Tahoe National Forest occupies 871,495 acres in California along the northern Sierra Nevada, northwest of Lake Tahoe. The Washoe used this region around Lake Tahoe for at least 2,000 years before the Gold Rush brought miners into their territory in 1849 and sharply disrupted that way of life. Created as the Lake Tahoe Forest Reserve in 1899 and renamed in 1905, it became part of the national forest system formed from the division of the larger Sierra National Forest in 1908. Its lakes, canyons, trails, headwaters, old growth, and diverse plant and animal habitats make it important for recreation, water supply, and conservation.