Learn a Bit of History on your Lake Tahoe Vacation

Wouldn’t it be a fulfilling getaway when you get to learn a bit about of history during your Lake Tahoe vacation?

It wouldn’t hurt so much to dig in to the culture or know the history of the place you are enjoying your vacation in, since this will provide you with helpful key trivia items that you can boast about with friends when you come back to school or work.

Lake Tahoe’s history is one for the storybooks.

It started out as a land mass of shifting, grinding, sliding earth with imperceptible, perpetual movement which later on became the Sierra Nevada Mountains and the massive water basin that came to be knows as Lake Tahoe.

Here are some more interesting information about Lake Tahoe.

Lake Tahoe’s elevation is 6,229 feet, making it the highest lake of its size in the United States.

The water depth measures 1,645 feet at a portion of the lake in the Crystal Bay area, making it the tenth deepest lake in the world and third deepest in North America.

Lake Tahoe also boasts of water clarity to a depth of 75-feet.

The lake covers a surface area of 191 square miles with 71-miles of exquisite shoreline, while the Nevada/California border traverses lengthwise with a greater portion being on the California side.

Average snowfall in some areas is 300-600 inches and melting snow finds its way to the lake via 63 streams entering the basin.

But what would strike you as odd is the fact that there is only one outlet, the Truckee River.

Because of the huge volume and constant movement of the water, Lake Tahoe never freezes despite the drastic winter temperatures.

Back in the old, old days summer vacationers began arriving more than 10,000 years ago when the American Indian Washoe tribe camped along the cool lakeshores.

One of their favorite places is known today as Camp Richardson and the men of the tribe were skillful hunters and took advantage of the abundant wildlife.

The Washoe women were noted for their intricate and artistic basket weaving and this idyllic lifestyle spanned generations of the peaceful tribe, however, it would not last.

The first European American to see Lake Tahoe was John C. Fremont, whose exploration party was led by Kit Carson in 1844.

In 1859, the discovery of the Comstock Lode in Virginia City, changed the face of the lake would affect it forever.

With mines, towns and the railroad invading the territory, wood was the primary fuel source wand was also needed to supply building materials.

The east shore, from what is now Incline Village to Glenbrook, became a vast logging empire and the ravages of clear-cutting would remain evident for years to come.

The Comstock silver lode made hundreds of people during the California and Comstock mining days and many were attracted to the pristine lake.

This was how tourism started and the resulting resorts soon to dot the lush landscape.

The Tahoe Basin managed to remain in relative obscurity with only a few people knowing about its existence until the 1950s when Bill Harrah and Harvey Gross built the first casinos on the south shore.

With their gaming expertise they learned over the years back in Reno, they knew how to attract business for their establishments and became mainstays up until today, Known as Harvey’s and Harrah’s

Back in 1960, the Winter Olympic Games were hosted at Squaw Valley on the west shore and with the resulting publicity, the area was soon recognized as a world-class winter playground, as well as the premier summer vacation venue.

The Olympic Rings still remain at Squaw Valley Resort and the place is renowned for year-round sporting activities.

So does it hurt a bit to learn about pieces of history on your Lake Tahoe vacation? Not a bit.