the Taylor Creek Visitor Center, and offering interpretive material sales at the Supervisor’s Office on College Drive in South Lake Tahoe.

Through a new agreement, GBI will take on operations, preservation, and visitor programs at the National Register-listed Tallac Historic Site, in partnership with the Forest Service.

The Tahoe Heritage Foundation (THF) will remain a fundraising partner for the site, the role they were originally formed to hold. LTBMU ran the site at the time and Susan Fredericks started the foundation so donations would stay in South Lake Tahoe at the site for projects, and not go to other areas. They also ended up running the Taylor Creek Visitor Center.

Fredericks said LTBMU told the group around 2012 they didn't have funds to run the site and wanted THF to take a more hands-on daily role in running operations.

THF had numerous events at the Tallac Historic Site, creating tours, and preserving history for the thousands of people who visit annually. They ran the museum inside the Baldwin House which gives a glimpse into life in a previous time.

THF operated both sites with five-year agreements and passed the torch for Taylor Creek to GBI at the last renewal, but Fredericks said they never received the partnership agreement from USFS to renew in 2021 for the Tallac site as they had in the past. THF was also losing its executive director and seeing a growing list of needs with smaller numbers of volunteers to do them, especially during the pandemic.

"As Tahoe Heritage Foundation’s agreement came to an end in 2021 the THF Board of Directors determined that they wanted to focus their efforts toward their historic preservation mission more than the operation of the Tallac Site facilities and all that accompanies that," said LTBMU Public Services Staff Officer Daniel Cressy. "The THF Board has been instrumental in helping facilitate this transition at the Tallac Site."

"The new agreement will also provide the opportunity to integrate programs between the Taylor Creek Visitor Center and the Tallac Site, helping to enhance the public’s appreciation of the outdoors as well as our connections to our natural and cultural heritage," said LTBMU Public Services Staff Officer Daniel Cressy. "GBI is also a key partner in many of the LTBMU’s other programs including stewardship of forest health and hazardous fuels reduction efforts."

Erin Gavlock, the visitor services administrator for GBI, is now tasked with managing both the Tallac Historic Site and the Taylor Creek Visitor Center.

She said they will be increasing efforts to get back to full operations after two summers of the pandemic. There will be Pope House tours, an artist in residence, and other events which are still being worked out, including the South Tahoe High's Tahoe Terror.

"We want to provide more to the public," said Gavlock.

Gavlock said they are figuring out how to incorporate past operations, not reinvent the wheel, but maybe alter or expand in the future. There will be gift shop operations with similar items - souvenirs, books, clothing. The museum will be open as well. She said they anticipate a schedule similar to last year with at least buildings open Thursday-Sunday with hopes to expand to five days per week. Two soirees are planned as well, one in July, another in August.

There is also going to be a new addition for opening the season on Memorial Day weekend including a community mixer. Details on this will be released later.

They are also hoping to add snacks at a "waystation," a place for snacks in both areas. The Taylor Creek Visitor Center was built in 1964 and was supposed to be just one of five structures. The other four were never completed and the current building was originally planned to be just restrooms. Gavlock said there are no plans to change that at this time but they do hope to get the vandalized stream profile chamber repaired by summer. The new boardwalk on the Rainbow Trail is completed and will have interpretive signage updated this spring.

Valhalla will still be run by the Valhalla Tahoe association. They plan on returning to the pre-pandemic level of events in June 2022 with ten Boathouse concerts on Wednesdays, three free lawn concerts, summer and fall plays, WordWave, and the Holiday Faire. They also complete large preservation projects each year to ensure the site can be used for many years to come.

Volunteer Opportunities

"They will continue the valued volunteerism of both local community members as well as those that travel to the area specifically to volunteer to deliver programs that serve the public and preserve the historic facilities and setting at the Tallac Site," said Cressy.

THF will continue preserving records and fundraising for things like the new roof the National Guard helped with last year.

Help is always needed.

One attractant of volunteers in the past was the free RV campsite given in exchange for hours invested at the Tallac Historic Site.

The original RV site by the Baldwin House was the original kennel for Anita Baldwin's dogs, said Frederick. A newer, modernized area was built with bigger pads across the road. There are now 18 RV sites in two areas for the volunteers. Frederick said THF was faced with paying LTBMU $30,000 to have its volunteers stay there for free, a cost she said they couldn't absorb.

Gavlock said there is no charge to GBI as far as she understands, and the volunteer sites are available. She plans on having three volunteer sessions but will be flexible on when people can be there between May 9 and October 17, 2022. To find out more and to sign up, visit HERE.

There are also non-camping volunteer opportunities at the Tallac site.

GBI is in the process of updating its website and social media to list more about Tallac Historic Site. More will be found here - https://www.thegreatbasininstitute.org/.