The first person known to have settled in the valley that was later to become Drakesbad was Edward R. Drake (1830-1904). It is possible that Drake may have first arrived in the Drakesbad area as early as 1875. Records show that in the 1880's Drake purchased a land claim to property in Hot Springs Valley, and over the next decade acquired additional property, the largest parcel being 320 acres in the areas now called 'Drakesbad' and 'Devils Kitchen." By 1900 Drake's land holdings totaled 400 acres and included many hot springs and other thermal features associated with the Mount Lassen Volcano.

In 1900, Alexander Sifford, an ailing school teacher seeking relief from a troublesome stomach, made the difficult three-day wagon journey with his wife Ida and son Roy (daughter Pearl remained at home with the mumps) from their home in Susanville to Hot Spring Valley to camp and allow Alex to drink the soda waters of "Drake's Spring.”

Alex Sifford's visit with Edward Drake appears to have come at an opportune time. Over the course of the three-day visit the older Sifford drank the water and he and the lanky pioneer talked. Drake was seventy and something about Alex Sifford and his family struck a chord in the old man. After a conversation that lasted "long into the night" Drake agreed to sell his 400 acres to Sifford for $6,000. As part of the deal Alex Sifford assured Drake that he would always be welcome to come and go as long as he lived.

Twenty primary buildings and structures are located within the historic district. The majority of these buildings are concentrated on a 10- acre area at the north edge of the meadow. The lodge and the dining hall are at the center of the building cluster. The lodge is the southern-most building in the cluster, located at the edge of the forest on a projection of land elevated above the meadow. The dining hall sits on a natural rise about 100 feet northeast of the lodge, separated from the lodge by the entry road. Ten of the buildings at Drakesbad remain from the historic period and are listed in the National Register as contributing resources, including the lodge, dining hall, food locker, bunkhouse, and six cabins. Individual guest cabins are located east and west of the core building complex. All of the historic buildings are vernacular in style, wood-frame with gable metal roofs. The building cluster also contains more contemporary buildings including three Mission 66 cabins, a tack room, a concession office, and a generator building. With the exception of the concrete generator building, the modern buildings are all wood-frame and are compatible with the architectural character of the historic buildings in terms of material, scale and massing.

Recreation trails within the historic district radiate south from the lodge across the meadow and out to the nearby thermal areas, and other scenic areas within Lassen Volcanic National Park. Signs are used to distinguish hiking trails, restricted to pedestrians, from bridle trails which are open to horseback riders as well as hikers.

Credits and Sources:

“Cultural Landscape Report for Drakesbad Guest Ranch,” National Park Service, http://www.nps.gov/lavo/learn/management/upload/Drakesbad_CLR.pdf, Accessed on June 29, 2015.

“Drakesbad Guest Ranch-A History In Photographs,” National Park Service, http://www.nps.gov/lavo/learn/historyculture/drakesbad_home.htm, Accessed June 29, 2015.