A stroll down Truckee's main street could easily convince a kid that a stagecoach will come careening around a corner with a trio of gun-wielding bandits in hot pursuit. It's that kind of town. Steeped in the history of the Donner Party, the gold rush, the railroad and logging, Truckee proudly retains its Old West charm.
Truckee's history
The crystal clear river that runs through the town was named after a Paiute Indian chief who preached pacifism to his tribal elders and guided countless wagon trains of emigrants, enroute to the gold fields near Sutter's Fort, through the treacherous passes in the Sierras. In time, a small town grew at the edge of the vast meadow that stretches south between the river and Lake Tahoe, just 13 miles away.
Situated an easy two and a half to three hour drive from the San Francisco Bay Area, Truckee, elevation 6,000 feet, is just off Interstate 80 at the junction of Highway 89, the main route to Lake Tahoe. The infamous Donner Party was stranded near here in the winter of 1846-47, and nearby Donner Lake and Donner Pass are named after the members of that ill-fated group of emigrants.
The town came alive in 1860 as a way station for men constructing the transcontinental railroad. The railroad track divides Truckee today as dramatically as it did when the first train came through in 1868. Paralleling the road on the left as you head east are rows of storefronts, vintage Victorians, the Truckee Hotel and a few churches nearly as old as the town itself. On the right side are the sawmill and lumberyard, shotgun style, mill workers' houses, and the crystal clear Truckee River, Lake Tahoe's only outlet.
"Tacos! Yeah! Lunch!" hollered 9-year-old Mac as soon as we arrived in town, and that was all it took for my husband to turn into the original train station, which has been converted to a taco shop. Mac watched sunbeams bounce off the river as he consumed two tacos of his own and half of my second one.
The famous Truckee Hotel
Although many motels were available, we chose to stay right in the center of the action at the venerable Truckee Hotel. A wide variety of accommodations, including free cribs, make it easy for families to experience a bit of Victorian luxury.
In operation under many different names for the last 120 years, the hotel housed international visitors during the Olympic Games in Squaw Valley in 1960, but finally came into its own after the freeway was completed in the mid-1970s. New owners hired skilled local craftsmen to complete a major restoration in 1992. Some of the rooms have clawfoot tubs while other share baths at the end of each hallway, in the European tradition.
Mac flopped on the bed and stared up at the canopy stretching toward the 12-foot ceiling, pronounced it "Tight!" ("Great!" in kid-speak), and asked "What's next?"
"The river rafting trip," I said, and his eyes lit up. The leisurely, five-mile float trip down the Truckee River has always been a highlight for kids in our family.
Braving the rapids
Since the Class II rapids are very mild, this trip is safe even for the youngest of children, with just enough bumps and riffles to thrill older ones. On our most recent visit, the trip took about two and a half hours, and at the end, a free shuttle bus delivered us back to our car.
"I'm hungry," said Mac, and my husband stared at him in disbelief.
"Afternoon tea at the hotel, remember?" I told him, and Mac's sweet tooth was quickly satisfied with five or six macadamia nut cookies and a cup of English Breakfast tea. Teatime in the Victorian parlor of the hotel is a decorous affair, guaranteed to impress children with its atmosphere of a bygone era.
Donner Memorial State Park
Brushing cookie crumbs from our lips, we headed a few miles west on Interstate 80 to Donner Memorial State Park. Home to the Emigrant Trail Museum and the Donner Monument, the park provides a vivid reminder of the area's emigrant history.
The museum and the surrounding grounds gave us an astonishing look at the perils encountered by the ill-equipped Donner Party pioneers, who were trapped in the Sierra Nevada by an early winter. Tales of possible cannibalism impressed Mac like no imaginary Halloween ghost story could have.
"I'm hungry," said Mac, in what was quickly becoming a refrain, so, back in town, we crossed the railroad tracks and found Andy's Truckee Diner.
An East Coast diner
A sleek, 1940's era, stainless steel diner built in Pennsylvania, it was moved across the country to its present location in 1995, a unique feat that's documented in a series of newspaper articles and photographs along the back corridor of the diner. The painstaking restoration had been faithfully done, and my husband and I felt like we'd stepped back into our urban, East Coast childhoods.
The food, too, lived up to our memories, the kind of place where everyone can find something to enjoy. Roast turkey with mashed potatoes and gravy, spaghetti and two grilled cheese sandwiches with fries (guess who?) disappeared in record speed.
We all slept late the next morning, and after munching our way through a filling breakfast that's included in the room rate, we picked up a map at the visitor center and set off for a walking tour through town.
The walking tour
The first spot that captured Mac's fancy was the Capitol Saloon where my husband read from the brochure, "Mr. Reed shot a prominent, local lawman named Teeter in 1891."
"Right here? Right where I'm standing, some guy shot another guy?" asked Mac, with eyes as big as shiny quarters.
"Yep," said my husband, reading ahead, "and two doors down, over there at Carbona's, is where some vigilantes grabbed an outlaw and dragged him off for hanging."
"Wow, just like the Old West," breathed Mac.
"This IS the Old West," I laughed.
We walked along Donner Pass Road, which used to be Wagon Road, along which numerous inns and way stations were built. It was a lively thoroughfare then, as now, supporting business of all kinds. Following the map past old churches and new businesses landed us on High Street among the earliest Truckee residences, several of which, such as the Richardson House, have been turned into charming bed and breakfasts.
A little bored with Victorian mansions, Mac perked up again when we came to the Old Truckee Jail. Built in 1875, it was the area's only jail until the mid-1960s. Now it's a small museum open on summer weekends and run by the Truckee Donner Historical Society.
The most exciting part of town, tame now by comparison, stretched noisily the length of Jibboom Street. It housed all of Truckee's nightlife, including saloons, brothels, music halls and even an opera house.
Up the hill at the end of the road stands the town cemetery. I'm a sucker for wandering among old tombstones, looking at the worn inscriptions, figuring out how old the people were when they died. Pioneer cemeteries tell sad stories of women who died young in childbirth and babies who succumbed to various infections that we could easily cure today.
Mac seems to share my interest. He knelt in front of a cherubic angel on a fallen marker and read, "Thomas Baldwin, died 1848 at 15 mos. of age. Only a little flower that God wanted for his garden." At the other extreme was William Richie, known as Old Lobo, who died in 1898 at age 95. And one puzzled us: "Arthur Ashton, killed by Hobart Mills team, 1915." Team? We didn't have an answer for Mac's puzzlement.
At the end of the walking tour, we found ourselves on "the other side of the tracks," the area to which Chinese residents were once banished to live among the slaughter houses, smelters and sawmills. But just a short walk down the road brought us to the edge of the gurgling, cold and fast-flowing Truckee River, and we turned and looked over our shoulders, across the wide meadow and to the snow-capped Sierras rising above the pines in the distance.
No wonder the old-timers built their town here. It had everything they needed, and it still has plenty to offer a family looking for a way to spend a free day or two within spitting distance of Lake Tahoe.
Seasonal activities
Truckee and the surrounding areas are a paradise for families who enjoy year round outdoor recreational activities.
Winter activities
Ice skating, Nordic and downhill skiing and snowboarding are available at several internationally famous ski resorts within easy reach of the town.
Spring, summer and fall
Families enjoy camping, boating, fishing, swimming, kayaking, rafting and canoeing. Other popular activities in the surrounding National Forest include hiking, mountain biking, rock climbing and horseback riding.
Visit Truckee online
Truckee walking tour
Truckee Hotel and other attractions
Truckee Chamber of Commerce for local events
Andy's Truckee Diner history
Accommodations and Lodging
Plan a rafting trip on the Truckee River
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