Incline Village was named after the incline railroad that once lifted heavy Tahoe timbers 1,400 feet up the steep mountain side, beginning their long journey to the Comstock Mines. What about the other communities around Tahoe’s North Shore? How did they get their names?
Kings Beach, for example. Many stories say that this little corner of the Lake Tahoe shore was named after the lucky Joe King, who won the land in a card game against George Whittell. Maybe so, maybe not. The Wikipedia write-up about Kings Beach states that Kings Beach was named after its first postmaster.
Apparently, more than one of Tahoe’s communities was named for, or by, their postmasters. Originally known as Hot Springs, Brockway was named in honor of Nathaniel Brockway, the uncle of its first postmaster.
The first road built for tourists coming from the rail-stop at Truckee was over Brockway summit. The road ended at Brockway pier, where steamboats waited to transport people to other locations around the lake. And, shortly after the road’s completion, a “commodious” hotel was built at Brockway.