The Lincoln Highway, Verdi, Nevada

Monica and I took a trip to Verdi, Nevada on Wednesday, hoping to catch some fall color and experience some history. Verdi is on the old emigrant route as well as the transcontinental highway. We wanted to walk a section just outside of town that features three bridges or bridge sites, two railroad lines, the Truckee River, and of course, the Lincoln Highway.

Map of Verdi showing the 1913 Lincoln Highway in blue and the second, 1925 Lincoln, in green.

View of the first bridge site crossing the railroad. Check out the old wooden railings.

In the photo above, we can see the Lincoln Highway at the right turning left towards the first wooden bridge site that spanned the first set of railroad tracks. The photo below shows the site of the second bridge over the second set of railroad tracks. We are looking north from the roadbed. You can see the railroad tracks at the bottom. Both of these rail lines are live with trains running on them. Be alert!

Second bridge site along the Lincoln Highway, Verdi, Nevada.

Irrigation canal spillway with the Lincoln Highway.

Once the yesteryear driver crossed the second wooden bridge, they would follow the road around a horseshoe bend and ford an irrigation canal spillway, as seen in the photo above. Was this canal here before of after the Lincoln Highway? We don’t know and will have to do a bit of research to find out. Once the water was crossed, a quick left turn is made, and we head for a metal Lincoln Highway era bridge crossing the Truckee River.

Once we cross the metal bridge, the old road continues for another couple hundred yards and then merges with the second generation 1925 Lincoln Highway. While most of this walk is easy enough, there is a bit of scrambling through bushes and up some banks between the first bridge site and the second bridge site.

Below is a panorama showing just how many different modes of travel Verdi has seen come its way. We are looking east while standing on the Lincoln Highway. Be sure to click the photo for a larger view.

Click the photo for a larger view!

Below is a map showing the area and the various features we have discussed.

I searched for an image of the wooden bridges across the railroad tracks and came up with very little. However, there is a YouTube video of one of the wooden bridges, which we are told burned down on July 24, 2010, at 6:30 pm, having been struck by lightning. What a shame. Below is a portion of the video showing the old bridge. Heads up, there is music at the beginning if this video which might catch you by surprise. The bridge is 20 seconds into the video, while the music stops at 40 seconds. What a shame we missed seeing these old bridges.

This is early July showing all that we have before the bridge burned, starting with a few slides, then a refer train, and a single power move. I'm not sure i...

Green Valley Road History Tour, Part 2

We continue our Green Valley Road history tour, Part 2. We are now on Malcolm-Dixon Road, which was the old route before the re-alignment of Green Valley Road. Just after turning onto Malcolm-Dixon Road, we come to the site of an old roadhouse named "New York." The New York House, located on the south side of the road near New York Creek, has quite the history.

The information for the New York House comes from Doug Noble's Green Valley Road history. The New York House, owned by Constantine Hicks, a carpenter from Vermont, had quite a reputation having been involved in a scandal concerning election fraud, as well as trying to claim "squatters rights" on 640 acres of surrounding land. He was defeated in part by the Central Pacific Railroad, which owned land intended for the transcontinental railroad, which eventually passed through Placer County to the north.

The story of Constantine Hicks gets brutal after this when his daughter eloped with a "hired hand." Hicks and friends overtook the man at the Rolling Hills house down the hill, horsewhipped him to death, then took the body back to the New York house and buried him on a hill across the road.

Live Oak School.

Continuing our journey, we come to the Live Oak School, which is still standing! The photograph at the top of the page shows the 1895-96 class with the teacher, Miss Donovan. L-R front row: Pete Leik, Annie Hughes(later Mrs. Louis Mettie), John Hughes, Frank Koffman, ___ Courtamarsh, &___Courtamarsh. 2nd row: Luke Avery, Maggie Hughes, Annie Leik, Lizzy Ricker, Lilly Orr, Cora Avery, Kitty Ricker, MamieGrace, and the teacher Miss Donavon.

The area around the schoolhouse has been approved for development by the county, with 2.2 acres around the school, as well as the building being preserved for history, while the rest will be developed.

The Green Valley Road History Tour

We now head up the old road where it will eventually lead us back to Green Valley Road, where we will turn left and head up the hill and the site of the Green Spring House, located on the south side (right side as your driving) of Green Valley Road, on a old alignment of the road. The Green Springs House was built by Rufus Hitchcock, who would run the place until 1851 when he died of smallpox. William Dormody ran it until he died in 1876 when his widow Sarah F. Dormody took it over. According to history, it was a favorite place to hold weddings.

Take Green-Valley Road towards Rescue, and our next stop on our tour, Deer Valley Road. We will discuss that in part 3 of our Green Valley Road history tour.

Tour map found here.