Letter: Historical Society gives up on Barton Ranch
Publisher’s note: This letter was sent to South Lake Tahoe officials on March 23 and to Lake Tahoe News on March 27.
Dear Ms. (Hilary) Roverud,
It has come to our attention that the Mosher family has applied to the TRPA for a permit allowing them to either move the buildings that comprise what is the remainder of the Barton Ranch, or demolish them. As we have not received a formal response from the city of South Lake Tahoe to our letter of Jan. 5, 2015, in which we asked that the city of South Lake Tahoe to take the lead in preserving the Barton Ranch, the Lake Tahoe Historical Society would like to formally state it is ceasing all activities related to the Barton Ranch.
The Lake Tahoe Historical Society has exhausted all of its resources to preserve this important and historic site. Long gone are many reminders of Tahoe’s proud past, which if they had been saved might have contributed to the economic vibrancy of the area, simply by their historical significance.
The board of directors of the Lake Tahoe Historical Society wishes to go on record to express its deep regret that the many governmental organizations having jurisdiction over the future of the city of South Lake Tahoe’s historic sites do not see the value in preserving them.
Sincerely,
Catherine Whelan, president Lake Tahoe Historical Society
Yeah, sounds like SLT, they rather build vacation rentals on that site !
Barton Ranch, Sad to hear another piece of Tahoe history is facing destruction. Wish that classic could have been restored and turned into a showpiece of early Tahoe ranching.
Goodbye old Tahoe and hello new strip mall! Old long Skiis
If it’s important to,protect these historical places then the public should buy them.
ya the public just comes together an buys property out from under corrupt aholes like these guys.. i dont know where your income is coming from but most slt locals hardly have enough money to eat let alone buy public property for the sake of preservation.
The City needed to at least respond to its own local historical society. Buying the land and the buildings is likely not in the budget but not responding is unacceptable.
Last time I checked, lodging per night averaged over $100 in the city of SLT. To bad someone couldn’t get a bed and breakfast (with a historical twist) or ?,…. to fly. Not dead yet, but doesn’t look very confidence inspiring. This historic site should be a great neighbor to the new park next door. Bummer
I don’t know the Mosher family, but there is no doubt that preservation could have important local tourist draws and therefore positive economic impacts as Perry says above.
Too bad some of the multimillion dollar donations to the college could not have been diverted to this use. I think where it is supposed to be going is just like flushing it at least for 20 years.
As has been said, there are so many businesses and individuals just surviving there is little economic slack to devote to historic preservation.
I also don’t understand why TRPA has any sway on this issue. Have they taken over responsibility for the State Historic Preservation dept in the Basin????
Atomic – the City Manager had at least one meeting with a board member from the Historical Society, and some of us did respond, by picking up the phone or talking to them in person to offer ideas.
The Historical Society raised about $100,000.00 dollars, if my memory serves, in the early 1990’s to move the log cabin and the toll house from one City property to another, where they sit today. I went before the City Council to ask permission to move it, and then we turned to the community to raise the money. The problem with this option today, as I understand it, is that the family does not want any part of the Barton Ranch moved.They are entitled to that choice.
As far as the City purchasing the property, that location would be very expensive to buy, extremely expensive to mitigate the mold and rotted areas (if that could even be done to meet health and safety codes), and the return on investment would not come close to covering the costs.
At a time when our citizens are asking for road repair and recreation improvements, we haven’t heard support.
I am sad we cannot save this important part of Tahoe’s history, but I do not believe it is fair to blame the City.
Joann
I have a question if the city has no options with this historic property. What is the zoning for that parcel that the Barton property is located on. Can you answer that question? If it is not zoned commercial. Putting a deed restriction as to not allow a change of the use of that property in the future could that be an option for the City or TRPA.
This community has a poor track record with honoring history.Some of our history needs to be preserved for future generations. It’s sad there is not much more to protect.
Fifty year, there is a very simple solution…write the owners a check and buy it.
Fifty Year – the Barton Ranch property is zoned commercial. Deed restrictions and rezoning issues need to be approached carefully. As much as some of us may want something in our City preserved, I think most of us also want our personal property rights protected.
Yes, we have lost some history, and that is always somewhat sad. However, we have the Tallac Historic Site, which connects back to the late 1800’s in the basin. It is a rare entity, as very few properties that fall under the US Forest Service actually contain historic buildings. Any repairs done to those buildings must be done in keeping with the original work, to protect the history.
Inside our City, Osgood’s Toll House is the oldest standing private residence in the entire basin. That is significant. I understand Bob Harms, from the Historical Society is working to raise money to restore the Toll House. Donations of any size would, I believe, be welcomed. That is something the community can do.
The old log cabin predates World War II. It is furnished with many artifacts from the past, and there is a time capsule buried at one of the corners for future generations. The museum itself holds Washoe Indian work, and many historical items from our area. The Celio Ranch, in Meyers, is circa mid to late 1800’s as well, and has been protected by the family. Some of the Globin Resort buildings still stand, as well as one of the historic walls along Lakeview Avenue. There are many Washoe grinding rocks scattered about our area, and Rabe’s Meadow, near Lake Side Inn, was the site of the first airport.We have lost some of our history, but we still have some to preserve as well.
Many city staff members worked hard with the Historical Society to explore options. It is frustrating, but there was nothing more we can do.
Inyo wife if you want to,preserve these things you buy them. If these things are that important to the community then the community should step up,and pay for them either through a fundraising effort or pass a parcel fee with funds restricted to historical preservation. Other communities do these things every day in this country. You can’t always have other people pay for the things you want. If the public doesn’t want to pay let’s move along.
Thanks Joanne for answering my question. I agree with some comments that writing a check is the solution to any challenge of this nature. However it is my understanding the historical society has not even been granted access to see what it would take to rebuild the Barton Ranch if moved or left in its current location.
My question about zoning was tied to if the property was already zone historical in nature. If it is currently zoned commercial then the property owners have rights and those need to be upheld. My comment about deed restrictions was tied to if there was a request to change the current approved use.
I feel that maintaining historical sites within the city limits is an important factor. The ones you mentioned are all out of the city limits. You also brought up a good point about the Toll house which I am a financial contributor to and I think you will see some progress being done on that building soon, I am sure it will be done in stages as this will be a costly project. Any financial support our community can put forward to assist them in this project will be to the benefit to our community and preserving our long history moving forward.
Fifty Year – you are welcome. We have to respect the owners right to refuse access. The City Planning Department had several meetings with the Historical Society representatives to address the condition, since the City has had access probably more recently than anyone but the family. It has been decades since I have been inside, and things could have changed radically. It is sad. for sure.
On the bright side, the Toll House, log cabin, Globin Resort buildings and fence, and some grinding rocks are actually within our City limits. I hope, however, we will continue to be alert to the possibility of other sites and buildings that may be able to be saved in the future. There are many that are not on the radar. It is good to know there are people interested in preserving our past while improving our future.
Whether it’s it the City or in the wilderness we all need to decide what we want to protect. Ancient sites are being decimated at a sickening rates. Our self-centered “it’s all about US” society has people chipping carvings off cliffs and pulling grinding stones out of the ground using trucks and wenches .By the way-Celio Ranch is located in the Upper Lake Valley, not Meyers– Shirley would tell you.