Back before Highway 99 was a freeway, roadside businesses and attractions populated the shoulder, enticing weary travelers to pull over and rest a while. On this edition of KVPR’s Central Valley Roots, we look back at one of the most colorful attractions on the old U.S. 99 – Fresno’s Pine Lake Lodge.
Back in the 1930s U.S. 99 followed what is know today as Golden State Boulevard. Ashlan Avenue was just a two lane country road, miles north of the Fresno city limits. At the northwest corner of that intersection sat the Pine Lake Lodge.
It was part restaurant, part bar, part motel, all clad in a mountain theme. Imagine quaint log cabins nestled among evergreen trees. There was a flowing artificial brook. At night, colorful lights illuminated fountains, and giant neon sign in the outline of a pine tree beckoned motorists to stay a while.
The lodge had an equally colorful history. According to a recent biography, New York Yankees star Joe DiMaggio and his first wife actress Dorothy Arnold spent part of their honeymoon there in 1937. According to newspaper columnist Drew Pearson, the lodge was for a time the local homebase of LA mobster Joe Sica, complete with 11 teletype machines to power his bookmaking operation.
Decades later, under different ownership, the venue became Fran’s Pine Lake Lodge. It was known in Fresno’s gay and lesbian community of the 60’s and early 70’s as one of the few places where members of the community could safely and freely socialize. The property was redeveloped by the mid 70’s, but today it remains an important part of the valley’s LGBTQ history.
