On Tuesday (Jan. 14,) in Reno, the Nevada Board on Geographic Names will  
hold the first of two hearings on a board-generated proposal to name a small  
cove at Lake Tahoe "Sam Clemens Cove." Members are probably aware that this 
 nomination was turned down by the National Board on Geographic Names a 
couple of  years ago. 
 
Under the national geographic names board's rules, additional  information 
must be offered before they will reconsider a rejected name. A  large amount 
of primary documentation has been gathered that indicates the  cove is 
Clemens' 1861 campsite. However, th Nevada  Board's nomination simply says it is 
an unnamed cove and that Clemens  was on the Nevada Shore and naming a 
feature there for him is appropriate, which  also meets their naming criteria.
 
Since there are no mountains or other land features around Virginia City  
and Carson City that are unnamed, and most land features along the  shoreline 
of Lake Tahoe are named, this unnamed cove bounded by Forest  
Service-managed land, was selected. 
 
I have prepared a paper booklet of scans of the primary 1860s documents,  
and a PDF narrative explaining what the documents tell about Sam Clemens' 
visits  to the lake in 1861. I can send the PDF to anyone requesting it through 
my  personal email, [log in to unmask] (mailto:[log in to unmask]) . The  
booklet, laid out in 11x17 Pagemaker, does not lend itself to a PDF because of  
the page spreads, so I'll need a mailing address if you want a copy of it.  
Please don't ask through the forum, use my direct email.
Bob Stewart, Carson City NV