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Tahoe's shores have attracted summer visitors for thousands of years.The Washoe Indian Tribe were the first humans to enjoy the lake. They migrated each summer from the Carson Valley area seeking the cooler temperatures, abundant fish and plentiful game of Lake Tahoe. "Da-ow-a-ga" was the Washoe Indian name for Lake Tahoe. The Washoes considered "the jewel of the Sierra" the birghplace of their heritage.
The first recorded sighting of Lake Tahoe by a non-Native American was by John C. Fremont in February of 1844. His exploration party was guided by the legendary scout Christopher "Kit" Carson. In 1848 Kit Carson carved a trail over what is now called the Carson Pass. This trail became the main east/west route from Utah to California and was known as the Mormon-Emigrant Trail.
In 1859 the Comstock Lode was discovered in Virginia City, Nevada. During the 1860's Tahoe became the center of a lively commerce involving the silver mines in Virginia City and the Central Pacific Railroad, which was pushing over teh sierra toward the town of Truckee.
An extensive logging empire was stablished on the east shore of the lake from Incline Village to Glenbrook. The loggers clear-cut the entire shoreline until both the silver mines and the demand for timber petered out in the late 1870's to early 1880's. The scars of the logging industry lasted for decades.
By action of the California state legislature in 1945, Lake Tahoe became the official name of the lake. The Indian word "tahoe" means "big water." |