New Year Lake is a lake in the Hays Canyon Range of northwestern Washoe County, Nevada, US, at elevation 5,948 feet (1,813 metres).[2][1] Explorer John C. Frémont passed New Year Lake on December 26, 1843 during his second expedition;[1] it was included, unnamed, on the map he created after the expedition in 1845.[2] The name of New Year Lake was changed into Crook's Lake in the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) in 1966 after a local rancher sent a note to the Board on Geographic Names, in which he wrote that the lake was called "Crooks Lake" ever since a battle took place in 1867 near the lake between General George Crook and the Northern Paiute. However, no reference to a battle at this location was noted in a history about the Snake War, though Crook was at the Battle of Steen's Mountain.[3] The name change was reversed in 1989[4] because the name "New Year Lake" was used historically. "Crooks Lake" is listed as a variant name together with Roops Lake.[1]
| New Year Lake | |
|---|---|
  New Year Lake Location in Nevada | |
| Location | Washoe County, Nevada |
| Coordinates | 41°45′13.7″N 119°57′1.61″W / 41.753806°N 119.9504472°W |
Surface elevation | 5,948 ft (1,813 m)[1] |
| References | GNIS ID: 863317 |
References
edit- 1 2 3 4 "New Year Lake". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
- 1 2 Carlson, Helen S. (1974). Nevada Place Names: A Geographical Dictionary. University of Nevada Press. p. 178. ISBN 9780874170948. Archived from the original on 22 December 2017. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
- ↑ Michno, Gregory (2003). Encyclopedia of Indian Wars: Western Battles and Skirmishes, 1850–1890. Missoula: Mountain Press Publishing Company. ISBN 0-87842-468-7. Retrieved October 7, 2025.
- ↑ July through September 1988, Decision List 8803 (Report). Decisions on geographic names in the United States. United States Board on Geographic Names. 1988. p. 19. Retrieved October 7, 2025.