The "Elvis" of all wooden vessels

The Nevada Appeal reports, this week, the United States Postal Service will pay tribute to one of Tahoe’s most elegant and historical icons at the annual Concours D’Elegance that opens Aug. 9. The Thunderbird, a luxurious wooden boat commissioned by Captain George Whittell was called by some "The Queen of Lake Tahoe" or the "Elvis of all wooden vessels".

Reporter Julie Brown writes, "The stamps — depicting a 1931 Gar Wood Triple Cockpit Runabout, a 1954 Chris-Craft Racing Runabout and a 1915 Hutchinson Brothers Launch in addition to the 1939 Thunderbird Hacker-Craft — were released nationwide last week, after their national unveiling in Clayton, New York on Aug. 4."


Bill Watson, executive director of the Thunderbird Lodge that Whittell built on the East Shore of Lake Tahoe is quoted as saying, “That stamp becomes a tiny little paper ambassador ... capturing all of [Lake Tahoe’s culture and history] on a tiny little package that goes everywhere.”

To read the entire article, click here.