Tahoetopia

LOST LEGEND #2: How Lake Tahoe got its Name

It was in February of that year that John Charles Fremont first spotted the water and called it "mountain lake" on his map of the area. Another member of the same expedition, Charles Preuss, created his own map and called the water "Lake Bonpland" in honor of a French botanist. Much later, as the reader will see, it was "Lake Bigler."

LOST LEGEND #1: Origin of Lake Tahoe

Big Blocks on the Move

LOST LEGEND #7: The Lake Tahoe Plug

Dr. Charlie Goldman at USD, an authority on lake matters, has not mentioned the plug in his numerous writings, and he has been part of the teams that have been deep in the lake in a submarine. So the reader will have to decide about the validity (and location) of the plug.

The Story

Autumn slides toward winter at Tahoe

One of the advantages of this interplay is striking paintings at sunrise and sunset. The picture below was taken on an early November morning, last year, on the West Shore near the dam and Fanny Bridge in Tahoe City.

Julie Maurer of Truckee-Tahoe

Over the years Maurer has moved from being a part-time public relations employee to (currently) being Vice President of Marketing and Sales for Booth Creek Resorts, an owner of Northstar.

Breeze Cross of Truckee

As a Tahoe-Truckee resident and owner of the lumber company his family has run for 65 years, Cross has made it a priority in his adult life to give back to his community. "There is a sense of honor in being able to do that that never goes away, which never grows old."

A Local

STORY: Rain Varnish for Snooty

The boats appear in all sizes and shapes, and the special ones share a common bond: They are "classics." For the most part, this means they were originally built well before World War II. More often than not they gleam, stem to stern, with varnish. Varnish is the mother's milk of classic boats.

STORY: Polyestermites on Proxie

On a Wednesday in mid September as a high-pressure system hovered over the area, many boats appeared on the lake. They provided a booster shot in the lull between seasons.

STORY: Where is Tiffany?

Mid-day on the designated Saturday, unannounced, T.T. sailed gracefully into the bay in his cherished Tiffany. He was well known around the boatyard. In most respects T.T. was considered a non-resident, regular by virtue of his years of visits, nautical demeanor, happy eyes, and love of wooden boats. T.T.

PLACES: Roller Pass Hike in Donner Party Footsteps

If the party had made it before the snows of winter, Donner Lake perhaps would still be called Truckee Lake, and Donner Summit would probably be named after some other party that tested the mettle of the Sierra. Instead, the Donner Party confronted one of the biggest and earliest series of snowstorms on record, and the rest is history.

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