Lake Tahoe 'discovered' by John C. Fremont on Valentine's Day, 1844

It was 174 years ago, on Valentine's Day in 1844, when John C. Frémont and Charles Preuss “discovered” Lake Tahoe as they were making the first crossing across the Sierra Nevada in winter. The pair had been hired by Congress to explore the Colombia River region to the Pacific Ocean with famous scouts Kit Carson and Thomas Fitzpatrick.

Fremont had hoped to head east across the Great Basin to the Rocky Mountains. But his provisions were low and his stock unfit for the eastward journey. He decided instead to cross the Sierra and resupply in the Sacramento Valley. On February 14, as map maker Preuss and Fremont climbed Red Lake Peak at Carson Pass (named after his guide) they “discovered” Lake Tahoe, about 20 miles to the north.

It is winter and conditions are appalling. They are lost, nearly out of food, their stock is in poor condition, the snow is deepening as the head west towards Carson Pass from Carson Valley, Nevada. The winter temperatures are unbearable. Excerpts from his diary summarizes the bleakness of the situation.

February 14--With Mr. Preuss, I ascended today the highest peak to the right; from which we had a beautiful view of a mountain lake at our feet, about fifteen miles in length, and so entirely surrounded by mountains that we could not discover an outlet. We had taken with us a glass; but, though we enjoyed an extended view, the valley was half hidden in mist, as when we had seen it before. Snow could be distinguished on the higher parts of the coast mountains; eastward, as far as the eye could extend, it ranged over a terrible mass of broken snowy mountains, fading off blue in the distance. The rock composing the summit consists of a very coarse dark volcanic conglomerate; the lower parts appeared to be of a slaty structure. The highest trees were a few scattering cedars and aspens. From the immediate foot of the peak, we were two hours in reaching the summit, and one hour and a quarter in descending. The day had been very bright, still, and clear, and spring seems to be advancing rapidly. While the sun is in the sky, the snow melts rapidly, and gushing springs over the face of the mountain in all the exposed places; but their surface freeze instantly with the disappearance of the sun….

Frémont and Preuss each gave different names to the majestic lake. Fremont calling it “Mountain Lake,” while Preuss’ map of 1848 identifies it as Lake Bonpland, in honor of the legendary French botanist Amie Jacques Alexandre Bonpland. As we know, neither name stuck.

Frémont was an American military officer, an explorer who was known as "The Pathfinder," a senator of California, and the first candidate of the anti-slavery Republican Party for the office of president of the U.S.