LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. – When Paul Nelson first explored the abandoned grounds of the Brockway Hot Springs Hotel in 1968, he couldn’t have known that decades later he would become the chronicler of Lake Tahoe’s lost golden age of grand resorts. 

His new book, “Lost Grand Resorts of Old Lake Tahoe,” will be released on Nov. 12. It uncovers a glittering era when railroad magnates and silver barons transformed the pristine wilderness into a playground for America’s elite. It is available now for pre-order.

“These were fascinating people who created elegant tourism out of a wilderness,” said Nelson, whose personal connection to the lake spans more than five decades. “They began casino gambling and started the whole second-home world that became modern Lake Tahoe.” 

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The story begins in the 1880s with Lucky Baldwin’s legendary Tallac House, which Nelson describes as “the world’s grandest hotel on the south shore.” For 30 years, the Comstock and Lawrence families operated this crown jewel of hospitality, catering to the wealthy prospectors of California’s gold and Nevada’s silver mines along with San Francisco’s high society. 

But it was the death of Lucky Baldwin in 1909 that set in motion an unexpected chain of events. His wealthy daughter’s disinterest in hotels led to a pivotal shift northward, where the Comstock family would transform the Brockway Hot Springs Hotel into an even more exclusive club-like resort. 

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The competition for luxury intensified when timber baron Duane Bliss unveiled his masterpiece, the Tahoe Tavern in Tahoe City. Nelson’s research reveals the magnificent scale of this venture. “It had hundreds of rooms, a theater and bowling alley, and what would become California’s first ski resort.” 

The hotel even boasted its own rail line and the famous S.S. Tahoe steamship, establishing new standards for lakeside luxury. 

As a former lawyer who represented ski resorts around Lake Tahoe for 25 years, Nelson brought unique insights to his research. 

“My work defending the wonderful old school ski resort operators in the Sierra before the corporate consolidation gave me a real grounding in the gritty business of attracting and serving tourists at the lake,” he explained. 

The book’s most intriguing chapters perhaps center on the evolution of the Cal Neva Lodge. What began as a humble real estate office for the Cala Neva subdivision would become a legendary establishment entangled with celebrities and mobsters. Nelson uncovered connections between Harry Comstock and what would become America’s first gambling casino. 

The 226-page book, featuring more than 100 rare historical photos and illustrations, grew from Nelson’s personal quest to understand the history of his own neighborhood.

In 1987, Nelson and his wife, Mary, bought a house adjacent to the old Brockway Hotel grounds. There they raised their sons amid five acres of undeveloped woods scattered with architectural artifacts from the resort’s heyday. 

“What started as a personal quest to just discover the history of what had become my home grew into something much larger and broader that revealed some fascinating historical Tahoe stories that had been lost to time,” Nelson said. 

One of the author’s favorite discoveries involves Frank Brockway Alverson, the namesake of the Brockway resort. 

“It came as a complete surprise, and he proved to be a much more significant character in the history of Lake Tahoe than I ever would have expected,” Nelson said. 

The full story of Alverson’s interactions with the Comstocks at Tallac House represents just one of many previously untold tales in the book. 

Written in what Nelson describes as a “spare but comfortable style,” the book presents its historical revelations as if shared over a glass of wine or cup of coffee. This approachable narrative style makes the complex historical interconnections accessible to history buffs and casual readers alike. 

“Lost Grand Resorts of Old Lake Tahoe” is being published as part of The History Press’ “Lost” series on important historical places. Nelson hints that this might not be his final word on the subject, as he’s discussing specialized books on both Tallac House and the Cal Neva Lodge, noting there are “more stories and historical photos for each of them that I was not able to include in this book.” 

For those interested in the rich history of America’s grand hotel era, Nelson’s book offers a window into a vanished world of elegance and adventure, where wilderness and luxury combined to create an enduring legacy that shaped today’s Lake Tahoe. 

Signed first editions of “Lost Grand Resorts of Old Lake Tahoe” are available now by emailing PaulNelsonLaw@gmail.com. The general release is scheduled for Nov. 12 online.