The continued drought in California has taken its toll on Lake Tahoe.  
Yesterday the lake level fell to the lake's natural rim. The reservoir held by  
the dam built in 1913 is "drained". The level today is probably a few  
inches below the level of the lake in September, 1861.
Anyone interested will find easy access to visit the Secret Harbor beach  
where documentation indicates Sam Clemens and John Kinney slept among the 
rocks  the first two nights of their September 1861 Timber Claim trip, or the 
huge  granite boulder-table where primary documents indicate they had their 
own camp,  at the SW corner of Sam's timber claim. 
The best ground approach to the boulder is to park off the unmarked turnoff 
 for Thunderbird Lodge, keep to the right and hike. I suggest scouting it 
out  visually from the highway first, it isn't all that accessible, which is 
why the  shoreline there remains much as it was in 1861. Boat access is not  
recommended (boulders) but canoes find it easy to reach the beach and visit 
the  boulder-table.
On Aug. 14, 1865, also mentioning the granite boulders throughout the  
area, General Land Office surveyor Butler Ives described the land as "steep  
broken granite mountains rising abruptly from the shores of Lake Bigler 
[Tahoe].  . . ." and "The shores of Lake Bigler are bold rough & rocky, the water  
deepens out gradually for some distance, & then pitches off suddenly to the  
depth. . . ."
Robert E (Bob) Stewart
Carson City NV