Tears filled my eyes as I gazed upon the fairy scene.

I recall the entrancing picture to-day, in all its splendid detail, so vividly was it photographed upon my brain.
Since that hour I have crossed the continent ten times, over various railway routes, visited most of the States of the Union, and seven foreign countries, heard the testimony of others whose travels have been world-wide, and I doubt if another scene of equal enchantment exists on the face of the globe.
In 1861, two years after my visit to Tahoe, I gathered the data for compiling the first general map of the Pacific States, which embraced the region from British Columbia to Mexico, and from the Rocky Mountains to the coast.

It was ready for the engraver in February, 1862.

I had instructed the draughtsman, V.Wackenreuder, afterward connected with the State Geological Survey, to omit the name of Lake Bigler, which was on contemporary maps.
I invited John S.Hittell, editor of the _Alta California_, a leading San Francisco daily, and Dr.
Henry DeGroot, writer on the _Evening Bulletin_ and correspondent of the able _Sacramento Union_, to come round to Bancroft's publishing house and inspect the map.
Dr.DeGroot had just returned from a visit to the Comstock silver mines in the Washoe district of Western Nevada.

He suddenly turned to me and said: "Why, Knight, you have left off the name of Lake Bigler." I remarked that many people had expressed dissatisfaction with that name, bestowed in honor of a Governor of California who had not distinguished himself by any signal achievement, and I thought that now would be a good time to select an appropriate name and fix it forever on that beautiful sheet of water.
The suggestion met with favor, and several names were proposed--Washington, Lincoln, then war President, Fremont, an early explorer, and other historic names.