Red Lake Peak

Sun, Jun 21, 1998 		Etymology Story Photos / Slideshow Map Profile
later climbed Sat, Feb 16, 2002

Red Lake Peak (10,063 ft.)

Named by Goddard in 1864

Also Red Lake, Creek

"Disregarding an Indian's warning, 'Rock upon rock -- rock upon rock -- snow upon snow -- snow upon snow. Even if you get over the snow you will not be able to get down from the mountain,' Fremont took his band of men, including Kit Carson and Charles Preuss, with sixty-seven horses and mules, and at least one dog, across the Sierra in the dead of winter. (Fremont, Expedition, 231.) On February 3, 1844 Preuss recorded in his diary: 'We are getting deeper and deeper into the mountains and snow.' On February 6, 'No more salt in the camp. Disgusting.' By the 11th: 'We are now all snowed in.' On February 13 Fremont wrote: 'We had tonight an extraordinary dinner -- soup, mule, and dog.' The next day he wrote: 'With Mr. Preuss, I ascended to-day the highest peak (10,063 feet) to the right; from which we had a beautiful view of a mountain lake at our feet, about fifteen miles in length, and so entirely surrounded by mountains that we could not discover an outlet.' (Fremont, Expedition, 234.) Preuss did not mention seeing the lake, but did mention the climb in his diary.

From this peak (Red Lake Peak) Fremont and Preuss were the first white men known to have seen Lake Tahoe. Farquhar thought that Stevens Peak was the mountain from which Fremont and Pruss first sighted Tahoe, but he was convinced by Vincent P. Gianelli's well-reasoned article, 'Where Fremont Crossed the Sierra Nevada in 1844,' published in the Sierra Club Bulletin, October 1959. (Farquhar, Sierra, 56, 62.)

'On a small bench of the hill below, and at the foot of Red Mountain, is a small marshy lake, apparently drying up. This is Red Lake.' (Goddard, Report, 105.) Goddard's map, Sierra region south of Lake Tahoe, showed 'Red Mountain north of Carson Pass.' (Goddard, South.) The name 'Red Lake' appeared on Reed's map, 1864. The mountain was later renamed for the lake, becoming 'Red Lake Peak.'"
- Barbara Lekisch, Tahoe Place Names

More of Bob's Trip Reports

For more information see these SummitPost pages: Red Lake Peak

This page last updated: Sat Apr 7 17:02:15 2007
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