Fannette Island is the only island in Lake Tahoe

Lake Tahoe

Lake Tahoe is a large freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada of the United States. At a surface elevation of , it is located along the border between California and Nevada, west of Carson City. Lake Tahoe is the largest alpine lake in North America. Its depth is , making it the USA's second-deepest...

, California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

/Nevada

Nevada

Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. It lies within Emerald Bay

Emerald Bay, El Dorado County, California

Emerald Bay is an unincorporated community in El Dorado County, California. It lies at an elevation of 6319 feet ....

. Over a long period of time, it was called many different names, including Coquette, Fanette, Baranoff, Dead Man's, Hermit's, and Emerald Isle. The island contains what is left of "Tea House", a building constructed by the owner of Vikingsholm

Vikingsholm

Vikingsholm is a 38-room mansion on the shore of Emerald Bay at Lake Tahoe, in El Dorado County, California, U.S., and on the National Register of Historic Places-History:...

, Mrs. Lora Josephine Knight. Fannette Island, along with Vikingsholm and Emerald Bay, is a part of Emerald Bay State Park

Emerald Bay State Park

Emerald Bay State Park is a state park located around Emerald Bay, a National Natural Landmark since 1968, at Lake Tahoe, California. The park is home to Eagle Falls and Vikingsholm, a 38-room mansion that is one of the finest examples of Scandinavian architecture in the United States. The park...

. It is accessible by boat or by swimming.

Captain Dick Barter, the Hermit of Emerald Bay

Fannette Island was the home of Captain Dick "Them's my toes" Barter from 1863-1873. The eccentric captain had moved from England and built his own tomb and chapel on the island. He enjoyed sailing and earned his nickname from his penchant of showing his self-amputated toe

Toe

Toes are the digits of the foot of a tetrapod. Animal species such as cats that walk on their toes are described as being digitigrade. Humans, and other animals that walk on the soles of their feet, are described as being plantigrade; unguligrade animals are those that walk on hooves at the tips of...

s to guests. Ironically, he was never interred in the chapel he built, as he died in a storm and his body was not found.