Haunted Lake Tahoe

by Janice Oberding

Lake Tahoe's natural splendor conceals its haunted history. Locals say the ghosts of the Donner Party haunt their doomed campsite in the Sierras. Wealthy recluse George Whittell is said to have never left his beloved Thunderbird Lodge, though he died in 1969. The ghosts of Frank Sinatra, Marilyn Monroe and members of the Rat Pack are thought to gallivant in the showroom and cabins of the Cal Neva Lodge, a popular celebrity retreat. Prisoners from the past may remain in the old Truckee Jail, and the restless spirit of a murdered showgirl might linger in the Tahoe Biltmore. Travel back to Tahoe's golden age and explore where glamour meets ghoul with the queen of haunted Nevada, Janice Oberding.

128 pages, Paperback

First published September 14, 2015

Reviews

[Sabrina Cardoso · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an ok book but I have read many, many paranormal books that completely outshine this one. The history lessons were good and I learned a bit about the area but he actual ghost stories were lacking. There needed to be more research done on each haunting. The author couldn't connect a lot of the hauntings to actual events or people. There also should have been a map of the area somewhere in the first chapter and pictures connected to the places she was talking about. I also felt there was a lot of repetition. For example, when the author wrote about Marilyn Monroe hauntings, there should have been one chapter on her or several pages with an introduction, details and a conclusion. Instead each incident had a paragraph or two with its own subtitle. The fact the Marilyn had her own cabin at the Cal Neva was repeated several times as if we didn't just read about it the page before. I also don't think this book was edited. There are a few instances of poorly written lines, for example on page 85, in regards to the Truckee Hotel there is this sentence, "In 1909, when most of the hotel was destroyed by fire, the hotel went up in flames." I don't think they needed to tell us the hotel was destroyed by fire and went up in flames. I think we get the picture. I am sorry I spent $20 on this book.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read with some great pictures

[Laura and Literature · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this one through a fiction lens!

I learned a lot about Lake Tahoe that I had no clue about. Did you know Heavenly is where Sonny Bono died? 😢

The writing was easy to read and had a nice flow to it. The stories meshed well with each other and keeps you interested. This would be a good one to pick up on a rainy day/night for a little “ghost” story.

Just a tip - don’t read before bed 🫣

[Lea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rounded up to 3. More local history and legend than haunting, written by a local ghost investigator and independent historian, this covers some locations around Lake Tahoe. It’s all very brief and often the history is more than the haunting. Read like it was self published.

[Cathie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good selection of ghostly stories from this area including some about Marilyn Monroe and Frank Sinatra at the CalNeva, Chinese workers and the Donner Lake area, and the Donner Party. Interesting and fun reading.

[Kayla · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an easy, quick read but I wish that there was some more substance behind it. It had all of Tahoe's iconic ghosts in it, but contained less sightings and more hearsay without any sources to back up the stories. It had some interesting parts in it, though.

[Robi A · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating Historical Ghosts !

I really appreciate these first hand stories and the histories behind the hauntings. Be they true or not, you will lear a lot and enjoy yourself while you read this book.

[Lesley Looper · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was hoping to finish this book before my trip to Lake Tahoe, but didn’t finish until today. (We returned from Tahoe last Sunday) Interesting stories, but missed connecting most of the stories to places I saw. Maybe I go back to Lake Tahoe sometime and explore more.

[Valerie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some interesting history, not a lot of hauntings. Lots of stories about the author being invited on TV shows. The most interesting section was in the Donner Party, but there are many better books on that subject. Beautiful photos of the area

[Lyric · Rating 4 out of 5]

So much fun! Loved learning all the myths and legend surrounding Lake Tahoe.

[Tambra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great fun stories about celebrities and places that are haunted Great fun read.

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

I never knew Lake Tahoe was so haunted!