The Little Stone Church in the Woods...

We have driven past the Chapel of the Transfiguration, in Tahoe City, for years. This was the first time we've stopped. Oh man, what a history lesson.

Also known as Saint Nicholas Episcopal Church Outdoor Chapel, this amazing building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is full of history.

In 1908, the D.L. Bliss family donated two acres of land ½ mile south of their hotel, the Tahoe Tavern, to the Episcopal Church for the construction of an outdoor chapel. The construction took place during the summer of 1909. Robert M. Watson, who also built the Watson Cabin, and his youngest son, Robert H. Watson, built the chapel out of native rock and trees to harmonize with the natural environment.

In addition to the few year round residents, the summer congregation of the Outdoor Chapel included many families from the San Francisco Bay Area as well as from foreign countries who visited Lake Tahoe during the summer season. Weddings would be held in the Outdoor Chapel and an elegant reception would be held at the Tahoe Tavern.

It was so beloved, postcards were made for it.

No one was on site so we were able to explore and discover. This is the room located behind the altar. It had a feel of old and abandoned.

Everyone in the world knows who Henry J. Kaiser is. And most know how big he was in Tahoe (Fleur du Lac). Not many probably know about his religious devotion. Just how important the Protestant faith was to Kaiser is difficult to assess, since we lack personal documents such as family correspondence or diaries. What is clear is that in Tahoe, Henry and Bess Kaiser cultivated a close relationship with Rt. Rev. Noel Porter, Ph.D., bishop of the diocese of Sacramento. This relationship had its beginnings at a different Outdoor Cathedral, the one in Sacramento, where Porter confirmed the couple on July 30, 1939. Interestingly, Kaiser delivered several sermons there. Who knew?

Also of interest, at least to me, was Kaiser's motivation for creating the medical system, which bears his name- Kaiser Permanente. In his last published interview, three and a half months before he passed away on August 14, 1967, Henry J. Kaiser stated, “I see the day when no one need die for lack of medical care, as my own mother died in my arms when I was 16 years old.” Mary Kaiser, a practical nurse, was only 52 years old when she died on December 1, 1899. He stated, "Mother would not go to a hospital as a charity patient because she believed in giving, not taking, charity. … I propose to earn millions of dollars and put millions into hospitals and to devote my life toward helping my fellow citizens who, as my own Mother and Father did, suffer because they cannot pay for the full services they require." How sweet that these chimes are dedicated to Henry's mom.

Speaking of tourists coming to this little chapel in the woods, this stained glass window was created by Jessie Van Brunt (1864-1947). Born in Brooklyn, NY, Van Brunt was active in California in the early 1930s and she was the illustrator-author of a book entitled California Missions. Van Brunt was an instructor at the New York School of Applied Design and was employed, for a time, by Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company.

In 1940, it seemed, she was on a Chapels of the Transfiguration 'tour'. The same year she donated to this Tahoe church, she also donated two of her windows, Summer and Winter, to the Chapel of the Transfiguration in Grand Teton National Park. Maybe our next road trip will be a tour of Van Brunt's work. Hmmm.

Last stop was to visit the Memorial Wall.

I was intrigued by this plaque for Florence Edoff Baldwin (1879- 1941). I can find little about her, personally, but one article. In the Oct. 3, 1911 edition of the San Francisco Call, "Mrs. George Porter Baldwin, formerly Miss Florence Edoff, who has been spending the summer in Piedmont, left today for her home in Pittsburg. Mrs. Baldwin's sojourn in her girlhood home was made pleasant by a round of informal entertaining which her friends offered in compliment to her." Her dad, James P. Edoff was rather interesting. Son of Louis and Sarah Edoff, he moved with his parents to New York City in 1857. His father was a captain in the Union army during the Civil War and was killed in battle. When he was fourteen he moved with his family to Oakland. He worked his way up from clerk to partner in the Diamond R Mercantile Company in Elko, NV. In 1883, he sold his interests and moved back to Oakland, engaging in business in San Francisco until 1898. In 1906, he took a very prominent part in the relief work organized the day after the great earthquake and fire, continuing aid for a year and a half in the housing, feeding and support of those in dire need after the devastation. He was married in Oakland to Miss Florence Jones, and they had three children: Frank J., Florence (Mrs. George P. Baldwin) and Aileen. Somehow, the family found their way to Tahoe and loved she loved it enough to have memorial plaque placed here. Wild stuff.

The only thing I could find about Evelyn Bliss, an Old Tahoe Resident, was her part in the local judicial system in Tahoe City or Township 8. "There are not many early records left which provide clues to where court locations may have been in those early years but we do know that in 1926, Justices of the Peace George Bliss and his wife Evelyn Bliss, both conducted court proceedings from a small corner in their living room in their home located on Grove and Front Streets." So cool.

And lastly, the plaque that made me smile! Makes me wish I knew Mr. Todd.

DONALD TODD

July 4th, 1922 - May 2nd, 2010

Father of Ken Todd

Grandfather of Annika and Megan Todd

Women, cocktails and money:

He valued these things above all.

So isn't the irony funny,

His plaque on this sanctified wall?

Dad, we miss you. Good luck with Saint Peter.

It still surprises me that there is so much left to be discovered here in Lake Tahoe.

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2 comments:

Four Points Bulletin said...: Well that looks like a worthy stop!
Who knew Tahoe was connected to my medical insurance? They should probably open a Kaiser facility in the area. You could get a history lesson and a check up!; July 20, 2021 at 6:24 PM
Anonymous said...: What a nicely written article. Thank you so much for your research & time spent.; September 10, 2024 at 10:16 PM

HAERR TRIPPIN'

The Little Stone Church in the Woods...

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