subject: The Many Tales Of The Lone Island In Lake Tahoe [print this page] Fannette Island is the only island in Lake Tahoe in Nevada, California. Located within Emerald Bay, it has had various names over the past 100 years including 'Coquette', 'Fanette', 'Baranoff', 'Dead Man's Isle', Hermit's Isle' and Emerald Isle'; but Fannette was the name that finally stuck. It is an island that is sparsely wooded, granite covered in brush that rises 150 feet above the water. It is also believed by Geologists that the Island is a resistant rib of granite rock that was overridden by glacial ice.
The island has the remains of the Tea House which was built there in 1929 by Mrs. Lora Josephine Knight, who had also built Vikingsholm Castle. It is called Tea House because Mrs. Knight and her guests would travel by motorboat to be served tea in a room with a fireplace, around a large oak table and four oak chairs in a 16 by 16 foot room, all of which is now a shell of what used to be a rustic looking room, especially as it has been vandalized in recent years.
Visitors can only visit the island during the day from the middle of June to February. You can't camp or bring any animals onto the Island. It is fully closed from the 1st of February to the 15th of June, as this is the time when Canadian Geese Nest on the island which is naturally free from any predators that would endanger them. This is also the reason why you can often see Geese swimming along the shoreline near Vikingsholm Castle especially around spring time.
Fannette Island was home of Dick Barter, otherwise known as Captain Dick "Them's my toes" Barter. He was also called the "Hermit of Emerald Bay" it is said he was the first white man to call Emerald Bay. He was an Englishman who moved to Emerald Bay in 1863 and then worked for the Over land Stage Company as an undertaker. He lived there for 10 years all alone and died in 1873. He was called Captain Dick because of his colourful nature, which led to an adventurous life, the locals knew him as the man who built his own tomb and small chapel on the summit of the island, and this was after he was nearly killed in an accident in 1870.
He got the nickname "Them's my toes" after his near death experience he had on one of his voyages that left half of his body frozen, which led to his several of his toes Gangrenous. He had no one to help him so he grabbed his carving knife and amputated his own toes; after that, whenever he had visitors he would tell them the tale of his near death experience and would bring out a box and show the people the remains of that event shouting "Them's my toes!"
Fannette Island is a little island with loads to it maybe you could start your own adventure visiting the island, which could lead to you being just like Captain Dick telling tales, although after you would go back to being nice and safe in one of the many Lake Tahoe vacation rentals with your toes intact.
