The original Lodge was built in 1890 by Horrace Cotton at a lumber mill site in the Santa Cruz Mountains. In the early 1920s, Dr. F.K. Camp added the dining room with the natural, trout-stocked mountain brook running through it. Although the giant tress are gone now, ferns and other foliage continue to grow under the large atrium skylight. The round window, now also gone, was lit at night to look like moonlight through the trees. Horseshoes from the old mill were welded into lanterns. A wishing well near the entrance collected coins for Crippled Children. The stream was lit at night with underwater lights. Bird cages are also visible in many postcards.
Famous bands and singers of the Swing Era performed here. Movie stars and diplomats visited often. The fireplace, dance floor, bandstand and more tables were to the left of the brook. The founder and original owner didn't allow alcohol on the premises. The advertising slogans included: "In All the World, Nothing Like It" and "In the heart of Big Tree Country... Come linger with us and listen to the brook singing merrily through our dining room. Known all over the world."
In the 1940s, the Lodge fell into disrepair after the founder died. There were rumors of Mob involvement, secret passageways, hidden rooms and bodies buried beneath the floor. The niece of Dr. Camp drowned in the dining room creek and sightings of her ghost continue to be part of Brookdale's legend. In the 1950s, a fire destroyed the Dining Hall and it was remodeled in more of a Hansel & Gretel theme. During this time, much of the campground was paved for a massive parking lot. A more sensitive restoration took place in the early 1990s. The place is now known as the Brookdale Inn & Spa. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, and 3.
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