Meyers, California
38°51′22″N 120°00′47″W / 38.85611°N 120.01306°W
Meyers | |
|---|---|
 Meyers along U.S. Route 50 in a map of El Dorado County | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | El Dorado |
| Elevation | 6,352 ft (1,936 m) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 3,000 |
| Time zone | UTC-8 (Pacific (PST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-7 (PDT) |
| ZIP code | 96150 |
| Area code | 530 |
| Official name | Yank's Station[2] |
| Reference no. | 708 |
Meyers (also Yanks, Yank's Station, and Tahoe Paradise)[3] is a small unincorporated community in El Dorado County, California, United States,[1] along U.S. Route 50 in the northern Sierra Nevada mountains 6 miles (9.7 kilometres) south of South Lake Tahoe in the Lake Tahoe area. It lies at an elevation of 6,352 feet (1,936 metres). Established in 1851, Meyers started out as a stagecoach stop, trading post and Pony Express station.[1] The town is now registered as California Historical Landmark #708.[2] It serves as a popular stop on the way into and out of the Tahoe Basin for travelers on Highways 50 and 89.
History
Martin Smith was the town's founder; he opened a trading post and inn on the Placerville-Carson Road in 1851 [3] In 1859, Ephraim "Yank" Clement and his wife Lydia purchased the station and outbuildings from George Douglas and Martin Smith, who had run the station as a hostelry and stagecoach stop. The Clements enlarged the station into a three-story, fourteen-room way station which included a large stable and hay barn with large corrals across the road.[3][4] The station served as a Pony Express stop up until October 26, 1861. Upon completion of the wagon road over Kingsberry Grade, the Pony Express route continued along the south shore of Lake Tahoe stopping at Yank's Station Toll House, near Myers (original spelling) on U.S. 50. Warren Upson was the first Pony Express rider to arrive here on April 28, 1860. The station also served as a stage stop with a trading post and hotel. The toll house was pushed off its foundation by flood waters and is currently located on blocks adjacent to the Tahoe Paradise Museum. In 1873 George Henry Dudley Meyers bought the property. Business flourished at the newly rebuilt station for decades; it continued to serve as a hotel and store until November 25, 1938, when the building was destroyed by fire during the Meyers town fire. A post office opened in 1904 south of the station.[3] The post office closed in 1957, and reopened in 1958.[3] It was renamed Tahoe Paradise in 1962.[3] Since then, houses have been built sporadically in the meandering neighborhoods that surround it.
Amenities
Meyers has one grocery store, Lira's, a hardware shop and lumber yard, Meeks, and multiple other restaurants and shops. There is a California Highway Patrol station near the south end, along with an Insect Inspection Station, and a Post Office. The nearest major city center is 5 miles to the north along U.S. Highway 50 at an intersection that is known locally as "The Y" in South Lake Tahoe proper.
Notes
- ^ a b c U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Meyers, California
- ^ a b "Yank's Station". Office of Historic Preservation, California State Parks. Retrieved 2012-10-07.
- ^ a b c d e f Durham, David L. (1998). California's Geographic Names: A Gazetteer of Historic and Modern Names of the State. Clovis, Calif.: Word Dancer Press. p. 522. ISBN 1-884995-14-4.
- ^ "DIVISION FIVE: STATIONS BETWEEN ROBERTS CREEK AND SACRAMENTO/SAN FRANCISCO, Yank's Station". Ormsby.org. Retrieved 23 March 2011.
Municipalities and communities of El Dorado County, California, United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
| CDPs | ||
| Unincorporated communities |
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| Former settlements | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This CDP also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |