What is Nevada’s maritime heritage?
People have been using Nevada’s lakes and rivers for more than 12,000 years. The earliest evidence comes from Paleo-Indian sites located around ancient Lake Lahontan and along the Colorado River. Historically, the Washoe tribe lived around Lake Tahoe and adjacent areas of the Great Basin, the Northern Paiute lived around Pyramid Lake and adjacent areas of the Great Basin, and the Southern Paiute lived in the Colorado River Basin. In 1844, the American military officer and explorer John Fremont led an expedition to the Great Basin and recorded Lake Tahoe and Pyramid Lake. Settlers began arriving in 1851 and prospectors raced to the area after the discovery of the Comstock Lode in 1858. Lake Tahoe became a center for the logging industry, providing timber for the underground mines. Lake Tahoe also became a favorite vacation spot with steamships providing regular service around the lake. Lake Tahoe and Pyramid Lake were fished commercially for trout that were shipped to the West Coast and
