I recently found a copy of the 1924 History of Placer and Nevada Counties by Lardner and Brock online. I was able to download it and found some updates for our history for previous owners Allen and Cavanna. I also found a bit more information about the first owners of the hotel, Mr and Mrs Caffyn (Mr. Caffyn's sister and the year Mr. and Mrs. Caffyn married). I added a bit more information about Mr Chinn (our notable resident of the Gap) and removed reference to the Airplane Crash in the early 1900s based on feedback from one of our readers. I also made some updates on our more recent history based on an email received from someone who lived at the lodge during the B& B era.
I consider myself to be an online sleuth and am getting pretty good at tracking down information on the early pioneers of the Gap. But what I really need to do is visit the Berkeley Bancroft Library, the Auburn Placer County Records office and perhaps, the California Museum and Railroad Library in Sacramento.
I am still trying to find out a bit more about the Bright Family and their use of the Hotel/ Lodge. It is possible that the information there is less easy to source because their family is one of the more current owners. Alas. I would love some midcentury photos of the lodge.
For our current visits, we have been working on the Sauna Hut off and on. We also got in some skiing this year, even though it was a record snow drought in the sierra. At home, I am working on refinishing a vintage wood couch that should match nicely with the easy chairs that sit in front of the fireplace. Love that Craigslist, we have used it to furnish most of the lodge.
URL for the book:
https://archive.org/details/historyofplacern00lard
