Trout Creek bridge date

While visiting the Lincoln Highway in South Lake Tahoe we stopped to see the Trout Creek bridge. Located just off Pioneer and Golden Bear Trail sits a lonely bridge that serves no purpose other than to arouse our curiosity.

Trout Creek bridge looking west.

You must stop and park on Golden Bear Trail to see the bridge. There is also a Trails West “T” at the corner marker telling us this route was also the old Johnson’s Cut-Off Trail from the 1850’s. The bridge use to cross Trout Creek, but the creek has been diverted and now passes under the current bridge on Pioneer Trail.

Trout Creek use to pass under here.

While checking out the motor between the stones we found some writing which told us the motor was applied in 1907! There are also some other letters, “I C L A M”? Perhaps those are the masons initials? We don’t know.

Found! 1923 alignment of the Lincoln Highway.

Just past Pacific House on Highway 50 Monica and I recorded a section of old roadbed that we believed was at the old Highway 50, and possibly the Lincoln Highway. There is an easy to pull off turnout at the Eldorado National Forest sign where we started to hike the old roadbed.

Monica on the roadbed. We are facing west. Highway 50 to the right and below.

Headed east we were able to walk about 300 yards where the road drops downhill and seems to merge onto the present freeway. Across the highway, we could see where the trail again continued, so we were confident this was the old highway.

We then walked as far as we could west, to just about 50 yards past the Eldorado National Forest sign. There is a large amount of debris piled there so that we couldn't go further. Headed back down to the truck we walked just a few yards up the expressway where Monica spotted a concrete culvert going under the old roadbed.

Map showing where the alignment is, red line.

We decided to get a closer look at the culvert to see if there were any markings on it. Walking down towards the entrance, I could see numbers stamped into the top portion of the culvert. There, under some moss that had grown on the top, was the date, 1923. This road was the Lincoln Highway! The Lincoln ceased to exist as a name when the freeways were given numbers in 1928, in this case creating Highway 50.

So, all in all, it was a productive day spent looking for and finding an old alignment of The Lincoln Highway in the Eldorado National Forest.

Highway 50 at Twin Bridges

This photograph shows the newly completed road near Twin Bridges that bypassed “Slippery-Ford” and the wooden bridges that crossed the American River there. The older road use to pass between Lovers Leap and the large rock at the right, taking what was called at the time, the Swan-Henry toll road. This new road, built-in 1931 bypassed the Swan-Henry toll road, then called the Lincoln Highway in favor of passing to the right of the large rock at right. This is the road we use today.

Looking the opposite direction, towards Pyramid Falls. Title: [Horse Tail Falls]

[1930] Collection: California History Section Picture Catalog Owning Institution: California State Library Permalink: https://calisphere.org/item/fbc9e08a35e687f91d3111c5856ce3c7/

Whitehall on the Lincoln Highway

Whitehall is located just two miles east of Riverton near the American River. In the 1910s, Bert Randall owned Whitehall and boasted "the best-kegged beer on the great turnpike." That turnpike became the Lincoln Highway from 1913 until 1928, when highways officially lost their names and were given numbers, becoming Highway 50. The building had a "club room" lobby on the first floor and sleeping quarters on the second floor. Randall became the postmaster, and the stop was known as Randall's for a while.

The dilapidated "Whitehall" building we see today resulted from a remodel in 1935 by Mr. and Mrs. Virgil Jones. The fully renovated and modernized Whitehall had a new lunch and cocktail room, a large dining room overlooking the river, and a dance floor that would hold 30 couples.

Placerville to sign its 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 lots 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.