The story of Sorensen's Resort starts with a Danish immigrant called Martin Sorensen. He came to this country in 1890 when he was 18 years old and worked for the ranchers in Carson Valley. He learned the business well and was especially skillful at raising sheep. In 1902, Martin married Irene Rajah.They had five children. By 1905, he owned his own sheepherding concern.
In 1916, Martin and Irene bought the land where Sorensen's Resort developed, 169 acres for $750. By the end of the 1920s the property had evolved from a place to camp with family and friends into a fully fledged resort. There were 10 cabins, the family house and the store. The cabins rented for 75 cents per night.
The heart of the resort was the store. Here there was apple jack whiskey, good conversation, slot machines, card games, the pot-bellied stove and the juke box. The resort flourished because of the natural beauty of the area and the good fishing but perhaps especially because of the light-hearted, down-to-earth nature of the Sorensens. Guests would quickly become family; they called Irene and Martin Mama and Pop. Staying in the primitive cabins, building fires to heat shower water, putting up with electrical systems from water wheel to generator was all part of the fun. The day electricity did come to Sorensen's they all danced 'til dawn. There were many such spontaneous celebrations. No wonder the guests returned year after year, generation after generation.
In 1970, with Irene and Martin gone and family members going in different directions, Sorensen's was sold with 140 other acres in Hope Valley to Johan Hultin for $300,000.
Johan Viking Hultin, a Swedish immigrant, was a successful physician from Los Gatos. He was a marathon cross-country skier and envisaged building a huge cross-country ski resort. He intended to maintain his medical practice and run the all-year resort 200 miles away. This distance and the dependence on a series of managers, many of whom were unreliable or dishonest or both, contributed in part to the downfall of his operation. Sorensen's descended into a dark age of seedy monthly renters, unpaid bills, cabin damage, drugs and activities that earned it the name "Peyton Place" with the locals.
The saga of Norway House epitomizes what Johan endured for the next decade. In 1971 he had a replica of a loft, an old Norwegian farmhouse, shipped as pre-cut logs. When he arrived at the port of Alameda he realized the load was too heavy and too long for his truck. After a hair-raising journey he arrived at Sorensen's only to discover that the foundation logs and plans had not been included.
Johan's fight for approval of Norway House was only the beginning of battles waged with local authorities for various causes over the rest of his tenure at the resort. Happily, Norway House was brought up to code in 1984 under the next owners.
There were bright spots for Johan. Probably the first permanent cross-country ski school in California, Viggo Nordic, ran at the resort for four winters. Gourmet dinners were served to the skiers. Sorensen's received a mention in a National Geographic article by staff who attended the school. Many of Johan's contributions to the resort were not visible. The electrical and sewer systems are only two of the basic improvements he made that will last for decades.
Nick and Kathy Hartzell were Johan's final and best managers. It was through them that he met buyers for the resort. John and Patty Brissenden were visiting Nick and Kathy (who is Patty's sister). Inspired by a bed and breakfast they'd visited on their recent honeymoon, they wondered about buying Sorensen's. Patty laughs as she recalls looking around the cabins and saying: "A few new quilts, paint, wallpaper..." Little did she know.
Johan took his time evaluating the prospective buyers. He liked their plans for Sorensen's so he finally gave them the price of whatever one thousand ounces of gold was worth on that day. This turned out to be $410,000. The sale was made.
The couple produced a prospectus and attracted 35 investors within the 15 months allowed by the lease-option agreement and became the new owners in February 1982. They moved to the resort with their family in July 1984.
Neither John nor Patty had had experience in the field of innkeeping but both had had extensive exposure to the world of politics. They helped found The Friends of Hope Valley and largely because of their political connections conducted a successful campaign to preserve the valley. They quickly became an integral part of the community.
As to the rest " space is running out. I can only encourage you to appreciate first hand the loveliness that is Sorensen's today.
Thanks to John and Patty Brissenden. Main source of information: "They Came Every Summer" by Arthur Ewart.
