AH-WR-0423

Governor Blasdel

Steamboat · United States · Lost Approximately 13 years after her 1864 launch, so circa the late 1870s · Lake Tahoe

Hand-built by a Glenbrook lumberman in 1864, the Governor Blasdel was Lake Tahoe's first steamboat before harsh winters and a failing boiler ended her career.

Become Captain of Record See Shipwreck on Map

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents. See the documented evidence.

Interpretive Reconstruction, drawn to convey the vessel's era, type and general form. See the documented evidence.

The Vessel and Her Loss

Built by Glenbrook lumberman Augustus Pray in 1864, the Governor Blasdel was the first steam-powered vessel on Lake Tahoe, hauling logs for Pray's sawmill and carrying sightseeing passengers, including Nevada's namesake governor. After roughly thirteen years of service through harsh Tahoe Basin winters, her boiler failed and her working career ended.

Vessel

Built: 1864
Builder: Augustus Pray
Yard: Glenbrook, Nevada
Material: Wood
Length: 42 ft
Beam: 24 ft
Tonnage: Not established
Propulsion: Steam, twin side paddle wheels
Owners: Augustus Pray

Loss

Date: Approximately 13 years after her 1864 launch, so circa the late 1870s
Cause: Mechanical failure
Location: Glenbrook, Lake Tahoe
Water: Lake Tahoe
Voyage: Not established
Cargo: Not established
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: Not established
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: Not established
Condition: Not established
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: Not established
Protection: Not established

Position

Coordinates: 39.09° N 119.94° W
Accuracy: General area only
Nearest: Glenbrook, Nevada
Region: Lake Tahoe

General area only: coordinate of Glenbrook from the USGS Geographic Names Information System, the named place on Lake Tahoe's east shore where this vessel was based and lost, not a surveyed wreck position.