The question of where Mark Twain camped on the shore of Lake Tahoe, a tale
told in two chapters of Roughing It, has inspired the Gatekeeper’s Museum
in Tahoe City to host the "Mark Twain Tahoe Mystery Public Festivity"
featuring presentations by two authors with competing theories. The event will be
held outdoors at the museum on Thursday, June 21, at 6:30 p.m. in Tahoe
City, Calif. After each speaker's initial 15-minute statement, the audience
can ask that author questions. Then, following the authors' five-minute
closing statements, there will be a general question session with both
authors.
The event, which kicks off a summer-long public opinion poll about the two
possible sites, will be June 21 at 6:30 pm at the Gatekeeper’s Museum.
When then-Sam Clemens and a partner came from Carson City to Lake Tahoe in
September, 1861, to stake a timber claim and get rich, Clemens developed a
great love for the lake. Later, as Mark Twain, he never identified the site of
his claim, which he never proved-up. The exact location of their camp is
in dispute.
The two authors have offered differing theories of Twain’s 1861 Lake Tahoe
campsite location. Robert Stewart, in his privately-published, 100-copy
book “Finding Sam Clemens’ Cove at Lake Tahoe, Nevada”, pegs a site south of
Sand Harbor State Park in Nevada. David Antonucci, in his Amazon book “
Fairest Picture”, pinpoints a site near Speedboat Beach in California.
Michael O'Malley will moderate, with Lauren O'Malley as timekeeper. A $10
donation is suggested for non-members. The Gatekeeper’s Museum is located in
the log cabin next to Fanny Bridge in Tahoe City. The event is free for
members of the North Lake Tahoe Historical Society.
Bob Stewart
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