Long before Lake Almanor came into existence (1914) it was known as Big Meadows. By the 1870s summer resorts were established and were quite popular, especially those folks escaping the scorching heat of the Sacramento Valley. One of those resorts was Bunnell’s that was located near the current tip of the Lake Almanor Peninsula. On June 10, 1899 it was destroyed by fire, caused a by a defective terra cotta flue. By the time the fire was discovered, the only thing that could be done was to try and save the contents. The fire was a terrible loss for the owner, L.W. Bunnell who placed a value of $15,000. A week later, Fireman’s Fund Insurance paid Bunnell $7,144.
The situation put Bunnell in a quandary. After all, it was just the beginning of the summer season and he would not be able to rebuild in time to provide accommodations for that year. Momentarily, he thought he would focus on his dairy operations, and just build a new home. However, that would not be the case, and he was back in the resort business in 1900.