D. L. Bliss State Park at Lake Tahoe in California named after Duane L. Bliss

Duane L. Bliss was a pioneering lumberman, railroad owner, and banker of the Lake Tahoe area. Born in 1833 in Massachusetts, he came to California during the gold rush and ended up in Gold Hill south of Virginia City, Nevada, in 1860 to mine for silver. Then, investing in timber land at Lake Tahoe, he became a successful businessmen in Nevada. He invested in the construction of the Lake Tahoe Railroad, which carried lumber from Glenbrook to a flume station at Spooner Summit. He invested in another rail line to take tourists from Truckee, California, to Lake Tahoe. Further, he commissioned the construction of a steamboat to carry tourists across the lake. He died in 1907, but his family lived on and donated 744 acres of precious land at the lake to the State Park system in 1929, which travelers now can enjoy as D. L. Bliss State Park, where hiking, biking, swimming, and camping belong the most favorite summer activities. Rubicon's Point's Lighthouse and the Balancing Rock Nature Trail are easily accessible from various locations inside the park.