Native People
Gold and Silver Discoveries Ski Resorts Museums and Mansions
Lake
Tahoe is the largest alpine freshwater lake and second deepest in North
America. Located in the Sierra Nevada Mountains between Nevada and
California, it is home to ski resorts and other year round tourism and
recreation activities. Formed
about 2 million years ago, it is known for the clarity of its water and the
panorama of surrounding mountains on all sides.
Native People the area
around Lake Tahoe was previously inhabited by the Washoe tribe whose territory,
included the upper valleys of the Walker, Carson and Truckee Rivers. The word
Tahoe derives from a Washo word meaning The
Lake.
The Mining Era with the discovery of gold in
1848, thousands of gold seekers passed near the basin on their way to the gold
fields. Europeans arrived in the Lake Tahoe basin with the discovery of the
Comstock Lode silver deposit 15 miles - 24 km – in Virginia City, Nevada.
From 1858 until about 1890, logging in the basin supplied large timbers to
shore up the mines’ underground workings.
Development during the first half of
the 20th century, development around the lake consisted of a few
vacation homes, followed by the post-World War II building boom, construction
of gambling casinos in the Nevada part of the basin, and completion of the
interstate highway for the 1960 Winter Olympics.
Squaw Valley is North America’s Most Renowned
Ski Resort
Hellman-Erhman
Mansion is a grand but informal summer home completed in 1903 and
considered to be one of the finest in the high Sierra. The building site was
originally a sand hill. Tons of topsoil were brought from the back country to
provide the base for lawns and gardens. Building materials for the house were
obtained locally; the granite from Meeks Bay and the lumber from Hobart Mills,
north of Truckee. The spiral staircase rises to the second floor where a
hall runs north and south joining the eight bedrooms and seven bathrooms.
The rooms were furnished with brass beds and Navajo rugs.
Emerald
Bay State Park is located in the southwest corner of Lake Tahoe
and is a National Natural Landmark. A vividly colored oval embayment of
Lake Tahoe, Emerald Bay was formed by moraines as parallel glaciers
receded. The site is an outstanding example of glacial geology.
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The North Lake Tahoe Historical Society NLTHS was founded in 1969 by
a group of concerned citizens who were passionate about preserving Tahoe’s
history, and telling its stories. The NLTHS preserves, presents and interprets
Lake Tahoe history through its three museums located in Tahoe City:
Gatekeeper’s
Museum
is located on an ancient Washoe campsite. The museum contains an eclectic
collection of Tahoe history, including photographic collections, oral histories
and transcription, newspapers, court ledgers, maps and written materials,
letters, clothing, artifacts and furniture.
Marion
Steinbach Indian Basket Museum a collection of over 800 baskets, pottery, clothing, dolls
and artifacts from over 85 tribes nationwide.
Watson Cabin a 1909 log cabin listed in
the National Register of Historic Places as the oldest Tahoe City house that
still sits where it was originally built, in the middle of the town.
Tahoe Maritime Museum preserves Lake Tahoe’s rich maritime history and stimulate
interest and increase knowledge and maintain watercraft and marine artifacts
significant in Lake Tahoe’s maritime history through the highest standards of
historic preservation, innovative interpretation and public education.
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Travel to Lake Tahoe Nevada California and the US West
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