From the vista, you can observe Emerald Bay and learn about its rich and colorful past
Residents & Visitors
For thousands of years, Lake Tahoe's Emerald Bay has drawn people to its shores. The Washoe Indians made their summer homes here, fishing in the bay and hunting and gathering in the nearby forests.
In the early 19th century, trappers and explorers first sighted the lake when crossing the Sierras north and south of Tahoe. Soon after, the California gold rush of 1849 drew miners west across the mountains. Ten years later, the discovery of silver of silver in Nevada drew these miners east, back across the Sierras.
The 1880s brought wealthy vacationers to Lake Tahoe from San Francisco, Sacramento and Virginia City. Emerald Bay became a favorite stopover point for many, who traveled about the lake by steamer boats. A rustic resort called Kirby's Camp soon appeared with a hotel, guest cottages and a campground on the bay.
Tahoe's Steamer Age
With only a few tough roads connecting the remote settlements on the lake, boats provided the best means of transportation. It wasn't long before large commercial steamboats took to the waters. With fanciful names like Iron Duke, Minnie Moody and Meteor, these wood-burning steamboats towed lumber to sawmills and ferried passengers and the mail to the growing number of lakeside resorts.
One steamer, the Tahoe, became famous for its moonlight excursions where the rich and the famous for its moonlight excursions where the rich and famous danced until dawn. Known as the 'Queen of the Lake,' the slim and graceful steamer was launched in 1896. Able to carry 200 passengers, the Tahoe sported a private dining room and elegant furnishings of mahogany, brass and leather.