Then and now: The Grove was bustling in its heyday

The Grove at Camp Richardson
(B+W photos/Lake Tahoe Historical Society Collection, Frasher-Putnam-Valentine)

Until the 1930s, “The Grove” on Lake Tahoe’s South Shore consisted of a pier, dance hall, saloon, tents, cabins and other structures.

Some imported from various other locations.

Part of The Grove location included what is today’s privately-owned Camp Richardson Marina, adjacent to the U.S. Forest Service-owned Camp Richardson Resort.

This view (#5) from the Camp Richardson Marina pier essentially shows the shoreline of what was The Grove from the pier into Jameson Beach. The Grove’s old pier was near the dock seen at left.

Local historian Dave Wakeman observes that the tallest trees viewed on the south shoreline are between Camp Richardson and Kiva Beach because early landowner Lucky Baldwin would not allow tree harvesting on his property.

The Grove today. Photo/Bill Kingman

— Bill Kingman