History of Lake Tahoe

Lake Tahoe is a wonderful lake set high in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The lake is a Mecca for outdoor enthusiasts who enjoy swimming, sailing, diving, and fishing. The water is crystal clear and has sandy beaches in areas surrounded by hills of pine trees. The higher altitude allows for a cooler climate than some of the surrounding areas making it a pleasant destination in summer. Take a trip through the fascinating past that built present-day Lake Tahoe.

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.

Even today, the ancient name for the Lake lives on in a modern form. The Washoes named the area "Da-ow-a-ga," or "edge of the Lake." The explorers, however, unaccustomed to the native tongue, interpreted the phrase as "Tahoe." The name had staying power even though the Lake was christened "Bonpland" after a French botanist, "Mountain Lake" for obvious reasons and "Bigler Lake" after California's third governor before finally receiving Lake Tahoe as its official name in 1945.

Although the development of the Lake Tahoe area has come far, modern planners today use the ancient wisdom of the Washo Indians when building in the area. Realizing the need to preserve the Lake's beauty in the face of progress, California and Nevada formed the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency in 1968 to oversee environmentally responsible development in the Basin. The agency's balanced approach has enabled them to limit the construction while devising a redevelopment plan that will improve the economy, tourist access and the environment well into the next century.

Tourist Attractions in Lake Tahoe