Tahoe City , the hub on the lake's northwestern shore, does not escape the tourists, but nevertheless manages to retain a more relaxed small-town attitude. Hwy-89 meets Hwy-28 at Lake Tahoe's only outlet, the Truckee River . The Gatekeeper's Cabin Museum (Wed–Sun 11am–5pm May–mid-June; daily 11am–5pm mid-June to mid-Oct; $2), at the mouth of the river, is a well-presented hodgepodge of artifacts from the nineteenth century, and has a good collection of native basketware. Rafting down the Truckee is a common activity in summer.
A couple of miles south along Hwy-89, 500 yards past the Kaspian picnic grounds, hike ten minutes up the unmarked trail to the top of Eagle Rock for amazing panoramic views of the royal-blue lake. Several miles further along the highway is popular Chamber's Beach .
Squaw Valley , the site of the 1960 Winter Olympics, is situated five miles west of Tahoe City off of Hwy-89, although the original facilities (except the flame and the Olympic rings) are now swamped by the rampant development which has made this California's largest ski resort.
10,000 Years Ago - The Lake Tahoe Basin was a summer gathering place for three bands of Washoe Indians, favoring the area that is now Camp Richardson's.
1844 - John C. Fremont first saw Lake Tahoe from the top of Carson Pass at 10,651 ft.
1852 - Tahoe was officially named Lake Bigler after John Bigler, California's third Governor, who lead a rescue party into the Sierra to save a group of emigrants.
1856 - A private hatchery opened at Tahoe City and later two hatcheries of the California Fish commission produced fish for the lake.
1860 to 1890 - The Tahoe Basin's natural resources were seriously depleted after the discovery of the Comstock Lode, which used wood for both fuel and to construct mines.
1880 - In October commercial operators took 70,000 lbs. of trout from the lake.
1890s - Lake Tahoe became a popular retreat for the wealthy from San Francisco, Sacramento and Virginia City to popular hotels such as the Tallac House, the Tahoe Tavern and the Glenbrook Inn. Tourism became the only industry to flourish.
1904 - Eighty commercial fishing boats worked Lake Tahoe, quickly depleting the cutthroat trout population.
1917 - End of legalized commercial fishing in Lake Tahoe.
1920s and 1930s - The mountain roads were paved, bringing in more people and growth for smaller lodges.
1950s - Development began to increase and roads started to be plowed year round.
1955 - Fred Rogers, a 29-year-old bartender from South San Francisco, made the first lengthwise Lake Tahoe swim in 19 hours, 6 minutes and 6 seconds. Swimming experts estimated he might have swum more than 29 miles.
1960 - Winter Olympics at Squaw Valley put Lake Tahoe on the map as the skiing center of the western United States.
1962 - Earline Christopherson became the first women to swim the lake at the age of 16 in 13 hours and 37 minutes.
1968 - Tahoe Regional Planning Agency was established to combat the growing environmental concerns of California and Nevada.
1972 - The M.S. Dixie took her first public cruise, ending a 30-year period when the Lake had been without a large commercial cruise vessel.
