About Drakesbad Guest Ranch
Drakesbad - A Story About Stewardship
In business continually since June 20, 1900, hospitality has been the name of the game in "Hot Springs Valley". The vision and passion of the founding family, the Alexander Siffords of Susanville, Drakesbad (so named by guests in 1908) is the rarest of treasures in the National Park system. For over 60 years and through two generations the Sifford family owned the Drakesbad Guest Ranch and welcomed visitors from all over California and the world. It began as a healthful retreat, remote and far away, requiring arduous physical exertion to reach, tenacity to be reclaimed from its winter dormancy each season and daily, even hourly, tender love and appreciation by guests, caretakers and stewards alike. At the turn of the twentieth century camping cost 25 cents a night, meals were 50 cents, a bath in the hot springs pool was 25 cents and pasturing live stock 5 cents: some things have changed over the years but not the attention given to customer service or protection of the environment.
Before he passed away in 1992, Roy Sifford (pictured at right) could claim that he had spent at least some time in Drakesbad every year but one of his 97 years (the year he was "a doughboy over there" during WWI). His passion and love of Drakesbad and desire to see it carry on as the guest ranch he loved moved him to deed the property to the US government for inclusion in Lassen Volcanic National Park in 1958. His story, lovingly told to Mr. Lester Bodine and published in the book, "Sixty Years of Siffords at Drakesbad" is a story of pioneer determination, native environmentalism and love of friends, family and the place. See Historic Drakesbad for more information on the "early years".
Since its inclusion into Lassen Volcanic National Park in 1958, Drakesbad has only been managed by three authorized National Park Concessioners. The Lassen Park Company under the direction of Don Hummell was in charge for the first eighteen years, followed by a short run by U.S. National Resources. For the past thirty years the Koeberer family under the company name of California Guest Services has managed Drakesbad Guest Ranch, and all other Lassen concession operations.
For more information on Lassen Volcanic National Park, please visit www.nps.gov/lavo
The California Parks Company
California Guest Services, Inc. (CGS) dba The California Parks Company has been an authorized concessionaire to the National Park Service since 1977. In our 30 years of continuous hospitality service to guests and visitors to Lassen Volcanic National Park, we have always focused on providing outstanding customer service and serving as stewards of these wonderful and historic facilities. Preserving the ranch and the environment, which was so important to the Siffords, has always been of utmost importance to our company. Each year major maintenance projects accumulate. Cyclic repairs, equipment replacements and upgrades, maintaining the highest fidelity to sanitation and guest amenities in an unpaved, totally open mountain environment, all within a narrow window of June to September is a Herculean task. Serving our guests as well as preserving and protecting the Ranch has been a privilege. We learned the "secrets" from the expert... for the first fifteen years of operating Drakesbad we were honored to have Roy and Emily Sifford address our new staff each opening season to understand what Drakesbad is really all about. Hopefully we learned our lessons well.
Today, the ranch is in the capable hands of a veteran hospitality couple. The Fiebigers came to work for California Guest Services in 1990 and are today widely acclaimed for their fidelity to the preservation of the Drakesbad experience.
Your Hosts
Ed and Billie Fiebiger have been the Ranch hosts for 19 years. All guests, whether new or returning, are treated like family and have come to expect the positively outstanding service offered by these dedicated managers. In 2006 Drakesbad Guest Ranch was awarded the “Excellence in Lodging and Hospitality” award from the California Lodging Industry Association.