Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. 11 historic topographic surveys show this location, the earliest from 1891.
“Watson Log Cabin in Tahoe City, California, was built in 1908 by Robert Montgomery Watson. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.”
Wikipedia article Watson Log Cabin, CC BY-SA 4.0.
One of 35 National Register listings published here for Placer County · listed in 1979 · category: Building.
Sources: the Wikipedia article · the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 216 fires within 5 miles of Watson Log Cabin between 1992 and 2020, burning about 62 acres in total. 28 started naturally. 4 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 61 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 56 |
| Natural | 28 |
| Smoking | 24 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 13 |
| Debris and open burning | 13 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 9 |
| Other causes | 4 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 4 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 4 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 September 2020 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | Nevada-Yuba-Placer Unit | LANNY |
| 9 September 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Nevada-Yuba-Placer Unit | TIGER TAIL RD SQUAW_VALL |
| 9 September 2008 | Recreation and ceremony | under an acre | Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit | 64 ACRES |
| 9 September 2001 | Recreation and ceremony | under an acre | Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit | ANN |
| 8 September 2001 | Other causes | under an acre | Tahoe National Forest | MERTENS |
| 6 September 2020 | Recreation and ceremony | under an acre | Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit | WATSON |
| 5 September 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit | RESORT |
| 5 September 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit | OLD |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 2 workings within 5 miles of Watson Log Cabin: 1 prospect, 1 unknown. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Gold, Sand and Gravel, Construction. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Squaw Valley Grayel | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Unknown | ||
| Unnamed Prospects | Gold | Prospect |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Tahoe City, the town this property stands in, in 18 storm reports between 1998 and 2025: 16 heavy rain, 1 waterspout, 1 flood. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 2005 | Flood | Tahoe City | $1,000,000 | Localized flooding was reported across eastern Placer County, especially on Blackwood and Ward Creeks, and the Truckee River. Blackwood Creek rose to its second highest level in the last 45 years. |
| February 2025 | Heavy Rain | Tahoe City | - | A CO-OP Observer station (TAHC1) located at Tahoe City, CA, and a trained spotter located 1.0 mi NE of Carnelian Bay, CA, reported 24 hour rainfall totals of 1.4 inches and 0.93 inches respectively. |
| February 2025 | Heavy Rain | Tahoe City | - | A CO-OP Observer station (TAHC1) located at Tahoe City, CA, reported a 24 hour rainfall total of 1.39 inches. |
| November 2024 | Heavy Rain | Tahoe City | - | A CO-OP Observer located at Tahoe City(TAHC1), CA, reported a 24 hour rainfall total of 1.16 inches. |
| March 2019 | Heavy Rain | Tahoe City | - | A CO-OP Observer in Tahoe City reported 0.83 inches of rainfall in a 24 hour period from 27 March 0700PST to 28 March 0700PST. Observer elevation 6230 feet MSL. |
| January 2019 | Heavy Rain | Tahoe City | - | CO-OP observer in Tahoe City reported 1.91 inches of rainfall in a 24 hour period from 16 January 0800PST to 17 January 0800PST. |
| January 2019 | Heavy Rain | Tahoe City | - | Mesonet THOC1 1 mile west of Tahoe City reported 1.27 inches of rainfall in a 24 hour period from 16 January 0837PST to 17 January 0837PST. Mesonet elevation 6772 feet MSL. |
| December 2019 | Heavy Rain | Tahoe City | - | CO-OP observer at Tahoe City reported 3.07 inches of rainfall in a 48-hour period from 1 December 0700PST to 3 December 0700PST. Station elevation of 6230 ft MSL. |
| December 2019 | Heavy Rain | Tahoe City | - | CO-OP Observer station TAHC1 in Tahoe City reported 1.16 inches of rainfall in a 24-hour period from 7 December 0907PST to 8 December 0907PST at an elevation of 6230 feet MSL. 2 inches of snowfall was also reported during this time period. |
| May 2019 | Heavy Rain | Tahoe City | - | Co-Op Observer in Tahoe City measured 0.77 inches of rainfall in a 24 hour period from 15 May 0600PST to 16 May 0600PST. Observer elevation 6230 feet MSL. |
| March 2018 | Heavy Rain | Tahoe City | - | Mesonet station THOC1, Tahoe City reported 0.70 inches of rain from 13 March 0700PST to 14 March 0400PST. |
| April 2018 | Heavy Rain | Tahoe City | - | COOP observer in Tahoe City measured 1.71 inches of rainfall in a 24 hour period from 6 April 1052PST to 7 April 1052PST. |
| May 2018 | Heavy Rain | Tahoe City | - | COOP observer in Tahoe City measured 1.72 inches of rainfall in a 24-hour period from 24 May 0918PST to 25 May 0918PST. |
| November 2017 | Heavy Rain | Tahoe City | - | A trained weather spotter reported 5.41 inches of rain from 15 November 0800PST to 16 November 0800PST. |
| May 2009 | Heavy Rain | Tahoe City | - | Rainfall amounts from the evening of May 1st through the morning of May 3rd totaled over 2.00 inches at some locations:||Ward Creek SNOTEL near Alpine Meadows, 2.80 inches; |3 miles ENE of Alpine Meadows, 2.00 inches; |3 miles east of Donner Peak, 1.99 inches; |Squaw Valley SNOTEL, 1.70 inches; and |Tahoe City, 1.22 inches. |
| February 2006 | Heavy Rain | Tahoe City | - | A total of 6.18 inches of rain was reported at Alpine Meadows Ski Resort base (elevation 6910 ft). |
| February 2006 | Heavy Rain | Tahoe City | - | A total of 4.57 inches of rain fell at Squaw Valley High Camp (elevation 8200 ft). |
| September 1998 | Waterspout | Tahoe City | - | Estimated eleven waterspouts reported over Lake Tahoe by various spotters on the north shore of the lake. |
United States Geological Survey topographic sheets whose coverage includes this point. Matched by taking the coordinate the National Park Service records for this property, then testing that coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet.
Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.
| Photograph | Property | Distance | Listed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Outlet Gates and Gatekeeper's Cabin | 0.4 miles | 1972 | |
 | Lake Tahoe Dam | 0.4 miles | 1981 |
 | Chapel of the Transfiguration | 1.3 miles | 2011 |
| Laura Russ Westphal House | 3.2 miles | 2025 |
| National Archives record | The nomination case file for reference 79000518 in Record Group 79. |
| Wikipedia article | Community-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA. |
| Placer County | All 35 listed properties in this county. |
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