The Sierra Club is an environmental organization that has been in existence for 132 years, spanning all US 50 states. The club is known for engaging in two main activities: promoting and guiding outdoor recreational activities, which is done throughout the United States but primarily in California, and political activism to promote environmental causes. After trawling through newspapers.com from the 1950s, but primarily the 1960s, it became clear that Clair Tappaan Lodge Sierra Club was not only a meeting point for Sierra Club members wanting to explore the rugged and beautiful countryside of this area, but was well known to ordinary members of the public who visited the Donner Pass Ski Ranch, which sits one mile east, and whose grounds extend north and west towards Clair Tappaan Lodge.
Sierra Club members from San Francisco and the Bay Area could make reservations at the Clair Tappaan Lodge by visiting 1050 Mills Tower at 220 Bush Street, San Francisco, which provided chartered bus trips. This was a national office from 1931 to 1975. The Mills Tower location is only 3,400 feet from the once residence of Melvin Belli, who lived at 1228 Montgomery Street, which would receive a letter from the Zodiac Killer on December 20th 1969 (thanks to Jibberjabber for this). The Clair Tappaan Lodge (15 miles west of Lake Tahoe), was (and is) the predominant "Sierra Club" in this region, leaving little doubt that the Zodiac Killer (or hoaxer) was referencing this Sierra Club when affixing this newspaper cutting to the Pines postcard on March 22nd 1971.
Sierra Club members from San Francisco and the Bay Area could make reservations at the Clair Tappaan Lodge by visiting 1050 Mills Tower at 220 Bush Street, San Francisco, which provided chartered bus trips. This was a national office from 1931 to 1975. The Mills Tower location is only 3,400 feet from the once residence of Melvin Belli, who lived at 1228 Montgomery Street, which would receive a letter from the Zodiac Killer on December 20th 1969 (thanks to Jibberjabber for this). The Clair Tappaan Lodge (15 miles west of Lake Tahoe), was (and is) the predominant "Sierra Club" in this region, leaving little doubt that the Zodiac Killer (or hoaxer) was referencing this Sierra Club when affixing this newspaper cutting to the Pines postcard on March 22nd 1971.
I attempted to find a solid correlation between the Pines postcard and the Mary Pilker Christmas card mailed on December 27th 1974 stating "Best Wishes. St. Donna & Guardian of the Pines", by combining the Sierra Club values of environmental protection and the wording "Guardian of the Pines". Although my finding was three years subsequent to the 1974 Christmas card, I wondered whether this phrase was used in previous years by parties concerned with forestry preservation.
On October 28th 1977, the "Press of Atlantic City" newspaper ran an article about the Pinelands Environmental Council in respect to the Pine Barrens, stretching over the seven counties of New Jersey. It read "As the official guardian of the pines, I'm afraid we lost valuable time". The Sierra Club had an active interest in the preservation of the Pine Barrens during the relevant period to both the Pines postcard and Mary Pilker Christmas card. On the left is one example from 1971. Could the Zodiac Killer have been suggesting that Donna Lass being buried amongst the pines, was somehow looking over and protecting them in the afterlife?
The Zodiac Killer, having a voracious appetite for trawling the newspaper columns, would very likely have been aware of the Clair Tappaan Lodge Sierra Club and its activities, including its involvement in caring for the environment. The Sierra Club meetings and trips were heavily featured in the Bay Area newspapers (and vicinity) on a continuous basis. Various examples have been presented below. Some people will attempt to downplay the Sierra Club pasting on the Pines postcard as the Clair Tappaan Lodge, explaining that we cannot be sure this was the intended "Sierra Club". While we cannot be certain, the overwhelming evidence suggests that this was the location insinuated by the designer of the postcard, bearing in mind its sender included an advertisement of "Forest Pines at Incline" Village. So, was the Zodiac Killer aware of the Clair Tappaan Lodge through the newspapers, through visiting the Donner Ski Ranch as a tourist/hiker, or was he a member of the Sierra Club in the Bay Area?
On October 28th 1977, the "Press of Atlantic City" newspaper ran an article about the Pinelands Environmental Council in respect to the Pine Barrens, stretching over the seven counties of New Jersey. It read "As the official guardian of the pines, I'm afraid we lost valuable time". The Sierra Club had an active interest in the preservation of the Pine Barrens during the relevant period to both the Pines postcard and Mary Pilker Christmas card. On the left is one example from 1971. Could the Zodiac Killer have been suggesting that Donna Lass being buried amongst the pines, was somehow looking over and protecting them in the afterlife?
The Zodiac Killer, having a voracious appetite for trawling the newspaper columns, would very likely have been aware of the Clair Tappaan Lodge Sierra Club and its activities, including its involvement in caring for the environment. The Sierra Club meetings and trips were heavily featured in the Bay Area newspapers (and vicinity) on a continuous basis. Various examples have been presented below. Some people will attempt to downplay the Sierra Club pasting on the Pines postcard as the Clair Tappaan Lodge, explaining that we cannot be sure this was the intended "Sierra Club". While we cannot be certain, the overwhelming evidence suggests that this was the location insinuated by the designer of the postcard, bearing in mind its sender included an advertisement of "Forest Pines at Incline" Village. So, was the Zodiac Killer aware of the Clair Tappaan Lodge through the newspapers, through visiting the Donner Ski Ranch as a tourist/hiker, or was he a member of the Sierra Club in the Bay Area?
As stated previously on this website, many Zodiac researchers have floated the idea that the punch-hole in the Pines postcard was the likely burial or disposal site of Donna Lass - with the phrase "around in the snow" (pasted upside down) suggesting this as a possibility. If we invert the postcard to correct this anomaly, we are presented with a "burial site" west of Clair Tappaan Lodge of an undetermined distance (ignoring any measurements of the postcard). If the postcard was meant to be flipped 180 degrees, then we not only have a "burial site" west of Clair Tappaan Lodge, but a "burial site" exactly 270 degrees west of Clair Tappaan Lodge, as presented by the inverted postcard (which has the pasted Sierra Club directly in line with the punch-hole).
However, caution must be applied to any analysis achieved with hindsight (in this instance, the approximate location of Donna Lass' remains). Credit to Howard Davis for providing me with the Mary Pilker Christmas card.
FURTHER READING: THE BOISE CASCADE CHRISTMAS CARD TO MARY PILKER IN 1974?
However, caution must be applied to any analysis achieved with hindsight (in this instance, the approximate location of Donna Lass' remains). Credit to Howard Davis for providing me with the Mary Pilker Christmas card.
FURTHER READING: THE BOISE CASCADE CHRISTMAS CARD TO MARY PILKER IN 1974?
