| Lake Tahoe, the lake itself and the small towns | | | | Luckily, for all that live and visit Lake Tahoe, the |
| scattered around it, are located in the Sierra Nevada | | | | government of California and Nevada worked |
| Mountains on the border of Nevada and California. The | | | | together to create the Tahoe Regional Planning |
| lake is a freshwater lake and is renowned for the | | | | Agency in 1968. The Agency was convened to |
| clarity and chill of the water (even in summer). The | | | | ensure that all developments and tourist areas were |
| area is also well known for its breathtaking views of | | | | limited to allow the natural environment of the area to |
| the Sierra Nevada's and the ski resorts, lake activities, | | | | flourish and continue to be a wild and natural escape |
| hiking, camping, and all sorts of off trail recreational | | | | for as long as people wanted to visit. |
| sports. | | | | The foresight of these early precautions has helped to |
| Of course, Lake Tahoe is historically best known for | | | | maintain some very delightful and amazing historical |
| the discovery of silver in the Sierra Nevada Mountains | | | | sites for the modern tourist to see. A few of the most |
| in the 1860's. During the Gold Rush happening in | | | | notable are the Vikingsholm Castle on Fannette Island, |
| California, fortune seekers headed to Tahoe and | | | | Ehrman Mansion, and Taylor Creek Stream Profile |
| Virginia City, Nevada, hoping to hit the next mother | | | | Chamber. |
| lode, like the Comstock Lode found in 1859. Miners, | | | | Located at the west end of Emerald Bay, Nevada, |
| workers, and even families traveled over the | | | | Fannette Island (the only island in Lake Tahoe) with the |
| treacherous Donner Pass on nothing but foot, wagons, | | | | Vikingsholm Castle atop. The island and the castle are |
| and horses. The trek over the mountains became so | | | | a great way to get to see first hand some of the |
| popular that it was named the "Bonanza Road" (which | | | | diverse people and cultures that traveled through the |
| later became the still used Highway 50). | | | | basin. The castle was built in 1928 by Mrs. Lora J. |
| Eventually, the silver and gold ran dry and the miners | | | | Knight who instructed Scandinavian architect Lennart |
| slowly left, or pursued different avenues for making | | | | Palme to build a home without chopping down, moving, |
| money such as tolls and taxes to use the pass and | | | | or injuring any of the site's natural trees. |
| lumber harvesting. However, that was short-lived and | | | | Knight and Palme decided to build a Norse fortress |
| as early as the 1900's, Lake Tahoe became a | | | | from about 800 A.D. in full scale, method, and detail. |
| vacation spot for the rich and famous of San | | | | They used only those tools and concepts of those |
| Francisco, California. Hotels catering to the rich looking | | | | used in ancient Scandinavia. The towers, turrets, |
| to pamper themselves in a beautiful setting became | | | | towers, carvings, and hand-sanded wood were used |
| the new commerce. | | | | to create the modern fortress. They installed a sod |
| However, the lake actually has history prior to the Gold | | | | roof with grass that the ancient Scandinavians used to |
| Rush. The lake was discovered by Kit Carson and | | | | feed livestock during the winter. Mrs. Knight also |
| John Fremont in 1844, but the Washo Indians had been | | | | wanted her furniture and décor to reflect the |
| living around the lake and utilizing its fish and fresh | | | | Scandinavian era, but many of her desired artifacts |
| water for centuries prior to that. The Washo used the | | | | were so historically significant that their export was |
| area as a summer venue for their religious ceremonies | | | | forbidden by the Norwegian and Swedish |
| and meeting with other factions of the tribes that | | | | governments. But she was so driven to complete her |
| wintered in different areas. It was the Washo that | | | | vision, she had them copied exactly and recreated for |
| named the lake; their word was "Da-ow-a-ga" which | | | | her house. |
| translates to "edge of the lake." When Carson and | | | | The Ehrman Mansion is located in the Sugar pine Point |
| Fremont came, they could not understand or | | | | State Park in California. The property was owned, until |
| pronounce the Indian word and mispronounced it as | | | | 1965, by Isaias W. Hellman, who built his summer home, |
| Tahoe. The early explorers actually named the Lake | | | | Pine Lodge in 1903, then he began buying property in |
| Bonpland (meaning Mountain Lake after a French | | | | Lake Tahoe in 1913 and got up to about 2000 acres. |
| botanist) and Bigler Lake after California's third | | | | The Mansion and the 1975 acres of the State Park |
| governor. But none of these names stuck. The people | | | | give a good insight into the Tahoe of the early turn of |
| in the area still called it Tahoe. In 1945, they gave in and | | | | the century. Of the decadence, yet need, to have the |
| officially renamed the Lake Tahoe. | | | | land remain wild. |
| It wasn't until 1944 when the first casino and saloon, | | | | Similarly, the Taylor Creek Chamber is a place where |
| Harvey's Wagon Wheel Saloon and Gambling Hall, that | | | | people can go and experience, nearly first hand, what |
| the area began to be known as a gambling destination | | | | the water and the creatures living in the lake are like. |
| for entertainment. Many more casinos and hotels | | | | The glass bay windows walls, the waterfall, and the |
| began to spring up. Then, in the early 50's, the roads | | | | creek-bottom-eque floors complete with sound effects |
| and passes began to be manually landscaped with | | | | make this experience realistic, but without getting into |
| roads being built and maintained year round, and | | | | the chilly Tahoe water. |
| people began to build houses and schools and lived in | | | | The viewing windows of the actual lake then become |
| Tahoe full time, not just as a vacation home. | | | | a huge mural that wraps around the walls of the room, |
| In 1960, the Olympics Winter Games were held in Lake | | | | or chamber. There is also a huge cottonwood tree |
| Tahoe at one of the oldest ski resorts, Squaw Valley, | | | | growing in the middle of the chamber. Visitors can |
| and that began the reputation for Lake Tahoe being | | | | view scenes of the Taylor Creek ecosystem |
| thought of as the ideal ski destination in the United | | | | throughout the four seasons, with a final scene looking |
| States. | | | | down Taylor Creek where it empties into Lake Tahoe. |