Hidden Historic Tahoe

 It's been about three years since I last posted something on my Blog. Even I was surprised it had been that long! Well, I'm bbbaacckkkk! 

This is the site of the Lake House Hotel, mentioned below.

Today I was riding my bike around the streets near our cabin and I decided to revisit some historic markers put in by the local Historical Society.  I don't know about you, but I have always been far more interested in the lives of ordinary people, than famous historical leaders.  I've done a lot of family tree research through Ancestry and learning about my great-great-great- (et cetera)  grandparents has been truly inspiring. Through doing this research, I've become even more interested about the local history of places I've visited.  Since we have a vacation home here in South Lake Tahoe, I was excited to learn more about the local history of this area.

A Hidden Cemetery

South Lake Tahoe was incorporated in 1965, but its history goes back much further.  Tucked into the Al Tahoe neighborhood, is a nondescript cemetery surrounded by small cabins from the turn of the century, 1960s era houses, modern wood and stone houses, giant "McMansions" and a few duplexes.  While now South Lake Tahoe, (SLT) seems to pride itself on preserving its past, and being environmentally aware, this was not always the case, and the mishmash of home styles on the tree lined streets certainly confirms this.  

Hidden near the corner of Alameda and Tallac Avenues is this cemetery with several upright stones and a few wooden markers, showing the location of other unmarked graves. The unincorporated city of SLT paved over part of the cemetery to put in Alameda Avenue showing a total lack of regard for the bodies laying below the tarred road. Thomas Rowland, an early pioneer, along with about twenty-three others, including members of the Barton (the local hospital is named Barton Hospital,) and Goodrich families are buried here. 

The story goes that in 1959 the gas company was digging a trench along Alameda Avenue. Local mailman Stan Meyers, who witnessed the event said, 'bones were flying far and wide!'  An urn containing the remains of an Arthur Hill who died in 1913, (who was only identified because of some papers inside the urn,) was dredged up too.  In 1975 Arthur Hill was ceremonially reburied by the Historical Society,  along with and the bones of many still unidentified early residents. 

I was unable to go into the cemetery because it is locked behind a metal fence, but it was interesting trying to imagine what the area looked like all those years ago.

Rowlands, California, (AKA South Lake Tahoe.)

  In 1859 two men named Dean and Lapton decided to build the Lake House Hotel not far from this cemetery.  They bought 320 acres because they were convinced the trans-continental railroad would be routed along the eastern side of Lake Tahoe.  Even though the railroad did not come here, the hotel benefitted from the heavy traffic of people passing by on the way to logging operations and the Comstock Lode in nearby Virginia City. By several accounts, the Lake House was filthy, and "furnished the worst food anywhere around." The hotel burned to the ground in 1866, and the pair sold the land to Thomas Rowland who had previously owned Strawberry Station along Highway 50. Rowland set out to construct the community of Rowland's Station. Goodrich, (also buried in the cemetery,) ran a cobbler's shop in the township of Rowland's Station.  This building is the oldest standing private residence in Lake Tahoe, standing in the same location since 1868.

The Goodrich Cobble Shop in Rowlands, CA 1868.

I plan to explore my seemingly ordinary little neighborhood for  more hidden history!

Historic Florida, Georgia & South Carolina, With Some Weirdness Thrown In.

FLORIDA
DisneyWorld is one amazing place.  It is literally its own world with miles of roads leading up to, and around the four kingdoms. Hotels, shopping centers, restaurants, it has everything.  We were on the highway one minute, and suddenly we were passing under signs welcoming us to, 'The happiest place on earth!"  I could just imagine the cars full of kids, screaming in delight that they had finally arrived.

On one of our non-park days we decided to check out a Walt Disney Corporation community called, Celebration.  It is not exactly a city, but instead is called a "census-designated place and master planned community."  In other words it is an unincorporated resort and retirement area.  It began in 1994 and has neighborhoods of condos, small homes and large mansions.  The streets are tree-lined and each house is unique, and very Americana.  Rather than it being a subdivision atmosphere, the streets and houses looked like they could have been over a century old, with not a flower out of place, or a weed in a crack on the sidewalk.  Ornate Victorians sat next to  colonial style homes, next to Spanish style houses with heavy tile roofs, next to  craftsman style houses, next to American Gothic farmhouses with porch swings.  This planned community was created to be Disney's idea of the perfect town.  There was no bad part of town, no other-side-of-the-tracks.  It made me feel, well, confused.  It indeed was a beautiful town, and as we rode up and down the streets we were always 'ooing and ahhing' at the picture-perfect homes. But, it was a bit too "Stepford-Wife-ish" for me. (Remember the movie in which all the wives in the town were turned into 'perfect' wives, always happy, always perfectly put together, waiting hand-and-foot on their husbands?)  I really wanted to like Celebration, but it all made me feel uneasy.  In fact, my feelings were confirmed when I picked up a local paper  touting the wonderful attributes of the community. In it were photographs of happy people doing fundraising, having Christmas parties at the town hall, participating in craft and bake sales.  Then I read the minutes from the most recent Home Owners Association meeting in which a bylaw was passed limiting each family to only four "non-residents" (read outsiders) to any town event.  Each homeowner would be given ID badges for these events and their guests had to remain with them at all times.  That just creeped me out! I decided, after continuing on to St. Augustine, Savannah and Charleston, cities with real histories and a grittiness to them, that Celebration can go on perfectly without including me.

ST. AUGUSTINE, FLORIDA
St. Augustine, located in the northeastern part of the state lays claim to being the oldest continuously inhabited city in the United States. With over four centuries of history, the city has influences from Spain, England and Greece as well as from the African cultures and Native Americans.   It was founded in 1565 by  Spanish explorers, one of whom was Juan Ponce de Leon.  You know his name as the guy who claimed to find the Fountain of Youth.  The story goes that he was amazed at the youthful and strong native tribesmen who looked far younger than their actual age.  He of course assumed that it was due to them drinking from a spring that bubbled up in their village.  (Let's not consider that they had a healthy diet and did plenty of physical activity.)  So, the legend of the Fountain of Youth began and continues to this day.  We tried it.  And we're still waiting for it to take affect. It had a mineral taste and was highly alkaline.  The docent told us, even though it wasn't very pleasant to drink, it was very good for us.  Well, okay.  It was still yucky.

We enjoyed exploring the Fountain of Youth Archeological Park, which besides the Fountain contained a 16th century settlement, cannons, interesting and well-informed park docents and lots of peacocks.  We almost went deaf when, on the hour, a docent dressed like a Spanish Conquistador lit the cannon and 'fired on the enemy."  (No they didn't actually shoot a cannon ball, but the blast was incredibly loud.)

Then we walked along St. George Street, a pedestrian-only section of the old city.  Along the way we saw plenty of restaurants, bars, shops and historical buildings such as the oldest wooden schoolhouse in St. Augustine.

After visiting Celebration, it was nice to see a real town with real history and some grit to it.

SAVANNAH, GEORGIA

Oh, I do love Savannah!  It is old and beautiful and creepy and haunted and real.  Our hotel was right on the Savannah River and was once an old factory and warehouse used by Anheuser-Busch and then Heitz Ketchup. In fact when they did renovations to turn it into a hotel, they found lots of old beer cans and ketchup bottles.  

This is the warehouse turned hotel.

In February of 1733 General Oglethorpe and settlers from England landed in what is now Savannah and according to history, was greeted by Tomochichi, the Chief of the Yamacraw tribe.  Together, Oglethorpe and Tomochichi are considered co-founders of the City of Savannah and the Colony of Georgia.  The historic downtown is very much the same as the original town plans drawn up by Oglethorpe. Savannah's historic district is the largest in the U.S.  Each little neighborhood has a square and a statue of someone important to Georgia. Twenty-two of the original twenty-four squares still remain.   Each house and building had an interesting history, some with very influential former residents, and others, places where much money was made "between the sheets!" We took one of those 'hop-on-hop-off' bus tours and learned so much about the city.  I just felt the history everywhere and could understand why it is considered a very haunted city.  I love that stuff, but my husband is a skeptic, so he sort of ruins it for me!(haha) 

From our hotel we could see gigantic barges loaded with containers move up the Savannah River, some piled so high they were taller than the buildings.  It was weird to see.  At first glance it appeared that the buildings were moving, then we realized it was the container ships behind them that were moving.  We learned that the cobblestones along the river were actually ballast stones from the old ships that were 're-purposed' for roads.  It was great to see that an area that was at one time the dock area full of warehouses,  was now a place with flourishing restaurants and hotels, all keeping the original flavor of each building and street. 

  

Here you can see the ballast stones used to make the roads and walls.

This was one of several old storage areas along the river- very creepy!

Savannah's historic district is just incredible.  Everywhere are stately large homes and churches, each with an interesting history. I highly recommend visiting Savannah!

HILTON HEAD, SOUTH CAROLINA
We made a detour here on our way to Charleston and we were glad we did.  The beaches here are beautiful- fine white sandy beaches that go on for miles.  I can see why this is a well loved vacation destination.  We enjoyed our brief couple of hours here.

CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA

Charleston was founded in 1670 and was originally known as Charles Town to honor King Charles II of England.  Its rich history is obvious everywhere you look and the historic district is beautiful, each section having its own unique personality and flavor.  We took a bus tour, which we often do in new cities to get a "quick study" of the place. Later we walked to the harbor and the city market and just wandered the tree lined streets and soaked in all the amazing southern architecture.  Our hotel was centrally located, right in the historic district, so we could walk to restaurants and we really felt like we had our fingers on the pulse of the city.  

Our vacation to Florida, Georgia and South Carolina was wonderful in all ways!  We had great fun at DisneyWorld and enjoyed our road trip to three fabulous southern cities.  One of my favorite quotes about traveling says it all:  
"Traveling...it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller." (I.Battuta)
Until next time!

  

DisneyWorld !

So there we were, two sixty-year olds pushing a ninety-four year old in a wheel chair through the gates of Disneyworld. (Let me mention that the 94 year old simply can’t cover the distances as quickly as we can.  Otherwise, she’s got more energy than we do!)  Compared to the hordes of families with kids, we were sure an odd little group.  The teacher in me wondered why all these kids weren’t in school.  But the parent in me knew, childhood goes by too quickly.  What will they remember, the day they learned long division, or the family trip to Disneyworld? 

I just didn’t expect  January to be as crowded as a summer day in these parks!  Imagine a fifty minute wait to The Haunted Mansion?!  Luckily, we had fast passes, thanks to my husband’s pre-planning, because no trip to Disney is complete, in my opinion, without going to the Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean. I hate to admit it, but I’ve been on the Haunted Mansion ride so many times I can recite the scary words by heart!  “This chamber has no windows and no doors…”

But, even with the crowds, Disney never disappoints.  We spent five days there, traipsing through the Magic Kingdom (just like Disneyland,) Epcot, Disney Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom.  In Epcot we ‘traveled’ around the world and into the future.  In Hollywood Studios they still have the Tower of Terror, my husband’s favorite ride, and in Animal Kingdom we went on a safari!  (Sorry Walt, it just isn’t the same as the real Serengeti!)

We had a wonderful English Tea at the Grand Floridian, and Winnie says it was one of the best Teas she’s ever had!  And she ought to know.  I thought it was ALL fantastic!

Hoofddorp, huh? Holland

We've just returned from dinner in a town called Hoofddorp. Isn't it just fun to say?

We've gotten very brave venturing out on the trains and buses to see the outskirts of Amsterdam. It's our last day of vacation and we certainly weren't going to just hang around the hotel.  It has been a rainy and rather gloomy day, but we just pulled out our umbrellas and pulled on the hoods to our jackets, and kept going.

We went to the town of Edam first, which was founded in 1357!  It is known for producing cheese, and that was obvious by the many cheese shops.  We had lunch there after wandering the narrow streets, looking in the shops and taking quick peeks ( by accident as we passed by) into private homes that looked cozy and cute.

Then we traveled to another more touristy town called Volendam, also founded in 1357- that's 660 years ago! Imagine!  This seaport town, known for its fishing industry, had an area along the water that looked like a Dutch version of Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco, although much more quaint.

It was a fun last day to our amazing vacation.

Take the 300 Bus to Haarlem (Netherlands)

Sorry for borrowing a line from the Ella Fitzgerald song, "Take the A Train to Harlem," (New York.)

We arrived  'out of Africa' this morning, taking a red eye from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania to Amsterdam.  We loved seeing Africa, but it is great being back in a 'first world' country.  It's the little things, like being able to use tap water to brush your teeth, and actually drink the water too!

After a couple hour nap - since we hardly slept on the plane- we went by bus to a town called Haarlem- about 30 minutes from Amsterdam.  It's where the colonists came from, who settled in Harlem, New York. We were impressed with the ease of taking trains and buses here.  There are designated bus lanes, so traffic is very orderly. Cars have their roads,  buses have their roads,  trains run on their tracks and  bikes and scooters have their pathways; and for that matter, so do the people.

Haarlem has a rich history dating back to medieval times, and the curving streets with buildings dating back to that period, were fun to explore.  We toured St. Bavo Church which was begun in 1370.  The entire floor consisted of 1,500 gravestones, ranging from the 1400s to the 1700s. The gigantic organ was actually played by Mozart and Handel!

Like Amsterdam, the city is build around a series of canal.  It's a beautiful place!

Zanzibar-Stone Town Part II

On our second day in Zanzibar we took a tour of Stone Town-what an exotic and different world! Thankfully we had a guide, otherwise we still may be trying to find our way out of the labyrinth of narrow streets.  It began in the 1500s as a trading post  by Portugal,  and over the centuries has been lived in and controlled by India, Arabia, and England.  So all these countries put their stamp on the architectural styles in the town.  Nowadays, the town is still lived in by the local people, but has fallen into disrepair.  In many  alleyways are crisscrossing wires for electricity, and clothing hung out to dry.

We went to the market and seeing how they handled fish, chicken and beef would make me NOT want to eat any of it. It was a cacophony of noises- loud and crazy! They didn't bother trying to sell us any of their meats because we were clearly with a tour guide.

The other parts of the market sold all sorts of things, including spices, souvenirs, and clothing.  It was a very eye opening experience, and here they were not shy about, 'offering us the best price.'

The fish market. I'm sure you can imagine the smell!

A disgraceful part of Stone Town's history is that it was the largest slave trading market in the world.  We toured the museum and saw the conditions in which people lived.  Outside is a very moving display that kind of says it all. Here it is:

Off to Zanzibar -- Part I

Over the years, hearing about a place called Zanzibar conjured up a tropical far away and strange island.  I remember as a kid talking about trying to dig to China- which for me and my dorky friends meant digging a hole all the way through the earth and ending up on the other side. Well it turns out, without doing any digging, we have gotten to within 600 miles of being on the other side of the world! The actual spot is in the Indian Ocean, and not China!

Zanzibar, an island off of the coast of Tanzania- and part of that country- is actually made up of 54 islands, about 45 of them are only inhabited by wildlife. And as we have seen throughout Rwanda and Tanzania, Zanzibar is a study in contrasts  Many people live in poverty- dirt floor huts, small villages with no running water and a family goat or two- which isn't their pet!  Driving from the airport to the hotel, we kept looking at each other, a bit nervous about whether there was actually a nice hotel at the end of the road.

Tanzania is 93% Muslim, so the most of the men and women dress in traditional clothing.  It is so hot and humid that I can't imagine living under all those layers of fabric.

Then, we finally arrived, and wow, what a place Rob found! Winnie gave us these four days as an anniversary present and it has been fantastic! The Melia Zanzibar is the fanciest place I've ever been! The service is over the top! And the pools, ocean, grounds and the food are out of this world.  We chose the "all inclusive " package so all the meals and  drinks are included.

Each night is a themed buffet, from Indian, to a barbecue on the beach, to Mediterranean to Arabian style food.

The Indian food buffet! Amazing!

This was the barbecue night on the beach.  It was so fancy! It seemed like we were crashing a Hollywood wedding reception.  They sat us at communal tables, and we got to know a couple from Israel, and a couple from Germany.  Thankfully they all spoke perfect English!

This is the Gabi Beach restaurant- also part of the hotel.  We watched fishermen bring in their catch as we had beers and pizza and tropical salads! Pinch me, am I dreaming!?