Lake Tahoe Sierra Chamber of Commerce

Come visit Lake Tahoe – “No Poison Oak, No Rattlesnakes, No Harmful Insects”

Oriented with east at the top, this bird’s eye view shows the area around Lake Tahoe from Reno to Woodfords, and includes the infamous Donner Lake amidst the Sierra Nevada in the foreground. The land’s varied topography is illustrated expertly by Gerald Eddy, who created a number of panoramas focused on subject matter in the west.

Apart from the natural beauty offered by the region, the map also focuses on the many recreational activities available in the area. Golf courses, ski slopes and post offices are all individually labeled, and slogans for the major communities of Reno, Carson City, Virginia City, and Genoa are provided. Roads and mileages are given, alongside the routes of railroads, to aid the intrepid traveler.

An interesting item to note about the rail lines are the extensive snow sheds adjacent to Donner Pass. During construction of their portion of the First Transcontinental Railroad, the Central Pacific built nearly 40 miles of sheds along the track to prevent snowcover from stopping the trains. This was in addition to the extensive tunneling, grading, and blasting required to cross the Sierra Nevada in the first place!