Magnificent Lake Tahoe
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Lake Tahoe, Lake of the Sky
In the early 1860's Mark Twain walked to Lake Tahoe from Carson City carrying a couple of blankets and an ax. That was quite an accomplishment as it is a steep mountainous climb. He did recommend that his readers go on horseback. This is what he says of his first impression of Lake Tahoe:
"We plodded on, two or three hours longer, and at last the Lake burst upon us-a noble sheet of blue water lifted six thousand three hundred feet above the level of the sea, and walled in by a rim of snow-clad mountain peaks that towered aloft full three thousand feet higher still. It was a vast oval, and one would have to use up eighty or a hundred good miles in traveling around it. As it lay there with the shadows of the mountains brilliantly photographed upon its still surface I thought it must surely be the fairest picture the whole earth affords!"
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"We plodded on, two or three hours longer, and at last the Lake burst upon us-a noble sheet of blue water lifted six thousand three hundred feet above the level of the sea, and walled in by a rim of snow-clad mountain peaks that towered aloft full three thousand feet higher still. It was a vast oval, and one would have to use up eighty or a hundred good miles in traveling around it. As it lay there with the shadows of the mountains brilliantly photographed upon its still surface I thought it must surely be the fairest picture the whole earth affords!"
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Emerald Bay ~ Jewel of Lake Tahoe
Mark Twain at Tahoe
Tahoe lumber for the Comstock Lode
When Mark Twain visited Tahoe it was still largely primitive wildness, although logging operations for the securing of timber for the mines of Virginia City had been going on for some time and had led to the settlement at Glenbrook. Four huge saw mills were in constant operation there, weather permitting, to keep up with the demand for lumber for the silver mines of the Comstock Lode. Silver from the Comstock Lode at Virginia City helped to finance the Civil War. Discovery of Lake Tahoe
John C. Fremont, discoverer of Lake Tahoe
John C. Fremont, popularly dubbed "the pathfinder," was Lake Tahoe's discoverer, on the 14th day of February, 1844. In the journal of his 1843-44 expedition he records his first sight of it:"Accompanied by Mr. Preuss, I ascended to-day the highest peak to the right from which we had a beautiful view of a mountain lake at our feet, about fifteen miles in length, and so nearly surrounded by mountains that we could not discover an outlet."
Like so many other important discoveries that were to have an important effect upon the lives of countless numbers of people, the discovery of Lake Tahoe was accidental. Fremont did not comprehend the vast influence and far reaching value of what he had found.
If you have seen Lake Tahoe and know how gloriously beautiful it is, then you have to wonder at Fremont's detached and understated words upon his first sight of Lake Tahoe.
Waxing Poetic about the Lake of the Sky
George Wharton James discusses Tahoe's exquisite beauty
Another writer waxes poetic about Lake Tahoe:"Watered-silks of the most perfect manufacture are but childish and puerile attempts at reproduction, and finest Turkish shawls, Bokhara rugs or Arab sheiks' dearest-prized Prayer Carpets are but glimmering suggestions of what the Master Artist himself has here produced.
There are not the glowing colors of sunrises and sunsets; but they are equally sublime, awe-inspiring and enchanting. There are Alpine-glows, and peach-blooms and opalescent fires, gleams and subtle suggestions that thrill moment by moment, and disappear as soon as seen, only to be followed by equally beautiful, enchanting and surprising effects, and with it all, is a mobility, a fluidity, a rippling, flowing, waving, tossing series of effects that belong only to enchanted water-water kissed into glory by the sun and moon, lured into softest beauty by the glamour of the stars, and etheralized by the quiet and subtle charms of the Milky Way, and of the Suns, Comets and Meteors that the eye of man has never gazed upon."
George Wharton James
The Tea House on Fannette Island Emerald Bay Lake Tahoe
Magnificent Lake Tahoe
Tahoe's Native People
The Washoe and Paiutis of Lake Tahoe
Tahoe's native peopleThe Paiutis and the Washoes lived on the shores of Lake Tahoe. The Paiutis, however, ranging further east in Nevada, were always regarded as interlopers by the Washoes if they came too near to the Lake. There are stories of several struggles where the Washoes battled with the Paiutis to keep them from this favored location.
Prior to the coming of the emigrant bands the only white men the Indians ever saw were occasional trappers who wandered into the new and strange land. At that time, the beautiful Indian name was Wasiu, not the harsh, Anglicized, Washoe. They ranged from Washoe and Carson valleys on the east in winter, up to Tahoe and over the Sierras for fishing and hunting in the summer. They never ventured far westward, as the Monos and other mountain tribes claimed the mountain regions for their acorns and the game which abounded there.
The "Signal Code" Design by Dat-so-la-le
Weaving Baskets ~ A Washoe Woman's Work
Chief among the Washoe women's work was making baskets. There was a Washoe woman named Dat-so-la-le, or Luisa Keyser in English for she was married to Charley Keyser, a roustabout Washoe man who was well known in the Carson Valley.She was an artist and a genius when it came to making baskets.
She saw exquisite baskets in her dreams, and had the patience, persistence and determination to keep on weaving until she was able to reproduce them in actuality.
Near Tahoe City there was a little curio store owned by a Mr. A. Cohn. He purchased one of Dat-so-la-le's baskets. When he was offered $25 for it by a Salt Lake City dealer, he realized that he had access to a treasure trove.
He made arrangements with Dat-so-la-le and her husband to provide them with a house, food, clothing and a certain amount of cash yearly, and he took all the baskets Dat-so-la-le made. As soon as she started a basket it was noted carefully. The date the basket was finished was recorded and then it was numbered, photographed and either offered for sale or put into a safety deposit vault at the bank.
"Happy Homes" by Dat-so-la-le
William Henry Knight, map maker, describes his first view of Lake Tahoe.
Tahoe is Inspiring
William Henry Knight had gathered the data for compiling the first general map of the Pacific States, which embraced the region from British Columbia to Mexico, and from the Rocky Mountains to the coast. Here is his account of his first view of Lake Tahoe:"In the year 1859 I was the youngest member of an overland company which crossed the plains and mountains from St. Joseph, Mo., to California.
The view was, indeed, the most wonderful combination of towering mountains, widespreading valley, gleaming lakes, umbrageous forests, rugged buttresses of granite, flashing streams, tumbling waterfalls, and overarching sky of deepest cerulean hue-all blended into one perfect mosaic of the beautiful, the picturesque, and the majestic, that mortal eye ever rested upon.
No imagination can conceive the beauty, sublimity and inspiration of that scene, especially to one who had for weary months been traversing dusty, treeless and barren plains. The contrast was overwhelming. Tears filled my eyes as I gazed upon the fairy scene. I recall the entrancing picture to-day, in all its splendid detail, so vividly was it photographed upon my brain.
Since that hour I have crossed the continent ten times, over various railway routes, visited most of the States of the Union, and seven foreign countries, heard the testimony of others whose travels have been world-wide, and I doubt if another scene of equal enchantment exists on the face of the globe."
Lake Tahoe in Winter
From another Tahoe lover.
BY DR. J.E. CHURCH, JR., OF THE UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA from an article in Sunset Magazine circa 1915
"Lake Tahoe is an ideal winter resort for the red-blooded. For the Viking and the near Viking; for the man and the woman who, for the very exhilaration of it, seek the bracing air and the snow-clad forests, Lake Tahoe is as charming in winter as in summer, and far grander. There is the same water-in morning placid, in afternoon foam-flecked, on days of storm tempestuous. The Lake never freezes; not even a film of ice fringes its edge. Sunny skies and warm noons and the Lake's own restlessness prevent. Emerald Bay alone is sometimes closed with ice, but more often it is as open as the outer Lake. Even the pebbles glisten on the beach as far back as the wash of the waves extends.
But beyond the reach of the waves a deep mantle of white clads the forests and caps the distant peaks. The refuse of the forests, the dusty roads, and the inequalities of the ground are all buried deep. A smooth, gently undulating surface of dazzling white has taken their place."
"Lake Tahoe is an ideal winter resort for the red-blooded. For the Viking and the near Viking; for the man and the woman who, for the very exhilaration of it, seek the bracing air and the snow-clad forests, Lake Tahoe is as charming in winter as in summer, and far grander. There is the same water-in morning placid, in afternoon foam-flecked, on days of storm tempestuous. The Lake never freezes; not even a film of ice fringes its edge. Sunny skies and warm noons and the Lake's own restlessness prevent. Emerald Bay alone is sometimes closed with ice, but more often it is as open as the outer Lake. Even the pebbles glisten on the beach as far back as the wash of the waves extends.
But beyond the reach of the waves a deep mantle of white clads the forests and caps the distant peaks. The refuse of the forests, the dusty roads, and the inequalities of the ground are all buried deep. A smooth, gently undulating surface of dazzling white has taken their place."
Lake Tahoe from Space
Lake Tahoe History Links
Read more about the history of Magnificent Lake Tahoe
- Lake Tahoe History
- Lake Tahoe is a unique and beautiful national treasure that also boasts a rich and colorful historical past. The Washo Indians had been gathering at its shores for centuries when American explorers Kit Carson and John Fremont came upon it in 1844. The Lake Tahoe Basin was a summer gathering place for three tribes of these peaceful Indians, who considered the Lake to be a spiritual site and conducted sacred ceremonies on the South Shore.
- Lake Tahoe - History and Fascinating Facts
- One research resource states that Tahoe never freezes to its depth, because of said depth and constant water movement. This same source went on to state that, if the lake were ever drained, it would take seven hundred years to refill it. Further, if Lake Tahoe were "tipped over" the contents would cover an area the size of California (163,707 sq. mi., or 423,837 sq. km.) in 14.5 in. (36.83 cm.) of water. The total volume of water is 39 trillion gallons (902,063,703 barrels-UK)!
- LAKE TAHOE HISTORY
- In the 1850's the California Gold Rush and other attractions resulted in heavy wagon train traffic through what is now known as Highway 50. Then, wagon traffic was so heavy the route was called the Roaring Road. Today Highway 50, passing over Echo Summit, is the preferred route for visitors driving from Sacramento or the Bay Area to South Lake Tahoe. Interstate 80 is the more direct route taken to Donner Pass, Truckee, and the ski areas west of the lake.
- Lake Tahoe - History Heritage
- When you visit Lake Tahoe, one of the things that will surprise you is that the people you meet who call Lake Tahoe their home have a fine sense of the area's history and heritage. In fact, some of the best views of Tahoe can be seen through the eyes of the locals!
Visit Lake Tahoe!
Tahoe is beautiful and has much to offer any time of the year.
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If you've never visited Lake Tahoe it's really worth it.
Beauty, History and Recreation at Tahoe
The Lake Tahoe of today is just as exquisitely beautiful as it ever was. Quite a few more people have discovered it though, and it draws many, many visitors from all over the world.
Lake Tahoe is a popular destination of the sportsman, and fisherman; a favorite haunt of the thoughtful lover of God's great and varied out-of-doors, and the chosen resort of many thousands of pleasure-loving gamers and skiiers.
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orange3
Jul 25, 2011 @ 12:24 pm | delete
- I got married in Lake Tahoe! Beautiful place! Thanks for a walk down memory lane :)
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Goldenpig999
Jun 29, 2011 @ 2:11 pm | delete
- Lovely pictures. It reminds me of some of the lakes in northern british columbia.
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janices7 Sep 19, 2010 @ 1:08 pm | delete
- Went to Lake Tahoe during Christmas with a friend when I was a senior in high school....can't wait to go back. It is simply gorgeous there! Great photos and I love that you've shared the history of the area too.
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JoyfulPamela
Feb 11, 2010 @ 10:57 am | delete
- Thanks for teaching me about Lake Tahoe. It looks like a really beautiful place to be. :D
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WordCustard
Nov 30, 2009 @ 11:28 am | delete
- It looks so beautiful. I'd love to visit!
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Michey
Aug 30, 2009 @ 12:03 pm | delete
- Hi! Dianne, I discover your Lake Tahoe lens on RedGage, isn't this great?
When I worked as a consultant in San Francisco (it was an assignment of 2 Years), my husband and I use to get in Lake Tahoe or Yosemite in long weekends.
Love both places.
Michey
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clouda9
Aug 27, 2009 @ 1:06 am | delete
- Gorgeous lens and stunning pictures! 5*'s and a hug!
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ArtByLinda Aug 26, 2009 @ 10:13 pm | delete
- Beautiful lens with great information, Lake Tahoe is gorgeous, love it there!
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Janet
Aug 24, 2009 @ 3:20 pm | delete
- Wonderful site. You obviously love this lake and with good reason. I've been there many times and coming again in September. Truly looking forward. Hope to find a quiet spot to meditate and touch the early spiritual history of the lake. Keep up the great work.
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stargazer00
Jun 21, 2009 @ 9:02 pm | in reply to BFuniv.com | delete
- We lived on the South Shore for many years and my boys all learned to ski at Heavenly Valley. I remember that about the CalNeva and Frank Sinatra. It is a very beautiful place with lots to do.
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I hope you enjoyed reading about Magnificent Lake Tahoe.
Lake Tahoe is truly the gem of the Sierras.
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Top Trails Lake Tahoe
Must-do Hikes for Everyone
Top Trails Lake Tahoe: Must-do Hikes for Everyone
Amazon Price: $4.95 (as of 02/16/2012)
Amazon Product Description: "Top Trails Lake Tahoe explores the best trails for hiking and biking in the Tahoe area, including the north side's splendid backcountry, the lake's sedate western side, the picturesque and popular areas south of the lake, including Desolation Wilderness and D. L. Bliss and Emerald Bay state parks and the relatively undeveloped eastern side. Several hikes follow sections of the Tahoe Rim Trail and Pacific Crest Trail."
Best Easy Day Hikes Lake Tahoe
2nd in the Best Easy Day Hikes Series
Best Easy Day Hikes Lake Tahoe, 2nd (Best Easy Day Hikes Series)
Amazon Price: $4.94 (as of 02/16/2012)
The guidebook of choice for Tahoe hiking.
