Tahoe Truckee Region History Articles

This summer commemorates the 160th anniversary of Samuel Langhorne Clemens’ 1861 arrival in the West. Considered one of America’s greatest writers, he was also a talented humorist, publisher, lecturer and ardent admirer of Lake Tahoe. Most know him by his …

Author’s Note: To acknowledge the historical significance of the Donner Party and its window into an important era in the West, over the next 10 months I will occasionally write a column chronicling the progress and challenges of this cursed …

Editor’s Note: Check in advance for current operating schedules before visiting. Portola, Calif., reminds me of Truckee when I first moved there in the late 1970s. A bit worn and scruffy around the edges perhaps, but filled with friendly and …

Read Part I The 1848 discovery of gold in California sharply increased the demand for passenger transportation and freighting between the newly acquired Pacific territory and points east. During the 1850s, there was strong public and political pressure in the …

In the years before the transcontinental railroad made traversing the rugged Sierra Nevada a relatively comfortable ride, stagecoaches were the principle means of transportation over the mountains. The two main routes across the Tahoe Sierra were through Johnson’s Pass, south …

Vigorous springtime storms are not unusual in the Tahoe Sierra, but 43 years ago a nasty squall blew into the region with disastrous results. Late in the afternoon on April 15, 1978, gale force winds were buffeting Squaw Valley ski …