The scene: The 1950s were a huge decade of change for South Lake Tahoe, with the proliferation of casinos on the Nevada side and the creation of the one-chair Heavenly ski resort on the California side. But the main attraction, then as now, was the lake itself, its shore dotted with mom-and-pop motels, vacation cottages and souvenir shops. When the original Red Hut opened here in 1959, South Lake Tahoe was becoming popular but the tourism infrastructure was nascent.
