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Our first project as the Elk Grove Historical Society was to reconstruct the first hotel and stage stop built in 1850 by James Hall. James Hall, who is credited as the founder of Elk Grove, built a brick hotel and stage stop on the Monterey Trail between Sacramento and Stockton and named it Elk Grove House. The Elk Grove House served many travelers over the years, providing a hot evening meal, a night’s rest and a hot breakfast before starting back on their journey. The upstairs dance hall seen many cotillions. In a time when there was no traveling at night, visitors would come to Elk Grove House, dance the night away and head back home at daylight. In its heyday, Elk Grove House was one of the finest hotels and stage stops in the area. But in 1957 this grand lady met her end with a widening project for Highway 99. The original hotel was located about 30 feet west of the present site, right in the middle of the northbound lanes of Highway 99. Since it was made of brick it couldn’t be moved, but pictures were taken and plans drawn with the dream of rebuilding this grand hotel. The dream was realized in 2002, when a reconstructed stage stop and hotel was finally opened to the public. The building today houses a collection of artifacts and pictures from early pioneer families of the Elk Grove area. Our basement not only houses our office but our Research Library which holds a large collection of microfilm, pictures, books and files for local history and family research in the Elk Grove area.
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