Hoberg's Resort facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Hoberg's Resort
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resort
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1908 postcard of visitors on Sunset Rock at Hoberg's
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Hobergs on State Hwy 175 north of Pine Grove and Cobb. Vertical dashed line to the east is the boundary of Boggs Mountain Demonstration State Forest.
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 Hoberg's Resort
Location in California
Hoberg's Resort
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | Lake County |
| Elevation | 3,015 ft (919 m) |
Hoberg's Resort was a famous vacation spot in Lake County, California. It started small but grew into a huge, popular place. A small town called Hobergs even grew up around it.
The resort began in the 1890s when a farmer's wife started offering meals to travelers. It quickly became a cheap place for campers and hunters to stay. Over time, it became a fancy resort for people driving up from the San Francisco Bay Area for weekends.
Hoberg's Resort had a swimming pool, a big dining hall, a bar, and an outdoor dance floor. It also offered services like hairdressers, a barber, a doctor, a coffee shop, and a general store. Many famous people, like Hollywood stars, politicians, and business leaders, stayed there. They enjoyed music from popular bands.
By the 1960s, the resort became less popular and closed in 1971. Sadly, the main building was destroyed by a big wildfire called the Valley Fire in 2015.
Contents
Where Was Hoberg's Resort?
Hoberg's Resort was located about 2.25 miles (3.6 km) north-northwest of Whispering Pines. It sat high up in the mountains, at an elevation of 3015 feet (919 meters).
How Hoberg's Resort Started
The story of Hoberg's Resort began with Gustav and Matilda Hoberg. Gustav was born in Germany in 1845 and moved to the United States in 1860. Matilda was also born in Germany in 1848 and moved to the U.S.
They got married in Chicago in 1871 and later moved to Wisconsin. In 1885, Gustav and Matilda, with their four children, settled on a 160-acre property near Boggs Mountain. Gustav also bought another 80 acres next to it.
Gustav built a house, and between 1893 and 1894, he and his oldest son, Max, built a road from their ranch to Cobb. Matilda started offering meals to travelers who stopped at their ranch to rest their horses. The first paying guests stayed at Hoberg's in 1894.
Gustav died in 1895, but Matilda and Max kept expanding the resort to earn more money. They built several rooms where guests could stay and eat for $7 a week. Friends from San Francisco heard about the place and started visiting. Until 1914, most guests were German immigrants from the San Francisco Bay Area. Many of them were hunters or campers.
Growing Bigger and Better
Max and Matilda bought out their relative, George Krammerer, in 1902. That same year, Max married Teresa Bleus. The resort got a telephone connection in 1914, making it easier for people to reach.
By this time, Hoberg's could host 100 guests in six buildings and tents on platforms. It had a dining room for 80 people, a social hall, a concrete swimming pool, and even a bowling alley. The ranch also grew its own grain, hay, and vegetables, and had chickens and cattle. A post office operated at Hoberg's from 1929 to 1970.
In 1934, Max and Teresa's sons, George Hoberg, Paul, and Frank, took over the resort. That same year, the Hoberg brothers also bought Seigler Springs Resort. In the 1930s, many new resorts opened for people traveling by car, like Whispering Pines and Forest Lake.
The Hoberg brothers fixed up and updated Seigler Springs, and it became very popular. They also added a large dining hall, a general store, and a big tiled pool to the main Hoberg's resort. In 1936, a fire unfortunately burned 80 cottages.
Hoberg's became one of the biggest resorts in Lake County that didn't have natural mineral springs. Famous visitors included the plant expert Luther Burbank, actor Clark Gable, boxer Max Baer, and many important politicians and business people.
The Golden Years of Hoberg's
Hoberg's became California's largest privately owned resort. During the 1940s and 1950s, famous bands played there, and many celebrities visited. The dining hall could serve dinner to 1,000 guests at once! In 1945-1946, 46 new cottages were built in an area called Spanish Row.
Paul Hoberg passed away in 1946. The Paul Hoberg Airport was opened in 1947, about 5 miles (8 km) southeast of Hoberg's. Frank and George Hoberg each owned small passenger planes. They would fly guests to and from the resort, making travel very convenient.
The Pine Bowl dance floor was outdoors, so the music could be heard all over the resort. From 1945, Sal Carson and his orchestra played there for many years. In 1946, Tommy Dorsey, a very famous bandleader, played at Hoberg's. Other big names included Xavier Cugat and Harry James. In 1947, the Freddy Martin Band played with singer Merv Griffin.
At its busiest in the 1950s, the resort had almost 100 employees. This included waitresses, maids, coffee shop workers, bartenders, and hairdressers. There was a doctor living at the resort, a swimming instructor, a barber, and a 12-piece orchestra. In 1956, a new auditorium opened that could hold 1,000 people.
Decline and New Owners
Frank Hoberg died in 1961. During the 1960s, fewer people visited Hoberg's, just like other resorts in Lake County. People started traveling to places farther away that offered more activities. Also, big meetings and events began using special facilities in large cities instead of resorts.
George Hoberg died in 1970. After his death, the family ran the property as a boarding school for two years.
In 1974, the Maharishi International University bought the property. By 1989, the old Hoberg resort buildings were being used as a private retreat. In July 2010, a group of investors bought the resort. In June 2012, they started renovating the resort, hiring workers to fix it up. They planned to hire staff for the hotel, restaurant, spa, and other services once the renovations were done.
However, the main resort building was destroyed by the terrible Valley Fire in September 2015. Only the foundations and chimneys were left.
