Rampart is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

Placer County Placer County ( ; Spanish for "sand deposit"), officially the County of Placer, is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 404,739. The county seat is Auburn. Placer County is included in the G ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. Rampart is located on the Southern Pacific Railroad and the

Truckee River The Truckee River is a river in the U.S. states of California and Nevada. The river flows northeasterly and is long.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed October 20, 2012 Th ...

, west-southwest of

Tahoe City Tahoe City (formerly Tahoe) is an unincorporated town in Placer County, California. Tahoe City is located on the shore of Lake Tahoe, at the outlet of the Truckee River. The site was surveyed in 1863, and Tahoe House was built in 1864. The Taho ...

. It is approximately 2 miles from the Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows ski areas, along the Truckee River. It lies at an elevation of 6201 feet (1890 m). It was first noted in
USGS survey map in 1936
Rampart was an occasional stop along the "Overland Limited" route to other parts of the country while the train ran along the Truckee river, between Tahoe City and Truckee on its way over the mountains.

History

In 1910 the wealthy John Walter's family of San Francisco acquired the beginning lot with additional pieces added to complete the 10.94 acres. In 1913, they began building the main lodge, the first of 12 buildings. The property was used every summer as their mountain retreat for women, guests and children. The heirs of the Walters family sold the property in 1959. Later it became a vacation lodge with horses, fly fishing, hiking trails and skiing. Signs of the rope tow up a small ski hill and the tennis court still exist from those activities. In 1971, Rampart became a bustling rental property until fire razed the main lodge. The current family ownership began in 1973.

Current Conditions

The property has not been maintained over the years. Each building has significant structural issues such as collapsed roofs or fire damage. They are boarded up and not very easily entered. There are still many remnants of previous life in the area - the local dump for glass and other rubbish is still visible amongst the trees. Signs of a tow rope ski lift still exist from the 1950s.

References

Unincorporated communities in California Unincorporated communities in Placer County, California {{PlacerCountyCA-geo-stub