A Scandanavian castle in the US?

Hello Blog Pals ~

It is I, Little Fox, reporting from the Vikingsholm parking lot. I am about to explore the castle built by Mrs. Knight in 1928 as a summer home on Lake Tahoe. Vikingsholm is called "Tahoe's Hidden Castle" but by the packed parking lot at 9am I would not say it too hidden.  It's a steep 1 mile trip downhill to the castle - let's go!

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Sigh.  It's still smoky from the wildfires but you can see an island off in the distance.  When Mrs. Knight bought the land for her castle she also got the island and built a tea house for her and her guests.  They rarely did formal tea out that because it took the staff a whole morning to set up a tea service, take it out by boat and set it up for afternoon tea which didn't really give them time for their other duties. 

The boat dock is still there so if you have your own boat you can visit the tea house.  The walls and foundation are the only thing left but the island is ripe for exploring. 

Tours start at 10:30 and I was a little early.  You know the early fox gets the chicken (it's a very popular expression in the fox community). More pictures of me hanging out near the lake.  

Still waiting for my tour. 

When Mrs. Knight built Vikingsholm she told her architect that she did not want to disturb any existing trees on the property. On paper the garage was supposed to be 2 car but in real life it ended up being a 1 car garage because of the trees.

It's tour time!  The castle is one of the best examples of Scandinavian architecture in the USA.  Mrs. Knight did not have any children but her favorite niece's husband was the architect (and yes he was Scandinavian).   The State of California is working hard to keep Vikingsholm  in good shape.  You can see a couple of rangers on the right working on the castle.  

You can see the cedar tree (or ponderosa pine....can't tell) on the right.  Again, a tribute to Mrs. Knight condition that no trees be harmed in construction. 

Lots of rooms.  This was the the "pink room".  You can' t tell but it was painted pink.

Formal dining room.  The rules for the guests were simple:  Breakfast at 8am, lunch at 12:00 and dinner at 6:00.  No exceptions.  Mrs. Knight invited her friends to spend the summer at the castle and the only condition she had was that everyone ate meals together.  The rest of the day was up to you.  Horseback riding?  No problem.  Hiking?  No problem.  Boating?  No problem.  Just be sure you are back in time for the meal.  In fact, she charted boats to the Tahoe Tavern at night for her guests, you could stay out as long as you wanted and the boat would bring you back to the castle when you wanted, just be sure you were at the breakfast table, dressed appropriately, at 8am. 

Now I am behind the scenes in the kitchen.  This is where the staff had their meals.  Working as a staff member for Mrs. Knight was a good deal.  Cooks had their own private rooms and bathrooms in the castle.  Maids had their own quarters too (although they couldn't be married under her employ).  Other staff had it good too.

1) Mrs. Knight had an annual BBQ for the staff and their families (they would come from far and near to hang out at the castle).

2) Nightly excursions to the Tahoe Tavern for entertainment.

3) Compensation that was above the industry standard at the time.

4) When Mrs. Knight passed away in 1945  she gave each staff member $1000.00 per year of their employ with her.  Some staff members were with her for over 40 years!

A 1936 Dodge Limo was Mrs. Knight's mode of transportation.  Many nights after dinner the limo would ferry her guests up the driveway (1 mile long) then everyone would take an after dinner walk back to the castle.   

All of this exploring makes a fox tired.  Time for lunch. My roommates saw this place along the side of the road and it wasn't even a discussion they just knew to stop here.  Sometimes my roommates do things right.  This looks like my kind of place!!!!!

Here are the barrels.

Secret ingredients in the bags.  I think it was sugar. 

Friendly animals nearby so you know it's good. 

The BBQ was great (especially the chicken).

Lake Tahoe was great but it's time to start the long drive home.