At Pyramid Lake

Description

"Pyramid Lake is one of the largest lakes in the Great Basin, the terminus of the Truckee River flowing from Lake Tahoe into northern Nevada. This desert oasis, with a surface area of nearly two hundred square miles, is a unique geological feature and was home to the Paiute for thousands of years before the arrival of explorer John C. Fremont in 1844. For the Paiute, it was a spiritual center that provided life-sustaining resources, such as the cui-ui, a fish unique to the lake and now endangered. For the ranchers and farmers who settled on tribal lands, the waters that flowed into it were necessary to raise cattle and crops. Mergen tells how these competing interests have interacted with the lake and with each other, from the Paiute War of 1860 to the present. The lake's very existence was threatened by dams and water diversion; it was saved by tribal claims, favorable court decisions, improved water laws, and the rise of environmentalism. At Pyramid Lake is about more than Indians and water wars, however. It is the story of railroads on the reservation and the role of federal, state, and private groups interested in sportfishing. It is about scientists, artists, and tourists who were captivated by the lake's beauty. Finally, it is also a story of the lake as a place of spiritual renewal and celebration. Mergen grew up near its shores in the 1940s and returned frequently through the years. In this cultural history, he combines his personal remembrances with other source material, including novels, poetry, newspaper and magazine journalism, unpublished manuscripts, and private conversations, to paint a fascinating portrait of one of Nevada's natural wonders"-- "At Pyramid Lake details the social, cultural, and environmental history of this unique desert terminus lake, located forty miles northeast of Reno. Pyramid Lake has long been a site of allure and contestation. For the native Paiutes, it was a spiritual center that provided life-sustaining resources, such as the Lahontan cutthroat trout that are unique to it. For artists and writers, it has been a place of mysticism and inspiration. For ranchers and farmers, the waters that flow into it have been necessary for cattle and crops. For tourists and sports enthusiasts, it has been a special playground. Bernard Mergen uses an interdisciplinary approach to explore how these many interests have interacted with the lake and with each other. He combines his own personal understandings of lake (he lived briefly near its shores in the 1930s and 1940s and still visits often) with sources about it that include published and unpublished manuscripts, newspapers and magazines, novels and poetry, and conversations. Written in an accessible style, At Pyramid Lake is both a history and a tribute to one of northern Nevada's most fascinating features"--

Subjects