This vintage postcard shows Emerald Bay in Lake Tahoe and is approximately thirty to forty years old (based on the lack of buildings on the shoreline). It was found in an antique store in Lake Tahoe, shellacked onto a piece of varnished wood. The view is from a mountain vista point above Emerald Bay, on the southwest shore of Lake Tahoe, looking east, and shows an interesting silhouette of the area at sunrise.
Emerald Bay is a state park on the California side of Lake Tahoe. In 1969, Emerald Bay was designated a National Natural Landmark due to the granite formations and geological information contained in the surrounding mountains.
Today, Emerald Bay includes a park that is located twenty-two miles south of Tahoe City and contains the only island in Lake Tahoe, Fannette Island, located in the bay on the west shore of Lake Tahoe. The park features Vikingsholm, one of the finest examples of Scandinavian architecture in the western hemisphere and the “Tea House” on Fannette Island; both great attractions when visiting the lake.
Vikingsholm can be reached by parking in the Harvey West parking lot by Highway 89 at Emerald Bay. To reach it, take the trail, which is one mile in length and drops 500 feet in elevation to the house.