South Lake Tahoe Western Days a kickoff to 73rd annual Highway 50 Wagon Train

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The 73rd annual fun of the Historic Wagon Trail kicks off on the South Shore this Sunday, but the Lake Tahoe Historical Society (LTHS) has created an event for Saturday to celebrate the western history of the region.

The inaugural Western Days is at the Lake Tahoe Historical Museum Complex in South Lake Tahoe on Saturday, June 4 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. There will be food, mead and beverage, vendors of western wear, jewelry, gold panning, and more. Wylder Hotel is bringing their famous pie too! Other museums will be on hand to share what they do as well. The South Lake Tahoe museum and historic cabin are open for tours, and the 1860 Toll House will have the front door open so people can peek inside as LTHS restores this historic building (entry is not available at this time).

The Cash Only Band will be performing from 11 am to 1 p.m., followed by Doug Schwartz and the Whiskey Wolves from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Historian and author David Woodruff will be performing a Chautauqua as James Reed, a survivor of the Donner Party. He will be on stage between the bands at about 1 p.m,

Ongoing will be a Wild West gunslinger show, and Calamity Jane will be hanging out.

The Highway 50 Association was formed in 1946 at a meeting at Whitehall where resort owners and businessmen from the American River Canyon and the South Shore. They put money together to promote the first highway in the state. Highway 50 at one time was called Highway 1.

The canyon was not only the route of gold miners heading east to the silver mines in Virginia City, but also the Overland Stage, pioneer stagecoaches, Snowshoe Thompson, the Pony Express, and then the first overland telegraph line from Placerville to Carson City.

That meeting resulted in what was going to be a one-time-only Wagon Train to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Gold Rush in 1949. Many locals and visitors wanted the wagon train to return again, so in 1951 there was a second event. The Hwy 50 Association was formed and the wagons and trains have been riding through the Sierra ever since. Some years it started as far east as Virginia City and ended as far west in Sacramento, but South Lake Tahoe, Pollock Pines-Camino, and Placerville have been the mainstays of the trip. In recent decades, Placerville would celebrate the end of the Wagon Train with a parade and celebration, but there was been no sendoff celebration in South Lake Tahoe, until now.

LTHS hopes to bring back this event and make it bigger in years to come.

The Western Days celebration at the museum complex is for one day, then on Sunday, June 5, the Wagon Train takes off from Round Hill and will be stopping for lunch at the museum. The horses and wagons move about 3 mph, so 11 a.m. to noon is the expected lunch breast. Everyone is welcome to stop by, and meet the horses and riders. Parking is best at the South Lake Tahoe Recreation Center, or walk/ride bikes over.

The Lake Tahoe Historical Museum Complex is located at 3058 Lake Tahoe Blvd., South Lake Tahoe. There will be no onsite parking available Saturday and attendees will be directed to park at the SLT Recreation Center.