Placerville to sign it's section of the Lincoln Highway!

Great news! The City of Placerville has requested information on how to begin signing their city with our Lincoln Highway signs. I had spoken to the city council a few months ago about the Lincoln Highway, and the importance of recognizing the old road. Now they are on board, and we need to decide where to place the signs. Generally, they are put about every 3-4 minutes driving time at the speed limit, so drivers can know they are still on the highway. Often they are placed where there is a confusing intersection or doubt on which way to proceed.

High snow near Cisco. Photo from Donner Summit Historical Society, Norm Sayler collection.

The Lincoln Highway Association has, since its founding in 1913, been all about promoting the highway. Besides conceiving the road, their main goal was publicity, and to sign the route for transcontinental autoists. You would find metal signs or a stenciled "L" on bridges or telephone poles all along the way across the country.

The present-day Lincoln Highway Association also wishes to sign the old route. Our chapter here in California has the goal of signing both Lincoln Highway routes from San Francisco to the border with Nevada. There are two border crossings into Nevada for the Lincoln in California. One is at Stateline, and the other is at Verdi, Nevada on the old Dog Valley Road.

Recent stencil project in Newcastle at the oldest auto subway in California, built in 1910.

There has been lot's of progress over the years, apparent by the signs we see in various locals. Our most recent project has been the stenciling of the Logo on the railroad underpasses through Placer County. The towns of Galt, Rancho Cordova, Auburn and the county of San Joaquin are well signed. That leaves a lot of cities and counties that still need to recognize the old road.

The satisfaction from a well placed sign!

What's needed is people that are willing to join us and help get their local Lincoln Highway town or county on-board the signage program. The signage program has moved forward when there is a "champion" of the project in their particular home region. Membership in the Association is inexpensive, but the value of new members is priceless. Association and membership information here. 

1919 Army Convoy film, Part II

Here is the second installment of the 1919 Army convoy film showing the run from just outside Placerville, to Stockton, Oakland, and finally two ferries to San Francisco.

The Convoy is Coming!

That cry was heard over 100 years ago as The Military Convoy of 1919 rolled into towns across the country. The Army wanted to see if it could send men and machines across the country on the new transcontinental road known as the Lincoln Highway. Starting in Washington DC, the caravan drove over 3000 miles to Oakland where it then boarded ferries to San Francisco and the Palace of the Legion of Honor, the terminus of the Lincoln Highway. Onboard, was a young major by the name of Dwight D. Eisenhower, future President of the United States.

Eisenhower, 1919.

The El Dorado County Arts Council has an exhibit titled, "Convoy 1919: Centennial of the 1919 Transcontinental Motor Convoy" running from August 29, through October 6, 2019, at the Confidence Gallery on Main Street. According to their website, "The convoy - consisting of 81 vehicles, including 31 heavy cargo trucks, 4 kitchen trailers, a wrecker, 4 motorcycles and 5 ambulances – made its way westward over long stretches of roads that were often little more than dirt tracks. On the evening of September 2, 1919, the convoy, motoring on the Lincoln Highway through El Dorado County, reached Placerville, California to cheers from the welcoming crowd. That evening more than 200 troops were treated to 'a huge barbecue, a revival of the 'Days of Forty-nine' and a street dance."

Vintage film of the convoy!

Want to cheer the convoy yourself? The MVPA (Miltary Vehicle Preservation Association) has been crossing the country in their vintage military vehicles, following the route the Army took back in 1919. They will leave Carson City, Nevada on September 12, destination Placerville! The convoy will pass down Main Street later that day, with a stop at the County fairgrounds where they will spend the night.

MVPA convoy in Iowa.

Truck entering new snowshed subway at Donner Summit

Pictured is the famous auto subway under the Central Pacific Railroad tracks at Donner Summit. The actual summit is another couple hundred yards past the tunnel. The truck is headed north and then west. The photo is likely taken around 1914, as as the snowshed has been removed directly above the 1913 built subway. The snow shed was soon re-built after construction.

Close up of the photo.

Here we see a close up of the photo showing the supporting timbers holding back the dirt as construction commenced on the subway. Notice the two Lincoln Highway logos on the back of the truck. A lantern partially obscures the logo at left. Notice how clean the walls of the subway are. Looking at photos of the underpass after 1914 shows graffiti started showing up very soon after construction.

Lincoln Highway by Donner Lake

This view is looking south towards Donner Lake, where we see an automobile using the Lincoln Highway, approximately mid-1920’s.. Yesterday's post concerned the Donner Lake camp located on the west end of Donner Lake. A reader thought the car pictured yesterday was the photographer's car. It was a common practice back in the day to make sure your vehicle was in the photo. It appears that today's photo has the same car, so it must be the photographer's.

Click photo for larger view. Title: Office Donner Lake Camp

The above photo shows the Donner Lake Camp, which was located on the west end of the lake. We can see the photographers car just off The Lincoln Highway, lower left.

Donner Lake Camp

We are looking east from the west side of Donner Lake, approx 1920’s. The building seen is the office for the Donner Lake Camp, an early “autoist” campground. In the close up below we can see a “Red Crown” gasoline sign, as well as a car headed down the road. The road curves around the lower part of the photo and ends up at the right side where it would soon start the climb up towards the summit.

Lets stay in a Quonset hut tonight!

Driving the old roads like the Lincoln Highway or Highway 40, you come upon the early rest stops and motor lodges that once lined the highways. Back in the day, people had to stop more frequently on their travels. Your auto might need to have it's radiator filled, gasoline topped off, or oil added. Most stops would have food available, and some even had rooms to rent for the night. Early motor lodges and motels were seen frequently in all the small towns along the way as people didn't travel as far each day.

Just outside of Colfax, along old Highway 40 and Lincoln Highway (today's Highway 174), one could cozy up to their very own Quonset hut, complete with stone fireplace, at the Quonset Village Motel. Quonset huts were quite popular just after World War II when the Army sold their excess war supplies, including these huts. We capitalize Quonset as it's Quonset Point, Rhode Island, where the huts were built.

The view today. One Quonset hut is still standing, and all the stone fireplaces are lined up in front of their long-gone huts. Click the above photo to control the view.

Army Convoy, 1919

In 1919 the U.S. Army decided to send a convoy of trucks, motorcycles, tractors, and men on a transcontinental trip from Washington DC to San Francisco. The road they would follow was the recently completed Lincoln Highway. Some of the convoy's journey was filmed, and we look at the section from western Nevada to San Francisco, California. The text comes from a diary and film record made during the trip.

Historic highway pole markers

Before there was Interstate 80, or Highway 50 roads had names like Lincoln Highway or Yellowstone Trail. These pole markers guided motorists or “autoists” as they traveled to their destination. The emblem would be either painted on telephone or telegraph poles or warped around and secured in the case of metal signs. You would find them where a critical turn was needed, or just to let you know you were on the right path.

Victory Highway at Boca

Here we see a lone automobile headed west, towards Truckee, Ca., while driving on the Victory Highway at Boca. The Victory Highway in this area follows the route of the later Highway 40. This photo would be from after 1921 when the Victory Highway, a monument to WWI soldiers, was organized.

We can see the railroad bridge over the little Truckee River at right, and further to the right what appears to be a flume, likely coming from the old Boca Ice Company. The car is traveling to the spot where Boca Brewing had its operation, by this time long gone. We can also see a Southern Pacific train in the background.