The historic and storied Thunderbird Lodge was built on the east shore of Lake Tahoe in 1936 by George Whittell, Jr. The “Captain” as he was known acquired 40,000 acres along 20-miles of shoreline from Stateline to Zephyr Cove. He had plans for development and built the Lodge as his personal residence and refuge. Architect Frederic DeLongchamps designed the Thunderbird to blend harmoniously with its surroundings and used native stone and pine as the primary construction materials. A private individual, Whittell had the castle built with only 2-master bedrooms and a single guest bedroom with additional accommodation reserved for servants and staff. Simple in design it has many unique forged iron and carved wood features reflecting the craftsmen’s capabilities and the owner’s tastes.
George Whittell, Jr. has many times been described as unconventional with the Lodge reflecting his eccentricities including a 600-ft tunnel to the 100-foot long boathouse, an opium den and an escape elevator from the poker room. A sportsman and lover of animals, he kept a pet lion and elephant on premises. The claw marks on the dashes of his six Duesenberg cars bears evidence to the fact that he was a permissive and indulgent owner of exotic pets.
The beautiful 55-foot yacht “Thunderbird” was built in 1940 by John Hacker in Bay City, Michigan from mahogany with a brushed stainless-steel superstructure to mimic the look of Whittell’s private DC-2 aircraft. Used primarily to ferry guests and showgirls between the Cal-Neva Casino and the Thunderbird Lodge to party and play cards, it has been restored and re-powered and is a part of the Thunderbird Lodge Museum.
Upon Whittell’s death in 1969 the Lodge and property went through several owners and much of the forested property was purchased by the State of Nevada to be preserved as state forest. Eventually the Thunderbird Lodge Preservation Society was formed with the University of Nevada, Reno acquiring the property in trust. On the Register of Historic Places since 2000, the Preservation Society is supported by tour and corporate party revenues along with membership donations and grants. Serendipitously George Whittell, in acquiring the east shore of Lake Tahoe as his personal and private playground, unintentionally preserved a relatively unspoiled example of the Tahoe basin. Worth a visit to anyone visiting Lake Tahoe who would like a glimpse into the eccentric past of the wealthy individuals attracted to the Tahoe basin pre-WWII. The Thunderbird Lodge is a great example of fortress-like seclusion combined with unrivaled lake and mountain views.
All images were taken with Fuji X100f with 23mm f2.0 lens in RAW format or Samsung S21 FE, processed in Lightroom Classic CC 12.0.1