Truckee on the Lincoln Highway

Map of Truckee showing the route of the Lincoln Highway. Click map for larger view.

The early eastbound Lincoln Highway traveler would have entered Truckee via the present-day Prosser Dam Road, which today crosses Highway 89, which has obliterated any old road traces. You can pick up the road by heading down E. Jibboom Street, which runs into Bridge Street. E. Jibboom Street was before the Lincoln Highway, a county road, and before that, the Dutch Flat Donner Lake Wagon Road (DFDLWR), built by the Central Pacific Railroad.

In the photo below, taken around the 1920s, we are looking north at Truckee and the Lincoln Highway, which is quite visible heading up the mountains. The early Lincoln Highway in this area followed the DFDLWR.

1920s view of Truckee and the Lincoln Highway.

Heading down The Lincoln Highway on East Jibboom, we come to Bridge Street and the Stone Garage, a landmark today. There is a plaque outside installed by the California Lincoln Highway Association and E Clampus Vitus, which describes this place's history.

Truckee Stone Garage on Bridge and E Jibboom Streets.

Once past the Truckee Stone Garage we turn right on Donner Pass Road and head down one block to Spring Street and the site of the Sierra Tavern, a popular stopping place along the old road. The first photo at the top of the blog shows the magnificent structure, which burned down in 1927, the year the Lincoln Highway became Highway 40.

Plaque on the wall of the Stone Garage.

Sierra Tavern in 1908 with Charles Fayette McGlashan’s home at the top left. Mc Glasahan was a prominent citizen of Truckee.

In the photo above, we can see the Sierra Tavern in 1908, five years before the Lincoln Highway. A lone automobile sits on Spring Street. The building at the top left was the home of CF McGlashan, a prominent Truckee Citizen. That building is long gone and was replaced by a Quonset hut shaped building for Truckee Veterans. To the Sierra Tavern's right, across Spring Street, we can see the Chance Saloon and OK Bar where the photo below was taken.

Rare photo of a Lincoln Highway “L” sign on Donner Pass Road, Truckee, sometime in the late 1910s, early 1920s.

In our next installment of the Lincoln Highway’s northern route, we will continue our trip towards the summit but will first stop to check out the Donner Party’s encampment site, now known as Donner Memorial State Park.

Photographs from Donner Summit Historical Society, Norm Sayler Collection, and Adventures in California History.

Verdi to Henness Pass Road on the old Lincoln Highway northern route, part 3

Dog Valley and Henness Pass Road from Verdi to Truckee is one of the most historic in California. Besides being the Lincoln Highway's original route, this was also the Dutch Flat Donner Lake Wagon Road (DFDLWR), and before that, an emigrant trail.

The first wagon train across The Sierra was the Stevens, Townsend, Murphy party, guided by Caleb Greenwood, a trapper, in 1844. They took the only way known to them, from the area known today as Verdi. They followed the Truckee River down its narrow canyon. This was a brutal passage as the emigrants often found themselves in the water working their way upstream. It may be that they were the only wagon train to use this passage as a newer, easier route had been discovered.

Sign at the Von Schmidt Obeilisk park in Verdi, at the California border line.

That newer route was the road we are about to travel on. In 1845 Caleb Greenwood, not wishing to repeat the Truckee River route, discovered the way we are venturing on. This route avoided the waters of The Truckee and used the ridge tops and not the canyons for travel. This was the same route the Donner Party followed on their way west.

Map showing both new and old routes from Verdi to Truckee. Click map for larger view.

Starting in 1864, this route was also the Dutch Flat Wagon Road, which became quite busy as travelers headed west and even busier during the silver boom in Nevada with thousands traveling east. Automobiles started using this road in 1901, and in 1913 the Lincoln Highway Association chose this way for its northern route. From 1864 to 1926, this was the main route into California from points east.

Automobile traveling west on the new Truckee River Route of the second generation Lincoln Highway, soon to be Highway 40. Photo from Lincoln Highway Traveler Newsletter.

The Dog Valley route as it was called was being prepared for it’s inclusion as the new state highway when in 1926 it was decided to build the more expensive, $889,894, and difficult Truckee River route. The Dog Valley Route would have been completed for $94,000. Apparently politics played a role in the new routes construction. After 1926 all traffic was diverted down the newer Truckee River Route, Highway 40. The Dog Valley Route was abandoned and became a county road.

Trey standing by Trail West “T” marker #24. The quote by Emigrant Isaac Wistar commented that “large pines, firs and cedars abound…some of which are fully six feet through.”

As we head up Dog Valley Road, it changes to Henness Pass Road, and we spot our first Trails West “T” marker, describing the immense trees, some 6 feet wide! The emigrant trail likely followed the present-day road's general route, though likely they used the sides of the hills for passage. In the photo above the Lincoln Highway is behind the photographer by about 10 yards.

Satellite image showing location and features. Click map for a closer view.

From this point up to the first summit, the road is quite rough, with the washboard effect very evident. Shake, rattle, and roll!

TC Wohlbrück and his Canteen Service Stations

Entering the State of California via the Lincoln Highway meant you had two choices to make in Reno. Take the northern route up and over Donner Pass, or take the southern route pass Lake Tahoe and over the summit at Johnson's Pass. Either option meant a challenging climb, which was brutal for both people and machines. What was needed was a place to rest, body, and engine while picking up supplies to keep both on the road.

PG&E lookout which T.C.. added to create his canteen. Notice the Lincoln Highway sign.

Theodore Clemens Wohlbrück (1879–1936), known as "T.C." Wohlbrück, was a photographer who arrived in California in 1912 from Massachusetts after getting a divorce in Reno. He made his living by traveling around the state in his automobile, taking school class pictures. Wohlbrück noticed how important the car was becoming in everyday life. The motors of that time were a bit unreliable and needed regular oil and water top offs and gasoline to keep moving on the road.

This color postcard shows the view of Bear Valley below the PG&E Lookout at Emigrant Gap. Click photo for larger view.

T.C. was an entrepreneur. He saw a need and decided to address it with a business. His idea was to provide these services and food, trinkets, and rooms for rent. Long before the mini-mart gas stations, we see today T.C. decided to build what he called a "Lookout" and "Canteen Service Station" at Emigrant Gap along the Lincoln Highways northern route. At this time, he had also envisioned another canteen at the Donner Memorial, dedicated in 1918, but that project would come later.

The view is looking west towards the lookout. Eventually, this would become the site of the famous Nyack Lodge.

Pacific Gas & Electric (P.G.&E) had built a small "lookout" at the Emigrant Gap, the historic "gap" in the mountains where the early pioneers had crossed over the spine of mountains and down to Bear Valley. The power company had built the lookout so travelers could stop and take in the fantastic view and watch the construction going on in the distance of the enlarging of Spaulding Dam. However, the lookout site was not occupied and frequently vandalized, so T.C. offered P.G.&E a deal. He would build his first "Canteen" there while maintaining the spot's integrity and preventing further damage. This lookout, completed in 1919, included an additional 100 acres that Wohlbrück had purchased from a man named Allen, to prevent anyone else from opening up a competing business, which he had heard was in the works.

TCs “Echo Summit Lookout” on Johnson Pass Road.

This photo is the view overlooking Tahoe Valley. Sign at right says, “Make your own postcards from the top of the world. Echo Summit, elevation 7890.” Click photo for larger view.

Wohlbrück built his second canteen on the Lincoln Highway's southern route at Echo Summit on Johnson's Pass. This canteen also had spectacular views which could be seen out back on the deck. A spyglass for travelers to take in the scenery was available, and postcards with Wohlbrücks photos of the region were for sale.

Interior view of Echo Summit Canteen, Some of the hand- made furniture by Wohlbrück still exists in the Alpine Club. Click photo for larger view.

The Echo Summit canteen still exists as the Alpine Club Lodgehouse and even includes some of TCs handmade furniture. The color photo shows the lodge as it is today. It still has a Lincoln Highway sign!

Echo Summit Lodge today.

Wohlbrück's third canteen was near the recently completed Donner Pioneer Memorial in Truckee, just east of Donner Lake. Before the park existed, the monument sat by itself with people removing the rocks at the base as souvenirs. Wohlbrück saw an opportunity and leased the land from the Native Sons of the Golden West, who owned the property. He offered to protect the monument while servicing travelers with his canteen service station. Visitors had been removing rocks around the base of the statue, so he put a cap of concrete around it.

The view of the Donner Memorial from the Lincoln Highway. Photo from Donner Summit Historical Society, Norm Sayler collection.

View from porch at Donner Canteen looking toward monument . Click photo for larger view.

Interior of Donner Canteen. Click photo for larger view.

Wohlbrück was an avid collector of memorabilia as well as automobiles. In 1930 he presented his collection to the Horse and Auto Museum in Redwood City. Soon the collection outgrew that space, and he moved it to San Jose in 1936. It never opened to the public. Wohlbrück asked the State of California if they would build a museum to house his priceless collection of horse-drawn vehicles, automobiles, and antiques, but they declined.

Four days before his death on November 28th, 1936, he agreed with the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan, to sell them his collection. The collection included 152 carriages, coaches, and wagons, 60 motorcars, including the 1913 Mercedes used by Crown Prince Wilhelm of Germany used on the eastern front during World War I, the family carriage of Leyland Stanford, and the hunting wagon of Mark Hopkins.

TC Wohlbrück was a man ahead of his time and an essential part of the history of transportation over the Sierra Nevada.

Although very difficult to locate in this photo, there two Signal gas pumps located in the background that State Parks didn’t realize existed. Located on the highway between the small shrub in center of the photo and the tress to right is a Lincoln Highway concrete marker post.

Thanks to Norm Sayler, of the Donner Summit Historical Society, for keeping the memory of TC alive. It was Norm that said there was a fascinating story to be told, and he was right. Photos are from Norm’s collection.

We're on our way to Timbuctoo!

In 1850 Timbuctoo, like most Gold Rush towns, built itself from the wealth generated by gold panning. It is located on a bluff above The Yuba River, close to the gold-bearing sand bars, but high enough to avoid flooding. Once the easy gold was panned out, they moved on to hydraulic mining of the bluffs around 1854. It's through this method of extraction that Timbuctoo gained its fabulous wealth.

Hydraulic mining in Timbuctoo.

As the town grew, it built a theater that could house 800 people, a bank, bakery, hotels, even an ice skating rink! The wealth continued to flow until 1884, when downstream farmers sued to end all hydraulic mining in the state. Hydraulic mining caused massive amounts of sediment to move downstream, causing flooding and a loss of agricultural land. It was also making riverboat travel difficult as sandbars would form and re-form, making navigation tricky. The District Court in San Francisco agreed and shut down all hydraulic mining. Timbuctoo was doomed!

Timbuctoo in 1862. The stage is passing in front of Stewart’s Wells Fargo Store.

The court ruling putting an end to hydraulic mining, which caused Timbuctoo to decline as miners their families and the businesses that grew up to support them moved away. Soon there was very little left of the town. During the 20th Century, there was an effort to preserve what little was left. Stewart's Wells Fargo Store was the most robust of what was still standing. The remaining townspeople had it preserved with a new roof and commemorative signs.

The preserved Stewart’s Store in 1945.

During the early part of the 20th Century, Timbuctoo enjoyed a revival as a historic stop on the road. It became quite popular with people looking for the story of California's history. Before 1980 the main road passed through town, making it much easier for people to stop and check it out. When Highway 20 was re-aligned in the 1980s, it bypassed Timbuctoo, and like so many other Gold Rush communities, it faded away.

Stewart’s Store today.

Soon the impetus that had driven the people to try and save the remaining structure(s) also died, and rumors of gold in the old building walls brought vandals, and they tore the old structure down. Now there are no standing structures from the early days, just a crumbling mass of bricks. You have to see the old photos and drawings of the town to get a feel for how wealthy and busy Timbuctoo was.

Monica checking out the old bridge crossing of The Yuba River.

There is so much to explore near Timbuctoo. The road coming in from the west passes over the Yuba River, where you can see the old bridge's support that crossed the river. The Town of Samrtsville is just a mile or so from Timbuctoo and has a great story of its own. Is it spelled with an "s" or not, Smartville? A little further lies Rough and Ready, a town that also built itself from gold and its spot on the old Emigrant Trail to Johnson's Ranch in Wheatland.

Timbuctoo in the 1860’s and the exact same spot today, 2018.

Here is a short video, less than 5 minutes, concerning our adventure at Timbuctoo.

Searching for the Emigrant Trail, Mt. Olive Road, Nevada County

Monica and I spent Monday at Yuba Gap, in the high country of The Sierra, looking for the old "Overland Emigrant Trail." While we didn't find any "T markers," we did spot a stone obelisk on Laing Road. You wouldn't know what this thing was unless, like us, you had seen them before with their sign attached, as this one in Bear Valley does. I'm not sure whether these signs are being stolen, or fall off, but we have come across more of these markers without their signs than with them.

Concrete marker with sign

The next day, Tuesday we stayed a bit closer to home and tried to locate the trail in the foothills above Grass Valley. We had read the descriptions of how the path followed Lowell Ridge before dropping down towards Chicago Park area. The name Mount Olive stood out from our research so when we found the road we drove it! Coming down Mt Olive Road, it makes a sharp right-hand turn, and that's when Monica saw the "T marker." We are on the trail!

Monica and T Marker for Mt. Olive

Something looked different about this marker. It seemed it faced in an odd direction, east. Hard to read. There was also a large pile of gravel in front of it. We took some pictures and proceeded down Mt. Olive Road looking for more signs of the trail. Once at home we opened up Emigrant Trails West webpage, looked up the Truckee Trail, and the picture of this particular T marker was there! However, a house has been built right on the trail. I have put two pictures up, one from the Trails West webpage, and our photo from Tuesday. This house is entirely new, as it also does not show up on Google Maps.

Photo from Trails West webpage.

Our day was complete, as we found another section of the trail. What's worrying though is the rapid pace of development going on in the foothills of The Sierra. It's quite a desirable place to live, and we saw many new homes popping up here and there. Our concern, as history buffs, is what will people do with these old places and trails. Some don't even know what they are building on, or in some cases, don't care. How can we preserve these beautiful pieces of history, without denying people their private property rights? As fan's of the trails, it's a bit of a shame to see them paved over and in some cases forgotten.

The same spot as above but now with a house.