In a town like South Lake Tahoe, you hear about famous people... those who came here and left an indelible mark.  Rarely does a person get to spend the afternoon with one of these historic figures, but today we gleefully did. 

Wildfires frighten the heck out of me.  Tahoe experienced the horrific Angora Fire in 2007 as the result of an illegal campfire.  Knowledge and awareness are powerful foes of fear so I am excited about this week of Wildfire Awareness Films at Explore Tahoe:  An Urban Trailhead.

Today, we met Smokey Bear and watched part of the film "The Greatest Good", a US Forest Service Centennial Film that covered stories and the history of Smokey Bear.  It included decades worth of Public Service Announcements that brought back childhood memories and ended with a slideshow of Fire Prevention posters through the years.

These posters have been an important part of forest fire prevention advertising since the 1930s. There has been little change in the fire prevention message, but the posters themselves reflect the constantly changing styles, attitudes, and events in American culture.  In 1944, Smokey Bear came to us by necessity. At the beginning of World War II, Americans feared that an enemy attack or sabotage could destroy our forest resources at a time when wood products were greatly needed. Time was ripe for a Smokey Bear icon.  The 'date specific' Smokey Bear posters surprised me but a brief study of history, of the time, explains their purpose.  I learned a great deal today.

After seeing the devastation of human carelessness locally, Smokey's message is still very powerful "Only YOU can prevent forest fires".

Our newest, favorite picnic spot was found today along the South Fork of the American River at Dick and Joan's cabin.

Nestled amongst the pines, between the highway and the River, are 55 cabins comprising the Strawberry Tract.  Every trip on this road had me intrigued by the numerous homes we saw in various picturesque mountain settings. In Eldorado National Forest, "recreation residences" began before the turn of the 20th century to encourage public use of the forest. In 1968, the Forest Service decided against permitting any more new tracts. 

Joan's grandfather got the land lease for lot #4 in 1931. Each cabin was built by the original individual families who owned them yet the land is still owned by the Forest Service.  According to Joan,  "El Dorado Co. has the largest number of forest service owned land covered by summer cabin tracts.   We are not allowed to live in those cabins full time, and that is why they are designated Summer Home Cabin Tracts.   You can buy a cabin that is up for sale, if you are interested.  Certainly costs more than the original cabins cost to build.  Ours cost $200 for materials when my two uncles built our cabin in 1931, under the supervision of our ailing grandpa. That was a lot of money in those days and their 5 sisters (of which one was my Mom) came up with some of the cash to help with the materials."

Entering the cabin, and just being in the area, is like going back in time.  We were greeted by a wall of family images, sketched by a very talented cousin, decades ago.  I loved seeing 15 year old Joan.  I savored the photo albums and journals from 81 years of family lore.  Each year, growing up, Joan would summer here, sleeping outdoors with all the other siblings, cousins, aunts, etc.  When she married, only child Dick was thrown into the family encampments.  There was only one summer that Joan missed an idyllic vacation at Strawberry, and that was because Dick was stationed back east. 

After lunch and some minor home repair, we hiked to see the favorite "swimming holes" and learn about the families whose memories floated through the pines, greeting us.  It was an unforgettable glimpse into a long ago past of enviable memories.  We feel so honored to have been invited to witness such history and familial love.