The surprise highlight of this year's trip was a guided tour of the Thunderbird Lodge, a vacation
home on the Nevada side of the lake, built by a man named George Whittell, Jr. Born in September
of 1881, George became the sole heir to an inexhaustible family fortune when his twin brother died
of diptheria at the age of three. The family's wealth had its origins in the California Gold Rush, with
the grandfathers on both sides striking it rich in behind-the-scenes supporting roles. The individual
fortunes combined when his parents married each other, with George's mother bringing an inheritance
of $9 million to the union. His father's gift for managing money, ruthless business practices, and
wide-ranging real estate investments meant Junior would never need to to work a day in his life.

When his father died in 1922, Whittell inherited approximately $30 million. Just before the crash
of 1929, he liquidated $50 million worth of stock, avoiding a catastrophic loss and leaving himself
one of the richest men in California. That same year, to dodge the state's rising tax rates, he moved
some of his business interests to Reno, Nevada. The move brought him into contact with a group
of men who were in the process of purchasing 27 miles of shoreline on the Nevada side of the lake.
When a New York investor pulled out at the last minute, Whittell stepped in to keep the deal alive.

He bought his partners out almost immediately, leaving him the sole owner of what was essentially
the entire east side of Lake Tahoe. He toyed with plans for development on and off over the years,
scrapping them because found he valued his privacy more than he did additional millions of dollars.