Monday, November 14, 2011

Discovering Lake Tahoe: Trailblazer John Fremont

Lake Tahoe, CA -- The first recorded discovery of Lake Tahoe by white explorers was on Feb. 14, 1844 when John Frémont and Charles Preuss climbed the dividing ridge of the Sierra crest to spot the second deepest lake in the United States.  It’s uncertain if they were impressed by the lake’s clarity and luminous blue color—their documented impression was rather nondescript: “beautiful view of a mountain lake…”   Frémont, along with his 23 men including explorer Kit Carson, simply wanted to get off the Sierra Nevada and make their way down to the fertile Sacramento Valley below. They’d been exploring unchartered territory since the spring of 1843 and their quest for food always kept them edgy.  The previous night Frémont wrote: “We had tonight an extraordinary dinner—pea soup, mule, and dog.”  Thank you trailblazers!

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