Welcome to the Independence Lake Preserve website. This website contains information about the recent purchase of the property around Independence Lake by the Nature Conservancy (TNC). The Truckee Donner Land Trust (TDLT) is a partner in management of the property. This website will also be the main location for information related to gathering public input on the recreation and access management plan for the preserve.
New articles and information about Independence Lake will be updated throughout 2011.
I am a 85 year old who had the pleasure of spending several years of my life between 1929 and 1935 living in Hobart Mills and Independence Lake where my Grand Father was the caretaker. I had the pleasure of catching my first fish while sitting on the spillway and got an extra catch as well, dirty underwear.
Somewhere in my current house, I have loads of pictures of Hobart Mills and Independence Lake. They were taken by my grand parents and my mother.
A few years ago I tried to get into the lake to show my wife where I grew up and I was asked to leave by a young man with a gun. It really ruined my day because I have such great memories of the area.
At Hobart Mills I used to get a ride in the caboose of the train when it took the lumber to Truckee for shipping. The conductor would take me downtown and buy me an ice cream cone. It was a great place for a kid to be while his parents left me while they took a trip seeing the West on his World War I bonus.
BOB Mix
Bob , I’m not sure where you get that the young man had a gun the only gun was stored in my gun safe not on my hip, but in 2009 the power company instructed to keep people out of the lake which i felt wasn’t right but that’s what they wanted from me, but i still don’t remember you at all and i have a great memory. let’s not make up stories that arn’t true. If you were a person with that kind of history we would have sat down on the porch and shared stories along with a tour of the property in repects to your family. My wifes family has been using the lake since the 1920′s. You as a young man may have met my wifes gandfather as he filled in as a caretaker. He always had his camp set up in camp one on the public side.Rob independence.lake@gmail.com