Pe t e r G o i n ,
shown here making a reference
photograph at Meek’s Bay, is in the midst
of a re-photographic survey of Lake Tahoe.
P h o t o g r a p h b y Je a n D i x o n
Peter Goin
Art professor’s challenge:
Through photography, capture Tahoe’s
yesterday and today for a safer tomorrow
B y Jo h n Tre n t
College of Liberal Arts
www.unr.edu/cla
Emerald Bay
Then and Now
“That’s a milestone along the way,” Goin
said, adding that the larger goal of the project
is to re-photograph entire, distinct areas of Lake
Tahoe, stretching from the south shore and the
ruins of the devastating, wind-driven 2007 Angora
Fire all the way to Tahoe’s west shore and east to
Sand Harbor.
By capturing a treasure trove of images today,
Goin said, scientists will have specific data points
from which to work in assessing fuel loads, tree
density and other key information in the event of
a major fire.
“If we measure these ‘pre-data’ points and
you have these photographs, the managers of the
resource can then go in and determine the critical
point when say, the fuel load increased to the point
it became the source of a major fire,” Goin said.
“I’ve always believed that if you can look at the
landscape and come to terms with the concept of
fire and develop the appropriate strategies, you
can live with fire. Sometimes a photographic
image can bear testimony to not only what was
happening then, but what could potentially happen
in the future.”
Photograph by Jean Dixon
A
t this point, Peter Goin has the
photography part down pat.
As one of the most respected
photographers of the West, Goin’s
portfolio speaks for itself.
The Foundation Professor of Art at the
University of Nevada, Reno has produced 16
books, documentaries and exhibitions in more than
40 major collections throughout the country and
the world. In 2007, in acknowledgment of his vast
and varied research career, Goin was named the
University’s Outstanding Researcher.
Now, in the midst of a yet another ambitious
project–a re-photographic survey of Lake Tahoe–
the challenge isn’t necessarily capturing Tahoe’s
landscape with the discerning and creative eye that
has characterized Goin’s work for the better part
of 25 years. It’s about the smaller things. The much
smaller things. Like finding the exact spot where
a 1930s era cabin once stood, or pinpointing the
exact rock on a trail where Mount Tallac stood in
the background at precisely the same angle taken
in a photograph from a half century ago.
“It’s painstaking work, I’m not going to lie to
you,” Goin said of the project. “We are out for 8,
10, 12 hours, hiking and on our feet, for maybe
one photograph. But the effort really is goal-driven.
We are trying to develop a model on how the
arts and photography can be integrated with
scientific research in a way that will help all of
the residents at Lake Tahoe and areas like Tahoe
throughout the country.”
The short-term goal of Goin’s re-photographic
survey of Tahoe will be the publication of a book,
“South Lake Tahoe: Then and Now,” which will
be available late October 2009 from Arcadia
Publishers. The book will feature a series of historic
photographs from the south shore, juxtaposed by
images taken this year from the same spots.
Peter Goin, second from right, discusses the day’s fieldwork with Megan
Berner, a team leader on the project. In the background, two students
relax after re-photographic work on Tahoe’s south shore.
http://environment.unr.edu/tahoe
Lake Tahoe
Then and Now
P h o t o g ra p h s by Pe t e r G o i n
T h e n Emerald Bay, prior to construction on Fannette Island
N ow
Then and Now The explorer John Charles
Frémont encountered Washo Indians in early February
1844, whereupon he was told of a spectacular body of
water three or four days travel away. One of the Washo
men drew a map, but he counseled Frémont against
crossing the Sierra Nevada in the middle of winter.
Frémont led his party south to what is now the Carson
River, and disregarding the Washo’s advice, headed
west into the mountains. The weather was severe,
and Frémont’s party suffered mightily as many of their
animals perished in the biting cold and deep snow.
From the top of Red Lake Peak, now called Carson
Pass, at the south end of the Tahoe Basin, Frémont
made the first official sighting on February 14, 1844 of
what is now known as Lake Tahoe. Today, the resilient
essence of South Lake Tahoe is a cornerstone of an
evolving tourist economy. South Lake Tahoe’s story
chronicles the evolution from an industrial environment
to a tourist destination based upon the mountain
beauty of the place and its climate.
Peter Goin, Foundation Professor of Art at the
University of Nevada, Reno and author or coauthor of
several highly respected books including Stopping Time:
A Rephotographic Survey of Lake Tahoe and the seminal
Black Rock, was awarded the governor’s Millennium
Award for Excellence in the Arts in 2000. Drawing
from the collections of the Nevada Historical Society,
North Lake Tahoe Historical Society, South Lake
Tahoe Historical Society and Special Collections at
the University of Nevada, Reno, Goin redefines this
faceted jewel named Lake Tahoe within the visual
context of landscape change.
Selections from this project will be published in
Arcadia’s “Images of America” series which celebrates
the history of neighborhoods, towns, and cities across
the country. Using archival photographs, each title
presents the distinctive stories from the past that
shape the character of the community today. The book,
South Lake Tahoe: Then and Now, will be available
in October 2009.
T h e n Fallen Leaf Lake and Mt. Tallac
N ow
T h e n Construction of roadway, Meyer’s grade,
Highway 50
N ow