As A Glass Darkly
From Alternative History
The POD here is that both sons of George Wittell, Sr., Alex and Junior, survive. In OTL, Alex died. When George Jr. runs off with the circus in OTL and the ATL, Senior is more willing to disinherit him because he is not an only child. In OTL, he didn't disinherit his only son. Therefore George Wittell, Jr., remains with the circus and does not return home to San Francisco in 1906.
Junior remains with Barnum & Bailey. He does not return to San Francisco. In OTL, Junior had collected a large fleet of cars, which he volunteered for use after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. This made Junior beloved by the San Francisco community and restored his standing. Senior introduced Junior to Junior's future third wife, who got Junior interested in exotic wildlife and wilderness. Junior and his third wife became the model for the couple in Hemingway's 'The Sun Also Rises'. In the ATL, Alex does not volunteer his fleet of cars to the 1906 Earthquake relief effort. Without the aid in the relief effort, Junior does not become the darling of San Francisco society and does not reconcile with Senior. Therefore he never meets his third wife, and the couple do not become the model for George and his love interest in Hemingway's 'The Sun Also Rises'.
In OTL, two back-East financiers wanted to buy the east slope of Lake Tahoe. They recruited Junior for his cash. They couldn't fulfill their part of the deal, and he recieved sole proprietorship. For decades, as other areas around Lake Tahoe were being developed and parcelled, Junior refused. Finally, the State of Nevada forced him to transfer land to the state, but by that time the state had decided to use the land as a state wilderness, thus preserving the area form development. The delay and prohibition of development prevented increased run-off, erosion, and light pollution at Lake Tahoe, thereby preserving its clarity
In the ATL, without Junior's participation in the land purchase of the eastern side of Lake Tahoe, the back-East financier's withdrawal from the land purchase is fatal to the two partners who recieved an offer from Wittell in OTL. These two men then sell the land to other developers, rather than Wittell preventing development prior to environmental consciousness. The ecology of Lake Tahoe suffers far great damage than in OTL, particularly in its clarity and light pollution. Twenty miles of casinos line the eastern shore.
OTL 1828: Hugh Whittell emigrates to the United States from Ireland.
1849: Hugh Whittell heads west to California. Nicholas Luning also arrives in San Francisco. Whittell "grubstakes" the miners, while Luning opens a bans specializing in loans for financially desperate merchants. Both invest heavily in real estate. Luning later becomes one of the founders of San Francisco Water Company (business ancestor of PG&E).
1879: George Whittell (Hugh's son) marries Anna Luning (Nicholas' daughter).
1881 (Sept 20): George Whittell, Jr. and Nicholas Whittell are born to George Whittell, Sr. and Anna Luning Whittell. Soon after, the family moves to their new mansion on Nob Hill. 1884: Nicholas Whittell dies of diptheria.
1890: Nicholas Luning dies. Anna Luning Whittell inherits nine million dollars. George Whittell, Sr. uses this fortune to start his own financial empire.
c. 1900: George Whittell, Jr. graduates from high school and immediately joins the circus. His parents do not approve, (but he still keeps his allowance!). During his time at the circus, where he learns to be a lion-tamer, George Whittell Jr. and his friend, the future Frank "Bring 'Em Back Alive" Buck (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Buck_(animal_collector)) start a safari business. Anna Luning Whittell convinces George Whittell Jr. to return to San Francisco. 1903: George Whittell Jr. jilts the high society match his parents have chosen for him and elopes with Florence Boyere, a chorus girl. George Whittell Sr. attempts to pay off the bride and county officials to annul the marriage and cover up the scandal. This fails spectacularly. 1903: George Whittell Jr. falls in love with Josie Cunningham, another theater strumpet. George Whittell Jr. marries Josie. George Whittell Sr. cuts off Junior's allowance. 1905: Josie Cunningham leaves to become an early Hollywood character actress. 1906: George Whittell Jr. and his friend Charles Howard (future owner of Seabiscuit) rescued family, friends, and possessions during the earthquake. This makes Whittell very popular among the San Francisco elite. The Whittell family relocates to Woodside, down the San Francisco Peninsula.
1914: George Whittell Jr.'s parents purchase him a captaincy in the Italian army. He ends up driving ambulances and later transfers to the French army, winning decorations in the process. 1917: The United States enters World War I. George Whittell Jr. joins the American army. 1918: While wounded, George Whittell Jr. meets and falls in love with his nurse, Elia Pascal. 1919: George Whittell Jr, marries Elia Pascal - with his parents' approval! They settle down on the Woodside property.
1922: George Whittell Sr. dies. George Whittell Jr. inherits thirty million dollars and invests wisely. 1929: George Whittell Jr. liquidates fifty million dollars in stock holding, thereby avoiding the 1929 stcck market crash and (perhaps) helping to cause it. George Whittell Jr. buys his first Duesenberg passenger car. Ex-wife Josie Cunningham gives George Whittell Jr. a lion cub whom he names Bill. 1929 (Oct): The stock market collapses. George Whittell Jr. becomes one of the welathiest men in California.
1930s, early: George Whittell Jr. moves to Reno and founds a Nevada-based business to manage investments without paying California estate and income taxes. He buys land which will eventually esncompass 40,000 acres and 27 miles of the Nevada shore of Lake Tahoe. He plans to build casinos at Sand Harbor and Zephyr Cove after he builds his own pleasure lodge. 1937: Construction of Whittell Jr.'s Thunderbird Lodge begins. 1939: The Thunderbird Lodge is completed. c. 1943: Whittell Jr. is growing more reclusive. He gradually abandon his casino plans in favor of his own private shore. 1944+: Whittell Jr. retreats from society. He lives in the summer with Bill the lion, Mingo the elephant, and forty birds (mostly mynahs) and invites only a few people to Thunderbird Lodge, including Ty Cobb and Howard Hughes.
1954+: Whittell Jr. suffers a broken leg when one of his lions fell on him.
1969 (April 18): George Whittell Jr. dies. His money goes animal rights organizations, his lands (those which Nevada had not already taken) become public lands.
Sources
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Buck_(animal_collector)
