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]. 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