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Cultural Heritage

The Heritage Resource Program of the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit seeks to promote knowledge about and appreciation for our nation's diverse cultural heritage. We protect significant heritage resources and promote heritage awareness through a balance of inventory, evaluation, monitoring, preservation, public interpretation, education, collaboration, and consultation. Our mission is strengthened by maintaining and developing active partnerships with individuals, organizations, and communities.

Lake Tahoe has a rich and diverse cultural heritage spanning thousands of years. Much remains to be learned about the first peoples who utilized the Lake Tahoe Basin as many as 8,000 to 10,000 years ago. As we proceed forward in time the archaeological record becomes clearer. At the time of first European contact the Washoe Indians and their ancestors had been calling the resource-rich Lake Tahoe their home for at least 2,000 years. Scores of prehistoric and ethnographic Washoe sites have been identified around the shores of the lake as well as in higher-elevation use areas. The first major disruption to the Washoe way of life at the lake came when a large silver lode was discovered in Virginia City in 1859.

The Lake Tahoe Basin rapidly became the victim of resource extraction on a massive scale. The forests of the entire basin were virtually clear-cut between the years of 1860 and 1890 to fuel mining operations, shore up the mine tunnels, and build the rapidly growing Virginia City.

Many different people have left their mark on the land during and since that time. Basque sheepherders left their carvings on aspen trees in groves around the lake. Chinese laborers left evidence of their campsites on the wooded slopes surrounding the lake. European operated lumber mill sites have been recorded as having extensive historic road systems, railroad alignments, trails, and flumes.

The early twentieth century brought continued growth and development to the Lake Tahoe Basin as it became a favorite recreational retreat for the wealthy. A number of unique historic buildings remain from early this century. Lake Tahoe is now a destination for visitors world wide, and it is also still home to the Washoe Tribe.

Fostering an appreciation and respect for what came before us is one of the central aims of the Heritage Resource Program. Please honor this rich heritage and help protect these sites. If you find artifacts, please leave them and report your findings to the Heritage Resource Manager of the US Forest Service, Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit.  Here is how to Contact Us.