First, Huell . Mrs. Knight was originally Lora Josephine Small of Galena, Illinois, the daughter of a corporate lawyer. He was a stockbroker in St. Louis, Missouri, and an aspiring pilot. The Moore brothers had a controlling interest in a handful of large corporations, including United States Steel, Union Pacific, Rock Island Railroad and National Biscuit, or Nabisco. At his 21st birthday party, all of the guests were given pearl necklaces. Eight years before her marriage to Harry Knight, Mrs. Josephine Moore purchased the land at Chinquapin from descendants of Lake Tahoe timber baron Duane L. Bliss. After Lora's father passed, the brothers took over the law firm and together, they became incredibly wealthy businessmen based in Chicago. Lora Josephine Knight constructed Vikingsholm in the Scandinavian style because Emerald Bay reminded her of the fjords she visited on trips to that region. The coroner said the cause of death was heart disease, but the night before, Nathaniel was up late at a brothel and had been drinking. Many communities were interested in Lick’s $2 million estate and several protested the Tahoe location insisting that they were better suited for an observatory than the snowbound lake. She’s recalled some of those memories in a booklet and, more recently, as a park ranger. Life was good for the Moores, but after their purchase of the Tahoe property, James’ health began to fail. The widowed heiress is Lora Josephine Knight. Hunt also designed the Rose Bowl. But in 1910, Nathaniel suddenly died. Wildlife have several strategies to endure Lake Tahoe’s winters, Steeped in old town Truckee history, Moody’s serves up innovative cuisine, Alpine wine: Sample vino at one of these Sierra wine bars, All aboard: 5 Ways to Get Out on the Water in the winter. Historic Vikingsholm Castle offers one of the most spectacular views of Lake Tahoe and Emerald Bay – one of the most photographed bays in the world. Lora J. Knight Many people assume that Mrs. Knight was of Scandinavian origin because of her decision to build Vikingsholm but she was actually of English decent. SFGate - Julie Brown The widowed heiress is Lora Josephine Knight. The sibling entrepreneurs eventually amassed quite a fortune with controlling interest in a n… Breakfast was at 8 a.m. sharp, but afterwards, time was for the taking to read, hike up to the waterfalls or go fishing off the dock, Smith said. Its manicured gardens offer panoramic views of the Pacific. In 1922, Lora Moore married Harry French Knight, a stockbroker. Inspired by 11th century Nordic churches and castles, Knight commissioned detailed wood carvings to be placed throughout the interior and exterior. But the story of Mrs. Knight and her Vikingsholm stand apart from the rest. Tahoe historian Mark McLaughlin is a nationally published author and professional speaker and former freelance writer for Tahoe Magazine. Timber was hand-hewn, though Mrs. Knight specifically demanded that the footprint of her house be built around the old-growth trees on the property. Currently it is used as a hiking trail by those wishing to visit this remarkable castle. Fake N95 masks are rampant. Search for: Browse by Date Afternoon Hike in D.L. The castle was built in 1929 and commissioned by Mrs. Lora Josephine Knight, who drew similarities between Lake Tahoe and the fjords of Scandinavia. She died there in 1945 at the age of 82. But Vikingsholm is the house that Lora will always be known for. From FAG contributor Ross Adam Wood Sr. As fate would have it, Lora married James and her sister Ada married William. Knight had become acquaintances with the Armstrong’s through church affiliations and after the purchase she would build her majestic Vikingsholm the following year. McLaughlin says the replicas were so exact, Knight even had the ages of the wood matched and scratch marks on the original copied. She is originally from Tahoe's West Shore. Construction on the castle began in the spring of 1929 and proceeded quickly as 200 workmen and artisans, housed in temporary barracks, quarried nearby stone and cut lumber. Lora then purchased about 240 acres of land at the head of Emerald Bay, as well as Fannette Island, from the William Henry Armstrong family for $250,000. Knight loved Tahoe, and for 16 years she enjoyed her summers at Wychwood, hosting friends and family members, but in 1928, she sold her beloved lakeside Shangri-La to Robert Stanley Dollar Sr., a wealthy San Francisco businessman. Apparently, she chose the Scandinavian motif because she had admired Palme’s own Scandinavian-designed home in New York. They visited Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden as they inspected buildings dating back 1,000 years. But since then, the state park has preserved Vikingsholm, and Knight’s legacy, for hundreds of thousands of visitors who arrive every year. Lora and James Moore moved to Santa Barbara for the ocean air. Come summer, the hiking trails are full of visitors, and state parks rangers open the castle for guided tours. Most of the building was made from local materials. Her father, Edward Small, was a corporate lawyer who took on two brothers as partners in his law practice — William Henry Moore and James Hobart Moore. Comment: Spine creases, wear to binding and pages from reading. Catching up…. Most of the building was made from local materials. Here's why. The area is home to Vikingsholm, a beautiful mansion of Scandinavian architecture that rests on the shore of Emerald Bay. Lora Small (Knight) was born in Galena, Illinois, in 1864 of English descent. She had a granite teahouse that resembled a small castle built on the crest of the island. Tag Archives: Lora Josephine Knight. Despite the expense and effort, the tea house was rarely used, even though Lora spent all her summers at Vikingsholm until her death in 1945. Her first lakefront mansion was called Wychwood and was just north of Dollar Point, where the Chinquapin condominiums are today. In the summer, when guests would visit her at her castle on the shore of Emerald Bay, called Vikingsholm, the butler would row her and her friends across the bay to the island for tea time. Some parts of the structure contain no nails or spikes, as a result of old-fashioned construction methods. 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Knight had already spent 16 summers in Tahoe before she built Vikingsholm. Lora and her husband, James, traveled extensively in California as to foreign countries. Read More. She and her friends would take a motor boat from her mansion on the shore out to the island in the afternoon. Julie Brown is a contributing editor at SFGATE, covering Lake Tahoe. It became the summer home for Mrs. Knight and her family for 15 years until her death. Today, Lora Knight’s Viking castle is considered perhaps the finest example of Scandinavian architecture in North America. From the mountainside, you can see Fanette Island and just barely make out the box-like shape of a stone teahouse on top. The roof of the north and south wings is topped with sod where grass and flowers grow each spring. Vikingsholm was built by Mrs. Lora Josephine Knight as a summer home. James Hobart Moore passed away in 1916 at their home in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. Read our E-edition from your preferred device. “Nathan” was an avid golfer and a participating member of the American Olympic team that won the gold medal at the 1904 Summer Games in Missouri. Vikingsholm was built by Mrs. Lora Josephine Knight as a summer home. “From there they strolled back down to Vikingsholm.”. The Vikingsholm castle greets visitors to Emerald Bay. Winding trails wrap around the bay encouraging visitors to walk, bike or run the scenic paths. May contain limited notes, underlining or highlighting that does affect the text. With her first husband, she had a 27-room estate at Lake Geneva, a retreat for “Midwestern tycoons,” according to the Chicago Tribune. Before starting construction, Mrs. Knight and her architect traveled to Scandinavia to gather ideas for the house. She was born Lora Josephine Small in Galena, Illinois, in 1864 - one of a family of four daughters and one son. “Each day blended into the next, relaxed and unhurried,” Smith told the Press Democrat, “and began with the sound of swishing sprinklers set up by yardmen in the early morning hours to water the wildflowers that grew in the grasses on the bay side of the house.”. - Bars are still open 24/7 in South Lake Tahoe. Before starting construction, Mrs. Knight and her architect traveled to Scandinavia to gather ideas for the house. A sod roof was installed on the north and south wings, so that grasses and wildflowers could grow. Did shutting down outdoor dining contribute to California's COVID-19 surge? 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Lora Josephine Knight purchased the property encompassing the head of Emerald Bay and Fannette Island in 1928 for $250,000. The history of the castle and its visionary, Lora Josephine Knight, is fascinating. I've heard stories about the wealthy woman who built the teahouse on the island. Widowed and then divorced, the newspapers at the time said Knight was one of the wealthiest women in America. Vikingsholm is administered by the California Park System. After a short marriage to Henry Knight, yet keeping his last name, Lora Knight went to work on creating the castle of her dreams to blend in with the bay. Helen Smith was a frequent guest. One newspaper article, published in the Reno Gazette Journal, said Nathaniel was “lavish with money.” He once invited a few friends to Broadway and hosted a $20,000 dinner. Summer days at Vikingsholm were relaxed, with a bit of structure. The marriage did not last long and they were divorced soon after they were married. The owner, billionaire heiress Lora Josephine Knight bought the land to build a summer home similar to those she had seen on her travels to Scandinavia. Knight spent 15 summers at Vikingsholm. - A fortune, a widow and a castle in Lake Tahoe's Emerald Bay. She then commissioned Lennart Palme, a Swedish architect to whom she was related by marriage, to design Vikingsholm. Those wishing to know more can enjoy one of the daily guided tours from Memorial Day weekend until the end of September. Emerald Bay also reminded her of a Norwegian fjord with it steep surrounding slopes and deep blue water. I highly recommend taking a tour if at all possible, but if that doesn’t work for you logistically, still hike down and marvel at its exterior, as well as the views from lake level of Emerald Bay. In order to preserve the natural environment of Emerald Bay, Knight insisted that local Tahoe materials be used with the exception of the leaded windows with pastel stained-glass panes imported from Sweden. Drugs were suspected. Although many people assume that Mrs. Lora Josephine Knight was of Scandinavian ancestry because of her decision to build Vikingsholm in the Scandinavian tradition, she was actually of English decent. The items she couldn’t import she had replicated. Bars are still open 24/7 in South Lake Tahoe. Vikingsholm is said to be one of the finest examples of Scandinavian architecture in the Western Hemisphere, according to California State Parks, which manages the land today. Vikingsholm was built by Mrs. Lora Josephine Knight as a summer home. The only island on Lake Tahoe, Fannette island hosts a small stone structure that was once the tea house of Mrs. Lora Josephine Knight, the owner of Vikingsholm. Posted on July 12, 2010 by The Morena. EDITOR’S NOTE: This article was originally published in the Summer 2017 edition of Tahoe Magazine. (So next time you visit Vikingsholm for a picnic, consider bringing some Ritz Crackers or perhaps Oreos.). lora josephine knight: mistress of vikingsholm by phillip i. earl the three rock point mills at dayton state park by robert l. spude the rise and fall of local newspapers in nevada, 1860s-1960s by james w. hulse exploring the silver state: the oats park art center in ‘the oasis of nevada’ by kirk robertson In the winter, Vikingsholm is quiet. His body was taken to the Moore home, to Lora, in a private ambulance. The sibling entrepreneurs eventually amassed quite a fortune with controlling interest in a number of large American corporations such as the Diamond Match Company, U.S. Steel and National Biscuit (Nabisco), the maker of Oreo cookies. For great images click the Photo Gallery just above the map below. After Edward Small’s death, William and James took over the firm and formed the Moore Brothers partnership. The home is on the National Register of Historic Places. For a birthday present, his father wrote him a check for $100,000. It was there in 1914 that Moore built a charming lakefront estate that she called Wychwood. Her parents were good friends with Knight, and Smith spent 14 summers visiting Vikingsholm as a child. Vikingsholm is a 38-room mansion on the shore of Emerald Bay at Lake Tahoe, in El Dorado County, California, U.S., and on the National Register of Historic Places.. History. It was built in 1928 and is now one of the treasured historic landmarks of Northern California. HISTORY Situated majestically below shear granite cliffs, among towering pines and cedars, Vikingsholm was built as a summer home by Mrs. Lora Josephine Knight in 1929. Who wins: A Lodge Blacklock Dutch oven or a Le Creuset... 4 alternatives to The Mirror if you want more from your... Our readers’ favorite N95 and KN95 masks just dropped... How a virtual movie club has helped me survive the pandemic, This $10 produce keeper is actually helping me eat healthier, 'WandaVision' is at its best when it's not about superheroes, High West's A Midwinter's Night Dram is the PS5 of whiskeys, This $5 chopper will change how you cook ground meat. Mrs. Lora Josephine Knight chose Emerald Bay to build her castle, Vikingsholm. Their Wisconsin chateau boasted 27 rooms, a wine cellar and a two-lane bowling alley. Mrs. Lora Josephine Knight built a tea house at the top of Fannette Island in Emerald Bay State Park. Astronomers suggested that a high-altitude mountain location above atmospheric dust and away from city light would be the best location. Open in the summer months only, this 38 room fortress was built in the 1920s by Mrs. Lora Josephine Knight on her property encompassing the head of Emerald Bay and Fannette Island. 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