Glen Alpine Springs Collection, 1830-2010
Collection context
Summary
- Title:
- Glen Alpine Springs Collection
- Dates:
- 1830-2010
- Abstract:
- Papers, brochures, photographs, maps, artifacts, and digital materials relating to the activities related to the preservation and early management of Glen Alpine Springs, located in South Lake Tahoe, California.
- Extent:
- 7.4 linear feet
- Language:
- English .
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item], Glen Alpine Springs Collection, D-698, Archives and Special Collections, UC Davis Library, University of California, Davis.
Background
- Scope and content:
-
Papers, brochures, photographs, maps, artifacts, and digital materials relating to the activities for the preservation and early management of Glen Alpine Springs (GAS), located in South Lake Tahoe, California. Included in this collection are materials related to The Historical Preservation of Glen Alpine Springs, Inc. (THPGAS), a non-profit corporation that, in conjunction with the United States Forest Service, preserves, restores, and educates the public about the national and historical resources of Glen Alpine Springs. Also included in this collection are research materials used to create educational materials about the significance of Glen Alpine Springs.
This collection also contains historical artifacts from Glen Alpine Springs and materials related to the history of the Gilmore, Pierce, and Kinney families.
- Biographical / historical:
-
Establishing Glen Alpine Springs
Glen Alpine Springs (GAS) was a resort in South Lake Tahoe, California, that was established in 1878 by Nathan Gilmore. Nathan Gilmore and his brother emigrated from Ohio to California in 1850 following the discovery of gold. He panned for gold, opened a store, and was running a small cattle operation in 1863 when he discovered the soda spring, which would later become the centerpiece of the resort. By 1871, he filed a deed for 10,000 acres extending from Fallen Leaf Lake to Mt. Tallac in Devil's Valley Wilderness (now known as Desolation Wilderness). In 1873, Gilmore filed for water rights to the mineral spring and brought his family to the mountains during the summer. Initially, the resort was intended as a health resort because of the properties of the spring water, but as popularity grew, Gilmore added more cabins and developed hiking trails for guests to enjoy. By 1878, GAS had been established as the first family resort in the Lake Tahoe area. According to legend, the name Glen Alpine Springs was inspired by Sir Walter Scott's lengthy 1810 poem The Lady of the Lake, which was a favorite of Gilmore's wife, Amanda Gray Gilmore. Upon her death in 1880, Gilmore named the resort Glen Alpine.
Notable Visitors
John Muir visited the resort in 1892 along with the presidents of UC Berkeley and Stanford University. They met with Gilmore and formed the Sierra Club. Gilmore was also part of the team that lobbied President William McKinley to establish the Lake Tahoe Forest Preserve in 1899. He made the wilderness a possibility by relinquishing his claim to the land that would become Desolation Wilderness, one of America's most popular wilderness areas.
Photographer Arthur Kinney visited Glen Alpine Springs in the summers of 1905 and 1907. His work greatly contributed towards capturing the history of Glen Alpine Springs.
Edward Gray Galt was a businessman and nephew of Jennie Gray. He designed the Glen Alpine logo that is still used today. Edward hosted the famous architect Bernard Maybeck at Glen Alpine Springs, and they became good friends. Maybeck enjoyed spending time in the summer at Glen Alpine Springs with his wife, Anne, and their two children. He exchanged his design services for the right to stay there. Maybeck designed six buildings built on the property between 1921 and 1927.
Management History
Nathan Gilmore passed away in 1888, so his daughters, Susan Gilmore Pierce and Evelyn Gilmore Ramsey, together with a maternal aunt, Jennie Gray, became the owners of GAS and continued operating the resort. Later, Susie was assisted by her son, Dixwell Pierce, in managing Glen Alpine Springs' operations.
The Gilmore, Pierce, and Gray families continued to manage the resort until 1946, when the resort came under the ownership of Mary Garcia and her family. Garcia operated a 16-room hotel and campground at GAS. The old hotel burnt down in 1960, and the Garcia family sold GAS to the Glen Alpine Holding Corporation in 1966. The corporation intended to rebuild and expand the resort, but the holding company's plans never materialized, and the resort was largely abandoned until 1978.
In 1978, David Robert Fritschi Jr. purchased GAS after years of neglect. With the purchase, he owned the buildings and contents, and the 5.5 acres on which they stand in the El Dorado National Forest, while the surrounding land is owned by the National Forest Service, a service under the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He committed to preserving the historical buildings and the surrounding area as well as sharing the history of Glen Alpine Springs and its significance in California history. These efforts became "The Historical Preservation of Glen Alpine Springs, Inc." a non-profit corporation. Glen Alpine Springs is maintained and preserved solely through volunteer time and donations. Fritschi sold his portion of the property to the forestry service in 1987, but GAS remained on an indefinite lease. Fritschi remained president of 'The Historical Preservation of Glen Alpine Springs' until his passing in 2022.
Sources
Box 3, Folder 13 - Glen Alpine Springs Significance (Old Version) by James K. Thompson, D-698, Glen Alpine Springs Collection, Archives and Special Collections, UC Davis Library, University of California, Davis.
Huaserman, T. (2020). An oasis of history high in the hills. Tahoe Quarterly. https://tahoequarterly.com/best-of-tahoe-2020/an-oasis-of-history-high-in-the-hills
History. (n.d.) Retrieved December 10, 2025, from https://www.glenalpinesprings.com/history
Kaidantzis, J. (2024 August 1). The Nature of Her Business: Katherine Chandler and Female Proprietors of Summer Resorts at Lake Tahoe, 1900–1930. California History, 101 (3), pgs. 2–26. https://doi.org/10.1525/ch.2024.101.3.2
- Acquisition information:
- Donated by James K. Thompson in 2021.
- Processing information:
-
Elizabeth Wood created the collection-level finding aid. Vanessa Cardona-Ocegueda processed the collection and encoded the finding aid.
- Arrangement:
-
This collection is arranged into the following three series and eleven sub-series.
- Series 1: Early Glen Alpine Springs Materials, 1873-2000
- Sub-Series 1.1: Historical Documents and Family Histories, 1873- 1999
- Sub-Series 1.2: Photographs, 1888-2000
- Sub-Series 1.3: Artifacts, undated
- Series 2: Historical Preservation Efforts, 1862-2010
- Sub-Series 2.1: Historical Preservation of Glen Alpine Springs, Inc. Records, 1977-2001
- Sub-Series 2.2: Preservation efforts, 1996-2010
- Sub-Series 2.3: Photographs and Audiovisual Materials, 1910-2008
- Sub-Series 2.4: Artifacts and textiles, undated
- Series 3: James K. Thompson's Research Materials, 1830-2006
- Sub-Series 3.1: Books and Publications, 1830-2000
- Sub-Series 3.1.1: All About Lake Tahoe, 1830-2003
- Sub-Series 3.1.2: All About Maybeck, 1977-1997
- Series 3.2: Research Notes and Materials, 1920-2006
- Physical description:
- Researchers should contact Archives and Special Collections to request collections, as many are stored offsite
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Indexed terms
About this collection guide
- Date Encoded:
- This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2026-01-23 10:09:05 -0800 .
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
Collection is open for research.
The artifacts and digital files remain unprocessed. For inquiries about these materials please contact Archives and Special Collections.
- Terms of access:
-
Copyright is protected by the copyright law, chapter 17, of the U.S. Code. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Head of Archives and Special Collections. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Department of Archives and Special Collections, University of California, Library, Davis as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the researcher.
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item], Glen Alpine Springs Collection, D-698, Archives and Special Collections, UC Davis Library, University of California, Davis.
- Location of this collection:
-
University of California, Davis, Special Collections, UC Davis Library100 NW QuadDavis, CA 95616-5292, US
- Contact:
- (530) 752-1621