Then and now: Highway 50 in S. Lake Tahoe
Highway 50 at Upper Truckee in the mid-1960s. Photo/South Lake Tahoe
Highway 50 in the Tahoe Valley area in the early 1960s had overhead wires and billboards, like the distant Bank of America billboard seen halfway up the right margin.
There was a second billboard to the right of that one, out of view here. The gap between the bridge and those billboards was a large vacant lot which now is the site of Motel 6 and restaurant.
Across the street, built on landfill, was the ever-popular Outdoorsman, now the Grocery Outlet. The bridge was replaced and the roadway widened in the 1990s.
Foliage is more over grown today along the highway. Photo/Bill Kingman
— Bill Kingman
The Texaco station is now Winters Electric. Does anyone know what the rings are in front of the Texaco sign?
Bill Kingman & Dave Kurtzman, Bill, good job, as I always look forward to Sunday mornings!
The Outdoorsman was a big part of the community for many years. I still have the canoe and some old skiis I bought there many years ago. The vacant lot across the street was where we had our homecomecoming bonfire before it became Motel 6.
Dave Kurtzman, as I recall, the “rings” were old used tires painted white that sat atop the Texaco station.
What an attracive display, eh?
Take care all you “old timers”. Old Long Skiis
I forgot about the Texaco station. I counted 26 gas stations between Cave Rock and Meyers that no longer exist. They were replaced by two new ones Rayley’s and the Chevron at Ski Run.
People complain about the air quality now. Those cars had carburetors and burned leaded gas. They averaged around 13 miles to the gallon also they didn’t have catalytic converters.
I really enjoy these historical snapshots. Thank you to Bill Kingman for sharing them with all of us!
Ahh, the Tahoe of my lost youth! We still have an old cabin we built ca1957 not far from the ‘Y’. I spent many happy weekends at the Lake, zooming around in my MG-A, and later an old Alfa Romeo coupe.
And I do miss the Outdoorsman, where it was a summer ritual to pick up a couple of lures to sacrifice to the fishing gods.
Oh yes,Another misspelling. My “homecomecoming”. Jeez’! There’s a few more stories to the homecoming bonfires across from the Outdoorsman that are not fit to print in a family newspaper like LTN.
I can’t blame this on my english teacher, as Bill Crawford was a fine teacher, and I was poor student. Perhaps I was a bit inattentive and had my mind on other things.
Be good and keep Tahoe history alive!!! OLS
OLS, thanks for explaining the tires on the Texaco station. I enjoy your historical perspective, a thing often forgotten but so important.
Yes the homecoming bonfire, there was also a carnival on that site once a year.
FULL TIME, Yes, thanks for reminding me about the traveling carnival that came to town every summer across from the Outdoorsman! I remember the rides looking a little shaky safety wise, but it was fun!
The skinny carnies lookin’ a little sketchy with missing teeth and lots of tattoos and with a cigarette dangling from their mouths. Then they loaded you onto a ride that looked like it had seen better days. Too much fun!
Have fun in this non-winter. My girlfriend spotted a big fat robin this morning on the fence. In February?
Take care, and have a happy presidents day . OLS
Back in the day, Outdoorsman was quite an outfit.