Thunderbird Lodge Lake Tahoe

pete w

Taken from the Lake in a Kayak.

Construction of the Thunderbird Lodge was begun in 1936 by a man named George Whittell, or as he was more commonly called, the "Captain". At the time, Whittell owned 40,000 acres and 24 miles of Nevada shoreline at Lake Tahoe and had plans to develop the land into high-class summer properties, a ski run and a $1 million hotel-casino. However, as Whittell grew older, his interest in animals, nature and privacy far outweighed his desire for more money and he held onto the property until his death in 1969. After Whittell's death, the Lodge and adjacent 10,000 acres of property were purchased by Jack Dreyfus of Dreyfus Investments. Dreyfus later sold most of the land to the Forest Service and Nevada State Parks.

schmoo

I'm glad he sold it to them, too! Tahoe has a lot of development already, but thanks to moves like that, lots of wilderness too.

I love the colors in the... water? This is like a cottage out of a fairy tale. Thanks for sharing!

torags

Well that's as close as you can get to the house. The state has it closed and posted.

I took some shots a the stone carriage house.

It's an interesting building

pete w

Thanks Schmoo
I agree this recession has slowed down investments and developments in the Tahoe region and that's a good thing:D

pete w

Hi Rags
Yes , the only way to get this shot is on the lake, i was running out of time this weekend as the winds were getting up, i will plan another trip over the coming month and share some more shots of the house.

thapamd

I too love the colors in the water. The compression effect of the telephoto is wonderful!