The Westgate Auto Court and Trailer Park was one of several auto courts that began operation in West Sacramento in the 1920s. Photo courtesy of Susan Curtis Willats

WEST SACRAMENTO, CA (MPG) - In the 1920s, automobiles became much more available to America’s middle class. Mass production, lower prices, higher wages and installment credit all made cars easier to buy and use. That gave people more freedom to travel, both for business and pleasure.

Previously, travelers typically stayed at hotels near train stations or bus depots. With the freedom of movement provided by personal cars, however, they could stay at less expensive lodgings outside of city centers. Auto courts filled this need, typically with clusters of cabins or rooms, each with a parking space right at the door. Units often included simple in‑room cooking or kitchenette facilities such as hot plates, small stoves, and sometimes radios, allowing travelers to prepare meals and relax without going into town.

The Westgate Auto Court and Trailer Park was one of several auto courts that began operation in West Sacramento during this time. Emil Schaffnit, who emigrated from Germany as a teenager in 1906, opened the Westgate Auto Court with his wife, Elsie in the mid-1920s. At the front of the property, there was a small store for groceries, as well as a gas pump. The Schaffnits lived in a small apartment behind the store, and their daughters, Evelyn and Gloria, helped clean the cabins as soon as they were old enough to do so. They expanded the property throughout the early 1930s to accommodate the demand for their cabins; they even added a swimming pool in 1931. 

Travelers weren’t the only people staying at Westgate Auto Court; the modest rental prices made the cabins a very affordable permanent housing option. In the 1940s, the Schaffnits built a new home at the back of the property, as well as a lodge building. Schaffnit’s Lodge was situated among shade trees, featured a Wurlitzer juke box and was a popular place for weddings and private parties until it was demolished in the late 1960s to make way for the freeway. The auto court was closed in 1974.

Randy Curtis, Emil’s grandson, is collecting stories about Westgate Auto Court. Anyone interested in sharing their story is encouraged to contact him at [email protected].