The question of where Mark Twain camped on Lake Tahoe has inspired the Gatekeeper’s Museum in Tahoe City to host the Mark Twain Tahoe Mystery Public Festivity featuring two authors with competing theories.

The event, which kicks off a summer-long public opinion poll about the two possible sites, will be June 21 at 6:30pm at the Gatekeeper’s Museum.

When Twain and a partner came to Lake Tahoe to stake a timber claim and get rich, he fell in love with the lake. Twain built a campfire that accidentally spread, starting a low-burning forest fire. The exact location of Twain’s camp has never been officially determined.

Two authors recently offered competing theories of Twain’s Lake Tahoe campsite location. Robert Stewart, in his book “Finding Sam Clemens’ Cove at Lake Tahoe, Nevada”, pegs a site near Sand Harbor State Park in Nevada. David Antonucci, in his book “Fairest Picture”, pinpoints a site near Speedboat Beach on the North Shore on the California side.

The event is free for North Lake Tahoe Historical Society members. A $10 donation is suggested for non-members.

The Gatekeeper’s Museum is located in the log cabin next to Fanny Bridge in Tahoe City.