Washoe Tribe to get prehistoric site at Lake Tahoe

Sunday, July 9, 2000 | 11:12 a.m.

The land is part of a 35-acre site near the Squaw Valley USA ski resort slated for development as Squaw Valley Park by the county.

John Ramirez, county parks administrator, said various artifacts turned up at the site when archaeologists worked there in 1998.

He said the prehistoric site would be given to the Washoe after an environmental review of the proposed park is completed in about two months.

The park, tentatively set for construction next year, will feature two playgrounds, a soccer field and paved bike path.

Washoe tribal Chairman Brian Wallace didn't immediately return a phone call Saturday. He has pressed for a return of tribal homelands in the Tahoe Basin to the Washoe.

The Washoe traditionally spent their winters in the Carson Valley 60 miles south of Reno, Nev., and their summers in the nearby Lake Tahoe area.

"Squaw Valley was very heavily used by indigenous people," Carrie Smith, a Tahoe National Forest archaeologist, told the Tahoe World.

The site is only the latest land being considered for return to the Washoe at Lake Tahoe.

Last month, Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., introduced legislation to transfer 24.3 acres of land north of Skunk Harbor from the federal government to the Washoe Tribe.

The measure was agreed to nearly three years ago during the Lake Tahoe Summit hosted by Reid and President Clinton.

The tribe, which has more than 1,500 members in Nevada and California, considers the land part of its spiritual heritage at the lake.

Reid's legislation bans any commercial use of the land and assures its use for tribal cultural activities.