A document prepared by Robert Stewart was discussed in a number of August MTF posts. That document asserted proof of the location of the Lake Tahoe campsites and timber claim described in Roughing It and letters by Mark Twain. While it is likely few MTF members are interested in the ongoing debate over the locations of the campsite and timber claim, nonetheless, we feel compelled to comment. Mark Twain scholars will appreciate that this dispute is of little literary significance since it has no impact on the themes and theses of Twain’s writings about Lake Tahoe. We commend Stewart for a very thorough search and retrieval of historical records related to places, events and persons in the early 1860s Nevada Territory. This compilation is a valuable addition to the history and lore of a seminal period in Nevada's past. The cover of the Stewart document shows Mark Twain impressionist McAvoy Layne playing a card game on a flat granite rock situated on a sandy beach at Lake Tahoe. The Stewart document asserts this is the same flat granite rock on a sandy beach that Sam Clemens used as a card playing and dining surface at his 1861 Lake Tahoe campsite. As we mentioned in our MTF post on May 20, conclusive and incontrovertible scientific evidence shows that no sandy beach and therefore, no such exposed flat rock existed there in 1861. This is backed by an analysis that is founded on a 1918 federal shoreline survey of Lake Tahoe, 1985 scientific report describing the natural shoreline condition, and a peer review by the US Geological Survey. The subject beach and exposure of the flat rock did not occur until the middle twentieth century, the result of erosion of the shoreline caused by a new dam. We continue to review and refine this analysis and intend to submit a final summary for publication. MTF subscribers can download a PowerPoint formatted version of the analysis as a PDF here. https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/44745517/Clemens%20Campsite%20Shoreline%20Analysis.pdf Following a public debate in 2012, Stewart stated that if no beach existed at that location in 1861, it “…totally eliminates not only [his] theory…” Thus, he identified the absence of the 1861 beach as a potential fatal flaw. If the central piece of empirical evidence, i.e. beach and exposed flat rock, did not exist in the nineteenth century, Stewart's interpretation of historical documents to support his conclusion is dubious. As we have said in past MTF posts, interested Twain scholars and aficionados should carefully examine all relevant and factual information about the location of the 1861 campsite. We say this because we are confident those who employ critical-thinking skills, and logical reasoning will arrive at the same conclusions we have reached. To assist interested MTF subscribers, we are making available for download a complete PDF of Fairest Picture – Mark Twain at Lake Tahoe here. https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/44745517/Fairest%20Picture%20-%20version%201.01%20low%20res%20.pdf This version of Fairest Picture does not include these latest findings and we will publish a revised edition in the near future. This link will expire on September 20. Instructors, teachers and professors who conduct Mark Twain studies may redistribute this PDF to their students at no cost. David C. Antonucci Author of Fairest Picture – Mark Twain at Lake Tahoe