Mammoth land swap means new Main Lodge and Inn

Included in the recently-passed National Defense Authorization Act were a couple of clauses that loosen the rules on Forest Service land swaps so that Mammoth can get title to the land currently occupied by lease where the Main Lodge, Mammoth Mountain Inn, and other associated buildings sit. Mammoth will get those 21 acres, and the Forest Service will get 1500 acres plus a some cash if needed to balance the books on the land value. The changes allow the FS to accept land not contiguous to FS land (such as the lots they currently lease nearby for vehicle maintenance and visitor center structures) and allow cash payments as part of a land-swap deal.

The old Main Lodge has some parts that were built in the 50's such as the big fireplace wall and just grew as more facilities were added, with the old Gondola base station at the far end. It was interesting every year to wander around in the public areas of the building to see what had changed from the year before.

Dave McCoy has stated in his photo-history essays that he bought Mammoth Mountain Inn, originally a separate business as it was headed for bankruptcy. The first thing they did was fill in the swimming pool. I stayed there once, rolled out of bed during a noon-time nap, and sprained my shoulder - it still hurts when I move it the wrong way.

http://www.davemccoyphoto.com/?galle..._id=1058192810