This was a short-lived man made island during the creation of Lake Almanor, it received its name from dam so named that created the lake. It was located at the southern portion of Big Meadows, prior to the creation of Lake Almanor. It should be duly noted, that in the late 1800s, the region consisted of dairies, ranches and summer resorts. After all, one has to remember this was back in the day when there was no such thing as air conditioning and those who could afford to escape the heat of the Sacramento Valley in the summer flocked to the cooler mountain regions.

Prior to becoming “Nevis Island” it started as a resort known as Meadow View established in 1882 by A.R and Clara Bidwell. It was an investment for Bidwell, and the hotel was leased. In 1902, it was acquired by Great Western Power Company who subsequently closed the hotel. For a brief time in came back to life, and in 1909, Great Western made improvements to the building and it became their local headquarters. In the fall of 1913, Great Western closed it down. Due to an unusually heavy precipitation in January 1914, the new reservoir, later to be named Lake Almanor, began filling up unexpectedly and thus created Nevis Island for a brief time, until was finally submerged.

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