Then and now: Hwy. 50 near Lakeland area

Highway 50 in the 1930s was much more of a rural route. Photo/Stephen Gennerich collection

If you stood on Highway 50 in 1930 near today’s Lakeland Village on the South Shore, the photo above would have been your view toward Mount Tallac.

Civilization had taken hold by the 1950s. Photo/Stephen Gennerich collection

Slowly the area began developing in the early 1950s with more poles and wires, more facilities and services. Harrah’s and Heavenly Valley both opened in 1955. The late 1950s brought hurried development in anticipation of the 1960 Winter Olympics. Dozens of motels, gas stations, eateries and tourist attractions sprung up.

Highway 50 is very much an urban area today. Photo/Bill Kingman

Today at the same location the view is of more cars, more lanes, and more development, but now the poles and overhead wires are gone.

— Bill Kingman