The gatekeeper's job was to open and close the dam gates and keep the lake and river at the right levels. A cabin went up in 1910 so the gatekeeper could live beside the gates.
In 1910 and 1911 the Tahoe Water War between lakeshore owners and downstream river users was settled. Measuring the snow's water content let people predict river and lake levels.
The original cabin burned in 1978. The present one was finished in 1981 and is a museum with local history exhibits and a collection of Native baskets.