Zephyr Point Presbyterian Conference Center

A New Beginning Continues to Dawn (1996 - 2000)
          The Next Bold Step

The Lake in the Sky

It began, of course, when God created a tiny, very special niche in the huge granite slab that came to be known as the Sierra Nevada. Then God filled it with the bluest, sometimes greenest, but always the purest water imaginable. But, for our purposes, suppose we fast-forward to an era known as the Roaring Twenties. Life then is recalled as pretty wild, what with bootleggers, and flappers, and 23 -skidoo. Concerned parents worried about the world in which their children were growing up. Sound familiar?

It’s not really surprising then, that the Presbyterian Synod of California was contemplating new and inspirational experiences for its young people. They wanted innovative and attractive programs, and as Presbyterians are wont to do, they talked about it, but soon, things began to happen.

Timing could not have been better. The Rev. Dr. William Ralph Hall of the church’s Board of Christian Education in Philadelphia was embarking on promotion of summer conference programs for college youth. Dr. D. G. Stewart wrote in 1975, "… It was resulting in a vitalization of the church’s work in parish leadership, the ministry, and missionary careers."

This was a ministry Dr. Robert S. Donaldson of the Board of National Missions in San Francisco Presbytery saw as vital for California and Nevada Presbyteries. With colleagues from Sacramento and Nevada Presbyteries, explorations for a suitable site to establish a conference facility in the Lake Tahoe area were begun. To challenge the Synod’s resolve, Donaldson secured a commitment from Dr. Hall to come West the following summer for an event, and the first Young People’s Conference at Lake Tahoe was on the calendar for the summer of 1924, but the site was unknown. While approving the experiment, the Synod also named a Committee of Five on Securing Conference Property at Lake Tahoe. The committee was composed of J. L Harvey, R. S. Donaldson, H.T. Dobbins, A. S. Johnson and Harold Hopkins.

The Pioneers

Now it happened that the Rev. Harvey was more than familiar with the inspirational powers of Lake Tahoe and he was aware of a particular 36 acre spot just south of Zephyr Cove which was said to be on the market. It was an historic point still owned by the Comstock Mining Company, which over the decades had strip cut thousands of tress from the forests of Tahoe and hauled them to Virginia City to shore up the silver mines there.

The Rev. Harvey also had a special connection. His wife’s mother, Gertrude Church, was more than willing to buy the property and hold it until the Presbyterians could get themselves into a position to arrange some kind of financing. Mrs. Church moved quickly. A God-send? Just one of many.

So Harvey suggested as a location for Dr. Donaldson’s experimental youth conference, his mother-in-law’s Comstock property on what, for a short time, came to be called Conference Point. The success of that first conference was critical to any subsequent action and support by the Synod of California.

Mrs. Church happily made the grounds available, including what was known as "The Comstock Lodge," which served as a base for the 1924 youth conference. Some 100 young people plus assorted adult teachers, counselors, etc., made the rigorous journey to Zephyr Cove that summer for Dr. Hall’s conference   They enthusiastically endorsed the location as a permanent conference site. Any official action had to await the next Synod meeting some months hence. Perhaps an unorthodox course was in order.

A commitment of $6,000 was needed, however, and official action by Synod was months away. Dr. Donaldson, The Rev. Ralph W. Bayless of Sacramento Presbytery and The Rev. Otis L. Linn of the Board of National Missions in Reno were ready with the initial $1,000 cash for Mrs. Church and then personally signed a promissory note to cover the remaining $5,000 "for the ultimate purpose of providing a meeting place or conference point upon the shores of Lake Tahoe for the Synod of California." It was a true venture of faith on the part of these three men and those who supported them, because this all preceded any official synod action.

Leap of Faith

At the1925 Synod meeting, the Committee of Five reported that it had investigated a number of possible locations on Lake Tahoe. They concluded that the Synod should accept title to the Church/Comstock property where the recent Young People’s Conference was so successfully conducted. Further, to complete the financing design, it recommended a "Homestead" week in August 1925 to bring to the site those interested in joining in the adventure by securing camp site leases. The Synod concurred in all the recommendations, including the election of a commission to manage "Conference Point" as it was called at that time. The name "Zephyr Point" would not become official until 1930.

The makeup of that first Commission was carefully considered with particular attention to geography, gender and clout: four national mission executives, one each from Sacramento, Nevada, San Francisco and Los Angeles Presbyteries, and the executive secretary from Los Angeles Presbytery. All in all, there were six clergy and eight lay people, including three women.

For all its support and enthusiasm, the Synod took great care to step away from any financial involvement in the project. The official action stipulated that the deed to the property was accepted "…without obligation of any kind."

Linn and Clawson Set to Work

One of those commissioners was The Rev. Otis Leroy Linn, who was overseeing new church development in Nevada for the Presbyterian Church from a Reno office. He advertised for a college student to assist him at the Point. He unknowingly hired his future son-in-law, Bill Clawson (later The Rev. Dr. Wm. E., Jr.).   Clawson jumped right in to help lay out some trails and cut brush at the site. The trails roughly followed the present Linn Lane and Porcupine Trail with another short one near the lake. A road was mapped along the south boundary, but it was not to be build for a year.

Linn and Clawson then marked off lots, driving white painted stakes for boundaries. Lots were roughly 30 feet wide, varying because of rocks, steep terrain and the inexperience of the "surveyors." They had made the place ready for "Homestead Week," July 31 - August 6, 1925, when Presbyterians would come from far and wide to join the adventure and stake their own claims. Many already had made a commitment and paid their lease early, but others came to see before making their covenant.

Distribution of Leases

Bill Clawson described in his usual true-to-life style the unique and exciting process of assigning lots during the dramatic "Homestead Week."

"Ruth Linn (Otis Linn’s daughter, later Mrs. Clawson) was dressed in a robe and held a Campfire Marshmallow tin in which were slips of paper with consecutive numbers up to a total number of people signed up. Each person drew a number, and he/she selected the lot of his/her choice, beginning with number one and so on to the end. The lakefront lots obviously were chosen first, but most people were satisfied with their choices. (There was a pre-agreement on a first come, first serve selection, so there were no hard feelings.) This gave them the opportunity to camp on their lot, or to build a summer cabin on it. It was not until a year or so later that the concept of a real "house" developed. The lease was for ten years which should pay for the purchase of the grounds. The lease stipulated there would be "no squatters" rights, as all lots pass into the hands of Synod in 1935.

Next: Building of the Dream (1925 - 1939)

Zephyr Point Presbyterian Conference Center

P.O. Box 289

Zephyr Cove, NV 89448

Phone: 775-588-6759

Fax: 775-588-1095

Email: Zephyr@ZephyrPoint.org