Carson Range, Sierra Nevada, Nevada, USA. From the Spooner Lake trail. The lake was created by the damming of Marlette Creek, which flows into Lake Tahoe. The original dam dates to 1873; it was raised several times, most recently in 1959. The lake was created to provide water for Virginia City, some 20 miles away in the next mountain range to the east. The water was conveyed by a complex series of flumes, aqueducts, pipes, and an inverted siphon. Parts of this system have been rebuilt over the years but it is still in use.