First sighted by John C. Fremont and Charles Preuss in 1844, the "Lake of the Sky" beckons to pioneers and adventurers today as it has through history. Author Mark Twain, popular lecturer George Wharton James, industrialist Duane Bliss, and film star Elizabeth Taylor all found inspiration in its secluded sylvan beaches. Washoe tribal members held Da'o' a ga ("Edge of the Lake") as their paradise until lumber demands for the Comstock Lode all but stripped the dense forests. Gradually, lakefront property became private retreats and hostelries catering to tourists happily arriving from around the world for winter skiing, summer boating, and holidays."